3-D SPWAW...Thoughts from a 3-D Designer
Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2001 5:28 am
Wow...
what a nice bunch of posts from hardcore SPWAW game players.
No doubt SPWAW is the best tactical game out there <img src="smile.gif" border="0"> You may have
heard rumors that my company is creating 3-D models for the entire
SPWAW interface. These rumors are true and we are doing it for free.
Eclipse Graphics creates alot of 3-D game models for games you have probably
played. Anything from industrial modeling and animation to game models.
And I can tell you, 3-D modeling takes alot of time, money and nerve. Not to
mention patience. LOTS of patience <img src="smile.gif" border="0">
Let's actually take a look at what 3-D rendering really involves, so
you can make your own desicion on what you would like SPWAW to evolve
into.
1) In general, the smaller the game, the better suited it is for
a 3 dimensional format. SPWAW is gigantic in nature of units alone,
not to mention individual weapons, people and buildings. building
models for a ton of different countries would be and absolutely HUGE
endeavor. It would take a TRULY dedicated staff to create every single
model needed for every single country's tanks alone.
2) Indivual weapons are number in the high hundreds for SPWAW. SPWAW
models each individual weapon for each country that participated in
WWII. Modeling infantry, crew and other individual weapons would be a
logistical nightmare. It would take a year alone to design, texture,
render and post produce these weapons. And then there is the actual
hard coding for the weapons. Let's not forget the unforseen glitch factor
in the models that could completely screw up the entire design process.
3) A computer system can only handle so much 3-D information. Add in all
the seperate models, and then add a truly HUGE 3-D enviroment, and you
spell disaster for the gamers with slower machines. Imagine running something
like Combat Mission with the SPWAW scope of terrain and units. Even IF you
could run it, would you want to? It would run like mud through an oil filter.
4) Let's assume you could build all the models for every single country
and every single crew, infantry and SPEC infantry weapons, AT Guns,
artillery peices, tanks, character models, building models and terrain before
your expected launch time.
Now comes the textures. Texturing models is one of the nightmares in the
3-D rendering world. You would need a truly gigantic texture library and lots of artists
to compliment the job at hand. Texturing all these peices and models would
take a lot of time to make, code, test and release.
5) Next comes all the hard coding and software development. KEEP IN MIND, each
type of rendering software out there has different needs and restrictions. OPEN
GL is the most widely excepted 3-D coding as the coding of choice. But as nice as
OPEN GL really is, anyone with a different card other then 3DFX will run into trouble.
A gaming company MUST find a software renderer that will run their program the best,
and will have to custom tailor their game to those software restrictions. Being chained
to rendering software can really put a clamp on your video game design.
6) Next comes the favorite and most wonderful of all. Beta testing.
This can kill a game quicker then an angry wife. Beta testing must be done a
very particular, and close way. Many different computer systems have to be running
the game to really understand how it will run overall. Sure a 3-D game may run like
a bolt of lightning, but what about a P250 with no video card, and is that acceptable.
Ironing out bugs is only one part of beta testing. It also reveals what your
computer restrictions you will have to deal with. A game is no good if it only
runs on 1 out of 25 sytems sustaining the game. You can kill your target audience
making a 3-D intensive video game.
After all that is done, it is up to the developer to pay it's employees, pay for
it's hardware, system time and marketing costs. All in the hopes that their 3-D
game will actually be adored by their fans. It's very tricky, and a company can
go bankrupt just attempting to convert a game into 3-D. It's a gutsy move, and
one that is extremely costly.
A video company had us design FLAK-88mm anti-tank gun. This cost this company 500 bucks.
We invested over 19 hours into it's design, rendering and sub animations. We could
have easily quoted this company more, but since all of us at Eclipse Graphics are game
fans, we couldn't <img src="smile.gif" border="0"> We later got a contract from them to make 30 more models. The
cost was astronomical. 3-D isn't cheap <img src="smile.gif" border="0"> It's more or less how pretty you want to
make your game. A tactial simulation doesn't need to be pretty. A tactical sim needs
information, depth and playability.
Me personally, sure I would love to see SPWAW converted into a 3-D game. Is it
reality for me to expect that the SPWAW 3-D game would run as quickly, have as much
information and scope? I would be KIDDING myself to expect as much. Thats just the
way it works.
As I said, we are 3-D rendering a new interface and buildings on our
own, for free. That is as far as we are going right now. This of course will be
free for all SPWAW gamers. I posted something on this...but not too many people
really showed interest, so it's a quiet operation right now with our staff and
storyboarders. We expect great things from our new interface!
I say, enjoy SPWAW as a 2-D game. It's actually quite nice to go back to a game with
depth, scope and enjoyment. No killing aliens, no personal nuclear devices. Just
tactics, realism and fun. That's what gaming is about.
Sincerely and best wishes,
Mike Sansone, Pres.Eclipse Graphics
Eclipse Graphics Staff
Eclipse Graphics Fallen Firefighter Art Fund (PLEASE VISIT THIS!)
