Terrain Improvement (dev branch)

[NordKindchen 12]

So here some new examples!

As allways: These pictures are 100% representative! While this is my taste and I would definately rework some of the textures - these pictures are (as allways) put together from ingame screenshots with different midrange texture mods. The endresult is a mash up via photoshop of the different midrange mods. (selfmade mods btw)

The first picture is the scene from far and the second one is zoomed in.

Pls notice that I put 3 soldiers into the first picture to show you how much the camouflage will improve with the new system!

Here is the other example in small

Here is the example in big.

Here is the example in small

Here is the example in big.

Enjoy! And best regards

Best regards!

[nikiforos 450]

Amazing work NordKindchen it really looks interesting. I hope your work will somehow make it and convince BIs to implement this feature.

[megagoth1702 252]

Seeing how many of the arma community members have high end machines with 1.5+ GB graphics I think this should be implemented into the game. People with lower GFX setup could get an option in the options menu.

[NordKindchen 12]

The performance hit shouldnt be big. In the end - its a few more textures (not really that many - all my example screens are made with 4 different textures in total) and one more step before rendering. Namely fetching the local information of the texture from a logic map.

In the end - one single soldier has more different textures than I am trying to implement.

[twistking 204]

The performance hit shouldnt be big.

Not to forget, that you could easily lower "terrain detail" a bit: With the currenst system i always have terrain details as high as possible in an attempt to somehow balance the blurry midrange with more grass clutter (works better on flat terrain).

With nordkindchens solution you could easily reduce grass clutter distance, for even better visuals, with even better performance!

ps: thanks for your good work, nord. your pictures and explanations are very convincing. hopefully also for the devs!

Edited June 8, 2013 by twistking

[mordeaniischaos 3]

As much as I love Outerra/Anteworld, you can't really compare these two games/engines...

Yeah, one was created in the last decade :p God, can you imagine Arma using that as the "world tech"? You could literally have operations spanning the globe o.O

[Sharks80 10]

i'm impressed how the community can give great ideas to make the game better, voted and hopefully devs are listening to you !

[Fuse 1]

Great work. This looks really good.

My one complaint is that the current example, which I'm sure isn't "finished", looks a bit too detailed compared to other textures. Do something like blur it just slightly and I think it would be pretty darned close to perfect.

EDIT: Of course I would have to play with it to tell for sure, that's just my first impression.

Edited June 13, 2013 by Fuse

[twistking 204]

i would go with a softer look too, but this is just a question of balancing the new logic-mapped detailed textures with the underlying sat-texture.

[Anachoretes 10]

Looks good. But tonal contrast too high. Unrealistic.

[acoustic 82]

If BI doesn't look into this I will be really disappointed.

Sometimes with the right coloring (time of day) and other things, it's harder for me to notice these texture problems. But, whenever these "coverups" are gone, the game looks somewhat laughable. Look at this for example:

I take it all of these pictures were taken with PP off and such?

[twistking 204]

They never commented on the issue, so i'm still hoping.

Edited June 20, 2013 by twistking

[krazikilla 5]

Holy MOFO this looks awesome!

ArmA3 needs this thingy.

[xyberviri 1]

-stuff-

Instead of all this, how about they just intergrate substance by allegorithimc into the game engine the way UDK and unity have done:

http://www.allegorithmic.com/integrations/udk

Then there wouldn't be any texture creation anymore since it would all be programmed in the engine via code.

heck the company could dynamically texture units on the fly...

I take it all of these pictures were taken with PP off and such?

you turn on PP? I leave this off because every mission designer seems to think they need to abuse ppeffects to be kewl

[wiresnsnakes 1]

I just have too bump this, cause its one of the things that can help by the gameplay and immersion-breaking lack of detail at ranges.

Reallly really hope they do something about that and maybe find a way to let there "seem" to be grass and somehow detail, that let anything not flat stick out like the units, bushes, rocks and trees, fake bumpmaps or whatever.

