How to; make a map_heights ....

[WImPyTjeH]

yep ..;)

anyway thanks for that screeny as it tells me it not the beta-status but probably a bad installation, as the sculptor doesnt show textures on the buttons/icons on my system(was kinda hard to get going)

probably thanks to all the scrap I installed on my path to this tool, they royally messed up my install (good thing I use images/clones ...)


ps; dont forget to try and change the "height" settings in the descr_terrain file, it may just give you a much better feeling about what you made (the vanilla settings give you a relativly flat map ...)


G

Will do

Do you know a way to see the entire map, because like you can see on the screen, you can only see about 100-200 pixels away (which sucks)

I hate the fact that those ugly "things" are not just grass textures or something like that.

W

[Red Spot]

afaik you have to stay zoomed in pretty, but imo you can zoom out just enough to get an impression of an area, to edit a bit I find myself zooming in quite a bit anyway to be able to achieve certain detail ...

(I constantly kept exporting my map and used XnView on the side for a say radar-view ..)


G

[Red Spot]

did a bit of trial and error to see if there is a way to zoom out further ..

well you can, under fog increase the value "far" (but be carefull as the sculptor becomes much slower as zoomdistance increases ...)

hope its of use ;)


G

[WImPyTjeH]

did a bit of trial and error to see if there is a way to zoom out further ..

well you can, under fog increase the value "far" (but be carefull as the sculptor becomes much slower as zoomdistance increases ...)

hope its of use ;)


G

Excellent, works like a charm

But do you have any idea how to maintain good coastlines ? Because everytime I increase the max height (in the decr_terrain), my coastlines get screwed up and making all values around the coastlines 1,1,1 doesn't affect it anymore.

W

[Red Spot]

make the map at at least a hight of 2 (RGB 2 2 2), than making your coastline hight 1 will "smooth" it out ...

if you make the area surrounding the coastline hight 1 as well you will most likelly get ugly edges (took me some time to figure that one out ...:P)



G

[WImPyTjeH]

make the map at at least a hight of 2 (RGB 2 2 2), than making your coastline hight 1 will "smooth" it out ...

if you make the area surrounding the coastline hight 1 as well you will most likelly get ugly edges (took me some time to figure that one out ...:P)



G

I found a better way.

As you know, this is how vanilla the descr_terrain looks:

heights
{
	min_sea_height  -3122.256
	max_land_height  7511.272
}

With some math. you get this: 7511.272 - 3122.256 = 4389.016

You have to make sure, when you make your land higher, you have to make the sea deeper.

So when you want 19999.256 as land height you have to make sure that:

land - sea = 4389.016 -> sea = land - 4389.016

So: 19999.256 - 4389.016 = 15610.24 (so your sea is -15610.24)

When I used vanilla sea but modded land height, I got ugly triangles sticking out everywhere, that's solved this way. You still get some inside water triangles, but that's still 100% better then the traingles sticking out.

W

[Moros]

That's a nice tutorial you have there!

(Nu nog in het nederlands , er is vraag naar zo blijkt!)

[Red Spot]

I found a better way.

As you know, this is how vanilla the descr_terrain looks:
.............

Sorry but than I'd have to disagree with you on having found a better way, easier would imo be a better word.

As it is I dont have the problem of sticking out triangles anymore since I did the "minimum height of 2 and coast height 1" thing, this allowed me to ~double the values found in the descr_terrain file without in the end any .. er .. triangles ;)

Anyway I'm thinking about collecting the Rome and M2 mapmaking tuts. and together with this one make a sort of complete guide to M2 mapmaking (and redo this one as its not much of a tut. imo) and I'll be sure to point out both .. er .. roads leading to Rome ...


Moros,

I'll (re)do the tut. if you do the translating ..:P
Glad to hear you like it.


G