Eclipse Graphics
"3-D solutions for a 3 dimensional world"
what a nice bunch of posts from hardcore SPWAW game players.
No doubt SPWAW is the best tactical game out there <img src="smile.gif" border="0"> You may have
heard rumors that my company is creating 3-D models for the entire
SPWAW interface. These rumors are true and we are doing it for free.
Eclipse Graphics creates alot of 3-D game models for games you have probably
played. Anything from industrial modeling and animation to game models.
And I can tell you, 3-D modeling takes alot of time, money and nerve. Not to
mention patience. LOTS of patience <img src="smile.gif" border="0">
Let's actually take a look at what 3-D rendering really involves, so
you can make your own desicion on what you would like SPWAW to evolve
into.
1) In general, the smaller the game, the better suited it is for
a 3 dimensional format. SPWAW is gigantic in nature of units alone,
not to mention individual weapons, people and buildings. building
models for a ton of different countries would be and absolutely HUGE
endeavor. It would take a TRULY dedicated staff to create every single
model needed for every single country's tanks alone.
2) Indivual weapons are number in the high hundreds for SPWAW. SPWAW
models each individual weapon for each country that participated in
WWII. Modeling infantry, crew and other individual weapons would be a
logistical nightmare. It would take a year alone to design, texture,
render and post produce these weapons. And then there is the actual
hard coding for the weapons. Let's not forget the unforseen glitch factor
in the models that could completely screw up the entire design process.
3) A computer system can only handle so much 3-D information. Add in all
the seperate models, and then add a truly HUGE 3-D enviroment, and you
spell disaster for the gamers with slower machines. Imagine running something
like Combat Mission with the SPWAW scope of terrain and units. Even IF you
could run it, would you want to? It would run like mud through an oil filter.
4) Let's assume you could build all the models for every single country
and every single crew, infantry and SPEC infantry weapons, AT Guns,
artillery peices, tanks, character models, building models and terrain before
your expected launch time.
Now comes the textures. Texturing models is one of the nightmares in the
3-D rendering world. You would need a truly gigantic texture library and lots of artists
to compliment the job at hand. Texturing all these peices and models would
take a lot of time to make, code, test and release.
5) Next comes all the hard coding and software development. KEEP IN MIND, each
type of rendering software out there has different needs and restrictions. OPEN
GL is the most widely excepted 3-D coding as the coding of choice. But as nice as
OPEN GL really is, anyone with a different card other then 3DFX will run into trouble.
A gaming company MUST find a software renderer that will run their program the best,
and will have to custom tailor their game to those software restrictions. Being chained
to rendering software can really put a clamp on your video game design.
6) Next comes the favorite and most wonderful of all. Beta testing.
This can kill a game quicker then an angry wife. Beta testing must be done a
very particular, and close way. Many different computer systems have to be running
the game to really understand how it will run overall. Sure a 3-D game may run like
a bolt of lightning, but what about a P250 with no video card, and is that acceptable.
Ironing out bugs is only one part of beta testing. It also reveals what your
computer restrictions you will have to deal with. A game is no good if it only
runs on 1 out of 25 sytems sustaining the game. You can kill your target audience
making a 3-D intensive video game.
After all that is done, it is up to the developer to pay it's employees, pay for
it's hardware, system time and marketing costs. All in the hopes that their 3-D
game will actually be adored by their fans. It's very tricky, and a company can
go bankrupt just attempting to convert a game into 3-D. It's a gutsy move, and
one that is extremely costly.
A video company had us design FLAK-88mm anti-tank gun. This cost this company 500 bucks.
We invested over 19 hours into it's design, rendering and sub animations. We could
have easily quoted this company more, but since all of us at Eclipse Graphics are game
fans, we couldn't <img src="smile.gif" border="0"> We later got a contract from them to make 30 more models. The
cost was astronomical. 3-D isn't cheap <img src="smile.gif" border="0"> It's more or less how pretty you want to
make your game. A tactial simulation doesn't need to be pretty. A tactical sim needs
information, depth and playability.
Me personally, sure I would love to see SPWAW converted into a 3-D game. Is it
reality for me to expect that the SPWAW 3-D game would run as quickly, have as much
information and scope? I would be KIDDING myself to expect as much. Thats just the
way it works.
As I said, we are 3-D rendering a new interface and buildings on our
own, for free. That is as far as we are going right now. This of course will be
free for all SPWAW gamers. I posted something on this...but not too many people
really showed interest, so it's a quiet operation right now with our staff and
storyboarders. We expect great things from our new interface!
I say, enjoy SPWAW as a 2-D game. It's actually quite nice to go back to a game with
depth, scope and enjoyment. No killing aliens, no personal nuclear devices. Just
tactics, realism and fun. That's what gaming is about.
Sincerely and best wishes,
Mike Sansone, Pres.Eclipse Graphics
Eclipse Graphics Staff
Eclipse Graphics Fallen Firefighter Art Fund (PLEASE VISIT THIS!)
Eclipse Graphics
"3-D solutions for a 3 dimensional world"
))))