Home » PLAYER'S HQ 1.13 » JA2 Complete Mods & Sequels » AIMNAS » BigMaps Editing
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Re: BigMaps Editing[message #329118]
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Fri, 20 December 2013 16:30
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Zombiehunter |
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Messages:182
Registered:March 2011 Location: Franconia, Germany |
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The goal has been reached, the maps have been finished.
DysonVery good. Respect to you!
The respect goes not alone to me, we wouldn't have reached the goal, if smeagol hadn't made some of the maps himself.
Anyways, I hope you'll enjoy our work. I for myself, will now back off from the Mapwork for a little while (not forever, I promise you )
After all, as some of you might already know, I will be quite unavailable for some time during early next year, because of some personal RL changes.
I wish all of you a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hannukah, a Happy Kwanzaa and a Happy New Year.
Stay tuned
-Zombie
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Staff Sergeant
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Re: BigMaps Editing[message #329141]
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Sat, 21 December 2013 15:50
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smeagol |
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Messages:2705
Registered:June 2008 Location: Bremen, Germany |
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Just to make sure you don't get the wrong impression. Not all maps have been finished yet. But we actually managed to finish rows A, B, C, D and E. This means that atm around 80 big maps are actually playable in AIMNAS.
I'll update the world map within next couple of days for a sneak peek, the actual release will most likely be on 24th (at least I hope so).
There will probably be still a few bugs here and there, but as always with my releases, it's still work in progress and I actually have not as much time at my disposal anymore than a year ago (ya know, real life and all that fuzz keepin' me busy...).
But, XMAS Release is coming, with more stuff than ever before, more maps, a few new tileset objects, full support for DG mercs and even NCTH support (yes, with a lot of tweaks for bigmaps it finally is playable, not done yet, but playable and guess what... it's actually fun!).
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Re: BigMaps Editing[message #329647]
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Wed, 08 January 2014 20:07
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Zombiehunter |
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Messages:182
Registered:March 2011 Location: Franconia, Germany |
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mmmYou sure about the geographical location of Arulco?I thought it could be anywhere in Eurasia. Surely Hamous didn't take a ferry. That's all speculation of course.
But one thing for sure is that snow terrain will give me a reason to wear snow camo.
Well canon has it, that Arulco is some backwards Third World Cesspool on some island in Central America/perhaps the Carribean Sea, how Hamous came to Arulco? Nobody knows, nobody cares, for all we know he could have stolen the Ice Cream Truck in one of the Neighbour Countries or even Arulco itself.
As for snow, we have to see if we can make it fit into the maps, after all imho snow sectors would probably be rather rural and henceforth, there won't be too much focus on them. So imho I am not sure if this would actually justify snow camo uniforms, camo-sets and so on and by that extension I am not sure if this would justify the hassle to make snow sectors in the first place
Just my 2 cents
-Zombie
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Staff Sergeant
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Re: BigMaps Editing[message #331343]
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Mon, 17 March 2014 20:52
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mmm |
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Messages:63
Registered:May 2013 |
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He was last seen heading Istanbul in the ice cream truck, according to the AIM Alumni. Of course Arulco is totally fictitious, but if I were to pin it somewhere on the world map. Well... This is so far the only explicit reference to it's geographic location I could find.
Don't get me wrong, I'll be happy with whatever map you have to offer, snow sector or not, it wasn't really a big deal. Just wondering how you get the idea that Arulco is in Central America? Since you were referring to the ice cream truck, you must have looked into the Alumni, didn't you? Did the German(that is, you German...) do something to the back story or what?
Edit: BTW, how much does the big map affect the game performance, especially saving/loading time?
[Updated on: Tue, 18 March 2014 05:27] by Moderator Report message to a moderator
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Corporal
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Re: BigMaps Editing[message #331379]
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Wed, 19 March 2014 04:33
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mmm |
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Messages:63
Registered:May 2013 |
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You mean saving/loading time will be largely similar to smaller maps? I'd be really surprised, consider there are 4 times the tiles. But that will be a really good news to me if it is true.
[Updated on: Thu, 20 March 2014 05:55] by Moderator Report message to a moderator
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Corporal
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Re: BigMaps Editing[message #341576 is a reply to message #321530]
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Fri, 03 July 2015 03:49
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ShadowStrike |
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Messages:6
Registered:July 2015 |
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Hi, I just discovered AIMNAS/Bigmaps and I'd like to try to help create some sectors. I have a lot of spare time until uni starts in September, so I'd be happy to help get this mod finished.
I have some experience with the editor but I have a few questions before I get started:
1) Is Zombiehunter still working on maps or did he take a break? If he's away, who is in charge of making the map? Just asking because this thread is old.
2) Beside cities and the sectors that have already been made, are there other sectors I should not do? I'm not very familiar with the southern part of the map so I don't know if there are any special sectors that I should avoid doing. Are there perhaps any special non-city sectors with scripts that you would rather leave for an experienced modder to do (e.g. the sector in the south where you get the hummer in Vanilla 1.13)?
