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

[NeuroFunker 11]

i can imagine, with physics, we could have awesome anomalies like gravitation ones, awesome athmosphere and graphics with dynamic clouds, realistic fog. Waking on some places on altis, reminds me on satlker for a bit. Iranians look abit similar to military units from early stalker builds. I can clearly imagine, having a new stalker on rv4 engine! Only what we need, a better stealth system, i loved stalker for stealth mostly.

[giorgygr 61]

Ye..i m not sure.

Although i like the deadly AI compared with other games stupid AI (aka Casual Player friendly AI) there are times i feel cheated

even when i using LoS mod just to be sure.

Beyond that..i believe we will see (in time) improvements "official" way or..modded

[NeuroFunker 11]

AI can be super good but super Stupid at same time. Anyway playing escape altis mission with elite ai and 80% skill, feels alright with the time, especially when they are doing tactical stuff, surrounding, suppressing you etc. I think this would be cool to have skilled military like that in stalker.

[meshcarver 12]

Hey Mesh,

Just checked out the latest on your DevBlog... Damn, I just can't get over just how awesome these models are! I can't help but get excited thinking about what the end result is going to look like. :D

Curious to know how they look (texture wise) in-game under the A3 lighting... Everything I gaze at in Buldozer looks completely different (horrible) when loaded in-game for me. :P

Keep up the stellar work! :)

- NerdMod

@NerdMod,

Hey thanks mate, very nice of you to say..! I'm really trying to keep them all consistent texture/resolution wise as that'll help immersion too (Nothing like turning a corner to be assaulted by a 32*32 pixel brick wall!). I'm really pleased with how they are looking texture/geometry wise in game man- it's always nice getting the latest one in to finally see it and walk around it etc.

The new lighting fx are absolutely lending themselves to creating even more of a "Stalker" atmosphere too. When you're inside one of them and can see sunlight streaming in through all the little cracks and gaps it is very reminiscent of C.O.P/STALKER in general.

Now, if only BI would include that new lighting effect for night time with lightening strikes and moonlight (subtle) it'd be amazing- but yes, all in all, this is a fantastic new addition to the engine!

Anyway, I've very nearly finished putting "House 05" in game, I just need to correct out the bloody Geolods for it and it's good to go! I really don't like posting screenshots before I've totally finished a structure- it feels like a "cheat" somehow to me lol... ;)

But it is in game and I really like how is looking, but for now you can still glitch through some Geolod walls etc and it's a nightmare trying to thicken them without making gaps too small so that things like grenades etc don't bounce back off invisible Geolod.

I'll post a couple of shots of it anyway, one in daytime so you can see the light shafts, and one at night time as it looks creepy as hell... ;)

take it easy mate, and I hope things are going well for you!

@GiorgyGR + NeuroFunker,

Hi guys and thanks for your input! :D

Aye, whilst I'm working on this, I'm also writing down any ideas I have about things like Anomalies etc, and even trying to come up with names for them etc.

Some names I've come up with for now are:

FLAT CASCADE

REVOLVING DOT

OPEN LINE

PEELER

...and lots more.

Obviously actually creating these is a long way off- the entire Island needs completing first, but it helps keep me on track if I have a library of information to re-read every now and then.

Saying that, if anyone reading this wants to try to come up with some names, I'd love to read them here- feel free to post ANYTHING you can come up with.

And yes, parts of Altis in the correct time/weather settings is a great place to test these objects out for this project- it can be really similar in atmosphere to The Zone which is great! :)

[NeuroFunker 11]

As for some anomaly names: Rabbit Hole, Sirenas (hypnose the stalker, lure them in by sounds similar to singing), jack hammer (smashes you against many times earth fast and deadly) the wheel, spins you around so fast, that your body tears a part.

[meshcarver 12]

@NeuroFunker:

Hey, thanks man, they're pretty good..! I like the name "Rabbit Hole", as it conjures up all sorts of horrible ideas, and I also like the idea of "The Jackhammer".

Cheers dude..! :D

Ok, here's a few in game shots of HOUSE_05 under different lighting situations.

This one is more in line with the kind of weather I'll be going for in NOVA ZONA. (Although I'll shift the .cfg's location to somewhere in Eastern Europe so it should be even more Stalkerish):

http://www.meshcarver.com/screenshots/INGAME_06.png

This one is a harsh bright day, so you can get an idea of the kind of texturing I'm going for, quite sharp and dirty- like it's been left in the desolation of the wilderness for years to start to decay and all the colours are getting bleached out of it:

http://www.meshcarver.com/screenshots/INGAME_07.png

And this last one is to show the brand spanking new lovely lighting effects in the engine and how the planks and holes etc can take advantage of them:

http://www.meshcarver.com/screenshots/INGAME_08.png

Bear in mind it'll only get that sunny VERY rarely, as it's mostly gonna be grim and grotty weather- so when the sun does come out, it'll be a welcome change... ;)

I hope you like it and please feel free to comment on anything you see- it's like Xmas morning when I see people are giving feedback and really helps with motivation too.

