Hey everyone!

I think we need to talk about an aspect of the update that has been rarely discussed as I kind of feel that it has been swept under the rug in the onslaught of all the new media added with the latest update. Personally, I believe that it is the most significant part of the entire update anyway and that not just because its so darn pretty to look at but also because of how it is made.
It really takes advantage of Game Guru and is extraordinarily creative in how it undermines certain limitations when it comes to asset creation. This demo is also the most coherent example of art design in any game guru thingie I have played so far...everything falls into place and fits together. You can all see for yourself and even use the assets within it. I'm talking about Galaxy Seed by rolfy. You have the whole thing in your mapbank!

Alternatively, you can download the standalone version here : LINK TO STANDALONE
Rolfy informed me that there is a command missing to get the, quite marvellous, sky the way he wants from the current beta and this standalone is a tad bit prettier. Its also how the level was originally intended! Please check it out.

I also write this because the level had an effect on me that was kinda lacking in many games I have played recently. I was fully aware from the start that there was no real gameplay yet I was traveling and exploring most of the map. It felt adventurous and had this sense of dreamlike wonder I also try to craft in my game "Shavra". The last time a videogame landscape had that effect on me was when I first got off that ship in Morrowind.
Everything really clicked with me...and the map...consistent of only a few props, foliage and planets if you get right down to it, conveyed a deeper sense of an alien world than everything I saw from something like "No Mans Sky". The weird and...at first mildly annoying...soundtrack added to it.

The level is also extraordinary well paced. After you are done marvelling at the landscape and the stars it leads you in, what seems to be an alien base where they forge a galaxy, and you get to see a lot of props where I don't exactly know how he did it. That blue rotating light...is that?? I have some theories but I gotta get to the bottom of it!

So yes! Don't let this fall into obscurity, look at it, marvel at it and maybe learn from it if you too are into level and 3d design. You should also check out rolfy's store where there are a ton of gameplay related thingies as well.

Allow me to end this with some impressions from the level:









Note: This is in product chat because it is part of a major update rather than an isolated game.




-Wolf

Many thanks for the awesome review Wolf

Normally I sit in the background when I do any media work directly for TGC but I was really proud of the work I did on this particular pack.

Well deserved review !!!
I'm downloading now, (slow conn here, in the middle of the forest) ; tomorrow plane to test all these awesome stuff,
with the hallmark of Rolfy, It is always a guarantee.

3com

Galaxy seed is first class. Really shows off what can be done.

The Galaxy Seed skybox is sadly not working for me at the moment,...I understand this
needs an update from TGC that hopefully we will get soon.
I did experiment with some " old fashioned static skyboxes " and was pleasantly surprised.









However I think when TGC make the necessary changes to support sky spheres it will take
GG to a whole new level visually ,....and the above screen shots will pale into insignificance.
Mr R does it again,...and well,....us old school guys just have to try to keep up with him,....
somehow ?. lol.
Excellent work and media sir, thank you.

Yup, Galaxy Seed isn't working for me, half of it's pure white.

Really nice screenshots Shadow man, shows how with some graphic tweaks you can make the assets your own. The terrain entities have really strong normal maps to give them some real depth even from a distance so if you want to re-texture these the best option would be to overlay any new normal maps over the original in your paint app. That way you would keep the high bump, of course this isn't necessary and optional but thought I would just throw it out there. As for the skydome shader I reckon this is just an oversight in enabling the feature as the option is actually written in the skyspec.txt.

;Optional Sky Shader
SkyShader = sky_scroll.fx

So it may be in any further small update.

I look forward to seeing what users do with the media. The entity lighting effects on interiors will work perfectly with any re-textures as well since the diffuse layer is separate from the animated 'shadow' layer in the shader (so long as you don't over write the _ N map),, so go nuts if you want and make it your own.

Thank you sir,....I did of course think about if I should post these screens,....I did not want
to take anything away from you,....but as the sky spheres are not working just yet, ( and
nobody wants to know how these work more than me ) , I wanted to show that the
quality of your work was such that even with " old skies" it can still look damn good.

I reckon I will do a tutorial vid on skydomes and spheres once it is all working properly. so other Artists can do their own, they are a real step up from skyboxes

Thanks for your input.

