07-19-2016, 05:27 PM
(This post was last modified: 07-22-2016, 01:33 AM by RaptorParkowsky.
Edit Reason: Raptorish Service Pack #1 to look more like English
)
Last months were very unpleasant for TerranovaTeam. I think this state of procrastination must stop, now. No matter what, no matter how. Just use some free time until summer ends and start making better GOLD!
As you all probably know, this year on 3rd of November there will be the 15th Anniversary of the original game's release. We have only 107 days left to prepare something quite special for this event. We have to think realistic - we don't have enough time to do something as huge as a major CBOT refactoring, or redoing the Exercises (OR even adding Pinkie Pie™ to the Moon for some reason...). We should focus on something that is already partially done or not verified and accepted to be in game.
We have a lot of unfinished assets that aren't pushed to the repo: @tomangelo 's subdivided models, @Adrian 's HD model textures, @RaptorParkowsky 's HD environment textures (processed photos by @michx) and logos, some of the new/remastered sound effects by @bartekko and @True Destroyer. That's a lot of stuff. Even if some of it is still unfinished or doesn't have a usable source (at least yet), it can be added to the game now. So let's get started:
People responsible/connected:
@Adrian
@RaptorParkowsky
@michx
Firstly I want to tell that I feel really bad for my procrastination at this topic recently. Probably most because of me @Adrian stopped his work and again doesn't write anything on forum. I really hope that @Adrian will be back to finish his great work on object textures.
My work on new environmental textures is also partially done. @michx equipped me with few good quality photos that I'll process to use in game. Those will be of course only few new sky textures + my new hi-res lens flare textures. They all will be placed in new group subdirectories under data/textures/ and they will have different filenames, so there will be necessary to change few parameters in most scene files of the game in one commit. Old textures will be in data repository for temporary backward compatibility with userlevels and they will be probably removed in another release to keep clean main data repository and packages. I have to only find a software that would let me find and replace in all scene files the parameters responsible for usage those textures in levels. Few things can't be changed now though because of their hardcoded nature, so I hope that @krzys_h or other programmer will help me by fixing (even partially) #725 issue.
Before commit all of these new textures I want also use the magic of tight PNG compression by using pngcrush tool that @tomangelo once found. It's really good for optimization binary graphic files.
People responsible:
@tomangelo
@piotrdz
This is probably the most tricky one. Especially if we want to implement a brand new model format now with most of discussed features or even without them. Done models itself could be already uploaded to the official repo as they will be working even without any messing with the code. But there's another thing to discuss: should we add them as optional for now or fully replace the old ones? GOLD's graphics engine(s) in most instances isn't optimized enough to handle without visible framedrops all those hi-poly meshes that have no LOD. I guess without proper optimization those models will cause framedrops even on relatively new GPUs (2006-2010), but in the other hand most modern GPUs will be just fine. And this is only about PC builds of the game. What about planned Android builds? My proposition is to add them temporary as switchable mod that is enabled by default and if user will experience any huge framedrops or somehow don't like few/all of them, then he/she could just disable them. There could be useful a special settings page or section which shows all installed mods in the list that allow disable/enable them without need of messing in mods user/global directories.
About models itself, @tomangelo already done most of them and I have to say that's wonderful job and great start for us, especially me for making and redesigning GOLD in it's own open source way. They'll be great addition to our game for long time before I finish my research on completely redesigned models.
Unfortunately I don't know much about current state of development the new model format. I'll let @piotrdz to tell about it in this thread.
People responsible:
@bartekko
@True Destroyer
@krzys_h
@bartekko and @True Destroyer did their job on remastering the sound effects long time ago. And I think their work shouldn't be just forgotten. But unfortunately most of new sound effects doesn't really fit to the game's sound design. But some of them are enough good to just add them as new sounds to specific events such like engine overheating less irritating alarm or menu background. @krzys_h then would help me in programming way to implement those new sounds to the game if there will be agreement about that. And I can prepare a full list of sound effects that could be considered to use and waiting for other's approval.
