Hello Fellow Game Makers,

It's been a solid SIX MONTHS since your last update to GameGuru, and it's fair to say the graphics overhaul took MUCH MUCH longer than I anticipated, but we have emerged out the other side of the tunnel with a shiny new DirectX 11 graphics engine, unified PBR shader and a bunch of other features I will highlight in the official launch of the update. This PUBLIC PREVIEW update is now available from Steam, so you don't need a beta access code, just go to your Steam client > GameGuru > Properties > Betas and select 'publicpreview' from the list provided. Steam will auto-update your GameGuru and you will have the new version (minus some final tweaks before release).

IMPORTANT: Make sure you backup all your projects and files (in fact your entire GameGuru folder if you have space). With such a huge update, there is no guarantee full legacy compatibility has been maintained so best to be safe than sorry.

I have released this public preview to make sure the majority of users find the update effortless and allows them to continue with their existing projects unhindered. The new features are best demonstrated in the updated Big Escape level which you can load by going to the Getting Started menu and selecting the Welcome Screen, clicking PLAY and selecting the level to load. We replaced almost all the assets for this level with higher quality PBR assets, to give you some idea of the visual quality you can achieve with the new engine. GameGuru also runs by default with PBR override, meaning all non-PBR assets are loaded in as 'best case' PBR media and rendered under the universal PBR shader, so you get the benefit of the consistent lighting without the hassle of having to convert your entire texture sets over to a PBR style.

For those who have left the beta alone since May, I have included the complete change log of the development since May so you can pick out the non-visual features and improvements we made as part of the general overhaul. It's a long read, so you might choose to skip the rest, go try out the public preview and post back here what you think of it.

The Change List Since May 2017

V 2017.11 DX11 PREVIEW

* Added 'CUBE.dds' for default environment map (change sky to alter)
* NOTE: First PBR shader does not have variation maps, hard edge,
* terrain pattern removal, LOD terrain, per object light,
* tri-Planar rock and Specular camera
* Improved wirepole entities in Cityscape folder
* Added more PBR assets to the CityscapePBR folder (for Big Escape)
* Added better deadzones for controller logic in gameplayercontrol.lua
* Terrain now clips for main camera and reflection camera (for water)
* Restored shadow transparency for leaves and other masked textures
* Dented Barrel is again visible (caused by new PBR texture swap)

V 2017.11 DX11 BETA 30

* Updated UZI textures to use new PBR rendering model
* Ensured .BLOB files for shaders part of Steam installed update
* Added script so that F11 will trigger PBR debug view (keys 1-9)
* Character creator tints for head attachment and hair restored
* LOCK entities no longer inverts the render caused by disabled Z
* Import Model no longer clips model when camera was near terrain
* Ambient RGB and Surface RGB slides now affect PBR (not recommended)
* Weapons with bone and non-bone parts still use weapon shader set
* Asylum doors (and other animated instances) now render under PBR

V 2017.11 DX11 BETA 29

* Updated PBR shader to refine handling of metalness/envfresnel
* New default for GlobalSpecular in VISUALS.INI is 1.0f
* If XBOX=1 flag set in SETUP.INI, save it for standalone export
* Fixed alpha masking of decal rendering of projectiles
* Third person characters now use PBR to render themselves
* When in third person mode, shadow update is never delayed
* Fixed issue causing thumbnails not to be created (just white)
* Sniper rifle no longer disappears when lightrays active
* Character creator parts now hide when going into Importer
* Importer no longer crashes when try to apply a texture to FBX
* Lightrays no longer cancel out the depth of field effect
* Widget no longer gets hidden behind entities that are transparent
* TAB mode to cut through entities now works again with PBR shader

V 2017.11 DX11 BETA 27

* Tweaked PBR shader remove extra Fresnel activity
* Now shows blood splat for characters that spawn with material 'flesh'
* Added 'old bridge' to the CityscapePBR asset folder
* Replaced RealtimePBR option with PBROVERRIDE=1 in SETUP.INI (default)
* NOTE: To restore 'non-PBR' shaders, set PBROVERRIDE=0 in SETUP.INI
* Improved shadows when in default PBR override mode in editor
* Save Standalone now exports any material decals associated with level
* Flashlight lighting now works in PBR rendering mode
* Moved muzzle flash light closer to affect weapon and close surfaces
* Restored proper test game image with correct control instructions
* Fixed lightrays so they work in new PBR render sequence
* Brass folders for included guns are now copied to standalone
* Rearranged 3D render pipeline to render weapon before lightrays
* Calmed water ripple to 0.01 from 0.02 ripple delta and improved mask
* Reinstated clipPlane for PBR rendering for correct water reflections

