On a whim, I decided to go ahead and implement a version of the tri-planar shader that uses all 8 detail layers in the atlas.



Surprisingly, it still runs at around 13fps, and that's with the triplanar material applied even to the ground tiles. I did do some rearranging of the operations in the shader to make it work, though. The restructure even sped up the 4-layer version, since I was doing some things ass-backwards.

Of course, in the "real" game (assuming I ever put this in) I wouldn't use the 8-layer version very often. The ideal solution in application would be to implement various versions( 2-layer, 3-layer, 4-layer, etc...) and analyze each tile to see which would be most appropriate. Most tiles are probably only going to have 2 or 3 types, and I can set which layers to use as uniforms. I would like to do some testing of that to see if this is a technique I'll actually use in the game.

I've been working a weird rotating schedule of 12-hr shifts at work. I work 4 nights of 12s, followed by 3 days off. Then 3 days on, 1 day off, 3 nights on, 3 days off. Finally, 4 days on and 7 days off. It makes it kind of tough to get anything done on the rework of GC, especially since in the meantime I still have family and kids stuff to do, plus the weather is getting nice and the weeds and grass are starting to grow. I started my 7 off on Friday, and already I am a couple days into it and all I have been able to work on is the shader stuff. I'm staring out my window, right now, at a wind-blown pile of leaves and cottonwood sticks in the backyard that need to be taken care of. I have to build a privacy fence on the south side of my yard, given that a new neighbor is building a house on the once-vacant lot on that side. I have the remains of a big pile of dirt I have been using to fill various holes and low spots in the yard and around the foundations of the house that I have to finish dispersing before it becomes a weed-covered hillock. I have to inspect the roof for possible damage from the extremely hellacious wind we got last night. Got lots of shit to do, so I really don't know how much programming I'll get done this week.

Bleh.