New Maps 4 MA

[The Fugitive]

Actually the main problem with my terrain was that I got a bit too creative and added a load of towns I built from the tiles that make up the strat cities. Many of these were placed between spawns and fields to give GVs some different terrain to fight through, some had rivers with bridges to cross too. I figured that as these city tiles were in MA terrains anyway, it would be OK to use them this way. Unfortunately it wasn't OK as all the city pieces have hidden links to the strat system. HT suggested a way I might get round this and I've been reworking the terrain in between skinning jobs.

Otherwise I've had to alter the texturing on the terrain to blend in with the new fields, town and port, as well as altering the coastlines slightly to match the latter. There were also some mistakes I'd made in object settings that I've had to fix. It is mostly done now, I'm currently bug testing prior to resubmitting.

Building an MA terrain is a frequently frustrating experience as the editors are quirky, buggy and poorly documented. There tends to be a lot of boring repetitive stuff to do that could be better automated in software. The interesting "art" part of building the terrain for me is working out the field layout, as well as contouring and texturing the terrain. However this tends to be only a small percentage of the number of hours involved, the rest is the boring repetitive stuff. I've been working on this terrain on and off for over three years now. Some of that time involved several rebuilds when HTC altered the way the terrain was handled, but mostly its just lack of time. After a while it gets to the point where you carry on just to avoid having lost all the work you've done.

Ya know if you'd just stop screwing up you would have been done a year ago ! 

[gyrene81]

I only wish I had your patience Greebo.

[AWwrgwy]

Lol, I don't understand why you guys always snob in on your high horse and say 'make your own map' when for the vast majority of the player base is infeasible from a know how standpoint and impossible from a time standpoint.  HTC should, to some degree, be responsible for putting out new maps.  Whether that be one a year, one every other year, it should be somewhere on the priority list. 

A.  Most of the maps in rotation are player made.
B.  As already stated, why would the limited staff at HTC have the time or resources?  "for the vast majority of the player base is ... impossible from a time standpoint."
C.  I'm certain members of the 8th Air Force got up every morning and said, "Europe again today?".


wrongway

[grizz441]

A.  Most of the maps in rotation are player made.

HTC is fortunate that some players have stepped up and spent hours on end working on maps with little to no reward.  The fact remains, no new maps in more than three years is it now?

B.  As already stated, why would the limited staff at HTC have the time or resources?  "for the vast majority of the player base is ... impossible from a time standpoint."

For the vast majority of the player base it is impossible from a time standpoint because they have jobs and AH is a hobby.  On the other hand, this is HTC's job.  I get tired of playing on the same maps again and again year in and year out, as do other players.  The game gets stale that way.

C.  I'm certain members of the 8th Air Force got up every morning and said, "Europe again today?".

[facepalm]Man oh man.[/facepalm]


Wrongway prove us wrong and make a new map please. Thx.

[gyrene81]

For the vast majority of the player base it is impossible from a time standpoint because they have jobs and AH is a hobby.  On the other hand, this is HTC's job.  I get tired of playing on the same maps again and again year in and year out, as do other players.

I'm betting HTC would be willing to shelve everything they were planning for a few months just to create 1 or 2 new maps for the arenas.

[grizz441]

I'm betting HTC would be willing to shelve everything they were planning for a few months just to create 1 or 2 new maps for the arenas.

Over exaggerations do not help prove a point, as any semi intelligent person can see through it.

Maybe you and wrongway can work on a map together.  You can call it "ForumSnob Isles" or something to that extent.

[gyrene81]

Over exaggerations do not help prove a point, as any semi intelligent person can see through it.

Maybe you and wrongway can work on a map together.  You can call it "ForumSnob Isles" or something to that extent.

Grizz, have you tried it yet? Just a 64x64, not the 256x256 required for the MA's. Give it a shot, see what you think then.

[grizz441]

Grizz, have you tried it yet? Just a 64x64, not the 256x256 required for the MA's. Give it a shot, see what you think then.

