Hi All,

Please find a recording of our live broadcast from this Wednesday:


And here are the answers to your questions I could not answer in time during the live chat:

Q> When will the folder structure be done i.e in My docs there is no scriptbank or tilesbank?
A> The Documents write folder will only contain files that needed write access for the current build. I assume you are referring to the ability to add your own scripts, and for those scripts to be editable from the writable area, this will be done when we start working on the Behavior aspects of our design. The likely integration is that the main MAX software will copy over the initial out of the box scripts to the writable area, and then you can add your own, OR the script system has two sources for scripts, the read only ones from the MAX side and then any custom ones detected from the writables area.

Q> Integrated graphics cards?
A> There are no plans to support integrated graphics cards for MAX at this time. The current working min spec is GTX 960, so if your integrated card is faster than that, then you are in luck!

Q> Is it possible to save 3D objects in GG like Prefabs in Unity?
A> There are no plans to save individual objects or groups of objects to create a prefab unit. We do have some sketches of how such a system might work, but nothing in the dev plan for the first version. You can of course import a 3D model and save as your own entity.

Q> When you release a game on steam, will any updates you do be able to be passed through to your sold games?
A> There would be no way to do this. The game you save as a standalone is the exact binary you would sell on Steam. If you wanted to update your game with any new features from MAX, you would need to reexport your standalone of your game project in MAX.

Q> ​Will alttexture = x be making a return?
A> Yes, we have discussed this and it makes sense to have this functionality so characters can appear bloodied and scorched based on what is happening in the game.

Q> Entity movement will it be polygon detection or will it be like classic? and when will more LUA commands be available?
A> We will retain both methods of object movement, either direct control or physics-based control. We will be looking at improving the path finding system, but there are no specific commands to expand the LUA command set, only enough to enable the improved AI movement system.

Q> ​I thought the plan originally was to implement photon for multi-player. Has this changed or been abandoned?
A> We have decided to push multiplayer so we can focus on single-player for Shooter, RPG and Puzzle game styles. We have not dropped our plans for multiplayer but did realise to do it justice we should first get the single player product great before proceeding. Photon would still be our choice of technology for the eventual integration.

Q> Can npc's open doors?
A> Yes, characters will be able to have the option of opening closed doors if they encounter them, and we will be making core changes so that enemies and other characters do not poke weapons or other body parts through walls and doors. A common crime in even modern games!

Thank you everyone for your questions, and I look forward to answering more next Wednesday at 4 PM GMT

Great stream again today Lee.

Lots of nice updates and information during the Q&A. The team are making excellent progress.

Looking forward to the bloom fix on Friday. The sparkles were a bit distracting!

Cool!

About scripts, it may be a bit tricky since reading from 2 sources might take or not, the same res wasting, as reading directly from a writable area, yes, you will have to determine it.

About expand the LUA command set, well, not the right moment now, anyway, in the future would be nice to have a set of LUA commands, about those settings we have on the tabs.

Good job Lee and team.

Awesome broadcast Lee.

Hi Lee,

There are comments in last weeks thread concerning. Just didnt want you to think there no interest

Aaron

Being able to put together entities, lighting, and scripts and save them in some format to be used repeatedly, as a single object, in your project is pretty important. If you make something as simple as a lamp with a light (two elements - the lamp model with a light), you don't want to have to keep placing the lamp entity and then create a light for it. You want to be able to drop in one thing that contains both a lamp and a light and be able to do so throughout your game. Now, the "lamp and light" is just a super simple illustration. Being able to save much more complex "prefabs" to use throughout your game is pretty important and massively speeds up level and game development.

I am heartened to hear that it is something that appears to at least be on your roadmap for future releases after v1, though.

Hi Agent and the questioneer. i think 2 things with this
1. If you prefab lot's of objects together and repeat, it can get very scooby doo. Same scenery on loop almost

2. Grouping can be achieved using a model programme by joining and saving. problem solved. Almost the same as grouping as prefab.

I personally think grouping prefabs is good for after first release. vr needs to be completed and multiplayer completed and all the world terrain and water and physics and the nodes and ai and functioning parts amd waypoints and particles character creator and the list goes on. so many other things need major attention.
If you need prefabs doing model. Wise i can group and save table and lamp for you if needed.

Happy days

Sb

I don't think you actually get the power of prefabs and how they are used. Just because you group together specific things (entities, lights, scripts, etc.) does not mean that you use them exactly the same every where. For example, when you create a simple prefab that is of a trigger that opens a door (two items - the trigger and the door), you don't always use the same door model. You can place the prefabs as you please and then, if needed, open the individually placed prefab to alter things as needed (i.e. swap out a model, adjust the code, etc.). In this manner, each prefab can be quite different from each other, if wanted or needed. It still saves time, especially initially, to create the prefab and to place them as you are initially constructing your level.

