Hi All,

Here is a recording of today's broadcast:


And here are the answers to the questions we could not get to in the live chat:

Q> Is there any way to make an imported object damage the player's health??
A> There is no behavior that will cause an object to hurt the player, but you can create a zone that hurts the player.

Q> How does navmesh gen work? For me, it tries to generate a huge inaccurate navmesh for the whole level, or none at all. Shouldn't it generate multiple smaller ones around wherever you place assets?
A> Nav mesh is still being refined and works by creating one around all the static objects you place in your level.

Q> Is there a way we can have the option to have distance and density to grasses? disappearing & appearing grass or thinned grass gives one option. can we please have more distance & more density?
A> This is one a single slider, so more density, and less distance and vice versa to keep the polygon count the same.

Q> Once you have selected an object in object window can it auto close so that items can be placed more easily?
A> Yes this is an option you can set in the EDIT > Settings menu

Q> What will be the minimum pc requirement for it , i have intell Pentium 4gb can I work with it ?
A> We are currently suggesting a GTX 970 graphics card or similar as the minimum spec. Any CPU with 4 or more cores with a decent clock will do.

Q> Will there ever be a feature to add multiple starting weapons to the player?
A> There are no plans to start the player with multiple weapons.

Q> Will there be any animated trees for the tree system. Also, it would be awesome to have some plants added to the tree system especially for the forest and jungle biome. In GameGuru Max will we have dynamic vegetation or just static?, i mean dynamic is with the wind with moves and do not have the same position and the player can hidden there?
A> We do plan to animate and move the trees/grass after March and have them affected by wind as part of ongoing terrain work. Hiding in grass is also something we will be looking at.

Q> Will there be moving lights in max?
A> Yes you can move dynamic lights around a MAX level, they are entirely dynamic.

Q> Can the level storyboard be non-linear? For example, what if I want to move the player back to a previously played level without adding another level node.
A> Yes you can specify any level in the Win Zone so your progression can be non-linear.

Q> Will we be able to change the textures of the trees in the system or copy the trees and change the textures so we can create more varieties?
A> There are no plans to allow the trees to be modified, you can only choose from those we have supplied. You can of course model your own trees and import them.

Q> I tested max a bit and I think the options for the ambient lighting are by far not enough. Please add a functions that completely disables ambient lighting
A> You can set ambient light color to black that will remove its influence from the level visuals.

Q> Will there be breakable glass?
A> There are no plans to add breakable glass to the objects containing glass in the default object library.

Q> How to Add story mode in gameguru max? pls guide
A> We will be providing a series of video tutorials and a user guide to help you use the Storyboard Editor.

Q> How many people work on gg max by the way? I hope you get enough fresh air Lee ^^ I know what its like sitting on the desk all day and its not always nice
A> The dev team continues to grow, and we have about 5 full-time coders right now

Q> Can you have several links between a level. as in go into caves and out of caves and castles with so if you go in the front of the castle, and come out of the back you're in a different location)?
A> Yes you can have multiple win zone areas that can take you to any level in your storyboard.

Q> Does GGMAX have tri-planar mapping for steep terrain etc?
A> There are no plans to add tri-planar mapping at this time, but we are looking at the issue of near vertical cliffs and looking for the best way to solve it without hitting performance too hard.

Q> Any chance of projectile controls over an object like say a canon ball?
A> There are no plans to provide projectile controls, these are crafted by the artist creating the weapons and are tuned to perform as close to accurate as possible. We will be providing a guide on how you can create your own weapons that will include changing projectile properties.

Thanks for all your questions, more answers next Wednesday at 4 PM GMT.

@Lee Will there be a demo level release? meaning a build game demo for those who does not have Game Guru Max engine but want to test a demo level or game before buying this engine.

Shame about the trees and unable to change the leaves at least. This means many games if not all will be instantly recognised with a made with max. Which good for max not end user
If they give the how to then surely we can make the same. So i guess lod and info is needed. And hopefully there will be tree packs too

There must be more to life than trees

Lol
Trees is life! (said dramatically)
Seriously though it almost feels like they are making a game engine with no owm creation in certain ways. You cant chamge this or that and its all closed and unable to make the terrain yours as it were. There is a. Lot of potential to make a none samey game selection but they are restricting the optioms to make things different

Are they ever goimg to have the blending in the terrain paintimg or do. We have totally blunt none blending

I think we have to keep a few things in mind here ... keep a few things in perspective, if you will. This is a $50 product that allows you to create games for fun and, if you're able, for profit, too, with no real restrictions (i.e. they don't ask you to pay them a royalty if you make money from your creation). They supply you with a ton of content at that price - trees, grasses, guns, buildings, rocks, animated characters, a character creator, and a lot more. MAX comes with an AI system already implemented, a logic system, the ability to do a whole lot without coding, LUA if you want to code, etc., etc. ... and you want to complain because your trees look like someone else's trees? Really? I mean, the tree in my back yard looks just like the one in my neighbor's and just like the ones all down the street, for that matter. Guess we all got the same neighborhood creator program on discount.

