Hi All,

It was meant to be a small tweak release, it turned into a monster. We have just released V1.131 which contains new features, fixes and tweaks to keep your game making universe alive and kicking, with a little something for everyone. Below is a full list of changes from the log.

V1.131 :

Fixed both (Peek) behavior character soldiers to now use ai_cover.lua
Added OBSTACLERADIUS to SETUP.INI to control the margin radius of static obstacles
Fixed issue of gun and entity animations freezing when DEBUG MODE shows AI markers
Added 'lightmappingexcludeterrain' to SETUP.INI which can switch off terrain shadows
Accelerated speed of the 'create smoothing normals' inside lightmapper
Improved the lighting levels of Asylum level and changed the sky to hide occlude flick
Changed initial default to DDS when selecting new texture in IMPORT MODEL feature
Modified INVISIBLE WALL entity to use default.lua (from old easter script)
Added support for better importing of FBX static meshes (skinning sidelined for now)
The IMPORT MODEL feature now remembers the last import folder location
Added [W][S] in IMPORT MODEL to move camera up and down to better view the target
Added MouseWheel in IMPORT MODEL to zoom camera in and out to better view the target
When using scaling slider, no longer interfers with object rotation if object large
Toggled Texture Loader so PNG is the preferred image type looked for (good for FBX import)
Added invisible wall script and fixed invisible wall entity
Updated the DOCS file on importing models to include a section on Shadow Management
Added new Geo Twizzle and Center Mesh options for finer control of FBX importing
Added CULLMODE to Import Model Panel for some entities which are cull inverted
Added new LUA command 'GetTerrainHeight(x,z)' which returns the terrain height at that point
Fixed a bug so that characters now report their true height via entity[e]['y'] in scripts
Fixed RADAR.LUA to allow objectives to disappear (including change to OBJECTIVE.LUA)
Now restored collision box markers when reload an FPE entity back into IMPORTER
Changed button highlight for IMPORTER panel buttons and renamed to 'Height Guide'
Added new showdebugcollisonboxes=1 in SETUP.INI to visualise collision box shapes
Fixed issue with collisionbox shapes shifting when scale and rotation applied to them
Fixed issue so g_PlayerAngX, g_PlayerAngY and g_PlayerAngZ now wrap angles to 0-360
Increased Sprite and Image maximums in LUA script system to 10,000 each
Removed the WIDTH, HEIGHT and DEPTH from SETUP.INI in Standalone as they don't do anything
When saving a standalone with multiple levels, the test game splash no longer appears in error
Changed prompt to correct text of "LOCKED - Hold SPACEBAR and click to unlock"
When making multi level standalone games, weapons collected in previous level carried over
Ensured [GAMEMENUOPTIONS] is copied to SETUP.INI in Standalone, and that it works fully
Added SAO (Scalable Ambient Obstruction) to Post Processor (needs DOF or MB > 0 to work)
Added 'invisible_wall.lua' to script bank so invisible wall entity no longer black when rendered
Fixed weight and friction so they now affect all objects in the game
Weight value now changes the weight of ragdolls when created from dying characters
Added sliders for SAO Radius and Intensity
Fixed issue of SAO effect bleeding through FOG layers
Added much asked for LOAD SOUND command (see bottom of global.lua for new command descriptions)
Added LoadGlobalSound,DeleteGlobalSound,PlayGlobalSound,LoopGlobalSound,StopGlobalSound
Added SetGlobalSoundSpeed,SetGlobalSoundVolume,GetGlobalSoundExist,GetGlobalSoundPlaying,GetGlobalSoundLooping
Fixed issue of SAO effect bleeding through FOG layers
Fixed issue of SAO not working on some cards that do not support 1920x1080
Character shader no longer switches out after 3000 units (now respects AlwaysActive)
Fixed SAO transparency on character shader revealed when adding trees to scene
Fixed major issue which caused larger levels to lose normal and specular textures (image vs texture resource)
Added code to correct flicker issue caused by low velocity issues in motion blur technique
Fixed issue of random noise generator in SAO linked to screen, now linked to world positions
Fixed issue where LOD2DISTANCE not specified and breaking entities that only have LOD1
Player camera (FPS) now stops instantly (no wobble fade) to prevent SAO swim artifacts
Added extra logging to .LOG file to show what LUA scripts loaded (and if any failed to load)
Added new link in IDE Help Menu to view the GameGuru user manual (previously alittle hidden)
Increased LUA config maximums to allow larger levels to run logic (improved scripting)
Recompiled LUA module to not use Optimization flags to improve stability (large LUA level crashes)
Simplified SAO to not generate a noise vector for the moment - clever but produces swimming effect
Added 'GetFogNearest' through 'GetPostDepthOfFieldIntensity' for getting current visual settings
Fixed issue of IDE crashing if you click outside of an entity icon
Increased velocity caps on motion blur to avoid distant flicker on some scenes
Fixed an issue where the forth bone of boned weapons was being ignored
Fixed issue of characters set to ISIMMOBILE from floating above the floor
Fixed SAO shimmer and was able to put noise function back in for much better SAO effect
Updated RADAR.LUA script to remove hard coded coordinates of radar image (thanks to RETROGAMEBLOKE)
Increased MUSICSYSTEM_MAXTRACKS from 4 to 32 to allow dynamic music system more freedom
Character entities using RAGDOLL=0 now works with third person so death/impact animations used
Added support back in for SETUP.INI fields xbox, xboxinvert and xboxcontrollertype (XBOX Controller)
Static entities in level set to "Spawn At Start = No" no longer get lightmapped during LM process
Fixed sound and music volume so they respect stored settings when start each new level
Dynamic music no longer stops when enter games menu, only instance sound effects
Added new POST-SAO.FX to free regular BLOOM shader pass for a much quicker non-SAO rendering

