Kunduz, Afghanistan [10km] v1.20

[nikiforos 450]

Used to love this map but now I think it lost all the good feeling. I tried different times of the day but the map was not even close to look as good as before the 1.60 update.

Sorry , I respect your effort to update to 1.60 but the changes BI made seems game breaking for me .

[sargken 286]

For all of you that say don't merge it with cup, why does it matter there will always be a standalone that you can download. The reason why to merge it with cup may be that they are going to upgrade to Jbad buildings. Which this map uses and it would add a great afghan map into the best map pack. 

 

+1 for CUP integration

[Jackal326 1181]

Yeah, don't merge it with CUP. Don't merge it with anything. I wish no people would ever use AiA, CUP or anything that's Arma2. It's Arma 3 now, make maps standalone. I don't mind if it's 1 or 2 gigs, what matters is that I don't need to download 10 gigs of crap for 1 map i'd want to play. 

And the award for most selfish forum post goes to... this guy.

 

10GB of "crap" (I wouldn't call it that personally, merely using your terminology for simplicities sake) to run ANY/ALL islands under one banner is a waste is it? You'd rather each and every island available be several GB in size purely so you don't have to download 10GB...Sounds like false economy to me. Also, you're probably one of those advocates for Workshop availability...Doesn't that have a file-size limit of 1GB (could be wrong, I'm going from memory and I don't use it). Good luck being able to download any of your islands from there if that does turn out to be the case...

[sargken 286]

And the award for most selfish forum post goes to... this guy.

 

10GB of "crap" to run ANY/ALL islands under one banner is a waste is it? You'd rather each and every island available be several GB in size purely so you don't have to download 10GB...Sounds like false economy to me. Also, you're probably one of those advocates for Workshop availability...Doesn't that have a file-size limit of 1GB (could be wrong, I'm going from memory and I don't use it). Good luck being able to download any of your islands from there if that does turn out to be the case...

 

No there is no limit of 1 GB on workshop.

[Max255 59]

Great work on the update!

 

Also +1 for CUP integration.

[El Tyranos 1264]

+1 for CUP integration, and thanks for the update :)

[serjames 357]

Thanks for the updates... great support !

oh and :-)

+1 for Cup integration.

[james2464 176]

It's funny how some people straight up dropped projects after 1.60 was released. Yet there are people like yourself - James - who went with it, and worked with it, and actually updated their project(s). I appreciate that.

 

Thanks :)

 

The new update looks great and you seem to have solved some of the ugly issues I still have post 1.60.

 

How many of the updates in the changelog come from just updating the config 

It might help ease a lot of the 1.60 terrain pain out there at the moment. :)

 

Cheers! 

 

1. How many of the updates in the changelog come from just updating the config?

The update I made to the terrain config is mostly in regards to inheriting the new lighting system, I've done this in a way that will automatically inherit future tweaks without updating the terrain. See here: https://forums.bistudio.com/topic/191021-160-terrain-config-update-example/

Other changes to the configs involve the buildings in regards to the doors and bugs.

2. Terrain texture PAAs and RVMATs?

 

Once I had inherited the new lighting system and begun testing in-game I could see the new lighting was exposing large rvmat inconsistencies from the Arma 2 days in regards to brightness and contrast on some plants/trees etc which made them pop and distract from the scene. I fixed this by comparing similar assets in Arma 3 and looking at their RVMAT values using the Eliteness tool by Mikero.

I also tweaked a few paa textures using Photoshop to blend the colours better with the new lighting for example the flower heads on the poppy fields and the wheat.

 

3. Updating the clutter assets?

 

I simply rearranged/tweaked and swapped out some clutter for each type of ground texture for different types of clutter to give the ground a new feeling and better blend. I haven't added any custom clutter assets.

 

4. Doing some photoshop surgery on your Sat image?

 

This was difficult because my options were limited as the original satellite image is not the best quality. In Photoshop I used the magic wand tool which allowed me to select all pixels of the same colour in the image (for example anything tinted with bluey-green) to then replace with the best alternative considering its neighbouring pixels. I did this for each pixel until most of the bluey-green was replaced. You can see the result of this method if you zoom all the way in on the in-game map.

 

5. Tree shaders?

 

I simply double checked all RVMATs were using appropriate values and not the old Arma 2 values to blend harmoniously with the scene/terrain surroundings. These are the key values (p_fiberplant_ep1.rvmat):

ambient[] = {0.01,0.58,0.2,0.2};
diffuse[] = {0.3,0.3,0.3,1.0};
forcedDiffuse[] = {0.75,0.15,0.3,0.55};
emmisive[] = {2.6,2.3,2.0,0.2};
specular[] = {0.01,0.01,0.01,0.2};
specularPower = 1;
PixelShaderID = "TreeAdv";
VertexShaderID = "TreeAdv";

You can see what i'm using with the Eliteness tool by Mikero

 

6. Other maintenance in this update?

 

Lots of code changes and bug fixes in the configs, model configs and p3d parameters in OB for the buildings and other objects. I'm using Jbad but i've modified, updated and fixed parts for Kunduz like the door system, destruction etc. These changes are very important for other mods and missions. eg. ACE3, campaigns etc.