Finally the soundtrack from the original CoLoBoT game. I think we could finally release it for promotional purposes. People that are responsible for this:
@RaptorParkowsky
@Emxx52
Good 1:1 CD accurate FLACs are done. Titles, cue and all other metadata of all tracks are done, but waits for final acceptance by me, @Emxx56 and rest of the team. Hi-quality CD cover art is done, but also waits for acceptance. So what remains to do on that part of our celebration 15th Anniversary? Here's the list of what I'm wishing for:
1. Revision and acceptance of all things we've done.
2. Promotional track screenshots and individual miniatures
Firstly this task is mine. I'll do the photos of all the planets using original game. Best ones will be used as a background image of every track in YouTube release of the album. As you all know, most of the tracks are themes of the planets from the game. It would be great to see and hear the climate from the Missions both in the same time. Maybe even a full slideshow would be good for that (but this is a little bit too spoiler filled option). And track miniatures will be just re-arranged cover art to fit YouTube's 16:9 image aspects and will contain individual track title.
3. Official TerranovaTeam's SoundCloud account
This is @Emxx52 and probably partially my part of the job. We must establish an official community account for such kind of releases, just like we have official YouTube account. The main problem is about the account's name - should it be ColobotGame or TerranovaTeam?
4. Audio visualization
Another aesthetic and promo related feature that makes every music content on YouTube 20% more cooler. Spread spectrum or/and oscilloscope to the pair with planet related images should be enough cool to watch while listening. I'm searching for software that could help me to achieve something similar to this.
5. Upload all finished and accepted stuff to all places
And make them visible at the 15th Anniversary.
YouTube release should have:
So that's all what I could propose now for CoLoBoT 15th Anniversary and for 0.1.9 basing on what we already have and what 0.1.9 milestone currently is on GitHub. Did I forgot about something that could be done in 107 days? TerranovaTeam, wake up! Let's discuss and then we'll be organizing stuff. And make this 0.1.9 release pure GOLD!
As you all probably know, this year on 3rd of November there will be the 15th Anniversary of the original game's release. We have only 107 days left to prepare something quite special for this event. We have to think realistic - we don't have enough time to do something as huge as a major CBOT refactoring, or redoing the Exercises (OR even adding Pinkie Pie™ to the Moon for some reason...). We should focus on something that is already partially done or not verified and accepted to be in game.
We have a lot of unfinished assets that aren't pushed to the repo: @tomangelo 's subdivided models, @Adrian 's HD model textures, @RaptorParkowsky 's HD environment textures (processed photos by @michx) and logos, some of the new/remastered sound effects by @bartekko and @True Destroyer. That's a lot of stuff. Even if some of it is still unfinished or doesn't have a usable source (at least yet), it can be added to the game now. So let's get started:
Remastered HD textures of the models and environment
People responsible/connected:
@Adrian
@RaptorParkowsky
@michx
Firstly I want to tell that I feel really bad for my procrastination at this topic recently. Probably most because of me @Adrian stopped his work and again doesn't write anything on forum. I really hope that @Adrian will be back to finish his great work on object textures.
My work on new environmental textures is also partially done. @michx equipped me with few good quality photos that I'll process to use in game. Those will be of course only few new sky textures + my new hi-res lens flare textures. They all will be placed in new group subdirectories under data/textures/ and they will have different filenames, so there will be necessary to change few parameters in most scene files of the game in one commit. Old textures will be in data repository for temporary backward compatibility with userlevels and they will be probably removed in another release to keep clean main data repository and packages. I have to only find a software that would let me find and replace in all scene files the parameters responsible for usage those textures in levels. Few things can't be changed now though because of their hardcoded nature, so I hope that @krzys_h or other programmer will help me by fixing (even partially) #725 issue.
Before commit all of these new textures I want also use the magic of tight PNG compression by using pngcrush tool that @tomangelo once found. It's really good for optimization binary graphic files.
