UE4 feasibility test (porting Kejim WiP)

[ClydeFrog]

Hello to all.

 

I'm a game enthusiast/hobbyist who works primarily with Unreal Engine 4.  Jedi Outcast ranks at the top of my list as one the greatest games ever conceived.  I recently played through it (again) and I thought it would be interesting, as a side project, to test the feasibility of remaking the environments in UE4 without making everything from scratch.  More specifically, unless it is absolutely necessary, use only the assets included in the original.  So I started with the first SP map "kejim_post".

 

In the screenshots below - the only asset which was replaced was the shuttle (which was far too low poly), and I also added some object detail to the cliffs (smaller rocks, etc..).  The rest was done by creating a normal map for each object (or each texture if it tiles).  This might sound like a lot of work but it actually wasn't (that was the whole point of the exercise).  Almost all textures are panels with an assortment of basic shapes jutting in or out (knobs, lights, switches, etc.).  Creating the normals in photoshop using Quixel was quite easy and fast.  Seems like it might actually be feasible after all.

 

Here is what I got so far:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Boothand]

It looks very good! You've done a good job updating and adapting the assets. Perhaps you'd be interested in JK2 Enhanced. With the new rend2 renderer, normal-, specular maps and the likes could be used to make it look pretty modern, and real time lighting in the best case scenario.

[dark_apprentice]

Outstanding!  

[eezstreet]

That looks amazing!

[The Punisher]

Impressive!

[ensiform]

Is this recreated from scratch? Because there's a tool that can port map files​ with materials to ue4 (on a separate marketplace because of obvious reasons).

[LucyTheAlien]

I'll be following this with great interest. 

[ClydeFrog]

Thanks everyone, I appreciate it.

 

@@ensiform, the tool I use to export the models is called Noesis.  It basically converts quake maps and md3 files to *.obj or *.FBX files - including their textures and material ID's.  Sure, that's all you would need for the most basic material shader in UE4 but just using that would be a total waste for an engine that uses physically based rendering.  It would not look good or "updated" at all.

 

So, to answer your question, I try not to make any 3D asset from scratch - I just use the source models and maps.  I cannot avoid, however, re-texturing all of the assets.

[DT.]

Looks great, but would look 10x better with PBR.

[Guest Redemption]

Yassss!!!! I wants it! This is bangin'

 

@@DT85 It can get better than this?!?... This topic has "warped my fragile, little mind."

[DT.]

Yeah, remember the Mos Eisley map that was made in UE4?

 

 

 

 

 

 

This kind of quality, if it's done right.

[Guest Redemption]

^wwWWWWWHHAATTTTTttttt... nah, this is too much, too much... must. go. for a lie down.

[Asgarath83]

@@ClydeFrog i Was just asking to my self if recreating JKA on UE4 would possible in the last times...

you answer to my question. i have another question. i have updated recently my old XP win 7, (but for fgraphical and web connection trouble i was forced to return to XP at moment) , i have a system 32 bit. i was pretty disappointed because i upgrade on WIn7 basically for use UE4 for personal project and instead i discover that it not run on 32 bit windows but only 64bit system.

is a madness, IMHO. there is some UE4 version that run on XP?

otherwise i was looking to heroengine for my purpose (less HD of UE4 but more easy to use for builds worlds i think)

[SomaZ]

@@ClydeFrog i Was just asking to my self if recreating JKA on UE4 would possible in the last times...

you answer to my question. i have another question. i have updated recently my old XP win 7, (but for fgraphical and web connection trouble i was forced to return to XP at moment) , i have a system 32 bit. i was pretty disappointed because i upgrade on WIn7 basically for use UE4 for personal project and instead i discover that it not run on 32 bit windows but only 64bit system.

is a madness, IMHO. there is some UE4 version that run on XP?

otherwise i was looking to heroengine for my purpose (less HD of UE4 but more easy to use for builds worlds i think)

You should check out Unity 3D then.

[Asgarath83]

You should check out Unity 3D then.

I tryed a lot and in past also i worked on a project about a fangame on LOK with 3 peoples, but rendering of engines was not much good and i found too much technical for my opinion. i am searching something that is the most fastest and user friendly possible for open build worlds and game (possible rpg games with space fight simulation too and c++ support )

something that allow to shape terrain and add water and cliff and montains with immense easy way and also prefab of buildend and can use also external models (obj, 3ds, fbx etc )

HD for me is secondary. i prefear the speed of building and game program at the stunning graphic, also i like if the engine should have the more possible soft visual particle effects rendering , because i am photosensible. >.< and also i am alone to work with project so i cannot stay an eternity to create a single dungeon or map. ..

it's not easy to find something like that. for moment heroengine is the best i see, but is very expensive with coast of assets and also not run on XP. (so for moment i cannot try -.- damn...  )

 

someone now what game engine are not again cutted of by XP? so i can try something for give me some idea of what i need or what i want exactly i know what kind of game i would make, but i not know what engine is the more nice for do it and for my necessity. ._.

