Currently those units are just set up on different heights so that I could make all of the floors, on the same level, at the same height. Sadly there's about 500 doodads PER building, so that sure to cause some havoc to lower end computers >.<! Far clip would not be allowable, though you would have the ability to rotate your camera by 90 degrees so you could see all cardinal directions. Overlapping and using custom occlusion was something I've been pondering for awhile and I'm still debating as to how to go about it.
As far as I know, multi-pathing is impossible and it is not included in my current working theory =X . As far as I know, I think you would need to be a data god to pull that off—so yeah my map would be a series of illusions. The roads are Rubble Wall Corners (at x: 500, y: 500, z: 500 scale) and pushed under the ground until only the top is showing. The white markings are Ground Props that have been scaled accordingly and made white, and of course will be the first thing to go when I decide to cut down on doodad numbers.
Exactly, stairs would apply buffs that would in turn check on or off validators (i.e level one is considered ground and level two is considered air). I'll try to answer
A) Once I think about it some more, its been a hectic day so far.
B) You could make under stairs walkable, except for the first region under the first stair (going from the first to the second floor)—making each region (and its trigger) ask conditionally what the units current height is within a range and if it is not within that range do nothing and if it is lower or raise it accordingly. The first step is the only problem as it would ask whether their height is 0, which in this case it would be, thus raising their height to say .2 height, if they then where at a .2 height and exited the region, ultimately triggering the exit region trigger, they would then be reduced to a 0 height. If they walked under step three, the step would ask whether they were were coming from a height of .8 (the step above) or .4 (the step below), so a height of 0 would not cause the trigger to.. well.. trigger and change the units height. (I hope I stated this right haha)
C) Validators would ultimately eliminate this problem, and since it is a TPS using a different traceline technique there would be no need for a visible projectile so you would not see art effects moving through the ground or other doodads... Instead with an invisible projectile you would only see the art effects of it firing from the attacking unit and an art effect like blood on the hostile target that is hit by the invisible projectile.
D) Yeah, this is my current problem I'm dealing with, is whether to use the actor hiding like librarian said or to search for another way. Either way, its going to be a gigantic pain no doubt, but I saw that from the beginning. This was more a project to test the waters and hope it works in the way I wish it would.
RPG's and grenades I originally saw as a problem, but again you can change hero abilities with triggers due to their heights (so grenade ability 1 throws a grenade at height 1, grenade ability 2 at height 2, etc.) again another pain, but artistic and playable environments on different floors I think are still entirely possible by using that method.
Wow, that got a lot of people talking.. lol. Right now its just the illusion of height so I could map everything out, but I was intending on doing as someone mentioned, height by triggers and using regions & validators to "describe" what level they were on and what level they could shoot. Like what madlibrarian suggested, each stair would actually lower or heighten depending on your previous height, that way you wouldn't get the glitchy movements if you decided to switch directions. Validator's would keep units from hitting those on multiple levels (since it was going to be a TPS mouse-click trace line system), but yes sticking multiple staircases would result in some glitchy substance, but I think that could be fixed—then again it's also 7:40am and I'm not truly awake =P. Hopefully I answered some questions, but I actually need to go to volunteering =X bbl.
I've trying been trying to experiment with the same sort of thing for awhile, my intention was to make a huge map of custom buildings that had higher floors as well as basements for use as a zombie/shooter/etc. map with all levels walk-able. However, it's on hold due to my shatty habit of using too many doodads. So as of now I'm waiting for the moment in which I can swallow my pride, remove some of the detail, and continue onward =/.
Here's some screenshots of it if you're interested, although it's so very far from done or polished (i.e there are no roofs yet):
[Left-most screenshot is a subway] [Right-most screenshot a high security bank]
Thanks Mozared, you were right, looked kinda ghetto sticking out of the mountain side like that lol. I added a pipe like you suggested, hopefully in the way in which you intended; if not, I still think it looks much better than it did before. Also stuck some smaller pipes on the side to make the "big-pipe-look" less monotonous.
I like that you've given yours much more of a grand scale (my two cave entrances are dinky and less ambitious). I find myself wishing the marine in the second picture next to the sandbags was manning that bi-gun turret that is in the campaign facing the exit of the cave, but I also like big guns =P. Also, some sort of supporting beams like the Space Platform Sign Towers would look cool scattered around the interior of the cave I think, just an idea.
That bridge is awesome, I wish I had known about the existence of that sooner... I wanted to put a curved one in the lava jungle WTE we did a while back but I couldn't think of a way to make that flattened log path!
