Project Reality Forums

Jonny wrote:...
There is no reason you cant model the buildings in parts, which would be easier, so long as you can avoid it being obvious that they are modeled in parts.

The "would be easier" part is what got me asking I guess I'll have to process through making one sometime to really understand it.

cant wait to play this map

Jonny wrote:BF2 doesn't handle maps with loads of statics well, according to Rhino. Its better with a few much more complicated objects.

If you can make big chunks of buildings, though, you might get performance as well as uniqueness. I think something more like the size of two floors of the muttrah housing blocks, rather than the smaller bits of buildings you see on asad, might be worth trying. You probably cant really do that with this map though, so best to stick to single object buildings.

Ye, lots and lots of little bits of buildings is really bad for performance which I've found with my Afghan static kit I made ages ago now. Its far better to make one single static building since then the engine dosen't have to do all the processing with how far away you are from each object, when it needs to switch the lod and when it needs to cull it etc.

The only time when you want to split an object up into bits is with very large objects, like the vBF2 dam or carrier, since if you had it all as one object, if you where on one side of the dam/carrier, your PC would still be drawing the other side of the dam/carrier in its highest possible detail, even thou it is 300m or so away and you can't even see the tiny bits of wire its drawing. Spiting the dam/carrier up into bits means you will only be drawing the bit nearest you in the highest detail, while drawing the bit at the other end of the dam/carrier in lod2 or so.

The ME Apartment buildings on Muttrah that have each floor split into different bits is fine as well, but only just fine, any smaller and it would be a bit of an issue.

Jonny wrote:There is no reason you cant model the buildings in parts, which would be easier, so long as you can avoid it being obvious that they are modeled in parts.

Indeed, more and more these days I'm finding myself making generic items that I just clone all the way round my statics etc, but before I clone them all round I also make them there LODs and COLs, since then afterwards I can easily attach there LODs and COLs to the final lod or col instead of going around each object making there lods and cols individually, saving me huge amounts of time in the long run

Thanks for explaining that Rhino. Makes perfect sense now.

Wonder if that Unlimited Detail technology/technique will make that all go away [inset pigs flying, hell freezing, wives looking like they did when u got married]

I'm stunned by this map. It's looking damn good!

Updated first post with a download link. Editor folder has notes on where everything's at.

Not sure that I packed it right and there are still plenty of quirks and tweaks needed so don't expect a finished map on this run. This version is just something to wet your whistle (and for friends who get perm-banned from servers that we always play on.... sweet broCphas)

If anyone is looking to help just let me know what that help is going to be so I don't keep working on it myself. Betting this is unlikely until I get a bit further along and properly prepped audit.

15 days till vacation... can I make it? Most unlikely.

[edit] just noticed I left on my layer with misc statics. ****... also gotta warn about the roads not matching up or having the right intersection texture. Splines don't like sitting still for me and I'm a nub

Firstoff, I love what you've done, you've clearly put a lot of work into it.
But honestly, I can't see this working...
I just don't like the idea of just hopping onto a boat and going to the next flag out of any direction you want really, or the line to line combat for a piece of island with no flanking at all...
But please correct me if I'm wrong, this is just my opinion...

Always entitled to opinions and to be honest that was my initial impression of how the map would be... except I have no boats... and you can't just go anywhere and cap a flag, if that's what you were saying.

I desired for this to not have many, if any wide-flanking opportunities. I noticed that tactic is the bread & butter of most squad leaders. On this map there is less risk of that soloist who super flanks around for the FOB death after death. Or for that squad to sit idly by, waiting for the enemy to switch from defensive to offensive, all so they can neutralize the flag without lifting a finger. Since even if they succeed in capping the flag, doing so means leaving teammates in a fight of 2 on 1 and probably the FOB being overran. Result being little to no hope of reinforcements since the supporting squad just walked into a enemy filled area that was suppose to be cleared.

I hope to force a collaborative play in that sometimes you have to actually attack a naturally defended enemy head on, with full methodical force. In honor of the last Lost: "Live together or die alone."

Well, I think this looks like it could be pretty awesome. Seems to me that a lot of people dismiss some maps because it's not the 'PR way' of doing things. I think it would be a shame if every map ended up playing the same just because its supposedly not the 'PR way'. I'd love to see a wide variety of maps(size and environment), with a wide variety of play styles, and a wide variety of faction layouts.

As already stated in this thread, looks like this map could end up being quite different, so I really hope it makes it into PR

Did a fly through of the whole land area, it's really top notch. I think the layout is really awesome, definitely something new which will be very interesting for gameplay

Alright, think that does it for fixes to colormap and I finally textured under the roads so you drive at the right speed. Though they still won't sit still when I align the roads to intersection (every freakin time, diff. ones move slightly).

Also addressed the zone of death and vehicles for aas64 (prob vehicles version) though I'm sure they need adjusted to suite a PR capable load-out.

Chinese have : 4 ch_jep_vn3 (2 north, 2 south), 4 ch_trk_support (2n, 2s), 2 ch_trk_logistics (1n, 1s), 2 ch_the_z8 (2s)

Americans have: 2 us_jep_hmmvv, 2 us_jep_hmmvv_crows, 4 us_jep_support, 2 us_jep_logistics, 2 us_the_uh1n

The idea was that each team would have two inf squads on the north and two on the south. Leaving room for two sniper/spotter or recon pairs, two pilots, a commander and a straggler.

Each squad would has one jeep and one truck (For US, one crow north, one south and logi paired with 2nd squad). I didn't make it this way but I wanted a shorter round time (1:30, time 'til support arrives) and no respawn on ground vehicles.

I don't know what else to do in the time left so I think I'm going to call it a map and finish prepping for an audit.

10 days till fun in Cali sun (bet I'll get a few "whooahh dude! Where'd you get that arctic tan?").

edit: sky-domes are tough as nails to paint.... below is my 5th or 6th revision to get the generic perspective and light. Anyone with a nice cloud plug-in please come hither.

There is a Tutorial on Fenrings tutorial page
using Terragen1 to create skys
FH2 mapping tutorials - Convert your Terragen cube cross skies to bf2 hemispherical format

[CG Textures] - The worlds largest free texture site

checkout the skies 360 section.

jesus...that site is awesome hugh some fantastic skies there

I took a look at that tutorial but was rather confused with terragen. Figured I'd spend the same amount of time either way.

Those are a lot of beautiful skies. I'll probably use a different backdrop sky but no one has a 'typhoon' or similar in their sky. I didn't find many for a reference. Granted I went a bit overboard with the arm that goes directly overhead. Hope I can get that post-traumatic-zone feel.

View topic: Wake Atoll Bug Reporting – The Phoenix Project

Bug reports after we tested it out. Compiled in the second post.

J-10s against Hornets/SuperHornets, anyone?

Startrekern wrote:... Bug reports after we tested it out. ...

Thanks for the efforts. I've fixed all of the ones listed there. Still not sure about the water planes though. They look fine in the editor and I know the pool water worked at one point, no problems. Did the whole envmap0 copy paste and rename thing after an envmap a few times now. Think I'm forgetting a step.. or two.

Made a pass on all of my intersections too and made sure they were leveled out. Keep forgetting what I did before and after my height raw corruption.

As for jets, I would like to get them to work somehow in a vehicle version but if you used the runway you'd be taking off into the dock flag. Granted that flag is at least a km away after you'd take off. I just wasn't sure how things would play out. [edit] not to mention the missing Chinese carrier.

glug glug glug...

The waterplane error is because you have lightmapped it or haven't complied your lightmaps. It will always look fine in the editor with or without lightmaps.