How much money am I getting paid?

I don't understand your point here.  Are you implying it is very difficult to do?  If so, then why do you chime in on these threads with a holier than thou attitude telling newbs to make their own maps?  This is very contradictory, but to be expected.

[gyrene81]

How much money am I getting paid?

I don't understand your point here.  Are you implying it is very difficult to do?  If so, then why do you chime in on these threads with a holier than thou attitude telling newbs to make their own maps?  This is very contradictory, but to be expected.

You will make as much as anyone who has or is making terrains...perhaps you think HTC should make all the skins too. What is it to you how I chime in? I guess you failed to notice your own chimes going off.

[grizz441]

You will make as much as anyone who has or is making terrains...perhaps you think HTC should make all the skins too.

Apples and oranges.  Skins are a nice personalized touch to the game.  They are no where near the level of comparison to map making.  That would be like me asking if you think the players should design new aircraft too.  It would be absolutely absurd.  Strawmen for the win.  

What is it to you how I chime in? I guess you failed to notice your own chimes going off.

I would normally not chime in, but as consistent as you are in acting like a complete tool on these boards, I felt obligated.  There is a reason I have dubbed thee "The BBS Forum Snob."  So yes, I chimed, and yes, you got called out.  Please adhere to your holier than thou words and condescending advice you give to every poor sap who makes a reasonable request in this forum.  

So make a map please, follow your own advice, you are obligated as a player.  Follow the link you posted on Page 1 to get started.  Thanks in advance btw, we all appreciate it.  You will certainly receive kudos and butt slaps for your tireless efforts.

[gyrene81]

Well fair enough Grizz, if using common sense and intelligent adult sensibilties makes me a forum snob, so be it. In my book it's better than the childish whining behavior that is so common around here. When you see me post a whine telling HTC to fix it and it's not my computer or ask that HTC do anything else that everyone knows is not their responsibility, then you can make an attempt to sit in judgement of what I say or do.

As for me making a map, I'm not the one asking for them. When I get one finished, you will be the first I show it to.

[justIN]

WoW I never intended this to be some kind of slam on a guy for a WISH!I did put the idea in the right place didn't I? My understanding was that if there was some idea or something new you think would add to the game play this was the place to post.Anyhow after reading many treads I have noticed (gyrene81) you always seem to have a negative responce to the majority of all post,try and go with the flow and stop being the one bully of the boards.Try to add some positive responce once it wont kill ya.

[gyrene81]

JustIN, no offense, but if you look through this wish list from the beginning you will notice where anything that people think will add to the game that is not something the players can or should control themselves, gets a good reception from the rest of the people who read them.

Others get, not so good of a reception:

http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,294563.0.html

http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,294649.0.html

http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,294902.0.html

http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,292981.0.html

Some get outright flamed, others just nudged as noob talk.

Now, I have to ask you, did you look around the forums to see if you could figure out where the existing maps come from? I wondered who made them myself when I first got here...then I read through every forum and noticed a couple of threads:

http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,209609.0.html
http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,176625.0.html

Then I put 2 and 2 together to figure out that most of the terrains around here were player created just like the skins. A lot of players have done the same thing, hence the reason you don't see many wishlist posts for new terrains.


Do you really think that score has anything to do with player behavior in the DA? I used to think the same thing until I started paying close attention to certain players, forum posts and asked a couple of questions of players I knew were long time vets who went into the DA once in a while. As a matter of fact I watched a guy for several hours tonight HO everyone he went nose to nose against...that was his best play. Found out that he just decided that since every Spixteen and Temp he came across HO'd, he wasn't pulling any punches himself. That player behavior has nothing to do with score.

Finally, if you really scruitinize my posts, you will see that I'm not always flaming someone for stupid childish nonsensical b.s. Sometimes I'm just clowning around or trying to offer some modicum of assistance with a legitimate computer problem.