WIP Beta released A new *CITY* map - LOS INJURUS 2023-12-20

There is more to GPU performance than just the grunt of polys, fillrates, etc. Textures, shaders etc. kill those quick, especially with low system ram that iGPU relies on, 6 million polys for a scene on high graphics is perfectly good target, even 1050Ti can handle that on high (pun intended)

Going for lower mesh detail is not hurting that much of visuals, but can help weaker GPU.

Problem with number of materials becomes CPU issue so quick in this engine, that I would think weaker systems might too benefit from higher polycount if that would allow reducing load on shader and texturing part, which is where lower end is seriously limited.

What I find interesting is that there are games where some maps use 90% of power limit from gtx1080 while GPU load is around 60%, but then there are levels in same game that use only 50% of power while being 80% GPU load, that is with same GPU clock.

Difficulty with my limited knowledge is to know what exactly makes that difference, is it more polys, more shaders or what, but so far what I have learned is that there is no solution, there are ways to balance things, but at the end it is going to be compromise where you have to sacrifice one or several aspects over one or several other aspects.

R9 290 4 billion triangles in a second and this is old piece of hardware:
https://www.pcworld.com/article/2049397/amd-unveils-hawaii-generation-of-gpus.html

That is of course raw triangles, no shaders, no textures, no effects, post processing etc. GPUs can do practically unlimited amount of triangles, but what else is needed to done to those (or with those) triangles is which get costly for GPU and CPU performance.

GPU processing power is such insane levels that it is difficult to comprehend that, however shaders etc. take most of it.

Difficulty is to get that power to be used, GPU works best in parallel computing, which requires big chunks of data, but again one has to consider limits of hardware and not to go overboard.

With iGPU, polycount is probably not the limiting factor, reducing resolution would not boost fps so much then, but texturing stuff and shaders is what uses memorybandwidth as well as processing power.

If you put single solid color to whole thing, run without post processing etc. You will be surprised how much polygons even your iGPU can compute, hence I have thought about map that would consists only one material, but gazillion of polygons, just to test where limits really are, but sadly making lot of polygons is huge amount of work and I can be tiny bit lazy at times
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Oh yes, iGPU @ 720p runs your map about twice the speed of 1080p and at some spots even better than gtx1080 does on high graphics @ 1080p. Naturally iGPU is set to lowest as it does not do anything better properly, but yeah, with iGPU 60fps is perfectly achievable on most of the map.

Also that might give some idea how well graphics scale in this game, there is 'slight' difference in computational power between iGPU and gtx 1080, but using graphics settings it is possible to run map pretty much the same fps with both.

Also WCUSA is roughly 60% of your map's fps with iGPU @ 720p, so there less polycount start to show, WCUSA test spot at lowest is 1.76 million polys while your map remains mostly under 600 000.

My iGPU can do something like 700-800k polys if there is no lot of other stuff to be processed (on a good day, when wind blows nice ).

I think that 1080p it is fillrate/pixelrate or something like that (I do have holes in my knowledge still) limiting iGPU as polycount does not matter much at all there.

And yeah, polycount does work as multiplier for shaders or shaders work as multiplier to polycount so they are always running together.

There is a lot unknowns still thought, but I think this can give good idea to everyone how wide range of adjustability there is for different kinds of hardware.

If anyone hasn't noticed, developer hinted here that there are plans to make some documentation about performance optimizations, which I'm looking forward to, upping the game, that is what it's all about
https://www.beamng.com/threads/opti...fferences-has-lots-of-info.57689/#post-955181

 

Glad they're going to make some documentation, I could have used it years ago, though, surely not even they knew well.
Yes, the fill-rate is limited by GPU core and also heavily by RAM speeds, which is why difference between 720p and 1080p is so much.
Faster system ram with lower latency or more channels = better iGPU experience. The iris pro actually isn't half bad when you find a chip with it on it (broadwell), and cram the fastest RAM you can get your mittens on, into the case. Basically, if my GPU blew up and I had no replacement, I wouldn't be out of the game.

 

still hyped and following the updates for this map cause it looks amazing

 

Spent the night texture editing.
Getting ready to do some ground-level highways, that don't have median barriers in the middle, and are a bit more aged then the newer counterparts on the far side of the map. These will eventually replace much of the terrain-based highways within city limits. Median barriers can be added in easily enough later (there will be pieces with them after I do those without).
I did a two lane and a three lane version of this (the two lane is 2k x 4k resolution, the three lane is 4k x 4k resolution). The clip at the bottom of this post is merely about an 800x800 pixel clip of it, as the 4k x 4k graphics is 21.3mb (!) EEK! *buys more stock in GPU and SSD manufacturers* ... so yes, I have been working on some things... (for notes, the checkerboard back-ground is transparent where it will blend with the terrain).
two-lane version not shown for takes-forever-to-upload-anything-on-DSL reasons.
Pictures of some ground-level highways coming tomorrow/ day after etc.

