HDR Stuff

Okay, well I decided to download a HDR converter today, and for the fun of it, decided to input some of Fusion's graphics and textures into it. What came out of it was beautiful and changed a lot of the mods overall look. It doesn't look so dark anymore (like Blood did) and looks a lot brighter and more realistic. That and I'm working on a corona effect (like when you stare at the sun). Especially using HDR lighting with the skyboxes makes it so breathtaking.

So, I'm in the process of adding HDR effects into Fusion, and will also be available in the Sega version. With the Sega version, since we had to take out all models, this looks exceptionally good looking for an old engine, even though it's just all image manipulation. I haven't added HDR to any model skins in the PC release, I'm just taking it one step at a time.

I think I'm going to post a couple of screenshots in the near future so you all can see the overall progress on the mod.

Clarifications...

When we say server issues we mean problems with the main 3dfxdev.net server. The people at Yerblog are the admins and Cpanel in turn are their admins of the whole server. Yeah, kinda like chain of command. Haha.

Other than that, progress has been steady with Fusion, I implented a moving vehicle today (a train) that you can hop from car to car to kick some ass with...hopefully I'll get working on that trailer sometimes soon.

Server Issues and other stuff

It's almost done, but for some reason when we begin to transfer things over the connection quits out so the guys at Yerblog have to write some workarounds, or call the big boys out (Cpanel).

In response to the comment posted earlier, we have always been working on this issue. The Inc. was established awhile ago when we became 3dfx Development, when we assumed we would move straight to that (actually becoming incorporated). In the day, First-Person Interactive, LLC., did exist but ran out in 2006 (it dissolved). We could either renew that or start this up. The Inc. was just tagged in the very beginning because we ran off of assumptions. The managing guys looked at it and are going to change it for the new year (2008). Thanks for the anonymous guy (prolly Cheap) who let us know about that. Was never our intention to fraud anything, so we'll be reviewing and changing what we need.

So yay for that. And yay for some other stuff that's going to be revealed once our server comes up
-CA

Definition of a "Company"

Generally, a company is a form of business organization. In the legal field, a company is specifically "a corporation -- or, less commonly, an association, partnership, or union -- that carries on a commercial or industrial enterprise."[1] Generally, a company may be a "corporation, partnership, association, joint-stock company, trust, fund, or organized group of persons, whether incoporated or not, and (in an official capacity) any receiver, trustee in bankruptcy, or similar official, or liquidating agent, for any of the foregoing.

So for all of you who don't think that we're a company, guess again.
-CA

Video Playback

Is almost working. I'm not sure if I want to carry it into the PC release though.

Well the site should be coming back online here very soon. We're finally transferring all of the stuff over, so yay. Should be here in about a week or two.

Other than that, I took a look at the 1.31 vs 1.29 code and am trying to write workarounds to the newer features that Fusion uses for 1.31, for 1.29, if that's not too complicated. Takes too much video ram to render models and mirrors :/

/+\=...?

I just put two and two together:

linlinlol+leileilol = Cheapalert, he has two online persona's, apparently one is a guy and one is a girl. But he is a he, this is weird. Whereas with my condition I am the same person (just use persona's for legal reasons), he thinks he is literally two people, but it is painfully obvious when those two people are bashing our products in the same manner with no indistinguishable traits. Let me explain.

The character is half male/half female. That's interesting and this might fuel his hatred with me because he can't be comfortable with who he/she is; whereas I was able to just tell everyone and show it off, because if you aren't going to live your life and make the best of it to the world, what good does it do? He either feels he has to switch off between them or switches off between them to create some sort of acceptance for himself. With me, I don't give a shit or a damn who knows me or who doesn't (for who I am), this might bother him. He thinks I do it for publicity...well I do!! I refuse to live my life in a shell, no matter where it is. I want people to know me for who I am. Well, except my parents. I kind of avoid the subject with them but that's it.

This is the reason why I have to sign everything off as "Corbin" when it comes to this company because it's the legal name. Can't wait to change it.

Explains a lot.

TDGMods Interviews!

Coming soon are a couple of interviews from the TDGMods team, mostly discussing the general gameplay of Fusion and the hurdles they had to get through to come together as a team. They also discuss some of the methods they used for the graphic novel sequences and some Dreamcast stuff, as well as their thoughts on the current crop of games out today. You can find these interviews, once the main server is back online, at http://3dfxdev.net/tdgmods/interviews. And yeah, I partake in the interviews. We didn't have very good recording equipment so the whole thing looks like it was filmed from the 80's...haha. Maybe I'll splice some of it together and upload it on Youtube eventually.

