Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Open Beta Test => Topic started by: Greebo on January 20, 2016, 08:56:38 AM
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I have been busy converting CraterMA to AH III format and the current version is attached to this post. I'd be interested to hear players' ideas and opinions, good or bad, on the map. Also any framerate issues, rock textures seem to cause slow downs in the game and there are quite a lot of those on this map.
To use the map navigate to your beta folder and put the file craterma.res in the ahterr folder. Then create the folder chconfig/craterma and put the files craterma.awa and craterma overcast.awa in it. The craterma.awa file is the default weather system which has a number of isolated weather fronts scattered across the map while craterma overcast.awa is an alternative system with a single overcast layer across the whole map. You can access this by typing ".sweath craterma overcast" into the radio bar.
I have made some changes to the map from the AH II version:
1. Moved the spawn points a little closer to the fields, they were about 3.25 miles before, now they are mostly 3 miles out.
2. Moved most of the strats nearer to the coast and each one close to a V base. The idea is to give each of the strats some radar coverage. Also all the strats bar the city are within reach of the outer spawn routes running across the map. Maybe the chance of blowing up a factory or some trains might tempt a few GVers out of TT now and again.
3. Changed some of the airfields to the new super large type. The starting position for the map now has a choice of two small, one mid and one super large airfield per front line, rather than all small fields. Possibly the large fields might get bypassed by attackers.
4. Changed some of the small V bases to the new larger type.
5. Added five of the new flak bases per side. There are two flanking each HQ and city, plus one per side in tank town. These bases are all uncapturable and online only the Fi 156 can up from one. I did some offline tests for this arrangement by running a set of Lancs over the city and HQ with their four flak bases. It took four passes before I lost a plane and prior to that I was only hit one other time. If you want to duplicate this I have left a bomber spawn active for testing, which is accessed by selecting the SE spawn button at A1. Adding these 15 extra bases will increase the online map win requirement from 7 enemy fields per side to 8.
6. Revised the field layout in tank town. This was necessary since AH III has a new restriction on how fields can be spaced. Also I didn't like the way players were climbing the canyon walls to overlook everyone so I have bordered the fighting area with water this time.
There are currently no roads or railways etc on the map, since HTC hasn't done those yet. I am hoping to be able to incorporate the forthcoming river supply routes and bridges into GV spawn routes and tank town, which should add something a bit different to the map.
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Will give it a go this afternoon.
Only comment from your post is reduction of the number of small bases. Small bases are the main stay of base capture attempts. Not saying the reduction of small bases is bad on your map revision. That remains to be seen. It probably is perfect. Just suggesting for map makers to keep in mind reducing small bases too much can have a negative impact on the game.
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Greebo, are you sure about where to unzip the files?
In the Beta there's a folder named "ah3terr" containing the .res files for other terrains without any subfolders. I put the .res file there and it showed up correctly in the Choose Terrain list.
Also the "chconfig" folder already exists, no need to create it. A subfolder named "craterma" with the .awa files was what I did.
In the instructions you talk about "overcast.awa" but in the zip package it's "craterma overcast.awa". Which one is correct?
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Sorry don't know what I was thinking there. Thanks for the correction, I have edited the original post with the correct procedure for installation.
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Will give it a go this afternoon.
Only comment from your post is reduction of the number of small bases. Small bases are the main stay of base capture attempts. Not saying the reduction of small bases is bad on your map revision. That remains to be seen. It probably is perfect. Just suggesting for map makers to keep in mind reducing small bases too much can have a negative impact on the game.
The original layout was an outer ring of small bases, a ring of medium bases and a core of big bases for each side. However because only 20% of bases are needed to win the war, the bigger bases rarely see any action. With the new layout I am hoping to inject a bit more variety. The very large airbases are going to be quite interesting, lots of AA, four miles square rather than one, with a stream that needs to be crossed to get access to the built-in town. If I'd stuck these at the rear of the map they would never have got used. Maybe I'll make one of the middle ring of fields into a small field to compensate.
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Greebo, just double checking if you know that putting the awa file in your ah3terr/craterma folder and then build, it will be the default off line and online for the terrain.
HiTech
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Thanks, I didn't know that. Learn something new every day. :)
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Greebo,
WOW................... :O
This terrain is youtube advertisement worthy.
When I exited the arena, my game froze for about 15 seconds, then gave me the splash screen.
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Greebo:
I am amazed at your talent for creating realistic looking topography from scratch (i.e. not from actual DEM topography). It looks so natural. I spawned a Jeep from V102 and drove SW into the mountains. I felt like I was driving up the eastern face of the Sierras. Instead of lots of AH terrains where it just looks like you could drive anywhere you want, when I look at yours I see pathways I want to take: around that draw there, towards that saddle point there, etc. It looks so natural. As I headed to the high saddle point I felt I was in the Eastern Sierras. The only thing missing was alpine lakes in the low points. Really superior work.
The shadows of the clouds moving across the ground look cool and really add to the immersion. However, the immersion is kinda killed when the shadows suddenly jump position periodically (like every 10 or 20 seconds). I know it's not your fault, I'm just pointing out a limitation of the implementation.
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Greebo:
The shadows of the clouds moving across the ground look cool and really add to the immersion. However, the immersion is kinda killed when the shadows suddenly jump position periodically (like every 10 or 20 seconds). I know it's not your fault, I'm just pointing out a limitation of the implementation.
That would be a bug.
HiTech
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Very nice work Greebo.
I did the same as 715 suggested, grabbed a jeep and headed SW out of V102, up into the mountains. Made me wish that there was an 'exit vehicle' command where you can get out of the jeep, move around and then get back in later. I wanted to set up a tent and camp!
I also took a 262 and chased clouds, flew in and around them and then flew into the caldera area and did not notice any frame rate problems, in the clouds or flying near the mountains rock faces (or while jeeping over the rocks on the ground, for that matter).
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Any chance you guys could post up a nice screenshot?
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Ran offline, steady framerates everywhere, 59-60. Beautiful job! Dxdiag attached, would a 64 bit dxdiag help at all?
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Here's me pausing for a photo-op on my Jeep trip into the Sierras, a few miles out of V102. Its very cool how the ambient lighting changes as the clouds drift in front of the sun.
(http://i.imgur.com/zhPOQH8.jpg)
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Thanks guys, glad you like it. The texture painting tools in the TE made it easy to do things like globally apply snow only at specific altitudes and angles of slope. There was still a fair bit of hand editing needed though.
Thanks for the FPS report Copprhed. Your system is fairly similar to mine and would probably get rates of 80-90 with a fast enough monitor. I don't think the 64 bit DxDiag matters, for this purpose its really just a question of which video card, CPU and how much memory the system has really.
Any particular size of screenshot suit you best Skuzzy?
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Fantastic job Greebo! This map really shows more of the goodness that Aces High has built in to AH3.
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Good clouds and mountains.
(http://s20.postimg.org/x5yyxcslp/CMAcloud.jpg)
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I forgot to mention the frame rates I got. Most everywhere, except zoomed in high density tree area, I get 60 fps (my max). However, from the tower of the flak base I get 15 fps. That's with almost everything on max, except Environment=0 and Post Lighting Disabled, with adaptive MSAA on the GPU. 3GHz E8400, 4GB RAM, HD7870, Win XP. I notice that exit of the terrain takes quite a few seconds to get back to the terrain selection window.
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Beautiful as always..
The only thing I noticed, while I was watching the shadows move across the hills is that after about 2 mins they jump back to the starting position and replay.
Frame rate with everything is around 45. With the post lighting off its 55.
Very nice mate.