 

(EDIT) had an issue running dual screens, but if anyone gets lots of lag on AMD, here's a post I referenced:
https://forums.guru3d.com/threads/s...rivers-causing-cursor-mouse-lag.422104/page-2

Will have some pictures tonight (hopefully!) of what I am making. Provided every piece of software along the way doesn't put up a fight, that is.

So I updated the driver, got rid of the lag, and still got some sketchy black streaks going on in this game, just will learn to live with the sketchy black lines from terrain grass (only on AMD cards), but did manage to get a finished concept for the 2-lane highway stretch that will be used here.

Sections of the road have slight deviation on the collision mesh (to reproduce subtle uneven pavement), and the edges of the concrete are raised a bit (just an inch or 1cm or so), so going on/off the concrete during a high speed corner, could send you for a good wreck. The edges of both shoulders taper down a bit to blend with the terrain decently enough.
It seems to be realistic enough to warrant creating the rest of the puzzle pieces, thus far I am pleased with it.
Might tone the normal mesh (bump-mapping) down just a little bit as it's just a touch exaggerated.
This texture is also available in the mapping files for use as a decal road. I've already created a 3-lane version also.

Let me know what y'all think.

 

Added 3D road reflectors to the new set. Will try to make them a little more conspicuous, even 1920x1080 resolution doesn't precisely pick them up that well. This map is supposed to be awesome, not mundane! This won't kill on draw calls, either.

 

If you are using the candle, no wonder there is challenges to get reflections to work. Try this, it is really good:
https://www.beamng.com/threads/headlights-beam-pattern-realistic-v2.58757/

Or have rally lights on your Pessima, because those normal headlights in BeamNG cars are pretty useless for anything, they just don't illuminate.
Guess which one is vanilla? Still range of lit road is lacking, but night illumination is something devs haven't really tackled yet, that linked mod does fix things a lot though:

 

@#$% AWESOME @fufsgfen and here I thought 'gee, I couldn't be the only one who can't see @#$% driving at night right'. Maybe the devs own a Pontiac Montana/Trans Sport minivan/Chevy venture, I had one like it many moons ago, the late 90s early 2000s ones had absolutely USELESS headlights.


1st shot is high beams, 2nd shot is regular, road reflectors are doing exactly when they're intended to do, without emitting or 'glowing' light. Thanks! I will add this post in the other thread also I made about not being able to get the reflectors to work.

*note, 2nd shot has the color-corrected sky, it's supposed to be PITCH BLACK at night.
Once again Fuffy saves the day.

 

I think that devs just haven't got around of working night time driving yet, after they get their engine to be capable of doing bit more headlights than currently, then they probably work on those more.

That mod actually changes just textures of headlight illumination pattern, afaik. So when devs get around to work on that area it is certainly something to work on.

I did try to sort illumination myself with this car, but no computer on this planet is able to handle amount of lights I needed to add to it to get even nearly the illumination I used to get IRL, with some extra xenon spots and alike

 

Yes, the mod is much better. It looks even better when I fixed the normal texture the lights are shining on. Not so over-done now.

Too bad I was sliding sideways.


6-lane avenues are bloody AWFUL at night, oh my, they need to be redone anyways, but SHEESH.
Why didn't anyone tell me how AWFUL some parts of this map look at night??? I mean I have no one to blame but myself, but SHEESH, ICK, YUCK, POO! That's got to be fixed.

 

Another section I've been working on, to make use of some of the new pieces here...

Those same old bridges ('eh more bridges?), actually, NOT same old bridges, they're re-created this time to match the new highway kit. Featuring a matched road cant (that's the taper to the side), and less draw calls, and now proper reflectors even on the bridge rails, and new ends for the rails - good for launching cars!
I will take half of this and use it to update the old bridge sets I had previously, which weren't optimized at all (the bridges that contain both directions as one span ARE optimized, the bridges with separate spans for either direction of travel were NOT updated/optimized). This had to be done eventually, and so it is! This is the set you'll see quite a lot of in the map, both in two and 3 lane (with no shoulder on bridges) variety. 3 lane ones aren't done yet, they MIGHT be done within 2 weeks though.
The road grade in this picture, is the road that goes 'over the mountain' while going pretty much straight the whole way, it was an old one, it's been there since around 0.5.x game version.
So for trucks, find a gear, leave it in gear, and throw a brick on the pedal (or two), and it'll take you to the top. It's about 20 feet lower than the previous road-grade was here (at the point where I took the pictures), and much more straight VS the old grade that was 'whatever the terrain depicted'. There will be a large bridge at the bottom (past the clover-leaf, which will have it's own overpass much like this one), that will be possibly much different than the rest (it'll have a large super-structure so that it looks nicer).