V 2017.11 DX11 BETA 23

* Added CityscapePBR folder which contains extra PBR assets for Big Escape
* Updated Big Escape opening message for better new users experience
* Fixed collision modes for all CityscapePBR models
* UZI Weapon improved for PBR rendering (hands no longer look wet)
* Moved 'default' cubemap generation location to lowerleft corner of terrain
* Added 'Center All' to FBX import features so center on XZ and Y axis
* First-time importing of FBX models will adjust settings for best results
* If BMP exists for FBX model at source location, that BMP thumb will be used
* Fixed bug erroneously assigning objective value to exported FPE file
* Fixed importer export so physics box not exported if this collision not used
* Improved importer for FBX models to detect associate PBR texture files
* Cleaned up all PNG files from effectbank media folder
* Updated PBR shader from Preben to refine Physically Based Render pipeline
* Added 'Preview Orbs' folder to Misc models for PBR material previewing
* Updated Big Escape level to use more of the new PBR art
* Fixed issue of muzzle flash decal rendering behind scenery objects
* Simplified weapon shader to use universal PBR render system

V 2017.11 DX11 BETA 21

* Added slab_D.dds set back into Fixtures folder for other non-PBR assets
* Fixed missing shadows issue caused by FOV being set on shadow renders

V 2017.11 DX11 BETA 20

* Added missing 'detail_default.dds' to effectbank\media folder
* Fixed Weapon FOV slider while retaining standalone FOV menu fix
* Fixed bug so Prompt3D now aligns to camera angle when not overridden
* Deleted left-over Prompt3D object when return from game level session
* Corrected 'PositionPrompt3D' documentation to include 4th angle param
* Changed CutOutDepth to BackwardCull to fit BSP weapons (not sealed mesh)
* Ensured asses from Big Escape all have mipmaps in their texture files

V 2017.11 DX11 BETA 17

* Fixed issue of AI obstacles not regenerating when affect static entities
* Added muzzle flash spot lighting to modern day weapons
* Added muzzle flash flags to all modern day guns
* When specify FBX in the FPE for direct load, it now converts to DBO (faster)
* Fixed PBR shader for tree rendering (no alpha transparency during clip)
* Added APBR_TREE shader to handle leaves with no alpha transparency effect
* Prevented FPE based FBX loading from using twizzle/center flags from importer
* Allow shadows to reduce env contribution in PBR by 50% (defeat bright cuberef)
* Editor now restores non-PBR terrain for editing with low-level shadows
* Standalone no longer eats shadows when enter in-game menu and FOV setting fixed
* Removed erroneous INI files from standalone executable processes
* Added 'hidedistantshadows=0' to standalone executable SETUP INI
* Fixed issue causing SKIPFVFCONVERT flag in FPE to wipe out character firespot
* Fixed issue of being able to slide METRICS PANEL sliders (harmless bug fix)
* Added screen/override to 'none' post process for spin up fade in
* Weapon no longer randomly selects after entering new level or exiting menu
* No longer shows HUD panels if F11 FPS View is displayed (used to show HUDs)
* Fixed jetpack HUD rendering issue (related to newer weapon shader system)
* Fixed issue of muzzle flash decal sinking into terrain via Z clipping
* Added new 'PromptLocalForVR' command which prompts normal if not in VR mode
* Modified all scripts that prompt the player for action with 'PromptLocalForVR'
* Fixed Prompt3D and PositionPrompt3D for when not in a VR mode
* If legacy weapon still uses entity_basic, switch to use weapon_basic shader
* Restored weapon HUD to game view, caused by incorrect restricted mode flag
* Fixed cube map generation so it uses FOV of 90 and ASPECT of 1.0

V 2017.11 DX11 BETA 06

* Added new 'Miscellaneous' folder with 'Massive Chess' (thanks to GraPhiX)
* Tweaked shadow code to skip shadow calculation if surface faces away
* Improved resume session prompt and code
* Improved fidelity of Z buffer to avoid Z clash, and updated DOF and MB
* Fixed handling of normals when animating animated entities
* Further improvements to the PBR shader to closer match standards
* Weapon shaders now using PBR texture sets if present
* Disabled CameraNEAR in VISUALS.INI to fix clipping issues
* Fix Win7 crash on second run of test game
* Added code to detect if IDE fails to pick up MapEditor window (slow PCs)
* Inverted input of gloss map (so white=roughness) as suggested by artists
* Corrected PBR shader for true ambient contribution and shadows on reflections
* Fixed issue of grass using PBR specular but did not have correct normals

