Hey guys, just wanted to post this to get feedback. It's a split-screen racer using the newton physics plugin. Now, if you've had a chance to check it out, let me know any tips or ideas for speeding up the framerates... on my X800 I'm getting max 15fps, average 10, and it doesn't seem that complicated of a level...

By the way, top player uses WASD, bottom uses arrow keys, right mouse button pans cam up/down, mouse wheel zooms in/out.

http://digitallyapt.com/files/racing.zip

Screenshot:



- SV

may be it for 'Showcase' ?

Well, you're free to take/use the code modifications, the textures, or the models.

I thought it was more applicable here because in the Showcase section you don't generally make the project free available for use, you just provide screens or a demo.

- SV

Thanks for it as contribution! I've heard the collision between two cars with newton physics wouldn't work - your demo proves the opposite!

Your roads seem to do the job they should do, but they seemed to change the slope a bit too sharply!

Relating FPS: Did you try to switch off the stencil_shadow? Do you use 3D sounds? (They can slow down remarkably!)

Another thing is the camera: right in the beginning a street above in the way of your sight to the car! You should trace from the car to the camera to find any obstacles and then set the camera closer to the car! There are tutorials about camera codes around in the community. At least at Grimber's site you should find one.

Cool stuff.
Thanks for the contribution.

I'm pretty sure that what's slowing your game down is having two newton vehicles at one time.
More than one newton vehicle drops the framerate a lot.

free... FREE! Thank you. Yes, this is the right place. How long you are with 3dgs ?
I'll download it later (at home have dialup), may be place some screenshots ?
P.S.
8 years ago or so, I had split screen racing game (can't remember name), played with my brother, I liked that 'old good time'

Yeah the collision between multiple vehicles was bugged - there are posts about it on the Newton forums, but basically the collision detection info for the vehicle was stored in the same skill as the top speed or some other variable. Changing the skill number fixes the problem (its skill8 if memory serves me correctly, so change it to like 18 or something).

The road system was kept simple because this will be used to teach a class to teens about 3D Game Design, so all of the road pieces are modular.

I'm just worried because the machines they will be using will most likely have less-capable video cards, most likely Nvidia 5xxx or 4xxx series cards. If anyone has one of these cards, let me know how the demo runs?

- SV

Why don't you divide your road in map entities parts and then remove in runtime all the parts that ate far away from the cars. Maybe some triggers to load the next part in front of the cars and remove the parts behind it. You only need the parts under your cars and a few parts ( more or less 2 ) in front of it. Perhaps this way you can save a few more fps.
Also, make all the blocks faces that are not visible to none.
And play also with the clip range. Decrease in a few areas where you don't need to see to far away.

Hmmmmmm, i think i saw the model and the car script anywere!
May it was http://3dgsmag.ma-pre.de/?

Yes everything in the project is freely available somewhere... the only thing I made were the textures from freely available photographs and the modifications to the standard Newton Car Template to allow for vehicle collisions and split-screen play. It's just an example of how to put stuff together.