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EXO-6 Showcases Star Trek Figure Prototypes, New Full-Size Costume Replicas at STLV
  • I would just like them to finally release the Boimler and Mariner statues that have been on pre-order since October 2023 and for which the release date keeeeeeeeeeps slipping. Q2 2024 was the last we heard, but that’s definitely some time ago. Again.

    Not impressed with Exo-6. They have my money (granted, a 25 USD pre-order) and have delivered NOTHING for almost a year now. Original planned release was Q4 2023 back when I ordered.

  • [SOLVED] How to apply a shader to a sprite without it becoming a rectangle?
  • This worked perfectly - thank you!!

    For anyone else looking here later, the final shader code (confirmed working Godot 4.2) is:

    shader_type canvas_item;
    
    uniform sampler2D screen_texture : hint_screen_texture;
    uniform vec4 water_color : source_color;
    uniform sampler2D wave_noise : repeat_enable;
    
    void fragment() {
    	vec2 water_wave = (texture(wave_noise, UV * TIME * 0.02).rg - 0.5) * 0.02;
    	vec2 uv = vec2(SCREEN_UV.x , SCREEN_UV.y - UV.y) + water_wave;
    	vec4 color = texture(screen_texture, uv);
    	float mix_value = 1.0 - UV.y;
    
    	float avg_color = (color.r + color.g + color.b) / 3.0;
    	avg_color = pow(avg_color, 1.4);
    	mix_value += avg_color;
    
    	mix_value = clamp(mix_value, 0.0, 0.7);
    	COLOR = vec4(mix(water_color, color, mix_value).rgb, texture(TEXTURE, UV).a);
    }
    

    Credits to Single-mindedRyan for creating this shader in the first place.

  • [SOLVED] How to apply a shader to a sprite without it becoming a rectangle?

    I have been looking for a 2D reflective water shader for some time and was delighted to see that this tutorial was posted on YouTube to create just that:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPr5PvSgxFo

    I've had a go at implementing it and have got the reflective water rendering. It's very "Kingdom: Two Crowns" like when spread across the full width of the scene.

    However, as you can see from the image above, I've drawn a pond (as a separate Sprite2D) and I've applied the water shader to the pond. It's done that, but draws the water as a rectangle.

    Is there a way to apply this shader to the Sprite2D, but conform to the actual sprite (only the light blue), rather than as a rectangle?

    3
    [Solved?] Alan Wake 2 - Performance seems poorer than it should be?
  • I'd done that a few days ago, but you're right, not specifically to these suggestions. I tried the export VKD3D_DISABLE_EXTENSIONS=VK_EXT_mesh_shader VKD3D_FEATURE_LEVEL=12_0 VKD3D_SHADER_MODEL=6_5 %command% and variations of it. It reduced performance significantly, so would not suggest people on more recent Mesa versions try this anymore. When I looked into it, it seemed to mainly be in place for Mesa 22.x which was still lacking mesh shader support.

  • [Solved?] Alan Wake 2 - Performance seems poorer than it should be?
  • Thought I'd post an update. Performance is better now, playing in 1440p with FSR2 on Balanced, graphic settings on Medium. I'm getting around 45FPS.

    I'm not quite sure what the fix was in the end, but I've installed proton-ge-custom-bin from the AUR, so I've got Proton GE installed onto my system (not just within Heroic). Both the AUR and Heroic are on Proton-GE 9.7. I then added the AlanWake2.exe file to Steam, and forced compatibility to use Proton GE. So whatever extra was happening with Heroic was taken away.

    I tried changing my Mesa drivers, but it appears Manjaro is even with the nonfree repo at this point, so I'm still on Mesa 24.1.1, only on the Manjaro-approved version, not the mainline Arch version.

    It appears that somewhere within that combination of (1) running the game directly from Steam, (2) using the system-installed Proton-GE package, and (3) reverting to the Manjaro Mesa package the framerate got bumped from lower 20-s to mid-40s. CPU and GPU usage still hover around the 40%, so I feel there would be more improvement to be had perhaps?

    I tested the game on my second PC, which is running ChimeraOS, has a 5800X3D chip, 32Gb RAM and a 7600 XT card, where it's easily hitting these framerates and better (but with higher GPU usage, hardly any CPU usage, that 5800X3D is a beast). So I wonder if my 10700K might be a bit of a bottleneck? ChimeraOS' version of Mesa is on 23.2 so maybe there are just some kinks to be worked out in the 24.1 branch?

    Anyway.... long story short: I'm happy with the overall performance at this point. Happy to dive into the Overlap and deal with Nightingale!

