WAARRGH! I just accidentally back-paged after crafting detailed replies to all the inquiries and comments/crits. Well, here we go again
First off, I appreciate all the feedback and am taking it all on board. Now on to replies...
Quote: "lip sync support"
The characters do NOT have lip-sync/Dark Voices compatibility,
at this time. Possible uncanny-valley issues aside, I think it would be really cool to see. However I have no idea or documentation as to what it requires. I will inquire about it when I invoice TGC later tonight. It is highly unlikely that initial release will include DV/LS support because I do not wish to add the overhead of extra geometry, limb and skinning data to the standard characters and I do not want release further hindered by the lag time I perceive will be required to get it looking to my satisfaction. I would however be quite willing to add the feature compatibility to the appropriate characters and have them available as bonus material which could be DL'd from pack purchaser's order history. Sound agreeable?
Quote: "How many polies are those characters?"
The
triangle count is competitive with offerings from other artists. They range between roughly 3300 and 4400 tris. The higher ones being the guys with night-vision but I have yet to optimize them and want them down to 4200 or less. By comparison, many of Bond1's recent-ish characters on GCS fall between 3000 to 5000 tris. Most of the recent TGC/Arteria Dungeon Pack chars seem to be no less than 5000 tris. They are obviously not as low as like MP1 or something. I am pleased with the amount of detail for the geometry used.
As far as further technical information, the maps are likely higher res than we are used to in FPSC. I am using 1024x1024 diffuse and specular maps combined with a 2048x2048 normal map. Most of the perceived detail comes from the normal map. Depending on hardware targets, developers can reduce the map resolutions for notable performance boosts on small cards.
To help optimize things, the characters are set up in small subgroups which allow for shared texture map usage. For example; Marine 05A and 05B are the guys shown above with sunglasses/eye protection; one has a bandanna veil and the other does not. Its a minor difference but it affects the overall perception of variety. Those two versions share the same diffuse, spec and normal map. Furthermore, the three color variations (black, tan and green) share the same spec and normal maps. So, there will be some character combinations that will optimize performance by decreasing the number of textures needing to be loaded.
The video settings of AA and AF also play into performance. So, the more beastly the card, the better the chars can look. As a point of reference, I am developing these on my mid/low range notebook. It has a 1.83 Ghz CPU, 4GB RAM and an Nvidia 9300MG with a pathetic 256MB of memory. With v1.17alpha, full shaders and 8 characters running Dark AI, I can get steady 30-40FPS if the AA and AF are turned down. With AA and AF maxed I still have about 20FPS which is actually still quite playable because of the new timer system. Users with better hardware will have better results. This is sort of a new revelation with v117 because it used to be if you threw more than three active characters into vanilla FPSC the FPS would tank regardless of system specs.
Quote: "My crit would have to be the strange male face and the stiff-looking low poly hair."
Quote: "Only critic would be the faces, they are all too smooth (skin)."
Quote: "The girls' hairs could use some transparency on the ends of the hairstrands for more realism. They look kınd of clumpy and cut off on the ends. IDK, kind of like Final Fantasy."
Quote: "I'd say the skin specularity is a little off though. It's slightly too reflective...
Are you use grayscale or coloured specular maps?"
I appreciate the crits and freely admit the human component is not my strength though it's something I'm actively working to improve.
I am using color spec maps. Color spec maps are fantastic however I've placed a minor constraint on myself to share spec maps between the three color variants. I agree the arms, esp. have specularity issues- it's too strong still and will be addressed. The female arms are also too smooth and lack needed normal map detail. This also will be tended to.
For the female's hair; using alpha is a no-go. I've tested with it in the past and it looks terrible in-game because of z-sorting errors in FPSC with character entities. You end up seeing straight through the model onto the background which is the greater of two evils and looks plain nasty. I can only assume Bond1 has also encountered similar roadblocks as all his chars also lack alpha hair and I'm certian he'd use the more current techniques if it was achievable. I'm pretty pleased with the results I've gotten given the limitations.
I am open to suggestions for the sort of face styling you guys would like to see. I have already planned some further texture and normal-map passes with them. As a bit of explanation, what I was going for was the feel of many of the Iraq war photos I've seen. Many of the Marines and Soldiers are barely old enough to drink, so their faces still often exhibit a youthful smoothness yet, to me, the area around the eyes often can look much older and more weathered. It's a difficult look to get across with my current proficiency level so I'm willing to admit failure here and consider new direction based on what you guys would like to see.
Lastly..
Quote: " How much will they cost?"
This project is certian to be broken into 2 or 3 packs. This is because of the number of character and supporting assets. I do not wish to be non-competitive with other artists by releasing a ginormous character pack (currently approx 70 variants/25 meshes)where the characters are pennies a piece. I also have invested considerable time and loss into the project and I think the media will be worth whatever combined total. Breaking into smaller packs will also allow developers with smaller budgets some option and those willing to buy all in one swoop will be able to take advantage of the normal TGC volume discounts. I'd like to maintain the slightly higher price-point Bond1 has set because I think the media will be worth it and still crazy-cheap combined to what can be found outside of the community. One thing will I promise to do is to never seperate purchase options based on texture variant because I want community members to be totally free to share even the most minimal of texture mods with these characters.
Anyhow... sorry for the TLDR post but I wanted to answer as much as I could since I know I haven't been active on forums much these last months.
