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This is just a small update to let you guys know we're not dead

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I've had a change of heart in regards to those with less desirable hardware: Static lighting and DX9 will be kept, and I'll even add some new options to those modes. DX10 will still be ditched though, in favor of the highly improved DX11 renderer.

ddraig is back working on the scripts for the mod, and is making some awesome progress. We're rebuilding our framework (it became a sloppy mess, not the scripts so much as everything else) and making many optimizations and additions.

ddraig is using parts of OGSE as a new framework for the mod. We also have sprinklings of Sky Anomaly and Call of Chernobyl. Like OGSE, we're now making use of LuaXML, which brings many new possibilities.

I have to fix and share this with ddraig still, but randomized anomalies and dreaming has been added back.

We also welcome our new friend from the Netherlands who's name I can't seem to copy/paste, so I'll just call him Mort. He's a programmer who will be helping us with a variety of things, and wishes to write a rendering wrapper, but I will not reveal what that will be yet until it is further developed.

In terms of rendering, I found a neat trick with shaders that can be used in all Stalker games I imagine: the shaders support "techniques" with as many passes as you want. In fact, I'm rewriting some of the rendering to get rid of some rendering code that is now no longer needed, cut way down on the shader count, and hopefully improve performance further without sacrificing anything visually. On top of this in DX11 I removed light maps entirely so everything is dynamically lit, I've added SMAA T2X (Temporal SMAA anti-aliasing), improved volumetric fog (replaces vertex fog entirely on DX11), and since GSC's sunshafts leave something to be desired I am going to be adding Nvidia's Volumetric Lighting to replace it. Do not fear as it is no longer a part of Gameworks, it works great on both Nvidia and AMD, and it won't be as slow as it is in games like Fallout 4 as I will be optimizing it a bit more.

However, due to some restrictions on code such as this, going fully open source will be a little more restrictive, but will still happen. Basically in the case of HBAO+ and volumetric lighting, I'd simply remove that code and replace it with something else prior to releasing it, with perhaps an option to give the stripped code to those who are registered as Nvidia game devs.

We could use someone that knows how to use the level editor as I have some things that need to be done in the levels. If not it's not the end of the world as I'm starting to get the hang of the level editor, so regardless we will have some edits needed for the maps.

Update:

Forgot to mention: I will likely be adding in Light Propagation Volumes as an option for decent global illumination. I am also planning on using a professional service for translation of the mod into a bunch of languages.


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Armcoon
Armcoon

Yeah~This is I want to hear that. :D Keep it up, guys. :)

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Stolos
Stolos

DX9 support renewed? Quite generous. I'm grateful since it's some time more until I can get a new PC.

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Pr0nomicon
Pr0nomicon

Are you going to use a translation agency?

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Lоnerboner
Lоnerboner

We're looking into suitable solutions yes

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RRCM_Rico
RRCM_Rico

I am a bit uneasy with the potential loss for DX10 support as so far I have had issues with using DX11 in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games, or I am misunderstanding something with the DX11 option. I have not been able to get god rays (sunshafts) to work in DX11, and I have tried using volumetric lighting at the same time. If you can get DX11 to work with sunshafts and the rest, then great. In the update it definitely sounds like you are putting thought into the implementation.

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