Large S.T.A.L.K.E.R. inspired Island "NOVA ZONA"

[abs 2]

I think that the maker of Taviana said that he found that making only a LOD0 and only one lower resolution building seemed to increase performance for him. Maybe you can try that out and see if applies to you as well.

Abs

[meshcarver 12]

Hi Abs,

Hey thanks for letting me know that-I'll chase it up and see what I can find out, cheers man..! :)

[Dogheadfish 1]

sounds cool

[Kyle_K_ski 1]

Real life's been beating me down, so I finally stopped by to see if there was anything new, and lo and behold, to my joy, there was!

Looking great as usual. I really appreciate the level of detail that you're pouring into those buildings. I like that some of the bricks look like they're barely held onto by the mortice, but not so loose that an elbow brushing up against them would cause them to tip and fall. Heh - odds are high anyway that bricks in such a disjointed nature would be the first to be wedged free of a building's walls to be used as heat reflectors for fire pits.

Wooden boards look to scale and plausible. I marvel at how many structures I've seen in games where beams of wood of unbelievable length just mysteriously appear to allow for an egress to a second or third story structure. What, the homeowner just happened to have that in his garage, or there just happened to be a lumber mill nearby stocked with lumbered red oaks to have combatants carry it there on their shoulders...? Such devices are ridiculous, but happily, you're too smart to have such foolishness abound, and you're avoiding these all too convenient and nonsensical contrivances.

Don't get me wrong - feel free to show boards, aluminum sheets and whatnot repurposed into makeshift and flimsy "bridges" between buildings where a safe house/base is well established, for such structures would then make sense, and should be there. :)

Minefields - my stomach tightens up just thinking about it. The minefield around that helicopter in Call of Pripyat is a nightmare, but how cool was it when the bandits corralled them into the field to make it safer for them to attack the player's position? What would be neat is if several possible combinations of semi-randomized mine positions were to be generated at the start of the single-player campaign. An important and believable mission would be to then find a map which shows where the mines are (a map would be generated that would correctly match one of the several mine-distributions for a region). Perhaps too, a specialized device could be sought for and/or scavenged together (with the correct schematics!) that would deactivate any mine that gets within two-three meters of the operator of the device. A little science-fictiony, I know, but I'm sure that such devices do exist, and our realm is more than a little bit science-fictiony, eh?

Keep up the great work. :bounce3:

[meshcarver 12]

Hey up Kyle..!

How's it going man? I hope things have picked up for you again now...

Yes, I'm really trying to keep everything as plausible as it should be considering the setting. It can be quite difficult at times!

It's always a difficult task to decide where and to what extent to knock holes into buildings as they'll obviously be repeated wherever that building appears on the map. So I try to be reserved about it and also make it with "cover" in mind...

For purposes of development, I've sort of come up with different classes of structures, so I can cover them all:

Brick/concrete/plaster houses,

Wooden/log/timber houses,

Industrial,

Experimental/science/research,

Stalker constructs.

These five more or less cover every eventuality, so I can make sure I've an even scattering of structures for my map.

When creating Stalker camps, I'll populate the areas with individual buildings and then connect some with custom one-off objects like wooden bridging etc, so to give it more individuality as well.

Yes, the mined areas is something I really want to go to town on so to speak. Imagine if every time you fire the map up there's randomly generated mine fields? ;)

It adds such a dynamic to the gameplay too- I really had a tense time testing it out in ARMA3 engine with my houses, such good fun in an overwatch position and watching Opfor navigating the village and then triggering a mine lol..!

Also, this could just as easily be applied to the Anomalies themselves- random amounts/locations every time so you just don't know where they are...

Damn, I'm getting all excited again and won't be with my comp for another 5/6 weeks!!! :(

[bad benson 1733]

are there any plans to make custom vegetation too? since this will be kind of eastern european you would be stuck with arma 2 chernarus vegetation, which is ok but wouldn't really match the atmosphere and quality of the models you made so far.

[meshcarver 12]

Hi Bad Benson..!

Oh yes..! EVERYTHING will be created especially for this map, even skies if it's possible for ARMA3. Hopefully it's possible to tweak around the settings for the volumetric clouds for example to be more Eastern European/dramatic/gloomy, but I'd also really love to have a few hi res dramatic cloud structure images that I could overlay into the skies, for when Emmissions start to occur etc... You get the idea mate- I really want to do a complete job on this at as high a standard as I can.