V 2017.10 DX11 BETA 24

* Removed long-silence when standalone first runs (slow on some systems)
* Added code which creates .blob shaders if not present (faster loading)
* Fixed issue of ammo hud disappearing
* Improved load time from desktop to game (typically 38s down to 18s)
* Major fix which prevents standalone loading from original texture location
* Increased speed of standalone loading (PCTEST: 60sec -> 12sec)
* Added final button images to new welcome system
* Can now deactivate startup with working toggle tick
* Switched VSYNC on by default to show smoother in-game motion
* Editor launch times reduced due to above standalone loading work
* The "forceloadtestgameshaders" flag now deletes BLOB shader files

V 2017.10 DX11 BETA 19

* Through community testing, the 'Steam Overlay' has been fixed with DX11
* Changed camera zero clear color to grey for a different sharper look
* Removed IDE splash dialog and replaced with full screen backdrop UI
* NOTE: Above allows any pre-editor panels to be done with DX graphics
* New Welcome System which allows fullscreen splash, buttons and text
* Added new test game splash for when restricted content mode active
* Fixed "anglex=rx; angley=ry; anglez=rz;" in global UpdateEntity
* Fixed issue of character creator models being clipped at shoulders
* Restricted Content mode now uses the new welcome system graphics
* Startup now has a first-time mode so can display a one-time welcome
* Updated scripts to localise in-game prompts to the specific entity

V 2017.10 DX11 BETA 06

* Fixed a crash when running engine with less than 8 shadow cascades
* NOTE: Enlarged and redesigned UI editor icons - min res is 1280x768
* Added New Welcome System to prepare users better for 3D game making
* NOTE: You can use the alpha of terrain diffuse as Gloss value
* Specular Override now increases both gloss and spec in PBR shader
* Fixed save standalone to now include all PBR texture set types
* Added '_metalness' to texture set (interchangable with specular)
* Made default detail map smooth, allowing per-PBR-entity choice
* Fixed issue of terrain without texture_D showing as black
* Added graceful error when shader fails to load (i.e. not HLSL 5.0)
* Tweaked PBR shader to give non-metals some env reflection

V 2017.09 DX11 BETA 30

* Tweaked Escape level to stop rocket man from messing up LOD animation
* Added generation of global environment map from sky/floor for PBR effect
* Saved env map with level to cache generated texture for quicker reload
* PBR entities in editor can now alphaclip and highlight as static/dynamic
* PBR render now supports alpha override and specular multiply effects
* Updated Mega Pack 1 Skybank from TGA to DDS (TGA not supported in DX11)

V 2017.09 DX11 BETA 27

* Removed 'locktorefreshrate' as the VSYNC mode does this same job
* Fixed VSYNC flag from SETUP.INI to restore ability to use vertical-sync
* Added vegetation handling to the PBR core shader (APBR_VEG.FX)
* Fixed shadow mapper which can now handle shader switches
* PBR Vegetation shader now has benefit of cascade shadows
* Fixed collision issue for raycasts on bone-less animating entity

V 2017.09 DX11 BETA 25

* Removed some internal grid update code from AI for improved speeds
* Added shadow map debug view mode when debug slider is 1 and ReturnKey()
* Tweaked shadow mapping shaders to eliminate artifacts at distance/angles
* Added "forceloadtestgameshaders" to SETUP.INI to refresh shaders each run
* Fixed portal warp entity in Cartoon folder to avoid FX crash
* Cleaned up SETTINGS.FX slightly to reflect changes to shader
* Fixed the LAPTOP flag in SETTINGS.FX so it no longer FX crashes
* The editor no longer starts up dimmed, and defaults to non-PBR terrain
* Improved filter on Import Model shader choices to remove internal ones
* Added 'lightmappingdeactivatedirectionallight=0' to SETUP.INI
* Added 'lightmappingambientred=25' to SETUP.INI
* Added 'lightmappingambientgreen=25' to SETUP.INI
* Added 'lightmappingambientblue=25' to SETUP.INI
* NOTE: Set above to 1,75,75,75 for sun everywhere
* NOTE: Set above to 1,0,0,0 for sun nowhere (static lights require)
* Added 'lightmappinglocaliseterrainlighting=1' to allow ALL terrain LM
* NOTE: Above when set to zero will LM the entire level (if desired)
* Added 'allowcpuanimations=0' to SETUP (new default prevents all CPU anims)
* NOTE: Above optimization will freeze entities 'relying' on CPU anims
* Tweaked entity core shader to allow transparency AND clips zero-alpha
* Added support for the Logitech F310 controller (xboxcontrollertype=2)

