How do I fix this gap

[8thJinx]

[Easyscor]

Select it, double click the name in the list, ex: F001GMS000, in the Properties window, click apply. If that doesn't fix it, set an altitude and repeat.

[8thJinx]

Thanks, I'll give it a try.  This happened after I tried to lift up some hills along the perimeter of the base object.  Is there a way to smooth the transition between the edge of the base and the surrounding terrain?

[Easyscor]

Several. I like Bulldoze for quick touch up but it isn't the best as you'll see.

[bustr]

Keep posting screen captures of your testing and your project when you go for an MA terrain. It will help you keep going when things just get long tedious and repetitious. It will act as inspiration for another budding terrain builder to see the progress of your work. There are no wrong terrains because they are a reflection of how you see the game. Many won't care other than it is a new terrain to find new things on, a few won't like it and life will go on. And Aces High will have a new unique terrain.

[8thJinx]

Is there a way to copy terrain elevations from one part of the map to the other, or do you have to make everything from scratch.

[bustr]

Hehehehehehehehe........

Sorry, that's why you layout your terrain first as a 1:1 art file, 8pixel=1mile. A 2048x2048 file = a 10x10 terrain. Then you can space your feilds\strat\port and such exactly where you want them by the spacing rules as white place holder squares. And use different colors to layout your basic land elevation blocks. Start your project so you have only ocean, create a map 2048x2048, then edit it in an art program.

That 1:1 blueprint you created, do it in layers so your land blocks are on a different layer than your base locations. Now copy the land blocks layer and paste it into the map bitmap. Put that into the texsrc folder and rename to your (project name).bmp. Now when you pull up your project you will see your colored in land blocks. Take your elevation tool and set it for the elevations for each block. Make the Map window about half of the work space, you will see agreen dot on the map where your brush is. Now trace your land block shapes and layfown your basic land blocks to the elevations you chose. Personally I take the the land block layer and convert it to a 16bit grayscale file, then convert that to a raw format and import it into the terrain editor. With 16bit grayscale, our land if you want 1ft elevation starts at grayscale 1001 gray.

Or you can download the free version of L3DT which the largest map it will support is 2048x2048, but you will do well to create a 1:1 blueprint file to layout your dream and all the bases to keep yourself from stumbling around.

This is simpler than it sounds, it will be mind numbing repetition.......

[Easyscor]

If I were creating MA terrains I'd definitely layout the cash for the Pro version of LC3D. Download the free version and see if you can copy paste and rotate your land masses. The Pro version produces the 4096x4096 raw files needed for AH, perhaps some other features as well. It's been two years since I played around with it but I think bustr is running it every minute of the day, hehehehe. He's probably the expert here.

 

[8thJinx]

So in order to copy a landform, you need to do it outside the TE, in a 3rd party package.

Also, L3DT Pro seems like it can do it all.  Can you build the land forms and elevations in L3DT and then just import the world into TE?

[Easyscor]

That's my understanding.

bustr?

[ghostdancer]

You are partially correct 8thJinx. You can can build the heightmap all in L3DT Pro. Then import it into the TE (the raw file) and creates all the land for you and sets the elevations.

However, the terrain type (forest, grassland, rock, etc.) is done by the splat map which is a BMP. So you can create that also in an outside program and import via the TE instead of painting everything by hand in the TE.

[8thJinx]

However, the terrain type (forest, grassland, rock, etc.) is done by the splat map which is a BMP. So you can create that also in an outside program and import via the TE instead of painting everything by hand in the TE.

You can really paint the world in L3DT and it would pass muster as a map for AH3?

[ghostdancer]

Yes, but it would have to be exported out as a separate BMP file. So you would have two files to import:

- the raw file for your height elevation to create land
- the bmp file for your splat map to set the terrain type of the land

I am not sure of all the colors and color combination off the top of my head representing the terrain types and mixes but basically different colors are associated with terrain types. So you would end up painting pixel by pixel the terrain type in the BMP file. it is tedious but no more so than doing in the TE. Although in the TE you see the actual results and can tweak and modify accordingly in real time (without having to do another splat map import).

Just comes down to what you are more comfortable working in.

[8thJinx]

I'm buying an L3DT Pro seat license today.

[bustr]

I do a 1:1 multi layer blueprint, locate all the bases on one layer, block out land elevations in several others. This is a 10x10 so the file is a 2048x2048 8pixel=1mile. I know what I'm going to sculpt by the time I create the 1:1, so all I need is to map the basic block elevations in different colors. Draw in any major canyons or primary runs of a drainage system. Especially if you are running water from elevations onto a plain with a lake that drains to the ocean with a river. My fun in all this is creating a world and it's topo features. The game takes place in a focus of about a 6mile diameter around fields. The rest is a grand illusion to entertain the eyes of the pilots as they fly to a fight. And then there is the micro structure world for GV combat that can be a real bite in the whatsus...but, I try to keep those guys entertained like on Oceania.

Here is my 1:1 blueprint with the base elevation blocks, primary water, and feilds for one country. I simply make two copies of the field layer, and rotate them to index the center line of each country border. Then I merge them and I have my feilds mapped and can transfer those dots as place holders to the CBM and then onto the terrain. At that point I can sculpt to enhance the location markers and not place an airfield at the bottom of a tiny canyon 1000ft deep. I still need to map out the primary canyons so they are cut during the import, I want straight sides with this one. The majority of airfields are 19miles which kept the action going on Oceania. This time the center pit is for task groups to fight and if you want GVers to not hide, don't place vBases everywhere. Give them spawns to follow the combat and they will happily help out. On this terrain, it will be 50\50 town and map room on the field. This thing will last maybe three days and not bore people for seven.

Note to self: finish the full field layout layer so you can make sure feeder streams run close enough to some percentage of feilds to use bridges.


The strats and three un-capturable airfields are not as important in this case, it's obvious to make a cluster with the three airfields arranged to protect the cluster and HQ. Since Hitech enabled the 163 on Oceania at all three of my un-capturable, I will on this one and again not add Flak feilds.