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How abouts would you go if you wanted to create a huge world with cities and all whilst having it really detailed. Is it even possible. Like in GTA 3, but with more detail.
Is there anyway to make the game load the parts of the world as you play.
Plz Help



I am working with a large City level - you can see a screenshot here : http://www.umedia.co.uk/City_Heights.htm

Although you cant see all the buildings in that level from the angle here - this is about as complicated as you can get or frame rates drop off to unacceptable levels. Biiger City levels I am breaking into smaller parts so One street of this kind is about all a level is comprised of.

Remember in this picture all buildings are just blocks - you cant enter any buildings here at the moment - one skyscraper with rooms and floors etc is all you would get otherwise - so when a player enters a building - load the interior as a new level. In this picture all the pavemets are "real" with rounded corner sections - these dramatically increase the number of portals in City levels as do details like lots of railings or fences.

Look at the skraper at the end of the street - the one catching the sunlight - its a mdl model not a block object - so try using actual mdl models wherever possible - thats if you cant get to walk into them as large models are often not good with collision detection and you can walk through them. Railing, fences and other details too - mdl models are best - they look better, load faster and dont affect the framerates so badly as blocks creating portals.

I have found large sprites for things like fences a poor alternative too which again have poor collision detection. In such instances where you got a lot of such objects use mdl then add one single invisible block over them at player waist/chest height so you cant walk through things and cant jump over them.

Hopefully the new collision system in A6.11 may inprove soeme of the collision issue with mdl and sprites I mention here.

There are other things you can do if you think about it to help decrease portals and increase framerate but if you look at this scene even if you double the number of buildings and detail entities for instance it would be nowhere near enough to give you an environment like GTA or any other modern major title.

Lots of portals (upwards of 5,000 - 10,000 max) and lots of animated entities (e.g. characters and vehicles), big high quality textures, audio and so on all in one level will grind your level to a halt. You vehicles will lose control of themselves for instance as the engine and mem requirements cant meet what the elements need - try it.

XP is no help either by the way.

These are just some ideas that may help - there are a lot of other suggestions around in the forum.

A6 just cant do it so you have to be clever and work hard to achieve a playable game of any complexity - that way you can make a city environment where gameplay is acceptable

Currently my City development is on stop while I access the implications of A6.11. At the moment it looks like all entitity scripts have to be removed to start afresh setting things back by months and my AI has gone out of the Window - Good AI in A6 is harder to achieve than good frame rates as it is now A6.11 has killed it altogether at the moment as it stands.

If I can continue to develop the City level to a finish When A6.11 is sorted then maybe I can comment further in practical terms rather than the usual theory.

Hope some of that is of help.

Keep at it everyone