S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Series Megathread: The Zone will stop the Russians - Games

[QUOTE=Jamie1992GSC;44789100]Uhh, nearly half the stalker maps are over a Million Polys. Pripyat in SOC is around 4.5 Million.[/QUOTE] I'm uninformed regarding this aspect (read that somewhere) wrong source probably. Still want to know how they did it. Ill ask around

[QUOTE=Hammer7;44788710]It tells us X-ray can handle big seamless locations. But the problem is in RAM management - geometry of all 18 location eat 4-5Gb. Imagine RAM requirements for fully operational seamless SoC with A-life and stuff.[/QUOTE] It'd work if the engine was reengineered to stream chunks of the map as blocks rather than the full thing.

[QUOTE=LoNer1;44788454]Yeah, I know. I'm not surprised it looks like shit either, but ... -People- (modders) said this was impossible. Hell, I heard it was impossible to have a level that was twice as big as CNPP (front and back) together in the engine because of the poly limit of a million, yet look at this. I'm wondering how this had been done, because if this is possible, why not go out of your way to create one big seamless level indeed? To have a [I]real 30km2 exclusion zone.[/I][/QUOTE] That's not the level polygon limit. Each level has well over that (edit: now I'm now reading that it's about half of the maps. Oh well, it was just my guess, glad to be half right.) One million refers to the limit on-screen. Why does this incorrect bit perpetuate itself? Edit: Just saw your newer post. Sorry for my redundancy on this. I encountered someone on reddit with the same idea and began wondering if this was one of those false runaway facts, similar to Titanfall release running on the Portal 2 branch of Source they started with.

Thanks for the clarification for the on-screen part. I did ask around in GSC who could tell me what the actual differences where but no one cared to reply and in a vague whim I remembered it like that.

[QUOTE=Jazer;44789974]That's not the level polygon limit. Each level has well over that (edit: now I'm now reading that it's about half of the maps. Oh well, it was just my guess, glad to be half right.) One million refers to the limit on-screen. Why does this incorrect bit perpetuate itself? Edit: Just saw your newer post. Sorry for my redundancy on this. I encountered someone on reddit with the same idea and began wondering if this was one of those false runaway facts, similar to Titanfall release running on the Portal 2 branch of Source they started with.[/QUOTE] I may be incorrect but I don't believe stalker does geometry hiding or POV Geom Render (I can never remember the technical name) So it renders the entire map at once regardless of what you physically can or cannot see. So there would be no on screen limit. [editline]12th May 2014[/editline] Occlusion Culling! That's the name!

[QUOTE=Jamie1992GSC;44790222]I may be incorrect but I don't believe stalker does geometry hiding or POV Geom Render (I can never remember the technical name) So it renders the entire map at once regardless of what you physically can or cannot see. So there would be no on screen limit. [editline]12th May 2014[/editline] Occlusion Culling! That's the name![/QUOTE] Man this confusion is making me confused. So: Xray = renders everything both on and offscreen which the max is polycount of it all is like ... what, 5million?

CoP definitely does occlusion, all the large geometry has occluders (HOM Objects) built into it

[QUOTE=LoNer1;44790260]Man this confusion is making me confused. So: Xray = renders everything both on and offscreen which the max is polycount of it all is like ... what, 5million?[/QUOTE] SOC X-Ray I know for certain and CS X-Ray from what I recall Renders the entirety of whatever is loaded into memory. IE if you are in Cordon, it will render the entirety of Cordon regardless of if you can or can't see the entirety of it. Pripyat will render the entirety and such. So the max poly count on screen depends entirely on the level. Although pretty much most levels are ALL above 1 million.

[QUOTE=Beacon;44790274]CoP definitely does occlusion, all the large geometry has occluders (HOM Objects) built into it[/QUOTE] Does that explain why parts of the map become half-transparent on a really clear day? That might actually be really useful for performance saving. The whole prefetch concept might bog the game's performance down though.

[QUOTE=LoNer1;44788210]Someone made a seamless S:SOC world, albeit not perfect. [I]... believe it :v:[/I] [video=youtube;x9DUskfWkTQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9DUskfWkTQ#t=66[/video] [editline]12th May 2014[/editline] *Me wondering how IN THE HELL this was done*[/QUOTE] Pity that we can't gather a big enough AI map/graph for this seamless world, and make it a playable area for AI. Nice demonsration of x-ray rendering power though. "Someone" should have to make navigation mesh system into x-ray.