Also, I should point out that if you really need to get ahold of us while we switch servers, you can email me personally at corbinne@gmail.com, or you can mail the team at fpinteractive@sbcglobal.net. This will change once our server comes back up.

Lovecast

Yep, it's almost here. The Dreamcast version of Fusion is being finalized, and although the PC version is well off, the DC version is getting special attention.

This is due to when the port was started. TDGMods contracted 1200V back when EDGE 1.29 was released, and now that EDGE has moved on to support a wide variety of newer features, it leaves the DC version in obscurity..or does it?

This was actually a good thing in our minds. Now, we have two completely different versions that use two different engine versions as well. For some reason it clicked in our heads that it'd be easier to manage that way. So instead of porting the model/mirror/etc code to the DC version, we'll be using the standard workarounds that will let us better adjust to the console. This also means that less strain will be put on it, due to EDGE becoming graphically more advanced. So, in the end, this turned out to be a very good thing.

As for the release dates for both, nothing is certain. While the core gameplay and storyline will be present in both versions, necessary tweaks, additions, and DC exclusive stuff will mean that you will get two different experiences on both platforms. So expect it here soon, folks. While a playable build won't be out for awhile, that will not stop us from releasing tiny alpha builds, which will hopefully garner enough interest for us to continue it.

So, hopefully things turn out good for TDGMods.
~CA~

Fusion update

Some interesting stuff about Fusion, that little mod that myself and some other guys are working on. Notice anything different?
Besides the gun, we've implemented the new HUD! To the far left is obviously the player stats (your character, your health count) and to the right is your weapon with the name below! It's pretty neat.

This project in particular has already gotten good preview-reviews. The people that have seen it and read the script said it's a really interesting way that we have brought all of these universes together, and the things we've done have made it seem less like Doom and more like it's basis, Max Payne.. I don't want to spoil it for anyone but if you're a fan of Max Payne or possibly Resident Evil, then you should really take a look at this game. I'm hoping to have a small demo out by the end of 2007 but that might change, like release dates always do. If you think the textures are cool they were done by our mates A-Spec Artworks, who are developing all of the textures for almost all of our projects.

Well, until next time, I just wanted to share this small update with you guys.
Ciao!
-CA
3dfx Development
http://3dfxdev.net

More troubles..

Lately we've been moving really slow with development lately. This wouldn't be because of lack of developers but a lack of general movement. When an idea gets presented people usually come up to me and are like, "Hey, that's a good idea" and we move on it. But so much focus and presentation goes into that one idea that somewhere, willpower gets lost along the way.

This has been a foremost problem in our projects. Mostly related to Daikatana II, where we had many great ideas but not enough people to flesh them out, so it mostly became just ideas, and with so much attention focused on them there wasn't much room to develop the "commonplace" for all games. With Psykotik, we instead focused on a single great idea and developed around it. While that game is still active the primary development members are currently battling "real life stuff", which is an unfortunate problem. I think we alleviated most of those problems when we regrouped, though.

Another thing I should mention is the restart of our mod team, TDG. Something I'm doing in my spare time when I just get burned out on Psykotik. We mostly work on mods for old-school games, such as DOOM or Duke Nukem 3d. While we won't gain any profit sometimes going back to basics reminds you of how far general design has come. While most first-person shooters are the same, tired old "find the key, open the door, press CTRL" formula, back when those puppies came out that's all we knew. So now, much more focus has been going into not repeating those mistakes, as the community nowadays likes to quote it. But as I said earlier, sometimes going back to basics can replenish your mind to be more open to all aspects of development, even the often-overlooked "dungeon-shooter". With Fusion, while not endorsed by the company, we can incorporate newer design ideas into an old formula to build upon what was already great. Of course, there is no commercial attention is it's really a love/hate thing.

So, we're still having server troubles, it will be back up in the meantime. Any email sent to the 3dfxdev.net server might bounce back. Make sure to make back-ups just in case.
~bye~
-CA
3dfx Development
http://3dfxdev.net

Server Crash

You all might have noticed that there's been a massive server crash that's been ongoing for almost a month. Someone got into the server and rooted it, so we've been helpless. We haven't shut down, nothing has stopped production, we've just been without server. The guys over at Yerblog should have it up and running here very soon. We apologize for any inconvienence this has caused. Hopefully we'll have some more stuff to show you when the server comes back online.

