Here is the live broadcast #04 recording, and your answers posted below:



Q> Oh random atmos music generator being showcased?
A> Yes indeed, broadcast #04 gets serious!

Q> ​is there a GameGuru discord?
A> Yes indeed, here is the link https://discord.com/channels/332652927082692609/675361636931993604

Q> What's the system requirements
A> Windows 10 or above, decent CPU and so far, a minimum requirement of a GTX 960 graphics card

Q> ​Will the weapons be same as the ones in gg classic?
A> No, we will be putting some new weapons specially designed to work in normal and in VR mode. Classic weapons can be copied over manually, and they will continue to work as before, but they will not be upgraded for MAX and will remain Classic weapons.

Q> ​Once the terrain is done will there be a demo like the cellar demo ?
A> Absolutely, once we get some textures on the terrain, we might have something worthy of a video and a runnable demo!

Q> Do you plan to do a fishing system? or any mini game system?
A> No plans to add a fishing or mini game to GameGuru MAX. We want to focus on the new terrain and graphics engine for release.

Q> ​What full screen shaders will be in use?
A> Expect the same functional choices from Classic, with some notable extras thanks to the Wicked Engine, including MSAA, FXAA and temporal anti-alias. We 'may' move some settings to an advanced section too so make it harder to adjust things that should not really be modified under a PBR rendering system.

Q> ​Model import in Max? What is planned?
A> We plan to use the latest version of AssImp to import formats such as FBX, GLTF and OBJ, and of course X files for backward compatibility. These will likely continue to be converted to our internal DBO format for faster secondary loading as Classic currently does. We feel a solid and reliable importer is pretty vital for MAX as we want users to go out there and find great assets for their games.

Q> ​Estimate on next Alpha?
A> We anticipate the third week in June - watch this space!

Q> Lee can we discuss the VR preference on the forums also?
A> Feel free to post below your comments and questions about SteamVR vs OpenXR. It should be a good discussion!

Q> ​On the next Cellar demo can you do bug logging if it does not run?
A> The next alpha will have logging enabled so we can track any issues to the source, making early fixing much easier.

Q> What debug features does game guru max have? Can you draw debug lines and what other debugging is there?
A> We will be porting most of the debugging functionality from Classic, but there are no specific plans for additional debugging tools. We have a few ideas, but want to keep them away from the 'expectation radar' for now as we may run out of time for release. If you have specific case studies to back-up your debug tool requests, post below and we can chat about them.

Q> ​What formats will it support for importing custom assets?
A> We will support FBX, GLTF, OBJ and many others (including backward compatibility for X files).

Q> To continue from the above weapons question, ​I mean included weapons won’t change?
A> We are not including any weapons from Classic into MAX, we will be including all new weapons. As above, you can still copy your Classic weapons over manually for backward compatibility, but the assets you get in MAX will be designed for MAX.

Q> How about a beta?
A> We are currently in alpha phase right now, and if you pre-order you will get access to all alpha builds we release. Beta phase will happen once the alpha transitions to function complete status.

Q> ​Where can i pre-order?
A> You can visit the main MAX website and click the pre-order link through for a cool 40% discount: https://www.game-guru.com/max

Thanks for your questions in the live chat! Feel free to continue the discussions below and I will pop in from time to time to help answer them. So the big question, SteamVR or OpenXR

i'M HERE

Very interesting Lee , thank you


Dave

+1 for OpenXR

Concerning terrain - sculpting it and painting textures on it - will GameGuru MAX support pressure sensitivity (size of brush and/or opacity of brush) for those of us that have interactive pen displays (such as a Wacom Cintiq, etc.) or graphics tablets?

Concerning LUT (Look Up Tables for color) and other screen-based functionality - Will GameGuru MAX allow the end-user to adjust things like LUT for how colors are displayed on-screen and other functions so we can further customize our games and get the visual look we want? This could include things like vignette at the edges of the screen, grey and black & white rendering, adding "fuzz" to the display, and more. Many engines support such features, allowing the end-user to adjust AO levels, vibrance of color, and a lot more. Could things like this be in added to an Advanced section of GameGuru MAX?

