Chaos Axe question. Is a bug? - Guild Wars Forums

breaking-benjamin · Aug 28, 2006, 05:02 PM // 17:02

Hello ^^

Well, today I noticed a weird thing about the Chaos Axe.

Its the "shadow" of the weapon. Looks very strange, and not like the weapon does.

I better post a pic so you'll see what I mean:

I don't know if its a bug, or it was like that always, or its problem of my graphic card... dunno.

Can someone confirm this?

Any help to clarify this is appreciated. Thanks

!

prism2525 · Aug 28, 2006, 05:32 PM // 17:32

unless this happens to everyone whenever they equip one i suppose it's a prob/glitch with your graphics card. Try to update the driver if possible. might help.

Ghull Ka · Aug 28, 2006, 05:34 PM // 17:34

Take another screenie without your shield and see what that looks like maybe? I don't know if what I'm looking at is the shield's shadow or the axe's shadow.

Hand of Ruin · Aug 28, 2006, 05:35 PM // 17:35

I think it looks better

Balance · Aug 28, 2006, 05:37 PM // 17:37

Its like this for every one. The chaos axe is weird :P

Yanman.be · Aug 28, 2006, 05:46 PM // 17:46

The shadow is made from all the angry spirits in the UW/FOW!

breaking-benjamin · Aug 28, 2006, 05:56 PM // 17:56

someone have an chaos axe and can post a pic or confirm its look like that?

My Sweet Revenga · Aug 28, 2006, 06:03 PM // 18:03

The storm bow has the same issue. You can see the lightning arcs on the storm bow, but the shadow shows 2 big rectangular blocks where the lightning arcs should be. Probably has to do with the way the shadow layer takes reference from the weapon's skin. The lightning on the storm bow only appears to be lightning because everything around it is set as transparent. But the shadow takes all information from the weapon skin and projects it as a shadow so what appears to be transparent on the weapon won't necessarily be transparent on the shadow.

tuperwho · Aug 28, 2006, 06:10 PM // 18:10

Myself and multiple guildies have all seen this error when we have our bazookas.... err, I mean chaos axes.... equipped.

frojack · Aug 28, 2006, 07:32 PM // 19:32

The reason the shadow is a 'box' is because the chaos axe is actually just a rectangular polygon with an alpha mapped (transparent) texture on it. The shadows in GW are created with just a basic 'shadow map' system. To get the accurate shadows would require either Ray-traced shadows (way too expensive), a special form of Stencil-shadows (again expensive), or a proxy shadow object.
All of which are more expensive than it's worth...

Shadow Kurd · Aug 28, 2006, 07:44 PM // 19:44

I got the samething with my Stormbow

xiao1985 · Aug 29, 2006, 04:04 AM // 04:04

agreed with frojack

althought my initial suspicion was that the object's shadow was not mapped... so the client displays the basic of an item, ie a box...

Livingston · Aug 29, 2006, 09:15 AM // 09:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by frojack

The reason the shadow is a 'box' is because the chaos axe is actually just a rectangular polygon with an alpha mapped (transparent) texture on it. The shadows in GW are created with just a basic 'shadow map' system. To get the accurate shadows would require either Ray-traced shadows (way too expensive), a special form of Stencil-shadows (again expensive), or a proxy shadow object.
All of which are more expensive than it's worth...

What makes them expensive to do? Is it the software needed or what?

Livingston

xiao1985 · Aug 30, 2006, 04:03 AM // 04:03

the more detail, the more expensive it is to do... for 1 item it's probably noting, but consider the great number of items... it can be quite resource consuming...

also, i remember last time i checked, you only see your shadow in detail, never other characters or npc's....

jimmy_logic · Aug 30, 2006, 02:27 PM // 14:27

Same thing happens to me... don't have Guild Wars installed (Posting from my phone) so I can't check. But my shadows are on "LOW" detail.

Sora · Aug 30, 2006, 03:58 PM // 15:58

Yeah I've noticed that problem long time ago.
I had post it in the Screenshot Exposition a few months ago.

Kaguya · Aug 30, 2006, 04:06 PM // 16:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by Livingston

What makes them expensive to do? Is it the software needed or what?

Livingston

Raytracing isn't expensive moneywise, but it is very, very, very, very... ...very, very, very expensive computation power wise. You'd spend half an hour rendering the lights for one single frame using raytracing, and that really isn't very smooth gaming experience.

Numa Pompilius · Aug 30, 2006, 04:09 PM // 16:09

That's the shadow of the bounding box for the bow/axe. It's probably no coincidence that the two weapons showing this effect have special skins with lighting effects.

lyra_song · Aug 30, 2006, 04:38 PM // 16:38

Other things that use alpha transparencies:

Anything partly clear.
The spiky fins on your dragon mask
the teeth on your pumpkin mask
Any really skinny skinny weapons that have intricate shapes (butterfly/wingblade is one)

The special lighting effects are not applied to the shadows, so ya...its one of those "meh...we can overlook that" sort of deal, imo.

IllusiveMind · Aug 30, 2006, 05:05 PM // 17:05

I get the same glitch with Chaos Axe.

Quote:

The reason the shadow is a 'box' is because the chaos axe is actually just a rectangular polygon with an alpha mapped (transparent) texture on it. The shadows in GW are created with just a basic 'shadow map' system. To get the accurate shadows would require either Ray-traced shadows (way too expensive), a special form of Stencil-shadows (again expensive), or a proxy shadow object.
All of which are more expensive than it's worth...

You should write a book! Nice output.