V 2017.09 DX11 BETA 19

* Created PBR shader for terrain handling
* Added SetShaderVariable(shaderindex,constantname,vectorindex,value)
* NOTE: Above can assign a value to a specific shader if index known
* Replaced external X file converter with internal DirectX 9 converter
* NOTE: Buildings Hut 2 never had materials, fixed its invisibility
* Fixed transparency issue for regular entity rendering
* Further consolidated all character shaders into entity core shader
* Fixed issue of entity bounds disappearing when going underground
* Fixed issue with AI threaded race control when AI bot destroyed

V 2017.09 DX11 BETA 14

* Added 'unscroll=u,v' and 'uvscale=u,v' to FPE to change entity UV shader data
* Fixed issue causing depth map to decouple when SAO was switched off
* Fixed issue with AI threading code freezing logic when lots of BOTS out of range
* Restored full cascade shadow range for entities, terrain and character shaders
* Fixed bug for fresh installs so model files are loaded ok during DBO conversion
* Consolidated all separate HLSL shadow code into single cascadeshadow.fx shader

V 2017.09 DX11 BETA 12

* Added extra code to skip AI obstacle generation if dynamic entities modified
* Added extra string clue to all runtime errors for file exist/not exist
* Fixed Security Gate entity so when it closes, it does not disappear
* Ensured the realshadowcascadecount in SETUP.INI can specify upto 8 cascades
* NOTE: Created new good cascade range values for an 8 cascade shadow mapper
* Added new 'hidelimbs' field into FPE to specify a range of limbs to be hidden
* Extended support for 'associated textures' load to PNG even if DDS specified

V 2017.09 DX11 BETA 11

* Added 'hairlimbs=x,y' to specify a series of limbs that represent hair
* NOTE: Above can also be used for any limb that required the culling switched OFF
* Importing of some static FBX models now preserve single PBR texture sets for export
* Updated texture loading code to prefer .DDS if it sits alongside a PNG/JPG file
* Improved shadow rendering so can specify 'realshadowresolution' larger than 1024

V 2017.09 DX11 BETA 08

* Added Security Fence and Gate (thanks to GraPhiX from the GameGuru community)
* Added support back in for 'adapterordinal' when creating DX11 device
* Fixed issue with weapon HUD models not creating DBO files from X files
* Now detects older FPM levels with corrupt obstacle data and deletes OBS data
* AI Waypoint Data not cleared on reload, causing crashes on repeat runs, fixed
* Fixed code which skips water mask generation if NO terrain is underwater
* Updated texture customiser in Import Model feature to indicate 'multitexture'
* Added new sprite batcher system to capture HUD draw calls into a tighter loop

V 2017.09 DX11 BETA 06

* Fixed bug so all four gun sound effect variations are detected and loaded
* Regenerated Obstacle data for The Big Escape, and resaved, to speed up loading
* Fixed nasty bug that caused edge data in obstacle data to be incorrectly saved
* NOTE: Legacy levels will need to be loaded, move entity, test game then saved!

V 2017.09 DX11 BETA 05

* Modified splash loader to select 'nearest' image in 'languagebank\x\artwork\watermark\'
* Fixed Paintedbarrier_N.dds which had corruption in the alpha channel of this normal map
* Fixed issue of projectile models not loading now X files removed from standalone executables
* Restored gun loading in standalone, now looks for DBO instead of old X files

V 2017.09 DX11 BETA 04

* Added entity_anim.fx to solve issue of entities with animations not animating
* Reduced intensity of SAO so have finer controls of shading range
* Added 'character_transparency.fx' to allow for characters that require transparency
* Restored gun muzzle flash and smoke decal shaders from weapons
* Reduced SAO effect at very close range, removing artefacts from weapons
* Adjusted weapon shader so lowest shader level shadows uses camera position reference
* Can now change between sky shaders (basic vs scroll)
* Unified sky shaders for better HLSL editing in the future
* Corrected binormal calcation in entity_core highest shader level (inverted normal shading)

