Any rumors about improving the terrain?

[Sunka]

That looks good compared to what we're used to, but still underwhelming compared to other games. Is the terrain maker/editor easy to use? Does it have any advanced tools for creating detail with little work, like procedural/fractal terrain shaping etc.? Or do you painstakingly have to add every little detail manually?

Something like this, from FSX, should be entirely doable:


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HTC fractal design (which the natural world is made of) is really sad and i wish they would look into it, for way better mountens and such.

[Easyscor]

I saved a link to this thread while I completed my work on a new custom terrain you folks might be interested in. It's not an improvement in the terrain engine of course, but it includes many things you probably haven't seen, that make it come close to some of the screenshots posted in this thread. I think avachanl Paris stands up well against the terrain video under that helicopter someone linked on uTube.

AvA Chanel is now up in the AvA arena and I think you might just like it.

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avachanl

The new avachanl terrain is having it's debut in the AvA arena starting Friday, June 7th. It's 9.2 MB of lovin for you.

Those asking for better terrains will hopefully find some of what they've been asking for in this terrain. Items include the bluffs along the Normandy coast, and upgraded LSTs originally built by Dux with built-in O'Clubs tied back to towers on the English coast. There are massive cities, Paris and London, and significant other cities; La Havre, Caen, Cherbourg and Lisieux. The Eiffel tower is included and you can climb to the top, or play hide and seek on the LSTs as a bailed pilot. Check out jimson's Lighthouse while you're at it. There are even lamp posts at all the street intersections in the cities, and British and German battle flags at the maprooms, along with Sealion style landing barges, and at least two custom bridges.

The most noticeable eye candy scheduled to be added this summer includes the cliffs of southern England and more bluffs along portions of the French coast. Most of the remaining default fields and bases will be replaced with bases similar to those you'll find in Normandy.

Additionally, there will be several (tested but not implemented) additions to the Normandy beaches and the areas of the terrain stretching from Cherbourg to the Seine River.

It's my hope that some of you will post screen shots that might entice our oldtimers to return. Unfortunately, I recently changed my isp and I can't yet post pictures.

The write-up for this weeks setup can be found here: http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,349681.msg4618881.html#msg4618881

[GScholz]

For easy image hosting get a free Dropbox account. You can link directly to pictures you place in your "public" folder.

Can't wait to see your new terrain!

[fbEagle]

There's no reason HTC couldn't make the more detailed terrain optional, like it is now. I agree that the only thing holding this game back is the graphics. We can all agree the game play and physics is amazing. However i look at other games and continue asking myself why am i paying these guys 14.95 a month? Flight model accuracy and crappy graphics from 10 years ago. 

[Rich46yo]

The graphics in this game are quite poor and if they dont upgrade them they will continue to lose players and not bring former players back in the fold. Thats the terrible truth of it. An upgrade in the game engine is far more important then introducing new airplanes and not doing so cause a few players have old, old computers is..well... you see where that has gotten the game. Just look at overall K/A compared to when the last update came out.

This is the most flawlessly running MMOG Ive ever played. The plane set is exceptional, and there are still many skilled players. But without an upgrade in the "look" of the game I dont think they are going to attract many new players and retain them.

[Megalodon]

Personally I don't like any solution to a problem that involves splitting the player base. Either most players would join the hi fidelity MA and the low fidelity MA would quickly die or vice versa.

AW did this... is the reason it won't happen    

No serious... the last day of AW3/milinium ... AW was still on the server choice and folks still played on it.

I don't see why it would be bad. The people that absolutely refuse, don't have the funds ...etc... still have a place to play and pay. The rest that would like the killer shizznic move on and play AH3/Alenium.


Ridding AH3 since 2008
Girl is gonna need College,
 

Edit: Test video for the new IL-2Stalingrad that got leaked ,,,
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B8XsLHaG5Q2sa2VKWjl4TlpGMGM/edit?pli=1

On the Fourm The 109f4 looks darn nice and have done some cockpit lighting shot's that look cool.

[Karnak]

There's no reason HTC couldn't make the more detailed terrain optional, like it is now.

Depends on what details you mean.  Higher resolution textures, sure.  Higher polygon count terrain and trees, no.  Why?  Because if the polygons are different you will most assuredly encounter a situation where some tank thinks it is hull down or concealed and to the guy he is fighting who is using another detail setting the tank is exposed.

