Hyrule Conquest

[asterix]

19 minutes ago, aeonios said:

Ugh. Well, I can do that but it'll require cannibalizing the specular texture. Currently the specular texture is spec.rgb with alpha being the specular intensity and specular power being an engine global setting. If I do it you'll need to specify how you want to use the specular texture, with at least one channel left available for emit. I can implement specular in 3 channels with one for specular intensity, one for specular power, and one for metallicity (ie how much the specular color matches the diffuse color) with the alpha channel left over for glows, if that works for your particular art. If you're already using the specular tex you'll basically have to redo it for all your textures that use it.

For me it's not even a 5 minute job to modify the shader though.

Thank you very much, also as a side note: it would need to be compatible with Alpha 23.

[aeonios]

25 minutes ago, asterix said:

Thank you very much, also as a side note: it would need to be compatible with Alpha 23.

It'd only be a small change from the existing shader. The engine wouldn't care one way or the other.

[Stan`]

@aeonios

 

Really it's the alpha transparency that defines the specular intensity ? We do not use that in any of our spec maps. I always thought it was the whiter the shinier and RGB would be color. I even disabled the alpha channel on some of those and some of the PNG are grayscale, even though the game just plainly ignores that.

[aeonios]

31 minutes ago, stanislas69 said:

@aeonios

 

Really it's the alpha transparency that defines the specular intensity ? We do not use that in any of our spec maps. I always thought it was the whiter the shinier and RGB would be color. I even disabled the alpha channel on some of those and some of the PNG are grayscale, even though the game just plainly ignores that.

Ha, you're right it does. The specification says that alpha is supposed to be specular intensity, but the shader ignores it completely. Interestingly the shader actually has a USE_SELF_LIGHT define which does apply a glow effect using the alpha channel of the spec tex for intensity. Go figure.

[Stan`]

@aeonios Actually there are two types of speculars and one only needs the diffuse

[vladislavbelov]

7 hours ago, stanislas69 said:

Basically you can only have 4 Textures, and 2 UVs, with three textures for the first UV, and one for the last the AO. Though @vladislavbelov has a patch to allow more.
I guess the best idea would be to use the specular texture for the glow color and intensity.
 

Yes, I'll commit it after the FF. And we can add materials with more textures.

I made few experiments with BRDF on 5 textures (diffuse, specular, glossiness, metal, transmission) some time ago and it works for me, but it needs to tune some params.

3 hours ago, aeonios said:

It'd only be a small change from the existing shader. The engine wouldn't care one way or the other.

Do you mean just a glow material without bloom and real light emitting?

[Stan`]

Would PBR support be a shader or cpp code ?

[vladislavbelov]

15 minutes ago, stanislas69 said:

Would PBR support be a shader or cpp code ?

For better quality - both, but for simpler results the shader is enough.

[The Undying Nephalim]

9 hours ago, aeonios said:

Well, I can do that but it'll require cannibalizing the specular texture.

I don't think i'm currently using spec maps, so I'd be fine with the trade off if I can have things glow in the dark. 

[The Undying Nephalim]

I guess no glow-in-the-dark spiders yet.

[Lion.Kanzen]

Interesting.

[SirPope]

I don't know if it's an illusion but the look so tiny. The big ones might be throwing me off.

Is it possible to auto spawn units yet? A giant spider nest that spawns weak fighter units would be neat to see.

[Lion.Kanzen]

When you will release the next video?

[Bloodly]

5 hours ago, SirPope said:

I don't know if it's an illusion but the look so tiny. The big ones might be throwing me off.

Is it possible to auto spawn units yet? A giant spider nest that spawns weak fighter units would be neat to see.

You could also do it the Battle for Middle Earth 1 way and just have earlier units be free of cost.  It might be easier.

[The Undying Nephalim]

9 hours ago, Lion.Kanzen said:

When you will release the next video?

I'll make a video as soon as they are ready

[Guest]

12 hours ago, SirPope said:

Is it possible to auto spawn units yet? A giant spider nest that spawns weak fighter units would be neat to see.

Depends on what context. If the nest is specific to a map, one can use a triggerscript to spawn units.

