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

[emoglobinsky 149]

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..?

Imo "'Better' is the enemy of 'Good Enough'" ("Лучшее - враг хорошего"). Only few people will notice those things, and you obviously.

What matters in this game industry is to fake, not to copy-paste realworld, but just to fake it. During a school project, one of our teacher asked us to do some cinematics to show a city with "life", we told him that it would take too long for us to do something cool with trains, airplanes, etc.. moving, and then he answer us that he didn't wanted to see a train, he wanted to feel it : so we used some train horns sounds, with crowds sounds. And we saved a lot of time for a nice result (not percect, but good enought for our project).

That being said, any of those names are nice and will give the right feeling to the player. Just a matter of what you really want : doing a perfect thing that will take ages, or be fast on certain choices like ukrainians names :p

[blu3sman 11]

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..?

No, it would be totally realistic.

[meshcarver 12]

Damn, I really got to go now, but finally-

Cordon Island in Ukrainian is Ostrov Kordon yes..? I mean, all the native Ukraine/Russian people would recognise that for Cordon Island yes?

Sorry to bang on about it lads... ;)

[blu3sman 11]

Imo "'Better' is the enemy of 'Good Enough'" ("Лучшее - враг хорошего"). Only few people will notice those things, and you obviously.

"The devil is in the details";)

---------- Post added at 18:55 ---------- Previous post was at 18:52 ----------

Damn, I really got to go now, but finally-

Cordon Island in Ukrainian is Ostrov Kordon yes..? I mean, all the native Ukraine/Russian people would recognise that for Cordon Island yes?

Sorry to bang on about it lads... ;)

Ostriv Kordon sounds kind of strange. Prykordonnyi Ostriv is proper "authentic" name.

But to be fair there are a lot more strange geographical names, so choose what you feel fits better.

Edited October 10, 2013 by Blu3sman

[meshcarver 12]

Ahhh... I don't know now lol...

So confusing for me.

Really, I'm after a strange name like that, but I also want it to sound catchy too, and being a native English speaker, I have trouble even trying to pronounce Prykoronnyi Ostriv..?

Thanks again though..!

What about Chornyy Ostriv or Staryy Ostriv?

(Black Island or Old Island.)

Edited March 22, 2014 by meshcarver

[blu3sman 11]

What about Chornyy Ostriv or Staryy Ostriv?

B(lack Island or Old Island.)

That's pretty simple and solid :)

[NeuroFunker 11]

Zabyty Ostrov - Forgotten Island. Sound good to me :p Yeah if its hard to prounce, use more simple name. But prikordonny ostrov is how it should be, ye.

[meshcarver 12]

Cheers again guys- looks like I'll have to give it more thought..!

[lappihuan 178]

Hello Meshcarver

I really like this! I'm getting Mind Cinema right now!

What amazing scenerie and atmosphere would be possible with those Objects :o

Like IceBreaker asked at the start of this thread, I'm very interested in a Editor Mod with your Objects.

Are you willing to release your Objects to allow other Islandmaker or Island Templatemaker to use your amazing Stalker Objects?

And my last question, have you already a release timeframe in mind?

best regards

Lappihuan

[meshcarver 12]

Hi Lappihuan,

thanks very much for your comments mate, and I also play through scenery in my mind when I'm trying to create these objects.

I play through all these little engagements and tense situations in my head that I also can' t wait to see fully realised- the difficulty is for me to stay on the right track..! ;)

As far as releasing these as I do them for the proposes of anyone using them in the Editor, I've no plans to as it stands man, sorry.

I think (I'm not sure, as the thread is quite long now) I've addressed this valid point before elsewhere, but if not, there's a few reasons why I just want to release this as a full map- at least, initially...

This is 100% a personal/passionate project for me, and I'm sinking 75% of my personal time into this too. It's something I've always wanted to do.

The original intention, which still stands, was to make JUST a map, and not release objects as because if during development I start to see all these other maps/missions/servers etc with my stuff, gradually more and more in them it would really water down the whole experience for me.

I don't think the full release of my map would have as much interest/impact then either- people would already know what to expect in a way.

It's weird, I originally started this out JUST for myself, (I wasn't going to release or even announce it!) and it had begun long before I made an announcement here.

I'm VERY new to this modding scene so hopefully can be excused if my mindset isn't in parallel with other more experienced modders out there.

As far as a release time frame goes, and as MUCH as I hate hearing it in ref other games, ahem, *DAYZ SA*, it'll be ready when it's ready mate..! It's just literally impossible to say because there's so much still needs doing, and I KNOW other things will pop up and surprise me and knock me back months at a time...

Really sorry if it's not the news you want to hear Lappihuan but I'm grateful you've taken an interest in it all the same...

