maps under construction:

[tupolov 520]

Its been slow going on my Qom, Iran map. Learning as I go, but starting to get to grips with Visitor, World Tools (thanks Shezan) and some useful stuff from Mikero.

I've been playing around with vegetation, creating some towns and an airfield. Its all very draft.

Edited December 15, 2010 by Tupolov

[stormridersp 11]

Wow Tupo, that's looking great!!! Are you using RTE to place objects?

[[aps]gnat 28]

Looks good Tupo!

[tupolov 520]

Stormrider,

Actually I've been using Visitor. The process that helps me is this...

0. Ensure I have DePBO'd all the necessary objects from Chernarus and Takistan into my P:/CA folder structure (structures, roads, signs etc)

1. DePBO Chernarus and Takistan files and find the corresponding .wrp file.

2. Use Mikero's ConvertWRP.exe to convert those files into .pew

3. Using the Visitor > Import Templates function, I load up my map and import the templates from Takistan and Chernarus.pew files.

Now I have all the objects I will want to use in my Qom map registered in Visitor.

4. Load Takistan.pew into Visitor and copy and paste areas I want to use (such as a small village) into my Qom map.

5. Use visitor to copy/move/delete objects as necessary to fit to my sat pic.

Its just really to use template villages/industrial areas from previous maps as a starting point.

Tup

[[aps]gnat 28]

Ooh! Smart thinkin!

[tupolov 520]

I figured others are most likely doing this too!?

I've been playing around mostly seeing what looks ok and what doesn't. I'm keen for aspects of the map to really represent what is on the ground. This area of Qom features a heavily protected Uranium Enrichment plant and I've found some great info on the area down to watch towers, firing positions, SAM sites, barracks etc. Plan is to try match it as closely as possible.

Tup

[stormridersp 11]

Those are new ideas for me. Very, very helpful indeed, thank you for sharing them!

[Gnome_AS 10]

Yep Tup, I utilize Mikeros tools the same way. I'm not a fan of manually adding things to anything ;)

The map looks great btw :D

[Geordie 0]

Stormrider,

Actually I've been using Visitor. The process that helps me is this...

0. Ensure I have DePBO'd all the necessary objects from Chernarus and Takistan into my P:/CA folder structure (structures, roads, signs etc)

1. DePBO Chernarus and Takistan files and find the corresponding .wrp file.

2. Use Mikero's ConvertWRP.exe to convert those files into .pew

3. Using the Visitor > Import Templates function, I load up my map and import the templates from Takistan and Chernarus.pew files.

Now I have all the objects I will want to use in my Qom map registered in Visitor.

4. Load Takistan.pew into Visitor and copy and paste areas I want to use (such as a small village) into my Qom map.

5. Use visitor to copy/move/delete objects as necessary to fit to my sat pic.

Its just really to use template villages/industrial areas from previous maps as a starting point.

Tup

You little beauty!!!!! Nice clever info there, and will undoubtedly save me some time.

I assume that you dont have to load 10 objects at a time in V3 and also, does this get you a working config.cpp? by deleting town names, Airports etc will it remove them from imported config?

Good stuff:)

[shezan74 11]

Copying an entire town is fast but... what's the difference from playing on the original map? :)

[Gnome_AS 10]

I wonder how many people would actually noticed it was copied from another map :p

[shezan74 11]

I wonder how many people would actually noticed it was copied from another map :p

Not suo many peoples probably, but depends from the map and the city... There are some towns in takistan that i know like my home since i've player a very big amount of pvp match :)

It's like at school... Copy, don't clone or someone will catch you :)

[icebreakr 3157]

Gnome_AS: be sure I'll recognize something that I put months of work into. F**king copycats...

[shezan74 11]

Gnome_AS: be sure I'll recognize something that I put months of work into. F**king copycats...

Agree

You can take "inspiration", as i took inspiration from many islands for Fallujah.

You can make something similar since some things can be done in one way only (like the industrial complex in chernarus, that are the sum of some objects that could be placed in one and one only way, but cloning is against BIS copyright, is against fair use and is not a good form of respect.

I can make a good city in 3 days by copying cities from duala or other places, but since i'm not forced to produce maps i'll do for pleasure to do that. I don't know what BIS think about, but i'm sure many island makers will not be happy to see their work mixed up in another map.

[[aps]gnat 28]

jesus christ ..... here we go again.

I must be in the wrong community again ...........

[tupolov 520]

As I said, its purely for my own learning and playing around with different looks. I find the combination of buildings with walls etc useful in building villages. Similarly, the industrial areas in Chernarus are also good to cut and paste as it takes out the pain of having to piece those buildings together.

My own approach is to cut and paste blocks of buildings and then arrange them to fit to my map.

