December 18, 2012
Well folks, we've had a minor setback.
Last week, I finally upgraded my Operating System to Windows 7 64 bit. It was a long overdue upgrade. I had been running Vista 32 bit since 2007, upgrading to Ultimate in 2009 to get Remote Desktop Connection for monitoring my Far Cry 2 Servers. Finally fed up with it and needing to install a up-to-date OS on my 'new' rig I built last year, I went to W7.
Unfortunately, it messed up a few of our maps badly. Others were just slightly affected. All of the model entities in the SDK have changed to 'obselete'. This will require me to go back and place every single model in the map again - a daunting task. Other maps, mainly the Lab Maps, have been pushed partially off the grid, essentially destroying them in the process. Sections of them remain; however all of the models are gone and so much of the level geometry is gone that it would be wise to simply start over.
I have loaded backups and every map, regardless of date saved, is the same. At very least all of the entities, from models to NPCs to trigger mechanisms, are gone. At its worst, the levels look like a jigsaw puzzle, with seemingly random chunks of geometry totally gone.
Many people might view this as a tipping point and give it up. However, that is not what I plan to do. I view this as a blessing in disguise. I have learned so very much in my time with the SDK that we can only improve from here. Most of the level design I had completed was old, from my earliest days using the SDK. New ideas and techniques were shoehorned into old design theories and SDK techniques. This resulted in a functionl clusterf**k of level design and construction. There was also a lot of sloppy work left over from the beginnings of NovaCor. Heavy optimization made it unnoticeable during testing, but nonetheless, it was there.
NovaCor is far from dead, and will not die. All of our work will be backed up as always, and with no further OS upgrades in sight, only some game-breaking SDK update would be catastrophic. We will vastly improve our design, construction, and story. Work has already begun on more advanced maps and overall design. All of our old textures remain. All of the old models remain. All that is needed is to continue construction again. And I am already doing so.
What would be a death blow to many mods is simply a blessing in disguise. With all that Ive learned, being forced to start over with the maps is actually a great thing. We will come back bigger and better than ever.
I guarantee it.
Thank you all for your patience with NovaCor, and hopefully you continue to have interest in the Mod. I will post an update soon regarding the redesigned maps, and with any luck, Ill have some screenshots too!
YAY! Glad to hear you aren't giving up. Keep at it, looking forward to see the final product. (:
i really am amazed to read that simply changing your OS does all that harm to your maps, i can't understand why this should happen.
but i believe you when you say it did happen.
and you are right, this would mean a death blow to most other mods. in my opinion nearly all modders do kill there own mod way to fast, but that is just me.
and you are right, you will have learned a whole lot, so reparing and rebuilding most maps will make them better. from own experience i know that when you have to make a mappart for the second time this always is much easier, and for sure much quicker then it was the first time. although it is quit boring to do so, but that is another thing. personaly i rather create new maps as rebuilding old ones.
much succes with this!
leon
I agree; I had no idea changing my OS would do it. It may have happened when I copied the old Hard Drive to the new one; I dont know. Nothing else seems corrupted though.
Im actually excited to rebuild :) I spent last night pulling chunks of the old maps out and putting them into 'new' maps, cleaning up the brushes and optimizing a lot better than before. I was surprised at just how sloppy and wasteful it was once I started digging into things.
Things will indeed go much quicker now, especially since a lot of my time was spent making models and textures. I dont have to do all that now, though obviously there will still be some new models and textures to do.
Im really hoping to get some new screens of the rebuild up by Jan 1 2013. I go on vacation at the end of this week, so its a pretty good chance that it will happen!
I'm glad for you and also because you are determined to keep up going unlike what many else would have done.
You have my hopes for this mod.
Great attitude! I have really enjoyed seeing your work in progress and look forward to the end product!!
Cheers,
McKool
Check out my mods:
The Mutant Factor for Crysis and Crysis Wars
The Mutant Factor for Crysis 2
Glad to hear this. I'll keep following your mod.
That's... sad. You were doing so well with your progress and now you've been set back a long time. I know you'll pick yourself back up though, and your maps are going to look even better when they are rebuilt.
Happened to me in August '11. I know exactly what it feels like to have everything just *BOOP* gone. The loyal trackers you have will be your motivator to make something even better. Everything will be okay, man.
Yeah, Im reworking the layout and some of the aesthetics. Its looking better than before so far :)
Hey no worries this stuff happens you everyone needs to take some downtime and then things sorted out.
good to hear you're going to soldier on! Still tracking.