Until then, just be patient as we transfer everything over.
-CA
3Dfx Development
http://3dfxdev.net

Status Update

Hi all,
I realize I've refrained from posting on this blogger for quite some time. A lot has happened with 3Dfx Development and our projects. To kickstart, let me copy+paste from our official wiki for the year 2007 (up until now):

2007 found a lot of new talent and newer faces blowing fresh air into the dusty brains of 3dfx, including the inclusion of newer writers and other experienced people. Developers United has survived on its own thus far and continues development on Chaos Factor, even brandishing newer talent themselves. 3dfx once again hit major turnpikes when their title, Splatterhouse, was shut down by Namco-Bandai six months into development. Instead of abandoning the project, it was rechristened Psykotik, and work continues, although it has slowed of late. Because of the legal action that was to be taken against 3dfx, several members (6 in total) left the Splatterhouse project to persue other things, which left a bad taste in all current members (as well as any new hires). Also, to cripple even further, the company's publisher, ATBT, closed its doors and sold itself to 3dfx Development, with Boyd and the rest of the team moving on to other things (and other states). 3dfx once again does not have any publishers or managers for their titles, but the team remains confident that they'll survive without upper management. The move affected both 3dfx and Developers United. Chaos Software is not returning for publishing, either. It's only been 4 months into the year, so hopefully more good news will come to those who wait. The teams are currently working on Psykotik and Chaos Factor, and it is also interesting to note that a project, name "1292", was in active development by ATBT for FPS Creator, but was also disbanded. The game became property of 3dfx Development when ATBT was bought out. In May, it was publicly announced that Keeper, the lead programmer for Psykotik, was accepted into the co-ownership of the company, bringing the ranks to 4 members. In his short time as co-owner, several people have been let go/hired (by either Corbin or by a collective vote), and as a result, a total overhaul of the company was in talks. A few months later, it was known that Boyd was once again interested in ATBT, so the rights were sold back to him under a contract that ATBT/3dfx will remain publisher/developer until the end, and it was agreed. ATBT's game, Project 69, is being developed by ATBT and another company, supervised by 3dfx. Andrew began an overhaul of his game, renaming it BHF and dedicating a lot of time to it, which surpised the other teams. During the Summer of 2007, Corbin became distant from the scene, often relying on his team members for content. Keeper began taking a more active role near the beginning of Summer, but this turned into a loose role due to time constraints. Corbin also became more nocturnal, which began raising questions around his duties performed. Because of lack of progress, 4 team members left 3Dfx, while a couple more were gained. Keeper also became more active in his technical role, shooting down ports that were starting to take off in the world, and Corbin began to realize that things were turning into what they should've always been: Order. During the middle half of Summer, Corbin also got back into the Doom modding scene, taking money that should be alloted for 3Dfx and using it for his side projects, and at the same time bringing back TDG in the process. ATBT is expected to refinance the ailing company once again to help them bring Psykotik mainstream, at no cost or expense to 3dfx or Developers United. The first half of the year has been hard, and they hope to hit back in full force near the beginning of Fall 2007.

So you can see the turmoil that was caused, that almost ended our development team! Do not worry, ongoing fans -- new stuff is coming soon.