Not sure if facing up or down-hill at night made a difference, so posted both.

A bit further back than the 2nd last shot, but it's starting to look better. Now that I've got 80% or more of one side of the mountain done, I can do the other side. Considering re-doing some of the city on/off ramps as they're awful at night and don't look that great in the daytime. Or at-least fixing the blasted textures on them at the very least, I'm not very pleased with them at all, ESPECIALLY at night. Thinking of going with more 'natural barriers' like drainage ditches / bushes, and using decal-roads for them that match this set, as the end result might be a bit better than what they are now (I am talking about the ones by Burger World for the most part, they're awful!). As much as I hate to rip up stuff I've already done, sometimes the only way forward is 'through' what I've already done.

--If folks have any input, feel free to drop me a line.
Yes, I did spend all evening on those rotten bridges. If I had a 'swear jar' every time I swore tonight at the computer, and had to put in a quarter each time, I'd be up to my hips in change, long since overflowing a single cup, or 5 gallon can.
I'd like to have the next beta out within the next 10 or so days, hopefully (this involves finishing up some stuff near the Packard plant, mall, and of course the highways I tore up need to be finished up, no one enjoys driving off a cliff or into a 20 foot high dirt wall when they DON'T plan on it).

 

Got another mile or two (probably closer to 2) done of the road the goes over the mountain. So it's done from one clover-leaf on one side of the mountain, to the next one at the bottom of the other side. I believe from cloverleaf to cloverleaf was 3.x miles or something like that, almost 4.
Going to experiment over the next day or two with a variety of uses for decal-road on/off ramps as they'll make matching things up much quicker, and generally look pretty good too.

The small bridge in the picture goes over a small but deep stream-bed that'll feed a retention basin for drinking water. It might even have some water in it, in one of the coming betas.
I will be changing the dirt path a bit so that it's traverseable even with the water in later on. There's no water yet obviously. I have to do some tests first to make sure it won't lag the heck out of the map nearby, as a large body of water can have a very adverse effect on FPS, especially while you're in it (that last bit applies to very wide bodies of water made with the stream tool).
I would like to put a dirt track or some type of mixed-terrain course for racing around said body of water later on. This could provide some fun and a good destination for the area. There will already be a race course for 4x4's up near the summit of the mountain. It will be easy to spot going past on the highway so it's a good place for it. No point in putting things in that folks aren't going to be able to even find. AI paths for closed-course race or stunt tracks will NOT be joined with the AI paths of the surrounding roads, this way AI placed on the track will STAY on the track until you move them off - it has to be this way to work. Surrounding roads will however still be unaffected and still be traverseable by you and the AI.

As per the highway being redone: It's notably less steep than the previous slope, so going up the hill with a truck should be a little easier, and it also crests a little lower, too (about 15~20 meters lower, don't have exact measurement). It still feels like you're going over a mountain, though, this side isn't as much of a straight shot for 1.5 miles up the mountain side, the hill has just a minor bit of variation. Going quick on these roads especially in a covet that's street tuned with a stiff suspension will have you feeling how not 100% perfectly smooth these worn/aged concrete highways are (deliberately, they are made to be old and worn, and hence have small deviations in the surface but not enough to lift tires from pavement).
For what it's worth, this is the same route, that if you stayed on it, you'd end up here from the highway immediately above the spawn point. Staying further on this route, you'd eventually come to a cloverleaf at the far end of the mountain/base of other side of it, and then a long bridge to the unfinished island. The unfinished island I'm still not sure what to do with... it could be a:
Race course
Airport (it has great flight paths, no mountains nearby)
Military base (these need highway access, which it has)
Large park
Amusement park (would be very difficult to build and would take a long long time, wouldn't be practical)
I am leaning toward Army / Air Force base, but you folks can throw out ideas, too.

A shot of 'Heh Island'. No really, it's got it's name written right on it evidently, from 2016...
That same route is the crude bridge here, leading out the bottom of the shot, past the bottom of the shot is an old-style cloverleaf that I really haven't touched this year, and just past it is all the highway I just redid. It'd be a really sweet local for a military base, and would make the most sense with the highway there. This is the 'rural' side of the map for what it's worth. The mountain range defines the 'city' limits itself, for the most part.
--Feedback encouraged!

 

you should make it into an airport, or combine the airport and military base together, that would be even cooler

 

That will not be the only airport if it happens, and more I think of it, more it should be this way - combining military base with small airport for fighter jets and helipads for cargo heli and such.

