Team Fortress 2 Running In a Web Browser Using WebGL 87
An anonymous reader writes "Unreal Engine now runs in Flash and Crytek is considering porting CryEngine to Flash, but perhaps the Source Engine could go a different route. A software developer who works for Motorola Mobility has managed to get the engine and a level from Team Fortress 2 running in a browser using WebGL. There are still a few features and effects missing, but he claims it achieves a solid 60fps and has a video to prove it. Hopefully this gives Valve ideas; it'd be cool if older Source games became playable in your favorite browser, or even directly in Steam."
How's the audio? LOL (Score:2)
That's the one thing major thing missing from HTML5 + WebGL - Audio control. Add sample level audio control and we're golden.
Re:How's the audio? LOL (Score:5, Informative)
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I'd upvote you informative if I could.
I was going to comment that it doesn't appear to be running 60 FPS, but he claims it does when it is running alone (presumably without the video recording software).
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Well, screen grabbing software is processing and IO intensive, I can easily see a screen grabbing app bottleneck the (already highly utilized) CPU resulting in a 50-80% preformance loss. Don't forget that in order for webGL to offload data to the GPU, browser javascript has to do a lot of computation. So yes that claim is much more plausible than saying the same thing for a (flash) binary.
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What are you talking about? Are you suggesting generating and inserting HTML audio elements into the document to support the playback of a subset of samples? That's craziness. Why don't I just build the Sears Tower out of toothpicks for the next 1,000 years.
I would love to see an HTML 5 (or any JavaScript driven code for that matter) that could submit samples to audio playback that didn't lag or skip and didn't require a plugin.
I think HTML 5 is great, but missing that one thing to be a true 'killer plat
Amiga did it (Score:1)
If the Amiga can do it in 7mhz and in 1985-2000, then get with it dudes , get some elite old school coders to do it . And hurry up slow ass.
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AFAIK the amiga you are talking about is just interpreting MIDI signals.
Very, very different thing.
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Replying to myself; I see below you're already aware of these. From two years ago. And it's still at the proposal stage.
It begs the question, what exactly is it the W3C does all day? Do they just spend all their time surfing the internet? And if so, wouldn't they want to approve this stuff faster so they'll have more ways to goof off?
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The W3C has a lot of fronts to manage every time they progress some proposal. I have been following a handful of discussions (mostly on sockets and applications) and the amount of data and discussions that are monitored and moved around is very big. The W3C moves slow because the web can't break. So every new functionality or modified behavior has to be very well thought out.
BTW: I don't know if it was the version (aurora 9), or that i was on fedora, but the last time I visited the mozilla sound experiments
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Oh, sure, I realize it's a very complex task they have, I was speaking mostly in jest. I know I'm not alone in my frustration of their slower-than-molasses processes, but while I sometimes think they move too slow, I know they're still far more qualified for the job than I am. As you say, you can't break the old stuff with updates, and the new stuff you want to make sure you get right the first time.
As for Mozilla, I tried out some of their sound demos earlier today. They technically worked, but on my rea
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You misunderstand the process and many do.
Here is a rundown of what it looks like:
Step 1: someone has an idea
Step 2: a possible API is discussed on the w3c mailinglist
Step 3: an API is drafted
Step 4: 1 or 2 browsermakers implement it in their browser, do use a 'vendor' prefix
Step 5: people look at how well it works, discuss it on the w3c mailinglist.
Step 6: Webpage authors are encouraged to try it out (and use it in production) with the vendor prefix.
Step 7: proposals for a standard are made
Step 8: I think
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If you really, really do want it.
You can help write the draft, it costs nothing to join the w3c mailinglists.
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Yeah, I still "LOL" at the frothing at the mouth of every WebGL demo that comes out because there is no quality audio in HTML5/4/whatever.
I have known about the Audio nodes API for almost two years (before it was published as the "Web Audio API.") I was hoping something like that would be part of HTML5, it isn't.
Who cares if it works in Chrome? It needs to work in Firefox, Chrome, and IE.