But it might be a bit tricky if the nest is a “building” constructed by the player.

[elexis]

A triggerscript could also be added in the gamesetup stage. A bit ugly and I don't see a more clean yet equally easy solution. One would have to add a new file to gamesetup/ and replace the launchGame() function with a function that adds the triggerscript and then calls the existing launch function, maybe.

One problem with automated spawning is that one have to track the number of units spawned, otherwise it can easily become too many.

[Lion.Kanzen]

27 minutes ago, elexis said:

A triggerscript could also be added in the gamesetup stage. A bit ugly and I don't see a more clean yet equally easy solution. One would have to add a new file to gamesetup/ and replace the launchGame() function with a function that adds the triggerscript and then calls the existing launch function, maybe.

One problem with automated spawning is that one have to track the number of units spawned, otherwise it can easily become too many.

Limit a 8? or more

[SirPope]

33 minutes ago, elexis said:

One problem with automated spawning is that one have to track the number of units spawned, otherwise it can easily become too many.

Spider Domination: The Endless Web. Good book. I don't know if it exists but it is a good one. I don't think you'd be able to do anything else with the building (train other units, research techs). If js controls the production queue updates, it might be easy to adjust that one.

Just up and spawning them next to a building looks weird so I'm guessing they'd actually be trained. This seems a whole lot harder than I was hoping it would be. It seems better to just have a fast train time, be kinda weak, and let the player decide.

Although, this would make for an amazing civ: "You don't run the city. We overrun the city." *power rangers theme* "Spider Domination!"

Side thought / Random thoughts: Yes that just happened.

Spoiler

This was my first idea on figuring this out: Techs can't spawn units and can't be refreshed. It was a quick and fascinating conclusion. I started my first thought with nope. I found it funny.

Random thoughts:

Spoiler

I'm now thinking about a civ/tech bonus to the market that allows the training of traders and researching techs at the same time. I'm not good on history but someone must of been a good trade city.

And now I'm thinking about spawn on death, a heath degrading aura, a list of unit templates that continues the chain and a whole heap of corpses... Lovely! ... Not the building idea I was going for but... If the aura is slow enough, it could technically be counted as auto train. Although the unit will die from the aura which limits their use (and I guess balances them out a bit). I tried this with some tree sprites quite awhile ago. They died, turned into a tree. When they where finally chopped to pieces (or the aura killed them), they turned back into a sprite with no degen.

I had a bird scout trainable from the outpost as well as bears... My market was the fruit stand prop and my houses were the ruin treasure stones from that one map. You could harvest your house! I thought it was a good idea for some reason. I don't know what fantasy world I was on but that was about as far as I got. This auto-training has made me think about something amazing: Rabbit Warriors. They never stop Fighting.

--I've spent at least 30 minutes typing this.

 

 

[The Undying Nephalim]

All the Gohma units are all done!

Spoiler

Check out all the details on them:
 

Spoiler

Sulkaris, the Fallen Sage

Once the Sage of Forests, Sulkaris was cast from the Sacred Realm for betraying the other Sages. In Hyrule she found the Gohma, wandering aimlessly in madness after the destruction of their creator. She brought to the Gohma her knowledge and wisdom, eventually becoming the drive, focus, and will of their hive. Though Sulkaris is technically part of every single Gohma, she will often spawn an avatar in her likeness to unleash on her enemies.

Agitha

A Hylian woman who's parents were slain in the Gerudo Wars. Left alone with the deed to her parents' home, by chance Agitha stumbled upon a wounded Gohma Queen and nursed it back to health. Spending so much time in proximity to the Gohma seems to have more or less influenced her mind, and the Gohma use her as a puppet to their ends frequently.

Mido

A former Kokiri Chief who was exiled from his people for conspiring with Sulkaris to conquer the Kokiri Forest. He now plots to undermine the Kokiri and destroy his father, the Great Deku Tree. The Gohma see much value in using his knowledge of the forest to one day strike back at the Kokiri and destroy them.