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Progress update for today/yesterday/tomorrow
Body is locked up something severe today. Don't hate if I don't have something to show for a day or two here, but I'll still try to get some things done up nice within the coming days.

 

All good man, your health takes priority over everything else.

 

Thanks, it does whether i want it to or not, unfortunately. So on days like this when I can't concentrate I watch a loooong backlog of Top Gear episode on Amazon, or just play a casual game, because my fingers don't respond as well for concentrated things like mapping or modeling. I will be back in action with stuff to show for it in a few days. It's a real pain when you want to do something but your body refuses to cooperate.

--Thanks for the understanding. I appreciate it.

 

ay dude your health is the #1 priority

 

Just so folks know, work is being done. I am about to replace some bridges here too, these long boring bridges made of mesh roads. The overpass is already done at the cloverleaf, and 3/8 of the ramps are done (the ones that match the highway, it's a seamless transition to decal roads for the ramps, which makes sense in both development time and fps-wise).

Both screenshots above are looking away from the island. There's nothing to see there yet. The very high bridge in the distance (2nd shot) is old-style and not updated yet. Will be a little lower, and on an angle in-stead of level.

Overpass Bridges are a re-skin of the new 2-lane per side highway bridges that match this set. These will go on to replace the older similar set I made that was much higher draw calls & didn't have LOD's. These bridges, and highway pieces (aside of some imperfect blending of the ramps) will be present - along with this whole concrete highway I've built up, in the final version of the map (also the next beta within a week!). So aside of missing some signs, and a few nature-objects scattered about, this is what we'll be seeing a lot more of.
I've been saving the donations from the kind folks who donated, saving saving saving, I think I will finally be able to purchase a copy of World Machine for this project (I won't use pirated stuff - period, it's legit or it's not it!), likely around new-years time. I will be able to give the terrain a professional make-over with that and make it look as good as most AAA stuff - hopefully. As I get more software such as World Machine (or whatever the developers use, I must speak with them again), I will be able to better bring this map up-to-par on what folks would expect when they hear about 'a city map'.

Did some more normal maps and speculars for the highway, so they'll look good too. As I stated in a previous post, I wasn't happy how the map looked at night - not at all. It's looking like I am going to be 'baking' some lights into things, and seeing if I can illuminate portions of textures as they did in GTA SA (I've been playing a bit of GTA Underground mod, it's AWESOME go try it now!). I want to use this for building windows at night and such, it'll keep FPS up too. I am not sure if torque can do it but I know it's possible to do at-least since DirectX 5~7 at some point over 12~14 years ago.

THE ISLAND... "HEH Island" ... It's going to be a Military joint-base, for the Army / Air Force branches. I won't forget about putting a Marine / Naval base in also. I have too many good friends that served in the Marines and Navy to forget about those folks. The Marine/Navy base will be on the other side of the island, away from this one. The Army/Air Force joint base will have a runway a good mile long or so, elevated above the surroundings enough that you shouldn't run into a light fixture/fence/building etc. Complete with hangars it should have everything you expect, even a checkpoint / entry point booth at the mainland side of the bridge. The bridge over to the base will be standard fare 2~3 lanes in each direction. I will likely make the base all one large object. The fact that it's significantly separated from the main-land means I can splurge a bit on the full-detail model and make it really nice & detailed, but the base itself won't make the next beta.

I also increased the land-mass (visible in the 1st shot) under the bridge on the right. That will be a sandy small island there, with shallow water around it. Don't have sand in the map yet but it will be.

By boat, by plane, by subway/metro/train or car/bus/truck, you will be able to have a good time in this map, with reasonable FPS, that is my promise to you. Thanks for the support on this map, it means a lot, and it gives me some obligation/goals/purpose that I otherwise would not have, VS being stuck in this house physically disabled with nothing to do - aside of play video games - that's unfulfilling to say the least. I love modding/mapping, so yeah, honestly, thanks to everyone for their support! I should have plenty of time this coming week to continue as I've been updating highways and get things wrapped up so that folks can enjoy the beta that comes out for supporters next weekend. Sorry to keep everyone waiting a little longer than normal, but I hope it's worth it.

 

Can there be a Alcatraz-esque island some feet from Heh Island (or any other coast of the map)?

 

In the previous two pictures was an interchange, well, the following picture is taken on the road below, which is 3 lanes per side, similar to the 2-lanes per side highway pieces shown above in the previous post. It's taken under the overpass, so you'll see a bit of shadowing from the pair of overpass spans above.

Yes, the reflectors are actually working this time, as they're supposed to. There's some unfinished rather vertical terrain in the background of the 2nd shot, ignore it for now.


OOPS, this was supposed to be posted hours ago, derp.