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I have attached a few screenshots which have been cropped to 1280 by 720 since that is the resolution used for skin screenshots in the submissions process. I will take some more tonight after work.
There is something odd going on with the clouds, all the fronts should have a life time of one hour before they jump back to their starting points. Their starting position is back-dated to some time before the terrain is loaded but that would only account for a single jump.
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Seems to be a problem with Photobucket, can't get a post from it, so here's 2 attached.
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I have found Photobucket unreliable of late, it often just hangs when I try to upload an image.
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I there a better photosharing site?
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Dropbox
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Beautiful terrain.
Great job rotating the Square Tile objects. I checked a random bunch in the northern half of the terrain and all looks good. :aok
I did stumble on a missing shoreline
-262252,3608,246564,-7.4,-37.0,-154.6
craterma
FOV = 73.5
I'll try to do a better job when I can get some time.
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No size requirements. There are a number of people who have not seen the Beta and are asking what it looks like before they commit to the installation.
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This is taken from Greebo's TT and man do those trees look good! Cropped it because the tank doesn't appear to be sitting flush to the ground.
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I may have moved files incorrectly, or something, but the Lens Flare effect under Post Lighting Effects is casting shadows on the Greebo TT mountains. As my tank moves so do those shadows. If I uncheck Lens Flares it goes away.
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(http://s1065.photobucket.com/user/copprhed/media/ahss6.png.html?sort=3&o=4)
There is an image embedded in this post...but doesn't show....solutions? BTW, I hist the image button and inserted the copied url from photobucket for the image I wanted to embed, it looked like BracketURLBracket.
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Creater ma is now under the melee tab.
HiTech
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Creater ma is now under the melee tab.
HiTech
"Shut ya mouth !!"
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"Shut ya mouth !!"
They say Shaft is a bad mother...
😀
Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk
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"Just talkin bout Dale."
(Points to thread on custom sounds) :cheers:
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Dropbox
I'm trying Dropbox now.
How do you share the IMG url, so the picture shows here on the BBS.
It's only sharing a clickable link to the photo...
Thanks
Coogan
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I also uploaded your weather file as the default today greebo.
HiTech
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Thanks HT. When at some point I make any significant changes to the terrain and upload it again will the melee terrain reflect that automatically or do I have to let you know so you can change it manually?
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Thanks HT. When at some point I make any significant changes to the terrain and upload it again will the melee terrain reflect that automatically or do I have to let you know so you can change it manually?
The arena will even reboot and reload the terrain once the terrain is up. But please also put the awa file in your craterma folder, because it will be erased when you do a new upload. Also the other difference of building with ahupload vs the TE is that it version stamps the terrain.
HiTech
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My entry in the photo contest. ;)
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My entry in the photo contest. ;)
Btw when doing photos, you can move the text window all most off the bottom screen (only title bar left showing) and it will not show.
HiTech
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(https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/058d/io63xouyt3qcde97g.jpg) (https://www.mediafire.com/view/?io63xouyt3qcde9)
(https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/736d/22ei7sbp4gc6rze7g.jpg) (https://www.mediafire.com/view/?22ei7sbp4gc6rze)
(https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/48b3/5is6etfrr78lar17g.jpg) (https://www.mediafire.com/view/?5is6etfrr78lar1)
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Man these are looking really good :aok
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Gobsmacked, Greebo. Brilliant effort here, sir.
:salute
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Really gotta get this downloaded. Looks like I won't be doing a lot this weekend other than running a snow blower and watching football. Got some time.
Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk
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I'm trying Dropbox now.
How do you share the IMG url, so the picture shows here on the BBS.
It's only sharing a clickable link to the photo...
It will do that. The only reason to use Dropbox is if the BBS here won't allow your image because of size restrictions. The 8k image that I posted previously, for instance, would not work here.
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6. Revised the field layout in tank town. This was necessary since AH III has a new restriction on how fields can be spaced. Also I didn't like the way players were climbing the canyon walls to overlook everyone so I have bordered the fighting area with water this time.
Airstud and Wizzy are not going to like that. LOL Glad you did it. <S>
I am taking lots of notes. :aok
:salute
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Some strange lighting effect noticed in TT, see attached ahf.
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Got to say I was very impressed with the map! :rock
I couldn't tell by the landing gear light, if the gear was up are down in the -4, or if the Hook was down.
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We did a tank night in the AVA last night using Craterma. I feel kind of dirty not using a AVA terrain..... but anyway! it was great!
everyone seemed to have a good time, and the affects are awesome. theres seems to be one particular branch of the trees that blocks shots through them!
anyway we're trying to do more stuff in the AVA and it was pretty cool! im going to try to build a smaller terrain that would be more conducive to
tank fights but for now its nice to have a couple of really cool terrains. I believe thanks goes to greebo for doing such a good job on Craterma!
(http://i706.photobucket.com/albums/ww64/captain1ma/ahss3_zpsjhcfrrnk.png) (http://s706.photobucket.com/user/captain1ma/media/ahss3_zpsjhcfrrnk.png.html)
the upside down tank of death!! also you can see my frame rate.
(http://i706.photobucket.com/albums/ww64/captain1ma/ahss0_zpstdtzkd1a.png) (http://s706.photobucket.com/user/captain1ma/media/ahss0_zpstdtzkd1a.png.html)
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Btw when doing photos, you can move the text window all most off the bottom screen (only title bar left showing) and it will not show.
HiTech
Like this? (I get an "E" for effort for waiting around until the clouds came back, right? :) )
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Like this? (I get an "E" for effort for waiting around until the clouds came back, right? :) )
Hmm maybe an s for scotch? :)
And: Yes like that (sticks out tong).
HiTech
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Hmm maybe an s for scotch? :)
And: Yes like that (sticks out tong).
HiTech
Mmmmm... Scotch! You've got me persuaded, I'll take one!
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Here's a few more screenshots:
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I'm getting some unusual shadow lines, screenies attached.
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Some CraterMA fun.
(http://s20.postimg.org/5izmsn74d/yak7_He01up.jpg)
(http://s20.postimg.org/bdoojqqx9/tankbup.jpg)
(http://s20.postimg.org/f4t78xya5/I16_He02up.jpg)
(http://s20.postimg.org/l9kpm9qdp/I16_He01up.jpg)
(http://s20.postimg.org/4ly9gw1xp/P51d_G610up.jpg)
(http://s20.postimg.org/ycgc5jglp/P51d_G611up.jpg)
(http://s20.postimg.org/70l347bv1/FWb24up.jpg)
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Just love shooting tanks at CraterMA.
(http://s20.postimg.org/c3c29ugul/tankbup2.jpg)
(http://s20.postimg.org/n6r31pcr1/tankbup3.jpg)
(http://s20.postimg.org/otgamxost/tankbup4.jpg)
(http://s20.postimg.org/dweyy6219/tankbup5.jpg)
(http://s20.postimg.org/eagaxrm4t/tankbup6.jpg)
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A42 Crater Map west launch trees to close to end of the runway. Slammed loaded Jug into them doubt bombers will be able to lift off.
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Greebo,
A42 west end of the fighter grass runway you painted the tall oaks right up to the end of the object tile. Heavy fighters like jugs and P51-D will never get over those oaks from that very short grass runway.
Any chance of getting Hitech and Waffle to incorporate a tile for the summer western Eu tile set of grassy flower meadow and no trees? That would solve the end of the runway issue. I bit the bullet and used sand on my terrain out into those oaks.
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I wish my aim was always this perfect..... :cry
(http://s20.postimg.org/rvqf655u5/P51d_G605up.jpg)
(http://s20.postimg.org/hzpc6i025/P51d_G602up.jpg)
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I'll have a look at the trees at A42, please let me know if you find any other instances like that.
