Need help building a map (Big picture warning)

[Gnasher]

Hi All,

I've been making a map for my campaign & have hit a few minor problems that I just can't seem to figure out. The map is of the village of Maltot in Normandy & was initially captured from a google earth screen shot at the appropiate size.

My 1st problem is that when I load the map in builder & the game I get this non fatal error:-

Here's the maintex:-

& Here's the farmaintex (Resized):-

maintex is 2048x2048 & farmaintex is 4096x4096 pixels & are saved as tga format files.

My other problem as you can see from the pics is textures on roads. I dont seem to be able to select a texture to apply to the roads. Any ideas?

Some pics (I'm quite pleased with what I have so far although there's a load of stuff to do yet.):-

Any thoughts or ideas on how I can get around these issues? :confused:

[Gnasher]

Some more pics

Not too sure about the colours here....

[SlapHappy]

Gnasher

It seems to be a matchup problem with the tex files and the HF (heightfield map). In the game, I remember from my tinkering that the two HF map files were 1024 x 1024 and 2048 x 2048. Perhaps both you're tex files are twice as big as they should be?

Just a guess, something to try.....

[Gnasher]

Hmmm, resizing to 1024 caused CTD, don't think its that

[SlapHappy]

So, in the other maps, those are the pixel dimensions of the two map texture files?

[SlapHappy]

Also, the map loads with the google textures in the game, but not in the builder?

[Gnasher]

Originally posted by SlapHappy:

So, in the other maps, those are the pixel dimensions of the two map texture files?

No you are right, however I used Webwing's 1 pixel = 1 metre. So, if the total near map size is 2048m that should be 2048 pixels right? Perhaps an ilumini like good ol' Sneaksie can shed some light & wisdom here?

Originally posted by SlapHappy:

Also, the map loads with the google textures in the game, but not in the builder?

Loads in both, only problem is non fatal error msg in 1st picture, which I get in both game & builder.

I've really got to get this figured out I can feel 3 or 4 historical campaigns itching to get out!

[boog2006]

Your trees are bunched too close together, I think.

[Nikki Mond]

Very impressive!!! I think the groups of trees are appropriate and avoid the spaced look of the ingame maps.

One thing, you may want to do is go back and use the slider on the tree models to change the tree model trunk shades

and foliage depth, angle and colour. That way every tree looks a little different.

[Gnasher]

Getting some sweet eye candy here, just wish I could sort out the non fatal error:-

The Home Team

In the wheat fields on the village outskirts

more at SimHQ

[RockinHarry]

Very well done so far! Realistic looking forested areas ect. for the first time in a TOW map! :cool:

Btw, is it possible to place broken trees (the ones taht magically sink into the ground in the game ) or paint some "crater" on the texture to avoid some of the "peacefull" looks?

[ February 14, 2008, 04:10 PM: Message edited by: RockinHarry ]

[SlapHappy]

I don't know that much about the texture files because I wasn't experimenting with them.

What I do remember, though, was that the NearHF RAW file for 3d terrain was 2048 x 2048 and the FarHF Raw file was 1024 x 1024. So I thought perhaps you had to match the two textures files to those dimensions.

Could it be you've got the wrong texture sizes assigned to the wrong texture file? I think the Far texes and HF fields should be the smaller ones.

[SlapHappy]

Yes, I just checked NearHF is 2048 x 2048 and FarHF is 1024 x 1024.

So perhaps maintex might work at 2048 x 2048 and farmaintex at 1024 x 1024?

I'm no modeller, I just know those are the numbers that should match the height field maps.

I'd like to see you get this squared away because you've got some great stuff working there and painting individual texture maps is a little much.

Importing what you need would be much easier.

[SlapHappy]

And you're right, map scale is definitely 1 meter @ 1 pixel....I remember Sneaksie stating that specifically.

[boog2006]

Originally posted by Nikki Mond:

Very impressive!!! I think the groups of trees are appropriate and avoid the spaced look of the ingame maps.

Yes, it LOOKS fine. But it might be why the map isn't loading. The reason all ingame maps look spaced is because the game engine can't handle trees too bunched. From the documentation:

5.2. Recommendations on arranging objects

To avoid lower game throughput or failures in map loading you should observe recommendations as follows when arranging objects:

·The number of statics should be below one thousand.

·The number of trees should be below three thousand.

·The number of far trees should be below fifty thousand.

·Objects should be arranged in so that to avoid having large impassable areas on the map. Otherwise, the map may fail to load.

·If after being edited in Builder a map still fails to load try to reduce the number of impassable objects (trees, buildings, fences) especially in areas where those are plentiful.

[Sneaksie]

Farmaintex must be 1024x1024, while your maintex is ok.

For correctly looking roads specify both the road texture and bump texture (for example, asphalt* for both cases) in the road properties.

[Gnasher]

Thanks Sneaksie that fixed it