So, foliage, objects, particles, sky etc... Everything will be redone just for this to fit in with the Stalker aesthetic.

[mr burns 132]

Yes, the mined areas is something I really want to go to town on so to speak. Imagine if every time you fire the map up there's randomly generated mine fields? ;)

It adds such a dynamic to the gameplay too- I really had a tense time testing it out in ARMA3 engine with my houses, such good fun in an overwatch position and watching Opfor navigating the village and then triggering a mine lol..!

Also, this could just as easily be applied to the Anomalies themselves- random amounts/locations every time so you just don't know where they are...

Damn, I'm getting all excited again and won't be with my comp for another 5/6 weeks!!! :(

Bear in mind though that lots of triggers (~100+) will begin to slow down MP games.

I´ve once made a TvT mission featuring huge ACE minefields (each ACE mine creates a trigger for itself), everything went well in the editor so i though no biggie, despite the alarming ammount of placed mines. It was just upon entering the mission in an MP environment with 40 players when the huge stutterfest started.

As both minefields and anomalies will most likely be trigger dependant, it´d be good to mind some limitations.

Still totally looking forward to your project! Keep it up :)

[meshcarver 12]

Aye thanks for the heads up Mr Burns!

All these things will be tweaked to death to get the best possible frame rates, so it'll be one step at a time as I go.

Cheers dude..!

[icewindo 29]

Bear in mind though that lots of triggers (~100+) will begin to slow down MP games.

I´ve once made a TvT mission featuring huge ACE minefields (each ACE mine creates a trigger for itself), everything went well in the editor so i though no biggie, despite the alarming ammount of placed mines. It was just upon entering the mission in an MP environment with 40 players when the huge stutterfest started.

As both minefields and anomalies will most likely be trigger dependant, it´d be good to mind some limitations.

Still totally looking forward to your project! Keep it up :)

I real dunno about advanced missing editing, but maybe it'd be possible to "cache" the triggers for the anomalies, so delete them when no units or (for even better peformance) only when players are close to them. Isn't that what DAC does, just for infantry units and vehicles?

[meshcarver 12]

...this side of editing is still far away, but that's a damn good suggestion Icewindo, thanks very much mate! :)

I will certainly keep this in mind.

[meshcarver 12]

Hi all,

This is more of a "fishing for info" post as I'm still away from my PC for awhile and trying to get some more info together in the meantime...

For the people following/interested in this island, are there ANY specific objects/assets/ideas you'd love to see implemented in the final map?

Things like buildings, structures, landmarks or even simple little details- every idea or suggestion will be read.

Cheers guys.

[Vilos Cohaagen 1]

Specifically I think that I'd love to see some interesting use of the new fog systems on your map, perhaps with fog dynamically changing by time of day. Combine that with your lovely buildings and I think you would have a very spooky atmosphere.

In general, I would say make sure there is variation and contrast in lighting and environment - nothing emphasises the scary more than contrast :)

[mr burns 132]

For the people following/interested in this island, are there ANY specific objects/assets/ideas you'd love to see implemented in the final map?

Things like buildings, structures, landmarks or even simple little details- every idea or suggestion will be read.

Cheers guys.

Since OFP i wanted to see a surface mine (huuge sample pic) in the RV engine.

Gigantic hole in the ground, vast open spaces inside, seeing layers of earth at the sides .. breathtaking sight, it makes you feel that small :D

If there were aswell bucket wheel excavators and other technical euqipment (abraumbagger etc.), conveyor bands going on for miles it´d make a perfect creepy place, and a big opportunity for loot runs.

As for, literally, smaller idea´s: Flocks of bird!

Threre´ve been some addons doing this in the past, but somehow it never was established as a standard, although it provides not only tactical options but a sense of liveliness in your surroundings.

[meshcarver 12]

Hi..!

Yes, great suggestions for utilising the new ARMA3 fog- this is something that I really want to go into some detail with in the final island as I reckon it'll really add some serious enhancement. I don't know if it'll be possible but ideally it'd be better to have it in patches too I think? :)

A massive surface mine and other landmarks are planned aswell, also some emphasis on mining in the form of carts hanging from cables overhead, although wether these could be used as slow transport is still an issue... So yes, there'll be some huge bucket wheel excavators etc kicking about the landscape. Things like those will be almost like vast skeletal rotting structures that loom out of the distant fog... That's the plan.

