Spring RTS Engine

First of all, your map isn't really working because you have packed your .sdd folder. When you make sd7 package, pack your map files only -- don't repack a package again.

Second, ssmf settings are not working properly. Your settings altogether are fucked up. I think the map blueprint is messing your head. There's also like loads of useless stuff that just increases the filesize. I recommend not to use it until you are familiar with all the features.

Have anyone ever used this blueprint before anyway? I mean does it work properly?

I recommend to stick with smd until you understand what different settings do to your map.

But anyway, couple things to get you started, with the mapinfo.lua:

1. Seems like your sun 'has set'. In other words, it's a night in your map. Fix all the sun/lighting settings so that there wont be any negative numbers.

2. About the water settings. If you want something murkier/greener you could start with these values for example:
I think your map is good. I like the concept and all but you still need to work with it. I suggest you could increase the size a bit, feels too small Imo.

Detailtextures work, but you could do better splatting. They are pretty repetative now. You could also increase the intensity a bit by playing around with the SplatTexMults values.

Btw, does anyone else have same problem with grass?



They show up almost white from distance.

knorke wrote:It seems texture is only chosen based on terrain height?
Could try to also take terrain slope into account so that high "cliffs" and high, flat buildable areas get a different texture.

Umm I think thats not a reasonable request. Have you tried the map?

Considering how flat the map is, and how every unit can pass the slopes, theres just no reason to start doing texturing based on slope tolerances.

I have not tried the map, but it looks like the texture says almost perfectly where it's buildable, ie. in the top of the plateaus. with the grey color.

It could be improved though, by simply making the color of the flats still a bit more different from the slope right below them. Which can be done just by height too, as I assume all the plateau tops have the same height.

i mean like this

Hahaha that screenshot is hilarious. I think perhaps my grass shading is a bit drastic. And the water color... err...

About the map container--I packaged it that way because putting the map files in the root of the .sd7 didn't work. Also I was copying Moor v3's directory structure. But anyway, I think I'll stop attempting to make an SSMF map, because I can't test it myself. It's like poking around in the dark, and I don't get to enjoy the results.

I think knorke's texturing idea is good. In general the map would be served by more accurate visual cues about where the swamp terrain type is and where slopes are low enough for buildings.

Why would you use moor as an example? I already linked to a map (Desert Valley) for you to use as a guide. Why would you haul off and use moor... wtf I don't even...


Anyway, in an smf map archive (sd7) you have 3 files. SMD,SMT,SMF.

In an SSMF map you have many files. The structure is different and it is all set up so that you can change just about anything with the map that you want and you don't need to recompile it to do so.

@sirartturi, he needs to do it the right way. SSMF is the right way. And yes, blueprint works just fine.

The reason I put the .sdd directory inside the .sd7 archive was that if I placed everything into the root of the .sd7 archive, neither Spring nor SpringLobby recognized the map as existing at all. How ought the blueprint be used?

First off: great map, zoggop! If you have any questions, or ideas, feel free to share and I will do my best to help.

@Artturi: yes, I get the grass bug too.

Thanks, beherith. I was about to take you up on that, but I just discovered that my issues with archiving an SSMF map had to do with cache/ArchiveCache.lua (it was keeping a checksum from when I had improperly archived the map with the .sdd inside). So I'll probably post a functional & revised version fairly soon. Although err, the grass will probably still look the same. I don't know what's wrong there.

I'll take your grass bug and I'll raise you:



If I reduce the grass height to 0, it almost goes away:


An Intel card thing, maybe?

cool

yeah it looks pretty awesome

Let me know if this version works for you (and any suggestions you may have). I did test it on my own system, but who knows. If you have an Intel GMA 950, turn grass off.



http://ge.tt/8fis23B?c (This time I'll not put it on springfiles until I know that it works as intended.)

PS: it has no specular or splat. ("Make educated guesses -> post to forum -> hope for screenshots -> edit" was not the most amazing workflow.)

PPS: there's no more unit slowing in the swamp terrain. In fact, there's no typemap at all. The water, which now covers more of the map, is more than enough to slow units down.

Looks cool, send me a copy of the map with a copy of the height field..

picture.

files: http://www.smoth.net/files/vernal-3way-0.5.sdd.7z

Thank you smoth, the splatting looks good. Heh, and it speaks of the fuzziness of my textures that you interpreted the browner bits as sand.

I think I screwed up the water coloring again--I meant for it to be greenish, not black. Can you see the metal spots through the murk?

SirArtturi wrote: Have anyone ever used this blueprint before anyway? I mean does it work properly?

I tried using the blueprint, but I agree with sir that don't do that for now, just stick to the old smf methods. The blueprint just adds extra complexity.

The idea is nice that you standardise the map and automate some settings, but it doesn't add any new functionality really, and putting the settings in several files in new locations makes it hard to manually edit those.

hmm... for me the water is green, not blue... maybe because of the green sky? It looks a bit toxic :)

There are not a lot of places to build labs, but enough. Units move nicely around.

Edit: nvm... the sky isn't green... it's just the "horizon" :)