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Greebo take a look at A16 also please. Trees very close both ends east and west.
Thanks
Climbout in my favorite (Great Map Greebo well done)
(http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv313/Hajo_01/47D11.png)
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I'm going to visit every airfield and take an axe to the trees at the end of each runway. It should be just a question of changing a small spot of terrain to another type and then refreshing the tree display in the TE.
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I took off in a fully loaded P-47 and also tried auto takeoff. No problems. I like the trees. If you can clear the building you'll probably miss the trees too. :D
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I'm going to visit every airfield and take an axe to the trees at the end of each runway. It should be just a question of changing a small spot of terrain to another type and then refreshing the tree display in the TE.
Thanks Greebo. It is a gorgeous map.
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6. Revised the field layout in tank town. This was necessary since AH III has a new restriction on how fields can be spaced. Also I didn't like the way players were climbing the canyon walls to overlook everyone so I have bordered the fighting area with water this time.
Oh.... Hell No.... where is the fun in fighting in TT where their "Isn't A Town" to hide in or climb a mountain and shoot down on the "long rangers" in their "perk tanks." Greebo... I luv ya man but this isn't gonna work... AT ALL! The purpose of climbing the mountains is to brake up the squatters in their Perk Tanks setting way back off the line that don't want to engage in a fight and rack up their kills and then "RUN" back to base cause someone hit them and now their smoking, screaming they need sups cause their in a Tiger II with 30 kills!!!!! That is why I take the 8-10 min to climb the mountains and do my best in killing them "long rangers" as fast as I can. I don't want to hear them whinning cause I'm up their, they can kill me just as well as I can kill them, they also call in "bomb :airplane: tards" to do their dirty work for them, so I don't want to hear them whinning about me taking my time to climb the mountains and killing them.
This is enough to make one want to leave the game forever... change is good, I understand that, but to take away the best parts of a map is over doing it if you ask me. When you cater to the whinner's because their to lazy to do what the other players are willing to do, that is really SAD!!! I'm "NOT" saying "YOU" are catering to the whinners but it sure looks that way with the changes to the CraterMA map. During the European war that is what the enemy did, hide in town's, climbed hill side and "ambush" its enemy... you can't do that now on the CraterMA map as it is now.
All the bells and whistle look great, but the towns I see don't look nothing like they are in real life, I spent three years in Germany in the the early sixties and HT almost had it right before they changed the towns to what they are now on the CraterMA and ND lsles maps. I know I'll be getting a lot of flack from this post, but like it or not, if you check the next time either of these two maps come up, you'll find a lot of GV'er in and around TT and someone is trying to hurry up and win the map so the GV'ers will go back to flying planes and not in TT. I guess I better enjoy Aces High as it is now, where is the fun of having a TT when their isn't a town to fight in or mountain to climb.
Nuff... said!
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Dang Greebo,
And here I put in spawns on higher elevations over looking the tank gunnery ranges so guys could learn how to range from higher up. The new terrain tiles of trees and clutter will create a different spawn camping style. If the spawn random area drops you into trees, the camper and you will be equally blind. And bomb tards will go blind trying to find tanks as long as they stay under trees. Hmmmm, just like ww2.
When we first tested the new TT object a year ago, we couldn't find the tanks to jabo that were hiding in the trees. I had to bring out an IL2 and fly just above the grass between the trees to spot the tanks. And that was the only way to shoot them, which is highly ineffective trying to destroy most tanks with the 37mm in the side.
I suspect a storch will have to tag the hidden tanks with orange smoke while medium bombers carpet the trees for a single hidden tank. That's how I finally killed stampf's panther hidden in a small group of trees. Brought back a box of lancs and carpeted the grove with 14 1000lb to get him.
As for the villages and towns, over the last 14 years, someone logs a complaint over not agreeing with Hitech's choice of buildings, look of terrains or simply anything and threatens to hold their breath and quit. The door has a big dent in it from the number of player tushy's that didn't get out of the game fast enough while turning blue holding their breath over some tiny niggling something Hitech wouldn't personally change for them........ :O
Hey that big open space buffer from all three sides you have to travers to get onto the TT object may put players off in actual use. They won't want to expose themselves for that long of a drive to snipers hiding in the tree line, or up on the built in high spots on the TT object. That may contribute to figuring out how to get past the flack bases with carpet bombers. Possibly decrease the open space buffer by half with trees, even a few all the way to the TT object. Kind of like how no one GV assaults that central air base on the Fester map with the three GV bases around it because there is no place to use as cover while sneaking up on it. The original TT on CraterMA had the open space factory town but the ability to quickly find some cover after spawning. That appealed to a whole group of very aggressive GVers who would constantly try to assault the front lines and get in the back field to back shoot the spawn campers.
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So... you guys are saying you want to sit on top of mountains, where tanks in the valley cannot hit you because their guns can't elevate that high, and just pick them off? In other words, you want to literally shoot fish in a barrel?
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So... you guys are saying you want to sit on top of mountains, where tanks in the valley cannot hit you because their guns can't elevate that high, and just pick them off? In other words, you want to literally shoot fish in a barrel?
Hate to admit it but, it was fun sitting on the high ground rim in the trees over looking the bowel the factory was in and sniping long distance. Aces High GVers are not much into real armored assaults against each other. For one, they all play lone wolf and secondly, don't want to really expose themselves. It's by coincidence they look like an armored assault group waiting for the go signal. Really they are all hiding behind the same trees together to protect their kesters.
Aces High GVing is a game of very cautious and painfully slow chicken. That's why bombs were invented in WW1 and perfected by WW2. :x They just didn't know it at the time with all that testing on buildings and sub pens and other really tough structures. It was all to make sure tanks could be blown to heck with one bomb........ :O
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The changes I have made to AH III CraterMA are not down to any player whining. The only way I have catered to whiners is in not getting rid of TT altogether, which is what I would do if it wasn't for all the angst it would generate from GVers.
The purpose of the mountains in the current CraterMA tank town was not to allow players to perch on top of them and shoot down at other tanks, I thought I had made them too steep for that. Partly they were there to create a limited area for GVs to fight in, to concentrate the action.
The other reason is down to a quirk of the AH II clutter generating system that I took advantage of. This is that if a one mile square on the map has even one tiny patch of water within it or bordering it, then there will be no trees and bushes etc placed in that square by the game. I used this to create large clutter-free areas in TT for long range shooting. Now the problem in doing this concerns water and GVs in AH II. If a player turns off all the graphics options in the game he is going to lose the ability to see coastlines, could run into water he cannot see and get stuck there. So what I did was place a tiny patches of water at the top of mountains where I thought GVs would not go. As this quirk no longer exists in AH III so the need for mountains has gone. Also since coastlines are visible for all players I can now use water to border the area safely.
Spawn camping is gamey and the main reason I have never been tempted into GVs. However driving up those cliffs seems just as gamey to me as I have a hard time believing a real tank could do that. I cannot stop people spawn camping but I have given each side three spawns positioned close together so anyone camping is always at risk of attack from another spawn. There is also a lot more cover now in the TT area, so the sort of long range sniping that went on before is less likely to happen. This cover is not just trees but small villages too. AH III has a village texture so a map designer can put some buildings wherever he wants.
I may make other changes to TT. When the supply routes are introduced to the beta I may make use of roads and rivers there. Also its possible an MA-allowable bridge may be on its way. If this turns out to be so I may place a river with bridges between each base and TT to create extra choke points.
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Btw Greebo, wondering if you tried the tank town object in CraterMA?
