I think you didn't understand what i was trying to say... that's too sad.

I think you, retrofox, should cool down because I am cool like a fridge. I had no bad intention with posting this because it was thougt as construcive critisism and my opinion about that compliments. I agree that compliments are importtant... but not too much of them!

That was all. When you are feeling attacked by my posting I can't understand this. It was not my intention to insult anybody here.

In addition to that I dislike this style of discussion because it's too aggressive...

By the way, the example with the plain... it was not this thread. It was meant generally.

Oh guys, did I attacked anyone here personaly? I don't think so. Also I don't want to be treated like that, just have a little sweet discussion in this forum Smile - thats all.

grz

edit: Just read the post above again^^: I'm sorry that i have posted just in this thread. I meant generally the work here in the forum, not especially this map. And yes it looks good and nice!!! But not excellent and great, so do I think Smile

I don't want to disturb so back to topic, bye

That is incredible... Wow man all I have to say is you really know how to create a realistic environments. Please upload some more screenshots :]

Hey Steven, I understand you didn't mean to hurt anyone's feeling. But please, remember that the way you say things is almost as important as what you say.

If you saw something bad or weird with the pictures, please don't hesitate to offer some constructive criticism (like Maloof did) and give me a chance to make it better. Coming in and just saying "anyone can do that" is not helpful. Either to you or me.

So please, don't leave the thread, and let's keep it nice and friendly! And don't worry about writing in English. It isn't my first language either...

I sense jealousy. He probably worked pretty hard on this, so do not smash his pride with your scrutinization.

To Seith: By the way, your map is amazing. The screenshots were flabergasting.

I'm having a lot of fun! But this is also pretty hard work. And over the week-end I decided to expand the map too. Just so that I can walk a little farther towards the horizon...

One thought about the engine: the lighting is truly amazing, and so far the only thing that bothers me a bit is the fact that some models of trees and rocks could have done with a few more faces. But that's nitpicking really. Please don't misread what I just wrote; the Crytek modelers are gods and they did an outstanding job. I'm simply saying that they had to work within the limits of current hardware in order to achieve playable frame rates (after all this is a FPS).

And as those limits go up... guys, we're in for a treat!

About the map itself: I will release it as soon as I manage to finish it. Hopefully this week, but don't hold your breath; there's A LOT of work to do. And I'm still a clueless newbie in many areas of Sandbox2. So that's not a promise by any means. Just a wish...

Here are some WIP screenies of areas I'm working on right now:

Gorgeous, but I still do not understand how you reach such a level of quality and fidelity. It looks so real. Keep it up, I can not wait to play this map.

Well, from the images we see here I'd say that his key to success is the moderation in all options, he doesn't go overboard with the number of trees and as it has been said a thousand times already, his lighting does an awesome touch up to the realism of this scene.

yes the pictures looking good and very real. but why they are looking so real? because of the engine^^ ì'm sorry if it is anoying to you, but in my opinion its 50:50 to crytek and seith. but yes its always a matter of perception. and when i read the word real, i'm sorry, i think about the graphical realism and not about the way the trees are placed and so on. But when i see your screens it really looks realistic so you did a great job. otherwise it wouldn't look like this. so great job.of course not everyone can do that in that quality.I mean, like RayDX said its the way how you use veg and things like that to get your level alive. and i am also a friend of such kind of maps: nice sceeneries, beautiful landscapes...

keep up the good work seith, i like you :-*:)

Steven again it seems you don not get what we are trying to say to you about the images.

"yes the pictures looking good and very real. but why they are looking so real? because of the engine^^"

Yes of course the engine ALLOWS Seith to get the high quality. But it's his LIGHING and COMPOSING skills that create the images.

If we would follow your line then say all the 3D-effects or 3D-animated movies could be explained by. -It's because of the 3D-program (Maya/MAX etc) and the Renderer (Renderman,MentalRay etc)

The artmodels are Crytek, but the composing and lighting settings are Sieths work making it a realistic OVERALL image.

"i think about the graphical realism and not about the way the trees are placed and so on"

Composing is also that who makes it look real. Put lots of palmtrees in a winter settings and it will look realistic but not real.



"of course not everyone can do that in that quality."

Yes everyone can do it. But it takes skill and knowledge and that takes time. Sieth has worked many years and thus he can use his knowledge on the Sandbox editor and make the images look great.