Talking about flocks of birds, I'm also tinkering with the idea of flocks of randomly generated rats that appear within a radius of the player and head in a random direction then eventually despawn for fps. If done correctly, these could be quite scary and damaging if they run right through your position...

Keep the ideas flowing guys, it's great getting some feedback.

[Kyle_K_ski 1]

.

I feel that it would be pretty neat to have a heavily forested area (with a few homesteads here/there) suddenly give way to an enormous pit. A handful of natural trees will be pitched over, barely held in their precarious state by their roots.

Rising from this pit would be a crystalline tree-like structure (slightly luminous except for where clumps of dirt/debris have landed on its topsides), with "branches" at various elevations, and crisscrossed with connecting/closely overlapping smaller branches that are distributed around the parent branches diameter at various angles. The parent branches would be 15-20 m. across, and the smaller branches would be 2-4 m. across. Regardless of a branch's size, every 4-7 m. along its length would be a knotty formation that would be good for providing concealment and cover. Some of these branches could have "channels" that appear here/there amongst its length, and would, at their deepest, be 2 m. deep, providing some concealment/cover. The vast trunk itself could be riddled with "holes" that are just big enough for the AI to enter, and use its interior to traverse to different elevations. Enormously long growths of thick vines would descend all about, with the best situated ones being accessible as "ladders."

Essentially, it's a mammoth nightmarish "tree" that would make for terrifying firefights amongst every imaginable axis.

The deeper one goes into the pit via the tree's structure, the more artifacts one could find, and the more powerful they become. This crystalline tree seems to be constantly "birthing" artifacts, and is disparagingly referred to as "The Wicked Womb." One can't feel too victorious about reaching the bottom, because it'll be full of every creature type imaginable (some badly wounded from falls), and then one has to climb the tree in order to get back out. Since it's a highly coveted and contested treasure trove, it's also a major hotspot for firefights, and the corpses they produce are an irresistible smorgasbord for the monsters to munch on.

About half of the Womb's bottom is deeply submerged under rainwater. Since supplies are scarce, one has to scavenge corpses for ammo along one's journey. That said, scattered about on the lower branches and at the bottom will be badly weathered bags of ammunition that were tossed from the pit's edge by coordinated attempts to give a team a combat advantage. Imagine seeing 2-3 men rushing from the brush to the pit's edge carrying these heavy bags, and after running like mad, desperately throwing them towards branches that they hoped to later maneuver on. Needless to say, they were shot at like crazy, and most of these tosses were thrown in such a state of terror, that they missed their intended landing points, and instead toppled off the edges of the branches to another surface below. If one encounters one of these on one's decent, they'll most likely be dangerously situated at a point where they're almost ready to topple off entirely. The player would be hit with a strong sense of vertigo getting close to these bags to restock. Most of the ammo bags tumbled to the moist and sticky surface below, and much of them slid/landed into the deep watery regions. These bags of ammo, along with the most cherished artifacts, would be located BELOW the water's surface, compelling the player to go exploring underwater. A bag or two of scuba gear can be found for those desperate enough to take the time to look, or scavenged off of a putrefied corpse.

I feel that the mere sight of this thing would induce a terribly strong sense of surreality.

Yes indeed, this sounds like a most wicked womb. :)

What do you think?

Edited May 5, 2013 by Kyle_K_ski

[meshcarver 12]

Hey Kyle..! :)

Great to hear from you again mate, and another extensive and well explained idea..!

I think it sounds great, and would be fantastic if I could follow your idea to the letter. It would be a good challenge and would probably be best if it was made in sections as I think ARMA can only handle objects upto 30 meters in size?

If someone could clarify this it'd be good!

I really like the idea of having part of the lower section partially submerged and this will be a theme that I'll carry across to other rotting structures... I love the idea of players having to wade through filthy waters to get to a better place on higher ground or to reach a sniping point or Artefact etc...

If fully made, I'd love for this structure to be really intimidating just by looking at it, so it'd have to have a sinister form and be quite large as you say, possibly made from multiple sections...