Take it easy.

[james2464 176]

The engine does your work justice i'd say! Looking forward to your progress :)

[NeuroFunker 11]

last shot looks like stalker clear sky shot from the swap map, awesome! Glad you liked my few anomaly ideas. i'll post more if i come to some interresting ideas. :)

[digitalcenturion 20]

Looking great! Hopefully BIS releases the new map tools soon!

[laxemann 1673]

Mate,

your buildings are outstanding.

If you're an equally good map designer, we should get one of the best maps for ArmA so far in the future. :)

[grimwald 24]

@Dale-

thanks very much for saying Dale, appreciated..! It is a huge project aye, and I sometimes feel like I've given birth to a monster lol... ;)

@Grimwald-

hi matey, yeah, I see what you mean man. With all these texture set though, I'm trying to do a second pass on them as I go. The more this project goes on, I find myself edging towards absolute grimness/drabness palette wise so mabe I need to revisit that particular one..!

Do you mean make the paint on the entire pump a bit brighter man..?

And thanks for your feedback..! :)

To me it looks like the paint underneath the grime was never white. So make it a bit whiter in parts, particularly under the glass of the bowser-face, and it'll look better, IMO.

[meshcarver 12]

The engine does your work justice i'd say! Looking forward to your progress :)

Hi James2464,

how's it going man? Aye, visually the engine is absolutely stunning- imo it can be a better looking and more suited engine for a Stalker based type environment than the X-RAY engine although I'm NOT knocking that fantastic engine. But I have had some scenes set up in RV Engine that look amazingly crisp and sharp, which suits this type of atmosphere down to the ground, not to mention the fog and light shafts, TOD, weather, seasons, wind/rain etc etc...

From now on, I'm really going to just concentrate on churning these assets out, as to put one in game is fairly straight forwards to an extent, but it slows me down for a few days. Little problems DO crop up when you think it'll be a straight forwards job, but that's to be expected I suppose.

Anyway, thanks for your comments..! ;)

last shot looks like stalker clear sky shot from the swap map, awesome! Glad you liked my few anomaly ideas. I'll post more if i come to some interesting ideas. :)

Lol, aye, I should've thought to place the hut in the actual swamp area in Altis..! ;)

Please do keep any and all ideas coming man, I really like to hear peoples ideas/musings etc as it all helps.

Looking great! Hopefully BIS releases the new map tools soon!

Aye, I really hope they make the whole process more accessible and streamlined. The SINGLE BIGGEST gripe for me atm is when doing the Geolods, you have to make them quite a bit thicker than the visual geometry, or the units will/can/do glitch through them something terrible! (Meaning, the unit can step through the walls!) And because you make them thicker- if you throw a grenade, it could/does sometimes bounce off this invisible Geolod and that is really immersion breaking for me and also produces problems in a firefight.

If BI somehow manage to make the Geolod so perfect that you can literally make it the exact same thickness/thinness as the Reslod then I'll be one happy chappy.

That really will make things a LOT easier and more intuitive. ;)

Mate,

your buildings are outstanding.

If you're an equally good map designer, we should get one of the best maps for ArmA so far in the future. :)

Hi LAxemann,

damn, don't hold your breath on that one..! All of this is a first for me in a lot of ways mate, but when it comes to the actual layout then before I commit anything to poly I'm going to come up with a general back story first, then design the overall layout around that story.

Eg; What was the islands main function before the Incident, where did the Incident happen and why/how. What happened immediately after it and then as the years progressed what took place in regards containment/management etc.

What is it like now..? What have "they" built to try to manage and contain what has happened..? Who is "they"..? Lol, I getting carried away with this now... ;)

I think if I somehow manage to include all that information from the set up, then the formation and layout will be a lot easier to make feel authentic.

I'll also be adding in a lot of little unique places, one off buildings etc, but for now as you can see from my WIP images I'm concentrating on the structures that will be reused and chopped and changed.

But yeah, it's going to be a big job but I'm just pacing myself here- I LOVE doing this and my biggest fear is something happens along the way which is a show stopper for me- like I find out RV engine hates my textures, of my models are too fiddly or something.

This worry comes from only half knowing EXACTLY how to create a FULLY working/correctly configured structure for ARMA 3, but hopefully as time goes on they'll release a FULL CONCISE tutorial that is easy to follow and fool proof- THEN I'll sit back with relief a bit more.

It's probably something I'll only find out once it's all in...

To me it looks like the paint underneath the grime was never white. So make it a bit whiter in parts, particularly under the glass of the bowser-face, and it'll look better, IMO.

Hi man,

cheers for the clarification and aye, I'll go back and give that badboy a going over later today..! :)

[abs 2]

Keep up the good work, man...I love seeing all your WIP shots, and can't wait to see this on my hard drive one day. :)

Abs

[emoglobinsky 149]

Nice work as usual, would you mind to show us all your building in game with that stalker settings ?