As was pointed out, you can create or get your own trees. There are free programs out there for making trees and plants. And there are low cost and high-end programs for this, too. So, if you want to be completely unique, you can. But think about what you're getting here. And how much you're paying for it. If you went with one of the "free" solutions (like Unreal or Unity, for example), you wouldn't get AI right out of the box. You'd either have to program that or you'd have to purchase that from their store. And then you'd have one component. Now to move on to the next part you'd need. It adds up. And even if some of these parts and pieces are offered for free (like many are over at the Unreal store), you have to learn them all and hope that this part works with this piece and can I understand the way this person put it all together.

I don't think it's realistic to expect TGC to give us just about every kind of tree, every kind of plant, every kind of whatever. You get a few types of trees and a few types of bioms. Heck, I think we're getting a lot more (overall out of MAX) than what they had originally said they were going to give us back when MAX was first announced. It's not going to be just an FPS creator any more.

You don't like the kind of trees being provided? Well, MAX is still in alpha. It's going to be quite some time before it's really ready to actually make and release some games. That means you've got some time to either make yourself some trees you'd like to use or save up to purchase some trees or to get a tree making program.

@agent art
What ever, you have your opinion i have mine we both are allowed to make them. And i value mine.

So as to my comments yeah i like to make my games unique and as much as possible to my world. You obviously have no eye for detail or pay attention to the world around you if you did you may be more inspired to try and present what inspires you into your games. Hopefully you can see my point of view.

Agent arts I didnt demand more trees just to change the textures and i believe if you read it properly i said i would like a how to make terrain trees. as i can and do make my own stuff (check twin worlds in work in progress thread) .. Anyway yes i want a unique experience for anyone playing my games without already seen media. obviously some don't and as you seemed to become very patronising i stopped reading as life is far too short. But peace to all

scienceboy makes a good point - customisation is key. It really should be built in from the ground up.

We don't need a ton of different trees - just the ability to add your own to the tree system. Grass and terrain textures are in the same category.

It is the first thing any game dev wants to do if they want their game stand out as different.

OldFlak....

Didn't Lee state that we would be able to add our own trees to the Bioms at some point? If so, then won't we be able to customize MAX to our hearts content? At some point, we'll be able to add our own trees, bushes, plants, grasses and spray them, too, so customization is on the way, from what I understand.

Anything i create will probably be from a blank map.
Thats all i ever wanted from my days of mapping with other games. A blank engine to create a game from scratch with all my own assets sound and ideas. What is supplied is awesome and if used carefully can blend in well with what i want to create. The trick here is to avoid what others will be doing with what is default.

Definitely.
I want the steps so i can make my own trees with the steps and lod. The terrain textures i want to use mine. I wamt to manipulate the grasses too.

From what i have read we won't be. It will be locked. Means you cant make glowing trees or plants that can be placed on mass. Like pandora. Or be able to make unique game worlds because they have made sets

A bit like an artist having a painting pad but each page as outlined pictures on them so you can do something but the pictures already there.

They need to give us a way to add our own trees and textures and grasses.

At least c creator intends to give you access to make attachments to make parts for making characters unique.

I think this is going to be done, when? IDK, anyway, I recall something about it, even TGC will provide guides about how to, and templates as well.
The same is going to happen with the weapons.

Lol I pointed all of this out many months back, when the writing was already on the wall.......

Yes you did indeed wizard.

However i ralliedcto the cause and i will continue to lobby the ability to make our own world's.
They are making a sandbox game level editing mod.

Except save your own. Standalone

May as well mod skyrim or farcry etc.

There is a lot of limits at present i dont want fixed everything. I want to be free, to do what i want to do. And i wanna get reloaded! (primal scream)

Anyway i hope i am totally wrong and they will be allowing artistic feedom.

Well when i pointed it out, people were saying it is an alpha product, alpha product that, yeah I want to add my own trees/grass for the tree grass system and terrain textures.

I find the biome tree quality lacking, I do understand that in order to render a billion trees, there needs to be some limit on the polygon.However the texture quality of trees can be bumped to double of what it is now.

A quick jungle scene I did


vs





It doesn't have the same pop, compared to crysis, without the extra foliage, it looks even worse. Which is why I asked in this broadcast, that other foliage and plants be added to the tree system, this got me thinking that rocks and such, could really take advantage of the tree system as well, no reason why you can't billboard rocks and other foliage/plants as well.

