Source: shader based rendering. Normal maps?

[jondy]

Just been playing around with the mat_normalmaps 1 console command, and I've noticed that there aren't all that many normalmapped textures. Stuff like the floor in donner would be ideal if normal'd- and with a year between DoD:S and HL2, which generally uses more, I was quite surprised.

Why do the maps in DoD:S not take advantage of a year's worth of hardware development and use them more liberally?

 

[Inflame007]

Valve wanted to save us some space?
or they were just too lazy.

 

[poseyjmac]

what i wonder is why they don't use more detail textures. an extra texture layered ontop of a texture so that when you get close it looks very sharp. the game alien vs predator 2 used them, source engine is capable of using them, yet most textures don't have them

 

[FictiousWill]

what i wonder is why they don't use more detail textures. an extra texture layered ontop of a texture so that when you get close it looks very sharp. the game alien vs predator 2 used them, source engine is capable of using them, yet most textures don't have them

*emerges from shadows in a creepy raggedy stagger* Thank you! They didn't believe me! It's so true, source needs detail textures, freaking unreal 1 had them!

http://www.halflife2.net/forums/showthread.php?t=53080&highlight=detail+textures+unreal
http://www.halflife2.net/forums/showthread.php?t=31704&highlight=detail+textures+unreal
http://www.halflife2.net/forums/showthread.php?t=25508&page=3

 

[loadqm]

*emerges from shadows in a creepy raggedy stagger* Thank you! They didn't believe me! It's so true, source needs detail textures, freaking unreal 1 had them!

http://www.halflife2.net/forums/showthread.php?t=53080&highlight=detail+textures+unreal
http://www.halflife2.net/forums/showthread.php?t=31704&highlight=detail+textures+unreal
http://www.halflife2.net/forums/showthread.php?t=25508&page=3

Personally I don't really like detail textures. They make the textures look weird and crappy, espicially when they just put a generic detail over all textures. They make Half-Life: Source look pretty bad in certain areas.

 

[jondy]

Personally I don't really like detail textures. They make the textures look weird and crappy, espicially when they just put a generic detail over all textures. They make Half-Life: Source look pretty bad in certain areas.

Yea, detail textures aren't fantastic; fine for games not taking realism seriously but for games like halflife they spoil the 'materials' idea if one detail is used for several seperate texture implementations.

Serious Sam 2 is a good example of this; they make textures seem more detailed close up but don't add to realism, something which fits the in context of SS but wouldn't in HL2.

 

[poseyjmac]

Personally I don't really like detail textures. They make the textures look weird and crappy, espicially when they just put a generic detail over all textures. They make Half-Life: Source look pretty bad in certain areas.

thats like saying lights make environments look weird and crappy. sure, they do if someone who doesn't take the time to do lighting properly makes the map, but it can if done properly

 

[jondy]

thats like saying lights make environments look weird and crappy. sure, they do if someone who doesn't take the time to do lighting properly makes the map, but it can if done properly

I've never seen a detail texture make a scene look more realistic, but then I've only seen then used in Unreal tech and SS1/2, so I might be missing something

 

[poseyjmac]

take a look at the carpet texture for cs_office sometime. it has a detail texture. after taking the detail texture out of the material file, you will find the texture looks like crap.

 

[DrDevin]

It is easier/better looking to just increase the textures resolution or just add more architecture to the level. Either that or just normal map it.

I know detailed textures can look good but stuff doesnt get different textures when you look close at it.

 

[Ames]

You can have more detail with a detail texture compared to a higher resolution texture and still only need to take up at most half the size.

I don't really care though.

 

[213]

i was wondering something

in css...specifically the map aztec...when you go to the ground(especially at the grass areas) you could see this weird shiny sort of texture. i'm guessing that's either bump mapping or shaders right?

it looks kind of like the purple eye looking thing in the gunships from hl2

 

[jondy]

Yup, that's normal/specular mapping, giving depth and reflectivity respectively

 

[poseyjmac]

It is easier/better looking to just increase the textures resolution or just add more architecture to the level. Either that or just normal map it.

I know detailed textures can look good but stuff doesnt get different textures when you look close at it.

the size of the texture needed to get the resolution that a detail texture provides would have to be around 4096x4096, while a detail texture is much smaller than a normal texture. so memory-wise itd be better to use a 512x512 and a detail texture. i think you've just never seen a good implementation. it takes time to make a good detail texture, and i think valve wanted to concentrate on the newer effects.