all I can say is .... IMPRESSIVE list, well done Lee and Team...

Thanks Lee.

i CAN'T see my FBX box objet in the fbx viewer???
its the fbx import object FIXED???

i still CAN'T SEE a stupid box created in 3ds max and saved as FBX file format!!!

In your fbx viewer i see nothing!!!

http://s33.postimg.org/hu55dwfjh/3dsmax_fbx_export01.jpg

http://s33.postimg.org/3mtpdunxp/Game_Guru_fbx_result01.jpg

i tried to export in fbx version 2006, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, NOTHING WORKS under GameGuru!!!!!
i tried with Ascii & Binary options under 3dsmax, nothing change!
i tried with uvw & without uvw, nothing change!
i tried converted the object to MESH nothing change, POLY, nothing too!!!

FBX IMPORT DOESN'T WORK!!!



TIP FOR LEE ABOUT REAL FBX EXPORT!!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CM3GwvoOSP4

FIX FBX IMPORT SERIOUSLY!!!
FIX FBX IMPORT SERIOUSLY!!!
FIX FBX IMPORT SERIOUSLY!!!

SAO looking good, really improves many scenes! Still see a little flickering with grass in distance though, but otherwise seems solid and stable so far.

I also tried to import a simple box in fbx format using the importer and no luck, nothing is displayed. I can only report using 3DX MAX 2013 32 bit.
i tried various export settings with no joy.

awesome work Lee!

thats BECAUSE FBX IMPORT DOESN'T WORK !!!!!
don't try, you are losing your time!!!
I tried everything but FBX import is a joke!!!!
this update SUCKS, and whe are wasting our time!!

only tried the importer for fbx out of curiosity for about 5 mins, I probably wouldn't use it anyway.

Well FBX IS the solution if you use a real 3d software, like blender, 3ds max, maya etc when you want to export animated or static meshes, without it, good luck!!!
i think the correction of the next update for the fbx is going...............mhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ( im looking trough my magic ball, i was asking real proffessionals: http://www.bestmediums.co.uk/).... to take between 1 or 2 months!
i think i have enough time to see my potatoes grow before the next update, and learn a new software....maybe two!!!!

Beta 8 is not working for me . Seems the map editor wants to be/stay a black square at the upper left corner of the screen and not in the IDE . I went back to last version and everything works as should .

Windows 7 64bit Nvidia GeForce GTX 660 2gb .

I did the verify after beta 8 fail.

I think I can live without the importer ha

without fbx importer, without proper light/shadows, without realtime shaders, without A.I, without 3d particles this "thing" is just a boring unachieved toy for blind people!!!

yes, got the fbx box (untextured) to import after exporting from max after playing with some settings and creating a simple cube primitive, well that's something, actually think I accidentally placed 2 cubes.

I say well done Lee and team on the updates so far

@imothep85

And I'm guessing all the other work Lee has done is not working for you either ...
Or is FBX all your concerned about ?

You made your point .... That's enough !!

The tproblem is FBX IMPORT!!! not the work of Lee, its two updates now, and FBX import is not fixed at all.
without FBX import this software is useless to me!

I've been importing Direct x models. They work fine, lol.

FBX was added by lee as an extra and not a main update .... He started implementation as a bonus


it was never at the top of the voting list .. Its just something hes trying to incorporate and improve as he goes along.
Lots more will be added before that's ever complete I would imagine

Looks pretty good here with the exception that my FPS has dropped from around 200-300 to 60 even on a blank map

Anyhow thanks for your hard work Lee and team.

