Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Aces High General Discussion => Topic started by: coombz on February 03, 2013, 02:00:07 PM
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First off, don't take this thread the wrong way - we have been getting some great updates to AH and I am very pleased with the recent crop of graphical upgrades and the recent updates to (British :) ) planes
However I would like you to take a look at the screenshots below of Nr_RaVeN's excellent work with the terrain editor
Would you like some of your $15 / month to go towards getting some amazing terrain like this in the Main Arena's?
I don't care who makes it. But this shows what is possible with the terrain editor and I am convinced it would be great, not just for us, but to get new players into the game by tempting them with eye candy, to have some better looking maps in the MA.
(http://i1271.photobucket.com/albums/jj623/8rave8/mtonaf/ahss144.jpg)
(http://i1271.photobucket.com/albums/jj623/8rave8/mtonaf/ahss141.jpg)
(http://i1271.photobucket.com/albums/jj623/8rave8/mtonaf/ahss143.jpg)
Tunisia
(http://i1271.photobucket.com/albums/jj623/8rave8/mtonaf/ahss138.jpg)
(http://i1271.photobucket.com/albums/jj623/8rave8/mtonaf/ahss128.jpg)
(http://i1271.photobucket.com/albums/jj623/8rave8/mtonaf/ahss131.jpg)
(http://i1271.photobucket.com/albums/jj623/8rave8/mtonaf/ahss132.jpg)
Lybia
(http://i1271.photobucket.com/albums/jj623/8rave8/mtonaf/ahss133.jpg)
(http://i1271.photobucket.com/albums/jj623/8rave8/mtonaf/ahss136.jpg)
(http://i1271.photobucket.com/albums/jj623/8rave8/mtonaf/ahss151.jpg)
(http://i1271.photobucket.com/albums/jj623/8rave8/mtonaf/ahss134.jpg)
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Unbelievable!! We NEED this and more like this for the Main Arena :aok :aok :aok
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Very nicely done.
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Now that is nice!
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maybeeeeeeeeeee....ht should hire someone full time?
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<hits like button>
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Honest question: Why doesn't HTC hire more workers? Afraid of money or what?
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+1
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hard to believe it's the same game :huh
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I don't think half the machines in the game could run those maps, but man o man those look killer.
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I don't think half the machines in the game could run those maps, but man o man those look killer.
Make two different arenas, one for people with low-spec computers and one arena with mid-range to hi-spec computers. Afterall its 2013, amazing things have happened within the field of graphics card development, and prices of new cards have dropped aswell.
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I don't think half the machines in the game could run those maps, but man o man those look killer.
Yep. All those custom textures and objects on a main arena sized map would probably be a gig or more in size and take forever to download...and then the complaints about that and peoples' bad frame rates would flood the BBS.
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I don't think half the machines in the game could run those maps
Well, we have all these fancy new graphics options in the game but no one is forced to use them.
Players with old computers just have everything turned down to low detail, and the beautiful new terrain would look to them just as bland and terrible as the current terrain does on low detail.
Make two different arenas, one for people with low-spec computers and one arena with mid-range to hi-spec computers. Afterall its 2013, amazing things have happened within the field of graphics card development, and prices of new cards have dropped aswell.
I don't think 2 different arenas would be necessary - except if HTC were to come back and say, amazing terrain like this on a large map the size of say, OzKanzas, would be too much
Then I would say personally I would rather have two or three smaller arenas with great looking maps, rather than one big map that looks terrible...but that would be just my opinion and a lot of people more interested in the 'win the war' side of the game would probably disagree
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The size of the map doesn't matter. The PC is only rendering what can be seen.
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For HTC: is there a reason we cant have one of maps used for scenarios as a template, then have an editor place fields around the map in a measured manner so that it can be used in the MA???
Seriously, as you well know there are some very nice maps used in scenarios. If all we had to do was reset where the fields are, add in a HQ and a industrial complex, then why cant that be done?
This is something I have always wondered about and I'm sure others are curious as well.
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Yep. All those custom textures and objects on a main arena sized map would probably be a gig or more in size and take forever to download...and then the complaints about that and peoples' bad frame rates would flood the BBS.