Matriarch

One of the oldest Gohma in Hyrule, it is rumored that Matriarch was the Gohma that Sulkaris first encountered and imbued with their will to dominate and destroy. The Matriarch is also believed to be one of the sources of the Gohma's will; creating and expanding it through the blue Shroud of their hives. 

 

Egg

The genesis of all Gohma units, these eggs can morph into one of the four Gohma Larva or Harvesters. They are precious to the Gohma and are laid by their reproductive Queens.

Hive Larva

A small and hairy larva that can grow into various non-combat, utility forms. They have very minimal armor and their bites are hardly effective.

Soldier Larva

A small and vicious larva that can grow into various combat forms used by the Gohma. They are weak, but in large numbers they can swarm and rip apart their enemies.

Giant Larva

A large and bloated larva that can grow into giant Gohma forms. They are slow and can barely attack, but are durable for a larva unit.

Royal Larva

A small but bloated larva that can grow into various reproductive or support forms. They have a nasty bite but are not particularly durable or combat-worthy.

Harvester

 One of the most basic forms of Gohma, Harvesters serve only one purpose: to seek out and collect resources. They are highly specialized and have no combat ability.

Hive Keeper

Hive Keepers create webbing, build and maintain Gohma Hives. They are followed by several Webweavers which they work with to build all of the Gohma's structures. Hive Keepers and their Webweavers can attack, but are not very strong.

Caretaker

Caretakers guard the hive and make sure everything is running in perfect order. They can garrison eggs and move them to new locations. A Caretaker can attack by flinging tiny sterile larva at their targets.

Janitor

Janitors assure that a Gohma Hive is kept free of mess and operating to its best. They are slow and durable, but their large and powerful snapping jaws can carry heavy objects. They can carry dead corpses and snap trees in half.

Pincergohma

The primary soldier grown and deployed by the Gohma. The Pincergohma is a medium sized monster with two powerful hacking claws.

Spinalgohma

A small but useful Gohma form. The Spinalgohma has a long prehensile tongue that functions much like a spear. It can use this weapon to stab enemies from afar.

Shield Gohma

The Shield Gohma has one disproportionately large appendage that forms a rudimentary shield. These Gohma use their durable shields to protect themselves and those in formation with them from ranged attacks.

Gohma Long Legs

A large and frightening Gohma form with very long legs. These units are very fast for their size, and function as Cavalry for the Gohma. They can keep pace with horses and other mounted units deployed by their enemies.

Tank Gohma

A giant Gohma with impressive armor and massive rending claws. Tank Gohmas are used by the Hive to aggressively siege enemy fortifications. They are invaluable for bursting open gates and walls.

Armogohma

A highly specialized giant Gohma, the Armogohma secretes fluid from its eye that ignites into fire. These organic siege weapons can hurl beams of fire from a distance, torching enemy defenses.

Hive Amplifier

A royal Gohma who's lone purpose is to secure the will of the hive. These bloated creatures project the will of Sulkaris, increasing the territory size of Hive Nodes. They cannot attack, but they are followed by a swarm of Gohma Mites that attack anything adjacent to the Amplifier.

Gohma Princess

A female Gohma that was specialized to lead rather than reproduce. A Gohma Princess is able to directly influence other units within her aura, boosting their attack rate.

Gohma Queen

 Perhaps one of the most important units in any Hive, Gohma Queens are the source of future generations. They lay eggs relentlessly and can quickly field a large army of larva. Gohma Queens are hardly defenseless either; they can tear apart invaders with their two massive claws.

Acid Sprayer

A unique unit only available to Sulkaris. The Acid Sprayer is a giant and slow moving unit. It has an equally slow and rather weak melee attack. Rather, these units are specialized to absorb damage from enemy forces and then violently explode when slain, splashing corrosive acid over everything around itself.

Shroud Walker

A unique unit only available to Agitha. These truly massive Gohma are actually completely harmless on their own. Instead they can deploy and become immobile, creating a thick fog of Gohma Shroud around themselves. When deployed the Shroud Walker functions much like a Hive Node, generating territory. Its fog also reduces enemy line of sight and makes ranged attacks much more inaccurate against your units within its aura.

