Realm Crafter :: June 2009 Newsletter

June 2009

In This Issue

Faster Frame Rates!

New 3D Content Released

Pro Version Graphical Effects

Landscapes in Realm Crafter

Improved Standard Version

Video: New Player Camera

Faster Frame Rates!

Realm Crafter Professional
We've been running all sorts of performance tests and applying fixes/optimizations to as many areas as possible. We have identified where the slower parts of the code are; fortunately these aren't GPU side so mid-range graphics cards should run RCP in medium-high settings with a great framerate! In testing we have had massive FPS increases over five times on some machines.

New Models Released

New Included model content is now ready and can be downloaded by users from the Members Download page. The new content includes new actors, classes, armor and more.
The download is around 158 MB and is installed in the Realm Crafter root directory in the Model Packs folder. Animation ranges are included as well.

Pro Version Graphical Effects Added
New Post Processing Editor for 2.30

Realm Crafter Pro has a new Post Processing pipeline and editor. Post Processing effects are shaders which are applied to the rendered scene which can really change how the game feels. By default, we will include a bloom shader which makes all of the bright parts of the scene bleed over into the darker areas. We will also include extra effects such as Monochromatic rendering and color filtering.

Huge Detailed Landscapes in Realm Crafter
New Terrain Editor for Pro Version 2.30

The old terrain editor from RC Standard and the heightmap based terrains has been removed and replaced with the new 'RCT' library.
RCT was designed to give a great FPS for terrains of any size. It will stream data to
the GPU using LOD algorithms to reduce the number of triangles drawn and the amount of
video memory consumed. It can also stream data into PhysX in a separate thread to prevent lag spikes when moving around.
The new system will feature...

Improved Standard Version

New Features for 1.30
New input handling for Realm Crafter Standard has been implemented in 1.30. Version 1.30 is now in developer testing and will be released soon.
Features added in this release are:

A refined click movement control method

An alternative control style which works similar to different popular MMOs (WoW, Everquest, ...)

Reworked Character interaction handling

A screen aspect ratio independent interface

Tabbed multi-channel chat support

Addition of auto move key. After it has been pressed, the character moves forward until you press it again. Especially nice in WoW style movement where you can use the mouse to orient the character while walking.

Video: New Pro Player Camera
Smooth controls for better game play!

This video shows the new controls in action. This is the 2.30 Dev build with the new post processing, terrains and grass in sight.
Left Mouse + Drag will rotate the camera around the actor. Right Mouse + Drag will rotate the actor. Left + Right Mouse will make the actor run around in case you are too lazy to use the keyboard (which still has controls). The mousewheel will zoom you further from or closer to the actor; the closest zoom puts you inside the actors head for FPS mode.

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