HiTech
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Yes there is a TT object in the middle of all the SPs. Lots of interesting terrain there, villages, roads , bridges, hills and so on.
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Greebo: I'm surprised that someone who doesn't like GV'ing made such a successful tank town. ;) The secret to stopping spawn camping is what you already did with CraterMA: multiple spawns, including one further back, plus having a base close enough to drive to the action. I'd say that 75% of my time in TT I get there by driving from the base. (I then set up an ambush and pick off enemy tanks at point blank range advancing towards our rear spawn, at least until a guy on the top of the mountain kills me.)
However, if I had a nickel for every time someone whined that "they're camping our spawn!!!" without noticing that the forward spawns actually overlap the enemy forward spawns, I'd be a billionaire.
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I changed the SP layout a bit this time with one forward and two rear SPs, but the principal is the same.
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So... you guys are saying you want to sit on top of mountains, where tanks in the valley cannot hit you because their guns can't elevate that high, and just pick them off? In other words, you want to literally shoot fish in a barrel?
WHAT... can't kill tanks on a mountain... what are the berm's for then if not to pull up on and killing them, I've done it a bunch of time and so have others. Whats the difference with someone setting way off in the distance using a Tiger II, Jagdpanther, or a Panther G with zoom and picking others off, its less of a challenge than shooting down from a mountain I can tell you that. For those who haven't done it, give it a try, it want take long to see its more of a challenge than doing long ranging in a perk tank. I thought it was an added perk to climb a mountain, dodge bomb tards, tanks shooting up at you and then rtb with just a few kill if your lucky. Got to remember, you can't always get sups up their like you can on the lower field. Starting with 40-60 rounds and only getting a few kills is a challenge if you can make it home.
But back to the AH III Beta map, sure I haven't given it much of a chance, so far I haven't found may others in their when I go their. I was expecting to see a big town with places to hide and maybe a mountain or two to climb. I've only been playing a little over two years and don't have the perks to get a Tiger II, Jagdpanther, or a Panther G when even I want. I guess I need to get a Fi, fly around and see whats down their. I do like the rolling hills, surrounding landscape, and lush trees, I just wish you'd put a town in the middle of the three spawns. <S>
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I have put the tank town object in the middle of TT as it is the one that is designed for the job. All the other objects like the bases, strats or the airfield town have flak guns and that would not be fair to whichever two countries don't own it.
I don't think long range snipers like are going to have as much joy in the new TT as the old as there are not many large clutter-free areas for them to use. Though it is possible to reach the edges of the central TT area using a manned 88 mm from one of the flak bases. That might come as an unpleasant surprise to someone trying to sneak around the coast.
BTW the outer crater bases have a cliff running next to them, so there may be an opportunity for some mountaineering there if your central base gets captured. I also added a spawn from the outer base to an airbase outside the crater, which makes those bases a bit more valuable strategically.
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I tried manning a 88 just a bit ago, around 1:30pm est from the airfield on the bis side and it wouldn't let me, I could get a 37mm but that was all and can you do something about the "yellow tinted" windows in the tower, looks really weird to me, or could that be something to do with my video setting? I did some driving around, it is going to be a challenging map for sure.
I didn't notice any town in the center of the map when I upped a Fi, but I wasn't looking for one either, I may have over looked it when I was flying around, I'll take another look later this afternoon and see how it looks. Would you consider putting the "original" town in the center just to see how it would play out, say a couple of days to a week and get some feed back, just saying... LOL
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Ran around TT in an M8 for awhile just now. You don't make it easy to sneak up on the GV bases in a GV. And much of the high ground is bare leaving you to expose yourself to shoot down at the bases. Same thing for the high ground on the TT object. But the trees are thick enough that moving will make shooting at moving vehicles problematic even with a good sniping position or a good hide. So moving inside of the tree line will become s.o.p.
Dawn over TT. Just gives you that warm and moooshy feeling........errr, Al Bundy had an answer for that.
(http://s20.postimg.org/oophwrost/CMDawn1.jpg)
(http://s20.postimg.org/xigedvbrh/CMDawn2.jpg)
(http://s20.postimg.org/m3jx98zf1/CMDawn3.jpg)
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Hate to admit it but, it was fun sitting on the high ground rim in the trees over looking the bowel the factory was in and sniping long distance. Aces High GVers are not much into real armored assaults against each other. For one, they all play lone wolf and secondly, don't want to really expose themselves. It's by coincidence they look like an armored assault group waiting for the go signal. Really they are all hiding behind the same trees together to protect their kesters.
Aces High GVing is a game of very cautious and painfully slow chicken. That's why bombs were invented in WW1 and perfected by WW2. :x They just didn't know it at the time with all that testing on buildings and sub pens and other really tough structures. It was all to make sure tanks could be blown to heck with one bomb........ :O
have you ever been to AVA tank night? you'd find it very different! we use teamwork with of course me as bait. try it out with us some night, you'll find it very different.
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Light just keeps getting better in the morning.
(http://s20.postimg.org/r8ubicr4d/CMMorning.jpg)
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Ran around TT in an M8 for awhile just now. You don't make it easy to sneak up on the GV bases in a GV. And much of the high ground is bare leaving you to expose yourself to shoot down at the bases. Same thing for the high ground on the TT object. But the trees are thick enough that moving will make shooting at moving vehicles problematic even with a good sniping position or a good hide. So moving inside of the tree line will become s.o.p.
The available cover in the TT object is part of the object itself, but I will try to add more cover near the V bases and on the high ground.
I still think the clouds look to be too brightly lit at sunrise/sunset, from that angle they should be dark and silhouetted against the sky.
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Hey!! I was having a private moment with your landscape.... :aok
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Ran around TT in an M8 for awhile just now. You don't make it easy to sneak up on the GV bases in a GV. And much of the high ground is bare leaving you to expose yourself to shoot down at the bases. Same thing for the high ground on the TT object. But the trees are thick enough that moving will make shooting at moving vehicles problematic even with a good sniping position or a good hide. So moving inside of the tree line will become s.o.p.
I just had another look at this. The V bases in TT are all the new 2 mile square type. While I can alter the underlying texture around the base to whatever I like, i.e snow, sand, forest, the terrain elevations and the tree placement within that two mile square are part of the V base itself.
The only thing I could do to increase the cover would be to replace the two mile square V fields with one mile square V fields, that way only the last half mile of clutter and elevation into the base is controlled by the field object's clutter instead of the last mile. I am not sure that I want to do this though, as I quite like the idea of the TT bases being hard to sneak up on.
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I just had another look at this. The V bases in TT are all the new 2 mile square type. While I can alter the underlying texture around the base to whatever I like, i.e snow, sand, forest, the terrain elevations and the tree placement within that two mile square are part of the V base itself.
The only thing I could do to increase the cover would be to replace the two mile square V fields with one mile square V fields, that way only the last half mile of clutter and elevation into the base is controlled by the field object's clutter instead of the last mile. I am not sure that I want to do this though, as I quite like the idea of the TT bases being hard to sneak up on.
You also could modify the squire object texture if you wish.
HiTech
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Just to make sure I understand what you are saying here HT. I am allowed to alter the V base's tree placement? It is just that I thought that any such changes to objects were strictly forbidden in an MA terrain.
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Just to make sure I understand what you are saying here HT. I am allowed to alter the V base's tree placement? It is just that I thought that any such changes to objects were strictly forbidden in an MA terrain.
No on tree placement, I was just speaking of the terrain color I.E. texture.
