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Can't upload now. I need parallax mapping. Bad connection, etc. Used evolution for Darkbasic, would like fpsc port. Will link to source files and give more complete description when connection stops acting up.

They look better in full screen, without bloom effects. This is based off irrlicht. Eventually I just need to port that to FPSC.

Here are the source files.

http://www.mediafire.com/?ttewljfommg
Bump.fx seems to not offer enough control and I notice scifi bumped segments do not render well at all. They seem to just be all out of wack, diverting between D and D2, etc.
I see FPSC as a platform, not an end-product, and believe shaders, renders, etc. should be added in a modular fashion. Were I not a college student, I would probably purchase FPSCx10 (I have WinXP) or Darkbasic and D/L the FPSCx9 source to work things from the bottom up - ie: replace all components with open source ones unless they perform equally well or superior to their OS counterparts. Either way, I'd look further in to the shading issue. Essentially, bump.fx seems to force you to use .tga files with a specific ending - it does not offer enough control or interface.
To any mods, an internal developer documentation would be very much appreciated. I have little programming experience, so an algorithm would be nice in my humble opinion.

A few close-ups. All of these textures are 2048x2048 bitmap format, but port equally well to .dds and .tga formats. I know for a fact that the FPSCx9 platform is capable of this, and said effect can be accomplished in a properly written .fx file. I also know for a fact that the Darkbasic platform HAS used this technology (see: maze runner)
Essentially, it should be a simple process. I have already provided a parallax mapper that DOES work in darkbasic. All I need is for someone experienced with the FPSC setup to make a few minor adjustments to the source file.
What I like the most about parallax mapping and what I believe makes it indisputable is its ability to utilize far smaller textures, providing the illusion that they posses infinite resolution. This saves RAM memory, hard disk space, and loading time.
Setup:
1 black and white heightmap
1 colored base texture
What to fix:
Reformat the input information so that the FPSC can read it. Look at a few of the other .fx files and scifi segments for reference.

Here are some more source files. Included is a new parallax mapper which also works in darkbasic. I have modified it slightly, and it seems to work in the effect preview window.
Also included is a segment with textures and effect applied. It does not parallax map, of course, but I hope it is of help.
I would love to see a simple, well-documented parallax mapper .fx file that is made for the fpscX9, being that few people have vista or high-end graphics hardware - and Dx10 is a new engine. Either way, I believe the coder should have as much knowledge of the source and as much power as necessary over the basic operations of the platform.
In .zip file:
Normal, height, and color map
Segment
New parallax .fx file slightly modified by me; works in .fx preview window so I know this can work with the FPSCx9 engine.

I really hope you do get this working.

I have good news: It seems the .fx configuration will be simpler than I thought. I intend to purchase DarkBasic Pro now, and I should be able to modify an existing .fx file to only use a base map and a height map. I know for a fact that the DarkBasic system can handle height maps, and hence so can FPSC which is structured on DarkBasic.
Anyways, I'll essentially 'combine' Evolution's .fx for Darkbasic with an included .fx that I know, beyond doubt, works flawlessly. I will then release the parallax mapper open source and sell segments and entities which utilize said parallax mapper.
I am making no promises, but fortunately it seems that this will be easier than previously thought.
So what I, or any programmer, would need to do would be:
1. Find a .fx file which executes flawlessly (It will work on any computer with Dx9, no particular hardware needed). Simplicity is preferable.
2. Take one of the several parallax mappers which do work for DarkBasic.
3. Rename the variables and parameters to allow full functionality with FPSC. Perhaps refer to a few third-party .fx files for FPSC for reference.
Note: I may create special .fx files for specific seg/entites, but I will probably just create a heightmap that suits my preferences for brevity's sake.

Parallax mapping seems to be very flexible.

There's a big obstacle...

The FPSC has a hardcoded system of texture stages - the parallax mapping shader(s) need(s) Base Texture, Normalmap, Heightmap
the FPSC has a fixed system called "DINS(LM)" (there are a few more - but they are not important for this subject)

Applying the shader on a static object will never work, because the lightmap stage overrides everything (the textures need to be applied on Texture Stages 0, 1 and 2, otherwise the shader wouldn't work correctly)

okay i'll stop here

Parallax mapping will be finally available in efxMod 1.5 - and if you take the parallax mapping shader(s) from the Ultimate Shaders Pack and use them in FPSC with efxMod, they'll work...)

