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[turboferret]

I don't mean to pry, but how did you "link" the visualizer and DF so it displays as you go?  I taking a class type thing for Source and it sounds like it could be a cool project to work on, I just don't know how to have my "visualizer" update automatically off of DF.

Terrain/constructions/buildings are part of a (right now very simple lol, on/off) LOD-tree. Creatures'/dwarves' positions are updated and interpolated at regular intervals.

[NW_Kohaku]

OK, well, I have some mods I want to make and threads I want to push around in the suggestions forum before I get seriously into learning a new craft, but hey, this door might be a little less Wolfenstein:  (Ripped from wikipedia commons, so public domain)

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

256x256.

Should give you an idea of what sort of graphics that is.

Also, tell me if this has to be restricted down to .bmps or something, because a large number of .bmps (one texture per type of stone?) that are 256x256 that need to be held in memory are going to positively eviscerate your RAM.

[ECrownofFire]

That door doesn't look very dwarfy

[Agamemnon]

because a large number of .bmps ...

/cries

Can't you use a compressed format? You'll need mipmaps anyway, so why not use a better file format?

[NW_Kohaku]

That door doesn't look very dwarfy

I am just using that as an example of the sort of filesizes we are talking about, and to put that in as a placeholder to see what sort of look that gives in the game.

edit: Although it does raise the question of what a "Dwarfy" door looks like...

Is it a splintered, hastily-smashed together pile of planks or a slab of stone that covers a passageway, or is it something more like this:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

I should also say that, frankly, the lower the resolution of the graphics, the easier it would probably be for me to hand-draw those graphics.  (I can do 16x16 tilesets very quickly and easily.  I can MSPaint tiles up to about 64x64, and it will still be doable.  Anything bigger than that, and anything hand-drawn is probably going to be scanned in pencil sketches I then paint-bucket and maybe thrown gradients or something over.) Really detailed stuff, unless you want it looking very cartoony, is going to have to be based largely on google image searches and cropping, like that doorway I put up there.

[KillHour]

Also, tell me if this has to be restricted down to .bmps or something, because a large number of .bmps (one texture per type of stone?) that are 256x256 that need to be held in memory are going to positively eviscerate your RAM.

Textures need to be stored uncompressed in the video memory, so .bmp takes up the same amount of vram as .png or .jpg does.  The only difference is that .bmps would take up ludicrous amounts of hard drive space.

[Mason11987]

btw, should this be moved to the modding section? just noticed most utilites are there.

It doesn't modify the game, so I don't think it really fits as a mod.  If there were a "utilities" forum then it might go there, but general discussion seems to fit for things that don't belong elsewhere.

[NieXS]

Are there any plans to open source this?

[nbonaparte]

I agree, open-sourcing it would keep it from going the way of visual fortress and 3dwarf.

[turboferret]

OK, well, I have some mods I want to make and threads I want to push around in the suggestions forum before I get seriously into learning a new craft, but hey, this door might be a little less Wolfenstein:  (Ripped from wikipedia commons, so public domain)

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

256x256.

Should give you an idea of what sort of graphics that is.

Also, tell me if this has to be restricted down to .bmps or something, because a large number of .bmps (one texture per type of stone?) that are 256x256 that need to be held in memory are going to positively eviscerate your RAM.

Right now, every type of stone uses the same detail map (data/textures/stone.png). What makes them have different colors is a 1x1 single colored texture that makes the diffuse color. Stone.png is only loaded once, so no matter how many different stone types there are, video memory usage won't increase.
Of course if there are stone types that need another detail map that's doable aswell.

[turboferret]

Are there any plans to open source this?

I agree, open-sourcing it would keep it from going the way of visual fortress and 3dwarf.

I'll think about it. Might be a good idea.

[ECrownofFire]

Open source would be good, more opportunities for people to improve it. Your choice though

[Askot Bokbondeler]

followin

[NW_Kohaku]

OK, well, I have some mods I want to make and threads I want to push around in the suggestions forum before I get seriously into learning a new craft, but hey, this door might be a little less Wolfenstein:  (Ripped from wikipedia commons, so public domain)

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

256x256.

Should give you an idea of what sort of graphics that is.

Also, tell me if this has to be restricted down to .bmps or something, because a large number of .bmps (one texture per type of stone?) that are 256x256 that need to be held in memory are going to positively eviscerate your RAM.

Right now, every type of stone uses the same detail map (data/textures/stone.png). What makes them have different colors is a 1x1 single colored texture that makes the diffuse color. Stone.png is only loaded once, so no matter how many different stone types there are, video memory usage won't increase.
Of course if there are stone types that need another detail map that's doable aswell.

This unfortunately doesn't answer many of my questions of "what format should I use?" or "what should I focus on making?" or "what kind of door looks 'dwarfy', anyway?!"

[Rose]

I vote for the cartoony looks of stonesense and minecraft