You can learn a lot by loading those maps into visitor to see how they have placed things, objects they use etc.

I'm not condoning the out right copying of villages(!), towns and other areas! I'm sure we all are keen to maintain our own "artistic" integrity!

Merry Xmas!

Tup

[shezan74 11]

It's a way, yes.

You can copy some parts and examine them, move pieces, study towns from another perspective and also adapt them, if you need, to your needs.

But we need artists and map makers that will put their ideas into their map, assembling pieces like LEGO. This is the most valuable part of our (or at least mine) playing with Visitor.

When you're in takistan you "feel" the takistan, 'cause there was a project behind and a style. My suggestion is to create your own "watermark", your own feeling.

Take your time to create your island, play with it, immagine what you can do and what you want player does with it. This will produce original ideas and feelings that makes each island different from each other.

Your island is looking good. The worst part (where only the braves could arrive :) ) is to make it living :)

Have a nice day

[icebreakr 3157]

Ok, so we're on the same side, good :)

Well, I'll try to use this procedure to remake Barbuda that Wedge allowed be to converted. As you may heard, source files have been lost in the disk crash.

[bushlurker 46]

I like Shezans LEGO analogy... a limited subset of building blocks inside the box, but you can make a lot of different models with them... Chernarus/Takistan/etc is just the picture on the front of the box - the example...

You could just copy that - see how the bits fit together - thats cool, and probably necessary if you've never played with LEGO before, but you wouldn't enter that model in a LEGO competition! - even with variations, it's still just one of the readymade boxed kits...

Worse still - all the other LEGO modellers entering the competition are using the same basic kit, with the same example picture on the box...

First thing the judges (the community) do is to thin out all the entries that are just variations on the basic box kit theme... the judges are experts - they really are - they may not make models themselves, but they've played with all the basic kits till they literally know them like their own hands... all these competition entries earn a "well done, you've grasped the concept" badge...

However, when you start with an "aircraft" LEGO kit, and make unique "battleship" models out of the bits, the judges start being impressed...

When you're in takistan you "feel" the takistan, 'cause there was a project behind and a style. My suggestion is to create your own "watermark", your own feeling.

Ultimately, once the learning process is over, this is the goal - your own "style"... You can see this a mile away with any of the "old pros" work... drop me in the middle of a terrain in the editor - a quick look around 360 degrees and I can tell you right then, "Old Bear made this", or "this is Icebreakrs style", or "this is a Beton WWII map" - you can just tell - its that obvious... its not the objects or the ground textures or any individual bit (we're all basically using the same box kit), it's the overall style, the atmosphere, the personality behind the landscape.... stands out a mile...

So - "copied from" - maybe not... "inspired by" - very much so!... I get "inspired by" every time someone posts a screenshot! :D

Having said all of that, I can see the need for some basic "generic/template" object layouts - Airports is an example that turned up in another thread today... hmm, what else? Castles? Harbours maybe??

There are a few areas like that where generic layouts would be OK - handy even... the airport conforming to a basic practical layout that allows use of the full range of aircraft is a good example... we all need one of those... the castle pieces can be put together in a few different ways, but I think most of us aren't too fussed about the exact layout - its not really possible to copy actual existing castles to any great extent - generic "small, medium and large" would do just nicely...

This is where I think we could be taking a bit more advantage of wider community contributions...

We've had Editor Upgrades like Gnomes current WIP before, and even 3D editors that can be used via the standard editor interface - but whats new - thanks to Shezan and WorldTools - is an easy way of importing such arrangements directly to actual terrains!

For various reasons I haven't actually fooled with this procedure yet, but I think it could be taken further than simply asking as few non-visitor using friends to help out...

The community are out there, and generally pretty keen to be involved, especially when theres no major tools installing or massive learning curve to cope with... I've seen an FOB or two being released as standalone "templates" to incorporate into missions... they could be incorportated into actual terrains now! and missions too, of course - so such a thread could be a missionmakers resource too...

It would require someone familiar with the process to start a thread - over in "Addons - Discussion" maybe...

A full and detailed explanation of the editor upgrade addons, plus the basics of the 3D editor procedure would be required, followed by an invitation to the community to contribute their templates... anything submitted could be added to the first post and, eventually, the community itself could maybe be persuaded to build up a little "library" of generic layouts...

What sort of stuff??

Well - probably not whole villages! - too difficult to cram into specific island locations, plus they'd soon suffer from that deja vu "I've been in this village before" syndrome... village components, on the other hand... a couple of cottages or houses with associated garden/fences/courtyard/atmospheric-ambient objects lying around... 3 or 4 different but similar layouts could be mixed and matched in chunks to provide a decent range of little villages... Airports, like I mentioned before, are an obvious one... "Airport - Commercial - with lights" - brilliant! "Airport - small", "Boathouse plus jetty", "Sawmill - medium", "FOB - large/US" - the possibilities are endless, but all small - generic template "chunks" - You get the idea - precisely the same usage as the "Copied from BIS discussion" above, the difference being they'd be from the Community - unique work made by US, not ripped from BIS...