V 2017.09 DX11 BETA 02

* Save Standalone now works and produces standalone which runs (with issues)
* NOTE: Above test metrics: launch to menu=30sec, start game=100 sec, FPS=123
* Added 'suspendscreenprompts=0' to SETUP.INI to hide any text prompts in standalone startup
* Fixed castle gate animation in Easter DLC
* Added support back in for multimaterial models
* Added missing shader for effect_scroll.fx
* Corrected Core AI homing logic to avoid 'circling coordinate' if not being crowded by AI
* Prevented Core AI from attacking through walls (needs line of sight) FPS & TPP aware

V 2017.09 DX11 BETA 01

* Fixed EBE saving and handle object issue
* Can now erase data from a specific limb (internally) for the above fix
* Fixed issues causing animatable entities to not animate (doors, scifi dlc assets)
* Fixed issue of decals causing Z write rendering issues
* Fixed Galaxy Seed Shaders from Expansion Pack
* Fixed issue that causes object renders to drop mesh renders if earlier ones are unshaded
* Fixed issue of CPUANIM entities not animating (restored CPU animation but not recommended)

We are especially interested in any "showstopper" issues you find with this update compared to the May 2017 version. That would be issues that severely impact your usability of the software or the continuation of your game making project. Don't worry too much about learning the new PBR related stuff, videos and tutorials will appear in 2018 to show off how to make the most of PBR rendering in GameGuru.

Nice one Lee,you have worked hard on this one .

Dave

Christmas has indeed come early. Yoo Hoo.

Lee, thank you for all the work you do and I also thank all the private beta testers. I know you had worked really hard to make sure you could catch all those nasty bugs that have a tendency to show up in programs that are beyond complex.

Lee, have a great, relaxing week ahead. I hope it is definite respite for you.

I am scared and excited at the same time. Thanks Lee for your work. We really apprecaite it

Me too
Does load alot faster.

Hi Lee ,
great job..well done!!!



Does this mean when we first start up the BIG ESCAPE level that we are not seeing it in full PBR mode ?
If so , do we have to go in to the SETUP.INI and set PBROVERIDE=0 ?

P.S. I did that already just to verify and to me the PBR textures pop out a lot more that way..is that right ?

Thx

UNIRD12B

HI again Lee ,
tried a ton of my maps and the BIG ESCAPE......
BIG ESCAPE loads well and fast,,,looks nice in the basic mode,,,,runs pretty good.

On my personal maps...
- in most while doing the test loading to play it...
- INITIALISING PHYSICS is often VERY LONG now,,,4 or 5 times as long
- on 2 of the maps it froze in that mode and had to REBOOT to get out of it as CTRL/ALT/DEL wouldnt work
- on another the map started then part way thru froze so bad again,,,,another full shut down and reboot.

id rather now back out of the PREVIEW test and go back to the BETA as it was wayy more stable and NEVER crashed
or froze my comp.

I should mention..
Windows 7 64
Nvidian 670 gtx
8 gig ram
6 cpu model

Thx

UNIRD12B

Thanks Lee for the new update. I like the new GUI look and the Big Escape looks pretty impressive. The down side for me, is that the FPS is between 5-7 FPS on all low settings. I think before updating it was around 25-30 (maybe more). Anyway, what I really want to do is try out the new SetShaderVariable LUA function as well as some of the other new stuff that's been added.

[edit-added another pic to show my FPS after turning off terrain-jumps to around 59-60 FPS which is to be expected. All Settings on LOW. My graphics card is not the best so not expecting too much.]

loading times are very very short in big escaep i get 8fps :s i know i have to buy a real gfx card :s

Loading times are much faster. FPS in the Big Escape is low. Some enemies in Big Escape don't have weapons in their hands. The scrolling clouds are only displayed in a small rectangular area when I look straight up. I didn't notice the new models looking any better or different. Old models from other projects are textured all black or have black areas on them.

HI LEE.
thanks for the update.

Two problems saw so far is ai shoot t with out guns.
i can also confirm that the lighting of the light entities is also a lot dimmer as before, i need to adjust the light properties way up to get street lights to work again as before

and the all over look off the new dx11 makes all my maps and also an normal empty map looks kind off on the dark side, i cant get my original look back, ist as if the brightness just dont come back fully no matter what i adjust.
Maybe its just me i dont know.