 

There is no stars and moon in the sky   in v1.20

Thanks for reporting. Fixed and update coming.

 

Why merge with CUP??

 

 

First the Jbad mod by Milkman and Smokedog would need to be merged into CUP with my changes to the mod also. Kunduz as a part of CUP will give other afghan maps greater variety, better buildings and more plant life but also provide Kunduz with long term support and compatibility to any future engine changes like we've seen with the new lighting system in 1.60. Without CUP/group support where everyone can contribute to the source code of mods then I would say the terrain graveyard/abandonment will only grow.

 

Awesome update, looks amazing with the new lighting :) Do you plan to change the water colour into something more brown in the future ?

 

Yes I think that would be awesome, I just need to find the right way to do that with the new water shading system that has been implemented. But i'll definitely do this soon.

[DieselJC 196]

I updated the Map today but can no longer open My mission in editor..it says I am missing afghan_houses_old..is this an error or is there something I need to do?

 

Really love this map..one of my Top 5 for sure.

 

Diesel

 

 

 

EDIT: Issue fixed,my mistake.

 

 

Really like the updates you di to the Map..great work!

[Aniallator 164]

Thanks :)

 

 

1. How many of the updates in the changelog come from just updating the config?

The update I made to the terrain config is mostly in regards to inheriting the new lighting system, I've done this in a way that will automatically inherit future tweaks without updating the terrain. See here: https://forums.bistudio.com/topic/191021-160-terrain-config-update-example/

Other changes to the configs involve the buildings in regards to the doors and bugs.

2. Terrain texture PAAs and RVMATs?

 

Once I had inherited the new lighting system and begun testing in-game I could see the new lighting was exposing large rvmat inconsistencies from the Arma 2 days in regards to brightness and contrast on some plants/trees etc which made them pop and distract from the scene. I fixed this by comparing similar assets in Arma 3 and looking at their RVMAT values using the Eliteness tool by Mikero.

I also tweaked a few paa textures using Photoshop to blend the colours better with the new lighting for example the flower heads on the poppy fields and the wheat.

 

3. Updating the clutter assets?

 

I simply rearranged/tweaked and swapped out some clutter for each type of ground texture for different types of clutter to give the ground a new feeling and better blend. I haven't added any custom clutter assets.

 

4. Doing some photoshop surgery on your Sat image?

 

This was difficult because my options were limited as the original satellite image is not the best quality. In Photoshop I used the magic wand tool which allowed me to select all pixels of the same colour in the image (for example anything tinted with bluey-green) to then replace with the best alternative considering its neighbouring pixels. I did this for each pixel until most of the bluey-green was replaced. You can see the result of this method if you zoom all the way in on the in-game map.

 

5. Tree shaders?

 

I simply double checked all RVMATs were using appropriate values and not the old Arma 2 values to blend harmoniously with the scene/terrain surroundings. These are the key values (p_fiberplant_ep1.rvmat):

ambient[] = {0.01,0.58,0.2,0.2};
diffuse[] = {0.3,0.3,0.3,1.0};
forcedDiffuse[] = {0.75,0.15,0.3,0.55};
emmisive[] = {2.6,2.3,2.0,0.2};
specular[] = {0.01,0.01,0.01,0.2};
specularPower = 1;
PixelShaderID = "TreeAdv";
VertexShaderID = "TreeAdv";

You can see what i'm using with the Eliteness tool by Mikero

 

6. Other maintenance in this update?

 

Lots of code changes and bug fixes in the configs, model configs and p3d parameters in OB for the buildings and other objects. I'm using Jbad but i've modified, updated and fixed parts for Kunduz like the door system, destruction etc. These changes are very important for other mods and missions. eg. ACE3, campaigns etc.

 

Thanks for reporting. Fixed and update coming.

 

 

First the Jbad mod by Milkman and Smokedog would need to be merged into CUP with my changes to the mod also. Kunduz as a part of CUP will give other afghan maps greater variety, better buildings and more plant life but also provide Kunduz with long term support and compatibility to any future engine changes like we've seen with the new lighting system in 1.60. Without CUP/group support where everyone can contribute to the source code of mods then I would say the terrain graveyard/abandonment will only grow.

 

 

Yes I think that would be awesome, I just need to find the right way to do that with the new water shading system that has been implemented. But i'll definitely do this soon.

