I don't even care about the HUD, I am totally losing my shit every time I see something new in this thread with all the artwork and production methods. Some of the coolest shit I have seen for a very very long time!!!
-Memex-: Thanks, sir. I actually agree with you completely. I've toned the leather down, both in brightness and amount. I've also scaled the background of the joysticks down as well, and tried to minimize the amount of the view they obscure. I'm also making an effort to make the ui cover the space that's already obscured by the player's fingers.
The controls that are behind the player's fingers turn on/off things that are plainly visible elsewhere in the scene, for example the player's headlight and nightvision, and pulling up the options menu. The two options below the joystick on the right are Autofire,which will fire whenever an enemy is within range, and within the crosshairs - hopefully allowing for some fun firefighters with a minimum of fiddling, and Manual Fire, where you can line up a shot and fire.
Also, the joysticks are asymmetrical on purpose. Those places are the locations I find my thumbs drifting to most naturally.
skyline5gtr: Thanks! and yeah, I agree - I've scaled it back. I might go back even more.
marks: Heh, Thanks. Glad you're enjoying it!
Gorgeous stuff. For some reason there is something very special about that pixelated and low res look - I am not sure if this is just because of nostalgia or thanks to the impressionist quality that comes with the limitation - but it's there.
I also remember the baked-in cast shadows on the main character in MDK as being way more convincing than the shaded look of MDK2, and a similar effect is happening on the Stormtroopers here. Thanks for sharing !
Legion_studios: Well, it'll be inspired by Dark forces - it's not going to be a remake.
pior: Thanks! I agree. I think slightly pixelated artwork triggers something in people to be a little more lenient when it comes to graphical quality. Happy to take advantage of that.
Kaine123: Thanks! I did know about that, but I prefer my faster, pre-uvmapped system.
atomander: Awesome! I wish I could have been there, but that took place right around the time my son was born.
-Memex-: Thanks, sir!
ScribbleHead: Thanks! Hope you continue to like what you see.
tRens: Not for more than 4 hours, I hope?
Okay, so found some time to work on this, and here's a UI update...
And the raw texture:
Is it still too much?
Enjoy!
That HUD is MASSIVE! I do love this whole thing though, but man, that HUD needs to be like 25% the scale
I dont know if he can make it much smaller, I think this is meant to be played on a mobile phone so the size of the thumb sticks makes sense but making it more minimal around the rest of the hud could help
odium: Yeah, this is supposed to be played on a tablet or phone screen. Everything needs to be big enough to be legible and clear at that size - and I'm pushing that already. If you've got an android device and wanna give it a shot, here's a link to the most recent APK: http://www.hedfiles.net/DFMobile/DFMobile.apk
Ged: Yep. I can reduce some, but not all of the scale. I'm still working on it.
I have thought of that, and no, I won't do the hud like that, for two reasons - the first is that it's not really true to the style of the Dark Forces games, and the second is that I really don't like how the semitransparent interfaces look. Also, I really don't think it's necessary, since about 90% of whats visible as that HUD is covered up by your fingers while you play. I do see what you're saying - but I'm gonna do it differently. Hopefully that doesn't piss too many people off.
Sure. So there are 5 main things going on in the effect. There are two particle effects for the main cloud of smoke - the big puff, and the little smokey tendril that comes from the impact point. Both are just normal SuperSprays that are pushed and pulled by a Wind, a Drag, and a Gravity Spacewarp. Instead of them displaying a mesh, though, they're set not to render, and I am using a blobmesh object with them listed as source objects. This lets me put an animated displacement on top of the particle motion, in this case a cellular map, that makes the effect extra puffy, as well as gives it a bit more motion.
Then there are the sparks, those are basic Tetra-type particles, again, emitted by a super spray. I then take a mesher object, select the sparks, and then use that mesher object to emit smokey trails from the sparks. The smokey trails use the same space warps as the main smoke puff.
The final element is the flash - it's just an inverted, animated sphere with a fully-self-illuminated falloff material, with a falloff alpha as well. To make different variations, I've wired the rotation parameters of a dummy object to the seed numbers of the supersprays and offsets of the displacement map. That way, if I need a new explosion, I just spin the dummy.
I hope that this explains it! If you'd like the MAX file, I can do that too.
Urgaffel: Certainly! So here's the max file, in 2011 format: http://www.hedfiles.net/BlastPuff.max
and here's what it looks like:
The dummy to the left is spun for different random explosions - you can also rotate the individual particle sources to get a more interesting impact.
Enjoy, and I hope it's educational!
Thanks, guys!
So here's the last bunch of updates, it's time to move onto something else.
Stormtrooper Rifle Hit VFX, the Standard blaster impact, and the Heavy Blaster:
Updated Repeater Hit - decided to go to Yellow for this guy, as in Dark Forces 2. Blue looked too much like the Concussion Rifle.
Updated Concussion rifle hit. Added a bit more punch and flame to the base.
