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

[meshcarver 12]

Damn,

I've been really sick the past few days (and still am really...) with food poisoning, so sorry that new WIP hasn't come out yet.

It's half done but I should have it posted in about 5 days time hopefully- it's a burnt out house structure, of which you'll see many in NOVA ZONA.

After finishing that, I'm toying with the idea of doing a simple concept drawing to get across the mood and atmosphere I'm going for with the final island (and it will be an "island" btw, not a landlocked mass), as it'll break up my constantly churning out models and will offer a nice respite and also it'll hopefully let you get more of an idea about the maps asthetic.

Alright fellow Stalkers, catch you later..! :dead:

[luki 53]

That damn asian food ;)

Cant wait to see your concepts.

I think to do an "island" is the right decision.

Keep in mind to add some smaler islands around, it is always usefull for missions.

Looking forward to your updates and get well soon!

[NeuroFunker 11]

nice looking screens! Just a question, did you use some sharpening filters at post processed image? The textures kinda look to sharp in my opinion.

[mistyronin 1181]

Damn,

I've been really sick the past few days (and still am really...) with food poisoning, so sorry that new WIP hasn't come out yet.

Nevermind, health is always first! Although I must admit that I can't wait for more screens.

I wish you a speedy recovery.

[emoglobinsky 149]

Alright fellow Stalkers, catch you later..! :dead:

Hey, if you want to make a small break of modeling, maybe you should try to create some terrains ? I just put hands on Worldmachine and it's so fun to toy with !

[nerdmod 11]

@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!

Hey MC,

I'm doing fine now that I'm not ill. Damn seasonal viruses got one over me so I was out for a week recovering. It wasn't all bad though because there are benefits to being bed bound; like having time to think, think, and think. :D

It's pleasing to know that you are paying attention to detail. Like you say, it just doesn't sit right to have inconsistent res textures spoiling the immersion, or even spoiling the work of such great modelling. Just looking at the images you linked, and OMG they look beautiful under A3 lighting! My excitement just doubled! haha. I see what you mean about the sun rays beaming through the gaps and such. Really does look STALKER-like and would be awesome to get a similar effect under Moonlight.

Curious to know how you set up the RVMATS and textures that come with that side of things. I seem to have this issue where objects just look completely black when facing away from a light source.

Man, damn GeoLods continue to haunt me too. Even on basic structures like the Window/Door modules I find myself baffled as to why what you mentioned above is happening. It pains me to think how difficult it must be to set up the GeoLods for such intricate models. I can only wish you some extra success in the matter. :P

Anyway, I will now browse through the latest posts in search for more images to dribble over. ;)

---------- Post added at 18:06 ---------- Previous post was at 17:55 ----------

Damn,

I've been really sick the past few days (and still am really...) with food poisoning, so sorry that new WIP hasn't come out yet.

It's half done but I should have it posted in about 5 days time hopefully- it's a burnt out house structure, of which you'll see many in NOVA ZONA.

After finishing that, I'm toying with the idea of doing a simple concept drawing to get across the mood and atmosphere I'm going for with the final island (and it will be an "island" btw, not a landlocked mass), as it'll break up my constantly churning out models and will offer a nice respite and also it'll hopefully let you get more of an idea about the maps asthetic.

Alright fellow Stalkers, catch you later..! :dead:

Man that sucks! Get well soon bud, and I look forward to seeing what you come up with.

Take Care,

- NerdMod

[meshcarver 12]

Hi all,

Thanks for the good wishes guys, I'm a lot better today, but right now my better half is cooking bacon and I can feel my stomach turning a bit..!

Normally I live for bacon... :)

@Atsche, lol yeah man, it was either some ropey food or the yoghurts I had in the fridge that were a month old?

Anyway aye, I made my mind up a while ago to have it as an island, as it offers practical solutions like I believe I've heard islands, as opposed to land locked masses offer better performance.