Thank you for continuing to work on this map! It's always a shame to see great mods forgotten by their developers.

[DAGGER ARMANET 172]

First off let me say that WOW this terrain looks stunning with the lighting adjustments you made to fit the 1.60 update. Its one of the best adaptations of the new lighting config i have seen. Really stunning.

 

One question... Is anyone else having performance issues with this terrain vs. the old version of this terrain. We played it last night and had some significant jerkiness especially when we zoomed in, or turned our heads (track ir). Or especially once we entered the Kar Shek area. The game framerates were decent but it was very jerky almost like low frame rate feeling. I noticed a redesigned area in karshek and again just curious if others have noticed a performance decrease after the update or if its on my end. This map used to run like butter for me.

[major_desync 137]

Thank you for all the crunchy, gory details - they're certainly a help to me (the config especially) and I'm sure to other mappers! 

 

I think my circumstances are a little different to yours, as I've got one A3 only map, and another that gets its A2 assets from CUP Terrains. Am I hopeless optimist to assume that A2 assets will inherit the great work that the CUP guys have already done if the map is run with CUP Terrains as a dependency? :)

 

Having already updated the config and textures, the main job I need to look at I think is narrowing the gap between the new texture colours and the sat image (one way or the other). 

 

Anyway - enough inside mapping baseball on a Kunduz thread!  Great terrain and great advice! Thanks again!

 

(And, yes, Eliteness is an essential tool if you're messing with configs and rvmats - the lint check function is a real sanity saver.) 

[sitrepo 14]

And the award for most selfish forum post goes to... this guy.

 

10GB of "crap" (I wouldn't call it that personally, merely using your terminology for simplicities sake) to run ANY/ALL islands under one banner is a waste is it? You'd rather each and every island available be several GB in size purely so you don't have to download 10GB...Sounds like false economy to me. Also, you're probably one of those advocates for Workshop availability...Doesn't that have a file-size limit of 1GB (could be wrong, I'm going from memory and I don't use it). Good luck being able to download any of your islands from there if that does turn out to be the case...

 

Nah, you don't understand. Think about any of the Arma 2 maps. How many buildings are enterable? Maybe 20-25% on each. Except Takistan and Zargabad, they have maybe 90% of the building you can enter. Now Chernarus. Yes, that's a good map i know that. But try to do urban combat in that. It's nearly impossible. If you're stuck on one of the streets, cut off from the front and behind, you don't really have a chance to try and escape left or right because you can't enter most of the buildings. Now look at Altis. There's maybe like 5% of the buildings you can't enter.

So just think about it. Let's say you want to play mapX, it looks great, it's buildings are enterable, 20x20km, filesize is ..dunno 800mb but you have to have 10GB of files that you don't use (Takistan and Zargabad maybe) because of the reasons i listed above.

Now do the math. You have 10 gigs of files, out of that 10 Zargabad and Takistan is like 2. Yeah, make it 2 gigs. Now mapX for 800mb. That's 3 maps for 10.8GB. Yeah, surely not a waste of space and a waste of time in downloading.

Now let's say you download 5 standalone maps. MapA-E. A=1.2, B=1.8, C=0.8, D=2.3, E=1.5. It's 7.6 if i'm correct. 7.6GB of maps that you can have proper CQB.

And don't get me wrong, Arma2 maps were great at their time. Back in 2009 you couldn't even find a game like that. But that was 7 years ago. Arma has come a long way, it improved a lot. Like i said, it's the time of Arma 3 now. It's versatility is unmatched.

So yeah, just think about all i wrote for a second.

[war_lord 934]

Except your math is bollocks, what makes up the vast majority of a map's filesize is custom buildings. For example CUP's building assets takes up 6.26 GBs the maps themselves are only another 1.7 GB. The only maps under a GB in size are the ones that are depending on other assets not included in the map, which right now means CUP, Jbad or Altis assets. The old Bornholm map, for example, is 1.51 GB, because it was started before AiA released, and thus includes a lot of redundant Arma 2 assets. What you're basically saying is that no one should make a map unless they're prepared to make a Jbad quality buildings pack to go with it, which is absurd. Buildings for Arma 3 are not a trivial thing to make, they're actually one of the hardest things to do, it's a whole project in and of itself.

Bohemia was able to to make most of the buildings on Altis enterable, because it's a set of 30 or so totally empty buildings copy pasted over and over again to make towns. Tanoa is actually going to have fewer, more detailed enterable structures, just because even for a professional team, enterable buildings are a lot of work to get right. And even if every map maker had the time and the ability to make a Jbad level building project for their map, all that work could potentially be broken by an Arma update at a later time when the map maker is no longer interested in Arma, which could leave many maps abandoned and broken.

So yeah, before you go calling CUP "crap", maybe you should learn how maps are actually made instead of acting like a tit online? Or learn to make buildings yourself if it's so easy.      

