IMPORTANT: Big Changes to RTJP!
Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2016 10:48 pm
Well folks - it's time for a really big announcement and change regarding the development of RTJP.
Following some random testing on friend's computers, I discovered a major problem with RTJP~Nublar, the level I've been showing off for the last year or so. While it ran fine on powerful modern computers, a couple of my friends with mid-range PCs found the level to lag horribly. The game was running at 20 Frames-Per-Second maximum, and in the Visitor Center it bogged down to 8 or 9. It seems 20000 objects covering a 4096x heightmap just doesn't work, and the fact that the island is only 1/6th covered tells me that RTJP's original objective of creating a fully open-world Isla Nublar simply is not possible in Trespasser. Everyone has the right to enjoy our dinosaurs, and with the current state of the level's play-ability, I feel that most Trespassers will be unable to smoothly run the level.
Before you say "RTJP is dead!", I will tell you my NEW plan. Basically I plan to cut the original story and locations of RTJP into about 10 different smaller levels, each about the size of a regular Trespasser level. The story and exploration will be almost 100% intact, but the only difference will be that you will linearly move through the game, level-to-level, like in the original. Of course, there will be plenty of different paths to explore and things to find so that you'll be revisiting levels (or just browsing them in TresEd ), finding cool new stuff. Overall the core of the mod remains intact.
That being said, this is still basically another complete restart to RTJP (the fourth time now!). Currently, I've already placed every single road on the island, have made a superior and more realistic heightmap, and am in the process of laying down the beginnings of the first level. Fortunately a lot of the assets are already made, and, due to the substantial reduction in scale, I will be able to reach the level of detail I want with this mod - nothing to the level of Beach~HD, don't worry. This also guarantees the release of the levels as they are finished, meaning that regardless of how long it takes to finish the mod, you'll be getting releases much, much more frequently.
This version of RTJP will be the definitive final version. It's definitely doable and I am no longer worried about so many problems that I was having with the larger RTJP.
The RTJP~Nublar level will not be released in the forseeable future as it contains so much content that will be exclusive to the final releases. I will definitely however share it once most of the assets that are in it have been released as part of the final RTJP.
"Creation is an act of sheer will - and next time, it will be flawless!"
Following some random testing on friend's computers, I discovered a major problem with RTJP~Nublar, the level I've been showing off for the last year or so. While it ran fine on powerful modern computers, a couple of my friends with mid-range PCs found the level to lag horribly. The game was running at 20 Frames-Per-Second maximum, and in the Visitor Center it bogged down to 8 or 9. It seems 20000 objects covering a 4096x heightmap just doesn't work, and the fact that the island is only 1/6th covered tells me that RTJP's original objective of creating a fully open-world Isla Nublar simply is not possible in Trespasser. Everyone has the right to enjoy our dinosaurs, and with the current state of the level's play-ability, I feel that most Trespassers will be unable to smoothly run the level.
Before you say "RTJP is dead!", I will tell you my NEW plan. Basically I plan to cut the original story and locations of RTJP into about 10 different smaller levels, each about the size of a regular Trespasser level. The story and exploration will be almost 100% intact, but the only difference will be that you will linearly move through the game, level-to-level, like in the original. Of course, there will be plenty of different paths to explore and things to find so that you'll be revisiting levels (or just browsing them in TresEd ), finding cool new stuff. Overall the core of the mod remains intact.
That being said, this is still basically another complete restart to RTJP (the fourth time now!). Currently, I've already placed every single road on the island, have made a superior and more realistic heightmap, and am in the process of laying down the beginnings of the first level. Fortunately a lot of the assets are already made, and, due to the substantial reduction in scale, I will be able to reach the level of detail I want with this mod - nothing to the level of Beach~HD, don't worry. This also guarantees the release of the levels as they are finished, meaning that regardless of how long it takes to finish the mod, you'll be getting releases much, much more frequently.
This version of RTJP will be the definitive final version. It's definitely doable and I am no longer worried about so many problems that I was having with the larger RTJP.
The RTJP~Nublar level will not be released in the forseeable future as it contains so much content that will be exclusive to the final releases. I will definitely however share it once most of the assets that are in it have been released as part of the final RTJP.
"Creation is an act of sheer will - and next time, it will be flawless!"