Thanks again for the hard work.


Ps .. afraid to look further. lol

This is with everything on medium, high only gets 8fps. Of Course my card is old and I guess it is a mid range card.

First impression, it runs and loads a lot more smoothly than before, overall it seems quite decent.
I've loaded a map and noticed how much more fluent working in the editor is after loading the Big Escape, so quite a lot of progress there.
Also when creating mountains in the editor, it is a lot better.
I've loaded several non stock items and they all had textures apart from the chessboard which is part of the chess game, it is black.
On highest settings i've got 44/52 fps in Big Escape, will play through it and record it.

My system, AMD6300 with a GTX960 which isn't really high end.

What i did notice is that with some entities which have white textures, the lighting poses a problem which can only be solved by reducing brightness and ambient occlusion but then the environment is quite dark for a sunny day.
I will make a short video of that too.

As i understand we do not have height information? no displacement? will this be included later on?

Thanks Lee

loaded in Big Escape Level again but saved under a different name that uses all low settings. I set pbroverride=0 in the .INI file , started playing the game, pressed TAB and GG froze and then started restart editor process. On the plus, the FPS was 58-59 this time. Will do a integrity check first to see if issue goes.

Realtime shadows are Peter Panning the further away you are from the object.
In the snapshots you can see the shadows underneath the bridge object become
disconnected from where they should be attached.

P.S. Lee did you change the .dbo file format? I can not open them in Fragmotion since this update.

So, after playing through the level

The AI indeed has no weapons, with the uzi i'm missing the target point which is normally visible, when using the handgun it is present.
One also has to be really close in order to be able to kill the AI, the fire range is to short.
Fps 30 to 60 during gameplay, that is with everything at highest as it is default in this update.
The AI travels up and down a steep wall still.

I

I've loaded a testmap with the cottage which i made a year ago.
The cottage is missing the windows and the roof which is understandable because it is using multiple textures from cottage.x itself instead of the FPE.
However, what i did notice is that the flashlight does not work as intended with the old map, the terrain is not lit, only the entities on it.
Since this is a night environment, the flashlight is also somehow dimmed due to the adjustment of the ambience and surface level.
I had no static light after lightmapping which happened in a flash or simply closed?
Also the dynamic light is less strong and still penetrates walls, the flashlight seems to interfere with the dynamic light or strengthen it, see the short video.

sounds like the camera range has been reduced for the map to help with performance. But if visually the clouds are getting cut off thats no good. There is a threshold for the clouds of which you can reduce the camera range just to the point of the edge of where the clouds's true edge is. Lee might have to find that point and bring the camera draw distance to there instead.

PBR dragon in GG:



Cheers.

Ok, with pbroveride=0 the cottage is complete and fully textured, but there is the problem with the sun factor as you can see in the video.
Be it a wall or vegetation, one side is lit.



What i did find out, that with pbroverride=1 reducing the sun factor really does what it is intended to do and then the surface/ambience can be set higher which means the flashlight is not dimmed anymore and probably also good for the dynamic/static lights but the flashlight does not illuminate the terrain itself.

Beautiful

If you get a d3dcompiler_47.dll is missing error go to http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-3448565/d3dcompiler-dll-missing-fix.html and follow Jcbs's instructions you just need to apply a windows update couldn't launch without it.(Personally have windows updates turned off). Otherwise all seems good, my new Christmas map loaded no problem only thing is the snowmen were given a normal map. But even though its messed it up a bit, it shows me how much better even my simple characters will look with the normal maps applied. Great Job! oh and one question do we have volumetric particles now or is that still to be added?

--edit I tried the Big Escape and the Uzi is missing its aiming reticle, ran at about 25-35 fps(didn't play it on old engine so can't compare), and the enemies don't have guns in their hands. So I am having some of the same troubles as others.

Is the Big Escape supposed to be missing have of the level?

I'm also getting around 8 - 12 FPS on the Big Escape level (what there is of it! lol!)

Yep lots has still to be converted yet ..

Try medium settings ... Made a huge difference to me and still looked great

I can't see where to download the PUBLIC PREVIEW in my Steam app, please help?

Right Mouse click on the game guru icon.
Choose propeties.
Beta Tab.
Second from bottom: publicpreview - Public Preview

i have question about the new release when it is properly finish of course

does the new engine with pbr and all new things will still support ( work with) MasterEffect

The new PBR rendering and other new stuff will replace this effects or could we use them together as well ?

thanks

You probably will need a dx11 compatible reshade for it.

