Pondering a map idea...

Warlord Zsinj · Post by **Warlord Zsinj** » 14 May 2005, 14:50

Well, I've been considering a map idea for a little while, basically because I've found that all the maps at the moment are very nice looking, but all a bit bland. This isn't any fault of the map makers as such, things are very new, and there isn't any map making program, nor any textures other than trees too be added.

However, the success of my map revolves around one thing:
How high can Spring handle?

My map idea is to create a map of the tower of babel.
Its intent is to shift combat from horizontal land struggles to a vertical land struggle.

Here is an explanatory diagram of my map (sorry, I knocked it up quickly in paint, so its a pretty scummy picture):

Anyway, is it possible in Spring? Can spring handle a map that goes that high?

Ingame, it would look something similar to this, if you're having trouble visualising:

(obviously the paths would be much, much wider for pathfinding reasons, and the circular sections I included in my plan are for bases.

Do you guys even think it'll work?

Torrasque · Post by **Torrasque** » 14 May 2005, 14:57

The metal map is "only" 256 color. So you can have 256 floor.
I think thatiIf your map is too height, it will look ugly and have "stairway" effect.

zwzsg · Post by **zwzsg** » 14 May 2005, 15:11

I think it's possible, I just don't know how to fill a corkscrew with increasingly bright shade of gray.

I don't think you'd have any noticable stairway effect if the heightmap is well made and appropriatly smoothed.

Even if there is only 256 levels of height, you can choose the min height and max height when compiling, so strectching the heights to as much as you want. Spring can handle very hight, about 1000, wich should be high enough.

Warlord Zsinj · Post by **Warlord Zsinj** » 14 May 2005, 15:15

I think it's possible, I just don't know how to fill a corkscrew with increasingly bright shade of gray.

Why is this necessary?

zwzsg · Post by **zwzsg** » 14 May 2005, 15:16

How do you plan to create the heightmap?

Torrasque · Post by **Torrasque** » 14 May 2005, 15:37

zwzsg wrote: Even if there is only 256 levels of height, you can choose the min height and max height when compiling, so strectching the heights to as much as you want. Spring can handle very hight, about 1000, wich should be high enough.

I didn't know that spring had internaly more than 256 levels.
ARg, now I'm thinking about it, it seems that i'm really stupid :)

zwzsg · Post by **zwzsg** » 14 May 2005, 16:20

Just typed a small piece of code to create such a heightmap:

It appears Spring.exe still has some issue with super tall maps:
http://zwzsg.hosted.luckz.de/img/spring ... view02.jpg

hrmph · Post by **hrmph** » 14 May 2005, 18:59

zwzsg: What language did you produce that image with??? Looks like it would be a fun map to play.

Caydr · Post by **Caydr** » 14 May 2005, 21:32

There's a slight problem, I think I noticed earlier that Spring doesn't like it when terrain goes above 5000 height. So, the corkscrew would be more like... a slight ramp or something

~~

Gah... just read the last line of your post.

Warlord Zsinj · Post by **Warlord Zsinj** » 15 May 2005, 07:10

I must say, I really hope we can get it working; ignoring the weird bit, that looks really nice.

I wonder if the SY's have any comments on this, whether there is any way to fix it?

(I'd love to see aircraft spiralling around the tower trying to pick off kbots attempting the descent)

For gameplay reasons, there should be something at the top which players must get, apart from the strategic advantages...

hrmph · Post by **hrmph** » 15 May 2005, 23:01

Yea there are definitely some problems that must be fixed before this can work. In one map I was playing around with my huge towers of mountains were blocked the way of some aircraft, and the planes flew straight through the side of the mountain and out the other side like it wasnt there.

Warlord Zsinj · Post by **Warlord Zsinj** » 16 May 2005, 02:53

SY's? Any help here?

sparkyhodgo · Post by **sparkyhodgo** » 18 May 2005, 00:30

That's a fascinating idea. I wonder (and the answer is probably NO) is it possible to make a corcscrew mountain of water, like a spiral waterfall? It would be interesting to sail your navy up there.

Warlord Zsinj · Post by **Warlord Zsinj** » 18 May 2005, 05:13

That is impossible, Sparky.
This is because water in Spring is set at a constant height. You will notice that once you get craters down to the water level, they will fill in with water. Any ground that dips below the water level will have water above it. Just as you can't get land below that level, you can't get water above; its a constant height.

However, my idea is possible (even partially workable, if you look at zwzsg's image), with a few minor tweaks by the SY's...

Spring RTS Engine

Pondering a map idea...

Pondering a map idea...

cool idea

too tall