Spring RTS Engine

I love the cartoony black-line style, and now am thinking how cool cartoon-shaders would be - not to mention the aforementioned Bat-thwap-style damage sprites.

For example, the BatThwap mute for UT99:

Oke, that's alot of comment, and most of it i feared for when i got to bed yesterday. The best review, and which lined up with my thoughts most was that of Warlord.

- I'm sorry to say for the cellshading people, but i think the lines are a bit overdone aswell, i do like to get the realism as high as possible, as i do like to make it as sweet as possible... maybe a bit to sweet on this one.

- Desert feel isn't really there, i used new texture for ground, but didn't work out that good.

- th merging of the desert 'floor' and moutains is indeed kinda abrupt, this is because the rendered image of the desert sand wasn't nice and i had to copletely overlay it with my own textures.

- gameplaywize the comms and little bots can go up the 3 mesas (vehicles not). Guardians cannot shoot at the other mesas and they are exactly the same size as OTA and are therefor no more roomy than OTA.

- Then for all the metal and balance issues, the metal and geo's and outputs are all exactly the same as the original Desert Triad. It's a re-vamp edition. I agree that this doesn't automatically mean it's good, but for people who liked this map(and played it alot), they know what to expect. To decide what is best i'll make a poll on this one.

- and last of all, i did this one (probably too) quick. Now i have to pay, and remake it all , That's no problem, i'll re-render and use a different texture, and less erosion. also will try to remake the 'flooring'/desert sand.

I will post new screenies when new render and texture is finished.
Thx for all the comments so far!!

Well i have changed and added quite alot. The texture is totally new, and different from the first 'mesa'-texture. It's funny to see, that this texture (although with less cediment-lines) looks quite like the original, esspecially with the bumped holes.

Well however, i've changed the atmosfear, fog and light settings to match the map. And offcourse the new texture, which isn't quite cartoony anymore. (sorry for the peepz who liked this.. i can always make another special unique cartoonmap :) )

Next to that i also added the usual features, which fit this map.

I am waiting so see what the poll will do, and therefor will not change the metal layout yet. OTA is atm still in the lead.

Let me know what you think of these screens:










better?

The sand looks better,

But the slopes of the mesa's need mroe stripes?

I always imagined that those big bits where a lot taller.....

working on the lines.

i can increase the height, but than bots will sure have trouble getting up there..

big improvement over the previous texture.

I'm sure you can give the illusion of them looking taller than they actually are...

Have been trying to find the optimal height, so that a commander can still walk on the 'triads'. Kinda hard, because the lower-left one is more 'pointy'. My first map height was 250, and that allowed commander (and kbot) to walk on them, but 300 is already to high. Now testing with 225 (xta comm test). Unfortunately i am already using up the max range of the heightmap, so i can't make them higher or the ground lower...

Texture has received extra sediment lines and more darker shadows, to give the player the impression of a high(er) mountain.

That is all i can do for now.

I'll post new screens 10 mins from now.

Here are the new screenshots. The XTA comm can get up all of the three triads (though not on every side). Texture enhancement, and features have been colored to fit the map, but now a bit to 'gold-ish' so i'll desaturate them before releasing it.

very purty

would you consider extending the land scape on the sides? It is just soo odd looking with some major features then BAM map end.

It is supposed to be small...

yes, it will remain as desert triad!

Okay, here are some suggestion about the metal layout, plz choose one, and tell me why you think that one is best. (or combine more of them)

Layout 1, basic, but geo in center:


Layout 2, basic, but less center focussed:


Layout 3, left vs right, line in the middle:


Layout 4, triad vs triad based geo's:


Layout 5, low metal, farming-mode:


Layout 6, scattered overload, Forboding-mode :


Let me know which one!

LAYOUT 6: Is in no way how I would distribute the metal.

When I get home I will draw a layout for you.

okay, that would be nice! No offense m8, just foolin' around.

keep in mind that this is a 8x8 map. The OTA settings were most 2.0 outputs. Wind is low (0-8). OTA had 4 geo's.

Im looking forward to it.

NOiZE wrote:It is supposed to be small...

the outlying areas are not for function.. just so that it does not look tard.

smoth wrote:

NOiZE wrote:It is supposed to be small...

the outlying areas are not for function.. just so that it does not look tard.

we can't do that with the current map format.

smoth wrote:

NOiZE wrote:It is supposed to be small...

the outlying areas are not for function.. just so that it does not look tard.

That depens on metal layout i will use... Choose or make one that does use the area around the three triads..

NOiZE wrote:we can't do that with the current map format.

'cause smoth has never any of them maps.

Look, I am not talking about something in the designated sky area... I am just saying bump it up to 12X12 with flatland along the edge of the map.