The second thing would be shadows or a way too darken places where shadows would be.

I saw a thread were they showed that Bohemias VBS2 can draw shadows over long distances and a moderator or developer said, they are on on something

Was there any other response? If not: What would make it harder for A3, besides better overall graphics?

I can live with visual flaws, but I just have to feel less visible behind a rock against the light and especially in a forrest, were wouldnt be any light normally (Kinda feel sad for fellas in woods, if have a rifle or vehicle-gun, with which i can zoom in). I would even prefer, if just anything is darkened at some range, that woulndt be logical, but at least i feel so exposed to OHKs (which I otherwise like about A3).

Till know I only (but very much) can enjoy fights in villages and using it as a flight-sim.

The distant visuals (in contrast with the nearby) just take me out immersionwise and I really cant enjoy it to be totally exposed in a realistic Shooter with so limited potential of stealth.

[NordKindchen 12]

I am disappointed by the state of the game.

There is so much fail whereever I look.

I honestly by now think that BIS simply lacks the professional capabilities.

Sry to say so.

They can build really nice models of vehicles - I give them that. But apart from that every aspect of the game seems lacking...

I am really sad to say so but this is what the development showed me...

[minimalaco 30]

Wow! Fantastic.

[twistking 204]

I am disappointed by the state of the game.

there is still some time till release and i'm sure your ticket has made quite an impact! i could imagine, that the map designers are working full time on altis right now and i hope, they will revisit the midrange textures as soon as altis is more or less finished! hopes are still up!

Wow! Fantastic.

don't forget to vote for the corresponding ticket over at the issue tracker.

[progamer 14]

there is still some time till release and i'm sure your ticket has made quite an impact! i could imagine, that the map designers are working full time on altis right now and i hope, they will revisit the midrange textures as soon as altis is more or less finished! hopes are still up!

don't forget to vote for the corresponding ticket over at the issue tracker.

They are also doing a lot of things people want after release too.

[Anachoretes 10]

This mod make picture "punchy" but not make it more real. Need to work with contrast, and increase tonal range.

[twistking 204]

This mod make picture "punchy" but not make it more real. Need to work with contrast, and increase tonal range.

nord's example pictures should be seen as an example of how easy it would be so significantly increase graphics from a technical point of view (logic maps. yay!). they are not about art-direction!

i would also prefer a less "punchy" look.

[Anachoretes 10]

they are not about art-direction!

But this guy just made few images with oversharping and dirty spots and found that it gives him the right to criticize someone's work. It's very strange.

[NordKindchen 12]

I definately prefer my variant. If you dont like it - dont buy it. On the other hand: How about you do it better?

I definately think I wouldnt like your work too much either. But I for my part would have had the modesty to keep it to myself.

And I worked in the gaming industries for 3 years as a background artist. I think I have some kind of knowledge.

That said: Pls stop critizising my work on every third comment. You clearly didnt understand the purpose of this thread if you call this "a mod".

And of course I didnt finish the used textures - since they wont be used anyways before this system is implemented. So why bothering building more than a showcase?

Now its your turn: Before you start complaining again (and again and again) you create your own showcase pics.

thanks and best regards

Ps: You wrote a lot about colour spaces. Maybe my monitor shows the pictures different than yours? Ive got a really bright monitor with no chance of calibrating it. Keep that in mind.

Edited July 21, 2013 by NordKindchen

[Anachoretes 10]

Before you start complaining again (and again and again) you create your own showcase pics.

think that BIS simply lacks the professional capabilities.

So why do you say that? You made you own ArmA?

Ive got a really bright monitor with no chance of calibrating it

It's not good for picture editing. And for eye's too.

Edited July 21, 2013 by Anachoretes

[NordKindchen 12]

I dont have to own BIS to see what they do right or wrong.

But before I start arguing with you - you show you can do it better.