Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => Aces High General Discussion => Topic started by: Strip on September 04, 2009, 08:44:49 AM

Title: So you want photorealistic?
Post by: Strip on September 04, 2009, 08:44:49 AM
Enjoy....
(http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh121/purplehaze835/wow1.jpg)
(http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh121/purplehaze835/wow.jpg)
This is what you can do with the new T.E. but just dont expect this in the MA's any time soon. Both screen shots were taken from about 10,000 feet, everything is full scale. The main runway is almost two miles long.....
 
:D

P.S. Dont mind the google earth icons, just to clarify its not a cropped image. The graphics are from G.E. and I did not want to spend hours getting cleaning them up. This is from ingame shots....

Title: Re: So you want photorealistic?
Post by: kvuo75 on September 04, 2009, 08:55:19 AM
is that palmdale?
Title: Re: So you want photorealistic?
Post by: moot on September 04, 2009, 08:55:50 AM
Cool.. Can you post it for download when it's finished?
Title: Re: So you want photorealistic?
Post by: Saurdaukar on September 04, 2009, 08:57:42 AM
I'd be thrilled if we got rid of the arcade terrains and used something more realistic in the MA's.

There's something about a gigantic mountain erupting out of the ground at an 85 degree angle and soaring to 20,000 feet... it just doesnt do it for me.
Title: Re: So you want photorealistic?
Post by: Strip on September 04, 2009, 09:10:50 AM
Its Reno, Nevada...

    I got a wild hair and decided to try something....much to my surprise and amazement it worked! Realistically you can only have this for a 48 sq mile area, then it gets a little more complicated but still doable I guess. Even tho the level of detail is quite high its not that hard on my computer tho. However, I truly doubt this will ever be finished at this level of detail. I hadn't even planned on going much farther than this but the implications are quite cool. It was more to show what could be done if you really went all out....

Strip
Title: Re: So you want photorealistic?
Post by: mechanic on September 04, 2009, 09:58:58 AM
thats really cool Strip, can you do one with pacific images, or european? Or maybe stick a desert skin plane on that one see how it looks :)

great work
Title: Re: So you want photorealistic?
Post by: LLogann on September 04, 2009, 11:23:31 AM
2 mile long runway..... Strip, you rock!!!  Now we will be all set for the B29!   :D



 :salute
Title: Re: So you want photorealistic?
Post by: Gryffin on September 04, 2009, 12:18:14 PM
Its Reno, Nevada...

It looks like Stead, NV. I recognise the go-kart track in the first pic :)
Title: Re: So you want photorealistic?
Post by: Strip on September 04, 2009, 12:25:56 PM
Yeah, technically it is considered Stead but its only miles from the better known city of Reno.

That go-kart track looks like fun!

 
Title: Re: So you want photorealistic?
Post by: Kazaa on September 04, 2009, 12:28:08 PM
Any chance of some shots over English farm land, or dare I say it the White cliffs of dover !
Title: Re: So you want photorealistic?
Post by: Kermit de frog on September 04, 2009, 12:30:27 PM
Any chance of some shots over English farm land, or dare I say it the White cliffs of dover !

That would ROCK! :rock
Title: Re: So you want photorealistic?
Post by: Dux on September 04, 2009, 12:32:59 PM
Yes, it will.
Title: Re: So you want photorealistic?
Post by: Strip on September 04, 2009, 01:03:26 PM
I can do anywhere you want, its simply a matter of investing time. I have to crop several images together to make just one hires tile. With only 12 tiles available its impossible to make any sort of meaningful scenery. It wouldn't make sense to have a hires shot of a small city then have 3 tiles to do the rest of the terrain. About the only thing it does make sense for is air racing, which is what I am working on.

 :D
Title: For Kazaa, Dux, And Kermit
Post by: Strip on September 04, 2009, 01:25:33 PM
(http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh121/purplehaze835/england.jpg)
(http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh121/purplehaze835/england2.jpg)

Just so you guys dont think I am pulling a fast one....

:lol

Title: Re: So you want photorealistic?
Post by: Noir on September 04, 2009, 01:29:55 PM
Any chance of some shots over English farm land, or dare I say it the White cliffs of dover !

haha the BoB freaks are out and about  :D
Title: Re: So you want photorealistic?
Post by: JimmyC on September 04, 2009, 01:43:02 PM
hay thats my house on the right  :aok
Title: Re: So you want photorealistic?
Post by: Ex-jazz on September 04, 2009, 02:32:03 PM

Good job  :aok

Title: Re: So you want photorealistic?
Post by: xNOVAx on September 04, 2009, 03:04:56 PM
 :O

*drools* Very cool Strip!

 :aok
Title: Re: So you want photorealistic?
Post by: USRanger on September 04, 2009, 04:17:08 PM
Very nice bro :aok
Title: Re: For Kazaa, Dux, And Kermit
Post by: DREDIOCK on September 04, 2009, 06:24:50 PM
(http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh121/purplehaze835/england.jpg)
(http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh121/purplehaze835/england2.jpg)

Just so you guys dont think I am pulling a fast one....

:lol



Only problem is now the ground looks better then the aircraft LMAO

Nice work
Title: Re: So you want photorealistic?
Post by: Krusty on September 04, 2009, 08:12:54 PM
Several problems...


1) it's all 2D. FLAT. No objects/details on it. The closer you get to it, the crappier it looks (IL2 has a similar problem with its bitmaps)

2) copyrights on the images. HTC can't use any photos unless they purchase them (and that's a lot of photos to buy) or they take the pictures themselves... Hrm... anybody got a geosync satellite they want to sell cheap?
Title: Re: So you want photorealistic?
Post by: AirFlyer on September 04, 2009, 08:19:54 PM
Several problems...