 

I agree that the only thing holding this game back is the graphics. We can all agree the game play and physics is amazing. However i look at other games and continue asking myself why am i paying these guys 14.95 a month? Flight model accuracy and crappy graphics from 10 years ago. 

While I agree the graphics are dated, lets be realistic here.  Looking at games from 10 years ago they did not look as good as AH does now, particularly on the recently redone units.

[GScholz]

Both Il-2: Forgotten Battles and Lock On: Modern Air Combat were released in 2003.

[Bizman]

<snip>cause a few players have old, old computers is..well... you see where that has gotten the game.

Unfortunately that's not the whole truth. There are many of us, having an elderly gaming rig still capable to run AH with decent frame rates and sufficient eye candy, knowing our hardware will be outdated in the near future. The bigger problem is, that there's a whole lot of new players asking why their gameplay isn't fluid although they have a "brand new <insert brand here> $400 laptop with Intel graphics. It's the Gaming Console generation who can't read or understand the minimal requirements for a PC game. I've seen that numerous times among my clientele, or rather their kids. It's not nice to tell the parents that the game granny or godmother bought for the apple of their eye can't be run other than as a slide show on their precious state-of-the-art banking computer.

[Ack-Ack]

AW did this... is the reason it won't happen    

No serious... the last day of AW3/milinium ... AW was still on the server choice and folks still played on it.

I played AWC until the day EA pulled the plug on it before moving full time to AW3 and the population of AWC players at the end wasn't very big at all.  The population numbers were pretty much the same as the population numbers we see now in the MW arena.

ack-ack

[Tracerfi]

Yeah, I keep waiting for a proper multi-player only combat game with infantry, tanks, and planes with actual aircraft flying that requires a joystick to play.  The idea that "fighter pilots" can play using a keyboard and mouse is what is holding it back.

The games that do come out with planes in them are so poorly done it is a crying shame.  Battlefield and Planetside are terrible games for flying.

WW-2 Online was the one attempt to do it right, but we probably all know how that turned out (buggy as all hell).  I keep looking back at AH-2 and wishing they could just inch the design just a bit more.  The controls of the tanks are good, the simulation of the tanks is solid, but the terrain they play on is the problem that they feel like a waste of time.

The inevitable argument has always been, "This is a flight sim.  Keep the tanks useless, or better yet get rid of them."

I still am waiting for a decent combined arms game of air, land, and sea, and AH-2 is the closest to it.

Some of us cant buy Joysticks

[MarineUS]

Edit: Test video for the new IL-2Stalingrad that got leaked ,,,
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B8XsLHaG5Q2sa2VKWjl4TlpGMGM/edit?pli=1

On the Fourm The 109f4 looks darn nice and have done some cockpit lighting shot's that look cool.

 

[gyrene81]

Both Il-2: Forgotten Battles and Lock On: Modern Air Combat were released in 2003.


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and neither of them can handle 500 square miles of terrain with more than 200 people on at a time...if you like the 32 or 64 player interaction, go for it.

There's no reason HTC couldn't make the more detailed terrain optional, like it is now. I agree that the only thing holding this game back is the graphics. We can all agree the game play and physics is amazing. However i look at other games and continue asking myself why am i paying these guys 14.95 a month? Flight model accuracy and crappy graphics from 10 years ago.  

do you currently have all graphics options to the highest they can go with a steady 60fps frame rate?

[GScholz]

and neither of them can handle 500 square miles of terrain with more than 200 people on at a time...if you like the 32 or 64 player interaction, go for it.

You obviously know nothing. The largest maps in Il2 are much larger than any in AH. Small maps in Il2 are typically 200x200 miles. That's 40,000 square miles. Large maps are 500x500 miles or more. It would take hours to fly from one edge to the other.

The number of players really has nothing to do with visual quality.

[Megalodon]

I played AWC until the day EA pulled the plug on it before moving full time to AW3 and the population of AWC players at the end wasn't very big at all.  The population numbers were pretty much the same as the population numbers we see now in the MW arena.

ack-ack

 I know... but the space was there and it didnt cost AW to hold that arena for some. Still getting paid by those that just refuse to upgrade. I didnt say it would be all that... just a place for those left behind.
There would be no argument from those that argue now that there system can't handle an upgraded game.