Except for the fact that you can turn eye candy off to get a higher frame rate. I would much rather see new maps instead of air craft. I have a few friends that wont play AH just becaouse they said there isn't enough eye candy to be worth the 15 a month.
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I don't think half the machines in the game could run those maps, but man o man those look killer.
BINGO !!!! WE HAVE A WINNER!
Make two different arenas, one for people with low-spec computers and one arena with mid-range to hi-spec computers. Afterall its 2013, amazing things have happened within the field of graphics card development, and prices of new cards have dropped aswell.
Yup thats' what we want to see, half the players in one arena and half in another, whats that like 50 players per side :huh
Well, we have all these fancy new graphics options in the game but no one is forced to use them.
Players with old computers just have everything turned down to low detail, and the beautiful new terrain would look to them just as bland and terrible as the current terrain does on low detail.
I don't think 2 different arenas would be necessary - except if HTC were to come back and say, amazing terrain like this on a large map the size of say, OzKanzas, would be too much
Then I would say personally I would rather have two or three smaller arenas with great looking maps, rather than one big map that looks terrible...but that would be just my opinion and a lot of people more interested in the 'win the war' side of the game would probably disagree
So we set it up so that those with out the super computer can turn down the graphics so they can play. Great idea! Except that most of the players coming into the game today play on laptops Mommy and Daddy bought them and they can't handle the 3D graphics and so turn them down...... and complain that the graphics look like crap and are not worth $15
For HTC: is there a reason we cant have one of maps used for scenarios as a template, then have an editor place fields around the map in a measured manner so that it can be used in the MA???
Seriously, as you well know there are some very nice maps used in scenarios. If all we had to do was reset where the fields are, add in a HQ and a industrial complex, then why cant that be done?
This is something I have always wondered about and I'm sure others are curious as well.
It's not that easy. There are a lot of differences between a scenario map and a MA map Not just the few things you mentioned. The changes would be like building a new map. Might as well build a new one.
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So we set it up so that those with out the super computer can turn down the graphics so they can play. Great idea!
Ummm...they already have to turn down the graphics.
We have all kinds of new fancy graphics settings in AH which those of us with decent computers can take advantage of, and those players with obsolete computers can't use. It would be exactly the same if we get new and improved terrain/maps.
Oh, and also you don't need a 'supercomputer' for these kind of visuals. Even the great stuff shown in Nr_RaVeN's screenshots is a good few years behind the curve.
Except that most of the players coming into the game today play on laptops Mommy and Daddy bought them and they can't handle the 3D graphics and so turn them down...... and complain that the graphics look like crap and are not worth $15
This is half anecdotal 'evidence', and half plain BS. Not even worth debunking. You should stick to what you know. Oh wait...all you know is posting these kinds of whines about young players and 'the Xbox generation' :headscratch:
It's not that easy. There are a lot of differences between a scenario map and a MA map Not just the few things you mentioned. The changes would be like building a new map. Might as well build a new one.
The idea of this thread is to ask people "Would you like your $15 a month to be spent towards getting something like this in the MAs". So, building a new one (or several new ones) might indeed be the solution.
If you and other people would rather just get new planes, and leave the scenery we fly them in looking awful, then just say so...but leave out the ridiculous, incorrect and irrelevant objections :old:
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What is it about a map like that would cause a frame rate hit? Does it use higher resolution textures or something?
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I know I don't have the computer to run anything like this, but I still vote YES!
If this becomes the AH reality anytime soon I will sure make a bigger puter one of my top priorities, this would really add tons to the realism part of the game.
We got the flying characteristics, we got the sounds thanks to the great sound-gurus we have, and if we get this too this game will be alot more than just Aces High in my book, it will be Aces Heaven! :aok
HTC, get to work! :rock
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What is it about a map like that would cause a frame rate hit? Does it use higher resolution textures or something?
More textures, custom textures, more objects, custom objects, etc., etc. That all adds up to a larger file to download, and also adds to what your computer needs to load into memory while you are playing in the arena.
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First off, don't take this thread the wrong way - we have been getting some great updates to AH and I am very pleased with the recent crop of graphical upgrades and the recent updates to (British :) ) planes
However I would like you to take a look at the screenshots below of Nr_RaVeN's excellent work with the terrain editor
Would you like some of your $15 / month to go towards getting some amazing terrain like this in the Main Arena's?