My apologies for the fat all-in-one post lol. Here's the laser gun with the new metal sheath:
Finally found enough time/focus/creativity to come back from my terraining break... but I think I went a little crazy on the environment/lighting effects.
It is supposed to depict the generic "evil-do'er's" lair on an island; added a laser-destruco-cannon jutting out of the mountain on the left side... which would be used for future world domination =P.
Hey Zolstice—yeah, it's definitely overkill, I completely agree haha. And yup I'll upload it in a bit, just be weary as to Scbrood's post: the back of the dragon is unfinished as well as the entirety of the map, but everything is made of regular doodads. The dragon is also not at a particularly good gameplay angle, so it'll be more of a demo than anything playable. (Additionally, some of the doodads are modified via the data editor for an increase in size.)
I wish it could be animated =P. The bottom of the tree (and halfway up) is actually made of modified Meinhoff Craters and Broken Ground Edgings so it gives it an interesting look, sadly the transition at the top of the tree looks worse than I would like. And yep, you're right about the angle; you can swing left or right about him, but the back looks pretty sketch and would take some time to fix.
Hey guys, I have my try-hard submission for this week.
I started off by making a gigantic tree in the middle and had the original intention of creating a massive forest with houses incorporated onto the branches, but I decided to go a different direction. Not sure where the idea sprouted from but I had a vision of a dragon curled around the "tree of life" guarding its eggs (currently under her left claw), so that's what I attempted to make. The story is supposed to be that the dragon eggs were stolen, so she swooped down and burninated all the peoples.
I think the terrain surrounding the focal could definitely be improved, but after finishing the dragon I got tired of working on it to be honest >.< .
Oh alright, I thought you meant it was your focal point but it was lost amongst the cliffs, my bad.
Beyond that, its one of the more impressive first entries I've seen, though I haven't been here too long. I like the amount of detail that you've put into the piece you've shown us. The rock formation in the top left is pretty well done minus some doodad color differences between the base of the crystals and the main rock face, but I'm glad you added the crystals as they add a contrasting flair. The fact that the shore is very near/overflowing onto the road is another cool point of interest.
There's a couple things that could be improved though. The first is one of my biggest problems which is matching texture to texture (especially with rocks), basically what I was referring to earlier with the crystal base vs. green rock face. Another thing I noticed is that although there is a bridge over the water, the road extends all the way under the bridge—if we were to expect that the bridge had been washed away, there shouldn't be any road texture below it extending up to where the bridge had started and ended. You could also add some kind of "bridge rubble" below the point that had washed away, if that was your intention.
As always these are just suggestions, so if you don't approve you may ignore me at your whim =P.
I like the layout you have going, especially the small settlement—the buildings are well spaced and organized, the guards & dogs give an interesting "dangerous" vibe to the landscape, and the nearby mine gives meaning to the colony's placement.
Here's a couple things I would do (and of course you can ignore them if you don't approve!) :
Some more terrain variation : I can see some possible use of the terrain noise brush on the overhead view, but I can't really make out much on your angled shots. Perhaps add something like sand that has built up around the buildings due to sandstorms, or some possible depressions in the landscape to mix it up. (Again that is what I prefer, some people like flatter terrain).
Add to the "dangerous vibe" : Maybe add some more security measures or doodads around your settlement. Perhaps a fence already constructed or currently being built to void off the harsh aspects of the landscape, or give us a glimpse of what they are protecting themselves from by adding some hostile forces. (I think I see some hydra's up north and south but I can't tell >.<). You could even take this a step further by adding hostile settlements or bases.
Create a supply cache: I found myself wondering what the colonists were doing with the minerals they were gathering from the mine, do they intend on stockpiling them to create more structures? Are they a form of export to a different location? Are they being processed and moved to and from any location?
Polish the mine: The color of the rocks on the mining entrance doodad seem a little out of place. You could add similar rocks around the mine and try some additional texture-play to give it a more fitting feel to the current landscape or use the raise cliff brush to give a similar rock face. The mine entrance from this angle also looks as if its leading into the dirt of the mountain, this can be pretty easily fixed if you choose to do so. I attached a picture for some examples of how to give the entrance additional depth (ignore the bad texturing).
---------------------------------------
The first entrance on the left is just a bunch of small omni light doodads which I have recolored black and spammed at the back of the cave, I added one red omni light towards the front of the entrance for some color.
The middle entrance is just two of the same cave doodads, one is the one you used and the other a different variation layered over the original.
