Modding MTW2...

**PROMETHEUS** · 02-10-2006, 09:42

Just to know what we will face lets analize all the informations we can take out from the new MTW2 units to guess what's the level of details , in order to make also the highe level lods for it and be ready to make a good work.... remember that is pretty easy to create lower lod levels from a high one , more long is instead the time needed to create more detailed lods.... as I see it may be they could use 5 lod levels , the second higest possible detail could be close to wath what we see from MTW2 while the tird with the ones from RTW .... the higest can be our versions , we could go even more for sure....

so can be like

unit_ultra.cas around 1100 polys

unit_veryhigh.cas around 800 polys
unit_high.cas around 700 polys
unit_med.cas around 600 polys
unit_low.cas around 450 polys
unit_lowest.cas around 300 polys

As I see it they are just making more detailed models and more realistic textures , something we moders are doing already .... here is a picture I think can show what I mean ....but are still quite far from beeing better than some of our units I think ....

u notice anything weird ....?

the necks look to be a little bit offsetted by the body , may be is this the trick they are using to cause variations in the units , tough I hope they will fix those little spaces and so that the unit wont look like a patchwoork but a full element....

**Mithrandir** · 02-10-2006, 18:56

I think that is the armour overlapping ? The chainmail ?

**Duke John** · 02-12-2006, 20:50

There already is a similar system in R:TW with the torches and pikes or primary/secondary weapons.

An object outside the original CAS file is attached to the skeleton. I suspect that soldiers will just have a skeleton with different objects (body parts that have their own textures) attached to it. I don't know how resource-hungry this was, so they could also have all the body parts in one object with multiple textures (like with CA's buildings). Then just with primary/secondary weapons an element is switched to be (in)visible.

You are probably right with your estimate of the amount of used faces. They don't appear that more detailed. Most of the improvement seems to be going into the hands (unnessarily detailed IMO) and adding thickness to for example shields and the cloth of horses (why? I mean how thick is cloth really).

What do you guess the resolution of the textures are? I think you could get the same sharpness with a 512x512 texture for the whole model. Although it could be 256x256 for the torso, 128x128 for legs, etc.

**PROMETHEUS** · 02-13-2006, 12:41

I think they use 512 512 but still they suck compared to what we can produce at this resolution , for smaller elements I think even 128 128 could be enough....

**Duke John** · 02-13-2006, 12:52

Agreed, and when will CA start learning how to UV map properly? I mean post these models on CGtalk and they will get a good amount of C&C pointing out a few mistakes. Shall we make a tutorial for them?

**PROMETHEUS** · 02-13-2006, 19:29

I am already developing a new model for Roman legionaries of better quality than their ones and since I will have 1200 polygonal free space I guess I can make it even more ^^....

**PROMETHEUS** · 02-14-2006, 20:46

mmmm since they stated that they had doubled the number of Polygons per cas file I suspect they could have passed from actual 700 - 800 to probable 1400 - 1600 polygons....

**dark_shadow89** · 02-17-2006, 07:15

Originally Posted by Duke John

There already is a similar system in R:TW with the torches and pikes or primary/secondary weapons.

An object outside the original CAS file is attached to the skeleton. I suspect that soldiers will just have a skeleton with different objects (body parts that have their own textures) attached to it. I don't know how resource-hungry this was, so they could also have all the body parts in one object with multiple textures (like with CA's buildings). Then just with primary/secondary weapons an element is switched to be (in)visible.

You are probably right with your estimate of the amount of used faces. They don't appear that more detailed. Most of the improvement seems to be going into the hands (unnessarily detailed IMO) and adding thickness to for example shields and the cloth of horses (why? I mean how thick is cloth really).

What do you guess the resolution of the textures are? I think you could get the same sharpness with a 512x512 texture for the whole model. Although it could be 256x256 for the torso, 128x128 for legs, etc.

I hope that means dismemberment & blood...

**Sundjata Keita** · 02-18-2006, 10:30

In a way it could be better for modders because if we skimp on some of the over detialed parts, such as the hands and the cloths then it gives us more polys that we can put back into the main parts of the model, therefore making our models look better then theirs.

I don't think there is anything wrong with the textures and they seem to have the reflection maps sorted out. The problems that you see are more related to poor UV mapping causing horrific stretching, especially on the tunic.

Also when will they realise hair isn't flat, it is thicker than cloth and therefore deserves a few polys to thicken it out. The facial hair is fine, its just the hair that pokes from the back of the helmet that needs sorting out.

**PROMETHEUS** · 02-25-2006, 13:55

Well if u see the fiurst pic u can see also what I guess to be an animation for faces , probably faces will be animated allowing units to scream and such ....

**edyzmedieval** · 02-26-2006, 12:47

Some units made by modders look muuch better than the ones in MTW2...

From the screens, MTWII looks much better, but it will be different from the final product.