I don't care who makes it. But this shows what is possible with the terrain editor and I am convinced it would be great, not just for us, but to get new players into the game by tempting them with eye candy, to have some better looking maps in the MA.
Very Very Nice :aok
(http://i1271.photobucket.com/albums/jj623/8rave8/mtonaf/ahss144.jpg)
(http://i1271.photobucket.com/albums/jj623/8rave8/mtonaf/ahss141.jpg)
(http://i1271.photobucket.com/albums/jj623/8rave8/mtonaf/ahss143.jpg)
Tunisia
(http://i1271.photobucket.com/albums/jj623/8rave8/mtonaf/ahss138.jpg)
(http://i1271.photobucket.com/albums/jj623/8rave8/mtonaf/ahss128.jpg)
(http://i1271.photobucket.com/albums/jj623/8rave8/mtonaf/ahss131.jpg)
(http://i1271.photobucket.com/albums/jj623/8rave8/mtonaf/ahss132.jpg)
Lybia
(http://i1271.photobucket.com/albums/jj623/8rave8/mtonaf/ahss133.jpg)
(http://i1271.photobucket.com/albums/jj623/8rave8/mtonaf/ahss136.jpg)
(http://i1271.photobucket.com/albums/jj623/8rave8/mtonaf/ahss151.jpg)
(http://i1271.photobucket.com/albums/jj623/8rave8/mtonaf/ahss134.jpg)
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:O
Get them MA approved!!!!
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The current maps look so bad I don't even bother to put ground details on
I'd play 5$ more a month to play this in the MA, and I'd upgrade the computer as well.
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What is it about a map like that would cause a frame rate hit? Does it use higher resolution textures or something?
You want to test your comp The Karelia map used in the AVA will certainly give you an Idea
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I'd happily pay $20-25/month to be a part of the some "Supporters Club" (We could be the AH Jockstraps)...
As long as it didn't become some cockadoodledoo I get more say b/s society... just a voluntary every little bit counts and I have some extra scratch that I would happily part with to help the game club, I am in.
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I'd happily pay $20-25/month to be a part of the some "Supporters Club" (We could be the AH Jockstraps)...
As long as it didn't become some cockadoodledoo I get more say b/s society... just a voluntary every little bit counts and I have some extra scratch that I would happily part with to help the game club, I am in.
We could think of it almost like a Church Building Fund... except for maps.
- We have the standard $15 a month charge for normal upkeep of the grounds and salaries.
- Maybe a voluntary $5 - $10 month building fund where the "House of Dale" hires contractors to build a new gym or new playgrounds for the kids.
- We could pledge a commitment dollar amount over a certain number of months so HTC knows how much they can depend on when hiring a resource.
Embrace that warm fuzzy feeling you get, knowing that YOU made a difference!
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Shouldn't we have an arena with AH1 and the Beta map just for playability for those of us who struggle to scrape together that $15 to be able to play this game with a P4@2.4 GHz and a Radeon 9800? Wouldn't that be fair?
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:O
At first, I thought it was a different game altogether, but then I took a closer look... :O
That is awesome! :x
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what makes me laugh is soon as people get a new machine they go and find the most graphic intensive game they can find to test their new shiny hardware on.
disclaimer this is not directed at anyone in particular just an observation over the years. :aok
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Shouldn't we have an arena with AH1 and the Beta map just for playability for those of us who struggle to scrape together that $15 to be able to play this game with a P4@2.4 GHz and a Radeon 9800? Wouldn't that be fair?
Yes, we also need to band together and start handing down equipment to brothers/sisters in need... it happens, it just needs to happen more.
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I'd be interested to see a stress test done on this map, with a hundred players fighting in the same location, see if the map impacts the frame rate so much.
The supporter's club is a nice idea, an optional extra payment is the way to go IMO
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Recently, I installed Aces High onto my computer for the first time in many years just to watch a film of Bruv's ToC performance. Just out of curiosity, I went into the offline mode to mess around and the first thing I noticed were the pyramid hills/mountains and the low resolution terrain textures. Also, what on earth has HTC done with the terrain bump map texture!?