[lappihuan 178]

I do really understand your point. And i think you shouldn't just release something out of a development process just because some elements are highly wanted, just that everyone can spoil with your work!

My question about the Editor Mod was meant to be a addon released after or at the same time you release your Map.

As something like "ZONA NOVA Editor Objects" aside to "ZONA NOVA Island" or how you will call your Map, so mission designer can use objects on your or other maps to create the scenerie they are looking for. Or even a Islandmaker decides to use some of your objects on his Island.

I don't want to talk you into something, i just think it is a amazing job you are doing here and it would be a great addition to the community with these high quality objects.

[meshcarver 12]

Hi matey,

sorry Lappihuan, that was my bad explanation lol..! ;)

I understand you meant at the same time, but atm I've no plans to really. I might release them say a year or so after NOVA ZONA comes out but we'll see...

I take nothing but good from your comments man, it's very flattering of you to enquire about it.

If I do release any other things alongside map release, it'll probably be scripted Anomolie placements and things like that.

I hope that's ok, and I know you're not trying to talk me into anything..! :)

[lappihuan 178]

Haha, thats not a NO! :cool:

I do know that these are your baby's and i understand that you won't just give them away. ;)

But just to say, in this Community it's a Modders codex (is that the right word?) and also allways a question about licence, to only use work from other with theyr permission and to give credit in the missiondescription or moddescription. (there are allways the black sheeps that don't, but thats not acceptet here)

anyway, i wish you a great success with your Island and looking forward to the release.

ps: they would fit so damn good to Namalsk Island! :o

[meshcarver 12]

Hi again Lappihuan..!

Lol, I give you 10/10 for persistence..! ;)

Aye man, I've seen this is a community with a strong ethic of supporting each others requests and that's fantastic- but as you say, there are some out "there" that are not so understanding shall we say..?

I absolutely detest people who take others work as their own (I've seen it more than once in the games industry, even use other peoples work in their portfolios..!), or that use others hard work for benefit.

Anyway, I am getting off track here, sorry!

I really do hope NOVA ZONA will work out as I am planning, but it'll be at LEAST another year I bet. I don't know if you're familiar with the modding aspect of the ARMA series but it's quite a monster in it's own appealing way lol... For every object you see, there's at LEAST 6 that you do not- some of these are nearly identical to the one you see but have to be made up of convex objects to fill the space. It is a hell of a LOT of work and hats off to the others here that've been doing it for years now.

Tbh, the main reason I'm still working on this is that I'm trying to adopt the attitude that it's a hobby, it's for personal enjoyment etc.

As soon as I start thinking differently it becomes tiresome at points and is literally a feat to turn on the computer knowing what needs to be done that day.

The payback is when I "finish" an object, post it and then get feedback, good or bad- it's all feedback which means someone's interested and it really gets me back on my feet. ;)

So, again, thanks for your input matey and I hope I don't disappoint with what I said before..!

Oh and edit: Indeed, Namalsk opened my eyes to the potential that ARMA has for creating a Stalker themed world- it's a fantastically atmospheric piece of work.

[NeuroFunker 11]

well, maybe a bad example, even at music industry, some bands share samples from their tracks, so people can remix them at their own, but first AFTER the track came out actually. I guess its undersatndable, if someone wants to finish his project first, before sharing some of the "samples" to the public from it.

[lappihuan 178]

True words!

Do your passion and someday you will be happy with it to show it the world ;)

I'm right now more familiar with scripting but I'm trying to get into config editing (maybe even modeling and animating) right now. So i know its a shitload of work and time you put into every detail. But as you say it is more a passion and a hobby rather than something that needs to be done :)

Yes, Namalsk is wonderfull. I've spend more then 1000h playing on it and about +300h in the editor to create a Object Template for my Project.

haha from here comes the persistence! ;)

No disappointment, i do truly understand you and respect your opinion.

best regards

Lappihuan

[teddifisk 1]

Looking great, can't wait to see it finished! :D

[meshcarver 12]

Hi all,

sorry it's been awhile, but this one is quite large and extensive. Add to that the way I'm building all these structures is sort of modular in so far as it'll allow me to easily chop and change for those ever important variations so it all adds up to the process length.

I've really tried to keep this as generic as possible looking, as I'm going to be using it (And various layouts of it) a lot across NOVA ZONA- some will have one floor, other will be really low with a slightly raised roof section etc to add variety.

Again, I'm trying to get across a really strong form with these building- the silhouette is mostly key to do that and with this one I wanted it to almost read as a "church" or place of worship with its outline (Like NOVA ZONA's God was "Industry" or something equally as cheesey lol...) , hence the really tall peak to it which is staggered up by three floors.

