New MA terrain: CraterMA

[Greebo]

Curses.....foiled again! 

I have fixed the problem with the TGs and altered the altitude scale on the map. I've also added a load of PT spawns and a few more vehicle spawns too. The latest version is up at the same link as before:

http://www.gfg06.dial.pipex.com/files/ahiiterr.zip

I'll submit it once I have written the accompanying email. Thanks again for all your help guys.

[Easyscor]

Ouch, I forgot, sorry.

Your PT Hanger spawns are not consistent. One time north, another east etc.

IMO it would be best if the hanger spawn always spawned just off the nearest coast so that all the rest of your PT spawns will be by the numbers.

[Greebo]

I spent an hour or two on Saturday trying to work out what was happening with my map's PT spawn points. Basically there was always one SP launch button missing on the clipboard, although all the SPs showed up on the map. The H button in the centre launched to the missing SP direction. The missing SP was always number 000 in the TE.

I can't see any way of creating an SP for the H button anyway. You have to set a direction for each SP as you create it in the TE and this determines which will be its button on the clipboard, not where it is physically on the map.

Later on I loaded the Ozkansas terrain offline and found the same SP arrangement problem happening there. So it seems its a bug in the offline game and that all the SPs should rearrange themselves when my terrain runs online. At least, that's my understanding of the issue.

[Easyscor]

No, it's because the spawn point issue isn't understood.

Spawn 000 is always the Hanger, no mater which direction it's pointing. In the standard airfields and the port, vehicle spawns from the hanger are taken care of for you, but not for a PT spawn from a V-Base or A/F, then you have to actually know how it works.

[Greebo]

OK, so what you are saying is I should create an SP numbered 000 right next to each V base and airfield. This will become the H button SP and the others will then be arranged correctly. I guess the Ozkansas map's PT boat spawn points are also set up incorrectly then. Thanks for the heads up Easyscor.

[NHawk]

There's nothing incorrect about setting the H spawn anywhere you want. Especially when there's only one PT spawn at the base.

BUT, when there are multiple spawns it becomes a problem when people try to figure out where the H spawn is.

It seems you have already found out that, for air fields and GV bases the first PT spawn you set is automatically the H spawn.

For a little more detail, see this page in the AH Wiki...

http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/wiki/index.php/Spawn_Points

I would also suggest that before you submit your terrain that you chuck whatever reference you've been using and read the Terrain Editor section of the Wiki. You may find other things that you either have done incorrectly or differently than accepted.

http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/wiki/index.php/Terrain_Editor

[Easyscor]

Here's my modified checklist for submitting an MA terrain -

Check list for Terrains:

__ - Turn Zones On and make sure all bases are in the proper zone
__ - Build and check that all Field's Country ownership is correct in-game
__ - Destroy all CVs and confirm they respawn with the correct country ownership
__ - Use the ‘Standard’ button (Field Setup Menu) to enable planes
__ - ‘Redo’ track objects
__ - Walk the waypoints of the roads and remove any unnecessary waypoints
__ - Confirm the sector lines of the clipboard map match Bar Dar
__ - Check Water Not Zero
__ - Run Check Entry points
__ - Run Object Report

__ - Confirm field linking file (uncapturable)
__ - Weather file?

Edit: Review Skuzzy's MA Terrain requirements thread in the Terrain Forum.

Keep in mind that you should re-run all these checks after each correction, and again before you zip it up for Skuzzy.

NHawk, if you want to add this to the Wiki, go ahead, I haven't taken time to learn it.

[Greebo]

Dumb of me, I never even thought to check the Wiki. I shelved this terrain before the Wiki was written and only started looking at it again when the last TE update was released. There is a reference to the first SP being the H button in the help files too which I just plain missed. Sources I've been using include the help files, Denholm's tutorial and posts I've saved from this forum.

The Wiki highlighted a couple of errors in my terrain, the TTs and SBs had incorrect settings that were easily changed.

There is also one other issue though. The Wiki states spawn points should have the "can collide" box checked whereas Denholm's tutorial says the opposite. Before I tick that box on all those SPs can someone confirm that the Wiki is correct on this? The "change all" button does not seem to apply to this setting so I guess I'm looking at quite a long and tedious job here.

There are a few items on your list I haven't checked Easyscor. I'll run through the whole lot again before submitting it.

[Easyscor]

<snip>

The Wiki highlighted a couple of errors in my terrain, the TTs and SBs had incorrect settings that were easily changed.

There is also one other issue though. The Wiki states spawn points should have the "can collide" box checked whereas Denholm's tutorial says the opposite. Before I tick that box on all those SPs can someone confirm that the Wiki is correct on this? The "change all" button does not seem to apply to this setting so I guess I'm looking at quite a long and tedious job here.

There are a few items on your list I haven't checked Easyscor. I'll run through the whole lot again before submitting it.

The image in the Wiki is in error, don't set spawn points as Can collide.

What you want for your SBs, is battery, and BAH. When you have it set right, it will take ~4000 lb to destroy. If you set it wrong, you can gun it down with .50 cal.

[Greebo]

Phew, thats a relief! Must be hundreds of SPs in this terrain, didn't fancy having to mod them all.

The SBs are now Hard Gun Batts and BAH, I'll check them for damage in the game later.

[Easyscor]

Hard Gun Batts?

[Greebo]

I had the object type for my SBs set as "Gun Bat", I think I once read a post in this forum that said to do it that way. However the Wiki says "Hard Gun Bat" for shore batteries and "Gun Bat" for all other field guns so I changed to that. The SBs' name went from BAT to BAH when I did this.

The other Wiki inspired change I made was to the Tank Town object, I set it to "country owned" instead of "field owned".

[Easyscor]

Correct on both counts. 

[NHawk]

Spawn points DO have the can collide box checked. And it should remain checked. While I don't think it makes a difference I would have to talk to Skuzzy about it to be sure that unchecking the box has no affect. Until I hear otherwise, it should be checked.

SBs SHOULD NOT be Hard Gun Bat. That was an error on my part. They should be Gun Bat. I just had a discussion with Skuzzy about this before the holidays to confirm it. But I forgot to change it in the Wiki. In the MAs, the gun bat types do not work the way people think they do.

Also while I don't think you have many of them, see the note about barges. I just added that the other day, also due to a discussion with Skuzzy.

Keep in mind that Denholm's tutorial was meant to get people started with h2h terrains. I'm sorry to say that it never even came close to meeting the requirements for building an MA terrain.

[Greebo]

Thanks NHawk. I've found the relevant setting in the oba file for the can collide box. It should be a lot quicker to change the SPs over from there. I'll change the SBs back over too. There are no barges on the map, just roads and railways.