  • [Solved?] Alan Wake 2 - Performance seems poorer than it should be?
  • These all sounds like good ideas to play with, thanks! I'll have a go later tonight and will update here. It would be bonkers if the mesh shaders were at fault, since I got my 7800XT specifically for that feature...

  • [Solved?] Alan Wake 2 - Performance seems poorer than it should be?
  • Hi, sorry, the non-free is a very Manjaro-specific thing.

    TLDR: They removed a lot of proprietary video codecs from Mesa, which means that Manjaro's Mesa tends to lag behind the Arch repo. By using nonfree, the Mesa installation is pulled and compiled straight from Arch.

    So yes, I'm using RADV through Mesa 24.1.1 instead of version 23.x (which is where Manjaro is still at). I wanted to be on a newer version since 24.x packed in a lot of 7000XT improvements.

    Out of curiosity, have you tried AW2 with your 7800XT? How does it run for you?

  • [Solved?] Alan Wake 2 - Performance seems poorer than it should be?

    I was wondering if anyone could offer some insights.

    Bit the bullet and purchased Alan Wake 2 on the Epic Game Store. With the DLC on the way I just can't wait any longer and maybe this one will never come to Steam? (With Epic as publishers, who knows)

    I've installed Heroic Game Launcher, downloaded the latest Wine-GE and Proton-GE, downloaded the game and managed to get it running. Tried it with both Wine-GE and Proton-GE. No noticeable difference.

    My specs:

    • Intel Core i7 10700K
    • 48Gb RAM
    • Radeon RX 7800 XT 16Gb
    • Manjaro Linux, kernel 6.9
    • Mesa 24.1.1 (using the mesa-nonfree repo)
    • Game is installed on my 1TB NVME drive

    I'm running things on Medium/High, with FSR2 on Balanced, in 2560x1440

    No raytracing enabled anywhere.

    Honestly, it doesn't matter what resolution I choose. Even when running is 720p on Low, the framerate is the same.

    I get around 27 fps with regular dips into the lower 15-20 when I spin the camera around quickly.

    I've finished the first chapter (just in the morgue) and the framerate got choppier and choppier. I get Bright Falls has a lot more going on than the intro woodsy bit. But at this rate, I'm just not sure what to do.

    When I look at other people on YouTube, their framerates are much higher. Even on Linux. And with less powerful hardware. Other games run MUCH faster. I get AW2 is demanding, but I can play CP2077: Phantom Liberty at 140+ fps in Dog Town on High in 1440p with FSR2 enabled, so I don't feel that AW2 should tank my PC that hard.

    Is there something I'm overlooking here? I've tried the CyberFSR as well, made no noticeable difference.

    Mangohud shows my CPU is consistently around 50% and my GPU is around 40% so there's definitely room to push things more, I feel. So why isn't AW2 using these resources?

    Any help would be greatly appreciated. I love this game and want to play it, but the framerate is stopping me from really enjoying it.

    12
    Canon Connections: DIS 5x10 - Life, Itself
  • I think Burnham was referencing Book, not Tyler, when she said she knows what it’s like to lose someone but got him back. Book died during the final events of 10C, but they magically zapped him back into existence, if I recall correctly.

  • Episode Discussion | Star Trek: Discovery | 5x10 "Life, Itself"
  • As a show with so much promise, I often felt Disco reached for big concepts but never quite managed to get there. It would get bogged down with pathos and dragged out plot lines. Unfortunately, season 5 felt no different. This episode dragged on and on for me. Mol and L’ak had mostly become irrelevant and were completely unnecessary in this episode.

    I get the series got axed and additional scenes were shot to round things out. But that random “we’re all hugging” scene? It was weird. And didn’t the actress who played Detmer say their absence was planned and revealing anything would be a big spoiler or something? Well. No, it really wasn’t.

    Kovitsch was Daniels? I think at that point of the story, he could’ve been anyone and it wouldn’t have landed. He could’ve been Sloane (not dead after all!) and it would’ve made as much sense and be just as meaningful to the story.

    The progenitor plot? With a tick list of “clues” and “challenges” to lead the way, but ultimately we decide your worthiness to reshape the universe as we know it with a geometry puzzle? I can’t even.

    Discovery had potential, back in the day, but disappointed year on year. I had hoped this final season would offer redemption, but alas. Decent bunch of actors, but with subpar writing that usually went nowhere coherent. I won’t miss it. Glad it’s done. I hope Paramount learnt some valuable lessons from this and moves things on.