[El Tyranos 1264]

Plus the fact that if SMD buildings, JBAD buildings, Kunduz buildings (houses with cave, walls, undergrounds) are merged to CUP, all maps depending on CUP will have their buildings automatically changed to those buildings, so for exemple many A1 building will become enterable (like +50% on Sahrani).

Plus the idea behind CUP developpers to make chernarus buildings enterable one day.

 

Don't you remember how scattered was the community before ? Nothing was compatible, now with ACE + RHS + CUP we have a very good quality standard and community work, so I hope James' great buildings will be merged to CUP so that other modders will be able to help him to increase many maps' quality, and stop redundancy.

[Crielaard 435]

Just get a hard drive thats big enough and an ISP that gives you 200 or 500mbit or more. Problem solved.

[kylania 568]

Used to love this map but now I think it lost all the good feeling. I tried different times of the day but the map was not even close to look as good as before the 1.60 update.

Sorry , I respect your effort to update to 1.60 but the changes BI made seems game breaking for me .

 

Have you tried to adjust your settings at all?  That can make a huge difference with the new visual upgrade system.  Personally I use St. Jimmy's settings (second link there) with lowered ppBrightness and things looks so much better for me now.  You now have much more control over the visuals on your own client and adjusting those settings is really required now.

[blackburnrus 31]

James, I foud a bug: there is no moon and stars in 1.20

[domokun 515]

Have you tried to adjust your settings at all?  That can make a huge difference with the new visual upgrade system.  Personally I use St. Jimmy's settings (second link there) with lowered ppBrightness and things looks so much better for me now.  You now have much more control over the visuals on your own client and adjusting those settings is really required now.

Here's quick summary of what worked for a few of the more vocal members:

DISPLAY

Bright = 0.8/0.7/0.8

Gamma = 0.9/0.8/0.8

AA & PP

Bright = 105/100/95

Contrast = 120/99/90

Sat = 115/117/100

23:4 check-out Arma 1.60 

[shocknawe 11]

The map looks fantastic, but I've got 2  issues with it that I wanted to bring up.

 

1) Often times the framerate will drop dramatically while zooming (holding right mouse button, not even a scope), more so than on other maps. It essentially starts to stutter, which makes it very hard to play on.

2) Buildings and rocks that are over 200 metres away will often start flickering severely.

 

I don't know if these bugs have already been reported, but to me they're very severe.

[HeroesandvillainsOS 1504]

First off let me say that WOW this terrain looks stunning with the lighting adjustments you made to fit the 1.60 update. Its one of the best adaptations of the new lighting config i have seen. Really stunning.

One question... Is anyone else having performance issues with this terrain vs. the old version of this terrain. We played it last night and had some significant jerkiness especially when we zoomed in, or turned our heads (track ir). Or especially once we entered the Kar Shek area. The game framerates were decent but it was very jerky almost like low frame rate feeling. I noticed a redesigned area in karshek and again just curious if others have noticed a performance decrease after the update or if its on my end. This map used to run like butter for me.

Yeah I noticed the performance issues too. Your description is pretty spot on except I'm seeing this just about everywhere.

The map is GLORIOUS. It's just not liking my PC all that much and I'm running an i7 6700k with a GTX 970 and 16GB of RAM.

[DAGGER ARMANET 172]

Yeah I noticed the performance issues too. Your description is pretty spot on except I'm seeing this just about everywhere.

The map is GLORIOUS. It's just not liking my PC all that much and I'm running an i7 6700k with a GTX 970 and 16GB of RAM.

Ah ok thanks Heroes, yeah i was curious if my computer was just hating me as usual or if there was something others were seeing. I had a 2 unit members that were seeing the same. Thanks .

 

Wow the lighting on this map is amazing.

[HeroesandvillainsOS 1504]

Ah ok thanks Heroes, yeah i was curious if my computer was just hating me as usual or if there was something others were seeing. I had a 2 unit members that were seeing the same. Thanks .

 

Wow the lighting on this map is amazing.

So this map is still standalone, correct? CUP is needed or not needed?

I really wasn't sure when I launched it yesterday so I ran it with CUP. Perhaps that's causing the stutters?

Long shot but worth an ask.

[tpw 2315]

There are certain areas of Kunduz where fps drop from 60 to 20. I think it's something to do with the fields of poppies, but I can't be sure.

[HeroesandvillainsOS 1504]

There are certain areas of Kunduz where fps drop from 60 to 20. I think it's something to do with the fields of poppies, but I can't be sure.

Yeah that would make sense as the poppies can hurt performance on Sangin (it's worth it IMO. I love the look of pink on green), but I personally wasn't near or looking at the poppies on Kunduz yesterday, as far as I'm aware.