Anyeone working on terrain mods?

[Gryphonne]

Well? I have found that the grass (amongst other stuff) shows up really weird and artificial at noon ingame. So maybe a re-coloring/saturation/hue mod around?

[MikeyD]

shows up really weird and artificial at noon ingame.

Go to Google Earth Street View Normandy countryside, locate a stretch of pasture on a decent day between the hedgerows, it'll match the game exactly.

[Broadsword56]

How about modding one of the tiles (like one of the plowed field ones, since summer was not plowing season) into a fake water tile that looks like a stream or brook, but can be placed at any elevation and has no actual water terrain effect (ie, it's crossable and just slows units down like marsh or mud).

[Flesh]

If you just want desaturated terrain, check out Vein's desaturated terrain mod on the repository.

I decided to attempt a thorough makeover of the terrain:

1) Desaturated most of the terrain textures.

2) Replaced and/or tweaked the red dirt/earth textures, resulting in more brown/sandy coloured dirt/earth.

3) Replaced the default green and yellow grass textures with lower resolution files with a sort of "blotchy" look. I find them easier on the eye (lower contrast so less flickering while scrolling about). Also, as they are used a lot on most maps, the lower resolution results in a higher FPS (at least for me, anyway).

4) Also knocked up new ploughed field textures while I was at it.

5) Almost forgot - I also desaturated the foliage (trees and bushes), doodads (tall grass etc.), hedges and bocage.

Here's a screenie:

[Gryphonne]

If you just want desaturated terrain, check out Vein's desaturated terrain mod on the repository.

I decided to attempt a thorough makeover of the terrain:

1) Desaturated most of the terrain textures.

2) Replaced and/or tweaked the red dirt/earth textures, resulting in more brown/sandy coloured dirt/earth.

3) Replaced the default green and yellow grass textures with lower resolution files with a sort of "blotchy" look. I find them easier on the eye (lower contrast so less flickering while scrolling about). Also, as they are used a lot on most maps, the lower resolution results in a higher FPS (at least for me, anyway).

4) Also knocked up new ploughed field textures while I was at it.

5) Almost forgot - I also desaturated the foliage (trees and bushes), doodads (tall grass etc.), hedges and bocage.

Here's a screenie:

Best comparison would be at noon (approx 1300 hours with the sun at its highest point), you have a screenshot of that?

EDIT: oh yeah, and without the fog, just clear or "hazy" conditions.

[para]

If you just want desaturated terrain, check out Vein's desaturated terrain mod on the repository.

I decided to attempt a thorough makeover of the terrain:

1) Desaturated most of the terrain textures.

2) Replaced and/or tweaked the red dirt/earth textures, resulting in more brown/sandy coloured dirt/earth.

3) Replaced the default green and yellow grass textures with lower resolution files with a sort of "blotchy" look. I find them easier on the eye (lower contrast so less flickering while scrolling about). Also, as they are used a lot on most maps, the lower resolution results in a higher FPS (at least for me, anyway).

4) Also knocked up new ploughed field textures while I was at it.

5) Almost forgot - I also desaturated the foliage (trees and bushes), doodads (tall grass etc.), hedges and bocage.

Here's a screenie:

will you be sharing this? pretty please :-)

[Vinnart]

+1. I would like to try that too!. You can only tell so much from one screen, but my first reaction is that those colors look much more natural than the stock colors. Anything that makes it easier on the eyes, and helps with flickering is a big plus. No matter what I have tried I cannot get rid of the fuzzy static looking terrain I get only when I have the camera locked. I just went from a Gt8600 256mg ddr3 to a gt430 1g ddr3, and am still seeing no real difference in the cards especially when it comes to what I am discribing which is the landscape seems to vibrate kind of like static while the unit remains sharp when is camera locked and unit is moving. Is this just how the graphics are in the game?

Please post to repository Flesh. Thanks

[Gryphonne]

+1. I would like to try that too!. You can only tell so much from one screen, but my first reaction is that those colors look much more natural than the stock colors. Anything that makes it easier on the eyes, and helps with flickering is a big plus. No matter what I have tried I cannot get rid of the fuzzy static looking terrain I get only when I have the camera locked. I just went from a Gt8600 256mg ddr3 to a gt430 1g ddr3, and am still seeing no real difference in the cards especially when it comes to what I am discribing which is the landscape seems to vibrate kind of like static while the unit remains sharp when is camera locked and unit is moving. Is this just how the graphics are in the game?

Please post to repository Flesh. Thanks

Sadly, the rendering engine is a bit primitive, besides, what you are seeing is a natural effect because of the nature of the textures. I'd like to see some bump mapping ingame actually, makes everything looks less flat too and might take away some of this "static effect" in the process. I for one _really_ hope they will improve the graphics engine a bit and make it more 2011 standard.