Refreshed hi-poly models
People responsible:
@tomangelo
@piotrdz
This is probably the most tricky one. Especially if we want to implement a brand new model format now with most of discussed features or even without them. Done models itself could be already uploaded to the official repo as they will be working even without any messing with the code. But there's another thing to discuss: should we add them as optional for now or fully replace the old ones? GOLD's graphics engine(s) in most instances isn't optimized enough to handle without visible framedrops all those hi-poly meshes that have no LOD. I guess without proper optimization those models will cause framedrops even on relatively new GPUs (2006-2010), but in the other hand most modern GPUs will be just fine. And this is only about PC builds of the game. What about planned Android builds? My proposition is to add them temporary as switchable mod that is enabled by default and if user will experience any huge framedrops or somehow don't like few/all of them, then he/she could just disable them. There could be useful a special settings page or section which shows all installed mods in the list that allow disable/enable them without need of messing in mods user/global directories.
About models itself, @tomangelo already done most of them and I have to say that's wonderful job and great start for us, especially me for making and redesigning GOLD in it's own open source way. They'll be great addition to our game for long time before I finish my research on completely redesigned models.
Unfortunately I don't know much about current state of development the new model format. I'll let @piotrdz to tell about it in this thread.
New sound effects
People responsible:
@bartekko
@True Destroyer
@krzys_h
@bartekko and @True Destroyer did their job on remastering the sound effects long time ago. And I think their work shouldn't be just forgotten. But unfortunately most of new sound effects doesn't really fit to the game's sound design. But some of them are enough good to just add them as new sounds to specific events such like engine overheating less irritating alarm or menu background. @krzys_h then would help me in programming way to implement those new sounds to the game if there will be agreement about that. And I can prepare a full list of sound effects that could be considered to use and waiting for other's approval.
CoLoBoT OST TerranovaTeam's Anniversary Release
Finally the soundtrack from the original CoLoBoT game. I think we could finally release it for promotional purposes. People that are responsible for this:
@RaptorParkowsky
@Emxx52
Good 1:1 CD accurate FLACs are done. Titles, cue and all other metadata of all tracks are done, but waits for final acceptance by me, @Emxx56 and rest of the team. Hi-quality CD cover art is done, but also waits for acceptance. So what remains to do on that part of our celebration 15th Anniversary? Here's the list of what I'm wishing for:
1. Revision and acceptance of all things we've done.
2. Promotional track screenshots and individual miniatures
Firstly this task is mine. I'll do the photos of all the planets using original game. Best ones will be used as a background image of every track in YouTube release of the album. As you all know, most of the tracks are themes of the planets from the game. It would be great to see and hear the climate from the Missions both in the same time. Maybe even a full slideshow would be good for that (but this is a little bit too spoiler filled option). And track miniatures will be just re-arranged cover art to fit YouTube's 16:9 image aspects and will contain individual track title.
3. Official TerranovaTeam's SoundCloud account
This is @Emxx52 and probably partially my part of the job. We must establish an official community account for such kind of releases, just like we have official YouTube account. The main problem is about the account's name - should it be ColobotGame or TerranovaTeam?
4. Audio visualization
Another aesthetic and promo related feature that makes every music content on YouTube 20% more cooler. Spread spectrum or/and oscilloscope to the pair with planet related images should be enough cool to watch while listening. I'm searching for software that could help me to achieve something similar to this.
5. Upload all finished and accepted stuff to all places
And make them visible at the 15th Anniversary.
YouTube release should have:
- Best audio quality as possible
- Image resolution in 720p, also best quality
- Video descriptions should contain some basic information about individual track from metadata, links to the project website and GitHub, and link to the same track on SoundCloud. Maybe we'll write also a short description about the music release. Everything that could make it more official and legit.
- FLAC quality sound
- Album cover art
- Download option available
- All descriptions (if available on this platform)
So that's all what I could propose now for CoLoBoT 15th Anniversary and for 0.1.9 basing on what we already have and what 0.1.9 milestone currently is on GitHub. Did I forgot about something that could be done in 107 days? TerranovaTeam, wake up! Let's discuss and then we'll be organizing stuff. And make this 0.1.9 release pure GOLD!