[QUOTE=LoNer1;44788210]Someone made a seamless S:SOC world, albeit not perfect. [I]... believe it :v:[/I] [video=youtube;x9DUskfWkTQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9DUskfWkTQ#t=66[/video] [editline]12th May 2014[/editline] *Me wondering how IN THE HELL this was done*[/QUOTE] i honestly love hi_flyer's more serious work and i look to him as a source of inspiration. i wonder what he's going to do when OLR is completed

[QUOTE=croguy;44790599]Does that explain why parts of the map become half-transparent on a really clear day? That might actually be really useful for performance saving. The whole prefetch concept might bog the game's performance down though.[/QUOTE] Nah, that's just the weird weather config + skybox interpretation :v:. The skybox is overlayed on-top of the distance objects making this fake (wannabe) like fog in-game that looks completely out of place. AF3 fixes (or rather removes) this, but then you see the badly placed props they put around (like in Jupiter, near the place where you have to get cardan his stuff, you see oddly placed buildings and such)

[QUOTE=LoNer1;44790960]Nah, that's just the weird weather config + skybox interpretation :v:. The skybox is overlayed on-top of the distance objects making this fake (wannabe) like fog in-game that looks completely out of place. AF3 fixes (or rather removes) this, but then you see the badly placed props they put around (like in Jupiter, near the place where you have to get cardan his stuff, you see oddly placed buildings and such)[/QUOTE] Oh god, don't remind me of that modeling of Pripyat's outskirts. That shit's a crime against mapping.

[QUOTE=croguy;44791163]Oh god, don't remind me of that modeling of Pripyat's outskirts. That shit's a crime against mapping.[/QUOTE] Hey, not as bad as SoC's pripyat. SoC's Pripyat has the worst geometry I've ever seen. Such a mess.

How easy is it to start Mapping in the Xray Engine? I wouldn't mind attempting but I have heard horror stories about it.

[QUOTE=Thomo_UK;44791640]How easy is it to start Mapping in the Xray Engine? I wouldn't mind attempting but I have heard horror stories about it.[/QUOTE] About as easy explaining the quantum mechanics to an infant while riding a one-cycle with 5 liters of vodka on your head, [I]to put it lightly into perspective[/I] [editline]12th May 2014[/editline] Not impossible, but it's tedious, requires A LOT of trial and error, compatibility patches, difference in game versions and so on and so on.

[QUOTE=LoNer1;44788454]Yeah, I know. I'm not surprised it looks like shit either, but ... -People- (modders) said this was impossible. Hell, I heard it was impossible to have a level that was twice as big as CNPP (front and back) together in the engine because of the poly limit of a million, yet look at this. I'm wondering how this had been done, because if this is possible, why not go out of your way to create one big seamless level indeed? To have a [I]real 30km2 exclusion zone.[/I] -- In other news, a new version of ZRP is going to surface and it looks and seems tasty. Plus, [B]STCoP:Weapon pack[/B] released a new patch and it looks super tasty as well! A video: [video=youtube;DVqXU_K84Yw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVqXU_K84Yw[/video][/QUOTE] The limitation is not really the poly count. It's the AI Map size. It can only be so big. Sure you can slap all the maps together but you would never be able to fill it will A-Life. I'm sure there are limitations but it's nothing to worry about, by the time you reach it you will hit the wall someplace else. [editline]12th May 2014[/editline] [QUOTE=Thomo_UK;44791640]How easy is it to start Mapping in the Xray Engine? I wouldn't mind attempting but I have heard horror stories about it.[/QUOTE] You would need to be very willing to learn yourself from watching videos and reading threads. But I'm sure there are some people who will be willing to point you in the right direction if you are serious.

[QUOTE=alundaio;44791890]The limitation is not really the poly count. It's the AI Map size. It can only be so big. Sure you can slap all the maps together but you would never be able to fill it will A-Life.[/QUOTE] I know, IIRC the max is 256 smarts? (And that even with PR in CoC as base, because the 'normal' CoP wouldn't allow that, right? [QUOTE=alundaio;44791890]You would need to be very willing to learn yourself from watching videos and reading threads. But I'm sure there are some people who will be willing to point you in the right direction if you are serious.[/QUOTE] Plus that all manuals are mostly in russian

[QUOTE=LoNer1;44791963]I know, IIRC the max is 256 smarts? (And that even with PR in CoC as base, because the 'normal' CoP wouldn't allow that, right? Plus that all manuals are mostly in russian[/QUOTE] It's just silly LE limitation. You can add more objects manually but it's a pain in the ass. This is one reason why Bangalore doesn't have the CoP maps, but I have no doubts COC could actually support also the CoP maps with story, lol. I created a linked-level system in CoC. Levels not* linked to the current level the actor is on are disabled. CoC removes non-story squads above a certain threshold and also disables smart_terrains and squads on non-linked levels. This why CoC runs smooth. CoC needs my modified job system. GSC did some bad coding for smart_terrain and sim_squad_scripted. Too much deep recursion and too much while loops that were literally creating a CPU bottleneck. EDIT: edited for correction of not*

Come home today to find out I got in the Survarium beta. :dance: (never got to do the open beta that was a few weeks ago)

[QUOTE=Whyt546;44792058]Come home today to find out I got in the Survarium beta. :dance: (never got to do the open beta that was a few weeks ago)[/QUOTE] Don't get too excited, though. Not to crush your dreams, but I heard it isn't as amazing as we wanted it to be (heh, this seems to happen with a lot of stuff, recently :v: )

[QUOTE=LoNer1;44792072]Don't get too excited, though. Not to crush your dreams, but I heard it isn't as amazing as we wanted it to be (heh, this seems to happen with a lot of stuff, recently :v: )[/QUOTE] Yeah, I played the beta. I was disappointed. But only because they hyped up that it will be a multiplayer stalker. There is more to stalker than just great atmosphere, something you cannot find in a multiplayer game. I played battlefield and counter-strike to death, so I'm a bit tired of the online shooter genre.

