Since joining the Petrograd team, I have been very busy learning new things. However, before joining this team, I started out with just level design with the Sandbox 2 program using Cryengine 2. In Crysis, the thing that really astounded me was the vegetation and how it was rendered. One day, around a year after I had been working with Sandbox 2, I saw a modification being created by a member in Crymod who had created some very realistic forest scenes with custom-modeled vegetation, but he disappeared. Then, another member made an equally impressive forest and he stuck around.
I started looking into how low poly vegetation is created, and then when I found out how simple the basic concept was, I realized that the rest was just going to be up to me and experimentation. Since then I have been able to create lush forest environments with detailed ground-level plants and I have finally gotten a bit of a knack for making trees, although they are much, much harder than ground-level vegetation. The diffuse textures and geometry really have to have a good balance to come together and create realistic vegetation.
My work so far can be seen in Petrograd's August update.
Do you mean Khenaz with the disappeared member?
He got back under the name "test", didn't he? ^^
Oh and btw, I didn't know you are a Type 3 developer :/
Unfortunately, Khenaz aka test disappeared soon after appearing as test.
Yes, I am the Lead Game Designer for Type 3.
I can see some great work in the forest shots for that update. The only problem I have with these kinds of environments is the trees. They are what break the false reality for me and for a couple of reasons:
-Common to these kinds of environments, from a front or side view of a tree the edge can be distinguished quite clearly., especially when all branches are given similar angles to the branches.
-The indistinguishable layering of the branches. Nothing clearly pushes out or looks to be infront of anything else. It's the lighting that seems to be needing a slight touchup (some more AO or final gathering/global illumination). The same effect is needed for the shrubbery.
These could just be issues I have with the cryengine in general (Global Illumination and final gathering to make the bounce light MAKE MORE SENSE to me), but that is really my ONLY problem.
Really, most players won't notice anything ingame because they aren't as critical as I tend to be, especially towards this engine. Please don't take these as insults, I'm only trying to cause improvement!
Those shots... are extremely old, to say the least. Here's a more up to date shot of stuff I have done. Img72.imageshack.us