Spring RTS Engine

Google_Frog wrote:Looks nice. Have you thought about the metalmap at all? I think a high centre mex would create some interesting King of the Hill FFA and prevent massive porc.

Yea I plan on making it so sticking to the high ground wont get you very far, forcing people to battle for the middle ground.

Forboding Angel wrote:Finally remembered what this map reminds me of. Ashap Plateau! A little different of course, but I always liked that layout.

Thats what I started off with but I wanted to mess around with the idea a little. I always wondered why I never seen a remake of it, glad someone else remembered it , so I decided it might as well be my first map. Its getting a little off base now but when I get the hang of things I think I'll make just a simple pretty remake of the original.

here's a little revision to my OP not sure which one I like more yet.



Here's a link for the texture with pre-baked shading

I Tryed my hand at some metal textures, but that layout was just so I could get a little in game action and not final by any means.

My first one was 16x16 but I went with 8x8 for this one, not sure if either is working out.

You could run a subtle errosion through it with l3dt, would make your terrain look more natural...

Do this by scaling the heightmap up like 4x before running the filter, this is the way to get subtle errosion. Then just rescale it back when you are happy with it.

I second SirArtturi's erosion suggestion. Other than the unnatural ramps, though, it looks fun to play and pleasing to the eye. I like the classic metal spots. Are the silver and copper colors supposed to indicate different metal values?

SirArtturi wrote:You could run a subtle errosion through it with l3dt, would make your terrain look more natural...

Do this by scaling the heightmap up like 4x before running the filter, this is the way to get subtle errosion. Then just rescale it back when you are happy with it.

Will do and I'm guessing you mean horizontal scale, or is there more to it?

zoggop wrote:I second SirArtturi's erosion suggestion. Other than the unnatural ramps, though, it looks fun to play and pleasing to the eye.

So I should get rid of the unnatural ramps then?

zoggop wrote:I like the classic metal spots. Are the silver and copper colors supposed to indicate different metal values?

Thanks, I was thinking about it being more of an elevation thing(silver up top, copper on bottom) when I'm done and make more textures, but on this map I was thinking of lowering the metal value of the hills spots. So in a way I guess it would.

Funkencool wrote:

zoggop wrote:I second SirArtturi's erosion suggestion. Other than the unnatural ramps, though, it looks fun to play and pleasing to the eye.

So I should get rid of the unnatural ramps then?

nah just make them part of the natural terrain example

Funkencool wrote:

SirArtturi wrote:You could run a subtle errosion through it with l3dt, would make your terrain look more natural...

Do this by scaling the heightmap up like 4x before running the filter, this is the way to get subtle errosion. Then just rescale it back when you are happy with it.

Will do and I'm guessing you mean horizontal scale, or is there more to it?

No I mean just a regular scaling. Just make your heightmap bigger before doing the errosion, otherwise l3dt errosion tool is 'too effective' and ruin your terrain.

That was the way I did it. Sorry that I can't give you better instructions because it's been a while since I used the bundysoft.

Also consider only using the eroded heightmap in the making of the texture (including the baked shadows), and retain the "clean" heightmap to be used as the maps proper heightmap. Then you have a more natural looking texture but the heightmap retains the cliffs smooth which makes for more predictable pathing.

Johannes wrote:Also consider only using the eroded heightmap in the making of the texture (including the baked shadows), and retain the "clean" heightmap to be used as the maps proper heightmap. Then you have a more natural looking texture but the heightmap retains the cliffs smooth which makes for more predictable pathing.

except that erosion can greatly alter the playable areas and then the cliff texture doesn't match the slope at all and YOU will complain about how the cliffs are poorly designed.. and I will groan.

I like the heightmap a lot!

The color pallet could use a little work, though. It's very generic grass/cliffs/snow right now. I dunno how L3DT works, so I'm sorry that I can't help in that regard, but hopefully my suggestion's worth something.

For mossy rock, you perhaps could try removing the snow and adding some yellow to the green color. Maybe a little like this?



Anyway, you're doing great -- keep at it!

EDIT: In response to the erosion debate going on above me: maybe mess with the erosion settings so that it makes the slopes look nice and gritty but doesn't mess with the visual cues too much? If a happy medium exists, it might be the best choice. What do you guys think?

the height differences between low ground and cliffs seem pretty large.
With smaller difference units could shot from low to high (and other way), the ramps could be shorter and it might look better too.

Funkencool, do your adjustments repost the map. This community will talk and talk. Best to go ahead and make your changes then post an update.

smoth wrote:

Johannes wrote:Also consider only using the eroded heightmap in the making of the texture (including the baked shadows), and retain the "clean" heightmap to be used as the maps proper heightmap. Then you have a more natural looking texture but the heightmap retains the cliffs smooth which makes for more predictable pathing.

except that erosion can greatly alter the playable areas and then the cliff texture doesn't match the slope at all and YOU will complain about how the cliffs are poorly designed.. and I will groan.

Then there is simply too much erosion if that happens. Personally I only use it to put some extra detail to the cliffs instead of it being all totally smooth, you are increasing the dimensions 8-fold when going from heightmap to texture so there definitely is some leeway on how to do the scaling. Some noise will definitely fit in.
A subtle enough erosion will treat all slopes of one type rougly similarly.