I have a dual Intel Xeon 5160 @ 2.99GHz with 2 gigs of RAM. Bought it about a year ago. The graphic card is a nVidia Quadro FX 4600, which is not really made to run games (more of a CAD beast), but I'm very happy with it!

I also figured out how to make clouds bigger!
Not just twice as big, but properly BIG so you can have epic skyscapes with minimal effort.

Make a basic cloud.
Use the Scale/Resize tool and click one of the axis (not sure which, but one of the horizontal ones.)
Scale tool -
(sorry its a horrible pic)




Using this method you could have tiny clouds (think an inverted Rats style map) or huge clouds for easier placement. This also works for props, but phys props and complex props (rocks, etc) seem to have trouble scaling the hitboxes.

How far will you take this map? Neglect the question of terrain, I mean, perhaps a SP mission?

Lol that was the first thing I thought about when I saw your pictures . Are you really Peter Jackson? :easter:

According to his website, he worked on animated films such as Flushed Away, Shark Tales, ect.

Which is probibly where is naturally high level of skill comes from :baby:

Thank you muchly! I'm finally starting to get very nice results myself - and upping my settings to DX10-ishness has helped tremendously in picture quality. Out of curiosity, what framerate do you get on your maps with that rig?

Mind if I wonder as well what you use for depth of field settings? I can make it look lovely as long as its focusing on something relatively close-by (giving that wonderful macro camera effect...) but the settings don't seem to be too condusive for subtler touches.

Why are you so astonished? No question, it looks really great.
But he just made a flat area with gras and trees in addition with well environment settings.
I think this is not better than one of Crytek's map, like someone said here

I'm astonished of the great graphics, and I think Crytek created the graphics, not seith. So I can't really understand the amazement in this thread, because I've seen that at Crytek's maps before.

i just can agree with cafong.

it looks great but not because of skilled mapping... He used the graphics from crysis for his map and everyone can do this with a little training.

Just look at some Farcry maps made by beginners... now you are thinking its just an ugly map but what would you say if you are new to a game like now crysis and see such a map.

you would say wow or nice. but its not realy the mapper who makes the map look like this.

grz

It doesn't look like a jungle, it looks like a REAL forest and thats why i like it so much :O

Um, I disagree. If you want to go into that detail, I can kill you there. As you wrote, Crytek's engine team developed the engine and we are all doing our work on it. So basically if there wasn't of Crytek and it's engine, we wouldn't be here. That's correct, yes, however if there wasn't for Microsoft and it's API called the DirectX (on which Crysis and 99% of all games on this planet are based on), Crytek also wouldn't exist, at least in the form we know today. Do you get what I'm trying to say? So, I guess seith is using Maya as his 3D package. Basically, it's a really powerful thing, however if you aren't creative and skillful with it, the product looks like elephant crap. The same thing stands with Crysis, it's a powerful base, however if you don't have skill, the product, no matter how the engine is great and all that, will look like crap. And if you know anything about the CGI/game graphics industry, environmental detail, composition overall and lighting make all the difference.


And don't declare this post hostile, it's just a response to your thought.

you're right but when i read a comment like: uhhh GREAT JOB, AMAZING etc... --> under a screen with a plain terrain and some gras... it doesnt makes much sense, or am i wrong... :rolleyes:

i understand that people without any skill cant build such maps but all i want to say is not to overrate the work of artists. why mappers should improve their work on design or whatever when it is so excellent etc?

i also think that screens looks great but i rarely saw posts like this on prews from matto or other mods/maps.

so in my opinion we should wait with such comments until some realy new and excellent looking maps are posted.

grz

Ouch....Just ouch-
1st- I do agree that constructive criticism is important, but compliments are also important
2nd- Cool off! I dont see any of your beautiful maps? Of course Crysis did a beautiful engine- but Im sure everyone is thankful of it. You just need to cool off bud.

3rd- Dont worry 'bout it seith- this is beautiful.

Yes a agree with RayDX.

And Yes I am amazed.

Why?

Beause it looks good, plain and simpy put.

The lighting really looks like a afternoon, evening should.

Seth is a professional and he is a very good lighter.

But seriously when I read stuff like this:

"i understand that people without any skill cant build such maps"

Compare his images to most that is posted here and also from the game. His images i very hight quality. To light requires skill.

"you're right but when i read a comment like: uhhh GREAT JOB, AMAZING etc... --> under a screen with a plain terrain and some gras... it doesnt makes much sense, or am i wrong... "

The comments are about the overall look of the images, not the fact that is just plain terrain.

"but all i want to say is not to overrate the work of artists."
We are not overrating, we are just impressed with his good work, and why should we not be?

"so in my opinion we should wait with such comments until some realy new and excellent looking maps are posted."

This is excellent looking images and they deserve good credit.


But again. Great lighting and composing, really good mood. Keep up the good (professionall) work and postings.

I deem to say that maps that are used for MP are quite dull and all look alike since it's all been done already a thousand times. What seith is doing is clearly of artistic origin. It's relaxing to see a realtime rendering of a scene without a nuclear explosion going off in the background. The only thing I support while creating a map intentionally is creating a mission with it that goes really in-depth. Not something that gives you a chance to blow everything up. Personally I would like to take a walk through the "realm" seith is creating.

Ahem, right. Thank you guys. I feel like I should step in at this point...

Cafong and Steven Malediven, I agree with the fact that the novelty (or "stunning") factor about those screenshots comes mainly from the quality of the Crytek 2 engine; in other words the graphics.

However, if you apply your reasoning to movies (which games in their process tend to emulate more and more), it would be akin to saying that the Lord Of The Rings movies were only great because of the fantastic visual special effects. And that Peter Jackson and the writers had actually nothing to do with that, since they certainly didn't create them. Which strikes me as a little puzzling. As if it were true, we would certainly see movies of this caliber being released every other week.

I propose that without the great special effects, the movies would not have been nearly as stunning. And that without the director's vision (the "big level designer") the movie simply would have never existed.

Now I'll grant you that for some people, any picture with a grassy terrain and some trees looks the same, regardless of the staging or design behind it. And that's fine too! Ultimately it remains a matter of taste.

And that's why I love so much the new Crytek 2 engine. It is a big leveler (no pun intended) that gives tremendous power to the artists to create anything they can imagine. I believe the appeal of maps will stem more and more from the way the level designers use their resources. Not the graphic engine itself. Although the Crytek guys did a mighty fine job on this one (and the previous too, btw)!


P.S.: I apologize for using the LOTR/Peter Jackson reference over and over again in my posts; I do have other cinematographic references. And I'm in no way related to Mr Jackson, Chrilyng... ;P