BTW - If you watch or learn from anyone working in AAA game development, then prefabs are what they use quite a lot for a wide variety of things.

They are also good when working with a team. The artist can create a basic model (an animated door, for example) and pass that off to the programmer. The programmer then can create the code that causes the door to open under specific circumstances (the trigger). This can then be passed back to the artist or to the level designer. The prefab can be placed as needed throughout the level and tested. Once that's done, the artist and/or level designer can go about changing the door model, if they want or need to, to make each prefab more individualized. If the models are built properly, it's little more work than opening the specific prefab and telling it to use Model X instead of Model Y.

Prefabs are also good for exactly what you pointed out - areas that are supposed to be very similar. If you have bus stops scattered around the city, there's no reason to have to reconstruct them each time. Drop in the prefab and add a few differences (some scattered trash, etc.).

There are a "zillion" reasons to use prefabs. There are reasons the most engines have a prefab system or something similar. And there is a reason that AAA game developers make extensive use of prefabs when creating levels for their games.



The example of the lamp and light (like the door and trigger used above) are the simplest of examples and was only meant as an example that could be very easily understood. Prefabs can be quite complex (though they don't have to be).

Again lets sort the engine out first yeah? then prefab away i have no problems with them and thank you for the insight i have however knowledge of them again thanks though. But i think as i said the engine needs sorting out.
Ps do you work for aaa companies or had involvement with them?


Sb

Prefabs so important. If it was in fpsc, it can be in gg classic and Max. Didn't watch the live today, I find they not really floating my boat yet, but I'm sure they will when the real meat of the engine are shown. This is just me though.

Hi bored.
It was not all about prefabs at all. Mainly that the updater is completed and its ui advances and they are starting to look at the updated wicked engine which will be with us in a week.
I still stand by my view which is prefabs are good but i think let the engine be working and all the promised parts completed before all the little bonuses as i said its not a bad thing just so many other things have priority in my eyes before an extra convenient time saver. That may take ages but i am not a programmer hence ggmax user

Happy days

Sb

Of course. I never said to forego all other development and jump on adding prefabs. In fact, in my OP I stated that I was heartened to see that it is being considered for after the v1 release. So, this was never an issue ... not sure why you brought it up, to be frank.

Well Frank . we are on the same page. i was jus saying that it is not a bad idea however to be implemented after first release would Be better as there is a multitude of tasks. and i was offering to join models for you if it was a problem. as you pointed out how essential it was to have it.

Thanks. I do appreciate it. I can do that myself, though. But it is appreciated.

That's true!
Guys, you are taking the right path, keep up!

Hey Lee,

Looks like Valve Just added v1.0 of OpenXR to SteamVR. Link
It would be great to get VR support added back into Game Guru Max

Yes Please Re- enable VR and put it where you like
I realise its basic and would only be any good for checking stuff out but to create a model then run around in VR is a whole different experience

Some thoughts;
"Yes, we are going to have 'grouping'. No we aren't going to have pre-fabs."
But let's not further go that grated up topic. Instead, what's the difference between;

Ctrl - L to lock entities together, and just drag-a-box-selection around several objects in the map??
I see no difference. Now what about MAX GROUPING feature, also -Copy and Paste? Are these
nearly four redundant actions? FINALLY Copy and Past selection! but also saving the group attributes
in your project folder seems like a rather useful idea.

Think of a pre-fab as a way to combine objects and scripts in a way that you can re-use in your different projects. I believe pre-fab is a Unity term, although I am not 100% on that, it would be a blueprint in Unreal. So you could build a basic room or building up out of pre-made parts, add furniture and lights etc. You can add scripts to affect anything included in it. You can also determine what variables that you want to allow the editor to have access to from it like chair rotation or curtains open/closed. You could use it to make random layouts for example.

Once done, you can make as many of them as you like in a level. Imagine the EBE but with the ability to assign scripts, lighting etc to each building, place multiple copies down then adjust them individually to act differently. Definitely useful. You could even make the building slowly build up out of parts that are placed in the pre-fab by hiding them until needed.

This is of course possible without a pre-fab system, just means you have to duplicate a lot of work for the same effect. Max would for certain be better with a system like this at some point down the road. Not mega important at the moment though. Just food for thought. Pre-fabs are more than just a grouped set of meshes, they have logic as well and can be saved to be later re-used in any project.

Looking forward to see if next weeks update will speed things up a tad, I have noticed with a half full map that it is more likely to crash than not and even exiting out of a test, it's 50/50 if it will crash In game, I get between 20 and 30 odd fps mostly. I can live with that for now, but the crashes are most unproductive lol.

My max runs home to mamma with a small amount of grasses

I think if you place a lot of grasz within an area it pauses on load fir 5 minutes and then works then crashes no way at all to make a level but then without the nodes in place no point to designing a level i have created an indoor area and it has taken a lot of models and has many scripts and does not crash and no problems at. All. Put a bit ofngrass down and it self destructs.

