Looking very nice, Yuke!

yuke5 wrote:Also, I have added plenty of "omni" and "spot" lights around the map where they are best suited, so there are various colors sprouting throughout the map. Mostly, they are located near scrolling text and ads, so it appears as though they are glowing. For example, in the picture above, the clone is standing near a big huge pillar of text which radiates a red light.

I think you should consider making the actual advertisements and scrolling text glow, too, in addition to the nice lights you already added. It's not really hard to do, and it'll make the place more vibrant.

Okay, searching on the internets. I'll figure out how to add glow flags to materials. I'm guessing I'm going to have to do this in blender, because this isn't important enough to import with a trial version of XSI. I'll see what I can do. I have very, very, very, very, very little modeling experience (I have messed around in XSI a couple times, but that's about it.)

Modeling experience?! Look at me! I don't have any modeling experience, yet I can add glow to most existing models in an instant! Just use a hex editor, and you'll be fine! Have a look here:

[b][color=#FF8000]The FAQ / Everything You Need Thread Version 2.0[/color][/b] wrote:...
Model (msh)
...

• Inside Edit Flags

...

And here's the specific part that you need:

AceMastermind wrote:List of unknown hex found 5 places after ATRB in various msh files:

Hex/My best guess
...
49 = ?
...

That value combines transparency with glow. It's found in the stock CTF vortex model. Or you can do 48; it works either way.

Okay, got it. Thank you! I'll be sure to see if I can get that working. Hopefully, if it works, I'll update with some pictures.

but this only works for a complet tga file right?

(you can use MshTool too http://www.gametoast.com/forums/viewtop ... 64&t=14857)

Actually no, Anakin(German), MshTool can't be used to add this specific material flag (49).

If you're wondering why, my circle of friends and I add (German) after your name to avoid confusion with the other Anakin.

mh i think i should read this tut, too maybe i can find some interesent informations.

Can you maybe explain me via pm what a flag is does, what i can do with this? i do not want to bumb this topic

I'm still working on the glowing materials. I have a lot of trouble with hex editors. I'm sorry guys, I'll keep on trying 'till I nail it. In the meantime though, I do have a couple of updates...

DARKTIMES II: RISING SON

Coruscant: Skyline is now compatible.
CIS UPDATE
So far, not much has been done of the CIS side...so far. However, we do have a new unit which replaces the Magnaguard:

The Super Battledroid:
The Super Battledroid has twice the health of the standard unit, but moves very slowly and has slow yet high damage wrist blaster.

In the meantime, expect an update on the gangster side. So far not all the models are as I would like, so they're subject to change.

Also, I would be very interested in ideas you guys have for classes. I think I might attempt to make a riot trooper, but that is all I have swimming in my noggin.

I would add in the Riot Trooper for the Republic, and maybe a BX Commando Droid (The ones on Lola Sayu, with the shields) They'd be good counters cause they both have hand-held shields, so like a seventh class, a shield class, maybe 10 Points to Unlock.

Something like

Blaster Carbine/Rifle
-Hand Held Shield
-Stun Baton
-Thermal Detonators

Also, I assume you're using the B1 Battle Droid as the CIS Rifleman?

I like your ideas! I'll see what I can do. Also, don't worry, the B1-Battledroid is the rifleman unit.

Thank you, glad to be of service Captain. :clone:

I've always wanted to see a unit with a riot shield. I'll pm you the details.

Just another quick little update. The unit pictured above is the Republic hero, Commander Fox. I'm going to dirty up and tweak his skin a bit, as well as provide new weapons.

EDIT: I also haven't forgotten my promise to make stuff glow! It's just really difficult for me, but I'm learning to hex edit. I managed to hex edit an EP3Trooper model to take a different skin, so I guess it's a step in the right direction.

Nice updates, Yuke! That clone trooper skin looks awesome.

yuke5 wrote:I also haven't forgotten my promise to make stuff glow! It's just really difficult for me, but I'm learning to hex edit.

Is it really that hard to change a single value via your keyboard? Just because you are using a hex editor it doesn't mean this has to be a difficult task. You change things, single values all the time via a keyboard with ease, whether it would be in lua files or ODFs. I think you are just overthinking this... Heck,

yuke5 wrote:I managed to hex edit an EP3Trooper model to take a different skin, so I guess it's a step in the right direction.

That requires changing more than one value and would be considered a much more "complicated" thing to do, but you managed to do it.

wow, thats a really nice start!
I agree with AQT: make it all glow! as colorfull as possible. from the lighting it seems like you are going for a nighttime setting and imho the most charactertistic thing for coruscant at night are the glowy advertisements etc. for the advertisements close to the battlefield you could place lights in them so that they environment and units are lit by them.

GLOW UPDATE

I've finally got the glow working. Turns out I was just modifying the wrong value. Anyway, I've been hex-editing like a madman. Essentially, if it was plausible that it would be glowing, it has been made to glow.
You guys were right, things look better with glow. I'm going to see if I can find a way to tone it down a little bit, but right now I'm just happy everything is glowing.

Engineer Update

I have modified the engineer units for both sides. As of now, both engineer units no longer have spammable det-packs. Instead, they have specialized grenades. The Clone Engineer has an EMP Grenade, and the Droid Engineer has a radiation grenade. They both do less damage to their respective allies, stick to enemy units, an do not affect buildings.

The Clone Engineer also no longer has a shotgun, but instead uses an arc caster. However, the gun has been balanced out so that everything is still balanced. The Arc Caster has less range, a slower fire rate, and less ammo per clip. However, due to the nature of the arc caster, any unfriendly unit nearby is automatically targeted, and any unit (except for SBD's) caught in its range is destroyed. The arc caster also destroys the Droideka's shields. In order to counter the aggressive nature of the Republic Engineer, the unit's health is 300, like the sniper. Pictures are below:
Other Stuff

A custom campaign is currently in the works. The protagonist is "Spade", a member of the 41st Elite currently planetside, awaiting deployment to Kashyyyk. He volunteers to help the Coruscant Guard in a major attempt to wipe out multiple local criminal confederacies with one swipe. However, things quickly get out of hand. So far, a couple objectives have been made, and serious problems have been overcome (thanks AQT and Kino). It's not going to be anything too ambitious, but I hope to have it be a little lengthy, but not anything of Mav or AQT proportions.

A non-aggressive, civilian side is also in the works. However, it will only be present in campaign for atmospheric purposes.

Finally! Great work, Yuke! It's all looking good! The glow currently seems a little intense on some of those advertisements, in my opinion, but you can easily lower them using an alpha layer on the texture. (See post.)

Also, I bet you can also add glow to those street lamps as well.

Nice unit updates, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of this campaign you are working one.

Is there any texture definition on the building in picture 2 at all?

Other than that, the ads look much better and more vibrant than before. Great change!

Wow Yuke, looking really good! Love the glow on the advertisements, starting to really look like Coruscant! I'm going to be a +1 on AQT's suggestion of adding some glow to the streetlamps, that would look super cool too! Sides sound great too.

Also, the campaign thing sounds really cool, especially with the inclusion of the civilian side. Sounds awesome!

AQT wrote:The glow currently seems a little intense on some of those advertisements

Seconded - and another easy way to force the glow lower is to turn down the saturation and/or brightness of the texture.

Don't forget soundstreams/sound effects for your world. It's important that this kind of map sound busy and not just look busy (this is a big thing some other big city maps are missing)!