3) Is there anything I need to know when making a sector? Here is what I planned to do, please tell me if any of this is wrong:
- I have a Fresh JA2 Install, the latest 1.13 unstable SCI (#7890), latest AIMNAS (the one that was updated on June 30 this year by Smeagol).
- When I open the Editor it loads BigMaps sectors by default, so I guess it is configured right.
- Step 1: check the box 'Enlarge Map on Loading' and set the Rows to 360 (I can't set the Cols but they default to 360 so it's OK).
- Step 2: Load a vanilla sector under the category "SLF Libs" (I'm not sure if this is correct but it's the only category that has all the sectors).
- Step 3: The sector has loaded and has been enlarged (there's lots of 'empty' space on every side)
- Step 4: Start working. Add buildings/debris/terrain in there that fits with the sector and make the place look nice. Personally I would prefer not to modify the original part of the map too much, rather I would build around it (I'm afraid I could accidentally remove/break something important).
- Step 5: The sectors I modify will be saved in Play Sectors in the folder 'profiles', so I'll upload these files for you guys when I'm finished.
4) Do I have to add enemies or NPCs in the sectors, or will you guys do this yourself? I feel comfortable modifying the terrain, but I have no experience about adding enemies (e.g. how many should I add, how strong should I make them, what other stats should I configure, etc.)
5) Do I need any coding experience, or do I have to modify xml files at all, to make sectors for Bigmaps? When it comes to the editor I know how to modify the xml files to add vehicles in a sector, but that's all. Learning to use xml files is not hard, I just don't have a lot of experience with map editing so any further xml editing will have to be explained to me.
6) Should I make the borders (edges) of my sector fit with the borders of neighboring sectors, or will you guys retouch the borders yourselves?
OK, I think I will try to modify a sector now, I'll upload it when I'm done, that way you guys can see what I can do and you can tell me if there is more things I need to add.
By the way, can someone recommend a free file upload service so that I can show you my work?
Thanks!
Edit:
I just made sector J4 in bigmaps format, I'm currently looking for a way to show you guys my work before I do more.
I only did the landscaping part (ground, trees, bushes, etc...), I did not add enemies. Once I manage to upload it (or at least post a screenshot), hopefully someone in charge of the project can tell me what else I need to do for my map to be eligible for the Bigmaps project. I'll have some extra questions, bur first I want to upload my work somehow.
[Updated on: Fri, 03 July 2015 09:21] Report message to a moderator
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Private
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Re: BigMaps Editing[message #341579 is a reply to message #341576]
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Fri, 03 July 2015 10:02
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ShadowStrike |
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Messages:6
Registered:July 2015 |
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Starting a new post for clarity.
So here's a screenshot of my work on sector J4:
[b]
Edit: Ugh, I can't post links until I have posted 10 messages - Seriously?!
So in the meantime, just remove the space in the following URL to see the screenshot:
I know it's a bit small but hopefully you can make out enough things. I'm still looking for a way to share the file (J4.dat) in case anyone wants to take a look at it in the editor.
- The center of the sector is the original vanilla J4. I only increased the size to 360, and then I added stuff around the original sector. If you cannot tell the original sector apart from the rest, then I've done my job pretty well.
- You may notice a light green border all around the map. This seems to be an editor feature and I cannot change it. I think it is not visible in the game because the camera does not move that far.
- I used the same tileset as the vanilla sector (the default tileset when I loaded the sector). I don't know if I was supposed to use a different one.
- I did not add/change anything except for the geography (ground textures, trees, bushes, water...). I did not add/change enemies, NPCs, items, etc.
Notable features of my map:
- I added two larger bodies of water. They feature deep water in their center (visible on the screenshot) and one of them has a tiny 'island'.
- You may notice that the grass is brighter on the left side of the map, and the vegetation is more sparse. This is intentional because sector J3 is not a swamp. I tried making it look like the swamp was slowly fading on that side.
- The center of the map is a little denser than the area around it. Think of it as the swamp slowly fading at the edges (if you look at sectors I4, J5 and K4, they feature swamp terrain but the vegetation is much less dense). I might rework it and make it look a bit better later, but for now I'd like feedback.
Keep in mind that this is A LOT of work (I have to place each tree and patch of grass by hand, one at a time, and switching between the various models to maintain diversity - I don't know if the editor offers any features to make this a little easier).
I also have a question regarding creative freedom and adding stuff that wasn't in the vanilla sectors:
I personally find vanilla outdoor sectors really... bland, boring... It's the same nature stretched over an entire sector. Swamps especially have this problem, every inch looks the same.
My question is, if I make a sector for Bigmaps, how much creative freedom could I have to add things that were not in the vanilla sector? I've already added two large bodies of water, I think that's fine because they fit in pretty well (they're just slightly bigger versions of the ponds that are all over the place). But would it be alright if I wanted to do something a little more original, for example add a small wooden shack, or maybe a small rebel cache (nothing more than a few crates of supplies)? In other words, how close to the vanilla sectors do we have to remain, and how far can we depart from them?