Now I must sleep!
-Corbin
3Dfx Development, Inc.
corbin@3dfxdev.net

Change of Direction

Hi all,
Over the past week and a half or so (from posting the Splatterhouse update), I've began to realize something. This dated all the way back to our very first modification for any kind of game we worked on: Resident Evil Unleashed. This can also be related to my personal first project many years before that, "HellShifter".
Anyways, what I've come to expect from our game designing hasn't come far from...say, REU. For instance, our titles we're working on at the moment...it felt all...too rushed, not really put together. I thought we were doing it the right way...but then I started asking myself, "Why are we working on a completely new project every year or so?" It wasn't the technology preventing us from finishing the design document...no, it had to be something worse.
I finally sat down with the co-owners: Brendan Doe and Andrew Grimmer. Well, actually walked around mainstreet...for about two hours.
While we were there, interesting revelations came about. Suddenly, right before my eyes, Splatterhouse changed direction COMPLETELY from what I thought of it being like. The design, story, perspective...everything changed.
Was this the problem? No...games go from design to design frequently. But not like this. Ever.
I was walking as I noticed that none of our games ever really took a solid form before production. No, they were fleshed out and worked on, designed on, and built at the same time.
This isn't a serious flaw. Our past two games, Daikatana 2: Shadowcaster and Daikatana 2: Edge of the Sword were moving along just fine. Although the latter didn't get very far with what I was doing with it, Alex of Developers United actually came pretty far in his conception phase.
...Why was this? Why has every game that preceded Splatterhouse never became completed? Was it lack of resources? No...part of it was becoming burned out with the design phase. This is where we crashed and burned.
I think that our previous games lost a great amount of momentum because we started production even before the entire design was completed (!). It all became too much; the technology, the design, the workers...that's the wrong way to do it.
So the question you may be asking is: Why? I don't know, honestly. Maybe it was the excitement or my lack of real world experience (or both).
When we were walking a lot of questions and answers became apparent. For instance, taking a complete new direction on Splatterhouse.
In essence, Splatterhouse was supposed to be a quick-cut remake of the original, nothing more. Last night changed this as we became more involved with the game than the actual technology the game was going to run on.
This is called (in the industry) a Perfect World Situation (PWS); where money flows by the gallon, games get completed by the second, engines that write themselves, and life is always fun. This is NOT true. If anything, it begins destroying your life.
Recently, I spoke to a friend about all of this and he told me, point blank: You cannot rush anything you're doing. No matter how excited you are.
I concur; in the past 24 hours, I have had a completely new perspective on how games should be made. Instead of focusing on every part of the game, only focus on one part of the game (before you actually create it). Write everything down as in PWS situation, and we mean EVERYTHING. From that point, start editing and revising to fit whatever needs you can afford to do. Regardless of game quality, someone, SOMEWHERE, will like this game.

This next game will be Splatterhouse, completely built from the ground up. No more speaking of it, no more hyping of it, no more showcasing ANYTHING until the game is completed...on paper. This phase, being our first ever, might take months, or even YEARS. We are not shutting down or dissapearing from the scene, but we're simply taking all material and discussion out of the picture. For this game, however, the wiki site will be maintained, and material will still be updated on it.
Expect a lot of changes in our behavior and the way we do things. We're still talking (even now) and things are already looking to a new vista. However long this takes us, we will be sure to let you know when we're ready to start production (officially).

You know what they say...Welcome to the Next Level. And I think we achieved level 1. Until next time guys, "Use protection". Please. I'm tired of seeing perfectly fine girls mutilating themselves over unsafe you-know-what.
-Corbin
3dfx Development, Inc.

"Rick, it's time to play again..."

http://wiki.3dfxdev.net/splatterhouse
Yes, you may all have heard that 3dfx is spearheading a new project called Splatterhouse.

This game, not a prequel or sequel to the first three, depicts the story of Rick Taylor, the main character from the first three, in a post-modern, futuristic world, where corruption and darkness run rampant. In order to move forward, he has to forgive and forget his past.

The game plans on being more of a post-modern game, in comparison to the last three, which were more gory, 80's-inspired locales. It takes place in a futuristic city where the buildings reach miles and miles into the sky, and at the bottom lay the Wastelands, where Rick is throwing his life away, until a stranger one day presents him with the Terror Mask (created by Dr. Herbet West, The Reanimator), this time technologically fused. Rick must learn to let go in order to move forward and stop the evil corporation set to engulf the human race.

After that announement, I bring you...nothing! Eradicator 2 is currently in production limbo as I gather programmers for the project. As Splatterhouse is in the conceptional phase, work is indefinitely easier than actual development, but it's not dead. By far.

Check back for more updates as we progress.

Some confusion?

I got an email today from a user who complained that,

"There's no fucking way anyone can understand what you guys are or what you guys do. You guys say that you make games. How on Earth can you make more than one at a time? And business applications? I haven't seen any at all! What a load of crap! I suppose that you guys are still making Daikatana 2?? And Eradicator, while it sounds like a good concept isnt going to get you anywhere or be revolutionary at all. what it comes down to is that you guys are a bunch of stupid assholes who like taking credit for things that arent yours. 3dfx? i mean come on! what the hell kind of insult is that! what a load of crap. Good day."