The right entrance is another thought, just three of the same doodad stacked to give it a "deeper" look—though it arguably looks a little repetitive.
—It's looking good so far, I just think it could use some additional details. Lemme know if this was helpful!
0
@Zolstice: Go
Currently those units are just set up on different heights so that I could make all of the floors, on the same level, at the same height. Sadly there's about 500 doodads PER building, so that sure to cause some havoc to lower end computers >.<! Far clip would not be allowable, though you would have the ability to rotate your camera by 90 degrees so you could see all cardinal directions. Overlapping and using custom occlusion was something I've been pondering for awhile and I'm still debating as to how to go about it.
@madlibrarian: Go
That's pretty much exactly my plan, but if my version works correctly all levels would be accessible.
@SheogorathSC: Go
As far as I know, multi-pathing is impossible and it is not included in my current working theory =X . As far as I know, I think you would need to be a data god to pull that off—so yeah my map would be a series of illusions. The roads are Rubble Wall Corners (at x: 500, y: 500, z: 500 scale) and pushed under the ground until only the top is showing. The white markings are Ground Props that have been scaled accordingly and made white, and of course will be the first thing to go when I decide to cut down on doodad numbers.
@Mozared: Go
Exactly, stairs would apply buffs that would in turn check on or off validators (i.e level one is considered ground and level two is considered air). I'll try to answer A) Once I think about it some more, its been a hectic day so far. B) You could make under stairs walkable, except for the first region under the first stair (going from the first to the second floor)—making each region (and its trigger) ask conditionally what the units current height is within a range and if it is not within that range do nothing and if it is lower or raise it accordingly. The first step is the only problem as it would ask whether their height is 0, which in this case it would be, thus raising their height to say .2 height, if they then where at a .2 height and exited the region, ultimately triggering the exit region trigger, they would then be reduced to a 0 height. If they walked under step three, the step would ask whether they were were coming from a height of .8 (the step above) or .4 (the step below), so a height of 0 would not cause the trigger to.. well.. trigger and change the units height. (I hope I stated this right haha) C) Validators would ultimately eliminate this problem, and since it is a TPS using a different traceline technique there would be no need for a visible projectile so you would not see art effects moving through the ground or other doodads... Instead with an invisible projectile you would only see the art effects of it firing from the attacking unit and an art effect like blood on the hostile target that is hit by the invisible projectile. D) Yeah, this is my current problem I'm dealing with, is whether to use the actor hiding like librarian said or to search for another way. Either way, its going to be a gigantic pain no doubt, but I saw that from the beginning. This was more a project to test the waters and hope it works in the way I wish it would.
RPG's and grenades I originally saw as a problem, but again you can change hero abilities with triggers due to their heights (so grenade ability 1 throws a grenade at height 1, grenade ability 2 at height 2, etc.) again another pain, but artistic and playable environments on different floors I think are still entirely possible by using that method.
0
Wow, that got a lot of people talking.. lol. Right now its just the illusion of height so I could map everything out, but I was intending on doing as someone mentioned, height by triggers and using regions & validators to "describe" what level they were on and what level they could shoot. Like what madlibrarian suggested, each stair would actually lower or heighten depending on your previous height, that way you wouldn't get the glitchy movements if you decided to switch directions. Validator's would keep units from hitting those on multiple levels (since it was going to be a TPS mouse-click trace line system), but yes sticking multiple staircases would result in some glitchy substance, but I think that could be fixed—then again it's also 7:40am and I'm not truly awake =P. Hopefully I answered some questions, but I actually need to go to volunteering =X bbl.
0
@Scbroodsc2: Go
I've trying been trying to experiment with the same sort of thing for awhile, my intention was to make a huge map of custom buildings that had higher floors as well as basements for use as a zombie/shooter/etc. map with all levels walk-able. However, it's on hold due to my shatty habit of using too many doodads. So as of now I'm waiting for the moment in which I can swallow my pride, remove some of the detail, and continue onward =/.
Here's some screenshots of it if you're interested, although it's so very far from done or polished (i.e there are no roofs yet):
[Left-most screenshot is a subway] [Right-most screenshot a high security bank]
0
@madlibrarian: Go
Yeah I like window boards too much, just imagine my reaction when I saw the big ones in your terrain. =P
0
@Mozared: Go
Thanks Mozared, you were right, looked kinda ghetto sticking out of the mountain side like that lol. I added a pipe like you suggested, hopefully in the way in which you intended; if not, I still think it looks much better than it did before. Also stuck some smaller pipes on the side to make the "big-pipe-look" less monotonous.
