Spring RTS Engine

Taken with XTA-PE (Modified) and What's-his-face's ground decals... Can we get these standard on next version's XTA? Each building's size is different and dropoff time for non-main-base building decals is very fast. Now all we need is a good road decal for Arm, and to use the dark metal for the Core. Also, any chance of getting Specularity/Reflection on decals? Or maybe lightcasting?

Sorry, I forgot who made these decals. Mind if they're used on XTA?

that looks awful
but yes ground decals (when applied with care) pwn

I wish it could be made to grow like the zerg creep in starcraft, that would be awesome.

Those dont look too good, but I think some nicely blended concrete would go well for any base, similar to how bases are in supcom.

I actually like the gound decals. They make it look like the CORE is slowly changing the planet to a metal planet.

you mean like this^

Hawt.

I think it's most balanced with most buildings having small decals, factories having fairly large, then Mexes and Mohos having a large decal that never decays, and Metal Makers having a smaller one. This screenie is more what I envisioned for the Core. The Arm could just have a concrete that just gradiates into the ambient terrain with only some road-style markings, in harmony with the Arm's directive of living more human lives. The Core should be changing the planet into a metal planet, in line with their directive. Judge for yourself...



Also, I'm thinking of remodeling some of the models, or at least retexturing, so that the ground around the Core buildings would have some teamcolor, and the Arm so that there's suppourt buildings (Generators, Ammo dumps, ect.).

BTW, that city screenshot is HWOT SEXZ0R. Plz make the streets wide enough for tank battles! URBAN TANK BATTLES FTW!

Has anyone experimented with dismantling/rebuilding buildings via COB/BOS Scripts, A'la Age of Empires 3? Perfect for in-city tank battles!!

That first shot would look good if it where shiny/reflective like the units.

Smoth, I think it would be nice if the tracks would lose itself in the background instead of paved road. something like this:

Is that possible?

I dunno. They seem to be able to make parts of the texture invisible, but can't do alpha blending. But this can be avoided if you use very careful texturing.

Yes, you can do Alpha Blending, as the next shot will show.

I'm pretty much settled on that Core texture. Looks good to me, I'm down with it. I've got the decal settings about right, perhaps make them a little smaller. Here's a WIP of the Arm texture... They'll have 3, one for Factories, one for weapon facilities (defense), and one for suppourt buildings (Radar, Solar, ect).



Please say what you guys would look for in an Arm basepad! I'm curious..

[edit] Noize or Zaphod (Whoever took over XTA), what's your opinion of these?

I like em, a lot.

Johns_Volition wrote:Smoth, I think it would be nice if the tracks would lose itself in the background instead of paved road. something like this:

Those buildings are machine shops, facilities that in real life mill out large rods and bars into the specialized parts needed for industrial machines. The roads in the area have to be paved because large trucks have to drive down the road to deliver metals. HENCE paved roads.

Caydr! No grounddecals == suck!

Arm could have an organic grassy groudn decal, while core's groudn decal shoudl be Core Prime-esque.

I think CORE should be very very very metallic, and the ARM should be slightly less so, seeing as how they are both basically after the same thing, just are hell bent on being hypocrites and fighting over it.

A lot of you guys are forgetting what happens on maps with sheer cliffs


Ground decals are not good looking when they extend past the groundplate of a unit. They can be stretched horrifically on sharp walls etc.

Ok, quick update... I think this is pretty much a final right here. 2 sizes of decal, sized and calibrated for dropoff.


Not all buildings have a decal yet, some never will. I was trying to keep it balanced and realistic to the story. I'm still not too sure what to do with the Arm's buildings tho... Here's the best I could come up with... Suggestions?



According to the story, they're more the gurrilla warfare style that wanted to cling to humanity.

Chris Roberts' TA Instruction Booklet wrote:The Arm developed high-powered combat suits for it's armies, while the Core transferred the minds of it's soldiers directly into similarly deadly machines. The Core duplicated it's finest warriors thousands of times over. The Arm countered using cloning.

C'mon, what would the Arm's ground decal be?