HiTech
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That was the first thing I tried. In the TE I painted a sand texture, which has no trees at all, under the base and refreshed the tree display. This showed me the V base's embedded tree layout. Then I replaced the sand texture with a forested one and re-updated the tree display. However no new trees appeared within the two mile square area so I assumed you are only supposed to get the clutter that comes with the base within its square.
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That was the first thing I tried. In the TE I painted a sand texture, which has no trees at all, under the base and refreshed the tree display. This showed me the V base's embedded tree layout. Then I replaced the sand texture with a forested one and re-updated the tree display. However no new trees appeared within the two mile square area so I assumed you are only supposed to get the clutter that comes with the base within its square.
Depends on the square size of an alpha area, the underlying (terrain) trees will show but the entire 660 square of the square tile must be empty.
If there are a few areas you wish us to tweek let us know.
HiTech
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Bustr was saying there is not enough cover for GVs in the approaches to the 2 mile V base. Perhaps a few clusters of trees or buildings could be added to the outer regions of the 2 mile square area.
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One thought I had on the map tank area is the roads would be more interesting if the difficulty in maneuvering in the road side terrain made the risk of using the roads a reasonable, but still risky gamble.
Very cool map Greebo.
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I just had another look at this. The V bases in TT are all the new 2 mile square type. While I can alter the underlying texture around the base to whatever I like, i.e snow
Did someone say... "Snow!"
I haven't seen snow on the battle fields scene the ol days of Air Warrior, that was back in late 90's.
Make is so Capt. Greebo!!!
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I have experimented with some snow covered terrain around V bases on another terrain I am working on. The problem is that both the snow texture and snow and rock texture in the ETO terrain are empty of trees, one of them could do with some snow covered conifers really. What you end up with is a white wilderness with no trees or buildings on it to hide behind. It also looks odd that none of the trees or buildings at the V base have snow on them. My current solution is to put the bases on the snow line and have patches of snow alternating with patches of forested areas.
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I really wish we had a rock only tile with no trees. Say a dark to medium gray and some type of brown similar to the blue grey and green next to the pearl rock with 160ft tall pines. Having 160ft pines growing straight up out of a 1000ft vertical cliff face is beyond gamey. And not all western Europe fiords or alps is dolomite white. Most is some variation on granite. Just look at the Matterhorn or Eiger in summer.
Greebo do you have a chart to understand when and which tiles will sprout trees on an angled surface.
I gave up on the dolomite and giant pines. I start out with the dolomite then blot in one small circle of snow anywhere those pines show up that they shouldn't be. If anyone trys doing the Dover cliffs, won't they be surprise with all the sprouting pines that never grew on the face of those chalk cliffs in England.
Oh my post titled Copprhed, has the download of my for now finished gunnery terrain. I changed the terrain to reflect the paths of water to a greater degree.
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When I started with the new TE the first thing I did was make a test terrain with distinct blocks of each of the 20 terrain types to get an idea of what the clutter looked like on each one. I didn't test them to see at what angle the trees etc stopped being applied to the texture though. I just flew the terrain offline and took screenshots of each tile.
I agree an extra type of rock would have been nice, plus a snow/ snow covered trees texture, with a couple less of the intermediate green/rock layers. I think that now terrains have been made its a bit late for that sort of change.
I agree the rock texture could do with being darker, it is hard to tell it from the snow areas sometimes.
Anyone making a special events terrain will have the option of making their own texture sets with specifically designed clutter arrangements for each tile. The editor includes loads of different trees to choose from.
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When I started with the new TE the first thing I did was make a test terrain with distinct blocks of each of the 20 terrain types to get an idea of what the clutter looked like on each one. I didn't test them to see at what angle the trees etc stopped being applied to the texture though. I just flew the terrain offline and took screenshots of each tile.
I agree an extra type of rock would have been nice, plus a snow/ snow covered trees texture, with a couple less of the intermediate green/rock layers. I think that now terrains have been made its a bit late for that sort of change.
I agree the rock texture could do with being darker, it is hard to tell it from the snow areas sometimes.
Anyone making a special events terrain will have the option of making their own texture sets with specifically designed clutter arrangements for each tile. The editor includes loads of different trees to choose from.
For clarification.
A builder can choose textures for a hybrid terrset using the default textures from the 3 terrsets that have been released, however several are used in more then one terrset so there aren't 4 full sets available. This would still be the fastest way to add variety to an AvA/SEA terrain.
Although it isn't hard to create a custom terrset, all 20 slots for the textures must be provided even if some are repeating dummy textures such as 3 or 4 identical sand tiles. Then for each ground tile type the builder wishes to use, he'll need to add the appropriate terrset trees and buildings. The limiting thing about trees, buildings and bushes is that they come in dedicated terrsets that can't be modified. Unfortunately a PAC bush can't be placed in an ETO terrset and ETO buildings can't be placed into a PAC terrset. Even the buildings in a terrain tile are fixed within the list of available shapes in any given terrset.
I will take care here to point out that the objects for terrain tiles are Speedtree objects and not the same as objects for square tile objects used in bases, towns and factories. Square tile objects can not be placed into terrain tiles.
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I have uploaded a revised version of CraterMA to the host. Note the weather won't work until HTC update the relevant file at their end so if anyone with a marginal PC wants to do a before/after framerate check it might be useful.
Changes include:
Cleared trees from FOV of SBs, raised low-lying SBs to a minimum of 400 feet alt.
Cleared trees from the ends of runways where possible. Some trees are built into the airfield objects and cannot be altered in an MA terrain. Specifically at one end of the non-diagonal runway at the mid field and on the grass strip at the small field.
Altered the terrain height around some bases and strats to match the alt of the base rim, rather than the base object height. This stops there being an obvious step around the rim of the base.
Added some more clutter around the tank town bases and made the run from the outer to inner bases stepped rather than a single slope.
I altered the field ride assignments in the TE to match the norm for MA terrains, i.e. Me 163 only at three fields. However this does not seem to have transferred to the game online. Not sure if this is a bug or its supposed to be that way.
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I have uploaded a revised version of CraterMA to the host. Note the weather won't work until HTC update the relevant file at their end so if anyone with a marginal PC wants to do a before/after framerate check it might be useful.
Changes include:
Cleared trees from FOV of SBs, raised low-lying SBs to a minimum of 400 feet alt.
Cleared trees from the ends of runways where possible. Some trees are built into the airfield objects and cannot be altered in an MA terrain. Specifically at one end of the non-diagonal runway at the mid field and on the grass strip at the small field.
Altered the terrain height around some bases and strats to match the alt of the base rim, rather than the base object height. This stops there being an obvious step around the rim of the base.
Added some more clutter around the tank town bases and made the run from the outer to inner bases stepped rather than a single slope.
I altered the field ride assignments in the TE to match the norm for MA terrains, i.e. Me 163 only at three fields. However this does not seem to have transferred to the game online. Not sure if this is a bug or its supposed to be that way.
Did you build the weather file into the terrain?
HiTech
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Clouds are back up.
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(text removed)
Also I didn't like the way players were climbing the canyon walls to overlook everyone so I have bordered the fighting area with water this time.
(text removed)
I think this change is a mistake, as it removes an interesting additional dimension to the crater GV battles. This dimension was also a big part of the popular canyon GV battle on Trinity (V185??). Clifftop shooters can always be countered by (1) shooting them from the ground (use a berm if you have to), or (2) sending GVs up after them, or (3) bombing them. The problem with the crater has always been limited ability to maneuver, with most "combat" being a firing line on one crest shooting at their opposite numbers on the other 2 crests. If you must change this, replace the cliffs with hills/mountains, so people can still maneuver around the flanks in cover, and shoot from elevated firing positions (after appropriate effort to reach them).