Anyway, now I'll wait patiently for someone from the Bigmaps project to respond! I'm excited to start contributing and looking forward for more info on what I should do!
[Updated on: Fri, 03 July 2015 12:38] by Moderator Report message to a moderator
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Private
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Re: BigMaps Editing[message #341584 is a reply to message #341576]
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Fri, 03 July 2015 12:27
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DepressivesBrot |
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Messages:3658
Registered:July 2009 |
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1) He's on a very extended break. It's not a problem though since smeag is back.
2) I'd avoid Orta, N7 and the south coast in general. Not sure how big he wants to make Balime and if he wants to bring back Las Palmas.
3) Unless you need something to expand on, start from scratch. I don't think there's a single map currently using a Vanilla core.
4) If you don't want to, leave them out for now.
5) Normally not.
6) Yes.
Filehosters: dropbox, onedrive, googledrive, mediafire, ... Pick one according to which companies you like or hate
If smeag likes your work, we'll have tais give an introduction to git forking and pull requests
Creative freedom:
See 3). If it's a swamp map, make it recognizable as such but otherwise don't give a shit about the vanilla layout. The only important thing is to make sense in context with its neighbours and Arulcan fluff & lore. Clear radical things like a new town or army base with smeag though ;)
And an addendum:
Get into the habit of lurking in the irc channel, it shortens communication a lot.
Chat with us!
#bearpit on IRC
Discord
Get your latest 1.13 Builds
(Pls don't use my forum PMs for general game queries)Report message to a moderator
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Re: BigMaps Editing[message #341601 is a reply to message #321530]
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Sun, 05 July 2015 07:24
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ShadowStrike |
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Messages:6
Registered:July 2015 |
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Alright, unfortunately I was busy yesterday but I had time to work some more on sector J4 during the night.
So here are some screenshots of my progress. I don't know how active this part of the forum is, but feedback would be very appreciated to help me figure out how to continue.
(Since I still haven't posted 10 messages on the forum yet, I'll need a moderator to once again edit my post and make the screenshots visible. Thanks very much!)
Also: warning, spoilers! If this map makes it into AIMNAS, you may not want to know ahead of time what you'll find in this sector.
Toggle Spoiler
First the full map, so you can see where everything is located:
Next, a small rebel weapon cache I've added:
The cache has already been raided by the queen's army, as evidenced by the debris, opened crates and lack of defenses.
If you look carefully, the army missed a crate, carefully hidden behind trees and tall grass. The fact that the rebels put more effort into hiding this crate could mean there's something really good still inside, for any mercs who manage to find the cache.
Feedback request: I'm not sure if the concertina wire is a good idea, it might be a bit much for what is supposed to be a hidden cache. I'm also looking for ideas how to make the place look more like a rebel cache.
And finally, a small military outpost (more like a camp actually).
(Note that I didn't place the soldiers, those were in the vanilla J4. I'm just leaving them in for now)
Four small buildings: a cooking area (top), soldiers' sleeping quarters (right), communal washroom (center) and the officer's private quarters (left).
As you can see the place is cramped and falling apart - hey, the queen wasn't going to build a proper base just to guard a swamp! The outpost isn't getting supplied often since it isn't the army's most useful installation, and often they don't even get the stuff they need!
Also, the officer running the place has requisitioned all the good stuff for himself. If having his own personal washroom with a bathtub wasn't enough, he even keeps the only TV to himself! That bastard even had the AC installed in his quarters when it was intended for the kitchen! Oh yeah, and he had extra sandbags added around his building for protection of course!
As for other notable details, there's a small jeep/buggy near one of the entrances (not sure what it's supposed to be exactly), some soldiers have improvised a table with a crate (they also use whatever chairs and furniture they found/were sent), the toilet stalls have no doors, and there's a puddle of... stuff... coming out from under the washroom.
The great thing about this outpost is that there doesn't need to be enemies in the sector 24/7. If the player gets there while there are no enemy patrols, it will feel like the outpost has been deserted a long time ago. On the other hand if an enemy patrol is occupying the place, it feels pretty much like you would expect the queen to treat her soldiers.
I was thinking of adding sandbags on some of the roofs, but I think it might be a bit too much protection for the place (again, it's an almost-useless outpost lost in the middle of a swamp, they don't exactly expect to be attacked anytime soon).
Anyway, once again, feedback is appreciated. If anything doesn't fit in, if anyone has ideas how to improve something, or if someone has an idea what else could be added in this sector, please let me know!
I'll get in the IRC channel soon as DepressivesBrot suggested, I have more questions to ask about making maps for AIMNAS!
[Updated on: Sun, 05 July 2015 15:47] by Moderator Report message to a moderator
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