Unreal has prefabs, too. You have to activate it as it's one of the included add-ons. It goes beyond Blueprints in that you can assemble a prefab that contains entities with several Blueprints in them. So, imagine a room that has a door that opens via a trigger and a light switch that turns on/off a light when in proximity and a key is pressed. Both would use their own Blueprints, but both could be in the same prefab ... and dozens more like it if you wanted/needed.

S2 Engine has prefabs too I believe, I have that engine but it's very clunky to use. Nice looking graphics but not easy to use at all.

I think prefabs aren't essential. If they're not too much work to implement, cool go ahead but I'm not asking. Good work so far, keep it up.

@DVader;

I see the pics. Lookin pretty good. Nice nature scenes. Would like to explore
the area and find the loot. But is there not a 'bloom' setting in MAX yet?

Yes but not sure how that will help.
Its the colour sliders that are missing to make them stand out.

You can find it in the Environment Effects/Post Processing group and the next release should see it fixed\improved according to broadcast.



OldFlak....

@Scienceboy. Yeah grass does cause a few issues, getting the map to this stage has been a bit of a game! Many crashes and restarts. Sometimes it runs fine then all of a sudden it pauses and goes a bit bonkers lol. Grass was the last thing I plonked down and still have a few areas I would like to do over, but it's only a test to see how max copes with a reasonably full terrain.

@ArgentArts. Sounds useful, I've barely scratched the surface of Unreal to date; it's nice, but complex and the coding side of Blueprints drives me insane so far, lol. After dabbling in many versions of Basic, Blueprints style is alien. I agree that a way to group objects with logic and such would be a good addition to Max down the line, whatever they choose to call it. Perhaps some extension of the CC, but allowing static objects and such to be arranged into set pieces as well.

@Tarkus. I think S2 is an Unreal or Unity plugin? Never used it but I seem to remember it is something like that. So would make sense

@Cobbs. No, just thinking what could be added when the main engine is in good order. Not essential, but could be cool.

@GubbyBlips. I may have lowered or disabled it. It is a bit over sparkly at the moment.

I think the map looks okay as I only used what is included with Max, which is not a lot to make a varied looking scene. I posted it to show the sort of size where it begins to become difficult to work.

@OldFlak. I think the bloom update is next week. Not todays. I think this one is mainly the updater and a few bug fixes. Hopefully next weeks will be a bit more of an obvious update!

Hello everybody,

DVader, you show us very nice landscapes. I also tested the simulation of such scenes and I may say that it runs slow (5 FSP) on a modern PC with a decent GPU.

There is no doubt that GG Max provides the tools (WIP) to create amazing scenes.

Personally, I preordered GG Max and I'll probably never create a game with that application. My purpose is the creation of animated scenes the quality of which could be compared to those ones created with the latest versions of Lumion which is a far more expensive software.

In my archives (year 2010), I found the demo version of a developer's tool Woody3D (Field of Trees). That project is now discontinued.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIa40QqiDblT7CcwUaZngxQ
What impresses me in that demo : an infinity of trees in a field where it is possible to walk in all directions with a constant FPS. Each leaf seems to have its own animation controlled by the wind speed.

I enjoyed creating little projects with Dark Basic Pro and its amazing plugins (Dark Imposters it at the top of my hit-parade).
There are super talented software engineers and great artists in TGC community.
I hope they will join their forces to provide a release version of GG Max within a reasonable time.
In the meantime, the alpha versions are good enough to create some nice scenes like the ones presented by 3Com.
GG Max is definitively a place for the digital artists.

Yeah you becright - already Saturday here....

OldFlak....

@mikeven. yeah it does slow down a bit, I was down to about 20 fps at the point above in places. Turning off Antialiasing can help speed things up quite a bit though, if your down to 5 fps, although not sure it would be enough.

@Oldflak not tried it yet, but next weeks should be the best for speed improvements.

DVader, thank you for your very useful tip.
I tested again a scene with GG Max terrain populated with grass and trees as shown in the two next screen captures.
Before turning off antialiasing : approximately 5 FPS.
With antialiasing turned off : 59.9 FPS.
(GPU : Radeon RX580 8 GB - CPU : Intel i7-8700K 3.70 Ghz 6 cores - Ram : 16 Gbytes).

That sounds a bit better!

Definitely work needed on the grass. You spray at full height and medium intensity on alprox quarter of the map and it freezes on start up

@science boy. It's definitely got a way to go. Although sometimes it just takes an age to load and start up, even says it's not responding occasionally, but most times eventually loads. Indoor scenes are definitely quicker, at least so far.

@ DVader, yes i have noticed this too.

Yep the more you edit and add to terrain the longer it takes to launch until it just wont.
But loads to do to sort terrain out properly yet.