Whats in it for the community?

Well... whats in it for any of us? kudos? glory? handsome financial rewards? - maybe not.... personal satisfaction I guess ;), plus Credits of course, if their contributions are used, maybe even the occasional appropriate village or airport name if its an imaginary terrain?...

Anyhow... having helped derail our "projects boasting" thread still further ;), I'll shut up...

It is a good idea though, if someone is willing to make the thread happen, and basically "sell" the idea to the Community at large.....

B

Edited December 17, 2010 by Bushlurker

[Gnome_AS 10]

Gnome_AS: be sure I'll recognize something that I put months of work into. F**king copycats...

Wow... And I'll be sure not to drop off a donation in support of your investment and work next time.

jesus christ ..... here we go again.

I must be in the wrong community again ...........

Tis getting old..........

But just for the sake of clarification, as things seemingly get blown out of proportion with ease:

I have not, and will never copy anyones shit off their map. I do all my building with RTE and import via World Tools. I like that part of doing things. Although I do utilize tools available to import stuff into visitor. Nothing more, nothing less. :mad:

[shezan74 11]

Let's go back on the trail, friends :)

I've just completed Fallujah, so i remove there my map from "maps under constructions". I'm happy :)

Maybe i should create another topic with: what kind of map will be next? :confused:

i've thought after a big city... a big "nothing". Maybe a flat land from North Pole ice pack?... should be easy :D

[loki 1]

FPDR @ the prior posts.

rStratton and i are doing a rework of our Hippie Funland island. should have some pics in a few to put up.

nice thread b.t.w. . and thanks for the world tools :)

[prowler.wolf 0]

*snip*

We've had Editor Upgrades like Gnomes current WIP before, and even 3D editors that can be used via the standard editor interface - but whats new - thanks to Shezan and WorldTools - is an easy way of importing such arrangements directly to actual terrains!

For various reasons I haven't actually fooled with this procedure yet, but I think it could be taken further than simply asking as few non-visitor using friends to help out...

The community are out there, and generally pretty keen to be involved, especially when theres no major tools installing or massive learning curve to cope with... I've seen an FOB or two being released as standalone "templates" to incorporate into missions... they could be incorportated into actual terrains now! and missions too, of course - so such a thread could be a missionmakers resource too...

It would require someone familiar with the process to start a thread - over in "Addons - Discussion" maybe...

A full and detailed explanation of the editor upgrade addons, plus the basics of the 3D editor procedure would be required, followed by an invitation to the community to contribute their templates... anything submitted could be added to the first post and, eventually, the community itself could maybe be persuaded to build up a little "library" of generic layouts...

*snip*

B

If something were to be done about this, I would be more then happy to supply all sorts of templates for the community. I think this could be the start of something amazing for the community. You better get started on it bush ;)

As per this threads initial purpose, I'm currently working on a small 1kmx1km island with a 2 meter cell terrain.

PLR_Buldge - Winter themed map with a very high detail terrain which allows the use of "trenches" and foxholes in a forest. With one basic city in the south east corner based loosely on 1940's bastogne and the Battle Of The Buldge. I have been playing on this with the I44 mod and it is damn scary how awesome it is.

Also 2m cell terrains, omg!

[tupolov 520]

So, its been a while and i've been learning lots...

More vegetation, trees, plants laid down, completed most of fields in the southern part of the map, working airport, road system (50%), some farms, towns and the start of an industrial area... Excuse the in dev mask colouring (helps when laying roads).

Some more pics.

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

This map is 10kmx10km based on real life height map and sat map data in an area north west of the Qom district in Iran. The southern half of the map is dominated by farms, more modern towns and an industrial area with the Persian Gulf Highway running North South over a mountain range. The mountain range is the location of a couple of (secret) military and nuclear facilities as well as a military airfield. The northern half of the map features old ruins, older towns/markets and a large salt lake. The area contains a number of anti-air/air defense sites.

The concept for the map is to play out WMD Denial/Search and Destroy type operations, mainly US/Allied forces vs Iranian Forces (see Iranian Forces Mod).

(more pics at this post: http://forums.bistudio.com/showpost.php?p=1812523&postcount=51)

PS. Thanks to Shezan, Bushlurker and the guys on the ARMA 2 Map Making Skype Channel for their assistance

Edited January 26, 2011 by Tupolov

[shezan74 11]

Nice work Tup, waiting for preview ;)