You may not know this if you don't GV a lot, but without elevation (for spotting) and cover provided by major hills and crests (for maneuver), GVing often degenerates into people hiding behind small hills with their engines off, detecting advancing opposing GVs using "sonar", and shooting them in the back as they drive by. Gets old fast.
MH
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TD,
Have you wandered around inside of the crater and through the TT object itself? Or are you giving your 2c worth without scoping out the new terrain? With the new trees, the last place you want to be is high up and exposed. Just like trying to find tanks down in the trees with a fighter to bomb them, you won't see them from a higher elevation. They will see you standing out alone up there.
I posted a film from my offline terrain where I used the new TT object. It's in the sticky asking for screen shots and films. For every exposed tank you could see while I was flying in the trees, there was an additional 40 tanks you will only find by driving a tank in to look for them.
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Have you wandered around inside of the crater and through the TT object itself? Or are you giving your 2c worth without scoping out the new terrain? (text removed)
If you re-read my post, you will see that I am commenting on the quoted text. I wish I could also try out the new terrain to comment further, but my hardware can't handle AH3. Once AH3 replaces AH2, I will have to stop playing unless/until I build a new PC.
From your posts I infer you don't GV much, but there can be much more to GVing than blundering into one ambush after another on level ground. As alluded to in my previous post, good GV terrain should give options for flanking movement and observation, albeit at a cost in time and effort. Ideally, it also should include major discontinuities on the "flat" to allow some degree of covered approach to most positions. One should have to look for these covered approaches, of course. Image what the air game would be like if we all were limited to the same altitude. :)
MH
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The map below shows the current layout of beta CraterMA's TT area.
The red squares represent the areas controlled by the base objects' terrain. I cannot shape the terrain or change the clutter within these areas, only alter the overall elevation of the base and change the colour of the underlying terrain. However the default terrain within these squares has more detailed elevation changes, of up to 100 feet or so vertically, than you can get shaping the normal terrain.
The TT area varies from 100-150 feet, the inner V bases from 150-250 feet, the flak bases 100 feet and the outer V bases at 6,400-6,500 feet. The SPs between the inner and outer bases are at about 1,200 feet. There are small hills of 350 feet between the inner ring of SPs and the inner V bases. The manned 88s on the flak bases have a very long range shot at the coasts of TT, but can't see the SPs directly.
I am not keen on having very high terrain near the central ring of SPs that could be used for long range spawn camping. I can't stop short range camping, but at least the victim has some sort of chance of firing back and the camper can be outflanked from neighbouring SPs.
The terrain vertices in AH3 are closer together and can be set to a vertical resolution of 1 foot rather than about 63 feet for this terrain in AH2. So I can now make small rises of 20-30 feet that will hide a tank. This should make it easier for players to outflank each other using cover. I'll have a look at extending the coastlines around TT a little bit, making them hilly rather than just a straight slope down to the lake shore, but I don't want to go too far doing this as a larger area just dilutes the action.
(http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c155/Jonchaz/Aces%20High/CraterMA_TT_Area_Map_zpsjfo9xkop.jpg)
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From your posts I infer you don't GV much, but . . .
MH
I GV a lot. I know you like to take potshots from 5k with a Panther from up high where you can back off of the edge easily. Since the terrain no longer has the sharp edged polygon surfaces your tactic is not going to work anymore, anyway. The tactic has never been that effective anyway.
I hope you can get a new machine soon and stay in the game. I love shooting back.
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I am not keen on having very high terrain near the central ring of SPs that could be used for long range spawn camping. I can't stop short range camping, but at least the victim has some sort of chance of firing back and the camper can be outflanked from neighbouring SPs.
Greebo, in my experience "long range spawn camping" isn't really possible. This is because it is difficult to hit something in motion at over 2-3K. Instead, what you do at long range is wait until someone has moved forward from the spawn point to their combat position, is stopped (hopefully with engine off), and paying attention to closer opponents, and then to in a sense "shoot them in the back". Doing this usually takes several shots as you range in, which is why you want them distracted and/or with engine off. Also, usually the only way to get a line of sight at such long ranges is to be at a higher elevation. Of course, LOS works both ways ...
The terrain vertices in AH3 are closer together and can be set to a vertical resolution of 1 foot rather than about 63 feet for this terrain in AH2. So I can now make small rises of 20-30 feet that will hide a tank. This should make it easier for players to outflank each other using cover. I'll have a look at extending the coastlines around TT a little bit, making them hilly rather than just a straight slope down to the lake shore, but I don't want to go too far doing this as a larger area just dilutes the action.
Admittedly I haven't (can't) tried out your new crater terrain due to my aforementioned hardware issues. However, I don't think you need to worry about extensive hilly/covered terrain surrounding the main fighting area “diluting the action”. My general observation is that most GVers drive straight towards the nearest action (on all the maps), and so will still gravitate towards the center of your crater. Some may try for flanking positions. But, if these flankers are perceived as being effective, others will then move to block/ambush these flanking moves, and so play balance is preserved. IMHO, such GV maneuver options are much more interesting than sitting on the firing line all the time. BTW, you don't want to limit yourself to discrete small hills, but also a mixture of areas with long fields of fire and some where longer folds in the terrain provide covered approaches.
I know you like to take potshots from 5k with a Panther from up high where you can back off of the edge easily. Since the terrain no longer has the sharp edged polygon surfaces your tactic is not going to work anymore, anyway. (deleted)
Chalenge, FYI a Panther is the last thing you want on the current CraterMA TT cliffs, as it lacks sufficient gun depression. The best GV for that is a Panzer or M18, actually.
WRT taking up hull down positions and backing off when they have your range, this is a standard tactic, and does not require “sharp edged polygon surfaces”. In fact, sharp-edged terrain modeling hurts those GV's with gun depression issues (usually those with longer barrels such as Panther, Tigers, T34/85, Firefly, etc.).
And yes, once they notice you up there, they do “shoot back”. :)
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Yeah, I'm more than familiar with it. I was referring to OZkansas and your use of the hills near 103. I have clear CraterMA hillsides a few times already.
I will be interested to see if we get an update to OZkansas. It is by far my favorite map.
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I GV on the AH2 CraterMA, and I have built a terrain testing the AH3 terrain editor and have 2000ft elevations over the same TT object now in use in the updated CraterMA.
As I said, the trees in AH3 completely change the concept of who can see what from a GV and from an aircraft. Along with the more detailed small elevations with trees that can be laid down. And with the new random village complexes Greebo took advantage of adding around the spawns.
You are not going to see each other anymore at long range unless everyone comes out of the trees. Once they figure out trees mean life in a GV. High elevation long range sniping will loose it's importance. The terrain I created for offline gunnery training has about 50 tanks hidden in the trees on the new tank town object. Except for the ones I placed on the top of hills with no trees, you cannot make out tanks in the trees until you are almost on top of them.
From the higher open elevations next to the TT object, the open plain adjacent to my TT object, or flying below the trees in an IL2 trying to spot tanks to shoot. You cannot see the ones hiding under the trees in the shadows. My tank town object is the same tank town object Greebo is using on CraterMA and the same tank town object Waffle used for the center of NDisles.
When we were first testing this object, we couldn't get Stampf to do any testing flying an airplane. He would get in a GV and disappear into the tank town object's trees. Other testers were unable to see him or each other in GV hiding just 2-3 trees deep into groves. Most of their combat took place at 600-800yds. From a spotter plane I would watch them drive past stampf sitting still 600yds away in the trees. To bomb him I would have to carpet bomb the grove with lancs. Using an IL2 the only shot I could get was flat into his side flying in low on a road, which either got me dead hitting a tree or him main gunning me at close range.
