Overcoming UE3 engine limitations?

[hockeywarrior]

Sorry about another thread so fast, but it isn't really related to any of the existing threads.

I'm curious on people's thoughts of how to get past UE3's issues with rendering realistic and interactive foliage, which will play a big role in the gameplay of a Pacific War mod.

I personally have seen some very good mappers try to make realistic looking foliage in EU3, and yet even their attempts don't quite make the cut for believability. I wonder how this mod team will overcome this and make realistic looking environments that also perform well on hardware? Is UE3.5 that much better at rendering this stuff?

 

[vingt2]

Rendering a high quality vegetation isn't about on what kind of software you work. A good lvl Designer places some grass, some bushs, and some trees in the right place so that it gives a visual coherance to the scene.
Then, there is no real engine limitation on UE3 since you know with what you work. But I don't think that the aim of RO is to give a photorealistic rendering, interactive foliage isn't so hard to do (as we can see in crysis or FC2), but its a kind of waste some energy, to my mind.

Edit: Then, as drecks said, download the newest UDK version and have a look at the exemple map. There's no much limitation in UE3 than in any other engine, you just have to know your tools .

 

[Xendance]

There isn't UE 3.5

But personally I think it's very doable to have lush jungles, just requires a bit work.

 

[Drecks]

@ Hockeywarrior

You might want to post the attempts you have seen. And define the lack of realisme and suggestions how it should be. The UDK april update shows some good foliage. Done by pro's i guess bet nonetheless it shows the engine's posibilities.

 

[Dead.Pixel]

As cool as interactive foliage may be, I don't think the lack thereof will hurt the immersion of a game or the believability of the environment.

I think the larger UE3 hurdle will be to fight that over the top HDR bloom effect that rears its head in all UE3 games.

 

[Drecks]

I agree.

As cool as interactive foliage may be, I don't think the lack thereof will hurt the immersion of a game or the believability of the environment.

I think the larger UE3 hurdle will be to fight that over the top HDR bloom effect that rears its head in all UE3 games.

 

[vingt2]

I think the larger UE3 hurdle will be to fight that over the top HDR bloom effect that rears its head in all UE3 games.

Well, its because it's a non-heavy post process effect, easy to handle, which is loved by every 12years old kevin, playing on their boxs. Thats also why famous game using UE3 features all same shaders giving awfull glossy effects (full of specularity). But that's easy to avoid .

 

[EvilAmericanMan]

Already you can see in some screenshots some of the lighting effects, mainly that one in first person view with the PPSh. The glare on it is phenomenal...dunno if that has anything to do with what you guys are talking about though.

 

[vingt2]

Last night I could'nt sleep so I woke up and thinked about making an interactive foliage.
YouTube - Interactive Foliage TEST UDK
That's the result. I did a fast skeleton mesh rigged on maya, created the good physic asset, and here is the result. Know it might need some other tweaks to look realistic. But thats, to my mind, to much performance consuming. Maybe i could create an animation and make it alive with matinee plugged into a trigger volume. But as you can see, no engine limitation to "interactive foliage".

 

[O'Shannon]

in my eyes super Interactive Foliage where you would be able to shoot off every leak is not needed.

but interaction with player models would be good..

YouTube - UDK - Interactive Foliage

 

[vingt2]

in my eyes super Interactive Foliage where you would be able to shoot off every leak is not needed.

but interaction with player models would be good..

Excatly, thats why I think giving a special animation to the foliage when the player is in it would be the best way of doing it: No physic processing.
But By the way, what I showed you also interact with the player . It is global collision.

 

[Nestor Makhno]

The effect here is pretty much standard in the UDK and does not have a huge impact on frame-rates if my test is anything to go by.

It does, however, require a fair bit of careful material set up as it is mostly about the materials rather than the models.

 

[Fedorov]

All I care is that the grass have the right color

 

[Xendance]

Grass will be brown of course, brown is realistic.

 

[Nestor Makhno]

All I care is that the grass have the right color

The grass will be the exact same colour as IS2 Greatest Tank of WW2. Naturally.

 

[Yoshiro]

The grass will be the exact same colour as IS2 Greatest Tank of WW2. Naturally.

Best tank ever!

 

[vingt2]

The effect here is pretty much standard in the UDK and does not have a huge impact on frame-rates if my test is anything to go by.

It does, however, require a fair bit of careful material set up as it is mostly about the materials rather than the models.

Using to much physical assets isn't to heavy for the server side?

 

[Xendance]

Moving plants are all client-side afaik. Correct me if I'm wrong though

 

[Dead.Pixel]

They should be. Most anything aesthetic is client side. Such as ragdolls and debris. But major things such as players and vehicles where it is essential everyone sees the same thing are server.

 

[hockeywarrior]

I guess my main motive for doubting the engine comes from not seeing any UE3 titles render true jungle environments before, and it always seemed to me like it did a better job of showing off really detailed interiors rather than exteriors.

Those UDK videos you guys posted definitely look impressive, and honestly I can say that if you didn't tell me I wouldn't know that they were of the UE3 engine!