..:New Map & L3DT Climate:.. Absolute Zero (Version2!)

Quanto042 · Post by **Quanto042** » 24 Jun 2006, 05:29

Oi, i've been working on this Climate for a long time now. The first time i showed it off was with my map "Plutonian Pass" with which everyone pretty much felt was my worst map ever.

But dispite this setback i went back to the drawing board and tried again at making a worthwhile climate. I changed it from being based exclusively on pluto but more on a hypothetical "Methane World". I've always wanted to create a map based on an alien landscape and i've always been intrigued by the methane rich moons of our outer solar system.

The map below showcasing my final version of the Methane World Climate is called "Absolute Zero." Hopefully this one will please the eyes as well as our apetites for good gameplay.

This is the minimap for you all to check out. Also keep note, i've made it so that there are no metal patches in the "water" and that surface patches provide metal between 2.0 and 4.3

This Climate is Free for ALL to use! You don't even need to credit me for it! ^_^
Download it HERE!

Download Absolute Zero - Version 2
http://www.fileuniverse.com/?p=showitem&ID=3569
In light of the Bandwidth Crisis on FU, i'm using my personal server for hosting my maps. If anyone else would like to use it for hotlinking, you can contact me on the Client or on Xfire (quanto042) and i will be happy to host maps for you until FU is back up (i'm assuming when the new month starts).
http://www.themercenary.net/Spring_Maps ... ero-V2.sd7 <-- Alternate URL ***Hotlink***

NOiZE · Post by **NOiZE** » 24 Jun 2006, 11:08

Quite a refreshing idea! Nice!

However some things:

- the mex radius is too small so upgrading to moho is troublesome.
- There are some straight lines along the texture (which are due to the OTA heightmap) which looks kinda odd.

smoth · Post by **smoth** » 24 Jun 2006, 11:11

I really like the lay out!

Cabbage · Post by **Cabbage** » 24 Jun 2006, 13:57

looks funkeh! will probably play it soon :p

Zoombie · Post by **Zoombie** » 24 Jun 2006, 17:45

That looks WAY better then the last one. Very wird and alien. It needs some ice crystals, though.

Quanto042 · Post by **Quanto042** » 24 Jun 2006, 18:02

Zoombie wrote: It needs some ice crystals, though.

Know where i can get some??

Zoombie · Post by **Zoombie** » 24 Jun 2006, 18:16

No.

Unfortunently.

Quanto042 · Post by **Quanto042** » 24 Jun 2006, 18:18

Poo...

Zoombie · Post by **Zoombie** » 24 Jun 2006, 18:20

I know.

hrmph · Post by **hrmph** » 24 Jun 2006, 20:34

Looks nice, very original. Only thing I dislike is the lines on the texture (maybe try blurring your heightmap a bit before compiling). Have you tried using the purple crystals from genblood's crystal harbor map? They are very purple but might suit your needs.

Targ Collective · Post by **Targ Collective** » 24 Jun 2006, 21:19

It is possible that they could be customized - a colour shift is not as difficult as modelling a crystal, so long as you have the tools to do it, and for the one job a demo program would be enough.

smoth · Post by **smoth** » 24 Jun 2006, 21:24

Quanto042 wrote:Know where i can get some??

*sighs* look here : feature resource thread.

Quanto042 · Post by **Quanto042** » 25 Jun 2006, 21:53

Added an updated Version of AZ to FileUniverse

It includes a larger Mex Radius as per NoiZe's Request, and also a lower Mex Value, i noticed that the higher values of metal led to a higher than normal tech jump.

And last but not least, also per NoiZe's request, i've doctored the Texturmap and removed those unsightly lines left by the OTA heightmap. So now it sould look and play better. ENJOY!

A VERSION 3 may not be too far off, i'm looking into how to make TDF files so i can attempt to include L Stanely's Tiberium crystals, and also some of GenBlood's Crystals, and yes, a colorshift is in order.

Download Version 2

http://www.fileuniverse.com/?p=showitem&ID=3569

Forboding Angel · Post by **Forboding Angel** » 25 Jun 2006, 22:59

quanto, when you render your maps. import as a design map first, then have l3dt regenerate the heightmap. Your textures will look much better. In my tutorial I have demonstrated to correct settings.

Quanto042 · Post by **Quanto042** » 25 Jun 2006, 23:03

So does it simply smoothen out the heightmap? or does it do other things as well. I dunno, aside from the annoying straight lines, i kinda like the contours that L3DT creates with the rougher heightmaps.

*EDIT*

I've also been wondering about the whole "Per Pixel Landtypes" thing...
If i create a designmap from L3DT will i be able to use it? and what exactly does it do for the texture?

mufdvr222 · Post by **mufdvr222** » 26 Jun 2006, 04:23

If you import a heightmap into l3dt you cannot render a per pixel land type.
Pretty shure you need to have started with a design map in order to check this option.

Forboding Angel · Post by **Forboding Angel** » 26 Jun 2006, 05:31

don't use per pixel. just use a 1:1 ratio and import as a design map.

Das Bruce · Post by **Das Bruce** » 26 Jun 2006, 05:38

I like it, but it looks like it should have been bigger, or at the very least taller.

smoth · Post by **smoth** » 26 Jun 2006, 05:44

an even larger version (not this map 2x) but like more of this world and a larger map would be awesome, I think the stuff is all spaced quite well.

Quanto042 · Post by **Quanto042** » 26 Jun 2006, 09:31

smoth wrote:an even larger version (not this map 2x) but like more of this world and a larger map would be awesome, I think the stuff is all spaced quite well.

You know whats funny? After i read that post, a layout had suddenly popped into my head and i think it'll make a great 24 x 24 map. I can't say i'm willing to do any maps larger than that only because my current computer may not be able to handle it.

Spring RTS Engine

..:New Map & L3DT Climate:.. Absolute Zero (Version2!)

What do you think of Methane World?

..:New Map & L3DT Climate:.. Absolute Zero (Version2!)