Oolite Bulletins

I think the little 1.88 retexturing project I embarked on last week is now complete and hopefully I have not left anything important out.

This OXP adds normal maps (made by Griff) and specular+gloss maps to all base ships in the game. It was done as a first little demo of the new lighting and materials system in Oolite version 1.88 and later. The assets distributed with the standard game do not showcase the full potential of the system in order to keep the game as light as possible for the not so brand new computers users may run it on. However, with this package, you can get a pretty good idea of what the engine is capable of and maybe use these assets as a starting point for making new or even more improved versions of the textures, for an even more realistic look. Needless to say that this package will heavily tax lower end systems.

So the really new thing here are the specular + gloss maps. The combination of those two properties on a single texture is very poweful and can lead to multi-material appearance on the same model. The way I used this on the default shipset is to create the heavy, industrial and worn out look that fits Griff's creations so nicely. You can now see areas of rust on metallic surfaces and the way they reflect light differently to the non-rusty areas, Clean areas, depending on their material, can also reflect light in different ways and different quantities. Overall, this creates the illusion of much more detailed surfaces. Note that I am not an artist and just used the vanilla diffuse maps as a starting point for creating spec+gloss ones. Someone who knows what they are actually doing and can manipulate material properties properly can create much better results than those you see here.

Note that I have not upgraded anything that you are likely to see for less than a fraction of a second for most of the time. So, missiles and q-bombs are deliberately left out. Also, I have not upgraded the nav buoys, since the ones present in current 1.89 (trunk) look just fine and don't need any changes.

Well, that's basically it with the tech stuff, here are some relevant pics to show what we are talking about. Download link after the last shot.



















Download from here (v1.1): https://drive.google.com/open?id=1lQlEK ... tkgNbyCQng
Alioth download link (v1.1, OXZ format): http://wiki.alioth.net/img_auth.php/3/3 ... s.1_1.oxz
OXP page on the wiki: http://wiki.alioth.net/index.php/Normal ... e_v1.88%2B
License is CC BY-NC-SA 4.

Sweet! Thankee, Admiral!

mil gracias, almirante

Astonishing difference! Thank you very much! Must be in the manager.

Thanks Norby! Thing is, I don't have upload access to the Manager, so if you want feel free to get it in.

Might need an update on the website. Currently the highest "minimum version" is 1.88 - this would need 1.89.

BTW, a_c, these shots look incredible.

phkb wrote: ↑Tue Mar 10, 2020 11:11 am

[…] this would need 1.89.

Actually the minimum required version for this OXP is 1.88, so we should be OK with what is at the website.

Ah! I must get my glasses checked!

I have uploaded version 1.1 of the OXP. It now contains also the previously forgotten Constrictor.

Donwload link updated in first post.

another_commander wrote: ↑Tue Mar 10, 2020 7:16 pm

I have uploaded version 1.1 of the OXP. It now contains also the previously forgotten Constrictor.

Donwload link updated in first post.

Incredible, definitely a must for the manager. Just out of curiosity, is there a reason why the Vipers have no specular map ?

montana05 wrote: ↑Wed Mar 11, 2020 1:42 am

Just out of curiosity, is there a reason why the Vipers have no specular map ?

For the Vipers specifically, I thought that their looks with a normal map only were spot on. In my mind, police vessels should look clean and in pristine condition. So just a normal map and global gloss at the default value were good enough to represent the material I had in mind.

another_commander wrote: ↑Wed Mar 11, 2020 6:03 am

For the Vipers specifically, I thought that their looks with a normal map only were spot on. In my mind, police vessels should look clean and in pristine condition. So just a normal map and global gloss at the default value were good enough to represent the material I had in mind.

Good point Admiral, I guess I still had the Junta Viper Regulator in my mind

montana05 wrote: ↑Wed Mar 11, 2020 8:09 am

I guess I still had the Junta Viper Regulator in my mind

Different OXP there - Dictators. If you want to send some specular/gloss maps through, I can look at adding them to the pack. Although, it looks like you've been doing some reskinning on them anyway!

phkb wrote: ↑Wed Mar 11, 2020 10:10 pm

Different OXP there - Dictators. If you want to send some specular/gloss maps through, I can look at adding them to the pack. Although, it looks like you've been doing some reskinning on them anyway!

Of course, you are right. This Viper belongs to the local security forces in the Dictators OXP. While the texture is still gsagostinho's I did some small modifications, basically replacing the insignia and adding some battle damage. Including some specular/gloss maps to the OXP is a good idea, however it would take time because first I need to make myself familiar with this technique.

For anyone considering using the new materials system on their own creations but may be unfamiliar with what it is all about, have go at the sticky thread describing it here: https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=19881 - read all of it, there is quite a lot to digest and I would be more than happy to clarify things whenever required.

In other news, the OXP has now its own page on the wiki: http://wiki.alioth.net/index.php/Normal ... e_v1.88%2B and said page contains the download in OXZ format.