Feature Request: Terrain Holes and Overhangs
by Scott Peal · in Torque 3D Professional · 06/21/2009 (10:48 am) · 11 replies
I was looking at the videos on CryEngine2 or 3 and notice they have the ability to put holes in the terrain and the ability to have heightmaps with overhangs. Not sure how they accomplished this, but would be a great AAA feature for version 2 of T3D.
About the author
Step 1) be the indie, step 2) make enough to buy a commercial license :)
#2
06/22/2009 (4:19 am)
Out of curiosity will we have to pay for futher T3D releases? 
#4
You've already bought in, any bugs in the engine should be worked out, and you'll get all of those updates for free. Once a year, GG will be packaging up a bunch of new features, and if you want to buy in, you pay for this upgrade. Not a bad deal at all if GG continues to be putting this much effort into T3D's development.
06/22/2009 (6:07 am)
@Aldavidson - The last I heard, the pricing model that GG was planning would be yearly paid major updates, and free-minor updates / fixes throughout the year. I have not heard anything as for the pricing of yearly updates, but here's how I'm looking at it:You've already bought in, any bugs in the engine should be worked out, and you'll get all of those updates for free. Once a year, GG will be packaging up a bunch of new features, and if you want to buy in, you pay for this upgrade. Not a bad deal at all if GG continues to be putting this much effort into T3D's development.
#5
For a major yearly update stock full of features needs to be implemented then each major yearly update needs to be independent of other major updates for the other years. For instance, say Year 1 Update gets released and costs, $100. The features in this updates aren't anything that I really intend to use and it doesn't make sense to purchase this update.
Another year goes by and they release the Year 2 Update, and it's full of updates and changes that I would love to take advantage of. It too, costs $100. If Update 2 is dependent on Update 1 source version (which I'm suspecting it would be), you'd have to first purchase Update 1 and then you could purchase Update 2 - total of $200 when I really only needed Update 2.
Of course, I'm a go with the flow kinda guy and I don't like dwelling on the future so whatever GG decides to do, I'll most likely adapt to with no issues, but I see this as a potential complaint that GG will probably have to face if they go with the method you stated. Especially with new customers that are coming on board when Update 2 is being released.
Look at me, talking about the future like it's already here :P
06/22/2009 (1:42 pm)
@Tim - I think the model plan has potential, but it needs to be realized that it may not work out like they expect (if that is, for sure how they decide to go about implementing major updates).For a major yearly update stock full of features needs to be implemented then each major yearly update needs to be independent of other major updates for the other years. For instance, say Year 1 Update gets released and costs, $100. The features in this updates aren't anything that I really intend to use and it doesn't make sense to purchase this update.
Another year goes by and they release the Year 2 Update, and it's full of updates and changes that I would love to take advantage of. It too, costs $100. If Update 2 is dependent on Update 1 source version (which I'm suspecting it would be), you'd have to first purchase Update 1 and then you could purchase Update 2 - total of $200 when I really only needed Update 2.
Of course, I'm a go with the flow kinda guy and I don't like dwelling on the future so whatever GG decides to do, I'll most likely adapt to with no issues, but I see this as a potential complaint that GG will probably have to face if they go with the method you stated. Especially with new customers that are coming on board when Update 2 is being released.
Look at me, talking about the future like it's already here :P
#6
However, like you said, this is in the future, so, we'll just have to wait and see how GG wants to do it.
06/22/2009 (1:48 pm)
@Jordan - that's definitely a possible issue, but I don't think it's necessarily a show stopper. Additionally, not all features will be capable of just tacking onto the side as add-ons. If this is the route GG decides to go down, I don't think it'd be unreasonable to make you buy 1st upgrade, and then 2nd upgrade. However, like you said, this is in the future, so, we'll just have to wait and see how GG wants to do it.
#7
06/22/2009 (3:11 pm)
They do not allow height-maps with overhangs, they have a separate voxel engine they use to build caves and overhangs. 
#8
But honestly, if the cost comes out at $100 to update, I would be pleasantly surprised. Typically, this sort of thing in a vertical market charges out at 30% per year.
06/22/2009 (3:45 pm)
@Jordan - I think you're right. Usually that sort of thing is handled as in a maintenance agreement, and you have to be current to get the second update. So if update 1 cost $100 and update 2 cost $100, and you skipped update 1, you would have to pay $200 to get update 2.But honestly, if the cost comes out at $100 to update, I would be pleasantly surprised. Typically, this sort of thing in a vertical market charges out at 30% per year.
#9
06/22/2009 (4:16 pm)
We're aiming for another major new release of Torque 3D next year (2010), and annual updates thereafter. It might be that we can't do it every 12 months, and need to be more on an 18 month cycle. In any case, as with all our major updates, own the previous version will imply large discounts on the next.
#10
Don't mind my $100 statement though, I'm sure it was just my wife speaking through me ;)
@Brett - Where were my manners? The GG staff always takes care of us with discounts or some level of compensation :D
06/22/2009 (4:56 pm)
@Jaimi - I would be pleasantly surprised if it came out to $100 as well; especially for all the hard and professional level work being put forth by all T3D contributors/devs.Don't mind my $100 statement though, I'm sure it was just my wife speaking through me ;)
@Brett - Where were my manners? The GG staff always takes care of us with discounts or some level of compensation :D
#11
It would completely break all kinds of resources and genre kits, but the flexibility it would bring would be enormous.
06/23/2009 (8:44 am)
@Brett: any changes that major new release is the component refactoring? I keep stumbling in component-related stuff in the source code that isn't used anywhere yet.It would completely break all kinds of resources and genre kits, but the flexibility it would bring would be enormous.
Associate Tom Spilman
Sickhead Games
Overhangs won't happen for the first Torque 3D release.