[UTRP] "UT 2341" port into Unreal Tournament

[Torax]

Hello all
I'm soo sorry that there were no any updates for a long time here and even longer - at ModDB.

So here are the lastest news from battlefield. The two news.
First of all I want to say, that i will no longer hold for remodelling project. But...

I talked with designers of UT 2341 - their mod reached great progress since last time i checked them. So now i will concentrate on coomplete port of UT 2341into UT99
The main reason - i don't see any sence in recreating stuff when there are already done really good quality models, with all needed stuff.
Those awesome guys gave me permission to use all content for import, even a code if i will find any usage for it in UT99. Sure, models from UT 2341 are a bit more "heavyweight" that i planned to do - more detailed with more polygons, but i hope it will not cause large performance drops.

The things i will do - play around to make some better visual FX for the stuff (take better textures of explosions, scorches, bullet holes etc) and implement some my own specific features - bullet "fly-by" sounds for trace weapons (Enforcer, Minigun, Sniper Rifle), improve weapon movement on the screen (weapons will now look like more "alive" instead just being glued to the screen) and maybe some other stuff if i imagine and realize with code

Important note, that main features of weapons, such as firing speed, damage, ammo counts and so will not be changed.

And also another note - after making an UT version, i should work with version for Unreal 227.

So, stay tuned guys
Project changed it's name but still alive.

[papercoffee]

Sooo... you are part of the UT 2341 team?

[Torax]

Sooo... you are part of the UT 2341 team?

It's a pitty but nope.
I just asked them for content usage, not more.

[Blade hunter]

Glad that we could help here.

[Torax]

Glad that we could help here.

Thanks a lot again

[papercoffee]

Glad that we could help here.

Your project ...It's not exactly UT99 related (UT2k4) but somehow it is strongly UT99 related at all.
Wanted to advertise your work, but couldn't decide in which section I could post it here.

I like your progress.

[Torax]

Thread update.

Currently, most of stuff is exported.
There are few things left to do before early alpha:

1. Rebuild Static Meshes
There are two possible ways to go.
1st way is somewhat harder to do - rebuild into Skeletal models.
2nd way - rebuild into standart UT format (_a.3d, _d.3d).

I will see would second way show good results. I prefer first method anyways, because i will save models from being screwed and deformed, but i also pay attention on file size a bit - seketal models much more "heavyweight".

2. Convert textures and import higher quality textures for effects and so
3. Prepair import code, fix all rotation, size and position stuff
4. Recompile code for usage in game

That's all yet.
I will report the next progress step.

[papercoffee]

That's all yet.
I will report the next progress step.

Show some screenshots

[*Kr!D_o)]

Thread update.

Currently, most of stuff is exported.
There are few things left to do before early alpha:

1. Rebuild Static Meshes
There are two possible ways to go.
1st way is somewhat harder to do - rebuild into Skeletal models.
2nd way - rebuild into standart UT format (_a.3d, _d.3d).

I will see would second way show good results. I prefer first method anyways, because i will save models from being screwed and deformed, but i also pay attention on file size a bit - seketal models much more "heavyweight".

2. Convert textures and import higher quality textures for effects and so
3. Prepair import code, fix all rotation, size and position stuff
4. Recompile code for usage in game

That's all yet.
I will report the next progress step.

Hey friend! Just wondering what all progress (if any) you've made with the conversoin? I know I certainly can't wait to get my hand on this and try 'er out! Anyways, keep up the good work man and I hope to see this out in ALPHA stage sooon !!!!!!!!!

[Torax]

Hey friend! Just wondering what all progress (if any) you've made with the conversoin? I know I certainly can't wait to get my hand on this and try 'er out! Anyways, keep up the good work man and I hope to see this out in ALPHA stage sooon !!!!!!!!!

Hello
Thanks for support)
The project is near it's first release.

I'm currently tryin' to fix one bug that accidentally appeared - for some reasons textures on the model being displaced a bit relatively to their UV coordinates. I can't understend why it's happens.
It is not fatal but looks weird, and the only way now to fix this - edit texture itself by moving it by few pixels in specific directions. Displacement still appears but less then without this fix..besides maybe anyone had some problem like this? Are there any other ways to fix it?

About other things - stages 1 and 2 are passed. So there is not so much work left as before.
I only thinking about to use Dot's particle emitter or not.

Edit---------------- by papercoffee

Fast update of the topic.

Well...about half of the day i spent trying to fix the bug with texture mismatch, which appears after stuff being imported into editor.
And always i'm getting crap like this


For some "strange" reasons, during import, engine moves UV map of the model. I tried to fix this by moving whole UV map in the opposite direction, by experimental way picking values of X and Y coordinates.
But each time i porting stuff into game, i found other displacements. That's totally annoying. The only good and probably best way was to displace ready texture by few pixels in X and Y directions - this bug become less noticeable but still exist.
And appears on both skeletal and vertex models.

I'm so angry for this that i had no words to describe my feelings. Because i wanted to make a good conversion without such visual shit.
Workflow is quite hard cozz i use at least two 3D editors to prepair stuff. And i dont talk about how many times i recompiled things to see results...

I decided to accept with this problem and leave it as is, only make it less noticeable - i have another one idea how to try...if it will not work - so it will not work

[papercoffee]

*cough* double post *cough*

About the texture problem:
This is an annoying bug. But what about you try to smooth this details or throw them out of the window ...because the model is already detailed enough.
Show me the weapon texture and if possible the UV-wireframe maybe can I help.

[Chamberly]

Looks like something I saw awhile reading FD's long post on GT.

b) - Models: In UT you either go with 3DS or MilkShape. If you want to animate, MilkShape, if not, 3DS. I use MilkShape to make all my models, and it doesn't have almost anything to work with: boolean tools? No. Layers? No. UV mapping? Very poor. Etc..
In the actual industry you either use Blender, 3DS, Maya, Lightwave, etc, and all those have all the features MS3d doesn't have. If I want to make a hole in a 3D object in MS3D, I have to redo almost the entire thing poly by poly, it's just too frustrating and inflexible, but it's the only thing I have to work properly. Have you that patience?
UT has also a really low poly limit and the UVs don't work right, so I get limited by this.

http://www.gametracker.com/games/ut/for ... read=58308

I may be inaccurate of what I just posted, but try to be close as relevant to acknowledge such thing.

[Torax]

Well, i pretty much understand that first versions of UEngine are quite buggy and have very, VERY limited possibilities.
I'm gonna work with things i have. Anyways there will be some other bufs with content which i will need to fix.

[SC]-[WARTZ_{HoF}]

Yeah.... Its the little things like UV coordinates can be a pain huh.

[papercoffee]

Here an answer from our Ex-UT-Developer.

Before the guy tries to rip his hair out on that: that's an engine "bug", sort of.
In UEngine1, UVs are stored as bytes, so there's lack of precision, on the other hand bNoSmooth=True causes that misplacement. It's generally not noticed since the max resolution of textures both the game and developers generally used was 256x256, where the texture offset would be about 1.5 pixels in the U coordinate and 0.75 in the V coordinate (iirc). Therefore, whenever bigger resolutions are applied, this offset grows by the same proportion, so for 512x512 the offset will be 3 pixels U / 1 pixels V.

For instance, in NW3 this problem is there, I didn't even try to compensate the offsets. Instead, the way I built my skins and other stuff kinda disguised this effect by being dark and have thicker lines. This is a problem that was always there, but once you notice it, you see it everywhere lol