New game - helicopter racing game

Forum
Game Engine

After putting 'bloody football' out of my mind for a while I have decided to create a new game.

It will be a 3D helicopter racing game (controls will be arcade style), the design document has been written for it (no I'm not giving it out [8D] ).

What I need is 3D artists to create the helicopters (10 in game), these can be military or commercial helicopters. Weapons will be legal, thats why you can have slow miltary helicopters. 1000 polygons maximum.
This will be a single and multiplayer game.

I am going to use the 3D Rad engine (which I have a legal licence for)that has networking capabilities; unless someone has an engine that they would like me to use (it doesn't have to have network capabilities but needs to have room to have it added later).

You will have 3 months to finish the graphics if you decide to join. This game will be sold on the internet and only royalties will be given to people that help (no up front money).

For more info contact me on bloody_footy@hotmail.com

Submitted by Blitz on Tue, 13/04/04 - 9:14 AMPermalink

I'd just like to say 1000 tris is very low IMO (especially for something complex like a chopper with multiple rotors, nice curves etc.) How many aer you planning to have on screen at a time?
Modern graphics cards (anything since, say GF2) can render 2-3000 tris almost as fast as 1000 if they are fed to the gpu nicely.
Something to keep in mind anyway, giving the artists 3000 polys lets them make a cool chopper with lots of weapons and curves, rather than a box with boxes attatched :)
Plus, if you're expecting more than say 10-12 on screen at a time, there is always LOD.
CYer, Blitz
EDIT: Forgot you're using a third party engine, i have no idea of it's capabilities so i could be way off the mark depending how it handles things.

Submitted by bloody footy on Tue, 13/04/04 - 9:31 AMPermalink

Valid point Blitz; the engine I am using could go to about 2,000 each but each of my games are made to run on lower end computers (I don't try to compete with high graphic games, I try to pick up the players that these games exclude :) ).

I also have to take into account if we use a differant engine, what if that can't handle it?

On a personal note I find it isn't the poly's that make the asset, it's the texture mapping that is the differance between 'wow' and 'errr???' :)

Submitted by FireFlight on Wed, 14/04/04 - 6:42 AMPermalink

That is true that texture mapping is the difference, but having a higher limit on the tri's would give the model a better apearence making the texture fit better. Instead of having a 80's car style chopper, you could have one that's late 90's car style. If you get what I mean.

Submitted by Blitz on Wed, 14/04/04 - 7:36 AMPermalink

Good quality textures are essential for sure, but you can't make a 3D object out of texture maps :)
1000 tris can probably give you an ok body and rotors, but you might be pushing that limit hard to put some decent guns coming off the side...
Fair enough if you're trying to target low-end computers though :)
CYer, Blitz

Submitted by bloody footy on Wed, 14/04/04 - 7:59 AMPermalink

You have got to realise that most people don't have the latest and greatest computers that have the latest graphic cards; I read my site statistics and the majority of people that download my game don't have these specifications.
The game I am making is based on game play and reaching out to the widest possible audience - if you look at the games today that need the latest graphics card then you will see the game play is not much to look at.

Forum
Game Engine

After putting 'bloody football' out of my mind for a while I have decided to create a new game.

It will be a 3D helicopter racing game (controls will be arcade style), the design document has been written for it (no I'm not giving it out [8D] ).

What I need is 3D artists to create the helicopters (10 in game), these can be military or commercial helicopters. Weapons will be legal, thats why you can have slow miltary helicopters. 1000 polygons maximum.
This will be a single and multiplayer game.

I am going to use the 3D Rad engine (which I have a legal licence for)that has networking capabilities; unless someone has an engine that they would like me to use (it doesn't have to have network capabilities but needs to have room to have it added later).

You will have 3 months to finish the graphics if you decide to join. This game will be sold on the internet and only royalties will be given to people that help (no up front money).

For more info contact me on bloody_footy@hotmail.com

Submitted by Blitz on Tue, 13/04/04 - 9:14 AMPermalink

I'd just like to say 1000 tris is very low IMO (especially for something complex like a chopper with multiple rotors, nice curves etc.) How many aer you planning to have on screen at a time?
Modern graphics cards (anything since, say GF2) can render 2-3000 tris almost as fast as 1000 if they are fed to the gpu nicely.
Something to keep in mind anyway, giving the artists 3000 polys lets them make a cool chopper with lots of weapons and curves, rather than a box with boxes attatched :)
Plus, if you're expecting more than say 10-12 on screen at a time, there is always LOD.
CYer, Blitz
EDIT: Forgot you're using a third party engine, i have no idea of it's capabilities so i could be way off the mark depending how it handles things.

Submitted by bloody footy on Tue, 13/04/04 - 9:31 AMPermalink

Valid point Blitz; the engine I am using could go to about 2,000 each but each of my games are made to run on lower end computers (I don't try to compete with high graphic games, I try to pick up the players that these games exclude :) ).

I also have to take into account if we use a differant engine, what if that can't handle it?

On a personal note I find it isn't the poly's that make the asset, it's the texture mapping that is the differance between 'wow' and 'errr???' :)

Submitted by FireFlight on Wed, 14/04/04 - 6:42 AMPermalink

That is true that texture mapping is the difference, but having a higher limit on the tri's would give the model a better apearence making the texture fit better. Instead of having a 80's car style chopper, you could have one that's late 90's car style. If you get what I mean.

Submitted by Blitz on Wed, 14/04/04 - 7:36 AMPermalink

Good quality textures are essential for sure, but you can't make a 3D object out of texture maps :)
1000 tris can probably give you an ok body and rotors, but you might be pushing that limit hard to put some decent guns coming off the side...
Fair enough if you're trying to target low-end computers though :)
CYer, Blitz

Submitted by bloody footy on Wed, 14/04/04 - 7:59 AMPermalink

You have got to realise that most people don't have the latest and greatest computers that have the latest graphic cards; I read my site statistics and the majority of people that download my game don't have these specifications.
The game I am making is based on game play and reaching out to the widest possible audience - if you look at the games today that need the latest graphics card then you will see the game play is not much to look at.