Also, with the nature of what NOVA ZONA is, an island setting could really harness the feeling of isolation and utter abandonment if done correctly I reckon. I love the rugged desolate windswept feel of the fantastic Namalsk, and it owes a lot to some of the atmospheric sound effects so I plan to go into detail on that side of things too.

@NeuroFunker, hi dude, no mate, nothing at all. They are literally just screen grabs, with zero alteration. But it's funny you mentioned it as I also asked about this months ago if you can find it here.

I made mention that in Flickr, when I upload the pngs, it seems to really sharpen the images a LOT and produces the effect which I think you're referring to?

As far as I can tell, if you click on my blog link instead to view them and compare, then the blog ones are softer looking, closer to the original grab.

I just think Flickr isn't doing s good job of showing them..?

No worries though, they really don't look so harsh in reality mate.

@MistyRonin, thanks very much man, appreciated..!

@Emoglobinsky, hey, cheers for the suggestion, but I could easily see myself being utterly distracted by that for months lol..! It looks fantastic btw, and if it's a viable way to create an island for ARMA3 then I may even use it...

@NerdMod, hey man, glad to hear you're better..!

Aye, as for the set up I currently using- basically for each structure I'm using Multi Material RV Mats, as they're more or less designed specifically for house/building/structures so you can have up to 4 texture sheets on them and it comes out at only 1 Section count. Typically, most of my structures use 3-4 texture sheets @ 1024*2048.

I've asked Busklurker about this way to go with these figures and he's pretty much given me the nod that it should be ok.

As far as Geolods go, please go to the ARMA3 editing/modelling forum, and look for my post about Geo/Physx lods as I got some good news about it from a Dev, Redstone, recently and I explain it there in depth mate.

I on iPad so can't link it here without risking losing all this reply! ;)

Anyway, thanks again chaps and I hope to update soon!

Marc

[NeuroFunker 11]

ah, yes, you're right mate, the flickr is sharpening them for some reason, the ones on your blog look perfect ;)

[VanZant 48]

An amazing job, and very good models. If you manage to create also an interesting topography this is going to be one of the best terrains available.

Are you planning to bake AO into the textures?. That would be an improvement without too much additional work.

[meshcarver 12]

Hey up lads,

@ NeuroFunker- Aye, I really don't know why Flickr is doing that but it's annoying... At least I have the blog though!

@ VanZant - Cheers dude. I plan on making a really varied topography yes but within the confines of realism as I don't want this to tip over into pure fantasy all the way. I think it'll create an interesting juxtaposition where a realistic terrain has small areas of concentrated Anomolies to really push a feeling of dread and unease- that something very bad occurred across the island.

Also yes, I bake AO maps for all structures.

(...also, fyi I have only JUST sat down in front of my PC again since being sickety poo poos and my eyes are killing me already... food poisoning is bad.)

Edited November 9, 2013 by meshcarver

[meshcarver 12]

Alrighty,

here's what is probably going to be the last WIP update before I go back to Blighty for 8 weeks and chill...

It's a burnt house structure, of which there will be MANY variations. This one is mostly intact still, but bear in mind others will be just corner parts, supporting beams or even just the foundations left over etc... Variations again.

I wanted it to retain the look of a structure, and only "gut" it out to a certain extent- many others will be almost completely gutted and will offer no shelter or cover.

...No refuge from Blowouts...

Anyway, here's an exterior and an interior shot looking up:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/86890612@N02/10848669904/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/86890612@N02/10848672344/in/photostream/

I hope you like it.

Now, I'm going to probably do a concept piece to try to show the feeling/atmosphere I'm wanting to achieve with NOVA ZONA. Basically I've got 2 weeks before I've got no PC access for 2 months, so will just take my time with it, as there's no point starting another WIP at this stage...

Anyway, I look forwards to hearing any comments guys..!

