[Idea] New Spots Texture

[DavivaD]

Refresh of this thread.

[krzys_h]

The original images are dead and I don't really remember that thread

[DavivaD]

Images:

In Texture Module:


Also Works in Gold:

[RaptorParkowsky]

I was thinking about more universal shape for each marking spots. I like the idea where every marking spot is round, with color flag texture on the side just like @DavivaD proposed. And on the top side there would be logo of the technology. PowerSpot - simply PowerPlant logo, TitaniumSpot - Derrick logo maybe, NuclearSpot and Key#Spots - no changes. Only WayPoint should be in the cross shape. This is possibly the way how I'll be redesigning those objects while doing hi-poly models.

[radioactivity]

The spots are quite clearly not real objects, rather virtual objects, used to represent positions of stuff in human friendly manner. It doesn't make much sense to make them look like flags

[RaptorParkowsky]

@radioactivity : I didn't meant they would look like flags or so. I was talking about color flag texture on the side of each round marking spot.

[DavivaD]

Te spots is now rounded.
https://youtu.be/qWatsbIKeno
[video=youtube]https://youtu.be/qWatsbIKeno[/video]

[radioactivity]

@RaptorParkowsky I did mean texture on sides. Since spots are virtual, having them made out of materials is a bit out of place. And completely different texture on sides and top really feels off, even by itself

[RaptorParkowsky]

I never thought about those objects like about some kind of virtual holograms. To me they're some kind of biodegradable plastic just like flags, waypoints, etc.

[tomangelo]

About flags I agree with @RaptorParkowsky, but on waypoints and spots I think about it more like @radioactivity said, it's rather part of UI, non-existing in game world.

[RaptorParkowsky]

If they're non-existing objects, then why this is compiling and run without any problem?

Code:

extern void object::FindWayPoint()
{
    object item = radar(WayPoint);
    point place;
    place.x = item.position.x;
    place.y = item.position.y;
    
    message("I found the Way Point in the x=" + place.x + ";y="+  place.y + " position in this world.", DisplayInfo);
    
}

[tomangelo]

Because for bots it might be just some coordinates, creating WayPoint "under the hood" would be just saving position data somewhere in cloud(?). Something like alias for creating public array and saving these coordinates in it, but with placing visible marker for player.

[RaptorParkowsky]

This way of thinking is a little bit overkill. For bots every object is just some coordinates and other parameters as well. Does it mean that everything except terrain sculpture don't exist in Colobot's level world? Everything's virtual part of the UI? No logic.

I rather believe those objects are real markings made out of synthetic materials with their own ID, GPS, everything. Without that even magical dissappearance animation of WayPoint is pointless because that affect the lightning in the Colobot's world by dynamic lightning (that works at least in original Colobot, in GOLD is buggy). And rest of the UI objects doesn't affect to the game's world.

[tomangelo]

Is that mean that everything except terrain sculpture don't exist in Colobot's level world? Everything's virtual part of the UI?

I would say this is an overkill, unless we came to conclusion that Aliens hurt us virtually, falling robots crush us virtually and so on.Then all game is just a dream of a some guy that overdosed shrooms and got visions, after death he wakes up with monstrous hangover, so then he have feeling like flying through space with stars come out from his head. We can interact somehow with Aliens, bots, buildings. But we can't do anything to waypoints but create and delete them, just like computer data. They aren't even colliding anyhow with anything, unlike flags that at least shake when something walks through them.

[RaptorParkowsky]

Those things also don't have required crashspheres == they don't exist:

[tomangelo]

About Worms - you can experience their existence, if your code get infected by them.
And with Converter - AFAIK game doesn't support moving crashspheres, same problem is with BotFactory doors. I find it more like technology limitation. Also these are a parts of buildings that surely exist in world, so they need to be existing in game too.

[RaptorParkowsky]

If WayPoints/Target2 and ResourceSpots would be a virtual objects that are rather part of the UI, there would be:
- no casting shadows to the world.
- no casting lights to the world.
- objects rendered in front of them would not cover them. They're UI, so they always should be visible on higher layer of the image, y'know?
- no detecting as objects == new way of detecting UI objects.
- creating them by Sniffers have no sense. There would be only a message about resource that was found and nothing else.
- no "ding" sound while passing them could be hear in the game's world (only as a master sound that doesn't depend of the game's camera distance and direction).

[krzys_h]

@RaptorParkowsky You are thinking about it like a part of game UI used by the player. I think of it more like part of UI used by the in-game characters (advanced augmented reality systems etc.), and I think that's what @tomangelo is trying to say too.

[RaptorParkowsky]

@krzys_h & @tomangelo : Ok, I can see now what you're talking. But still I have mixed feelings about this. No crashspheres for such a small objects I would also consider to technology/time limitation of development original Colobot. And that would be fixed in the future development. I think any kind of holograms or augmented reality isn't compatible technology element to the EPSITEC games design (even in BlupiMania or BuzzingCars there was no such a thing). This would fit to Colobot 2 instead. If those objects would be some kind of hologram, they could be rendered in a specific way, transparent a little bit or so. But they're not, they are rendering just like other objects in the game world.

And if they would be some kind of virtual markings, where would you store informations about them? SpaceShip's central computer, ExchangePosts? Or maybe SatCom? IMHO then they should be at least visible even on map and other places, but they're not. And why then I need to use radar to detect them just like other objects instead to just read a data about their locations and types from the colonization database? They are an object and have their own category... but they are not object. This is more complicated than it should be, especially if in Colobot's universe simplicity always was in the first place.

For me they're indeed an object. Some kind of silly plastic gadget that would you even give your dog as a toy, but with some special abilities like levitation with some sparkles while disappearing (just like other "magical" objects in EPSITEC games). They simply don't need this kind of explanation in this game's design and plot.

[DavivaD]

And on the top side there would be logo of the technology. PowerSpot - simply PowerPlant logo, TitaniumSpot - Derrick logo maybe, NuclearSpot and Key#Spots - no changes. Only WayPoint should be in the cross shape.

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