Author Topic: nhawks new map (Read 1607 times)

rogerdee · « **on:** July 25, 2007, 07:04:46 PM »

i love the new map

how long did it take for htc to answer any questions about it and how long did they ahve it after u submitted it?

oh and the trucks are driving across the water at some of the bases:aok

NHawk · « **Reply #1 on:** July 26, 2007, 05:53:35 AM »

I've never had any problem with getting answers to questions about terrains. I don't think it's ever taken more than 2 days by email. If I feel I need an answer right that moment I call and speak directly to Skuzzy. And usually the answer is so simple I laugh about having to call.

The amount of time they have the terrain is going to vary depending on many factors including size. For example, Compello was about 6 month project after first submission. But I didn't work every day on revisions either.

Could you be a little more specific about trucks on water? I'm hoping it's the problem where they follow a pre-defined path once they are on the base.

NHawk · « **Reply #2 on:** July 26, 2007, 06:16:59 AM »

I'll also fill everyone in on my last email question about a terrain. I received a reply in less than 5 hours....

I have a terrain where each country has a bay that's just begging...YES BEGGING I tell you!....to be a port complex. I asked about putting 5 or 6 ports/CVs into that area. For a total of 15 to 18 CVs on the terrain.

Simple answer...No. Most player's systems couldn't handle that many CVs in one place and it's a heavy load on the server since it tracks and moves each CV all of the time.

Skuzzy · « **Reply #3 on:** July 26, 2007, 06:32:43 AM »

There are a lot of factors involved on my side. I have a set number of things I have to do every day without fail. I also have to take care of support calls.

After all that is done, I can work on things like terrains. I use to be able to swap off terrains and skins, but since we committed to having skins at regular intervals, they are part of the daily regimen now.

Small maps do not take as long as the big maps do.

I'll recheck the roads to see if any of them cross over water as that should be the only way a truck would be on water.

NHawk · « **Reply #4 on:** July 26, 2007, 06:48:42 AM »

Here's what I found

A54 - Sector 7,12

A55 - Sector 7,13 - Don't know how I missed that one. But it is odd there is no shoreline where the road is.

Fuel - Z2 - Sector 7,13 - The texture for where the trains starts WAS grass.

Radar - Z3 - Sector 13,7 - train crosses water. Odd, that tile is suppose to be/was grass.

There are some that follow along the shore, but that shouldn't put them in water.

Ah well, 99 fields + strat, 4 errors. Not to bad, actually better than most of my terrains.

Ghastly · « **Reply #5 on:** July 26, 2007, 07:51:20 AM »

Nhawk,

How many hours do you estimate it took you to complete Montis? I'm still learning all the tools (including learning how to use the graphical tools for things I've never done before) and am finding it to be a veeeeeery long process - and I'd like to have a sense if I could for how long it takes to do this when you are good at it. (By "this" I mean an MA style map)

30 hours?
50 hours?
100 hours?

croduh · « **Reply #6 on:** July 26, 2007, 07:54:20 AM »

Ghastly,

Making the terrain is the easiest part, finding and solving all the bugs is what takes time.

That and waiting for Skuzzy;)

NHawk · « **Reply #7 on:** July 26, 2007, 11:25:48 AM »

Ghastly you have to remember I have literally hundreds of elevations just waiting for me to put fields on them. So my time wouldn't be a good benchmark.

And if I told you how long it takes me....well, let's just say you wouldn't believe it.

rogerdee · « **Reply #8 on:** July 26, 2007, 04:00:34 PM »

its a nice map and we all expect to see the odd hic up,look quite funny i thought id straff a barge and iot was the trucks doing 60mph across the waves:lol

well we all know skuzzy is the lynch pin to the operation but i think he should get a nice pretty assistant.

Solar10 · « **Reply #9 on:** July 26, 2007, 04:57:47 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by NHawk
Ghastly you have to remember I have literally hundreds of elevations just waiting for me to put fields on them. So my time wouldn't be a good benchmark.

And if I told you how long it takes me....well, let's just say you wouldn't believe it.

NHawk. Have you created these elevations or are they grayscales you have found somewhere?

Getting the elevations right is a tough job. It would be great if you could point some of us amateurs in the direction of your sources.

McFarland · « **Reply #10 on:** July 26, 2007, 07:11:18 PM »

A good magician never reveals his secrets.

NHawk · « **Reply #11 on:** July 27, 2007, 05:48:57 AM »

I've made them all. And I have no problem telling people what I use.

I use a combination of Terragen, World Machine, USGS DEM, Photoshop, Paint Shop, my Tilesetter, MachNix's Tilesetter and a pencil.

In other words I use just about all of the tools available.

OOZ662 · « **Reply #12 on:** July 27, 2007, 07:15:28 AM »

For mine, all I used was Nem's Terrain Generator, GIMP, TileSetter, and the TE. My terrain seems to have come out very smooth(as in a very gradual slope everywhere), though I haven't had a good chance to just fly around it yet.

I'm taking a bit of a break from it for now. Placing Shore Batteries is probably the most tedious and least interesting part of this whole process...baahhh...

EDIT: Nem's Terrain Generator is actually a really cool system, but if you don't have a newer speedy computer, it's not a great choice. I had to run around 17,000 iterations of the various algorithms in the program on each elevation file I tried. I probably went through about thirty of them before I picked one I liked. Good thing I liked the show on the Tube at the moment.

Solar10 · « **Reply #13 on:** July 27, 2007, 12:33:34 PM »

Thanks Nhawk.

I'm using Gimp and MachNix's tilesetter but like OOZ662 I get very rounded terrains. I am playing around at the moment to try and get it better. What would you suggest doing to get those nice sharp ridgelines?

Ghastly · « **Reply #14 on:** July 27, 2007, 01:34:30 PM »

At the risk of giving you idiotic advice based upon my whole 2 weeks of experience at this stuff, You might try using Terragen instead. I find it much easier to "control" the type of terrain created - and it generates them nearly instantaneously unlike Nems.

Nems may work if you know how to set it up - but for me it either generated fishbowls or cockeburrs (or fishbowls mated to cockleburs!!!) when I tried to use it - and after about 30 minutes of mucking about with it I tabled it and moved on.