Reliquia....

I noticed vsync changed to a value of 1 in the setup.ini. Change it to 0, save, and relaunch GG and see if that helps. It worked for me!

EDIT: Any time I see my frame rate hovering around 60, I look at that first, but I was just wondering about this: does VSYNC always sync at 60 or at the refresh rate of the monitor? I know mine is 60, but I have seen other refresh rates on other monitors. Just curious.

FPS droped also for me dramatically in this version 1.131

:o

can't wait till work calms down so i can jump back into GG and test this out

LOAD SOUND- I missed that one on the list, this is great will try it out after work.

Thanks for the info there - this worked for me

My test level for some SCI-FI models is back to 200+ FPS with terrain and between 350-400 with terrain off!

Thanks Jerry!

Reliquia....

Hi thanks to the guys at TGC for this fantastic beta. You have all done a lot of work looking at that list.



One thing I noticed though was a subsatntial drop in my FPS. I normaly work about 106 fps now that I have a new laptop but with this beta it has dropped to 20 fps, I tried the suggestion above by Jerry Tremble but it did not work for me. I even restarted my machine but still got the same result.

I'm seeing the same, before the beta I was getting 150 to 200 in the scene i'm working on, now i'm getting 45 to 50. It's not VSync as that would have me stuck on a solid 60.

thank you Lee for your hard work! I din't try fbx import yet , but I'm sure this just a start in this feature.

Hi I think this is the first time I write in the forums, but I have a question...

If I access this preview, will this affect to my current version of gameguru?

I will lost my progress with the current version I am using?


Anyway, I would like to thank you Lee and your team of devs for the incredible work youre doing with the engine its amazing!
It only needs more content for 3rd person development but I know things take time...

Thanks and greetings from Spain!.

thank you so much Lee. I appreciate the work you put into this update. everything works great.

Hi Dev911

Welcome to the forums ....
Using the beta shouldn't effect anything your working on and all you have to do is select " Opt out of beta " from the menu to put the original back ..
If your still worried back up your files folder first

Thank you synchromesh, its a pleasure to be here!

I would check new features after bakcup

Mmm,

Strangely not always the case. I have to reset the vsnc each release as when it is locked to 60 it is noticeably slower. It can run at 60 but in some areas where I have no issues normally (when vsync is off) I can get 30 odd FPS. Disabling vsync normally gives me an overall faster game speed with far less dip in fps.

SAO also slows things a tad, so disable bloom to get back to more normal speeds. It's not much and the look is far better with it on, but if it's crawling then best to not use.

I'm quite surprised no-one has mentioned or noticed the SAO stuff. You will see a difference when you switch it off or on Generally adds a bit more realism to a scene (even on lowest settings). It makes low settings look a lot better Obviously same for all, but low settings really did need it.

I've tried turning VSync off, it makes no difference, i'm still getting about 100 less FPS than I was previously, went back to the current live version and my fps is back up to where it was. SAO only made a difference of a few FPS between max and min for me. Bu I have it off anyway because all my custom models have AO baked into their textures anyway so it's not worth having on for the little improvement there is. I may retexture them without AO sometime in the future though.

Great release so far for me. Thanks Lee.

@Lance - I had the same issue during beta test (think I was the only one) and I wish I could tell you how I resolved it but I'm not sure. All I know was that after a couple of days it started working fine. Before that I could launch GG directly via the exe (offline) and all was as expected but I couldn't launch it from steam without getting the issue you have. Until it started working somehow ... I wonder if coming out of steam altogether and logging back in again would work to clear it?

Cheers.

I'm surprised you get that much of a fps hit. I am finding a performance drop as well for something I am working on which used to run pretty much at 60 fps minimum. Now it can drop down to the 40's. I have also noticed that lua is slower than it was. It has purposely been altered to avoid bugs in large levels, and new faster commands are going to be added to help make up for it. Still, it's a bit of a sad day to see my Invasion Shooter now running slower. I certainly don't want to go rewrite it with new commands. It still runs okay, but I can see a distinct difference now.

Vsync does however slow things more than not having it on at all. I always notice that unlocked I will always get better performance than when locked. It's a pity as it looks smoother when locked, but as in DB seems to incur a performance penalty. At least you appear to have 100 fps to spare, lol, I'm normally running less than that from the get go, or at least not long after

Edit - Okay been testing for a few hours now and can say for certain speed is down drastically in some cases I've set up a blank map at default settings.

Bloom set at 1 gives me about 115-117 fps.
Throw in 3 lua scripts (2 doing almost nothing) and I'm at 75-90 fps.
Bloom at 0 gives me about 200-210 fps.
Throw in 3 lua scripts (2 doing almost nothing) and I'm at 175-180 fps.

