I think you're referring to the reflection, not the shadow?
I'm sorry but i do not understand where the problem is . Can you be more precise, please ?
Sure I can.
And this is just the way I see it, there really is no problem at all.
But on the Addams Family screenshot, the red star posts have a very dark playfield shadow.
To me, this makes the posts look like they are stacked one on top of the other, which in turn makes the sling shot plastics look like they are twice as tall as all the other plastics.
Favorite Pinball: Metallica, Addams Familly, Scared Stiff, White Water
Posted 30 June 2013 - 07:34 PM
Hi guys. As you can see, we did not abandoned this work, far from that actually!
We even have a name for this simulator but I leave it to louizou to reveal it ... Maybe with some cool video!
Speaking of video, here is (a very ugly) one, but which can show what I think of an improvment over the "BallStacks": I named it the "Subway System":
This system can be seen as a graph based one, with nodes and links. For now, you can see on the video that we made Kicker In nodes, Kicker Out nodes, Subway diverter nodes and sort of "Ball Stacks". I really hope this will improve the table's subway system design and meet your requirements... (We still can make an overclass named BallStack to simplify the transition of old tables though if some of you fear to use it...)
For information, here is the bit of code needed to set up the Subway System shown in the video:
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// Subway System building
float swL = BxSwVirtualBall.s_diameter; // length of switches in mm
// Main through
BxSwNode drain = subManager.AddEntrance("Drain"); // Main drain node used as subway entrance
BxSwNode pkick = subManager.AddExit("PlungerKicker"); // Exit plunger kicker Node
pkick.m_swicthSlot = 52; // Node switch number
BxSwEdge mainThrough = subManager.LinkNodes(drain,pkick,1.5f); // main Through edge link (1.5 seconds for a ball to cross it)
mainThrough.AddSwitch(50, mainThrough.m_length-swL*1.5f, swL*0.9f); // First switch on the edge
mainThrough.AddSwitch(51, mainThrough.m_length-swL*0.5f , swL*0.9f); // Second switch on the edge (making 3 in total with the pkick node switch)
// Diverter system
BxSwNode n1 = subManager.AddEntrance("Kicker1"); // Top kicker used as subway entrance
BxSwNode n2 = subManager.AddExit("Kicker2"); // Left kicker node (subway exit)
n2.m_swicthSlot = 40;
BxSwNode n3 = subManager.AddExit("Kicker3"); // Right kicker node (subway exit)
n3.m_swicthSlot = 41;
BxSwDiverterNode mid = subManager.AddNode<BxSwDiverterNode>("Middle",0.0f,1); // Diverter central node
mid.m_swicthSlot = 42;
mid.m_solenoidSlot = 6; // Solenoid slot activating the diverter
mid.m_position = new Vector3(-235.5f,(n1.m_position.y + n2.m_position.y)*0.5f,504.6607f);
BxSwEdge e1 = subManager.LinkNodes(n1,mid,1.0f); // First edge (from entrance to diverter)
// 3 siwtches on the edge (linked to lights)
e1.AddSwitch(11, swL*0.5f, swL);
e1.AddSwitch(12, e1.m_length * 0.5f - swL*0.5f, swL);
e1.AddSwitch(13, e1.m_length-swL*1.5f, swL);
BxSwEdge e2 = subManager.LinkNodes(mid,n2,1.0f); // Left edge (from diverter to left kicker)
// 3 siwtches on the edge (linked to lights)
e2.AddSwitch(21, swL*0.5f, swL);
e2.AddSwitch(22, e2.m_length * 0.5f - swL*0.5f, swL);
e2.AddSwitch(23, e2.m_length-swL*1.5f, swL);
BxSwEdge e3 = subManager.LinkNodes(mid,n3,1.0f); // Right edge (from diverter to right kicker)
// 3 siwtches on the edge (linked to lights)
e3.AddSwitch(31, swL*0.5f, swL);
e3.AddSwitch(32, e3.m_length * 0.5f - swL*0.5f, swL);
e3.AddSwitch(33, e3.m_length-swL*1.5f, swL);
// build the subway system
subManager.Build();
// Insert 10 balls in the main through
for(int i=0;i<10;i++)
{
BxSwVirtualBall b = new BxSwVirtualBall();
drain.InsertBall(b);
subManager.ReportNewBall(b);
subManager.DoStep();
}
As you can see, nothing to fancy. A specific editor can be planned though.
Favorite Pinball: Whichever one may finally get me back on my feet.
Posted 30 June 2013 - 08:17 PM
I think it's been already precised before !!
This software will be free and will remain free for ever.
It's not open source at the moment , but maybe one day it will be the case !
So you can stop asking about commercial things !! NO WAYYYY !!!
But, if you want to add some money to the donation, you are encouraged to do this as bilbox deserves a pro unity license too !
I think we might have misread each other's ambitions here, about what's expected from the end result of this wonderful project. I'm not saying 'everyone should pay to use or play it', and I'm certainly not saying 'I want to take all your hard work for the community and make money off it'. If the community spirit is the one and only driving force, then yeah, I totally respect that.
