[Help!] x2: Terrain height artifact + certain assets not available

[HKurban]

Update: I've managed the problem for now. I created an entirely new map, imported all of the static objects, game assets, and the primary heightmap. The artifact still exists, but for some reason it is now small enough that I can sink it under the ocean and it would not be visible in game. I've yet to add any surrounding terrain back in yet, but if that causes problems, I will let you all know. Thanks for your help.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hi all, I'm currently working on putting together my first map, and I've gotten to about the point where I want to start checking things out in PR itself, but I've run into a couple problems.

1. Terrain height artifact.

My map has a strange and irritating terrain height artifact in one of the corners of the primary terrain. I've tried fixing it in the editor but it seems to be immune to any attempts at lowering it. (It can be raised, but not lowered, leveled, smoothed, platformed, etc.)

I've also tried editing the RAW file in Photoshop, but it still comes up, even when the height value for that particular corner should be 0.

I thought about just working around it by building the terrain up all around it, but it is way higher than the rolling dunes and desert flats that make up the rest of the map, plus it is way out in the middle of the ocean, and would ruin the design of the coast, practically and aesthetically speaking.

Pictures:

artifact visible in the center of the screen as viewed in BF Editor




Artifact viewed from opposite angle


Visible under water line


Close up under water line


Height map in photoshop

2. Certain assets not available.

Ok, so previously when working with BF2 editor, all of the assets were loaded when I started editing a new level. As of the last few times I've been working with the editor, only a few, mostly useless assets are available from the getgo. For instance, the only asset in the PR folder (pr_edit/objects/staticobjects/pr) was a strange placeholder "thumbtack" (/pr/mapping_tools/reminder1/)

I've been able to somewhat circumvent this by manually loading each asset I think I might need, but only assets that exist on the map itself are ever retained. For instance, if I load Asset A and Asset B, but only use Asset A in the map, the next time I load PR I will only have Asset A loaded.

The problem lies here with the "level settings" in putting together the factions to test the map. Not all of them are loaded. I thought maybe only the BF2 ones were showing up, but some PR only factions such as USArmy, GB, Chinsurgent and Meinsurgent are showing up. I can not find Israel, Russia the Taliban, Hamas, or Germany. Likewise, the languages only show: English, MEC, Chinese, GBEnglish, Rebels, MEC, English (I have no idea why English and MEC are listed twice). My map is IDF vs MEC, so while I have no problems on the MEC side of things, I can't assign the proper faction and language for my IDF forces. I was able to find and set the IDF flag for a US faction, but it would be pretty off to have my IDF addressed as US and speaking English instead of Hebrew.



Any help on this matter would be appreciated and I'll try to answer any questions you guys have for me that might help me in the process.

[pfhatoa]

The heightmap "look" like it's in the wrong format. Is it imported in .raw 8-bit instead of 16-bit which it should have?

[Rhino]

Your height problem is a problem on your surrounding terrain, not your primary terrain

Your assets problem is most likely due to your modmanager not loading all the stuff you need. Check this tutorial: https://www.realitymod.com/forum/f189-m ... dding.html

Also you shouldn't set up teams and kits via the editor, you should do it manually though the init.con: https://www.realitymod.com/forum/f354-c ... lines.html

The heightmap "look" like it's in the wrong format. Is it imported in .raw 8-bit instead of 16-bit which it should have?

Ye he's opened it in the wrong format with PS but that's not the problem.

[Amok@ndy]

for the Team setup have a look at this: https://www.realitymod.com/forum/f388-p ... ystem.html

[HKurban]

Thanks for the fast responses, guys. I'll take a look at this today and see what I can come up with.

You may be correct about the surrounding terrain. Whenever I tell it to smooth terrain edges, it raises all of the terrain along that particular border to max height.


What can I do to remedy the height artifact problem if it has to do with the surrounding terrain? Delete and regenerate the surrounding terrain?

[Durkie]

What can I do to remedy the height artifact problem if it has to do with the surrounding terrain? Delete and regenerate the surrounding terrain?

you have to delete the surrounding heigthmaps out of you map folder but you will end up with a flat surrounding terrain

[Amok@ndy]

you have to delete the surrounding heigthmaps out of you map folder but you will end up with a flat surrounding terrain

dont delete them ...
use the platform tool for those bits that are sticking out in the air

[HKurban]

Tried platforming and it doesn't seem to work. The vertices seems impervious to any brush that would lower them below that particular height level. They can rise just fine, so if the area I was working in happened to be mountainous I could just build around it, but a spike of land sticking out of the ocean is pretty unsightly.

I will try deleting the surrounding height maps, backing them up first of course.

[Rudd]

have you changed your overall terrain hight setting in the general settings to something other than 163?

I find that sometimes lowering that value is what can cause this, worst case scenario is that you'll have to photoshop your terrain to brighten it in order to bring it up higher, then raise all your objects at once to the correct altitude imo.

when generating new secondary heightmaps I just use this BF2 Heightmap Generator Download, Battlefield 1943 Tools

it'll copy your primary heightmap and rotate it around so that you have a seemless transition (mostly) between your secondary and primary heightmaps

[HKurban]

Tried tweaking terrain height, but the artifact follows any height changes and still does not go down.

Really hoping I don't have to redo this map after all the hours I've put into it... Can upload the files so you all can have a look for yourself.

[Rhino]

make sure you crate a terrain patch there in that surrounding terrain block.

[|TG-Irr|Nixon]

I also have the same problem, but I can put a hill over it. It would be nice to know what is the cause of it. I've also tried all the tools, change the surrounding terrain to 0 and tired to edit the heights in PS. but to no avail. I am as stumped as you mate!

Nix

[Rudd]

when you are messing with the heightmap are you working on the alpha layer?

I just noticed the screenshots were from the main layer of the heightmap, select channels and alpha then try messing there instead

[HKurban]

when you are messing with the heightmap are you working on the alpha layer?

I just noticed the screenshots were from the main layer of the heightmap, select channels and alpha then try messing there instead

Okay... so does this look right in terms of what I should be editing? It certainly looks more like what a heightmap SHOULD look like.

Edit, forgot the picture.

[HKurban]

I thought I had a workaround figured out... I opened up a copy of a heightmap from another map (Muttrah City) and copy/pasted the values for everything but the offending area (fill tool > black). Unfortunately, even this did not get rid of the artifact.

Two more attempts, which will probably both involve me manually remapping the terrain, which would be signficantly less work than re-placing all of the assets.

[s]1. Try loading JUST the Muttrah height map with no changes, see if the artifact appears.[/s] Even Muttrah's heightmap is not safe when applied to my , which leads me to believe it has nothing to do with the heightmap itself, but still has to do with my map.

2. Try generating an entirely blank slate height map and rebuild the terrain from there.