Anyway man, thanks for taking the time to explain it and feel free to keep more ideas coming, as I'll certainly put this one down in my sketchbook..!!! ;)

[astast 12]

It would be a good challenge and would probably be best if it was made in sections as I think ARMA can only handle objects upto 30 meters in size?

If someone could clarify this it'd be good!

I tried to make the pentagon still not done and one side is much more that 30 meters and it worked fine it's just you cant have more than a certain amount of polys and tris in a model... but you know that :)

[meshcarver 12]

@astast, hey thanks man..!

Please could you list the poly limits for objects too if you know them, as tbh I've read a few differing sources upto now!

[astast 12]

@astast, hey thanks man..!

Please could you list the poly limits for objects too if you know them, as tbh I've read a few differing sources upto now!

I really do not remember them sorry :( but the size of an object shoudln't matter as long as it isn't 100km wide :D

I will try to look for it :)

[Kyle_K_ski 1]

.

I think it sounds great

Heh! Thanks! I knew that you'd like it! :D

If it's of any help with the polygon-count-concerns, I want to emphasize here that my usage of the term "tree" was approximate, with its crystalline nature being quite prominent, that is, this tree's branches aren't smooth going around its diameter, but rather quite faceted, with some facets turning on a steep slope quite suddenly. Trying to even plant one's foot on a steeply sloped facet would be suicide as one will slide off into the abyss below! They'd function as terrain obstacles and traps. In fact, I imagined that a good number of these would also supply some pretty decent concealment/cover by having a jagged/faceted "bur" on one/more of its faces as the severe slope sheers off. These faceted-burs would act as a honey trap, luring the AI and players very close to these steep slopes, increasing the odds significantly of an accident happening, potentially causing a misstep and shedding the combatant off of the branch to whatever's salivating at the bottom of the vast maw.

Furthermore, in regards to the trunk, if ArmA III's engine still can't handle hollow portions well, and/or the AI can't take advantage of such a structure (if the AI can't handle it, then I'd consider that a concept-breaker), then one could just expand the crystalline facets that make up the trunk's exterior, to act as a very crude staircase that winds its way about the trunk's perimeter. In fact, tactically, the ideal approach would be to supply this winding staircase on the interior and exterior of the trunk, with open expanses in the trunk's "skin" to exchange fire through. What a nightmare that would be! :omg:

Another point I'd like to be more specific with is in regards to the smaller branches. I imagine that a good proportion of these would get close enough to another parent/offspring branch that it could be hopped onto, or mantled, allowing for a more dynamic range of maneuvering, as well as supplying tactical chokepoints.

I was very tired last night, and I forgot to mention another feature of the surreal structure's luminosity: it has a subtle diminishing-brightening pulse to it, pulsing at a rate of 188 beats per min. Now why did I pick that figure? For 90% of all pregnant women during delivery, that is how hard their heart is beating while pushing! This is not a detail that has to be "called out" and clearly declared to the player, but perhaps it could call up subliminal memories for those who experience the site. If we wanted to be less subtle, we could supply an environmental sound effect of an altered heartbeat, perhaps one that has a cracking-glass/crystal sound to it?

Hmm...

If time permits, I'll try to cook up a concept drawing of The Wicked Womb, and supply it here later.

Yours!

:)

[grimwald 24]

Hey stalker fans. I will be releasing an alpha of a Namalsk mini stalker sandbox in a few days. Not trying to steer anyone away from meanmachines work but give you something to fill the time with until it is done. :-)

Stay tuned.

[meshcarver 12]

@astast, thanks anyway for bringing it to my attention but I think things are going ok and to plan upto now hopefully lol..!

@kyle, thank you again for more elaboration man, appreciated..! I have a pretty good image of it in my mind now, but if you have any ideas for actual buildings now or more landmarks/features I'd love to hear..! ;)

Either way, thanks again for taking your tine with the description!

@grimwald, no problem mate, I hope it all goes to plan as it sounds interesting..!

Edited May 6, 2013 by meanmachine1

[SAMstudios-3Dartist 45]

What type of render or program are u using for your pictures? :D

[meshcarver 12]

@ Zsalheden, hi man, I'm not rendering anything at this point, the images are just print screens.