Entrance is gained through a small wooden door at the front, or through two large double doors at the back for vehicle access when it was functioning.

The first two floors are accessible by creaky wooden stairs, and the third floor is only reached by a rusty ladder up to a precarious wooden platform where you can snipe and scope to your hearts content.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/86890612@N02/10619815563/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/86890612@N02/10619540675/

The round green units inside are meant to be in the same aesthetic as the Stalker games, so I've tried to keep them functional looking but slightly otherworldly at the same time- like something you wouldn't really see in the real world.

So you're not entirely sure what they were...

The whole building is meant to be a sort of "Fermenting House" for some sort of grain or crop (Or is it..?), and that is the translation on the front too- unless one of our resident Ukrainian speakers here would like to correct me please..! ;)

That's the main difficulty with doing this island- I want to try to cover all the bases like Laboratories/Factories/Admin/Houses/Stalker made Structures etc, but in doing so will have to create "average" approximations of each class- I can't get too specific otherwise the pattern will be too recognisable each time you see the same building.

I think this is a problem for Island dev in general, just part of the challenge..! You have to be really selective about what you choose to put in.

Things like populating the buildings with smaller objects will come later and will hopefully break up the repetition... fingers crossed..!

Here's two interior shots too:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/86890612@N02/10619585496/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/86890612@N02/10619589156/

Anyway guys, thanks for reading this and also thanks for the PMs I get too- it's really kind and helps keep me going with this..!

Also, if there's anyone in the know or a BI Dev who is checking this out, could you PLEASE let me know if you see any potential for problems with these structures I'm making, as I'm trying to keep each to under the magic (50 meter) size, but I'm more concerned about things like how many polys/verts etc for each kind of LOD.

Is there a guide for that yet please? I don't want to go over it with all these detailed planks of wood and holes in the walls etc...

Edited November 2, 2013 by meshcarver

[mistyronin 1181]

Great work as always! Just with your screens I imagine how the map, will look like... And man, it's going to be immersive!

Do you have any screen with the new buildings in game?

[luki 53]

Amazing work as usual, im impressed everytime when i see your updates. Keep on!

For details and such i would recommend rather keep it simple and save/use selections/components only where it makes sense gameplay wise.

I guess you can always use resources, especially when you want to use small objects to populate and randomize.

Greetings

Edited November 2, 2013 by Atsche

[meshcarver 12]

@MistyRonin-

Cheers man..! Aye, I'm really trying as much as possible to push the forms to create something more or less opposite to Altis.

These structures are just being slightly exaggerated by me so it already looks as different as possible, but once I start to do more Stalker "modified" structures and Anomaly warped assets, it's really going to look a lot different from Altis hopefully, a bit more "other worldly" is what I'm after, just enough to unhinge the atmosphere...

Also, if you go back a few posts, there's some ingame shots of the House 05 mate.

@Atsche-

Hi matey,

Thanks for the comments, but could I ask you to please elaborate when you mention "save/use selections/components only" etc?

Do you mean overall, keep things simple like doors/ladders/lights etc?

Or the poly construction of them?

For an example, that Metal Warehouse 01 I've just posted has 10,500 trus in it or 6,500 verts in it.

Is that ok? Bearing n mind it's a pretty big structure...

Also, with "using resources" do you mean the standard ARMA3 ones please?

Thanks again Atsche,

Marc

[luki 53]

Afaik saving components for lods like geo/fire ect. can save alot performance.

Just take a look at the arma1 Hotel model for example, that has 10,500 points and 13,900 faces and around 500! components in its geolod.

I guess your polycont is more than ok for such a structure, as you probably wont use to many instances of it on the map and you still have space to add more details.

About objects inside buildings, i dont know whats a good solution to save resources, create proxys with different object compositions would be an option maby.

"using resources" in terms of the ability to use more components and such for details and objects where the player interacts most likley.

[meshcarver 12]

Hi Atsche,

Ahhh yes, I get you mate thanks.

Indeed, the way you can make Geolods really basic is great. It's even better now as things like ragdoll/handthrown collisions will be handled with a separate Physx Lod, so it's now possible to make the Geolod even more blocky and basic!

Cheers man!

[Redphoenix 1539]

Thats sick dude, keep on doing!

[meshcarver 12]

@RedPhoenix-

thanks man, I'll certainly try my best to keep churning these out. There's so much to do lol- I have a list I'm slowly ticking off for structures etc, but as soon as I do some more research on the interweb I see some other amazing structure that sets my mind off and the list starts growing again..!!! :]

I'm starting a burnt house structure today- so they can fit in more in "Ashland" (Thanks all go to Kyle for that one...) and around Anomaly areas that are relevant to heat.