@Gamerwarrior117
Thank you so much for asking a year ago. I am still around and I have the project. At this point I need to reload my photo software and spend time and figure out if I remember how I was doing all that. I don't take notes. Problem is I get bored really quickly and I worked on this for months. All I've wanted to do is play games for the last year, and shooters aren't exactly my favorite game type anymore.
To start again I need to feel at peace and well balanced, this stuff takes alot of energy and is alot of work, despite that I loved working on it.
I am no longer loving ANY of the graphics last time I loaded it up. I'm too used to downscaled 4k and sharpened/filtered footage, but it still looks pretty good. Will be interesting when I start again what my new ideas are.
Also, I hope development has continued on this wolf 3D TC, I think it's fantastic. I'll check the thread again later.
UPDATE 6/26/21 - I actually started working on it again yesterday and made alot of changes to enemy graphics. The mutant and ALL the enemy bosses suffer the same issues where they won't pre-buffer in memory before the level loads, so the sizes have to be 512x512 and don't even remotely approach how good I can make it look in photoshop. In addition there's a hard cap on how large you can make an animation. In the last 20 hours I redid all basic enemies in 4096x4096 which the engine CAN handle scaled down to 2048x2048 (not zombie of course) and they look much better than initial screenshots, but bosses are 512x512, though I've found something that's more natural looking otherwise.
As far as needing to finish it, I need to complete some walls and that's it, though I'm likely to redo all objects as well. Working with higher and higher resolutions always seems to improve my results, then I scale them down. This is proven to be true with Nvidia's DSR technology. I run all my games with DSR and if you have a nvidia capable card (they all do it pretty much) DSR can improve this project as well once it releases to various effect, depending on your sensitivities to sharpness and blurring vs. detail.
Weapons already look good and won't be upscaled because they can have prebuffering issues as well. Walls may be upgraded depending on how ambitious I am, but those also looked already excellent overall.
I'll give a further update later if I keep this going!
UPDATE 6-30-21 Objects coming along much better than expected, the quality is through the roof compared to what they were a year ago. Taking my sweet time with it though. The engine seems capable of displaying the textures in 4096x4096, so the quality is amazing. So far not doing 3D models like I did 10 years ago, as it requires scripting and the results are often very poor depending on the object. The models are from the 90's from an old Wolf 3D source port. I may decide later to at least add the pillars, as they can be an eyesore and I had a good skin for them 10 years ago.
UPDATE 7-03-21 Objects are completed. My main progress has been understanding the limitations of the engine vs. modern day hardware. I not only have improved enemies over the last update, but I've reduced their size AND improved image quality simultaneously! This includes the objects I finished yesterday. The main hurdle ahead of me is completing the walls now, as I believe I need no further edits for other existing content I've worked on so far, I am quite pleased by it, which is rare in my time working on this over the last 10 years as technology improved and ideas flowed.
There is a possibility I will attempt to improve already completed walls/flats from last year, which would delay the completion of this project.
The reason I didn't finish this project last year is that I was constantly revisioning and improving for months until I literally burned out. That doesn't seem to be the problem this year, and after a very short time working I am excited to do more and see clear progress to completion.
UPDATE 7-07-21 All flats/walls are complete as of this morning. I redid a major Spear flat set from last year. I am now looking to redo others. I have never seen my project I've worked on, on and off for over 10 years, be so complete. I could upload it today if I wanted. But I am still working. When I lose motivation to improve or stop work on it, I will take some screenshots and upload the project. I just need to think of how to do it. When I do, I will make another post on this thread and make a NEW OP under the graphics sound mods.
Update 7-11-21 I have finished the project. I now need to figure out how to move forward. Right now I am going to sweep through the game and witness the execution of my new creation. I have not done lost levels, I kept that out to ensure I'd actually finish the original project.
Update 7-13-21 I have consistently given updates ever 4 days. Two days after I have been working on and improving textures, especially during my playthrough. I have about 75 levels to go on it and things have improved alot. I no longer anticipate any further problems.
Several big developments. I went to my old project from 10 years ago and plundered some of the textures from it. So far I've decided against more ceiling textures as they rob the experience of the original atmosphere. I like the more generic cement quality or steel quality rusted ceiling that doesn't bring attention to itself.
I found an AMAZING texture released free online about 12 years ago by someone who did Thief the Dark Project HD mod back then. He's a professional artist, or he was. I spent 4-6 hours making it seamless, which it was not in any shape or form, and I managed to preserve the original brilliance of it and make it fully seamless in the game. It's a true dungeon texture that really fits Castle Wolfenstein particularly well, a big improvement on my old screenshots of this project (aka floor texture that requires original art, as Wolf 3D never had a floor texture).
I found a TON of level sets I used to convert them to this TC! If I find time to play them I'll begin releasing them. The problem back then is most episode 5 mission 9 levels would not convert but I also have Spear level sets. I used to scour the Wolf 3D community for levels that weren't TC's in themselves and simply new levels, so I wouldn't have to do scripting work or remaster new graphics. And not all sets play perfectly with a few missing textures here and there. At least, that's how it was in 2011.
UPDATE 7-17-21 The playthrough is taking a number of days. It has paid off big time in increasing the quality of particularly the overhead lights and the Nazi decorations on the walls. I redid the German Sheppard and gave it it's own settings, it's subtly improved (will never be great).
I am VERY glad I'm taking the time to do this! It will greatly reduce the amount of uploads I need to do......
UPDATE 7-21-21 I am about completed with my playthrough and have done a great deal of modifications. Release is days off as long as I am well and have the time.