+1 for OpenXR! Frankly, I don't like the idea of being tied to Steam.

I have an idea-- please don't get tied to Steam.
I don't know if Steam VR would require a Steam account, just to purchase and
download GGMAX, but it sounds like it would. And a big boost for GGMAX would
be the access to it outside of Steam-- or either option including a direct download
from TGC site - no Steam keys- staying open.

Steam is probably good for getting it in and working fast. However I hate having things locked into Steam! What if, amazingly in the future it shuts down? Not only will we lose most or all of our game collection, we will also lose functionality in our own games! Then again I do not have a VR helmet and am unlikely to anytime soon, I have no way of justifying the expense for the use it would get (which is not a lot).

Of course, I've never tried one and may feel differently if I was working on a VR game ;p

Im kind of leaning towards OpenXR
It does seem silly for those who want the download version to bypass steam and then find they will need it anyway.

Another future plus for OpenXR is that Steam did 'suggest' they would be providing support for it on their Steam platform down the road, so by implementing OpenXR (first), it could be the same code will work within the Steam VR ecosystem eventually. Any HTC Vive users want to fight back

Openxr.
A question about a third part tool for procedurally generating terrains, scenes, biomes and ambiences: will be ever be possible to achieve support for Gaia Pro by Procedural Worlds?
At the moment it is available for implementation in Unity, it would be great if it was possible to have it here too

Oh well then that's kind of confirms to me that OpenXR is the way to go.

OpenXR, mind you I do have an Oculus Rift S.

Really hoping model import will be as reliable as in Wicked with Max.

Fuse model import


MakeHuman import.

Both suffered from scale issues (way too small for the scene) but managed to fix the top vid, not bothered with the second test yet but will probably work fine with a tad more work. Exporting at the correct scale to start with is the best option

Another vote for OpenXR. You had me at open source.


I won't pry, but I really hope one of these ideas is support for LuaSocket . Maybe I'm just dense (and pretty inexperienced in the Lua world), but I couldn't for the life of me get any build of LuaSocket to load in GameGuru. Built in support for LuaSocket to allow debugging Lua scripts some time down the road would be a godsend.

Running cellardemomay.wiscene from within wicked engine itself, I wonder if we can have a similar feature on GGMax, I mean we being able to save/load the whole scene in a file.

openXR is the way to go, all the major VR vendors now support openXR instead of having their own SDKs or tie their SDK into openXR and you can use openXR on steam so you don't really lose anything
i'm pretty sure the HTC vive can run openXR games from steam anyway but even if not it is already old tech, no point planning your features simply to support it when the new VR models will be out before max regardless...

I vote OpenXR!!!
Thanks for the update Lee... so exciting!

@smallg : Can you send me a link or two which shows success with HTC VIve and software that implemented OpenXR, I have had no luck finding any

Well I have an 800$ HTC Headset and I would love to make a VR game.
Obviously I would vote for SteamVR if it means I cannot make a VR game at all with the other option.
I can see why people wouldn't want their game tied down to steam. But I really hope people aren't voting for OpenXR for no other reason than they don't like steam.
I've been hoping for VR in gameguru for a long time and I would have bought a different brand if I had known. If we were in a room i'd probably get on my knees a beg lol.
I wish I had a better argument other than HTC headsets are expensive and I want to use mine to make games!
It is highly unlikely I will purchase another if not inferior VR headset anytime soon. I just really hope you guys use OpenXR to its fullest and make mega cool games. I know I would.

If OpenXR is truly the best thing for GameGuruMAX then I think you should use it. Is it not possible to have both though?

+1 for OpenXR, and anxiously waiting for September

OpenXR is the way to go, would be great to untie steam.

I have also tried to find information on VIVE and OpenXR and it is like looking for a needle in a haystack it seems HTC are very much in Steams pocket and i assume they must have signed some kind of deal, that said Steam are looking into using OpenXR API to support more headsets without having to use sideloaders, i have a Mixed Reality headset and can play all the steamVR games with a 'sideloader'

As far as GameGuru MAX is concerned my personal feeling would be to support as many headsets as possible to reach a wider audience its not a case of blacklisting Steam or get rid of Steam its a case of what is more beneficial to the future of MAX.