Edited November 14, 2013 by meshcarver

[bad benson 1733]

top notch stuff as always! we'll need some dirty dudes and weapons once this is done. vanilla stuff will look way too clean for this awesome dirty dark stuff ;)

[Kyle_K_ski 1]

Ah, I'm very happy to hear that you're finally over the food poisoning. I got hit with it badly while I was the lone employee for a store, and the manager didn't want me to go home! Oh, what a NIGHTMARE that was as there was no large mixing-type/salad bowl to aim the vomit into, just the small Styrofoam coffee cups. Ohhh man. Good times. Good times!

Y'know, considering how many households I know that use mixing/salad bowls for their upheavals, it's more than a little gross to share a dinner that's later served out of those bowls, eh? :crazy_o:

Love the charred houses. I'm very impressed that you got the heat-distressed look of the tin roofs. Having dabbled in some metal smithing, it's amazing the intensity of rainbow hues one can generate from super heating metals. You might want to consider increasing the saturation of the super heated metal some more.

In case you haven't checked your email lately, please take a quick gander at the email I just sent regarding some questions I have about scanning in images for your potential use. I probably over-researched things, and got myself confused, but I'm so exhausted lately, that it's hard to know up from down. Keep up the great work, Marc. You're an inspiration.

[meshcarver 12]

Hi guys,

thanks for the comments..!

Aye, I'd love for someone to step up and do some up higher res Stalker Units and maybe some enemies, but we'll see...

Indeed, I also tried to increase the saturation a bit more than it is on those metal roofing panels, but the repetition was too much... actually, that was before I knocked some out, so I might revisit it and see how it goes..! :D

I saw your PM, cheers Kyle, and I'll get busy posting you a reply now mate!

[katipo66 94]

I just went through a lot of those images (there's a few) for the first time, they all look awesome, You get a feel for it just seeing them standalone, great job look forward to seeing your concept.

[meshcarver 12]

@Katipo66 - Hey thanks man, it's good to hear that as I really want each structure/object to stand out on its own and to be readable as an asset from a "Zone" based map. Then, when they're all put together into a terrain with even more leanings towards the Zone aesthetic, they'll hopefully sit well there.

[meshcarver 12]

Hi again,

I finally got that concept piece done- well, it's more of a mood/atmosphere piece really, as I wanted to get down in an image the kind of feeling I'm going for with NOVA ZONA.

I tried to capture it as the sun was starting to set, as that's more of an evocative time for a location like this- and it's also a bit more symbolic for the island in general as its time in the sun has long since past and now everything is in a state of decay and is slowly being claimed back by nature.

Hopefully you can tell by this image the kind of landscaping I'll be using. It will be varied and also extreme in some places in regards to the changes Anomalies have wrought upon their surroundings...

As this is in the ARMA 3 Engine, it will also be larger and more spaced out- when you go into a swamp area, you won't be able to see the other side- you will have to do a lot of walking to get back out again. I'll scatter little single structures around to break it up in general, but the overall feeling will be very remote, bleak and ravaged.

I will be having clusters of towns and villages and the occasional Industrial or Experimental areas obviously but just wanted to get across that there will also be a lot of wilderness if you want to get away from it all and set up a camp fire. ;)

The statue is a reference to NOVA ZONAs hugely experimental past. Man is holding aloft an atom, but is now himself ruined and crumbling- destroyed by the very thing he holds above all else. You can see more evidence of this in the middle background- the ravaged radio telescope and huge array on the mountains edge...

Anyway, here's a link to the full res one, I hope you like it:

NOVA ZONA CONCEPT 01

Also, I took a little longer as I wanted to get down a logo for NOVA ZONA too.

I wanted it to be a little bit different and strange, and have some relevant information in it too somehow. I didn't want it to be another clone of the Stalker logo, fantastic as that is, as I wanted this to stand out by itself as something separate and new.