I will definitely look forward to that,.....not sure my software will export to the necessary format
though,...a quick look says my export options are Cube,...for skyboxes of course,..Octahedron, UV
Sphere and Octasphere, and that's it,.....I,m guessing that UV Sphere is my only hope,...with a bit
of luck,...lol.

You have to download the standalone to get the full effect.Just love it .Very calming,try putting you head into the revolving dome .Very nice work .

Dave

I just love the rolfy genius - gives me so much inspiration.

The sky spheres are fantastic, not wanting to mess up the thread, just showing how else these can be used - real night sky and moon (yes I know the moon/sky doesn't rotate like this really!)



Awesome stuff rolfy - thank you!

Wow, just ran the Galaxy Seed level, I am totally blown away! The atmospheric music gets you into the mood of the level and it's all stunning art work. The surroundings, spheres, doors and animated control panels are totally inspiring and the level has obviously been well thought out. This is absolutely wicked Rolfy, well done I am truly inspired and wanting more from this level. Downloading the standalone now

It is about game Art and Artistic license is allowed to create a dynamic scene

Nice work cybernescence.

Many thanks all for great comments...makes me want to continue creating...very inspiring.

If anyone is interested in seeing how skydomes are progressing I have a thread over in 3rd Party Models/Media Chat.
https://forum.game-guru.com/thread/216303

@Wolf - a worthy thread - and my thoughts all the way through - once the awe settled a bit - was how did he do that, I want to know how he did that!

@Rolfy - WOW that is awesome work man! I am a secret fan ( lol well not now ) of your work, and when ever I work on assets I always have your stuff in mind, and always ponder how to get the results that you deliver, even though I never get anywhere close lol. I am definitely looking toward the tutorial on skydomes\spheres if you do get around to it.

But like Wolf, that level design and atmosphere really took me somewhere I wanted to stay for a while, and that even though the Galaxy Seed Skydome did note work for me (was using the night one when I loaded the level).

Fantastic work

Reliquia....

wow rolfy, seriously impressive.

Thanks guy's, Lee made a few changes to the level I sent him, I think he wanted to go a little further with it and add some gameplay into it but got overrun with other things so the .fpm map that comes with it is a bit incomplete. The standalone is how I envisioned it all purely from a walkthrough point of view to exhibit the assets and was built as I went along with creating the media.

Impressive! Great visuals and runs smooth. I'm always impressed when people release games that run properly! So often they look good, then you try them and well, they are somewhat chuggy. My favorute effect was the lights, seeing as there's no way to do that with standard GG tools. I imagine you have baked the texture from a 3D program and used the bakes as an animated texture. Very nice!

It looks like he's used a custom fx that reads the normal map as a sprite sheet, and places the animation frames on the normal map.

I'd love to see a video tutorial on how to do that, it looks awesome.

@ Rolfy
You've got the right atmosphere, it conveys a sense of loneliness, like being lost in a hostile planet.
Good play with geometries.
Excellent use of the lanterns, lights and shadows in the tunnel.
I think you are rotating shadows around a pre-lighted scene, despite using lanterns plus fx, awesome!
Good buzz about console.

Very nice map for expansion, you can use it as starting point.

All awesome mate, even the sky!






Unfortunatelly can't use yours setting yet, (4 fps), lowering terrain and grass, got 20 fps, is sufficient for run smooth.

3com

Hi all

So just downloaded the Stand-Alone for this and:

- 1: the sky dome is really out there Rolfy - just adds so much to the atmosphere of the level - NICE!
- 2: the lanter\plant thingies and those spheres - well very cool and creates that 'what is this weird place' feeling
- 3: why does the sky some work in the stand-alone, but not in test mode? (just a mass of white for me)

Again well done Rolfy I was already 5 million light years behind your work, now I am six million damn it!

Reliquia....

Just found: flying the wrong way around this level to discover a pretty amazing cave, using light fog to make it look like this, not even sure rolfy have seen this great looking cave, great work rolfy

Really great work (as always), Rolfy!

I am already grabbing and retexturing your beautiful assets with shiny icy surfaces, as they make a really wonderful - surreal Antarctica scene!

I can't find it in my mapbank. I'd like to have a look at the design. Could someone please give directions.

It should be in your main maps folder, called Galaxy Seed.fpm. Just browse it manually and press g to find it quickly

Thanks. I've got it now. It only appeared after an installation validation.