Hi C.G.,

I suspect that the EAW community is too small to undertake a rewrite of the games rendering code.

You would require at least 4 people interested in "Code creation itself", as well as in EAW. That way, when one or two of the members drop out over time, there are still enough members around that know what is going on, and can help get other replacements up to speed.

Also, jumping directly into EAW code itself would be a very dangerous move. One would normally get the team to start on a smaller lead in project, like a new "3DZ Studio". This way they can develop all the tools and required knowledge (using current rendering procedures) that is required and that can then later be transposed into the new EAW rendering code. Learning to crawl before learning to walk.

Crawling is fine, but some of us are still trying to sit up, without falling over.

All joking aside, I don't really think we can keep on adding stuff to the current exe code without sorting out the code bottle necks. EAW is not a hardware hungry Sim. like a lot of modern ones are. if only it used a modern computer efficiently, FPS of 100+ should easily be possible. So somewhere, sometime, we are going to have to bite the bullet, and now there is new interest in EAW, what better time to start looking for some new recruits.

Hello,

Okay Col. G, when can we D/L them clouds?

S!

BVM

After all i did read, its more easy to transmit all the gameplay related EAW code into a new(more modern) game engine and to recreate all graphics from zero(if they cant get converted into the new format), than to convert EAW to DX8 or 9.

It need a dx specialist to do such things, additionally a EAW specialist.

I dont think its possible.

We better join Syd´s project.

Hi Ralf,

As Allen has correctly identified, the problem of the crappy FPS is purely based on how EAW does its rendering.

There is a nice little sample browser within the DirectX SDK.
One of the samples under Direct3D9 is called "OptimizedMesh".
Without doing any optimization at all I am lucky to see about 0.25 FPS when rendering 1,000,000 polygons.(using a HD 4550 a low power video card)
When I fully optimize the rendering for the "VCache" and "triangle list primatives", I get around 100FPS.

This is the problem with EAW. It has to be switched to a much later optimized rendering procedure.
The problem with EAW are the massive number of unoptimized draw calls with no possibility of using geometry instancing.

It is a comparison like walking for EAW and jet aircraft for the later rendering procedures.

With a new rendering engine, and things fully optimized, the average EAW screen should be running at many hundreds of FPS, and not the paultry 20 or 30 FPS that some are seeing.

The other interesting thing is that the current models can easily be rendered using a more modern rendering system. This is already being done within 3DZ studio. There would be no requirement to recreate new models, although it would be advantages to re-save the current textures into a 32 bit format. A lot of resources from within EAW could be used with virtually no work required.

The real problem is just getting enough people interested in first gaining the expertise for the later DX9/10/11 rendering procedures, and then applying it to the game, or a new game.

Obviously a new game tends to be easier because one does not have to do all the research to see how to couple the new knowledge backwards into an old game, but that does not mean that it can not be done.

All can be done, if we can get 400 years old and if someone else pay what we need to live.

Hi Sydbod.

As you have pointed out, this community is a tad too small to do all the work ourselves. I know I've suggested this before, but we should look outside for a few extra hands to help. People like me, don't possess either the skills, or the time to commit to such a project, and there are a lot more of us modders in the same boat.

This is not a question of slaves, working for the greater "us", but updating the game for the future enjoyment of everyone.

Try your luck, but i have no idea where you want find willing and skillfull people.

One problem is, this people not only need to know all bout dx6 AND dx8/9, they also need to know EAW and its structure.

To use an existing modern game engine and implement the EAW gameplay is more easy.

Hi Ralf.

Maybe the thing to do would be to "ask the experts", if you know what I mean. We have a number of EAW experts, who could give a judgment on a course of action.

I haven't read every single post, but thought I would chime in in case this is helpful:

Gunship has well-implemented clouds, and while I don't have the sprites, the cloud textures are available.

http://www.simwarrior.com/gunship/images/kosovo1.gif

You'll need to extract them from the using the xtrcat2.zip tools here:
http://www.simwarrior.com/gunship/gsdev.html#files

The file names are:
Gunship!/Data/Textures/Cloud1.pca

Gunship!/Data/Textures/Cloud2.pca

These are PCX files with transparent elements. You can edit them by renaming them to *.pcx

The names of the rest of the files in the archive are here:
http://www.simwarrior.com/gunship/filelist.html#textures

They aren't normally at ground level, unless one is in the mountains of Kosovo



Good luck!