As mentioned before if you can't do the jungle biome justice you shouldn't do it, same applies to the forest biome. At least they listened and made both the forest and jungle biome more densely covered.The overall quality isn't there however, which could be much, much better.

Being able to modify my own trees as well as add plants/foliage for the tree system means I can have a african jungle scene/ a Brazilian or Asian or indian themed jungle.

I think they also skipped out on the african style flat plains style of biome, and marsh or wetlands biome, if they keep on having the system locked down, if they open it up means I can create my own biome and save those settings, even sell a biome creation kit on store, or TGC can add a biome DLC to steam ect.

It has exceptional potential....I mean I haven't even considered the fact that you could use the tree system and make a huge, scratch that massive city, modifying the tree system with buildings if you wanted to, including adding billboards buildings ect as well.

The tree system as uses outside of the normal trees/ and foliage, I have a 100 and 10 uses for it outside of just trees, what about using it to generate and asteroid field, or an alien planet, the moon or mars as and example.

Should be called
Game guru max restrictions

When we bought into this itnwas going to be the same as classic but better

Now its game max with no creation

With max restrictions

Its a big mamoth show stopper and on steam this will be my review.

Of course i may be wrong but what i have been reading you cant make trees to the system you have shocking none alpha painting
The grass option is near and dense or far and thin. If you have a 3060 why not have far and dense. An option to the graphics options in the game menu would be a good aim.

But so far its like max as covid restrictions and a mass lockdown

If they give the know how and ability to make and add my own trees then im on it no issues
If they let you choose the far and dense with grass and your pc can handle it why not and be able to change the grasses too.

I really hope they sort the painting terrain out i cant actually believe they wont have a blending like they had...

Why did they remove the blending tool. It was working before... Thats a question to ask next Wednesday

Making a game creator that is already made is somewhat of a contradiction...

Its not letting you create its creating itself. They really need to look at the core principles of what they are doing. Its great and has immense potential yet they always seem to shoot themselves in the head.
I totally get they dont want their creations ending uo in something else. And i get that regards many things. But they also need to allow us to add our own creations or extras. Like trees grass etc that is in the core.

We cant change the leaves. Fair enough but i want my own stuff not thiers if thats the case.
Changing a texture on a tree in the tree system is in no way damaging to the model or system and could make some really good possibilities i hope they actually think about it. 1 tree used over and over in a game and then every game made will have the same tree over and over with the same grasses over and over its repetitive and will be a huge downfall.

I await the go to unity then brigade

No and if you say it i will be forced to tell you something and get myself a ban.

And so mods....

Now i have said this anyone who says go to unity is flamebaiting and breaching rules by provocation ?

I completely love the graphics of max, well it is a step up, but still behind the new thing called ray tracing, not that it is needed it can be faked very well with shaders to the point where you won't know if it is a ray traced scene or not.Problem is a fair bit of the wicked engine has been disabled or discarded.

For example this which wicked had by default.


There is still some thing missing from the graphics pipeline, that I feel makes the graphics really pop, like lights scattering and surface scattering, especially for foliage like leaves and and thin objects, and it is some thing again wicked had in it by default.Without the light scattering the scene is mostly dead, it looks good, but not good enough.It just needs that little extra push.

With regards to features for editing being locked down, lee did mention tree system, grass system and terrain system, will be opened up for users editing after the march release.But I won't hold my breath for it happening anytime soon, my feeling towards this, is that it won't go down well on steam, and pretty sure reviews is going to reflect that regardless of being early access or not.

TGC is intending to put the best foot forward, it would seem they are pretty happy with what has been presented so far.Visuals is still a little ways off I would consider presentable.Having the software temporary locked down for editing in the march release is a bad, bad idea.

If tnis all temporary then ignore my ramts totally

But i was under the impression that its locked amdnwill remain lile that.
If as i say i am readimg it totally wromg then i will go have a huge word with myself and be quiet gor the next year

Lol that is what lee said when asked in a broadcast a few months back, whether he sticks to his word however remains to be seen.....

Hey @LeeBamber will Gameguru Max have Hud Editor and a VR support in March release. And is there any plans to make character import from iClone 7(character creator) into GameGuru Max or allowing the gameguru inbuild character creator to export in iclone supported format. If not will will there be inbuild cutscene maker?

Character creator is closed off and dbo v2 has basically not allowing export of ccmax.

As to import not in the ccmax you HOPEFULLY will be able to make additions to don your characters like tops hats hair shoes etc

Ggmax already has an importer to grab models and convert to a dbo v2 so it will work.

They are - but not not till after March. When - anyones guess

OldFlak....