Oh and btw, did you see this new game coming from stalker team -

?

[meshcarver 12]

@Abs- thanks man, you might be waiting awhile though..! Hope you're patient..! ;)

@Emoglobinski- I would show them but I haven't gone through the process of putting them all in yet mate. I'm concentrating on churning them out so I have a huge library of models, and then when that part is done I'll start to methodically get them in game one by one.

It's a decision mainly about productivity, but also because by then there SHOULD be better tools for ARMA 3.

Yes, I've been aware of Survivarium more or less from the start, but as soon as I heard STALKER 2 was cancelled and the team reformed to make Survivarium and laid out it's ideas for it, I was completely disappointed lol..! Even seeing some game play videos is a massive let down to me mate.

The individual assets and graphics are absolutely amazing looking, but, I don't know what it is- they seem very "small" in some way- like in that new video they released about that team running at a sniper it all seems very "toy town" somehow- I can't put my finger on it.

Maybe because I was expecting huge Stalkerish irradiated landscapes but instead it's small-medium sized bites of areas..?

I don't know man, hopefully it'll be fantastic but I think it's basically what we've already seen in other games sadly... :(

Thank you for pointing me to it though Emoglobinski.

[meshcarver 12]

Hi all,

this one is more of a request/ideas post.

I'm now needing to nail the name of the Island where NOVA ZONA is set before the Incident occurred.

The reasons for this are I'll now be adding the name to assets like the abandoned school and the hospital etc... also, it'll appear in old faded signs and posters from times before it all went to hell.

The name of this map will still be NOVA ZONA, that won't change at all, but this is just to give the location more of a background/setting as obviously the island wound't have been called Nova Zona before the incident anyway.

Bearing that in mind, I'm trying to come up with names what will either complement the theme of this map, eg; "Black Island" and will have an underlying meaning, or will be in direct contrast to it, eg; "Sunny Island".

Upto now, after going through Google Translate from English to Ukrainian these are the ones I'm most happy with so should give you more of an idea as to what I'm looking for if you fancy adding any of your own ideas:

Old Island / Staryy Ostriv

Border Island / Kordonu Ostrovy

Bare Island / Holi Ostrovy

Grey Island / Siri Ostrovy

Black Island / Chornyy Ostrovy

Circle Island / Kolo Ostrova

Enclosure Island / Korpus Ostrovy

Sector Island / Sektora Ostrova

Window Island / Vikna Ostrovi

Cross Island / Khrest Ostrovy

Curtain Island / Zavisa Ostrovy

Omega Island / Omeha Ostrovy

Ok, cheers guys and I'd love to hear any names you can come up with.

[grimwald 24]

Border Island / Kordonu Ostrovy

This! Or even straight-up Cordon Islands to evoke the starting place of the Stalker game franchise.

[meshcarver 12]

Hi Grimwald,

aye man, I am thinking the same thing as you about "Kordonu Ostrovy".

I like the sound of it and it doesn't take it too far away from the whole Stalker feeling either.

I'll more than likely go with this name for the Island, prior to the Incident... :)

[NeuroFunker 11]

if you ask me, as russian mother tongue speaker, i say: "Kordonny(i) Ostrov [Кордонный ОÑтров]" But to me, that doesn't sound correct somehow. What do you want to mean by border island, maybe i can translate it more correctly?

[meshcarver 12]

Hi NeuroFunker,

Thanks for your input mate.

After talking to a few people of Russian/Ukrainian background, I decided a while ago to go down the Ukrainian language translation path.

Now ALL this is new to me so I really would appreciate if you could translate it for me as you would yes.

I am looking to name the island either:

Cordon Island

Or

Border Island

I'd appreciate it if you could translate that for me?

Cheers man..! :)

[NeuroFunker 11]

i can't speak ukrainian, but in russian, it would be: "Pogranichny Ostrov" [Пограничный ОÑтров] In pseudo urkainian it could be something like "Pohranny Ostrov". Kordon is a block post as i know. But if you like word "Kordon" Just name it simple "Ostrov-Kordon" :)

[meshcarver 12]

Thank you again man- so does "Ostrov Kordon" translate into "Border/Cordon Island" yes?

[blu3sman 11]

Right translation would be "Прикордонний оÑтрів" (Prykordonnyi ostriv). It is the closest you can get. Literally means "Island near the border".

In English it would still be Border Island.

Hope that helps.

[meshcarver 12]

Guys, thanks for your help with this, but can I ask- as I'm trying to go with Ukrainian translations, would it matter if the odd Russian one slipped in there..?

I mean, would it reduce authenticity or make it less "realistic", or from days gone by could place names/signage still be in Russian so you'd end up with Ukrainian and Russian writing in NOVA ZONA..?

[NeuroFunker 11]

In russian this would be "Novaya Zona" No idea in ukrainian.