After trying out a few ideas, I went down the route of trying to incorporate the "science/experimental" side of the islands history (As that's the sole reason it's in the state it is now..!), and came up with basing it on the Periodic Table Of The Elements.

I've changed up the smaller element names and the figures for the atomic mass.

The names are:

"unexpected"

"uncontained"

"anomalous"

"hostile"

which are obvious references to the creation and state of the Zone itself.

Also, the first three atomic mass figures each add up to 13. The last one, "101" is yet another reference, this time to George Orwells fantastic book, 1984 and the Room 101 where your worst nightmares are made real.

Speaking of 101, I plan on having the main Experimental area (Underground, if possible in ARMA 3) named "Laboratory 101" just so you know..!

Anyway, here's a larger version of the NOVA ZONA logo guys:

NOVA ZONA LOGO

I have only 9 days left before I'm without my PC for 2 months, so will maybe do another concept/mood piece. If I do manage it (time is short!) then it will be more in line with what you're used to from the Stalker games.

It will be down on ground level in the midst of Industrial buildings, piping and overhead wires etc, and will also be darker with storm clouds and lightening etc...you know the kind of thing. ;)

As always, any suggestions or advice is most welcome, as the feedback is a great motivator..!

Take it easy,

Marc

[katipo66 94]

Really nice bro, looks very bleak.. whats the large structure on the distant hill? it looked like some sort off rocket launch site, or ruins although the framing looks too intact, if im looking at it right in perspective to the foreground it seems quite large.

Atmosphere looks awesome, that underground lab mission in stalker was hands down one of the scariest for me, i hated going there so good luck with that underground lab.

Also nice to see you are putting your own twist on how stalker could be, looking forward to it!

Great logo concept as well :D

[Redphoenix 1539]

Loving it.

I am really eager to see the final product.

[meshcarver 12]

Hi Katipo66,

bloody hell, that was quick lol..! ;)

Aye, that's a HUGE radio array on the distant mountain- it's loosely based on the DUGA "Woodpecker" Array in the old USSR:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Woodpecker

I wanted this one to be a lot bigger, almost monolithic, but tried to knock out a few more panels but it broke up the silhouette too much in this particular case. When it's in game, it'll be a lot more ruined, don't worry... ;)

Also yes, I've got lots of ref already for old USSR rocket launch sites, so will be doing an approximation of that too somewhere inland...

@ RedPhoenix-

Cheers dude, I hope I don't disappoint with the final map.

[Redphoenix 1539]

From what I have seen so far: You absolutely won't.

[katipo66 94]

bloody hell, that was quick lol..! ;)

Well you have my attention now :D i loved the original Stalker and it's faction concept and it feels like we're on a winner here! No pressure or anything :P

I recon this deserves it's own custom characters (just general discussion, not request) I wouldn't care if they weren't based exactly on Duty/Freedom/Stalker, just Believable characters that would fit your Zone.

[Tyl3r99 41]

wow smashing concept picture!!! looks freaky :P

post apocalyptic units - check

need some creatures/infected/zombie related units now....

btw how big is the map compared to lets say altis?

good work buddy keep it up

[Jordo 10]

Totally agree with @Katipo66 with the factions.

However Mesh, I think that you should create your own factions as it's your map and your story.

As much as I love the Stalker factions, porting them to your creation seems a bit unimaginative and... predictable.

Even if you're not up to the task of making the units yourself, outlining several of your factions could prompt other modders into making them for your map as it inevitably grows more and more popular as it becomes closer to completion.

As far as Ideas go I think that GSC had some great roles for factions and Some will just be a must, i.e. loners, millitary.

However to put a unique twist into Nova Zona's factions some of these roles should be mixed and matched and subsequently some should be broken up into subfactions.