Mastereffect is for dx9, so it won't work.

I cant tell for sure if a dx11 reshade works as well.... Some dx11 apps dont like reshade at all Speaking from experience.

Thanks Pirate Myke, now i see it.

thanks for the help

ohhhh , there goes away my beautiful special effects in my games

i love Mastereffect, for me it's the best thing they've invented for GG

i understand that we all want a new release of the GG by christmas but let them work with no rash , because it is better wait a little more and have somethings good and solid

Hello
Oh ....
Congratulations - just the icons have been beautiful
I'm really disappointed - the new version
After all these are waiting
Of course, I pray that these problems are PUBLIC PREVIEW
And the next version will not have these problems
Mr. Lee
It's better for you to hire graphic artists and programmers
If your next version is with these problems
I think the whole world cries
Anyway:
I am sending a number of problems - I hope to solve them
Please read the 9-page attachment.

Problems at GameGuru PUBLIC PREVIEW:
1-Fade and dying lights still exist
2-Some effects are not shown for some objects - Especially for plants.
Such as: Dynamic or Static - or the sign of painting = After clicking i
3-The shadow of some bad trees
4-Shader and material of medieval weapons can not be seen
5-The enemy's weapon is not shown
6-The shot is very shiny and transparent
7-Crosshair weapons are not shown (uzi)
8-The speed of working in the environment is very low - for the big stages, of course
9-DirectX directory has not been updated in the folder --- Now version 10
10-I think the render of the previous version was more beautiful and more transparent
(Of course, in some cases - like trees and their shadows)
--- Problems after Save Standalone---
1-It was supposed to create a popup menu.
But not done.
2-There is an icon problem and its description
3-There is a risk of opening and manipulating scripts
4-The loading speed of the stage is still low and slow
5-The speed of the game is slow - In the previous version, run speed was better
also:
in Expansion Pack ( Classics pack) --- There is a problem with AI and Texture

If you can not solve the problems
It is best to shut gg
I'm really angry

I forgat to mention, decals do not seem to be working nor is it possible to place waypoints.
I can remove an existing waypoint but i can not add or place a new waypoint.

I'm going back to the previous version to create a map with stock items which i will use as reference for testing.

I've not spent much time with the update but good work from what I can see. Everything seems much more stable, better visually although certainly softer looking. The Big Escape now gives me a pretty much locked 60fps at maximum settings. Previously I struggled to reach 60fps on much lower settings. I feel it's now in a much better state to start developing with.

Core i5 3570
Nvidia GTX 1060 6GB
8GB DDR3 1600

Corrupted shadows and corrupted materials and triangular shadows
Do you want to ruin gg - or do you want to make it?
In the stages: galaxy & classics

You should explain to users:
What should be the hardware specifications.

Of course I do not think so much
When a bad software is created
No matter how you upgrade your system, it will still work badly.
UNITI & unreal engine work very well on my system
But gg is so bad
The speed is still very low
Graphics are corrupted
Shadows are broken

Our expectation - after all this time was disappointing

dudes , let the man work (Mr. Lee) , this stuff is not easy
we wait months,
let us wait a little bit more for the final engine upgrade

At this time stressing the man is not nice because i am sure it has , pretty much, its own stress dealing with programming stuff

and we do not need a beautiful ui graphics engine , we need only one that Works
the aesthetics could come later

People, Let the man work

and mr lee even if sometimes you say things are not very beautiful to you , we we apologize
and please keep doing what you do best , be calm, because we all now that this is no easy delivery

Amir, take a chill pill for crying out loud, calm down. Public preview isn't final release, it is an open beta so we can take a look at what he is working on, it's not going to work perfectly, a lot of things are disabled or incomplete and are being worked on.



The hardware specifications are written on the Steam store page and on the features page here. It's not Lee's fault if people don't take the time to actually work out if their machine can handle the software.

Those specifications haven't been updated to DX11 yet because DX11 has not been released officially, public preview is an open beta for people to check out the new DX11 features. When it is finished and published as a release those pages will be updated.

This is why public tests are valuable; small focused pools of users mean it's very unlikely all the bugs will be found. This sort of 'open beta' public preview is a smart way to get involved parties to test.

