Questions for Frictional Games

[nemesis567]

Hey, I'd like to ask the Frictional Games team some questions related to their game and its capabilities so I can improve my game modification.

1. Can you change anything engine related?

2. Can you add new handobjects, for instance, the pickaxe?

3. Can you add new behaviors to the monsters(maybe this redirects to the first question but...)?

4. What's the best resolution of the texture to use in Amnesia's materials?

5. What's the number of vertex an amnesia model shouldn't go over?

6. What kinds of lights actually create detailed shadows?

7. Are all the shadows dynamic or are any build before the level is loaded?

8. Is it possible to create particles based on 3D primitives(spheres, boxes, piramids and so on)?

9. Is it possible to add any text/image/progress bar into the game HUD?

10. What body does the player uses?(sphere/capsule/box...)?

11. Is it possible to create any kind of animated mesh and play that animation in any point in the middle of gameplay?

12. Is there any command to retrieve the player keys(if so, what integers represent the keys)?

I'd appreciate a lot if you could answer these questions. I also believe they are not only a problem of my person, but also of many other members of your community. Thanks for reading this.

[MrBigzy]

I can answer a few I think.

4. You can add any resolution you want, depending on how high detail you want something to be. But you should make it a power of 2 (256x256, 512x512, etc).

5. I don't think there's a limit, just the more vertices/faces the more detailed and the more vram needed to render it.

6. Only spotlights create shadows.

7. I'm pretty sure they're all dynamic since shadows of moving objects change, but I can't say for sure for static objects.

8. You can create sphere and box based particles in the particle editor.

9. It should be possible to redo the hud, but if you mean a progress bar for a quest or something, probably not.

10. A cylinder, if the physics debug shows correctly.

11. Yea, you can use PlayPropAnimation function to do that. Probably only for certain types of objects.

I'm 99% sure of all this.

[nemesis567]

4, 5. I mean, the ones that guarantee the best relation: Performance/Quality.
8. I mean 3d particles, the same ones that simulate fluids, or even soft bodies.
Thanks for the help.

[Tanshaydar]

1. They're working on HPL3 and I don't think they'll come back and work on HPL2 anymore.
2. It was possible in Penumbra, but not in Amnesia. So you have to overwrite existing one. Like Penumbra flashlight in my full conversion. No lantern, bu flashlight. You can't swing a pickaxe either.
3. Redirects to first answer.
4. 1024 works fine without any flaw. I didn't test 2048 yet. Also this directs to MrBigzy's 5th answer as higher resolution needs higher system specs. You'll end up having higher system specs then actual game.

[Googolplex]

I know, that here are many people, who don't like weapons in a FG game.
But I find the weapons and their balancing in overture very good and hate it, that you have not got back your old weapons in Black Plague.

You should have weapons, but in first line not for fighting. They should only be a must for breaking up woodern planks or sth.
You can fight with them, but you must not do it and it should be very difficult to kill an enemy with it.

You can continue run away, even if you have weapons. They should be very bad to fight.
In overture it was very good and the dogs are scary although they can be killed.

The game has more content stuff, if you have a weapon in right hand.
Please don't only make games with no weapons, you might could hide them good, that they are an optional item, what you can only find, if you have very good eyes.

[nemesis567]

This thread is not to discuss having weapons.
1. I mean if it is possible for a normal programmer, not the frictional games team to change anything engine related.

2. I'm clarified.
4. I've used 2048 and it works fine, but I don't know how to relate it to performance. I think I'll just use 1024 from now on.

[Tanshaydar]

HPL2 is not opensource and you cannot change any code related to engine itself. Thus, enemy AI & NPC.

For texturing, it's better to test on a low end computer.

[MrBigzy]

8. I mean 3d particles, the same ones that simulate fluids, or even soft bodies.

Well, the particle editor is used for that a lot. If you mean the realistic look of the surface of water, well that's only a plane with a water texture on top, which can be altered using the material editor.

[nemesis567]

8. I'm almost sure this isn't possible. But anyways. This is what 3D particles are:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXbuiIXu8gY

Watch the first 20 seconds.

Thanks for the help anyway.

Note: If you are not sure about the answer, please don't answer and leave the answer to these who are sure about it.

[nemesis567]

I forgot two questions:

-Is it possible to create cloth or soft bodies simulations in HPL2?

-Can you create a whole level in maya and import it as a single model and run the level efficiently?