If I say it once I say it a billion times: if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it at all! I've gotten this kind of shit before in the past, but if you don't like the way we do things then don't bitch, and certainly don't insult any of us. We're doing this because we love to do it, there's nothing much more than that. You wonder where half of our time goes -- to fuckfaces like this! I mean, we keep you guys in the loop as much as we can but that's just absolutely uncalled for. Sure, he sounds like a fanboy ;) but I mean...you have to use profanity?
Anyways, I just wanted to share that with the rest of the planet. This is what I'm planning on going in to, and I have to start somewhere. Please, though, if you have no idea who we are or what we're trying to do, just stay away. This is for people who are interested in what we're accomplishing (or trying to).

MediaWiki Installed!

Yes everyone, it's official: we have our own Wiki. In case you don't know what a wiki is, it's like an online enyclopedia, much like Wikipedia.
Here's the link, http://wiki.3dfxdev.net, and get to posting! Look forward to hearing from you or about you there!

Again, more gripes.

Ok, so here's where the test of time leads...I am going to release this alpha version but that's the end of our run with FPS Creator.
Most of our troubles right now is our apparent lack of
a) Interest
b) Humans
c) Food

What we're looking for is serious people and serious commitment. I'm talking on a scale of 1 to 10 type of person, with 1 being "I'm doing this for money" and 10 being "I want to do this for the rest of my life". I would rather take the latter choice. If you are serious or want to know what we're like without flaking out, you need to get in touch with me. Better yet, CALL ME.
Here's the 3dfx Development temporary line, 1-559-736-4163, and our secondary line, 1-559-625-1407.
Don't be afraid, and don't give up! We need YOU!

And on a personal note, I want to let everyone know that I think I was being very very mean to CheapAlert, who is a respected member of the Quake community. Cheap, if you come accross this, I'm very sorry for all the crap that I put you through. I see now why you're always quick to judge us, and I shouldn't have taken it the wrong way. Cheapalert, please forgive me and my team!
With that, look forward to that alpha and more later.

E2; DevUnited troubles; New Project

Okay, so there have been a lack of updates, but work has been going steadily into this alpha to make it look and play better than it ever did before. The game showcases new weapons (not stock weapons from FPSC) as well as new enemies, and a weapon that every Daikatana fan should looovvee (hint, hint).
Not much has been going on with my personal life...I met this girl named Megeane who is really fun and vibrant. I'm having fun hanging out with her, so other than that plus side of my life right now...really nothing!
Now if Anita would finish the damn Demon character we could move on...;)

Also, if you're wondering about the status of Hitler Gone Wild (the new game from Developers United), you're out of luck: we experienced a complete loss of his system due to Water Damage in the office (the damn cat knocked over a cup of water on the desk into the PC). This means that he doesn't have a PC right now (he's using a P3 OptiPlex atm) which means that the HGW data is either
1) Wiped Out
2) Recoverable
3) Totally Fucked
So we're hoping for option 2. You won't see as many updates at the DevUnited website anytime soon but be assured we're working hard to get his PC up and running!
Alas, keep up with the forums because THEY'RE DYING! Also a heads up to everyone who is noble enough to keep checking there every now and then!

In this possible "new project" we're working on...I didn't want to announce anything just yet until it's solid, but word is floating around the office that we want to make our own version of Mortal Kombat. Everyone's been hooked on the game (Mk2 for Genesis) so it didn't come as a suprise to me when Mike came up to me and asked if we could do a parody of Mortal Kombat. I had him research it and as it turns out, there is a game out there called OpenMortal, which is basically a fighting game, open source. A game with no additional coding, just a recreen of our own actors and a couple of tweaks and a game is born! We purchased a big blue screen and we're currently looking for nice video cameras to film with. If you know of anything, please email me @ corbin@3dfxdev.net. It is appreciated!
We're very excited about the future that holds for us at 3dfx Development! Remember to bookmark us!
-Corbin

Yay! Almost Done!

Okay, so here's a little bit of news on E2: the Alpha is almost done. I just have to go through and finalize some key level elements. The executable will be broken down into optomization pieces based on your computer's performance. The Alpha will include 3 levels (all playable), 4 weapons and numerous bad guys (can't say much about their AI, though). The Alpha, while having almost nothing to do with E2 itself, is more of a continuation thing for the team to get used to the software we will be (hopefully) using.
On a personal note, I just left my ex girlfriend about a week ago so there should be more coming from us here very soon.