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Already exists [w3.org], and already supported by Webkit. Firefox has a similar, but proprietary, interface.
Why a web browser? (Score:2)
Why would I want to play in a web browser instead of natively?
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So you can play in linux, BSD, et al without wine?
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Well, that idea is great for indie devs aswell. In fact downloads are hellishly cheap (as distribution goes). this is a very effective strategy to get revenue of a game while still in development. Then, when development is finished, you can give users a full download. Users will play the game off the HDD through the browser (still having the option to natively push updates DLC etc) for a one off fee or free if the user has hit some quota.
Also, browser games should allow to take your game with you everywhere
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So one could play on the iPad.
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Why would I want to play in a web browser instead of natively?
You'd want to do this for the same reason that you'd want to run any application in a web browser instead of natively. It's far more convenient to deploy and update and far easier to support multiple platforms.
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So you can browse to and play games without worrying about driving to a store or downloading an entire game that you may get bored of in the first level and never see 90% of the content you just downloaded.
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WHOA (Score:2)
CryEngine on Flash!? I think we have a new benchmark, everyone!
It's not April... (Score:2)
Yeah, when I read that, my first thought was that I'm caught in a time warp and got sent back to April 1.
The Cry engines are already pretty much the most resource-intensive things out there, though they do look great. But I can't imagine how or why anyone with a functioning brain cell would want to "port" such an engine to something so woefully underpowered and feature-limited as Flash.
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Most of the problems (not all obviously) flash has are because of the lazy morons that are writing the flash games/apps etc. not the player. I have seen some shitty code in my day but some of the stuff I have seen in in actionscript would make you cry. It is to bad really. Actionscript is a solid language add on top of that HaXe and you have an even more robust language.
The ability to rapidly develop insanely low quality code that works is why it is so attractive. That doesn't mean all AS code is crap thoug
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Project requirements included a realtime sub milisecond multidirectional video stream; if you think something along the lines of a control system for remote drones you will have an idea about the kind of mission critical application we are talking about. Which is a
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I just saw the Unreal engine demo using the new Flash 11 accelerated APIs. Guess it is possible.
Still sounds crazy to me.
Really? (Score:1)
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TF2's sappin' mah web browser! (Score:2)
Pix of hats or it didn't happen.
or even directly in Steam ?????? (Score:1)
I'm not sure that I want or need my games running in a browser, and I'm certainly no fan of Steam (I will never buy a DRMed game that depends on another company continuing to exist for me to continue to own it), but what in the world does or even directly in Steam even mean? I have used Steam (I bough Half-life pre-Steam and it was later "upgraded" to force me to use Steam, and I've used it for some free demos). It certainly doesn't seem likely or desirable that the little Steam tray thing would run a game
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Steam includes an integrated webkit browser overlay that lets you check sites without exiting your game. I assume that it meant you could use this browser to play the game.
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That's great, but FYI valve could vanish tomorrow, and there games would still be playable. I hate to inject facts into your hate..no I don't.
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Only those already installed and completely updated. If you bought a game (even a physical version) which needs Steam to install, it'll tell you to fuck off if it can't connect to the server.
Backed up the game to a DVD due to lack of disk space and want to play it again? Ops. Bought a new rig and want to play your existing games there? Nope.
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There are already tools out there to crack it all if you're that worried. Personally I think the benefits of Steam vastly outweigh any of those worries. I don't want to go back to the days of installing everything manually and typing in product keys.
I doubt Steam is going down without plenty of warning any more than Amazon would just disappear overnight.
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You're right - I haven't had to deal with slow connections since I left home 10 years ago.
What are you doing with the "constant change of machines"? Why don't you copy the cache between machines on a USB drive if you're having problems with slow connections? I think there's even built-in functionality to backup and restore caches from what I remember from like 5 years ago. *checks google* Yes, you can definitely do that. So any complaints about your network speed causing issues are just you being too fuckwi
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Nobody said you shouldn't use Steam, just that it depends on Valve's activation servers to work properly, and it does.
As for cracks, one could say the same about having to type product keys. And they don't exist for every game.