[QUOTE=LoNer1;44792072]Don't get too excited, though. Not to crush your dreams, but I heard it isn't as amazing as we wanted it to be (heh, this seems to happen with a lot of stuff, recently :v: )[/QUOTE] Well i'm not expecting much seeing as how tdm is the only mode right now. [editline]12th May 2014[/editline] [QUOTE=alundaio;44792089]Yeah, I played the beta. I was disappointed. But only because they hyped up that it will be a multiplayer stalker. There is more to stalker than just great atmosphere, something you cannot find in a multiplayer game. I played battlefield and counter-strike to death, so I'm a bit tired of the online shooter genre.[/QUOTE] It is going to have a freeplay mode that is like stalker, just not until Q4 of this year.

So I'm playing soup and Sid just keeps feeding me shotguns. So far I've got a Spas-12 from some friendly dead stalkers, Saiga 12k, and Mossberg "Francis". I've seen some others like the Benelli but so far stats wise the Spas-12 has been winning, even though it's a lot cheaper than the others (the Mossberg is valued at 45k somehow). Is the Spas-12 truly that good? And is there a special use for the Mossberg, something so valuable must be important somehow.

[QUOTE=Doom14;44785899]So, playing with an absurd mod and then modifying your carrying capacity to 500 because hording tendencies - when you finally decide to clean out some unused items, it gets a bit much. [t]http://cloud-2.steampowered.com/ugc/3317210733523381523/A0789A1D64BFAE77273882B0D917525E2AF80788/[/t][/QUOTE] I don't know why but this is just satisfying to look at.

[QUOTE=Whyt546;44792117]Well i'm not expecting much seeing as how tdm is the only mode right now. [editline]12th May 2014[/editline] It is going to have a freeplay mode that is like stalker, just not until Q4 of this year.[/QUOTE] Stalker is a little more then just DayZ-like freeplay multiplayer. If anything, multi-player ruins such games because people play like they are playing a video-game, ruining immersion.

[QUOTE=proch;44792286]I don't know why but this is just satisfying to look at.[/QUOTE] At least he stashed it in a relatively safe position. I remember sorting my inventory on a roof in Agroprom in my old TFW game, unloading a metric asston of buckshots for my chaser, and upon turning off the inventory menu I notice some assface climbed the ladder up to the rooftop, [i]stealing all the ammunition I had.[/i]

[QUOTE=proch;44792286]I don't know why but this is just satisfying to look at.[/QUOTE] Your wish is my command, I'm going to drop everything I own currently and take a picture again. As I get this, please understand I've had a carrying capacity of 500, basically infinite money, and having been playing LEGENDARY - aka Oblivion Lost, but even more absurd. Currently I'm totting three snipers, four heavy machine guns, one minigun, a few large pistols, and a few shotguns; plus ammo to kill everyone in the zone twice over, for each gun. I think Lost Alpha broke me. Without artifacts: [t]http://cloud-4.steampowered.com/ugc/3317210781760174526/6757F23E28F5A30E0820E3249E4421DFBE3F92E4/[/t] With: [t]http://cloud-4.steampowered.com/ugc/3317210781760176390/FA016D261028F0612995652793DA8383A6657161/[/t] [B]Bonus Round[/B]: [I]Name That Location![/I]

[QUOTE=Doom14;44792586][B]Bonus Round[/B]: [I]Name That Location![/I][/QUOTE] Looks like the bunker in the Northwestern railway tunnel of the Jupiter area.

[QUOTE=Furioso;44792719]Looks like the bunker in the Northwestern railway tunnel of the Jupiter area.[/QUOTE] It's Shadow of Chernobyl. Hell, it's a stock map. I only now noticed the minimap was left on, making it somewhat easy. [sp]Hint: It's normally an extremely rare area in which to access which doesn't lead anywhere, and only has a few medkits and maybe ammo.[/sp] [QUOTE=Furioso;44792757]Oh! Now I see. It's that sealed room in the Brain Scorcher.[/QUOTE] Actual Location Spoiler: [sp]I think you're right if you meant by and not in. It's the room behind the sniper before the trail up to the Monolith Brain Scorcher Base. Right at the edge of the Red Forest.[/sp]