For example, I think that Mercenaries and the Ecologists should be paired (instead of the ecologists being general cannon fodder, dependent on the protection of random loners) under a sort of shady corporation that has licence and government approval to enter the Zone, they should be armed to the teeth and hostile with anything in sight. Because in the original GSC games the ecologists were stupidly undefended for a supposedly govt protected group. and as for the mercs, there was no real reasoning were even in the zone, I mean they were a bunch of paramilitary units deployed into the zone with no clear motives, but they were essentially portrayed as militant thugs leading militant thugs. only capable of shooting everyone up, not scientific exploration.

I also believe that the 'Freedom' and 'Clearsky' factions should be under one grouping too as a sort of well organised eco-terrorist group, with their own freelance scientists who are trying to make sense of the zone and live with it, fiercely determined to fight for the futile goal of trying to live peacefully in a land that is consciously trying to destroy them. they should be a faction that is radical in thinking but not anarchistic, peace with the zone should be their goal, not absolute freedom. they research extensively into positive uses for artifacts and try to tame mutants to prove that the zone can be lived with and not fought. the group's motives should be far more holistic than 'freedom's', making their cause something of a group ideology that could form a larger and properly equipped faction

As for the 'Duty' type faction, I think once again that the GSC's 'duty' was an awesome faction, but at times they seemed a tad bit too onside with the military seeming like an mercenary group deployed by the millitary, being backed and supplied by them, rather I think it could be taken another step.

Three factions were cut from the original stalker, the first I'll get into is Final Day.

Despite the fact that final Day was only mentioned in one paragraph of dialogue in Stalker CS, the seed of their ideology is enough to inspire a whole faction.

They're basically a group of religious Zealots that believe that the Zone is spreading and it will mean the end of the earth. Certainly has some parallels to the duty ideology.

They basically destroy as much of the zone as they can, hunting and destroying all mutants and zombies, stockpiling and destroying artifacts and attempting to deactivate anomalies by any means necessary. Instead of being supplied by the military they should be secretly funded by the church, who'd be shitting themselves if the zone did come into existence.

The faction should act as a religious chapter completely hell bent on destroying the zone from the inside out.

Okay, now for banditry. basically I believe that grouping the bandits as a whole is kinda silly, they're a weak faction because they're not a organised faction as such, they should instead be in sub-factions or gangs with distinct differences that aren't on good terms with one another. just off the top of my head here's a few.

Organised crime faction, given some ukrainian family name, you know like a crime family. they deal in taking illegal artifacts out of the zone, they are the traders, they deal in buying and selling artifacts. They'll buy loot for stupidly small amounts of cash and sell it at ridiculously high prices, but if stalkers need the cash they're there and it may very well beat trying to get past the cordon again. They could also hold up stalkers trying to make it out of the zone with loot.

Anarchists, with the zone basically having no rules I think that a lot of freeminded people and anarchists would flock to the zone. This is what got me about the freedom faction, apart from wanting to live with the zone, all they're members were pretty nutty and anarchistic nut despite this, they were the largest faction and one of the most well armed, with a proper leadership, how long would a group like that even form?

to keep these sorts of people in the zone I think that a scaled down group of semi-organised anarchists trying to create a free world should be there, but not with the fire power and nor the numbers of freedom

General bandits, opportunists, like vultures, rob, mug and kill free stalkers with no real central leadership, just small gangs out for whatever they can get.

Other than that you could throw in some neo-nazis, biker gangs, and insane cannibals or something

Monolith style faction, Having a group of insane mind-controlled stalkers at the center of the zone is a must, however I think that an allusion to the deleted Sin faction would be awesome too, making them obscenely disfigured and tumorous as a result of the constant contact with radiation and the brainscorcher devices would be freaking awesome.

Anyway that's my contribution, use it or don't and good luck with the project Mesh, I've been watching for ages :)

Edited November 22, 2013 by Jordo

[Kyle_K_ski 1]

Marc,

The concept art, and the logo, are BRILLIANT!

And a VERY nice use of literary numerology. Those Arma players who are into the Kaballah will LOVE it!