1. SPS Accounts:
    Do you find yourself coming back time after time? Do you appreciate the ongoing hard work to keep this community focused and successful in its mission? Please consider supporting us by upgrading to an SPS Account. Besides the warm and fuzzy feeling that comes from supporting a good cause, you'll also get a significant number of ever-expanding perks and benefits on the site and the forums. Click here to find out more.
    Dismiss Notice
Dismiss Notice
You are currently viewing Boards o' Magick as a guest, but you can register an account here. Registration is fast, easy and free. Once registered you will have access to search the forums, create and respond to threads, PM other members, upload screenshots and access many other features unavailable to guests.

BoM cultivates a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. We have been aiming for quality over quantity with our forums from their inception, and believe that this distinction is truly tangible and valued by our members. We'd love to have you join us today!

(If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us. If you've forgotten your username or password, click here.)

Neverwinter Nights 2 Forum News (Feb. 20, 06)

Discussion in 'Game/SP News & Comments' started by chevalier, Feb 23, 2006.

  1. chevalier

    chevalier Knight of Everfull Chalice ★ SPS Account Holder Veteran

    Joined:
    Dec 14, 2002
    Messages:
    16,815
    Media:
    11
    Likes Received:
    58
    Gender:
    Male
    Remove all ads!
    Here are today's Neverwinter Nights 2 forum highlights, collected by NWVault. Please take into account that these are only single parts of various threads and should not be taken out of context. Bear in mind also that the posts presented here are copied as-is, and that any bad spelling and grammar does not get corrected on our end.

    Adam Brennecke, Programmer

    Any 3D UI stuff in NWN2?
    Why do you need a 3D GUI? What will you use it for?

    Transparency and Alpha
    I've heard complaints about how alpha is handled with certain pixel-shader-based engines, which made me curious about how the issue is being approached with NWN2


    So, on a scale of let's say 'UnrealEngine2' to 'Shadow of the Colossus', how well will NWN2 handle alpha sorting? I'm looking at the "Neverwinter Nights 2 Red Dragon - Body" screenshot, and it looks to have some issues with the wings. Have these been resolved, or are we going to see this kind of 'punch-through' in the final build?

    Will it be possible to combine transparency maps with shaders, such as normal maps?

    Is this: Click Here being rendered in the NWN2 engine, or in max?
    I ask because it has an issue with its alphas which greatly resembles the result of forgetting to set "Alpha Source" to "None (Opaque)" in the diffuse slot of max's material dialogue.
    There is a visible seam in the hair at the top of the head, which would seem to suggest that alphas can not be used with normals.

    That said, there's a screenshot which shows a very low-angle light on a field of grain. Am I right in observing that the grain alphas are being used to cast shadows? That would be so sweet.
    The render of the Ogre is from Max. His hair, and his clothing is 'alpha tested' in the game. Basically, this means that each pixel that is rendered with an alpha test is tested with a alpha test function. If the pixel fails the test it's rejected, otherwise the pixel will be drawn.

    Yes, you are correct in your observation that alpha tested objects cast correct shadows in game.

    Brian D. Lawson, Programmer

    Any 3D UI stuff in NWN2?
    F L A T

    Ferret Baudoin, Lead Designer

    Current prestige classes fixed?
    A lot of times I only have a chance to skim people's posts. I should've read the original message more closely. Because I could've also commented that the Champion of Torm prestige class is being changed to the Divine Champion. Instead you get a separate message from me, which either is joyous or onerous depending on how you look at it.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 3, 2018
    chevalier, Feb 23, 2006
    #1
  2. chevalier

    chevalier Knight of Everfull Chalice ★ SPS Account Holder Veteran

    Joined:
    Dec 14, 2002
    Messages:
    16,815
    Media:
    11
    Likes Received:
    58
    Gender:
    Male
    Finally. But it wasn't BioWare's fault in NWN1. AFAIK WotC didn't want to accept that name and just shrugged at CoT being taken instead.
     
    chevalier, Feb 23, 2006
    #2
Sorcerer's Place is a project run entirely by fans and for fans. Maintaining Sorcerer's Place and a stable environment for all our hosted sites requires a substantial amount of our time and funds on a regular basis, so please consider supporting us to keep the site up & running smoothly. Thank you!

Sorcerers.net is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to products on amazon.com, amazon.ca and amazon.co.uk. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.