OpenZone 7.3

[Windcatcher]

I'm not dead, kidnapped by elite SoE commandos, or in a cult...I've just been taking an EQEmu vacation. Anyhow, I've got something new:

1. In the ground editing options pane, changed the ground height label to an edit field. You can enter any height you want here for precise ground height editing. Entering an invalid value will make turn the field background red.

2. Added "Help...Tutorial" to the main menu to make the tutorial easier to find.

3. Fixed a bug in the 3D engine where polygons would not be rendered in bird's-eye mode.

4. Fixed texture coordinates in .3DS export.

5. Fixed texture coordinates in .XWF export.

6. Got curious about the whole ClearType(tm) fad, as I'm running Win2k and couldn't play with it. Wrote a bunch of Delphi components that simulate ClearType and changed the program to use them. Under Edit...Preferences, you can enable it if you wish and try it out. XP is not necessary, and in fact it won't do anything under XP since XP already has it (only OpenZone itself will change, by the way: this isn't an OS-wide thing). Anyhow, it's something to play with if you're using an LCD monitor. Some people love it, some people hate it; i'm not sure myself where I stand on it, but it was fun to add.

7. Added File...Export...Export to .XWA. XWA files are just .S3D files, but they contain .XWF files instead of .WLD files. It's another step toward eventually creating our own game...

OpenZone 7.3 is here:

http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/e...3.zip?download

Good to be back,

WC

[GeorgeS]

Wind,

In the 3DS export, you may want to check the difuse settings, I think they should be 100 rather than 0, otherwise the exported object is dark.
When I changed the texture diffuse=100, the object looked fine.

BTW-welcome back!
GeorgeS

[Windcatcher]

Thanks for the tip. I've fixed it in OpenZone 7.4 and I'm hard at work on it. The new version's primary feature will be character export to .XWF/.XWA, including handling of robed models. One thing I'll have to do before I upload it is augment my elf model so it has a robed variant.

By the way, all the export work I'm doing isn't for nothing. Consider the following scenario, just for a moment: a tool that can export everything, zones, items, and mobs, to a public file format. Add to that a tool (OpenSpell) that can create spell files from scratch (yes, I know, it needs more work, and soon, too). Now, if we had a client that could read this very public format rather than a particular proprietary one, we would have something...a game where we could do whatever we wished, host whatever we wished, without fear and without any creative restrictions (as long as server ops are smart and avoid anything that's trademarked).

I don't want to say too much because I don't know how long all this could take, but I forsee a ton of coding for myself in the coming weeks. My advice to anyone who is intrerested: you might want to start creating an original slate of spells with OpenSpell, and maybe a dozen corresponding spell icons, now (or at least by New Year's). You also might want to consider getting together a couple of dozen decent item icons together (44x44 pixels each). One or two mob models made with Anim8or that follow my Elf paradigm wouldn't hurt, either, but what the two I've already made are at least serviceable. Zones already exist -- trouble yourselves not with them

There's a lot coming, much more than you know, but it's still going to take a lot to get it all together and I can't do it all

WC

[Sakrateri]

Hey Wind, Not wanting to give you any more work then you've got but would it be hard to add the ability to import .b3d or .X files into this program?

[Windcatcher]

Maybe eventually, but at the moment I have WAY too much on my plate as it is. For instance:



I've created a full set of robed textures and robed variants for the elf model. OpenZone 7.4 can fully export it to either .S3D or .XWA, and the test program you're seeing has DLL's to read either format, the sort of DLL's that a client (ahem) could easily use (whether I release the WLD one is something yet to be decided--and I'm leaning against it--but I need one to act as a baseline). The screenshot above is of my zone (windszone) and my elf model, exported to .XWA (in other words, ZERO SOE content).

The DLL work is almost complete, with shaders the last thing to finish (there is partial support at this time but it's not completely there yet). I've also made lots of architectural improvements to OpenZone's engine (which has more capabilities than OpenZone currently uses, hint hint).

I'm trying to get something special done by New Year's but it's a ton of work, and until it's done I don't want to add any new features to OpenZone unless I directly need them. Afterward, though, I wouldn't mind adding .X support to OpenZone if it's not hard to do. One thing you could do to help me would be to find some Delphi code on the net that can read them.

[Sakrateri]

Well , that is just awsome man. I believe you alone are going to be the one to bring this entire project out from under the grasp of SOE and all of your work is very much appriciated. I wish I knew alot more and was able to help you. I will see what I can come up with on that Delphi (not that I know anything but I will try) . The reason I ask what I do is I purchased the realmcrafter engine and in all truth your Openzone is ALOT better at making zones and I am trying to use the two together to come up with a truly unique game. I also have a program called mapcrafter that makes pretty good zones and they can be exported as b3d or .X files and anything I make with them is my property. Also I am getting pretty good at making static models in 3dmax. Still cant make a character model to save my arse but anyway if you need any models let me know and I will try to make em. Thanks again for all you hard work.