It doesn't need to be realistic, it needs to make me grin like a loon!
I am a huge DF1 fan, this thread is pure gold. My only crit is I don't like how part of the concussion rifle dissipates outward, I always loved how it whooshed inwards and up like gasoline catching fire!
Hey, HowardDay, awesome project, love the direction you're taking it, please keep up the great work!
I really like the remaster vibe going - more polished, but still true to the original.
However I'd like to try and throw my 5 cents in regarding the HUD
So, I did some mockups of the concept, merging the original Dark Forces colors and more modern take on Star Wars UI. The idea was to imagine contemporary design trends done in PS1 lo-fi aliased style.
And here's the quick explanation of the on-screen elements.
Don't know if it will be of any use, but still. Looking forward to the updates!
I love that hud mockup Doesn't fit with the original because the original was quite bad really. I remember being bothered by all that leather weird stuff when I played it back in the days
That mockup is nice on its own but it feels extremely cold and sterile, not unlike majority of modern SF huds.
It makes me think that player is some kind of drone, rather than a mercenary.
I'm not sure what's so bad about original hud? It was a bit cartoony but the sequels managed to improve its design a lot, and didn't resort to turning everything to a flat holographic display.
Arvell: Dude! Thanks for putting that together. I absolutely agree that it's a lot cleaner and shows the environment more. I also like that you've added AureBesh lettering to the Hud. I'm actually getting a distinct Republic Commando feel from it, which is by no means a bad thing! I am really torn, if I'm honest. I really want to stick with the original DF style hud - even with it's obvious drawbacks. The feel of it is just *right*, you know? But I also know that your style of Hud has obvious benefits. I'm gonna have a hard time deciding. :P
Everyone else: Yeah, I don't know myself for 100% which way I'm gonna go with it.
Update: So, the last 2 weeks I've been swamped with work, and been spending my down time with family. I have had some time to work on this stuff - but the stuff I worked on is something that's going to be hidden in the level for people to discover, and I don't want to ruin the awesomeness by showing it ahead of time. I'm pretty stoked about it, though!
So going forward, I've got a work prototype I'm pretty consumed by, and a week and a half trip I'm going on as of tonight - So I will be sans computer till next Friday. I will jump back on this then - I have an idea for a new area I'll build out - and I still want to finish the Verpine Bastard's landing gear and boarding ramp. I've got a pretty good idea how I'll do that.
Thanks for all the interest in this, and I'm really sorry I haven't been more productive on it.
HowardDay: glad you liked it! Whichever you choose - I do hope to see this project finished successfully
Blaisoid: I guess it's more of a function over form thing. Taking into consideration the target platform, the screen resolution and the amount of data we should cover - the non-diegetic, not overly-stylized approach seemed like the better solution to me. For example MKX uses the clean and simple UI quite effectively, as well as an upcoming MMO Crowfall.
Im with Arvell on this one, I always prefer function over form, especially on mobiles where gameplay can be harder to get to grips with, so I like minimal huds that show off the game environment more. That said Im sure it will be awesome either way.
I have thought of that, and no, I won't do the hud like that, for two reasons - the first is that it's not really true to the style of the Dark Forces games, and the second is that I really don't like how the semitransparent interfaces look. Also, I really don't think it's necessary, since about 90% of whats visible as that HUD is covered up by your fingers while you play. I do see what you're saying - but I'm gonna do it differently. Hopefully that doesn't piss too many people off.
Replies
-Memex-: Thanks, sir. I actually agree with you completely. I've toned the leather down, both in brightness and amount. I've also scaled the background of the joysticks down as well, and tried to minimize the amount of the view they obscure. I'm also making an effort to make the ui cover the space that's already obscured by the player's fingers.
The controls that are behind the player's fingers turn on/off things that are plainly visible elsewhere in the scene, for example the player's headlight and nightvision, and pulling up the options menu. The two options below the joystick on the right are Autofire,which will fire whenever an enemy is within range, and within the crosshairs - hopefully allowing for some fun firefighters with a minimum of fiddling, and Manual Fire, where you can line up a shot and fire.
Also, the joysticks are asymmetrical on purpose. Those places are the locations I find my thumbs drifting to most naturally.
skyline5gtr: Thanks! and yeah, I agree - I've scaled it back. I might go back even more.
marks: Heh, Thanks. Glad you're enjoying it!
Okay, here's the new version.
Please any feedback is totally welcome.
Well done!
www.wingsofstnazaire.com
I also remember the baked-in cast shadows on the main character in MDK as being way more convincing than the shaded look of MDK2, and a similar effect is happening on the Stormtroopers here. Thanks for sharing !
Here's a useful script that can generate procedural asteroids along with other stuff. I figured it was at least tangentially related.
*Subscribed* :thumbup:
pior: Thanks! I agree. I think slightly pixelated artwork triggers something in people to be a little more lenient when it comes to graphical quality. Happy to take advantage of that.