the Shader should be placed like this:

effectbank\parallaxmapping\parallaxmapping.fx


Have fun trying it out
(works only with efxMod 1.49)

btw. it *was* a hidden feature

Thank you, it's good to have a better perspective on the shading system. Thank you also for the efx mod bit. I've seen youtube videos of it in action, but thus far I have been just disassembling this whole FPSC system piece by piece. Right now I am learning darkbasic, etc. so please excuse me if I seem a bit off course every now and again.
Parallax mapping is my primary goal, and I would honestly be happy if I could only mod that out of the FPSC - hypothetically.
Nonetheless, I'll be checking out the efx first thing.
Here are a few screen caps of the 'Maze Runner' game with its native parallax system. However, the textures have been modified. All rights to their respective owners, etc. etc.
In my personal opinion, the gameplay has some potential, but feels inefficient. I'm surprised by the slow framerates, which I do not observe in other programs. I doubt it's the parallax lagging it, though - my textures are 16 times larger than the native (512 vs 2048 - 4x linear, 16x cubic) and it had no effect on the lag.
Actually, the frame-rate seemed a bit higher, probably because I made some very minor adjustments to the normal-mapped media files with ifranview. It seems the normal maps had a .bmp extension but were in .png format.
I know nothing of the two formats, but ifranview is good with those sorts of things. The game works unmodded, so DarkBasic could read it as well, but I feel it was hogging bus bandwidth due to the necessary conversion going on for the normal-mapping.
On another note, Irrlicht can produce superior paralax mapping with only a height map, I presume from a combination of bumpmapping and parallax mapping.
Both work together like a well-oiled machine. If you check the irrlicht modded caps, I was getting 300+ frames per second with all of that dynamic lighting going on.
Summary:
I'll look at efx first thing. Below are some screencaps of my work as of now. Thank you for your help.

ummm we never showed it in a YT Video... the parallax mapping feature isn't even documented or even mentioned in 1.49

i think you mean the Relief Mapping (my personal favorite )

I had taken some screens of that FPSC X10 character (dunno how he's called)
currently, i'm searching for that screenshot...

This is exactly what I need. I hope to implement my suburban segments within the week (or next few days); to say I am impressed would be an understatement. I am thoroughly amazed that it is possible for a single person or a small team to make a professional-quality game, but then I've read about the origins of Counter Strike. My end goal is a similar open-ended game with a great deal more environmental realism.
Update:
I meant to say that I would be able to preview my suburban segments, not finish them completely. I may be able to finish them soon, but then I don't know.
What I do know is that I am making progress.
PS
I'm having difficulty with the parallax mapping. Could you specify further? I've been tweaking with the code, but it seems to be for DarkBasic - I have the 2006 ultimate shaders pack, by the way.

***UPDATE***
Programs I intend to use:
DarkBasic Professional
FPSC x9*
AC3D (UV mapping while modeling, no more pesky poly limits for loading in models)
3D World Studio Builder Edition
Dark Shader
Texture Maker 3 Pro Edition (Genetica Pro is $350; I was considering buying standard which was $130-ish, but then again, it wouldn't suit my needs)
Character shop

I've studied these and hey, one-time purchase.

(Various others for later stages of product development)

Yes, you need a diversity of software to create a complete game. At least they're all from the same company.

(Ah, yes, and I may still release things for FPSC if I can't get parallax mapping which would not need said technique anyways)

Cost: Over $300**
(Anyone who knows of bundle packs do not hold your peace)

*Though I would not use for a game I made outside of testing - it just doesn't offer enough power. 100x100 space limit, confusing shader implementation, and the inability to specify collision with a separate .x file without a lot of complicated AI (AI for collision???) encoding are my primary grievances. Also, I'm a bit put off by this rush to move on to a new, untested platform at the expense of further development of FPSCx9 - I mean, people with Vista get it for DirectX 10 or for the pretty, overcomplicated interface - for a former garage programmer, Gates sure is fast to waste good CPU and RAM these days.
Really, though, my school is putting Linux on its comps, and while I have yet to test out its gaming and modeling capabilities, but it looks and runs sweet. I rambled, point is FPSCx9 and x10 should be combined into one universal platform, and then just distribute some polished up internal development tools free to the people who bought x10 or something - you know, compensate them without giving them money *and* subtly promoting your product.

**Time saved is money made.
***ENDUPD***
Attn: I may switch to the DarkBasic Pro platform, though I hope my end-result will be an easily-modifiable shader package which can integrate with the FPSCx9. I'll do what I must, I am learning about this and making progress nonetheless. The good news is when I'm through I'll know this system inside and out and my end-product will need no retrofitting. It's a LOT easier in the long-run that way, trust me.
@ Nighthawk:
I have seen your mod kit and I am impressed by its potential - and believe me, potential is everything. I'm sure I can save any 'constructive' criticism ie. the 'crashing' with FPSC 1.08, etc. (Though it worked fine with me at 1.08, but for brevity's sake I cleaned out that version of FPSC as well as its archive files - the version number is NOT a factor)
***IMPORTANT***
I am having difficulty implementing parallex mapping. I have used it unmodified, placed in specified directory, renamed, etc. I have the 'ultimate shader pack - 2006'. Please advise, step-by-step, what I need to do.
ie:
1. Download pack from www.thissite.com/etc.exe
2. Extract to desktop, rename 'shaderuneed' folder to 'parallax'
Summary:
I need additional documentation for the parallax shader