This TT object is not your old GVing and the trees have changed that. If high elevation sniping is so important to you, see if you can talk Greebo into making a map to suit your fancy. Or, the AH3 terrain editor is not that hard to learn with Greebo and Easycor's help.
Hey Greebo, unless you visited the base of the crater wall on the inside by hand, you have areas at the base that start out below the average normal elevation similar to sink holes. I doubt anyone will ever visit those areas during game play the way you have setup TT.
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Too bad you weren't able to join us the other week when there was a Special Event for tanks in beta. I had a blast and never killed a single thing. I was too busy laughing from the fun that Copprhed and I were having trying to get to that perfect angle to pop Copprhed's "snake bellied" turret.......... and as I said before never quite finished that accomplishment while I got rather familiar with the desk and new clock in the tower... :confused:
If anything, I believe the game developments in tanking will bring far more GV'ers into the game and hopefully not deter too much from the great flight model that they have here.
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If you re-read my post, you will see that I am commenting on the quoted text. I wish I could also try out the new terrain to comment further, but my hardware can't handle AH3. Once AH3 replaces AH2, I will have to stop playing unless/until I build a new PC.
MH
If your rig is not too old and you have a PCI express 3 slot, a new video card should be enough to handle AH3. AH3 uses GPU.
GL,
Mano
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This TT object is not your old GVing and the trees have changed that. If high elevation sniping is so important to you, see if you can talk Greebo into making a map to suit your fancy. Or, the AH3 terrain editor is not that hard to learn with Greebo and Easycor's help.
Well, thanks for the heads-up. I still stand by my comments for Greebo, though, as they would still be valid.
BTW, a friend of mine has a reasonably recent PC, and maybe I could install the beta on it to see what you're talking about. If I did this, how would I access the terrain you are referring to, which would illustrate what can/can't be seen?
If your rig is not too old and you have a PCI express 3 slot, a new video card should be enough to handle AH3. AH3 uses GPU.
Nope. The hardware, including the graphics card, is about 13-14 years old. Manufacturers switched to PCIE just after I bought it. :( Of course, I need to build a new PC, which would be my first. It's not a money issue, but a procrastination issue. I have all sorts of web resources to help me do it (like PCPartPicker, the Reddit "buildapc" forum, RSI recommended system specs, etc. ).
MH
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Well, thanks for the heads-up. I still stand by my comments for Greebo, though, as they would still be valid.
I will have another look at CraterMA TT today keeping your suggestions in mind.
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Greebo on my terrain download for Copperhd in the post titled Copperhd, spawn to the N at A1 then drive over to TT down the slope I put in for that. About 3000yds out from the first tank in TT on top of a clear lightly tree'd hill is an open area for sniping. Take a look from there, then spawn to TT and look back up to it through the cover of trees on the road where the spawn places you. Remember the slope angles and amount of tree coverage to gradient. I would have to paint in the 160ft tall pines to get a thick coverage for hiding while sniping. Though I wonder if the Pacific terrain will have a denser tree coverage on steep slopes. You can extend out a geographic feature of a cliff as a rock remnant from runoff since you have those lake runoff basins. On that down slope to my TT you will see a cliff cutback like that which I used the blue and green rock tile to show a cliff face and runoff slide. Even up in the trees above on the rim I created, snipers will be exposed more than their targets down in the TT trees. And if you bring the elevation to the edge of the cliff, they cannot get enough down angle to shoot down into TT. The terrain editor seems to force you into a slight down angle before the cliff drop to accomplish allowing say a panther to aim down into the TT. And then the panther is fully exposed to lower tanks hiding in the trees.
Right now you have focused the fight in the TT object because of the density of trees and a realistic geographic terrain. That is what Waffle created the object to do. When we tested it last year the cover was enough to allow hiding and back shooting but, exclude long range sniping into it. Maybe Waffle didn't like your TT setup on the AH2 CraterMA.
At some point AH3 needs to move on with everything Hitech is giving it to allow for a more real world actuality. For instance that last version of my terrain is different than the one you tested a month ago. I continued refining the geographic features with the real world in mind aside from my giant ditch exercise which got more attention to practice some points you spoke about. I'm thinking I need to revise it one more time before AH3 goes live.
You have a great Caldera there, geographically on that grass and tree slope between the Vbase and TT, because of the trees and grass existing on topsoil, age wise tell you how stable the area is. You would have a few remnant harder strata drop-offs, even later tiny caldera peaks from later eruptions. Think Serengeti crater, or maybe you took a vacation there once. :O
(http://www.vende4.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/HotelNgorongoroCrater.jpg)
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A long time ago I designed the caldera as a fighter town, with airbases on the upper step and V bases down below. Then HTC banned fighter town arrangements in MA terrains, so now it just serves as a deterrent for planes attacking tank town. I vaguely recall researching calderas at the time I was designing it, the stepped crater being characteristic of very large ones. I suspect it is too tall relative to its diameter to be realistic though.
I've decided not to make major changes to the existing layout but I have raised the inner ring of SPs about 75 feet above the TT object and placed patches of forest over them. The land directly between the SPs is lower and covered in open farmland and villages so there is a fairly clear field of fire between the SPs, which are about a mile apart. I've added some forested hills on the shore lines of the area so GVs wanting to go from one SP to another can either go through the TT object, around the coast via the forested hills or risk the exposed direct route.
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SP = later small eruption caldera.
:salute
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The current AH2 CraterMA has several calderas in the main crater, they form part of the border cliffs for the routes between the bases. The new SP mounds are just low hills really, if they were calderas it was a long time ago.
The big crater is fashioned after a meteor strike impact rather than a giant volcano like Yellowstone. There's a line of smaller strikes and volcanoes running off to the south. In a previous incarnation of the weather system which allowed clouds to move vertically as well as horizontally I had one of the volcanoes erupting every hour or so.
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Greebo, I got my friend to download the AH3 beta, and it's installed. I plan to go out there Friday, so I can see if Bustr's opinion of vehicle invisibility holds true on my friend's machine. Where do I get the most recent ZIP of your terrain files?
Mark H.
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Normally you'd go online, select the Melee tab and click on "Greebo's CraterMA". However I am assuming you may not want to enter your account details into his PC so I have attached the latest file to this post. Just place this in the beta's ah3terr folder and it should appear in the list of offline terrains.
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This with regards to the ammo bunker.
http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,377571.15.html
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I think this is more likely to be a problem with the large V field object, rather than the map. Does the same bunker on a different large V field have the same problem?
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I think this is more likely to be a problem with the large V field object, rather than the map. Does the same bunker on a different large V field have the same problem?
No idea?
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Upped at A46 in a K4 flying around, noticed on landing that at the south end of the N/S runway, trees were right at the edge of the end of the runway.
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Guys remember to use .psave. It is active in all arenas including offline and is an excellent debug tool for giving exact coordinates of issues on terrains.
.psave myfilename
Greebo, CraterMa on the long runway you have several 160ft tall pines blocking one end.
55757,2107,179013,0.0,0.3,-0.0
craterma
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Those trees are built into every mid sized airfield and there are also similar trees at one end of every small field's grass strip. I have removed all the trees that I can from runways and in front of SBs using texture painting, but only HTC can remove the ones that are built into the airfield objects.
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I think this is more likely to be a problem with the large V field object, rather than the map. Does the same bunker on a different large V field have the same problem?
I reported this bug in Beta 2: "ammo bunker AMB001 at vehicle fields (CraterMA online) is not hittable or destroyable by shells. All the rest are, as are all at other types of fields." I sort of recall that I did test the same bunker at other vehicle fields and was unable to destroy or hit them with tank shells.