  • What video games are you playing? What have you finished recently? What do you plan to play? - Video Game General Discussion Thread #24
  • Still making my way through Phantom Liberty in Cyberpunk 2077. It’s really good, but I had already completed the base game and I find it difficult to engage/care about it, since I already know it won’t impact the endgame. I think. Unless it does? But then, I was happy with the ending I got. So yeah, something set post-ending would’ve had me more excited, I think.

    Apart from that, spending some time reacquainting myself with my zoo in Planet Zoo. It’s been two years, so that’s a fun game to return to.

  • Usually I expect to have to troubleshoot problems with Linux
  • As an open source alternative, I prefer a Jellyfin server and then using Feishin as a client. Nicer UI and options. Plex is a major no-no for me since they’ve started emailing people what they’ve been watching on their own servers. Privacy issues and required online login/plex-owned accounts for my own media? No thank you.

  • Any recommendations for time loop games?
  • Have a look at Three Minutes to Eight - small indie game released on Steam a while back. Haven’t given it a good run myself yet.

    And as someone else mentioned: Oxenfree. Definitely good vibes there.

  • Locked
    Star Trek Resurgence Giveaway
  • The Star Trek games I played growing up were 25th Anniversary (the ship battles were too complicated for 11yo me), later on I used my own pocket money and bought Final Unity. The Chodak are still a very cool alien race added to the universe. Loved those frog faces in space suits. :-)

    Played and finished Elite Force and Armada. Earl Boehn (RIP) as a main villain was a moment of teenage glee being such a massive T2 and TNG nerd.

    Interested in Resurgence, my husband recently played it on his PS5 but I don’t go near that machine. 😂

  • Trying to get into Act 2

    I scoured all the Act 1 areas (probably still missed stuff) but finally decided to jump into Act 2. I'm struggling to feel "connected" to it, to be honest. I went down the ladder into the Underdark and just sailed my way across to some ancient Shar-worshipper place and I feel... lost?

    I remember this was exactly the issue I had with D:OS2 as well. Played Fort Joy, loved it, made it off the island and couldn't figure out where to go, what to do, etc. The sense of direction left me.

    I feel similar vibes here arriving in Act 2. Anyone have any tips or advice, or is it just a case of "stick with it, you'll be all right"? I'm asking because I've played a lot of Act 1 and barely touched the game since making it into Act 2 a few weeks ago.

    13
    Ahsoka Episode 3 discussion

    Well. That happened.

    I'm really not sure what to say about this one. I loved Clone Wars and I loved Rebels. But they were zingy, tight shows with a lot of life to them.

    This episode... was not that.

    There was a space battle between a ship and a few smaller ships.

    There was some clattering of wooden swords between a Jedi and a non-Force-Padawan-because-erm... didn't we do the "Let Sabine be Sabine" story already on Rebels?

    Oh. And there was something about Hera and the New Republic being ineffective. But we got to see her lovechild from Kanan. So wink-wink he wants to be a Jedi.

    I don't know. I feel very conflicted because I desperately want to love this show. But... this episode felt very empty. Boring.

    And why do I feel like I'm going to be proven right and masked-evil-Jedi-person turns out to be fallen Ezra?

    That would be disappointing.

    If this show is trying to tell an exciting story travelling across galaxies, finding Thrawn, adding new layers of mysticism to the universe, then... give me that show. Not this plodding stilted whatever-this-is.

    0
    Ahsoka Episode 1 + 2 discussion

    Well - it’s here! The first two episodes are on Disney+

    Keen to hear what everyone’s thoughts are. Needless to say, there will be lots of spoilers in this discussion.

    I really liked it. Felt like a solid continuation of Rebels, a bit slow at times, but overall a solid setup for what could be a very interesting and exciting series.

    I feel like we should be able to guess the identity of the masked third Sith-esque villain. Don’t think it’s a fallen Ezra (too boring a plot line) but the stance and mannerisms seemed very familiar…

    Also - great to see Kevin Kiner doing the music! Nice callback to some Rebels motifs here and there.

    I would’ve liked to see Vanessa Marshall as Hera, I felt her voice was so uniquely matched. This Hera seems way too girly for a maternal older Hera. And where is her son?

    Hoping for a Freddie Prinze Jr cameo.

    Dave Filoni must be so happy to finally tell this story. Can’t wait to see what comes next!

    0
    InitialsDiceBearhttps://github.com/dicebear/dicebearhttps://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/„Initials” (https://github.com/dicebear/dicebear) by „DiceBear”, licensed under „CC0 1.0” (https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)HO
    HobbesHK @startrek.website
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