So personally?
I have a mid-range machine (unlocked quad core AMD 3.2ghz) with a higher end card (gtx960) on a scant 8gb of RAM. I ran into an issue with d3ddirect_47.dll but as the previous poster advised I only had to update windows to fix it. That exact link is the same one I found via google and it had the answer for me as well.

I like the interface and it does seem to load a bit faster. Levels themselves *SEEM* faster but I need to test a really hard hitting one (like my silent hill knock off levels). That will give me a much more clear picture. All in all assets seem to be 80% there but there are definitely some issues. That said everything in general seemed much nicer looking. The PBR assets look great of course but all the others seemed to handle their specular maps better? I can't really explain it. It just LOOKS nicer.

Best of luck to the rest of you and try to remember this is more of an open beta than a direct release so test away and report your problems

we all make pressure for the engine to be improved, I know I did,
It's natural in these times.

But again my advice to Mr lee is to keep calm , if needed backup a little bit with no shame saying that it will be done after Christmas, because even some of us starting to use other engines we will still like GG.

For a lot of the dudes in this forum it was the first one engine that make us understand how this game thing works and certainly we will keep using it , keep upgrade our old games, and we will keep advising others to buy and use this engine as long as it works well, because with no bugs is the best engine to start and even do professional stuff.

So , to Mr Lee , again be calm and to others be very polite at this time and please let wait a little more for another great easy game maker .

its still amazing how basic problems like ai with no guns can slip thru with out being fix. its an obvious thing, and most of the entities have black texture flickering i mean come on after so many hours of testing the basics shoud have been tested or am i wrong.?

you should keep in mind, it's not the final version.
also what I have seen so far from this publ beta, there're more bugs than in the non public betas before.
I don't think it was a good idea to release this build to the public...

If i know mister Lee well enough, he is calm.

This is by no means a final version so anger or disappointment from users is grossly misplaced in my opinion.

I´ve found a medieval map last year which was made with stock items within GG, this map i took as a base and put some characters, a waypoint path, a dynamic light and static light in a EBE building, some grass and a fire decal.
Now it could be the medicins that play with my brain, but i can´t get the characters to follow the path.

Am i forgetting something?

@PCSKILLER

As one of the beta testers I'm sure I speak for a lot of us here. As Mookai says lot of the issues that are in the current public preview were not in the latest Betas we tested (I'm sure some were, but mostly not) Throughout the testing process, many bugs were reported, they were fixed, new bugs were introduced, old ones came back, thus is the nature of testing. I can assure you that the private beta forum is full of reports from the dozens of us, one thing for sure, we definitely did not sit on our laurels, The version everyone is complaining about IS called the "Public Preview" the purpose of it is to throw the testing net much further and catch all the remaining bugs. It still is technically a beta. Rest assured your issues will be solved eventually and they can only be expected in the beta that is the "Public preview"

So the public preview is actually an outdated build compared to the internal? I would had assumed the public preview would be the same version as the latest internal so that users do not waste time reporting issues that are already resolved.

I don't think it's an outdated version.
I guess it's a new untested build with more new little addons, which not have been in the betas before.

@Johno 15.
thank you for the information. and thanks to every one who tested the beta.
like you said " Rest assured your issues will be solved eventually"
So im hoping the my biggest problem will also be solved. i still think that if you look at the current control of the contrast and brightness , that now only work if the bloom is on 1 or higher, is for me a big problem. at this stage i feel that we do not have the same clarity of the color aspect in the new upgrade, the previous build have a better control over it, although the new update is nice and most of the entities look better because off the good detail they now have, still the old system is better in controlling and adjusting the color spectrum.

i could be wrong but this is how i feel and experience it, after testing some maps.

ps ... the Big Escape is the only one looking better, dew to the extra work that has been put in to it.

@PCSKILLER

The Big Escape is looking better because the entities have all been updated to take full advantage of PBR, they're using more texture maps than the rest of the stock assets, The assets in GG at the minute use what we call DNSI maps (Diffuse, Normal, Specular, Illumination) However with the PBR system we can use many more texture maps, namely color,gloss,ambient occlusion,Metalness etc, these allow greater visuals. We will hopefully start to see PBR ready models coming into the asset store in the future. I agree with your point on the contrast, brightness etc being reliant on the bloom and hopefully in time we will have better control again over those sliders.

Please though, and this applies to everyone, remember this is still a BETA, despite being available to all users. Bugs and errors will still be present. Giving feedback and reports is good, it will ensure by the time this does go to an actual release it will be a lot smoother.