Kaine123: Thanks! I did know about that, but I prefer my faster, pre-uvmapped system.
atomander: Awesome! I wish I could have been there, but that took place right around the time my son was born.
-Memex-: Thanks, sir!
ScribbleHead: Thanks! Hope you continue to like what you see.
tRens: Not for more than 4 hours, I hope?
Okay, so found some time to work on this, and here's a UI update...
And the raw texture:
Is it still too much?
Enjoy!
I dont know if he can make it much smaller, I think this is meant to be played on a mobile phone so the size of the thumb sticks makes sense but making it more minimal around the rest of the hud could help
http://www.hedfiles.net/DFMobile/DFMobile.apk
Ged: Yep. I can reduce some, but not all of the scale. I'm still working on it.
Enjoy!
Then there are the sparks, those are basic Tetra-type particles, again, emitted by a super spray. I then take a mesher object, select the sparks, and then use that mesher object to emit smokey trails from the sparks. The smokey trails use the same space warps as the main smoke puff.
The final element is the flash - it's just an inverted, animated sphere with a fully-self-illuminated falloff material, with a falloff alpha as well. To make different variations, I've wired the rotation parameters of a dummy object to the seed numbers of the supersprays and offsets of the displacement map. That way, if I need a new explosion, I just spin the dummy.
I hope that this explains it! If you'd like the MAX file, I can do that too.
And for the Heavy Blaster projectiles -
And for the Imperial Repeater Rifle!
Enjoy!
and here's what it looks like:
The dummy to the left is spun for different random explosions - you can also rotate the individual particle sources to get a more interesting impact.
Enjoy, and I hope it's educational!
This animation made the sound instantly replay in my head. Boom!
(Imperial repeater was a great tool too
So here's the last bunch of updates, it's time to move onto something else.
Stormtrooper Rifle Hit VFX, the Standard blaster impact, and the Heavy Blaster:
Updated Repeater Hit - decided to go to Yellow for this guy, as in Dark Forces 2. Blue looked too much like the Concussion Rifle.
Updated Concussion rifle hit. Added a bit more punch and flame to the base.
Enjoy!
My only consern goes toward the green on red buttons, and I think maybe something a bit more subtle could be achieved. Last time I needed to make some "realistic" interface, those did wonder for me : http://www.cgtextures.com/texview.php?id=46647&PHPSESSID=hmib7jd7vjm1q418ac9e8lcif3
I am a huge DF1 fan, this thread is pure gold. My only crit is I don't like how part of the concussion rifle dissipates outward, I always loved how it whooshed inwards and up like gasoline catching fire!
fearian: Thanks, sir! Here's a comparison between the blasts!
Now that I've done that... I need to work on it a bit more.
I really like the remaster vibe going - more polished, but still true to the original.
However I'd like to try and throw my 5 cents in regarding the HUD
So, I did some mockups of the concept, merging the original Dark Forces colors and more modern take on Star Wars UI. The idea was to imagine contemporary design trends done in PS1 lo-fi aliased style.
And here's the quick explanation of the on-screen elements.
Don't know if it will be of any use, but still. Looking forward to the updates!
It makes me think that player is some kind of drone, rather than a mercenary.
I'm not sure what's so bad about original hud? It was a bit cartoony but the sequels managed to improve its design a lot, and didn't resort to turning everything to a flat holographic display.
Arvell: Dude! Thanks for putting that together. I absolutely agree that it's a lot cleaner and shows the environment more. I also like that you've added AureBesh lettering to the Hud. I'm actually getting a distinct Republic Commando feel from it, which is by no means a bad thing! I am really torn, if I'm honest. I really want to stick with the original DF style hud - even with it's obvious drawbacks. The feel of it is just *right*, you know? But I also know that your style of Hud has obvious benefits. I'm gonna have a hard time deciding. :P
Everyone else: Yeah, I don't know myself for 100% which way I'm gonna go with it.
Update: So, the last 2 weeks I've been swamped with work, and been spending my down time with family. I have had some time to work on this stuff - but the stuff I worked on is something that's going to be hidden in the level for people to discover, and I don't want to ruin the awesomeness by showing it ahead of time. I'm pretty stoked about it, though!
So going forward, I've got a work prototype I'm pretty consumed by, and a week and a half trip I'm going on as of tonight - So I will be sans computer till next Friday. I will jump back on this then - I have an idea for a new area I'll build out - and I still want to finish the Verpine Bastard's landing gear and boarding ramp. I've got a pretty good idea how I'll do that.
Thanks for all the interest in this, and I'm really sorry I haven't been more productive on it.
HowardDay: glad you liked it! Whichever you choose - I do hope to see this project finished successfully
Blaisoid: I guess it's more of a function over form thing. Taking into consideration the target platform, the screen resolution and the amount of data we should cover - the non-diegetic, not overly-stylized approach seemed like the better solution to me. For example MKX uses the clean and simple UI quite effectively, as well as an upcoming MMO Crowfall.
Having second thoughts?