Final note: Big up to Raven! He's one of the most talented 2D artists from the Aces High community, if not the most talented. :salute
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Wow! i like it, very pretty :aok
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How long would it take in man-hours to built a main-arena that have these looks ?
What would be the minimum computer to run it processor/graphics ?
I've heard some AH'ers still play on 8 year old hardware, do they expect to run the same hardware in 2 years ?
I would also be interested to hear HTC's view of one-two years future minimum computer requirements.
For me I just love flying in tank-town MA, with clouds hanging down all the way down to the top of the mountains there.
I also knows these clouds kills some computers frame-rates.
Maybe a split-MA for low-end - high-end so all get their fix ?
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Shouldn't you look in your install folder to see what the game is limited by?
D3DX9_40.dll
Then enquire what the projected period into the future is for basing the game to that version of DirectX. The game is written to the Windows DXAPI which is allowing so many divers PC to run it from XP, 2000, vist, 7 and 8. 400 to 500 players in an arena with some of the best aircraft physics in the industry.
Next year March or April extended support for XPsp3 is finished. Right now even ATI has drivers in beta that address an issue with DX9c.
I doubt this pitchfork and torch mob is going to sway HTC. Someone like the OP does this at least once a year to stir up the eyecandy freeks into a mob to assault HTC about maps, custom textures, and seperate arenas for the Mocho PC crowd versus the 10 year old crap PC crowd. Since this is a kiddy game, the class warfare aspect based on the PC haves and PC have nots seems rather narcasistic and puerile while not having any clue to how the program works or the HTC business plans 5 years out.
Can the map presented by the OP be constructed without custom objects? Can that map as is support 400-500 players without killing half the PC's with timeout DISCO's and throtteling down the FPS near custom cities for another quarter of the players? Do any of you remember that the game engine is Windows itself and why so "many"(paying customers) crap PC's can play in the MA at the same time within specific guide lines for map construction?
Same mob, ptichforks, and torches as last year. Same version of DirectX.
From: The Great Act of the Arena's.
by: the Unknown Chronicler of Gaming.
Act156, Scene 5, 13th year of the new era.
The yearly Festival of the Mob Wants is upon the city.
Mob: Caesar, once again you have not given us our own circus with real scenary amongst to frolic. We will run rampant through your streets again and threaten you with leaving Rome while holding our collective breath.
Caesar: The chirping of a cricket. A lone dog howls in the distance. Curtains remain closed. Oh!! Its Mob Wants day.
Mob: Do not ignore us this time as you have the last 13 times. We are more serious than ever. We have a new and more clever leader to remind us of what "He" wants from you.
Caesar: The yearly whine has been duely noted and recorded. Yes, Yes they still want a Holo Deck from the 23rd century. Good and better. Two centuries is a very long time to hold their breath.
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I was thinking last night that the map icons and flashing map icons on the clipboard maps look very old-school. Also, you can very quickly clutter up your clipboard map, there's like over a dozen display enable/disable options (radar, vehicle spawns, field altitude), and it only take enabling 25-33% of them to make a map unreadable unless you zoom in close enough.
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.. is this the map for the upcoming scenario? :O
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There is nothing in those screen shots that would have any effect on frame rates. Those shots are nothing but different textures that replace the standard texture set. Along with some nice detail work on the beach.
Those screen shots look nice, but I would also need to see what they look like down low.
What terrain are they from?
On the direct x version issue. Microsoft really made it a pita for game developers when dx10 came out not compatible for XP. To date very few developers use dx10 because of this.
HiTech
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Another side note about AH capability: The computer's age is necessarily not the culprit. Every week or so someone asks on the Hardware or TechSupport about their poor frame rates or anomalies in graphics. At least half of them are "almost brand new" which turn out to be a cheap surfboards with integrated Intel graphics, filled and running with all the brand specific bloatware and playing iTunes in the background. The most expensive single component in the system may be a set of 5.1 active speakers...
