7 replies to this topic

[Karl Streiger]

Scrolling through the mech pak files I realized that lego Tech is not like I thought one weapon model for all Mechs that is placed on the mech via script (this would have been awesome)
Indeed you have for every possible combination of weapons in a location a separated model - for example 4 PPCs for a Banshees RT

Considering this I really have to ask why not use models that doesn't look complete allien on that Mech?
Best example loyalty Stalker loyalty Camo switch ST laser into a Ppc - it's terrible (with just some minutes of work it might have been a better look)
Why have all lasers the same model - I thought it is impossible to have a real Large Laser on my Thunderbolt but heck there is just a single model for all lasers.
Why not create a upscaled version for lpl an ll? with editing of some code - 5minutes?
10?

The only incentive to play mwo is to play pokemech and ugly mechs do destroy this option for me. I remember the centurion as he looked like before lego Tech and can't stand to see it now

[DjPush]

I think your concept of how modeling vs. programming works is a bit askew. For a company that doesn't have the capital to pay for top notch programmers and modelers nor a department head to oversee major changes. This is the result. What you have is a studio filled with artists and a few overworked software engineers trying to make a minimally viable product with very little oversight on projects. When determining the cost analysis of any change to the system there has to be justification as to why they are going to make those changes and what will be the outcome of those changes. In other words, tasking a modeler to rework dynamic weapons points on a single chassis is a huge waste of money compared to creating one model and using it for every mech. That's time and money that can be put elsewhere.

Like... Modeling the next chassis for sale in the latest mech pack.

This is all just assumption though. My post doesn't actually reflect PGI's developement practices. This is merely my opinion of how a small game developer would probably handle something like this.

Edited by The Potatoe Whisperer, 19 November 2016 - 11:34 AM.

[Wintersdark]

The Potatoe Whisperer, on 19 November 2016 - 11:20 AM, said:

I think your concept of how modeling vs. programming works is a bit askew. For a company that doesn't have the capital to pay for top notch programmers and modelers nor a department head to oversee major changes. This is the result. What you have is a studio filled with artists and a few overworked software engineers trying to make a minimally viable product with very little oversight on projects. When determining the cost analysis of any change to the system there has to be justification as to why they are going to make those changes and what will be the outcome of those changes. In other words, tasking a modeler to rework dynamic weapons points on a single chassis is a huge waste of money compared to creating one model and using it for every mech. That's time and money that can be put elsewhere.

Like... Modeling the next chassis for sale in the latest mech pack.

This is all just assumption though. My post doesn't actually reflect PGI's developement practices. This is merely my opinion of how a small game developer would probably handle something like this.

This is correct, however.

But to add some detail, as someone who's spent a lot of time with the model files lately due the arrival of his new 3D Printer, each chassis does in fact have it's own versions of each weapon. They are copied and pasted, of course - all PPC's look the same - however they are NOT scaled the same. Each chassis has those models scaled to fit it.

Each mech is a collection of files, one for each of the parts - typically, cockpit windows, CT, LT, RT, rCT, shoulders, arms, legs, and one for each separate weapon/hardpoint that could possibly be equipped on that mech. So, for example, the PPC in one hardpoint can look different from the PPC in another hardpoint (or on another mech), they just don't for the reasons quoted above.

Edited by Wintersdark, 19 November 2016 - 11:58 AM.

[Angel of Annihilation]

The Potatoe Whisperer, on 19 November 2016 - 11:20 AM, said:

I think your concept of how modeling vs. programming works is a bit askew. For a company that doesn't have the capital to pay for top notch programmers and modelers nor a department head to oversee major changes. This is the result. What you have is a studio filled with artists and a few overworked software engineers trying to make a minimally viable product with very little oversight on projects. When determining the cost analysis of any change to the system there has to be justification as to why they are going to make those changes and what will be the outcome of those changes. In other words, tasking a modeler to rework dynamic weapons points on a single chassis is a huge waste of money compared to creating one model and using it for every mech. That's time and money that can be put elsewhere. Like... Modeling the next chassis for sale in the latest mech pack. This is all just assumption though. My post doesn't actually reflect PGI's developement practices. This is merely my opinion of how a small game developer would probably handle something like this.

Your probably dead on though. PGI doesn't really appear to want this game to be successful so all they add are mech packs.

[LordNothing]

the amount of ignorance about what the different jobs are that are required to make a game are astounding. i blame the lack of mod support in this game. usually when a game community has a large number of members actively trying to throw their own features on top of the game, the general level of gamedev literacy the community has is much greater. game studios are writing less code in house and so modern game dev and modding are hardly distinguishable.

modeling and texturing are both art jobs, they have people in modeling programs (like 3d studio max), and 2d graphics programs (photoshop). you also probibly have sound people, all those new sound effects in terra therma prove that they exist. unless they just bought sound effects which is also a thing. you look at their screens and you will see half finished models and unfinished textures.

programmers are people who sit at a computer and type code into an ide (like visual studio) all day. the code is in some programming language like c or c++. i think crytek is based mostly on c++ and lua. you look at their screens you see a lot of undecipherable (to many of you at least) text that tells the computer in meticulous detail every inner workings of the game, like how graphics and sounds are used and game events. this code is either compiled into an executable (or a dll) or interpreted by the engine itself.

the lines can cross however. the graphics people sometimes have some amount of basic scripting knowledge to automate processes for like animation or file conversion. the xml files the game uses for configuration data are read by the game engine, these can be used to direct the game engine in how to display the data. here is the base model, here are the weapon models for configuration a, here are the models for config b and so on. the code reads the xml and turns on and off the submodels as needed to graphically represent the current loadout. i dont know if thats how it actually works in this game, but ive used systems like it.

xml is used because the skillset needed to edit it is much less than that needed to write actual code. if you have people working on balance, they dont need to know c++ or whatever to get the changes in game, they just need to know how to edit xml files.

[cazidin]

Would anyone buy Lego Battletech sets?

[JediPanther]

I'd buy a Lego timberwolf, Catapult or Wasp. Lego is pretty much depended on licensing every thing they can. Lego marvel/dc/viacom/disney ips They use to just make their own themed sets like pirates or castle knights. I still have a bunch of space explorer and pirates sets from around 1990-1994. Recently I found them with the printed instructions so I scanned them in at 300 dpi and posted them to fb so any one on my fb with the parts can make the models.

Lego has a creator option on their site where you can make a model then order all the pieces to build the model or get a list of them. I counted at least fourteen licensed ips, a mix of their old themes re-themed, and some i'm not sure who owns the ip.
https://www.lego.com/en-us/products

[RestosIII]

cazidin, on 19 November 2016 - 04:32 PM, said:

Would anyone buy Lego Battletech sets?

Obligatory BrickCommander link: http://www.brickcommander.com