Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Terrain Editor => Topic started by: NHawk on July 08, 2007, 01:13:12 PM
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I read a thread in the General Discussion forum asking what the requirements are for Main Arena Terrains so I'm going to try to help out with as much of that information as my old brain can remember.
In general here are the "rules" for the LW & MW arenas:
1) Balance
Balance refers to the number and type of bases, and the amount of terrain for each team.
Each team must have equal numbers of small, medium, and large airfields as well as equal numbers of GV bases, ports and CVs.
Terrain balance can be the hardest to attain. When there is a slight imbalance in terrain it can be overcome by modifying the distance between airfields and/or the distance from a base to it's town. Where there is a huge imbalance...start over.
2) Field Locations
There should be no more than one airfield per sector. No more than 25 miles apart. No closer than 3/4 of a sector.
A GV base or port, and an airfield may occupy the same sector.
3) Strat
A complete working strat system must be in place.
This means all factories, roads, trains, and barges must be in place and working.
4) No VOIDs
There should be no "void" object types on the terrain.
5) CVs
Every CV must have a map room associated with it.
Every CV must have a default route assigned to it.
6) No Custom Objects
No matter how much you like that hangar or airfield you made it can't be used in an MA terrain.
7) Airfield Altitudes
No airfield should be over 6k. I use 5k as max airfield altitude.
The simple reason for this is fully loaded Lancasters can't get off the ground above that altitude. They have trouble at 5 and 6k, so anything more just doesn't work.
8) Check Your Work
Use the tools built into the TE to check your terrain. Skuzzy won't fix a hundred errors for you.
Also, fly out of every base. Be sure bombers can take off in at least one direction.
9) Playability
While realistic terrains of Europe look pretty they most likely aren't playable. Take gameplay into consideration when making a terrain.
10) Group Master
Simply put, everything you place on your terrain is a Group Master. The only exceptions to this are Shore Batteries, Spawn Points, CVs, and the map rooms for CVs.
This may be over simplified, but for MA use it's probably the easiest way to put it.
11) Clouds
A complete cloud system is nice but so far as I know not required.
12) Start Over
If you find a glaring problem with your terrain, don't be afraid to start over. You don't know how many terrains I've scrapped 1/2 way through the creation process.
There are probably alot more than my brain can put together right now but with this information people should have a good starting point to make a terrain for the MA.
Remember these are general guidelines. Nothing is etched in stone. Some rules can be bent, but use caution when doing so. As I remember more I'll try to add to this post.
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By the way, this is in addition to this thread...
What can be (is allowed) customized for a MA Terrain? (http://forums.hitechcreations.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=176625)
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Addition:
13) Clipboard Maps
Your clipboard map should be 1024 x 1024 in size.
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Thx NHawk. I've got a week off from work next week and thought I would work on starting one.
Lambo
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Thanks NHawk, would be nice if this thread got a Sticky, because so many people want to know, yet end up asking the same question over again.
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No problem.
Most of these aren't absolute etched in stone laws that will cause death and dismemberment if you break or bend them. They are only meant as basic guidelines.
Just in case it doesn't get stickied, I put the words "Main Arena" in the post so it can be found in a search. Oops...that's twice now. :)
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Nicely put.
Also, there must be three bases marked as uncapturable. They should be the three closet in proximity to the headquarters, which will also include the field with the ME163 enabled in it.
The ME163 should be disabled at all fields, except the airfield closest to the headquarters.
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Rut roh!
I knew I forgot something. Umm..want to disable the 163 on my most recent submission? :(
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Not a rule, but advise.
When you submit your terrain, put the terrain name and the current date into both the .zip file name and the email subject. That way if there are modifications during the process they can be easily identified by both you and Skuzzy.
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14) Strat & Zones
Each zone must have a complete strat system.
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15.) SAVE SAVE SAVE!
FREQUENTLY save your work. Nothing like spending 3-4 hours working on a terrain for your computer to freeze or power go out. Losing all work you just did.
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Greetings,
Because I haven't seen it in the MA, I assume Airfields, Vehicle Bases, Towns, etc . . . may not be rotated when placed on the map. Is this correct?
Regards,
Edited in response to following post,
Thanks! And way cool!
Regards,
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No, they may be rotated.
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ANY chance we`ll ever actually see a new MA terrain??????????? :pray :pray :pray :pray :pray :pray :pray :pray
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ANY chance we`ll ever actually see a new MA terrain??????????? :pray :pray :pray :pray :pray :pray :pray :pray
Mmmm... maybe ;)
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Mmmm... maybe ;)
Sounds like somebodies getting close :x
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I hope to have mine done before too long, but it kind of depends on how work goes.
Soooooo maybe there will be a couple of them ready for submission soon.