[Top10-devel] Re: Top 10 and non gl ...

[Johann Deneux]

I hope you do not mind if we continue this discussion on the top10 ML. I
do not think anyone but us will be reading for the moment, but who knows ?

On Mon, 5 Nov 2001, Lars Segerlund wrote:

> 
>   Hi again ..
> 
>    What I have been playing with is two things, the first is voxels, to 
> put a bit of hills or landscape in the scenery, but there are some 
> problems with texture mapping voxels, and the second one is regular 
> height fields, so any format that will give , ( or from wich height and 
> texture can be calculated ), values of height and texture will do.

I first used a height field to render the track. I changed to another
method because heightfields and polygons don't go together too well. But
heightfields and voxels should work better.
I will check how to handle different rendering methods for landscapes.

> 
>    Also since it is not polygon based I think I can get some nice curves 
> and such, but when I looked at your new sources ( from the cvs .. ) .. 
> there were more features in the tracks and new textures ( much better 
> asphalt ! ) ...
>

Indeed, I thought adding texture mapping was important for the feel of
speed.
There is still some artistic work to do, though. For example, the
transition from the road to grass is too sharp (there is no such
transition!).
The track description will have other features, too. For examples, there
will be sand areas.

> 
>    I havent figured out how to add nice detail to the basic drawing 
> algorithm yet ...
> 
>    Can you do view changes ? ..
>

Yes you can, by pressing keys page up and page down. This calls
Simulation::nextCamera(), which chooses the next camera on the only kart
available. Each kart maintains a set of cameras, looking at different
directions from different point of views. I was planning to add fixed 
track cameras, too.

>    If it would be acceptable there are some really good cheats for flat 
> (  parralell to the ground ) rendering.

What do you mean ? horizontal rendering ? The ground in Top10 is not
always horizontal.

> 
>    Any how, if I get it all together I will send you a demo ok ? right 
> now I have a LOT of glitches !

Ok, tell me when you are ready.

> 
>    I have added myself to the mailing list b.t.w.

Nice, now we are two ;)

> 
>   Do you have a 'vision' of how you would like the game rendered ? Some 
> kind of conceptual shots or ideas ?

I do have ideas on what I would like to implement:
- shadows, because karts are not stuck to the ground, and evaluating their
position in the air without shadows is tricky
- some kind of reflection, for wet weather
- fog/rain, for wet weather again
- traces left on the track by tyres
- smoke, when you "burn" your tyres, for example

We do not need to support all of these features, of course. That depends
on what computing power is available, and how easy it is to implement them
in renderers.

-- 
Johann Deneux