Yes, I am really jealous. Jealous, because I do not have the possibility to run the game - that's all. I am not jalous of his work, because I know, I can reach this qualitity, too.
I didn't smash the pride of his work, I just wondered about the big amazements.

But I think this should be clear now. Furthermore I do not wish to be attacked personaly like that. It is really sad, when you cannot discuss objective without insultings.

greetz cafong

PS: Now, back to topic, please. I don't want to spoil Seith's preview with an endless discussion.

I love the attention to detail you're putting into these. You can tell just by looking that you're not selecting a bunch of vegetation models, setting the density parameter and slapping them down, you are doing it all by hand and i love that. The grass looks especially nice, the way you've painted the ground underneath to change the colour depending on how much light it's going to see during the day, great stuff.

I wonder, do you use photo refs to check your palette or are you just drawing on your industry experience with these?

i'm sorry. it hurts me really that i write again offtopic but i have to.

IanAjax, apparently you haven't read my post, at least you haven't understood the sense of my words. :rolleyes:

you argue like an unprofessional. When you want to quote me, please do it right, not just picking pieces out of the context and blame me not to understand what its all about here.

I knew that its sceenerie and so on and also i wrote. And if you are unable to read my post completely you better wont read any of my posts again. this kind of argumentation is just annoying.


thats your opinion...









ah now i know...im such a fool i wrote this:








exactly the same argument like the once above. And you picked up a piece out of the context and gave him a different meaning.








you agree with a denial? its not my intention to offend you, but it doesn't make much sense, or does it?. I dont think everyone can do this because, like you said its a pretty hard working to get this skills. And i also think not many people here are skilled like seith. otherwise it wouldn't be excellent work from seith - just average. And over again, like i wrote before:





Again, after one Day here i'm sick about some people. NOT ALL of you. Just a few.

I worked with FarCry and the editor over 3 years, and i dont think i'm a noob who deserved unqualified comments on my person and my opinion.


Thank you.

Thanks again guys. To answer a few questions, I actually don't use photographic references (which I probably should), but I'm really trying to pay attention to the details you all talked about. Basically, after I create the overall topography of the terrain, I take a stroll in it and I stop every now and then when I go "gee, wouldn't it be nice if here the shore has eroded under the waves and you can see some pebbles", or "if I put a tree here then it will frame nicely this vista".

So again (I don't remember who said that) it's all about rhythm and composition. But since it's also a 3D environment throughout which you can walk, it has to feel like it "makes sense". So you need to pay attention to the rules you set, so on and so forth.

My professional experience has certainly helped me in educating my eye, making me aware of those considerations which often escape to normal (more "sane") people. Although I'm actually an animation supervisor, so not really related to production design.

I agree with what I read here: with the Cryengine2 it's definitely going to be an issue of less is more. Using effects sparingly to enhance the look you're going for. If you go in there and throw everything and the kitchen sink at your map it's just going to feel overkill, and probably more than a little artificial.

It reminds me a bit of the early nineties when the "lens flare" effect was introduced to the masses in Photoshop; everyone went overboard with it, and thought it looked great because it "enhanced" so much the pictures. Whereas it was in fact a pretty tacky effect if overused. Same thing several years before with the airbrush...

However we have to remember that many people love the little ceramic animals they put on their TV sets, or have paintings by Thomas Kinkade hanging in their office. Oops, I hope I didn't offend anyone here... :tongue:

Anyway, I can't wait to be able to import my own Maya models in Sandbox2!

Heh-heh, it seems we're coming to a consensus that sure, some of the oooing & ahhing concerning Seith’s shots is due to the amazing graphics the CryEngine2 can produce. It’s new and cool. But a believable world is more than pretty shaders and lots of polys.

A path has to look like it’s heading somewhere for a reason, the terrain influencing how people chose to move from one place to another, not just created as a channel leading to the next checkpoint of bad guys. Terrain influences how vegetation developed over time and is clustered. There's more to it than just spraying on a coating of trees and bushes. The richest game worlds give a sense of history and change. There’s a lot of subtlety that comes from looking around and being aware of how the real world looks, then using one medium or another to create one’s own version that hopefully “just feels rightâ€

Amazing work, but whats the purpose of the map?

Is it just to show off what sandbox can do or is there a storyline, objective to the whole thing?