Besides, paying for games that depend on illegal stuff to work properly is just giving the wrong feedback to companies and hurting ourselves. I rather go without playing it than supporting such behavior.
I doubt Steam is going down without plenty of warning any more than Amazon would just disappear overnight.
Well, I guess it depends on the people. Considering I still play 10+ year old game
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Well, the only cracks I used to download were NoCD cracks. Steam meant that I no longer had to do that, so it was a bonus for me. I was just pointing out that if it did go down for good, tools would be made available - whether officially or unofficially - for playing your games offline*. I certainly don't think that the illegal route is positive in any way, and I also generally abhor the concept and basically the necessity** for DRM. But I wish that more companies would introduce Steam like DRM which actual
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It's been something like 7 years now, and you still don't know that Steam can play games offline?
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That's great, but FYI valve could vanish tomorrow, and there games would still be playable.
Even after I get a new computer and can't contact their activation servers?
Cool but (Score:1)
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Hear, hear. I am waiting for a decent way to get gamepad input on a browser, so I can start making games worth playing in a browser.
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People are already doing that, by running piping the results from kinect to nodejs and have the webinterface use nodejs as it's server:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMBWYBH3TKg [youtube.com]
This has no demo, but read the text and see the result:
http://kinect.dashhacks.com/kinect-news/2011/07/12/kinect-web-animation-using-html5-and-animatable [dashhacks.com]
http://typefolly.com/css-tricks/ [typefolly.com]
An other:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=p36xoBZVQ8c [youtube.com]
Incorrect (Score:3)
The guy didn't port the TF2 engine to WebGL since he doesn't have the source code. What he did is make a map loader that can partially load a TF2 level and display it with WebGL, but you can't actually play in it.
Title change, please? (Score:5, Informative)
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No way. It wouldn't be /. if the articles weren't inaccurate and sensationalist.
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...and it wouldn't be html5 if it wasn't a non-working example of something that might, one day, be useful, if you're prepared to use a different browser for each web game that you choose to play.
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I did NOT port the Source Engine to a browser, not even close.
I expected as much, but thanks for setting the faulty slashdot record straight.
FYI, I'm not too big a fan of the tendency to try and do as much as possible in the browser, but you've definitely earned your geek badge with this. Kudos sir, my hat's off to you.
60fps? (Score:1)
the video looked more like it was going around 19fps, not 60.
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the video looked more like it was going around 19fps, not 60.
He also mentions that the video recorder on his machine is slowing it down, and it gets anywhere from 60 to 120 fps without it.
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He also mentions that the video recorder on his machine is slowing it down, and it gets anywhere from 60 to 120 fps without it.
Except they claim the video is proof that it runs at 60fps when it is no such thing.
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WTFV. He says in it that the recorder was only doing 23 frames but if you run it yourself in a browser it's 60.
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WTFV. He says in it that the recorder was only doing 23 frames but if you run it yourself in a browser it's 60.
Except the summary says that the video is PROOF of it running at 60fps. The video doesn't prove it if it doesn't show it.
Glorified map loader. (Score:2)
So really what this guy did was take a level from Team Fortress 2 and render the basic geometry + some lightmapping.
I'm not really sure what the big deal is. Based on what the title and summary suggested, I expected a hell of a lot more than a map loader. He did not get TF2 running in a browser, not anything from the Source Engine. All he did was load and render a TF2 map. If this sort of thing wasn't possible in WebGL to begin with there would be no point in WebGL at all, so the fact that he's gotten this
No. Not Flash. (Score:1)
It's been hard enough to play video streams "through" flash on Linux, don't push the next gaming craze down the same toilet.
60fps? (Score:1)
That really didn't look like 60 fps to me. I don't know if it was just the way it was recorded, or the guy's mouse but that didn't really look like it was achieved 'a solid 60 fps'.
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Ok, nevermind. I'm an idiot. I should've looked at the Youtube comments (that's probably the first and last time I'm every going to say that). Turns out it was just his recording program locking it at 20, rather than 60.