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Another side note about AH capability: The computer's age is necessarily not the culprit. Every week or so someone asks on the Hardware or TechSupport about their poor frame rates or anomalies in graphics. At least half of them are "almost brand new" which turn out to be a cheap surfboards with integrated Intel graphics, filled and running with all the brand specific bloatware and playing iTunes in the background. The most expensive single component in the system may be a set of 5.1 active speakers...
Too true. Integrated graphics on the new intel CPUs just aren't for this. If you wanted a PC for surfing the web and wanted to forego the cost of adding a video card then it'd be fine--for that. I mean if you're gonna be gaming with your computer it might be a good idea to buy a gaming computer. Or at least buy the proper components to get there yourself. That whole right tool for the job thing. You could break up a sidewalk with a regular hammer just fine if you had the time but a jackhammer is just the right way to go. Can't blame the sidewalk for being so hard. It is what it is.
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Too true. Integrated graphics on the new intel CPUs just aren't for this. If you wanted a PC for surfing the web and wanted to forego the cost of adding a video card then it'd be fine--for that. I mean if you're gonna be gaming with your computer it might be a good idea to buy a gaming computer. Or at least buy the proper components to get there yourself. That whole right tool for the job thing. You could break up a sidewalk with a regular hammer just fine if you had the time but a jackhammer is just the right way to go. Can't blame the sidewalk for being so hard. It is what it is.
This happened to me. I am not really computer component literate. I just wanted something new, thinking it would be good. Got a laptop(first mistake) with an intergrated graphics card. I was lucky enough to have gotten the addon AMD Radeon video chip upgrade, but for the first few months I didn't realize that AH was running on the integrated card, and not the radeon. Had all kinds of issues until I switched it over.
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Can you post a link to DL this?
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I'm getting quite a bang for my $15, with the game as is. I just replaced my 7 year old Dell. For the first time ever, I can play with the hi-res pack and most of the fun stuff turned on - for almost 8 years I played with everything turned down and had a blast. With the upgraded computer, the game play hasn't changed. ACM hasn't changed. Convergence, views, aircraft performance hasn't changed. I do prefer the eye candy I can now look at on my way to and from a fight. But the stuff that I really keep coming back for, the white knuckle turn fight that lasts for an hour (only 2 minutes, really?), the base take, etc., that hasn't changed. I can climb into dozens of WWII aircraft and pretend to be a real pile-it. That hasn't changed either. So, the improved looks are nice, but not what keeps me coming to the game. YMMV
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There is nothing in those screen shots that would have any effect on frame rates. Those shots are nothing but different textures that replace the standard texture set. Along with some nice detail work on the beach.
HiTech
Thank you. Beat me to it. :aok
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+1 Love it Great work!
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Very Cool - nice work - +1
(maybe in two weeks LOL)
:cheers:
HP :rock
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There is nothing in those screen shots that would have any effect on frame rates. Those shots are nothing but different textures that replace the standard texture set. Along with some nice detail work on the beach.
Those screen shots look nice, but I would also need to see what they look like down low.
What terrain are they from?
On the direct x version issue. Microsoft really made it a pita for game developers when dx10 came out not compatible for XP. To date very few developers use dx10 because of this.
HiTech
Can you post a link to DL this?
Sorry that I never responded to these posts - this is Nr RaVeN's North Africa terrain, apparently currently a work in progress. You can check his thread in the Terrain Editor forum here http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,344662.0.html
Glad to hear that this wouldn't cause any frame rate issues HiTech - please please please please can some of our $15 a month go towards getting some maps of this graphical calibre into the MAs?
I really believe that AH could pull in a lot more subscribers if we could entice people in with screenshots of terrain like this! The planes already look great, we have a great list of different aircraft to fly, we have a great flight model...the next logical step is to have some great looking maps to fly on!
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I don't think half the machines in the game could run those maps, but man o man those look killer.
Who's problem is that other then the computers owners. Yes i get people don't have the funds to always update there computer. But why should it effect people who can run it? This is something that needs to be ungraded in the game. Give the people how can run it the ability to, like the high rez texture pack. I would pay an extra 5$ a month to see a sparkly new ground textures.
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HiTech said above that nothing shown in those screen shots would have any effect on frame rates (beyond, I assume, the limitations people may already have with their graphical settings
:aok :x