1) it's all 2D. FLAT. No objects/details on it. The closer you get to it, the crappier it looks (IL2 has a similar problem with its bitmaps)

2) copyrights on the images. HTC can't use any photos unless they purchase them (and that's a lot of photos to buy) or they take the pictures themselves... Hrm... anybody got a geosync satellite they want to sell cheap?

I'll agree on 2, but 1 just seems to come with any Flight Simulator. My guess is it just has to do with the impossibility of making something look detailed and cover such a vast horizon.
Title: Re: So you want photorealistic?
Post by: Ack-Ack on September 04, 2009, 08:28:43 PM
I'll agree on 2, but 1 just seems to come with any Flight Simulator. My guess is it just has to do with the impossibility of making something look detailed and cover such a vast horizon.

The processing power needed to render would be through the roof.


ack-ack
Title: Re: So you want photorealistic?
Post by: Krusty on September 04, 2009, 08:32:53 PM
Not necessarily... But the problem is like looking at a billboard from your car as you drive past.


Looks great. You stand 2 feet from it, it looks like crap.

Suddenly all those houses, buildings, details AROUND the airport in the screenshot are blurs on the texture, they're not really there.

It would be like seeing a forrest, only when you land the ground is flat and there's nothing there... It's just painted on.

So the best way to do it is use something similar, but create your own details (hills, buildings, roads, trees, rivers, etc), which is what most games do. That's why you don't find photorealistic flight games out there
Title: Re: So you want photorealistic?
Post by: moot on September 04, 2009, 08:39:12 PM
1) If it's a small scale terrain like Strip says, and not for MA use, he can probably just custom-object everything.
2) Yeah that's a bummer, but it's prolly not too hard to matte paint over it all.

One of the problems with photoreal, imo, is the palette.
Title: Re: So you want photorealistic?
Post by: xNOVAx on September 04, 2009, 08:48:11 PM
You guys seen Tileproxy for FSX? I think it uses satellite images and still looks pretty damn good up close to me..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSRju-muVuM&feature=channel_page

 :rock

Title: Re: So you want photorealistic?
Post by: Strip on September 05, 2009, 06:48:40 AM
First Google Earths restrictions are quite easy to work with, anything that isn't allowed with the EULA is usually fixed with a quick letter.

Secondly, I could make every building in each of those photos 3d if I chose to, just expect a massive download. With custom objects, in terms of polygons buildings are very cheap if you just create the rough shape. Using the TE I created massive 10 mile square cities just to test how far you can push it. Even with a terrain of nothing but cities I was able to get a frame rate of 20, however using a 9800GT. The question is time and player base, I can create a hi-def terrain with the current tools we have no problem. The big problem is not making so pretty that half the users couldn't play it, (sheeez I sownd like a gaem dev their).

Right now I am doing a lot of playing around, seeing what I can and cant do. Mostly its for the enjoyment of a good challenge, and partly to see if it will even work. Which by the way anyone who wishes to see the B-29 in AH2 send $20 to my paypal account. Its a fixer upper sitting on the tarmac waiting on servicing, the lazy mechanics wont seem to get it flyable tho. Its taken all I have not to call HTC and ask them to look at adding some of the objects I have made. Just recently I finished a fixed position Flak 88 that many, including myself, would love to see in the game. I have come a long way in two months of really focusing on content creation.

Anyway, I like to write some more but I need to to get going to school. Have a 3,000 word technical paper I have to start writing, on a Saturday no less!

:uhoh             
Title: Re: So you want photorealistic?
Post by: EskimoJoe on September 05, 2009, 05:44:57 PM

Anyway, I like to write some more but I need to to get going to school. Have a 3,000 word technical paper I have to start writing, on a Saturday no less!

:uhoh             

Strip, good fellow, priorities! Get that paper done!
Title: Re: So you want photorealistic?
Post by: bravoa8 on September 05, 2009, 05:45:59 PM
 :O :O :O :O :O wow!! strip makes me wanna learn how to that :aok
Title: Re: So you want photorealistic?
Post by: mike254 on September 06, 2009, 09:37:25 AM
Wow, nice job strip. I hope you put it up for download, would love to see it.
Title: Re: So you want photorealistic?
Post by: RufusLeaking on September 06, 2009, 12:52:58 PM
I'd be thrilled if we got rid of the arcade terrains and used something more realistic in the MA's.

There's something about a gigantic mountain erupting out of the ground at an 85 degree angle and soaring to 20,000 feet... it just doesnt do it for me.
Careful what you wish for.  The extreme mountains, in most cases are to create bottle necks by design. 

If the terrain was realistic, there would be 12 hour missions.  A lot of what is done, I believe, is to pack more fun into the game.  HTC does an excellent job in this regard.
Title: Re: So you want photorealistic?
Post by: Motherland on September 06, 2009, 01:02:28 PM
Careful what you wish for.  The extreme mountains, in most cases are to create bottle necks by design. 

If the terrain was realistic, there would be 12 hour missions.  A lot of what is done, I believe, is to pack more fun into the game.  HTC does an excellent job in this regard.
What?
What he's talking about is a purely graphical issue. The resolution of the elevation map is such that you can only have 4 different elevations per square mile, which is why you get flat terrain that suddenly turns into an 90 degree spire with no transition. It just looks dumb.
Title: Re: So you want photorealistic?
Post by: Strip on September 06, 2009, 01:04:20 PM
That can be controlled by the terrain maker, and is something you will never see on anything I create.
Title: Re: So you want photorealistic?
Post by: BMathis on September 06, 2009, 01:47:38 PM
Are the Hangers on the Fields really there? As in can I fly inverted through them?  :rock
Title: Re: So you want photorealistic?
Post by: Strip on September 06, 2009, 01:51:47 PM
They could be, just a matter of investing time.....