What kind of Gfx card is needed? On my GeForce fx5200 I could not play at all… got a blank (black) fullscreen window then it flipped back to the desktop at some point. The whole game was locked up and I had to close all the cosmic windows. There were several exceptions when loading … looked like missing resources.
When it flipped back to the desktop I could try to flip back to fullscreen by selecting the window from the start bar, but it only flipped back for a second and then it dumped me to the desktop again.
I was testing on Mustang b90, Win XP SP2.
Yeah so any issues with fullscreen and locking at launch is 95% going to be Java3D unfortunately.
Actually this is one of the reasons I put this out now because we are getting closer to prime in terms of the engine and fullscreen Java3D seems to have lots of issues. Soon I will put up a couple alternative launch .jnlp that use other version of Java3D including the new 1.5.0 build on JOGL. Since that was still very beta, I launched on 1.4.0 the latest “stable” build.
If you can’t get it to run in Windowed mode please post your config, thanks!
No change, it the same as before. What you just described again is the usual FPS navigation controls. 
Works fine here (Win XP, Java5, P4HT@3.2Ghz, GeForce 7800GS). In game, i’m getting 60fps most of the time. At startup, when most of the level is displayed, i’m at 35fps. No hick ups or something like that. It runs smooth and works fine in fullscreen too. The controls are a bit strange for a racing game IMHO but work fine once you realize that they are fps like.
Oh, one thing that’s not so great: The text flickers at the edges, i.e. a letter is x pixels width in one frame and x+1 in the next.
Actually the flicker is due to Z-buffer precision. The text does not write to the Z-buffer so any overlapping letter won’t cause flicker (and they don’t overlap anyway :)). It’s the near clip catching the letters. I know this cause if I move it around it changes on different cards, or if I change the near clip to be out more it totally fixes it then, well the near clip is out more, which I don’t want. It’s also related to how each particle is getting animated over time, which producing enough variance to cause some pixle changes. We’ll be messing with that for next update actually cause it REALLY bugs me.
[mod] oops sorry I was informed that what I just said is not the problem
IIt has to do with the fact that there is a frame delay between the camera transform and the particle shape3d AND the fact that the vehicle never comes to perfect rest. If you wreck the character off the vehicle and he comes to rest, the test should be soild. As I said we’ll be fxiing this one next release IF POSSIBLE
[mod]
This is an incredibly elusive bug.
Try this:
At start up drive to the center of the level right where the deathballs are sitting but don’t advance through the text until you get there.
On my system, the flicker stops the closer you get to the origin. That says floating point error to me, but just about any combination of depth test settings as well as particle animations (like stopping it all together) seem to have no good effect.
Can you confirm what I just described?
Thanks
Apologies for the lateness…real life got in the way.
I couldn’t PM you with the error, too many characters, but I think the logging bombed out before it got the exception, in any case, ive attached it here.
I’m impressed with the physics engine myself. I found it difficult to control but fun to play around with. I think I would do better with a game controller. (hint hint)
Shawn, I ran it on a crappy old system (256M, 1GHz, 32 Meg Graphics card) and it ran pretty well. I did manage to crash into a pillar and my character fell off the flying thingie. The character sparked as it skidded on the ground and tried to float back to the flying thingie but never made it. It wasn’t clear how I was supposed to respawn or at least get up and get back on. The controls took a moment to figure out, but the old Quake days came back to me (mouse and keyboard combo).
Mike
[p.s. I you need improved particles, I have just the thing for you 
]
Just space or right mouse to jump puts you back on the gyro (unless it is during the opening text, in which case it advances the text util done and then puts you back on)
[quote=“shawnkendall,post:25,topic:27876”]
Yes. The farer away from the level’s center you are, the worser the flickering gets.
Ok the flicker text issue should be fixed now.
In the updated webstart version? If so, then no…it’s not fixed. Maybe better, but not gone.
No? It should look different it if is the new version. The letters will totally fade to red instead of yellow. Is that what you got?
The controls are not the best but it looks great. I can’t say I have seen anything better using java3d. Great work man.
We’re really surprise so many are having trouble/not liking the controls. They may not be typical driving game, but it makes it so easy to do rolls and stop-dime turns, side-ways or reverse shots.
Anyone out there getting them? getting good if them?
At GDC the working game testers that came by were rocking each other (networked that is…)
The controls just take a little getting used to. I think I could get used to it pretty quick. I hope my racing game looks half as good.
For me it was the inconsistency.
When you accelerate, moving the mouse left/right will make you turn
When you stop accelerating, moving the mouse left/right makes the camera-view change.
I basicly have to stop pressing forward if i want to aim at something. I would suggest to always turn when the mouse is moving left/right, and rotate the view if it is moved with the right mouse-button pressed. That way it is clear that there are two rotation-modes, without having to understand what the conditions are between the modes.
meh. controls are less than desirable. I can “rock out” the maneuvers you mentioned with normal driving game controls.
when in doubt, take it out! (or at least give us the option of different control sets)
Interesting that you say inconsistency because the controls never change. Maybe we’ll have to put a little controls tutorial in because there aren’t two modes. It always works the same way. Left is always pulls the vehicle left of the camera (strafe) forward is always forward exactly like an FPS, etc. Just like an FPS, if you always run you will run right into your target if you aim at it.
An alternate control config is a good idea for those expecting to turn with the keyboard.
For clarity:
moving the mouse left/right makes the camera-view change - this is the only thing the mouse does, and always.
keys accelerate from the camera forward, left, right, back, always.
Nothing else is happening
So this is GREAT, I mean this kind of feedback. We will set up some alternate controls and maybe even a poll or people could just post here there favorite control scheme and we’ll see we can make of it.
For our testing, no other control scheme has this much control, the ability to drive, aim and shoot in one simple system. In fact, unlike a FPS the mouse really only goes left or right so you have no up/down shake that bothers allot of people. And without a mouse turning, you are stuck with keys which being digital make precision steering jumpy, a’ la Mario Cart on DS or other. If you play that you know, it’s tap tap tap, except in slides…(oh and on a side note, we are not doing controllers, this is web launchable kind of thing people already have the hand on the mouse, etc.etc. sorry!)
Anywho thanks for all, the feedbeack for sure. and keep it coming!