The Wireframe Debate in Titanium.

[thecrankyhermit]

(Edited by Moderator to provide a new thread on the subject)

Actually, I do have a Mercs question, though it's probably a non-issue. On the DOS CD, the music tracks are longer and definitely more complete, but they seem to end abruptly. Is this normal?

Also, what does "completed wireframe" mean? I know what a wireframe is, but I don't understand what you mean by saying that Titanium lacks it.

[Sir MMPD Radick]

The lasers in the titanium wireframe do not show up. The team that created titanium never completed wireframe because they ran out of funding and had to release titanium half finished or not at all.. (Information from the usenet posts back in 1998 by the devs). The primary issue is the weapons balance.
All three of the games are using the mercs code base, so all of them have the same issues as mercs has.

On the DOS CD, the music tracks are longer and definitely more complete, but they seem to end abruptly.

Could you be more specific please? I am not sure I understand what you mean by abruptly... what context?

[thecrankyhermit]

The lasers in the titanium wireframe do not show up.

I'm still not quite sure what you mean by this. Are you saying that there is no 3D model for laser guns, that laser guns are invisible?

As for the music, I mean that the music just doesn't sound like it came to an end. On each of the first few tracks, there's no coda, outro, or fade-out. The last section is a refrain, and after the last note of the refrain plays, that's the end of the track. No more. Professionally composed music pretty much always has a bridge after the last refrain, and then an "end" passage.

[Sir MMPD Radick]

*shrugs* Dunno.

As for the lasers... I would say that the lasers are simply not showing up... wireframe is exactly what it sounds like the wire frame of the models already on the screen least that is what I would assume.
I doubt that they would have separate models. I could be easily wrong though.

[thecrankyhermit]

The lasers look fine to me.
http://www.box.net/shared/pn0ih342kj

Are they supposed to look different?

[Sir MMPD Radick]

That is not wireframe though. Wireframe in titanium is disabled by default. Need to alter the input.map in order to enable it.

This is Wireframe.

[thecrankyhermit]

Ok, I didn't understand. So, you're saying that in wireframe mode, you don't see the lasers? If that's what you mean, I'm not sure what the problem is. Wireframe mode doesn't look or sound like it's meant to be one of the game's features.

[Sir MMPD Radick]

Yes, it was supposed to be a major game feature.
That is one of the most important aspects of the game especially in multiplayer.
Without Wireframe players cannot see a damage report online since radar is almost always off.
Nor can a player see mechs coming in the distance very well at a glance.

Is it a game killer? No, but it is very sad to see an original feature is half complete.
Truly I would rather not argue over Titanium it is not that important. All that I wish to point out is that there is a difference between what was given originaly and what actually came out with the final product. Many people that played the previous versions of the game were very dissapointed with the Titanium edition for a multitude of reasons and that is primarily why Titanium did not get as many people playing it in multiplayer. People who had never played the previous versions in the past took to Titanium because it had new graphics, but the 'old players' refused(generally)to take it on because of gameplay.

More on the Titanium wireframe debate from the original source.

btw Cyril you are in this thread as well by chance LOL

[Col.Kell]

A little bit unrelated, but, In the Windows Pentium Edition of MW2, does anyone ever pause in the middle of their game using ESC key and come back to their computer an hour or so later to find the heat meter flooded with red?