Extended sprite rotation in a future 8 or 32-bit pack?

[Meadows]

Is this being considered? Vehicles could be able to face 12 or 16 directions (similar to what SimCity 3000 and 4 do) and look a bit better, particularly in the case of lorries and planes.
Or is it impossible?

[planetmaker]

It will be considered as soon as someone has a working implementation which maintains backward compatibility to all existing grfs. Which is in this particular case A LOT of work.

[maquinista]

Is this being considered? Vehicles could be able to face 12 or 16 directions (similar to what SimCity 3000 and 4 do) and look a bit better, particularly in the case of lorries and planes.
Or is it impossible?

It would be cool having support for it with new GRF files. Also, allowing train wagons to have some extra length would be interesting. This property only allows shorter wagons, not longer:
http://wiki.ttdpatch.net/tiki-index.php ... ehicles_21_

[Eddi]

with some limitations you can use articulated vehicles for both of these suggestions. george has done some experimental work in his LV5 tests.

[Benny]

Eddi: Those are based on up/downhill roads, and not turns.

[audigex]

I think this would be a really great addition myself, and I doubt there's many people against it.

With 8-bit it doesn't matter so much, but for the extra detail of 32bit the corners really do let the side down.

As I said, I doubt there's anyone against it in principle - but the practicality of making it backward compatible is the obstacle.

[Eddi]

Eddi: Those are based on up/downhill roads, and not turns.

can be done for both.

[Benny]

Indeed, but that means even more sprites.

[Meadows]

Indeed, but that means even more sprites.

That can't be a problem as long as 3D modeling software are used - they give you accurate views from as many angles as you like, isometric or not.
Memory isn't an obstacle either, nowadays PCs have a lot more than necessary. More sprites are not a problem unless your address space is tight.

Speaking of memory, I tried setting the .cfg to 128 megs, but it always reverts to 64 as a maximum. Does this mean that 64 MiB should be enough under all circumstances? Or is it a program limitation? Might want to look into it when (if) a complete 32-bit graphics pack takes off with more sprites than ever before.

[Benny]

Indeed, but that means even more sprites.

That can't be a problem as long as 3D modeling software are used - they give you accurate views from as many angles as you like, isometric or not.

Of course! *slaps forehead*

[Bilbo]

That can't be a problem as long as 3D modeling software are used

Well, so that can be a problem, since many people draw the sprites without any 3D modelling software, in ordinary 2D editor.

[maquinista]

That can't be a problem as long as 3D modeling software are used

Well, so that can be a problem, since many people draw the sprites without any 3D modelling software, in ordinary 2D editor.

Yes, but They would create vehicles with only 8 angles, and latter, render the other angles and update the GRF file.
16 angles is a interesting feature, but It must be optional.

[audigex]

I doubt anyone will start making 16 directional sprites for 8bit anytime soon. 8bit tends to be almost solely hand-drawn and it takes a lot of the more tedious kind of work to make the extra directions.

When 32bit becomes all pervasive, it should be more common. The initial workload is high, but the extra needed to output in another 8 directions once you've done the original 8 is pretty low.

All of this assuming someone is willing to code it (backwards compatable) in the first place.

[peter1138]

Is this being considered? Vehicles could be able to face 12 or 16 directions ...

No.

Graphics-wise, it is simple to support, however the game engine only understands 8 directions, and changing that would, I suspect, require a lot of work.

[Meadows]

Graphics-wise, it is simple to support, however the game engine only understands 8 directions, and changing that would, I suspect, require a lot of work.

That makes sense, but seeing how everyone wants to overhaul the game left and right with AI here and 32-bit graphics there, I'd guess it's only a matter of time before someone upgrades the engine.

I have another question while we're at updates: is there a limit in the engine for sound? I'd kill for a sound pack with sparkling 44.1 kHz effects, even if it's just a digital renovation of the original sounds using a crystaliser or exciter filter.
Also, since you're a developer, can you tell me first-hand if work is needed/accepted in the 2D and sound departments? I've got 8 years of audio experience and a wide range of tools (also an amateur music producer), and I draw random stuff as a hobby.

Sorry for derailing the thread a lot there, but I didn't want to create 4 threads for no reason.
Back to 8 directions: is there a reason in particular why everyone draws the "horizontal" position as strangely long? There's not enough top view there on vehicles in my opinion (the top side could be at least 1 pixel bigger) and they're generally 1-4 pixels too long.
To the game's credit, at least vehicles have always been in consistent motion, in contrast with Simutrans where they jitter around every time they make a turn because of bad offsets.

[Bilbo]

I have another question while we're at updates: is there a limit in the engine for sound? I'd kill for a sound pack with sparkling 44.1 kHz effects, even if it's just a digital renovation of the original sounds using a crystaliser or exciter filter.
Also, since you're a developer, can you tell me first-hand if work is needed/accepted in the 2D and sound departments? I've got 8 years of audio experience and a wide range of tools (also an amateur music producer), and I draw random stuff as a hobby.

You wish to help with new sounds?

Do not hesitate and look at Sound replacement project:
http://www.tt-forums.net/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=35710

It is attempt to do exactly what you want - create new sounds for OpenTTD and you can help with it if you want.