But I'm looking at this and seeing a great deal of long-term potential in what it could do beyond replicating VPM games, and what I would be talking about in the long run would be brand new content and fresh ideas created over time with a proper development budget, out of which every department - design, sound, animation, programming - earns a full and fair share. That, of course, would include the original engine creators who would have to be on board as part of the games' development team - they're the only ones with the right to modify their own software. And certainly, nothing that I would want to do with it should impede upon the community spirit upon which this new engine has been founded.
Ultimately it's Louizou and Bilbox's say-so as to whether this kind of game creation could ever go ahead, for whatever motivations or reward that they'd want. Hypothetically though, I'm talking about new games wouldn't ever exist in the first place if they weren't allowed to make that budget back, that being the overriding reason that the pinballs of yesteryear are convertible into a free-to-download form now (and by extension, why more current Stern games have been deemed strictly off-limits).
Hi guys. As you can see, we did not abandoned this work, far from that actually!
We even have a name for this simulator but I leave it to louizou to reveal it ... Maybe with some cool video!
Speaking of video, here is (a very ugly) one, but which can show what I think of an improvment over the "BallStacks": I named it the "Subway System":
This system can be seen as a graph based one, with nodes and links. For now, you can see on the video that we made Kicker In nodes, Kicker Out nodes, Subway diverter nodes and sort of "Ball Stacks". I really hope this will improve the table's subway system design and meet your requirements... (We still can make an overclass named BallStack to simplify the transition of old tables though if some of you fear to use it...)As you can see, nothing to fancy. A specific editor can be planned though.
Do not hesitate to send your remarks...
Cheers...
Oh, nice - so we have a five-ball trough here that actually acts as a five-ball trough where every ball exists at all times, instead of being created and destroyed as they're 'teleported' from one place to another across the field. Will this mean that you'll be able to manipulate the properties of each individual ball, and read their speed and direction, at any time too?
Favorite Pinball: Metallica, Addams Familly, Scared Stiff, White Water
Posted 01 July 2013 - 07:39 AM
Oh, nice - so we have a five-ball trough here that actually acts as a five-ball trough where every ball exists at all times, instead of being created and destroyed as they're 'teleported' from one place to another across the field. Will this mean that you'll be able to manipulate the properties of each individual ball, and read their speed and direction, at any time too?
Not really. Actually, the balls are also destroyed from th emain simulation when they enter the subway system, and therfore handled by a whole "simplified" simulation system. what you see in the video (in green), is a visual representation of this subway simulation... and it is not limited to 5 balls!
It would be great if you could make the new pinball software compatible with it once it comes out - it talks about the third component being usable for positional tracking.
Favorite Pinball: Metallica, Addams Familly, Scared Stiff, White Water
Posted 03 July 2013 - 06:53 AM
Thank you for your support! I am glad that you like our updates... more to come !
Hi BilboX
I am planning on getting this too with my oculus rift - it comes with two handsets plus a 3rd sensor to pin on your shirt/rift
Will this do the trick when you say optical tracker? Or do you need a webcam type device?
Hi am1001.
The rift integrates a head orientation tracking. Thus, to improve immersion, we need a head position tracking system. Anything should be fine: optical (like TrackIr),
Magnetic (Razer Hydra 1 or 2), ultrasound... (though some are more precise or easy to setup: it's a performence/cost tradeoff !)
But to be generic, I will certainly integrate VRPN: this integration is beeing done for Unity and should do the job... I have a razer Hydra 1 and a TrackIr system, and already used VRPN successfully in my former VR job...
However, HMD stereo is not our main concern for now, we focus on pinball stuff right now (physics tuning, FP import, etc...). But I can garanty that it wiil be a functionnality of the software .
If I am understanding the question correctly, I think a peg could be handled similar to a cylinder (capsule?), as it's only ever going to be hit at the height the rubber is located, so you should never have to worry about any other collision surfaces.
Favorite Pinball: Medieval madness, sorcerers lair
Posted 06 July 2013 - 06:57 AM
Hey,
I'm absolutely sure it is more than a no brainer to build a pinball sim and appreciate the awesome work! It's really exciting to follow the progress.
If I have questions like yours and I have no clue, I'm always asking myself how have other people done it before? Especially successful people of course
But what to do in that case ?
If i take for example this object taken from T2 table, it is a "PEG" so look at the result if a capsule collider is added to it.......
When i test the table, the ball can't go into the ramp because of the collider which is not appropriated to this object.
FPM models have this kind of information (that you can change with FPM editor, by selecting the shapes it will use).
Unfortunately, when i extract the table, i do not have this information, so that's why it's not so easy..
So if some coder had time to spend in order to improve LVR tools , that would be really cool !
If not, no physic collider will be applied to pegs, and the table creator will be obliged to add it by script.
What about an option on each object....box, capsule, cylinder, sphere, mesh or non as a collider!??!
I can understand that very complex meshes will effect the performance radically.
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