WOW <img src="' http://spacesimcentral.com/forum/public/style_emoticons//icon_eek.gi f"' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':shock:' /> That above shot looks so much like the Miggy version of Frontier <img src="' http://spacesimcentral.com/forum/public/style_emoticons//icon_cool.gi f"' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='8-)' /> Nice clean lines <img src="' http://spacesimcentral.com/forum/public/style_emoticons//icon_e_smile.gi f"' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />

Gernot, that does look better. I wonder where Vlastan is? I haven't seen any comments from him lately. I'm especially interested in the removal of the textures from the collision mesh. Does it help with the frame rate in the hometowns mod?

Vuzz, those buildings are in alpha 22. They're just not very noticeable.

@ marcel, actually i can't say exactly how much it helps, a little perhaps, best is to compare imo in the modelviewer and turned off V-Sync

so you see the max possible framerate.

in the game i feel not much difference actually, but i know it helps, it depends also a lot on the polycount, so a lowpoly model can have a textured collision mesh while if you texture many 1000 in a collision mesh it gets weak i the knees.

so you see low poly as the buildings are there is no measurable difference, perhaps 1% or 2%.

but hard to tell when it runs slow, but if then it runs slow, i miss a bit my PC, the MAC book is powerful for such a small thing, but not made to play games i guess.

anyway it's easy, just limit the lowest lod to .1 or 1 pixels for buildings 1 is ok, you really won't see a building "1 pixel" sized (it's not exact but really deniable).

one can go higher with this value, and use a material to use lod 1 to as a visible model only with materials and no textures that's ok to.

so "lod_pixels = { 1, 0 } as example would make it already possible to separate the model from the untextured collision mesh.

i.e.

buildings can have a real minimal collision mesh, like a simple cube that's enough, you can collide and really you won't notice if something is a little larger or smaller or has a flagpole or a antenna (ok, if the flagpole has no collision mesh you can fly through, but really i think such is deniable)

also get's the space a building needs calculated from the average radius of the collision mesh, means especially things that rakes into the ground don't need no collision mesh else you use up to much space in the city. in situations where a building will show it's basement you can't get that close to the ground anyway without crash landing, usually, maybe the "zerun" is a exception to that.

while for scripted geometry you will surely use all 4 lod's e.g. "lod_pixels = {1, 50, 200, 500, 0 }" so you have the proper divisions for each lod's geometry.

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i'm not sure if i should upload that, i guess not before vlastan comes around, i mean i know it fits better, but it's only fair to give him the chance to do it himself or to say at least if he likes it or not.

@geraldine

yes i like it to, call us nostalgic or something, i don't mind.

if it's about "us three" we would keep it this way i know.

but we have 2012, we shouldn't forget

on the other hand, yes i will keep this option open, to have a pioneer close as possible to FE2, would need a lot more models in this kind.

but also and even i'm sometimes to lazy to make scripted geometry, it's sooooooooo much easier with CAD.

and like i posted i the other thread

medieval, i can already hear some mumbling "he's a lunatic" 😆

Hee Hee! Know what pioneer needs?

I'll tell you...

Space elevators!!

Yessss! Get programming!!

Now that would be cool 😎

But what would the game use them for though? Unless they are just there to look cool?

Primarily to look cool but if they were only on a few planets you could just use them instead of (or with the autopilot). The autopilot goes straight down vertically for the decent anyway. They might get in the way if not using autopilot though. I wasn't really expecting anyone to go to the trouble of actually doing them but they would be really really cool!

shall i?

i don't know, besides i love the idea of a space elevator, not really new...

but well i would love it for reality, it's a cool idea, but yeah what can we do with it?

if that ever will come to a end, it will please you eyes enough i guess...

[attachment=1254:Bildschirmfoto 2012-06-07 um 11.58.40.jpg]

and you WILL have a little "elevator" (train) from the center to the wheel...

and i feel your photomounting is a bit unrealistic, a space elevators "cable" must have the shape of a "diabolo", that's because the lower part has to compensate the upper parts centrifugal force so that the force on the "cable" will be close to 0.

I'm so glad you agree! not sure what you mean by photomounting? but you could have an entire space station on the end of it as long as it's tall enough (as there's no gravity once passed a certain point)... ie.

(I'm not saying you should do that though!)

It could be used to drop off cargo units or docking with larger cargo ships, the cargo would then be transported on the elevator (giving you empty cargo units/ship to start your next job) ? You may also need to go down with the cargo in order to sell it at the surface and then bring new cargo up to load you ship. ?

2 asteroids or more that can be connected via an inspace elevator of sorts setting up complexes of asteroids connected in close proximity to form defacto mining bases, or elevators off moons to an orbital facility