Aug 28, 2006, 05:02 PM // 17:02	#1
breaking-benjamin Ascalonian Squire Join Date: Jul 2006	Chaos Axe question. Is a bug? Hello ^^ Well, today I noticed a weird thing about the Chaos Axe. Its the "shadow" of the weapon. Looks very strange, and not like the weapon does. I better post a pic so you'll see what I mean: I don't know if its a bug, or it was like that always, or its problem of my graphic card... dunno. Can someone confirm this? Any help to clarify this is appreciated. Thanks !

Aug 28, 2006, 07:44 PM // 19:44	#11
Shadow Kurd Wilds Pathfinder Join Date: May 2006 Location: Netherlands Guild: Scouts of Tyria Profession: P/	I got the samething with my Stormbow Last edited by Shadow Kurd; Aug 28, 2006 at 07:49 PM // 19:49..

Aug 28, 2006, 05:32 PM // 17:32	#2
prism2525 Forge Runner Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Among dead bodies. Guild: The Republic of Sky Pirates Profession: E/	unless this happens to everyone whenever they equip one i suppose it's a prob/glitch with your graphics card. Try to update the driver if possible. might help.

Aug 28, 2006, 05:34 PM // 17:34	#3
Ghull Ka Wilds Pathfinder Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Seattle, WA Guild: Grenths Helpdesk Profession: N/	Take another screenie without your shield and see what that looks like maybe? I don't know if what I'm looking at is the shield's shadow or the axe's shadow.

Aug 28, 2006, 05:35 PM // 17:35	#4
Hand of Ruin Banned Join Date: Jul 2006	I think it looks better

Aug 28, 2006, 05:37 PM // 17:37	#5
Balance Frost Gate Guardian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: NYC, US Guild: red basilica [isis] Profession: R/	Its like this for every one. The chaos axe is weird :P

Aug 28, 2006, 05:46 PM // 17:46	#6
Yanman.be Banned Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Belgium Guild: [ROSE] Profession: A/	The shadow is made from all the angry spirits in the UW/FOW!

Aug 28, 2006, 05:56 PM // 17:56	#7
breaking-benjamin Ascalonian Squire Join Date: Jul 2006	someone have an chaos axe and can post a pic or confirm its look like that?

Aug 28, 2006, 06:03 PM // 18:03	#8
My Sweet Revenga Krytan Explorer Join Date: Nov 2005 Profession: R/	The storm bow has the same issue. You can see the lightning arcs on the storm bow, but the shadow shows 2 big rectangular blocks where the lightning arcs should be. Probably has to do with the way the shadow layer takes reference from the weapon's skin. The lightning on the storm bow only appears to be lightning because everything around it is set as transparent. But the shadow takes all information from the weapon skin and projects it as a shadow so what appears to be transparent on the weapon won't necessarily be transparent on the shadow.

Aug 28, 2006, 06:10 PM // 18:10	#9
tuperwho Wilds Pathfinder Join Date: Jul 2005 Guild: Tenacious Knights of Doom [TKD]	Myself and multiple guildies have all seen this error when we have our bazookas.... err, I mean chaos axes.... equipped.

Aug 28, 2006, 07:32 PM // 19:32	#10
frojack Wilds Pathfinder Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: London, UK Guild: Rite Of Passage [RP] Profession: E/Mo	The reason the shadow is a 'box' is because the chaos axe is actually just a rectangular polygon with an alpha mapped (transparent) texture on it. The shadows in GW are created with just a basic 'shadow map' system. To get the accurate shadows would require either Ray-traced shadows (way too expensive), a special form of Stencil-shadows (again expensive), or a proxy shadow object. All of which are more expensive than it's worth...

Aug 29, 2006, 04:04 AM // 04:04	#12
xiao1985 Wilds Pathfinder Join Date: Nov 2005	agreed with frojack althought my initial suspicion was that the object's shadow was not mapped... so the client displays the basic of an item, ie a box...

Aug 30, 2006, 04:03 AM // 04:03	#14
xiao1985 Wilds Pathfinder Join Date: Nov 2005	the more detail, the more expensive it is to do... for 1 item it's probably noting, but consider the great number of items... it can be quite resource consuming... also, i remember last time i checked, you only see your shadow in detail, never other characters or npc's....

Aug 30, 2006, 02:27 PM // 14:27	#15
jimmy_logic Wilds Pathfinder Join Date: Sep 2005 Profession: R/	Same thing happens to me... don't have Guild Wars installed (Posting from my phone) so I can't check. But my shadows are on "LOW" detail.

Aug 30, 2006, 03:58 PM // 15:58	#16
Sora Lion's Arch Merchant Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Hong Kong Guild: Guardian of Old Ascalon (GoA) Profession: E/	Yeah I've noticed that problem long time ago. I had post it in the Screenshot Exposition a few months ago.

Aug 30, 2006, 04:09 PM // 16:09	#18
Numa Pompilius Grotto Attendant Join Date: May 2005 Location: At an Insit.. Intis... a house. Guild: Live Forever Or Die Trying [GLHF] Profession: W/Me	That's the shadow of the bounding box for the bow/axe. It's probably no coincidence that the two weapons showing this effect have special skins with lighting effects.

Aug 30, 2006, 04:38 PM // 16:38	#19
lyra_song Hell's Protector Join Date: Oct 2005 Profession: R/Mo	Other things that use alpha transparencies: Anything partly clear. The spiky fins on your dragon mask the teeth on your pumpkin mask Any really skinny skinny weapons that have intricate shapes (butterfly/wingblade is one) The special lighting effects are not applied to the shadows, so ya...its one of those "meh...we can overlook that" sort of deal, imo.