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Author
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Topic: Helos and Tanks, do you think
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Ssnake
Member
Member # 4038
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posted 10-09-2000 03:13 AM
    
Since you explicitly ask whether we will ever see a combined tank/helo sim, my answer is "Yes".
If you ask "when?", all I can say is "dunno". It would require two teams working in cooperation, and they need to design a common engine first, then create plugin modules that contain one or the other or both elements.
It is not trivial to combine the quite different engine requirements for both game types - but then we can see a lot of efforts to integrate ego shooters with vast exterior landscapes.The problem is that modern day tank sims require a high terrain resolution and at least 5.5 kilometers of rendering distance, preferrably even more.
Helos want to have at least the same visibility distance, but they can live with a less detailed terrain resolution quite as well.
Ego-shooters like Delta Force have a rendering distance of about 1 kilometer right now, and judging from the screenshots, Ground control and Flashpoint range in the region of 2.2 kilometers.
Current 3D accelerators are still optimized to render the interior of buildings. We need different engines, though. It's a pity that no 3D accelerator supports voxel engines. Smooth and filter voxels, and you get a superior result. Combine it with polygon vehicles and buildings, add realistic shading, and the result should be stunning. Unless we get hardware acceleration for voxels, they will look like early 3D environments compared to Unreal and Quake engine based games today.
Posts: 467 | From: Germany | Registered: Apr 2000 | IP: Logged
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MoZeR
Member
Member # 2917
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posted 10-09-2000 12:33 PM
Hmmm, I think the trick of creating these dual purpose environments is this: full scene level of detail modes. So if youre walking on the ground, highest level of detail(shortest view distance), if your in a tank 2nd highest, if in a heli you don't need nearly as much detail as on the groudn but you get to see a lot further. and hey, if you're a fast mover, even less detail. Now for each mode actual game objects like buildings or vehicles woudl have their own either independant or interdependant levels of detail. So maybe the level of detail for a soldier when viewed from a tank is not the same as viewed from a helicopter, but unless you're sitting on the ground right in their face, it doesn't need to be. I believe the main modular part would need to be the UI/controls. A full feaured physics engine might reduce the need for two different modules but I'm guessing it would increase cpu usage. But still, all it needs is a team with enough guts to try it(and enough funding). And I coudl build all the 3d models and textures for them!
Posts: 61 | From: San Diego, CA USA | Registered: Feb 2000 | IP: Logged
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