The Terrain Mapping Contest

Tutorials and discussions about Mapping - Introduce your own ones!
UTX
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Re: The Terrain Mapping Contest

Post by UTX »

I really like your concept, King Josh. However, I feel like it's a little bit too much and perhaps it could be executed better. I personally don't like maps with custom content such as weapons or vehicles too much because maybe I don't want to play with those all the time, I feel that brings down the map. Perhaps there could be an extra version that only used the stock pickups so they can be property replaced when using mods.
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Re: The Terrain Mapping Contest

Post by Red_Fist »

That DM-Spillway needs to be a MH map, soooo bad.
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Dr.Flay
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Re: The Terrain Mapping Contest

Post by Dr.Flay »

DOM-TmC-S3TC-Coexist

I enjoyed it a lot especially with the Chaos grappling hook.
The old physics in .:..: original U_Vehicles is ..... not so pleasant.

Hopefully my suggestions for *cough* fixing the BSP errors help, but actually getting rid of them would also improve speed.
I am taking into consideration 90 Zombies wandering around (obviously), but...

Removing the light cone meshes or having them spaced far enough apart so visual overlap is minimised, would improve speed a lot.
You and your racks of lights ! :roll:

Too many meshes having to be renderered in each frame.
You may be able to set the cull distance on the various small decos to lesser distance, but you really need to learn how to zone effectively, and when to opt for BSP to hide or contain areas with lots of decos (seeing as you must use them).

The grass texture needs to be a smaller scale, unless you are trying to make it look like corn was growing there.


As there will always be confusion with; bad textures, compressed textures and large textures.

The old DirectX 5-7 and OpenGL renderers can handle S3TC, but not large textures.
All it does is say "Yes GFX chip, if compressed textures are available, use them directly in the GFX RAM". It does not change anything in the game engine.
For example, If you do not have any S3TC textures, nothing happens. It won't add anything or break anything.
UT99 S3TC textures are usually offered as an extra, and you must add a borked texture to have glitches.
Real shame the official pack came with added bork :cry:
The small replacements from UTTextures make a better option for those that want to keep a smaller install, or that have limited GFX RAM.
As long as you don't overwrite your good textures with bad ones, and don't use new bad ones, you can enjoy the full benefits.

Unreal Engine texture files can be both compressed and not compressed at the same time (ooooh quantum textures!!).
Once mappers know what they are doing they can put both compressed and non-compressed textures in the same pack, so that people without compressed texture support can still use them.
(Well done for being inclusive)

Renderers for DirectX 8 (Inc. OpenGL) and above, can use large textures. Your RAM is the main limit.
Large and compressed tend to go together for obvious reasons, but does not have to.
GFX RAM limits how many textures can be loaded at the same time without the CPU and system RAM having to get involved.
If you have huge numbers of small textures it will help with game speed and loading to compress them.
You can easily make a 4096x4096 normal texture, and those that don't use compression can still enjoy hi-res textures.
However it will be slower to load and you can't fit as many in RAM.

The concession made in this map is obviously so people with original renderers can play it, rather than people with S3TC switched off.

To be honest, I think if this map was built in the same way for UT2004 it would still lag with a lot going on.
*sigh* maybe I can make myself not use zombies, but ...
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Re: The Terrain Mapping Contest

Post by Red_Fist »

You know, just an idea, but if maybe keep the max large texture(s) at 512 for a compromise. That is pretty ok for stretched out to fit. If you use a macro texture make it 512 also. Macro works in UT, but, if you scale the texture, the macro stays the same and don't line up anymore.

But those are good for far away viewing, so make some macro texture that the has the same outline as the base texture so if you had to stretch out the base texture by 2 it would kind of sort of still match up. But create the illusion of a surface from farther away. Then with 256 size will look like something not just a pixilated thing from stretching, like a long distance detail to create an illusion for a large area, but still blurry close up. Downfall is you can't scale the overlapping texture, UT04 has the scaling setting for a detail texture, but not this.

LoL, ultimately, if you made brushes to not have to stretch the texture then find out the ratio of horizontal and vertical stretch. And make a funky stretched looking texture 256 by 256 to already be stretched to fit. Then a duplicate texture for the macro and it would line up to the pattern of the base texture and match up viewing from a distance but no scaling needed, but still use 256 textures. still blurry, but overall look better. and run faster.

Then again, maybe a macro makes it slow, just thinking out-loud folks.


Plus make a 256 texture, with only the edges filled in, the center all window, like a picture frame. So if you scaled it to 512 the window size will be as big as it can get, before stretching.
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papercoffee
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Re: The Terrain Mapping Contest

Post by papercoffee »

Red_Fist wrote:If you use a macro texture
Ok? What? Never heard of this ...is this in the wiki?
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editor Dave
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Re: The Terrain Mapping Contest

Post by editor Dave »

A macro texture works just as the detail textures as a second layer, but will be seen from afar instead. :wink:
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10-Year Anniversary on Jun 08, 2019.
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sektor2111
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Re: The Terrain Mapping Contest

Post by sektor2111 »

Hellkeeper wrote:Gustavo, what's the deal with pathing. Are you downright insane?
Also, what's the deal with your geometry, are you mad?
....
You just put pathnodes on the ground, with about 180 uu between them, covering every walkable area (right now, parts of your map are not pathed, others have tons of nodes next to each others), and then you build, it requires exactly NO WORK and 0 BRAIN POWER. You just put one pathnode and the ground, duplicate it, move it, duplicate, move, duplicate, move, until there's a good coverage.
Okay, let's put a tiny light on this chapter which I don't see very debated and looks like people are the mostly on a kind of fog.