@Nebuli2: Go
That looks pretty sick already, what percentage done is that in the photo? Definitely looking forward to seeing the end product.
@madlibrarian: Go
I like that you've given yours much more of a grand scale (my two cave entrances are dinky and less ambitious). I find myself wishing the marine in the second picture next to the sandbags was manning that bi-gun turret that is in the campaign facing the exit of the cave, but I also like big guns =P. Also, some sort of supporting beams like the Space Platform Sign Towers would look cool scattered around the interior of the cave I think, just an idea.
@SheogorathSC: Go
That bridge is awesome, I wish I had known about the existence of that sooner... I wanted to put a curved one in the lava jungle WTE we did a while back but I couldn't think of a way to make that flattened log path!
0
Finally found enough time/focus/creativity to come back from my terraining break... but I think I went a little crazy on the environment/lighting effects.
It is supposed to depict the generic "evil-do'er's" lair on an island; added a laser-destruco-cannon jutting out of the mountain on the left side... which would be used for future world domination =P.
0
@Nebuli2: Go
Damn, that's a really cool vantage point.
0
@SheogorathSC: Go
That's pretty sexy, definitely the most Tree of Life-y Tree of Life yet =P.
0
@SirDeeDs: Go
That's pretty cool, you should join in on the WTE's—I'd like to see some more!
0
@Gorandor: Go
That cave idea sounds sick, but I also feel compelled to try the second one because I want to make a battleship wearing a top hat =P.
0
@Zolstice: Go
Hey Zolstice—yeah, it's definitely overkill, I completely agree haha. And yup I'll upload it in a bit, just be weary as to Scbrood's post: the back of the dragon is unfinished as well as the entirety of the map, but everything is made of regular doodads. The dragon is also not at a particularly good gameplay angle, so it'll be more of a demo than anything playable. (Additionally, some of the doodads are modified via the data editor for an increase in size.)
@Scbroodsc2: Go
I wish it could be animated =P. The bottom of the tree (and halfway up) is actually made of modified Meinhoff Craters and Broken Ground Edgings so it gives it an interesting look, sadly the transition at the top of the tree looks worse than I would like. And yep, you're right about the angle; you can swing left or right about him, but the back looks pretty sketch and would take some time to fix.
0
Hey guys, I have my try-hard submission for this week.
I started off by making a gigantic tree in the middle and had the original intention of creating a massive forest with houses incorporated onto the branches, but I decided to go a different direction. Not sure where the idea sprouted from but I had a vision of a dragon curled around the "tree of life" guarding its eggs (currently under her left claw), so that's what I attempted to make. The story is supposed to be that the dragon eggs were stolen, so she swooped down and burninated all the peoples.
I think the terrain surrounding the focal could definitely be improved, but after finishing the dragon I got tired of working on it to be honest >.< .
0
@Xtremedesyr: Go
Oh alright, I thought you meant it was your focal point but it was lost amongst the cliffs, my bad.
Beyond that, its one of the more impressive first entries I've seen, though I haven't been here too long. I like the amount of detail that you've put into the piece you've shown us. The rock formation in the top left is pretty well done minus some doodad color differences between the base of the crystals and the main rock face, but I'm glad you added the crystals as they add a contrasting flair. The fact that the shore is very near/overflowing onto the road is another cool point of interest.
There's a couple things that could be improved though. The first is one of my biggest problems which is matching texture to texture (especially with rocks), basically what I was referring to earlier with the crystal base vs. green rock face. Another thing I noticed is that although there is a bridge over the water, the road extends all the way under the bridge—if we were to expect that the bridge had been washed away, there shouldn't be any road texture below it extending up to where the bridge had started and ended. You could also add some kind of "bridge rubble" below the point that had washed away, if that was your intention.
As always these are just suggestions, so if you don't approve you may ignore me at your whim =P.
0
@Xtremedesyr: Go
Can I get a differently angled screenshot to see your big ass tree? =P
0
@Abrais: Go
Hi Abrais,
I like the layout you have going, especially the small settlement—the buildings are well spaced and organized, the guards & dogs give an interesting "dangerous" vibe to the landscape, and the nearby mine gives meaning to the colony's placement.
Here's a couple things I would do (and of course you can ignore them if you don't approve!) :
---------------------------------------—It's looking good so far, I just think it could use some additional details. Lemme know if this was helpful!