[SomaZ]

I tryed a lot and in past also i worked on a project about a fangame on LOK with 3 peoples, but rendering of engines was not much good and i found too much technical for my opinion. i am searching something that is the most fastest and user friendly possible for open build worlds and game (possible rpg games with space fight simulation too and c++ support )

something that allow to shape terrain and add water and cliff and montains with immense easy way and also prefab of buildend and can use also external models (obj, 3ds, fbx etc )

HD for me is secondary. i prefear the speed of building and game program at the stunning graphic, also i like if the engine should have the more possible soft visual particle effects rendering , because i am photosensible. >.< and also i am alone to work with project so i cannot stay an eternity to create a single dungeon or map. ..

it's not easy to find something like that. for moment heroengine is the best i see, but is very expensive with coast of assets and also not run on XP. (so for moment i cannot try -.- damn...  )

 

someone now what game engine are not again cutted of by XP? so i can try something for give me some idea of what i need or what i want exactly i know what kind of game i would make, but i not know what engine is the more nice for do it and for my necessity. ._.

Seriously, check out Unity. It's easy, has tons of tutorials, has a very good rending engine, nice particle editor, terrain editor, supports 32-bit (though the next comming versions won't support it anymore), is multi-platform and it's free. Only "downside" I see is the missing XP support. You should upgrade your OS nevertheless.

[Asgarath83]

Seriously, check out Unity. It's easy, has tons of tutorials, has a very good rending engine, nice particle editor, terrain editor, supports 32-bit (though the next comming versions won't support it anymore), is multi-platform and it's free. Only "downside" I see is the missing XP support. You should upgrade your OS nevertheless.

done recently, long story... i was forced to back to XP for some technical problem (but that not solve that. in tech support forum i open a thread relating these. thanks for suggestion and sorry for off topic. ^^

 

really nice work of kejim ported on unreal however!

[Psyk0Sith]

I like what you have done so far even if not PBR. There was a Movie Battles 3 project planned for UE3 that could have benefited from this workflow. I still have the Boba Fett model i made for them, maybe he could find a home in one of your maps XD.

[ClydeFrog]

I tryed a lot and in past also i worked on a project about a fangame on LOK with 3 peoples, but rendering of engines was not much good and i found too much technical for my opinion. i am searching something that is the most fastest and user friendly possible for open build worlds and game (possible rpg games with space fight simulation too and c++ support )

something that allow to shape terrain and add water and cliff and montains with immense easy way and also prefab of buildend and can use also external models (obj, 3ds, fbx etc )

HD for me is secondary. i prefear the speed of building and game program at the stunning graphic, also i like if the engine should have the more possible soft visual particle effects rendering , because i am photosensible. >.< and also i am alone to work with project so i cannot stay an eternity to create a single dungeon or map. ..

it's not easy to find something like that. for moment heroengine is the best i see, but is very expensive with coast of assets and also not run on XP. (so for moment i cannot try -.- damn...  )

 

someone now what game engine are not again cutted of by XP? so i can try something for give me some idea of what i need or what i want exactly i know what kind of game i would make, but i not know what engine is the more nice for do it and for my necessity. ._.

 

Asgarath83, your options are pretty limited if you're forced to work with a 32 bit OS.  UE4 is 64 bit only, as SomaZ mentioned, you could try Unity or maybe you could try the previous version of Unreal Engine (which is called UDK - which is also free).  The only "professional" grade engine with all required tools out of the box (level, particle, landscape, material, animation, cinematic editors etc.) that I know of which supports C++ is UE4.  In fact, all of the engine source code (C++) is included with UE4.  UDK has all of these features as well, but no source code is provided, and all game logic is done within its scripting system.

[ClydeFrog]

I like what you have done so far even if not PBR. There was a Movie Battles 3 project planned for UE3 that could have benefited from this workflow. I still have the Boba Fett model i made for them, maybe he could find a home in one of your maps XD.

 

Absolutely!  Is he already rigged?

[Psyk0Sith]

I rigged it to a max biped but if there's something easier for UE then i might be able to redo it, if i have time.

[Teancum]

You should check out Unity 3D then.

I second this. Unreal is awesome, but Unity is essentially a blank canvas that allows you to make whatever you want, whereas UE4 doesn't do that without having a pro-style license

[ClydeFrog]

@@Psyk0Sith

Biped rig is fine - the bones can be re-targeted inside of UE4.  Do you have a link to the model?

 

@@Teancum

You must be thinking of UE3.  UE4 does not have a license - the engine, tools, and source code are all free.  Epic Games takes 5 percent of your game sales after it reaches a certain revenue.  It it's not a game (i.e. visualization, simulation software etc) then Epic takes nothing.

[Teancum]

@@ClydeFrog - yes, I was thinking of 3, sorry.

[Psyk0Sith]

@@Psyk0Sith

Biped rig is fine - the bones can be re-targeted inside of UE4.  Do you have a link to the model?

 

Well i can't find the rigged scene file i used for rendering purposes, so it's not rigged and there's no download link.