Trap Door Gohma

A unique unit only available to Mido. A small and quick Gohma that can dart between locations. A Trap Door Gohma can burrow into the ground, hiding under a rock that it carriers on its back. Enemies that wander near are attacked by the creature, which has a very high chance of dealing a Critical Hit. When burrowed they can only be seen by Scouts and Towers.

Praetorian

A unique unit only available to the Matriarch. These large Gohma are tasked with guarding and protecting the hive with their durable shield claws. They are capable of climbing any incline, and can walk over mountains with ease. They can also leap over otherwise impassible obstacles like rivers and walls.

Iemanis

The Gohma's Titan Unit. Creator and deity of the Gohma, revived from death after countless ages through the will of Sulkaris using the remains of Vitreous and six of the Sage Medallions. This massive arthropod attacks with claws, electric bolts, and a giant beam of fire from its primary eye. Iemanis can also spawn new swarms of Gohma directly from its body, replenishing the ranks of its army.
 

 

[Looper's Favorite User]

What's that Armohogma in the Hero screenshot?

[fcxSanya]

On 5/8/2018 at 9:57 PM, SirPope said:

Is it possible to auto spawn units yet? A giant spider nest that spawns weak fighter units would be neat to see.

 

On 5/9/2018 at 10:10 AM, (-_-) said:

Depends on what context. If the nest is specific to a map, one can use a triggerscript to spawn units.

But it might be a bit tricky if the nest is a “building” constructed by the player.

 

On 5/9/2018 at 10:53 AM, elexis said:

A triggerscript could also be added in the gamesetup stage. <...>

+1 for the triggerscript solution if it would be a map-specific feature. I concur it would be easier to have a single pre-created building of such type in this case.

On the other hand, if it would be a part of the faction's core mechanic, it should be more natural and convenient to implement it via a dedicated entity-level component, like aforementioned ProductionQueue.

On 5/9/2018 at 10:53 AM, elexis said:

One problem with automated spawning is that one have to track the number of units spawned, otherwise it can easily become too many.

As an implemention hint: GarrisonHolder has an example of maintaining a collection of related entities.

[elexis]

I guess it  won't help much if one isn't really involved with programming, but I'll post it for completeness:

Essentially one just needs an array of entity IDs that is extended when creating new entities and reduced on OwnershipChange. (entities.push(new_entity); entities = entities.filter(ent => ent != deleted_entity); entities.length). Here the diff that added a population counter to Jebel Barkal: https://code.wildfiregames.com/rP21735#change-8b9PIK4PY3xw.

[Bloodly]

 

Janitors assure that a Gohma Hive is kept free of mess and operating to its best. They are slow and durable, but their large and powerful snapping jaws can carry heavy objects. They can carry dead corpses and snap trees in half.

Hmm.  Shades of the Synthetic from Alien vs Predator Extinction.  They were the Marine detector, and also were the only unit strong enough to carry Turrets.  An upgrade made them more combat-ready, but still a heavy scout.

[The Undying Nephalim]

It's question time! Some of these I probably have asked before, but I can't seem to the find the pages I asked them on.

1. Is there already a feature in the engine where a projectile can spawn a unit on impact?
2. Is there a way in the engine to spawn more then one unit when a building or another unit dies? At the moment I can only spawn a single unit on death.
3. Is there a way for a unit to deal damage on death? My current solution is to spawn an invisible unit with a damaging aura on death... but then there's no way to make the invisible unit with the aura disappear after X amount of time, not that I can figure out anyway.
 

7 hours ago, Bloodly said:

Hmm.  Shades of the Synthetic from Alien vs Predator Extinction.  They were the Marine detector, and also were the only unit strong enough to carry Turrets.  An upgrade made them more combat-ready, but still a heavy scout.

It's actually inspired by a unit of the same name from a game called Les Fourmis, or Empire of the Ants.

Spoiler

"Guardian Formicidae of the Bel-o-kan Federation, the Janitor ant is characterized by its massive mandibles. These large ants can block the corridors of the anthill and prevent further intrusion. They are unable to leave the nest, and are limited to underground use. Watch out, Janitors consume vast amounts of food!"