[Broadsword56]

Good work Flesh! Looks so much better. How do troops look on it? Please share.

[Flesh]

Okay - here's a screenie at 13:00 without the fog (BTW I tweaked the colour of the green grass for more contrast between the grass and the trees, bushes, hedges and bocage):

[WriterJWA]

That looks phenomenal! Well done, sir! Is this available for download?

[para]

That looks phenomenal! Well done, sir! Is this available for download?

C'mon don't keep this beauty to yourself! ;-p

[Gryphonne]

Okay - here's a screenie at 13:00 without the fog (BTW I tweaked the colour of the green grass for more contrast between the grass and the trees, bushes, hedges and bocage):

The colours are ok, too bad the lighting engine doesn't adjust the reflection of light on the trees. They should be much greener at noon at this distance... this results in quite a stark contrast between trees and terrain when you desaturate the terrain, which of course shouldn't necessarily be the case..

[Vinnart]

That looks better, In experimenting with the colors I would make sure you don't desaturate too much. As with many things it is hard to find a happy medium, but anyway you slice it the stock terrain is a too saturared IMO, and this looks better (playing it obvoulsly gives the truest expereince of it). For some good green, and other color ideas check out the Syrope terrain mod for CMSF. I found those greens, and other colors pleasing to the eye. Not too vibrant, but not dead either. Thanks for your time in working on the mod which we hope you will share. From my own experiences of modding i know it can take much experimenting to find the sweet spot between too much, or too little.

[Vinnart]

Sadly, the rendering engine is a bit primitive, besides, what you are seeing is a natural effect because of the nature of the textures. I'd like to see some bump mapping ingame actually, makes everything looks less flat too and might take away some of this "static effect" in the process. I for one _really_ hope they will improve the graphics engine a bit and make it more 2011 standard.

Bummer, but thanks for the responce. I am wondering since I do not see much difference in the cards i was upgrading from because it as you say just the way the graphics are that I should invest in just more RAM unstead to impoved eye candy.

Old card GT8600, DDR3, 256mg

New card:GT430, DDR 3, 1G

Drivers:270.61

Current system specs:

WindowsXP

3g Pentium 4

2.5g onboard RAM(max can be 4g)

[Flesh]

...How do troops look on it?...

Okay, here's a couple of in game screenies:

Note: this is me playing the stock scenario "Carbide Carbide" - hence the fog.

Here's another, at a higher view level (above the "fog line"):

Also, is the general consensus that this is ready for upload? If so, what do you reckon I should call it? "Flesh's Alternate Terrain"? Something else?

[Mord]

Call it "subdued terrain"...nice homage to the same style, back in CMBO's heyday. You could always post it and update it as you go...which ever works for you.

I am liking it from the screenies...like to see a couple at ground level.

Mord.

[Vinnart]

Call it "subdued terrain"...nice homage to the same style, back in CMBO's heyday. You could always post it and update it as you go...which ever works for you.

I am liking it from the screenies...like to see a couple at ground level.

Mord.

'Flesh's subdued terrain" sound appropriate i think. I would definitly tag your name to it so folks don't get it confused with other terrain mods that may be similiar.

[Flesh]

Okay, "Flesh's Subdued Terrain" it is.

...like to see a couple at ground level...

Cool - here ya go:

[Broadsword56]

Now I'm really convinced this is a significant improvement -- upload it and let's give it a spin!

[para]

That is really nice good job Flesh ;-)

[Vinnart]

Now I'm really convinced this is a significant improvement -- upload it and let's give it a spin!

Absolutly Flesh! That looks fantastic, and so much more real than the candy colored stock. Great job, and look forward to checking this one out. The ground shots whith the troops sold me completely!

[Aragorn2002]

Ahhh, to die in, uhm, for, I mean. Very nice.

[para]

Flesh

Any chance of getting this on cmmods? That way we can get it asap rather than waiting on the repository keeper..

cheers

[Flesh]

First of all - thank you all for the kind and encouraging comments.

I'm sorry that I haven't had time to reply to each comment individually but I've been working on this mod all night and all of today (still haven't got any sleep yet - determined to get it uploaded before I crash).

Flesh

Any chance of getting this on cmmods? That way we can get it asap rather than waiting on the repository keeper..

cheers

Okay - preparing it for upload now (removing unused files to reduce the size of the upload/download etc.)

It should be up soon - I'll post here when it's done.

PS anybody who downloads this - consider yourself a beta tester - this mod was done in a hurry and hasn't had much in the way of testing - there could be some rough edges in there...