Correction: it is AMB002 at large vehicle fields, not AMB001. (I could have sworn in Beta 2 it was 001, but it's definitely 002 in beta 4 so maybe I was in error before). It's only large vehicle fields, not small. All large vehicle fields on CraterMA show the bug. I checked other terrains, but none seem to use the large vehicle field.
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CraterMA, Was shooting at Radar tower of A65, had about 9 hits form an M18/HE. In AHII the tower would have been down after the third shot.
Also noticed as an nme con approached the Bishop Radar Factory, the adjacent Vbase (V50) flashed, but the Factory did not.
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It is possible many objects are mislabeled. Hitech found I think he reported, an ammo bunker mislabeled as clutter.
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That would explain the radar tower.
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Two things I found.
1 cv fire remains after boat is sunk.
2 View from cockpit while flying. The horizon over a 30 degree arc when look level at the horizon is flat no fogging. Tilt your head up 20 degrees and it arcs again like normal with fogging. This seems to be a map specific issue. attached pics
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Two things I found.
1 cv fire remains after boat is sunk.
2 View from cockpit while flying. The horizon over a 30 degree arc when look level at the horizon is flat no fogging. Tilt your head up 20 degrees and it arcs again like normal with fogging. This seems to be a map specific issue. attached pics
Are you speaking of the canopy reflection being cut off?
HiTech
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Looks like how the graphics engine is rendering the illusion of a bulged piece of clear plastic.
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Nope hitech... Not a reflection cutoff... does this in 360 degrees.
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Nope hitech... Not a reflection cutoff... does this in 360 degrees.
Sorry but I do not see what your speaking about in the 2 screen shots. Can you edit it with an arrow to show me what you are looking at?
HiTech
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Sorry but I do not see what your speaking about in the 2 screen shots. Can you edit it with an arrow to show me what you are looking at?
HiTech
I did notice a difference. In the ahss7 shot, the horizon looks normal between the wingtip and the canopy frame but in the ahss6 shot, that same area has a very sharp line for the horizon to the left of the HUD ladder.
I hope this helps
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I did notice a difference. In the ahss7 shot, the horizon looks normal between the wingtip and the canopy frame but in the ahss6 shot, that same area has a very sharp line for the horizon to the left of the HUD ladder.
I hope this helps
Yep Now I see what he is speaking of.
HiTech
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:)
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I've uploaded a new version of CraterMA which can be accessed online as normal through the Melee tab. There is a problem with the terrain at the moment where the new fields I have added do not have the correct default countries assigned to them.
Changes in this version include:
Re-cleared the ends of runways and FOV of SBs of trees to match the latest terrain tiles.
Reduced the tree count near bases to help FPS.
Added a fourth port/CV per side.
Added chains of V bases running from TT over the crater rim including some of the new mini V bases. One of these mini bases per side is set at 11,000 ft in a snow-filled canyon on the top of the rim. I was a little concerned that tank engines would be affected by the altitude but if that is the case it does not seem to be a problem in the game.
Added an extra mini V base on each front line. These bases are set in the bottom of a bowl with six SPs ringing them on the rim. Anyone spawning at the base will likely come under fire from the hills around the base so two of the six SPs are from the base itself. So even if all the other SPs are enemy held the field can still be defended from two SPs. You can drive for a minute and be in a position to lob HE shells onto the map room.
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When I first logged into the new CraterMA, the hanger offerings at all bases were red. Slowly they started turning to available. Right now the first GV base on the outside of the crater and the tiny one at the top still have all rides redded out. All other based are fine.
Greebo, I love what you have done with place. Who is your decorator....... :O
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Some buildings to the SE of the center of tank town have over high foundations as do Quonset huts at center. This house is floating:
29467,149,2450,-0.0,-5.0,23.0
craterma
FOV = 50.5
At 12:30 PM Pacific time these bases had nothing enabled in hanger: V136, v139, v142, v145, v148.
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As Bustr said the Vbase a the top of the mountian, has all GV's and Manguns unavailable. Are we to have access to the 88's at the Flak bases? :headscratch:
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The problem with rides being unavailable is the same one as the fields originally being assigned to the wrong countries. When I uploaded the terrain the files that set the fields' correct country and ride settings were part of the package I sent. However for an MA terrain these files have to be applied manually at the host end by HTC and I didn't tell them to do this. So long as the field arrangement does not change between terrain versions this isn't a problem as the host just uses the previous files again. I'll mention this in the beta 11 bugs thread so HT can sort it out at his end and when he does the ride settings should work.
Each flak base has nine player-crewed 88 mm guns but the new mini V base has no player-crewed guns.
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The ride availability for the new fields on CraterMA is fixed now.
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A48 Needs its vehiclez spawn point rotated south.
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Guys weez is slacking off here if the chief cook, bottle washer, bring home the bacon and fryer upper, can do our bug hunting job on top of all that... :O
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A48 Needs its vehiclez spawn point rotated south.
I've fixed the A48 SP and re-uploaded the terrain.
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Uploaded a new version of the terrain. I have just fixed a few minor issues and deleted the test bomber spawn from A1.
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Spawned in from V39 and took a M4 to Rook Radar Factory, it never flashed. Upped a Storch at the adjacent base and it still did not flash. While in the factory, the only guns shooting at me were the Tower guns. No ground based auto ack ever fired at me.
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You can kill your own factory right now, too; and the guns. But it's still just beta.
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Has the factory bug been reported in the beta thread?
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You can kill your own factory right now, too; and the guns. But it's still just beta.
I would assume protect structures (host setting) is off so you can destroy your own stuff.
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Does the map design control things like the horizon? Or is that a game setting that is universal to all terrains? Reason I ask is that the horizon on your map looks funky. It looks like a wall, very straight edge. It only get worse when at high alt also, as the terrain behind that line you can still see. Almost like a horizontal split screen kind of way. Its not me, as just about everyone I asked had same effect. Just curious as to how this could be fixed.
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The only things any MA terrain designer can do is shape the terrain and coastlines, apply textures to the terrain, add clouds and place the allowed objects (airfields, fleets, strat, SPs, SBs etc.) into it. I know of no way of affecting how the horizon appears in the game. It is possible this is another host-settable effect, that's the only reason I can think of one terrain differing from another.
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Would fog settings affect that?
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Would fog settings affect that?
Yes I believe I have the distance set at about max in the CraterMA online.
HiTech
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Especially with night / evening skies, the horizon takes on a "desert mirage" look almost like there are lakes in front of some hills / mountains, while other areas look to be cut out.
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At V110, there are no spawn outs??
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V110 and also V109 to V114 are there to give some radar coverage to the HQs and cities and represent the end target of the spawn chains running from the borders. All the nearby bases they could spawn to already have at least a couple of other spawns-in or are uncapturable fields.
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V110 and also V109 to V114 are there to give some radar coverage to the HQs and cities and represent the end target of the spawn chains running from the borders. All the nearby bases they could spawn to already have at least a couple of other spawns-in or are uncapturable fields.
Sounds good Greebo, just thought I would mention it. Excellent map btw. :salute
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First time on Beta last night. :aok Rude awakening to all the earlier posts regarding FOV, controller configurations, etc.
I swear I almost let the smoke out of my machine when first on the runaway tickling the max eye candy settings..
Got a few flights in against Sunny1 and SHuffler, where I learned stall limiter was still on (and i have alot to learn still). I'm loving the new tracers being less prominent, but it's going to take some getting used too.
:x keep up the good work!!! looks great!