So it's plain to see the new sao effect is a little hoggy at the moment Lua is also causing significant slow down as well for me so far.

Never got beta8 to work .Tried uploading 3 different times and doing a verify . The interface comes up and about 1+min. later the map editor shows up at the left top corner of the screen (about 1/4 size of IDE) behind the IDE . I seem to be the only one having this problem so I am going back pre beta .

Update 6.3.2016
I downloaded the latest Nvidia driver for my graphics card and redownloaded beta8 again , verified and turned off my PC . Restarted the PC and the beta runs now . My have needed the latest driver ? ...

Just can say it works + or - like before.
Can't say nothing about SAO, since post-effects is forbiden for me.
Hard to say I've drops fps from 17 to 11, when you are speaking about 300/350, just can say WOW!
Nice importer fixes and addons, anyway I never use it, but this has nothing to do, since GG is not made just 4 me.
Plane to test Sounds and more scripts added, this part I can cover well, with my resources.

So meantime I'll continue modeling>selling models>saving money, to buy a superb pc I need to go into GG like I want, and to be able to develop my true potential and my ideas.

And since I would prefer to be part of the solution, instead of the problem, just can say, Nice job TGC team and Lee!!!, please keep up.

3com

@3com I know what you mean I have just got a laptop that gives me 100+ fps from one that was giving me 10 - 12 fps and then download the beta version and I am down to 40 - 50 fps with a blank screen if I am lucky.

Hi everybody !

I just tested the latest version 1.131 BETA 8... and this is what happens in my case :

When I'm in the level editor there is no change, but once I'm in test mode the fan of my video card rotates at maximum speed !!!
Immediately when I go back in level editor, the fan returns gradually at its normal speed (within thirty seconds)
Also, the number of FPS dropped when I run the test mode (from approximately 125fps before the update to 45fps now)
Note than I read the previous posts and I already tested with and without the VSYNC. No change !

Thanks !

@ Taz
Yes, when you have 300 fps and drops to 200 fps , this is annoying, but you can do things.
When you have 17 and you drops to 10, you can do almost nothing; that is the big difference.

VSYNC does nothing 4 me.

3com

@ 3com, obviously on a low spec system ALWAYS turn off vsync. It just slows things more than they already are. You can only use vsync if you have a real beat machine really and in the main I find it just adds performance issues when there aren't any.

Definitely slower by quite a lot overall. With scenes with lot's of objects in it REALLY slow. It seems odd, as in Beta some of the beta's up to this seemed slightly faster. My tests above prove that it doesn't take much to start dragging fps down now.

From what I have read a constant 60 to 80 fps is ok for most games as in what the human eye sees as smooth ....
100, 200 300 fps isn't really going to make a difference to the speed you see on screen ...

Its interesting to read when people say I get 200, 300 fps ...but in reality the eye doesn't see it much faster than 60 fps... ( apparently )

Just a bit of related trivia .... Nothing to do with the frame drop

Sorry all... but for my video card problem, what can I do ? why have I this problem now I didn't have before ?

because for the moment, I can't use GG anymore ! (unless I revert to previous version, but it's a shame !

No idea someone ?

Yes but we have higher end machines, if we're getting 200fps then many at the lower end will be getting around 50fps, the goal is to get your game working at 60fps for as many people as possible. If we have a 30% drop in fps then they will too. that 50fps will come down to 35fps, not even counting that we're testing on almost empty levels so if we put any more entities that will bring their FPS down even further. 300fps to 200fps isn't noticeable, but when people playing our games go from 50fps down to the low 20's, that's unacceptable.

Finally got my hands on the beta and it looks great!

Couple of things:
1) It could be nice if there was an "SAO Distance Slider" because I only see the effect when right up at a wall, pillar, etc.
2) When holding a weapon the SAO shadow overlays (bleeds through?) the weapon instead of underneath (see attachment). Not sure if it's a known bug or not, but thought I'd mention it.

Other than that, everything looks really good and it's fun to poke around with all the new beta features
Capped at around 60fps (with vsync and locktorefreshrate both off), which is nothing to complain about if we can get a consistent framerate throughout an entire level/game rather than jumping around.

Is it just me or do the lightrays look 10x better too? (See other attachment.)

Oh I agree .... Like I said a little trivia
If GG could supply 60 fps right across the board with or without models then we would all be in good shape
I just meant any more than that any more than that is a bonus but not really something you would notice ..

I have seen users on steam make statements like " I only get 60 fps in GG but 200 in Team Fortress " I just meant the other 140 fps he refers to doesn't really matter as far as what the eye sees as smooth gameplay