First of all you need Nodes at 180 UU ONLY for visibility reasons (to far might not have a sight line each-other), the rest is just a myth. Usually you need to learn where Nodes aren't linked any more. If map has a simple geometry with larger zones you might go at 680-710 UU without a problem. As long as Editor shows a blue line, that one should be usable - I repeat, if geometry is not bullshitting DevPath... by chance I found something unfinished and unsigned. I have done a mirror area - a duplicated second half. Now I've done some customized stuff - No C++ and no rocket science. Not even in ramps I'm not using 180 UU, and NEVER sliding a duplicate NODE. Nodes must be placed as Editor rules their placement. In some BSP problems sliding manually might ruin Navigation. Also I'm trying to have less useless nodes as possible.
DM-Veyron_tst.zip
(687.07 KiB) Downloaded 81 times
Geometry here is not the best ever but Navigation works at decent ranges.
It doesn't have stuff for BotyMan tests but has Navigation that can be tested with <RememberSpot> and <ShowPath> commands. You might input rememberspot near some head (white squares wall in higher area behind a ramp). Move to that other mirrored zone in that same white squares area and input ShowPath. Go figure lamp and touch it, track/touch lamp Node by Node and see how far are from each-other. I'll bet will drive you until your RememberSpot has a reachable position.
Open it in Editor and go figure what's there.
I have used a macro text file before building and adding stuff:

Code: Select all

set InventorySpot bHiddenEd False
set InventorySpot bMovable False
set InventorySpot ExtraCost 200
set InventorySpot CollisionRadius 5.000000
set InventorySpot NetUpdateFrequency 2.000000
set LiftExit NetUpdateFrequency 2.000000
set LiftExit CollisionRadius 5.000000
set LiftExit CollisionHeight 40.000000
set LiftCenter NetUpdateFrequency 2.000000
set LiftCenter CollisionRadius 5.000000
set LiftCenter CollisionHeight 40.000000
set LiftCenter RemoteRole ROLE_DUMBProxy
set LiftExit bMovable False
set JumpSpot NetUpdateFrequency 2.000000
set JumpSpot CollisionRadius 5.000000
set JumpSpot CollisionHeight 40.000000
I did in console <exec TextFile> and then <Paths Define> in a clean state.

Personal Comment: I have quit using default PathNode as I have quit using some main default stuff.
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memsys
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Re: The Terrain Mapping Contest

Post by memsys »

Here is another preview:
Image

progress is slow, I am not sure I can make the dead line.
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UnrealGGecko
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Re: The Terrain Mapping Contest

Post by UnrealGGecko »

Ugh... haven't even started mine yet... darned exams... I'll end up making a simple 1on1 DM map with 90 degree angled terrain in a week or so. Hopefully that will be somewhat doable :oops:
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Re: The Terrain Mapping Contest

Post by Isotoxin »

Damn, should be able to submit my DM-Adequate for this.
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papercoffee
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Re: The Terrain Mapping Contest

Post by papercoffee »

Ok ...I decided to switch to a different map, a crater or cave ...it's a deep map with many z-axis action.
My first map try is just to complicated for me and my short time (I'm drawing comics in the main time ...I'm a professional comic book artist. :P )
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memsys
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Re: The Terrain Mapping Contest

Post by memsys »

Well, my map just imploded in on itself 3 days of work down the drain :/ and with 9 days to go I am not sure I have enough time to come up with something and make it.
UTX
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Re: The Terrain Mapping Contest

Post by UTX »

Oh, I like the idea of a deep crater. In a CTF match, the ones with the flag on the bottom can just drop themselves to death for a cheap capture.

And Memsys, remember:

Image

There's still time, there haven't been many maps uploaded so far anyway.
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Dr.Flay
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Re: The Terrain Mapping Contest

Post by Dr.Flay »

:mrgreen: Some of us were aware at the beginning, this would be one of the hardest challenges, and it is why mappers need the practice.

If the deadline is going to be too limiting, I would suggest it is extended to allow for people to complete maps.
This month is going to be busy for most people, and mapping will be a low priority.

Oops, that is an unfortunate tattoo (unless it is intended to be a joke).
Shame Tattooists and customers don't check their grammar, or understand double-negatives.
(For people that do not speak English I should explain that the Tattoo actually says "Give up", because the first 2 negative words cancel each other).
A better Tattoo would have been "Give up before doing something you regret".
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memsys
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Re: The Terrain Mapping Contest

Post by memsys »

Honestly I thought that a one and a half month time frame for a terrain based map was just insane even more so as half of it takes place in December and most people tend to have other priorities then.

I should have said something about it but I didn't want to be that guy.

Realistically speaking I have 4 days to make an entire map out of the remaining 8 days and that is a challenge in and of itself without having to deal with terrain.
And to be honest I find that making terrain in ued is just a nightmare.
To those who say I could make something simple I say this, I join these contest to challenge myself to make good maps and making something simple defeats the point.
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