My Racing Course (Suzuka Replica)

Mon Dec 06, 2004 8:56 am by Freedom9

Basically I have constructed an almost replica version of the famous Japanese circuit Suzuka and I would like to some how incorperate it into a game. I would like it to end up alot like the "Wipeout" games where you can shoot your friends while trying to keep on track.

Since its a Japanese track there is no better place to put it than the Kusari system I suppose.

Here is a screenshot of the race track
Suzuka
Overhead

The model consists of 1002 polygons so its not really that bad.

As you can see, its a tunnel race with an entrance and exit point located on the straight way.

Is it possible to do? and if so, who would be interested in trying it? I can provide the model in .3DS .DXF and I am happy and willing to provide the original .MAX file too.

I would be seriously pished of if it wasnt possible but its worth a thought anyways

Take Care

Freedom9

Edited by - Freedom9 on 12/6/2004 9:05:04 AM

Mon Dec 06, 2004 11:24 am by Freedom9

Optionally, if nobody wishes to put it into the game, perhaps you could explain file conversions, texturing and implementating new models in relation to freelancer as this way I wont need to torture anybody

unfortunatly though, im absolutly ghastly when it comes to code, it sends shivers up my spine just thinking about it lol

Edited by - Freedom9 on 12/6/2004 11:56:49 AM

Mon Dec 06, 2004 12:27 pm by ShadowKnight2005

it it a tunnel wont it creat a problem of pinball with ur ship ?

like astraids with capitol ships

Mon Dec 06, 2004 12:46 pm by Freedom9

My outlook on this was that if you can fly through a docking ring then its fair to assume that you can fly through a tunnel too, considering that both are basically the same apart from the fact that one is longer than the other

Mon Dec 06, 2004 1:06 pm by Mephistopheles

You could take the originbal racing track rings, and resize the sur files! With resize mk2 you can stretch them to fit for the tunnel segments (so you have to make each segment a single cmp with it's own unique resized and stretched version of the original race rings sur file!).

Mon Dec 06, 2004 1:16 pm by Freedom9

Ok - at the moment, the track is as one, a single model, does this mean that I need to remake the track, only this time, rather than making it as a single mesh, I create it in blocks of smaller meshes?

I can do that no problemo but Id rather know for sure if this is what is required

Mon Dec 06, 2004 4:00 pm by Mephistopheles

Well, just split it up into the segments. from each other. Atm it's one large mesh that geometrically consists of many tubes. Simply detach each single tube and make a cmp out of it. You could then use resize mk2 to adjust said sur file and HardCMP to check it without even launching FL!!!

But I must tell you this plan sounds like real hard work...

Mon Dec 06, 2004 4:49 pm by Freedom9

Its good that its a hard thing, because that will give me the motivation to work on it hard. I dont want to split the model up using detachments because it does tend to move some important faces in the process. I will attempt to rebuild the entire race course in tiny segments and take it from there

Tue Dec 07, 2004 12:08 am by Mephistopheles

How about you select the faces of one tube at once and clone them as a new object?

Tue Dec 07, 2004 12:28 am by Freedom9

Well yeah that is possible but it also means inspecting the entire model for weld flaws and so in this case, it is likely to be much quicker just building a new one and besides I would like to adjust the thickness of the tube.

I shall have a segmented version of this track available later today if you would like to help me out with it

Cheers
Freedom9

Tue Dec 07, 2004 6:15 am by Mephistopheles

erm, I can give you hints, but I have no time to put this thing into Freelancer. I am working on my own Mod that will make fairly large changes to many aspects of the game...

Tue Dec 07, 2004 6:39 am by Freedom9

If you could point out what type of format the file is meant to be in and what 3rd-party applications I am meant to use to get it in the game, then Im sure this will be more than enough.

Thanks
Freedom9

Tue Dec 07, 2004 9:11 am by Argh

Ok... you can do this sort've thing... but not the way you're trying to execute it.

The reason? In a word... SUR.

SUR files are used for custom hitboxes. We can now resize, move and distort existing SURs, but we cannot make new ones (yet). So, if you're going to build something like this... it's going to require a lot of code, and some tricks.

Here's how to do it:

1. Go grab the SUR used for the rings in the Hovis track, and put it in a mod directory.
2. Now build a piece of geometry that's a tunnel section.
3. Use FLModel Tool to resize the SUR file so that it matches the dimensions of this chunk of "tunnel wall".

Finally, you're going to need to go through the process of making your object a Solar archetype, and then place lots and lots of them to make your "track". There simply isn't a really elegant way to do this, unfortunately, but it can be done.

Tue Dec 07, 2004 9:42 am by Freedom9

Ok well that doesnt sound very promising, in fact, is it really possible at all since unfortunatly this track cannot be created using one model that in turn has been duplicated constantly, in fact it would be something like 30+ and completly individual models

Unless of course I did take one segment and dup'd it 30 or so times with various rotational values but it wouldnt really provide the gaming experience that I was hoping it would achieve.

The reasoning for not attemping this at all is really very simple, in doing it "in the only way possible" would drive the polygon count skyhigh, it would go from 1500aprox to probably 20000 aprox

Edited by - Freedom9 on 12/7/2004 9:45:04 AM

Tue Dec 07, 2004 10:50 am by Argh

Not really. Bear in mind that you could specify LODs for the models, so that you wouldn't see the entire track at once, just like everything else. At any rate, it's quite possible to do what you're wanting, but not without a great deal of hard work.

From your reply elsewhere, it looks like the prospect of doing so was too much for you... so good luck in whatever you choose to do next.

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