The Terrain Documentation is going well....

[bustr]

I'm continuing to update a series of posts in the "Terrain Editor" forum with screen shots of my new terrain in progress.

http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,386710.0.html

With bowlma my very first terrain, this stage of having the 25,000ft barrier wall mountain range, the base cut with runoff canyons, then terrain painted waiting for strats took me about 2 months. The stage of actually mapping out the base layouts in an art program just to get started on laying down bases, two weeks. I really hate laying out bases and GV spawns. After the first terrain, it was obvious the terrain along with the rules for minimum distance between feilds forces the layout. Once you overlay a distance grid of 19mile and 25mile diameter circles from the very first airfield location you choose on the terrain, it's just like trying to pack a box with the best arrangement of objects. There is some fudge factor in ports, vBases and strats. And to that the GV spawns become an issue to help or hinder initiatives to flip a map. 

Next the number of feilds that can be captured has to be balanced to how many players will really spend the time over 7 days working on flipping the map. Versus too many feilds squashing their enthusiasm then boring them. When we used to have 300-400 players a night as the norm, you needed a large number of feilds to try and impede the hoards, which they took as a challenge. With today's player numbers, feilds need to encourage activity instead. I think I'm at about 83 captureable airfield\port\CV\BB\vBase which is about it for attention spans today.

The screen shots below show the clip board map with the mountain range and it's runoff canyon base finished and ready for strats. And the bases mapped out in an art program ready for two letter type designations. Then I will rotate that 120 degrees into the other two countries to mirror the layout. At which point I have to face the next thing I hate doing, GV spawns. Hitech not commenting on once again attaching both a CV and BB task group to each port, there will be 5 ports in each country. Because of each country having 5 ports\10 task groups, and this being a Pacific themed terrain. Yes many more shore batteries and PT spawns to gum up the task force works.

At this point, I will make changes to the terrain recommended by Hitech as per the last time around with my previous terrain.


Red-strat, blue-flak base, yellow-port, orange-airfield, white-vBase. The strat and uncaptureabel airfield locations are just outside of 22miles from shore.


 


Once I get the base layout map finished with all bases numbered and all the GV spawns mapped, I can do the final terrain sculpting of the islands. Then I can start laying down base objects, task groups, spawns and the terrain "finish art work" in the 6-8 mile diameter around each base. And then, I have to up from every single base, every single spawn, ride on every single task group.....all that nit picking stuff so Hitech doesn't have to waste his time on my mistakes. The "error checker" is your friend in the terrain editor.


 

[bustr]

I've reduced the number of bases by a few, and made the vBases have more of a purpose in a Pacific themed arena, spawning to the ports. I probably should use the large vBase object for the vBases on this terrain since they are harder to capture. In the Pacific resupply was performed as much by sea and air as it was locally by land. So the strats as I've positioned them are now air targets for the most part, so c47's will be used to supply them. The orange dots near the HQ are super large airfields. I'm still mulling over the GV spawn direction flow through the country.

I've noticed over the years some segments of the community want new terrains like everyone else. Then scream bloody murder if you don't replicate how they poke the other guys in the eye from one boring base and strat combination to another, terrain after terrain after terrain. At least on this terrain each country will have 10 task groups to get into trouble with.....

[bustr]

Country-1 updated with airfield types, Vbases, ports and strats in the master blueprint multi-layer art file. Now I just duplicate this to Country-2 and Country-3 in yellow and orange. Still have the GV spawns to consider. That medium field in the center will be duplicated around that spoke, I see a three way spawn out side of the town for each medium field just to give the tank guys something like the V85 fight from one of the old maps. This being islands made by volcanic activity like many in the Pacific Solomons region, I can experiment with some features while working at keeping the tank eating trees from being a spawn nightmare.....

[1stpar3]

Looking good BUSTR  Not sure if its even possible but IF you need testing help... just holler. I will do what I can. Cant wait

[bustr]

I appreciate the offer, sadly I can visit all of the fields and spawns faster alone because I know what I'm looking for. And three full passes on the last terrain I only caught 99% of my mistakes. Even if it burns me out on looking at the game after that for awhile.

On the first terrain I came to the realization no matter how diligent I was when I laid down a base and spawns, I introduced tiny mistakes in the process that only I can see on the next round of visiting all of the fields and spawns. And there is the mental fatigue that creeps in the longer you stare at the monitor which introduces errors. One issue that I know 99% of players won't see because they don't play the game looking for it, and they are mostly concerned with shooting something. Is art mistakes divergent from how I decided the 6mile diameter area around each field should look. Even the look of the terrain out 20 miles from 2000ft above each field while circling looking for mistakes.

So now I have to create a layer for the blueprint with spawns and a layer with field numbers, the terrain editor will not allow you to lay down fields without a number, and you need the number to assign ownership to things like spawns, towns, task groups, map rooms, bases, shore batteries. Everything on the terrain is connected to something or the error checker will burp nasty messages at you. And Hitech will take muuuuuch longer putting your terrain into rotation.

[1stpar3]

Yes, that's what I figured Still felt I should at least throw it out there! I sincerely appreciate your efforts! If you need anything, I am willing to help! Even a weeks salary so you can stay home from work to speed up the process!!!  You SIR, have improved my game experience more than once. A fun terrain and a tip with the Nvidia color settings! Thanks again!

[bustr]

Creating the 1:1 blueprint so I can layout my terrain\bases\spawns is a bite. Especially bases, numbering and GV spawns. It's a given on a Pacific themed terrain with 10 task groups per side, any base on the water will have shore batteries and PT spawns. The GV spawns have to be mapped out so you can see the flow to invading and defending\resupply.

I decided to play with the map center and do a three way spawn area at each medium airfield. GVers like elevation over looking things, so I can play with the volcanic terrain to give the three spawn points some separated elevation on ledges to snipe at each other, with runs down to the town. It quickly gets frustrating for the air combat guys if the elevations allow a single tank to take down an airfield, then run down a slope at 100mph and suddenly camp the runways. The palms in the Pacific terrain tile set hide GVs from the air almost to well for defending a town or airfield with a tank attacker. I'll do something with that to make attacking the town worth the risk of getting bombed.

It's all a balancing act to provide activity for the different types of game play.


Overview to see all of the spawn paths.





Closeup of one country.

[bustr]

I'm back to posting in here:  http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,386710.0.html

I already started working on a volcanic mountain range down the center of one of the long islands with no bases to get back up to speed creating topography. There are screen shots of how to create the range.

I posted here in the general section just to keep you guys aware that I'm creating a new terrain. Otherwise in a week you forget what anyone posted the previous week.