30th July 2019 - Source Endgadget.com
QUOTE:
Facebook promises to add support for apps built on OpenXR 1.0 on the Rift and Quest platforms. HTC VP Vinay Narayan says "HTC VIVE is committed to creating a viable ecosystem for the XR industry which is why [the company] is proud to support OpenXR." Meanwhile, Tobii promises to "unlock support for eye tracking through OpenXR extensions for eye gaze interaction and foveated rendering." Valve is "look[ing] forward to supporting [the standard] in SteamVR," as well.
UNQUOTE:

8th April - Source roadtovr.com
QUOTE:
Blender, a popular free open-source modeling and animation tool, is soon to get VR support via the OpenXR API. Initially users will be able to step into their 3D scenes to see them up close and at scale, with new features expected in the future.

The next version of Blender, version 2.83 planned for release in late-may, will include a first wave of VR support, the company recently announced. VR support is being added via the OpenXR API, which will allow the software to interface with any headset supporting OpenXR (which has wide support in the VR industry, though is still in the early process rolling out to individual headsets).
UNQUOTE:

i used to own one but swapped it for the quest, both are great but once you experience VR without wires you never go back


it's more that steam used to offer an easy solution that covered a wide audience while openXR has only recently become the standard for most systems and the vive was released before that time.

Hi
the closest I have to a affordable vr setup is Google cardboard plus a game controller via Vridge(app) and Riftcat (Client) on pc. A setup which seems require both steamvr and Microsoft Mixed reality Portal running to do its magic (either that or I'm sacrificing the wrong breed of chicken) Its all very confusing.

So my support on the vr question goes to which ever supports stuff I can afford. (since COVID-19 the cost of real VR headsets seems to have Quadrupled in Oz)

The graphics are looking good, I like that you are going to use assimp for import those guys are really enthusiastic.

Look after yourself Lee, stay locked inside with your computer where it safe.

I'm also experiencing VR using Vridge(app) and Riftcat (Client) which only seem to run through SteamVR.

Thanks for the update lee!
I am looking forward to the release of GameGuru Max.

I'd love to see an AUG-style assualt rifle be added for max as default.

I've noticed on occasion the demo fails to run first time. Always seems to run second time though. This may be due to my customisation though, can't remember seeing it before.

Just thought I would chime in.

+1 for OpenXR

That said I am a HTC Vive user. I am sure HTC or Valve will be releasing a OpenXR Runtime. I am getting a Oculus quest though so I may not have to wait that long.

Now there is a vote HTC owner voting OpenXR! Thanks to everyone for your views, and I have just had my Friday call with the MAX development team and we have decided to go with your recommendation, as it aligns very well with our own. From Monday we will be cracking open the OpenXR SDK and learning it's secrets, and getting support in for that for our release in September. We have also placed an asterisk along the lines that we might also support SteamVR after OpenXR if Steam does not implement their own OpenXR runtime by September, as that is the only way to support HTC family of headsets. I can see why Steam would want HTC to withhold an OpenXR runtime as it means the only way to use the Vive products is through the Steam client. I am sure a runtime will emerge in the future, it's just a question of when.

This decision means standalone executables created with GameGuru MAX will be independent and can run on any system without unnecessary dependencies, just like our choice of Photon for the multiplayer functionality. More news on this as part of our regular videos and live broadcasts of development progress, and thanks for sharing your views.

Excellent !!
Just ordered Oculus Quest a couple hours ago as well

@ Lee

The random terrain generator creates much more realistic terrain, while the editor tools create smooth hills and valleys. I have suggested this before but I would hope that GGMax could include a feature in the editor that will make hills and valleys look more realistic than they do today.

I've used several Terrain generators and they all have a feature called "Static". This can be applied (usually painted) which randomly increases or decreases vertices height in order to un-smooth a portion of the terrain to make it look more realistic.

Any hope for something like this in GGMAX???