Jump to content
Sign in to follow this  
klavan

"Real" islands.

Recommended Posts

I'm quite surprised by the incredible number of new or redone and modified fictional islands at our disposal.....

And I'm more surprised by the substantial lack of "real islands" at our disposal.....

Comparing the incredible amount of addons (tanks, choppers, etc.) released untill now and the low number of released missions wich uses 'em, well, I wonder if one of the causes could be the absence of isles which feautures "real-word" environment and terrain features....

Think how many missions it should be possible to create with good and large maps of: Fulda region, the Norvegian/Russian border, Italian/Yugoslavian border, for example....

Anyone is workin on something similar?

I think that having 1098556348 versions of Nogova is quite boring.....

PS

Sorry for the bad english. Hope to be understood.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Guest The Cobra

Since it is easier to just make an island without anything that must be followed, that's probably why the majority of islands is fictional. Even small suburbs nowadays is more detailed then Nogova..

Am I right?  huh.gif

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
I'm quite surprised by the incredible number of new or redone and modified fictional islands at our disposal.....

And I'm more surprised by the substantial lack of "real islands" at our disposal.....

Comparing the incredible amount of addons (tanks, choppers, etc.) released untill now and the low number of released missions wich uses 'em, well, I wonder if one of the causes could be the absence of isles which feautures "real-word" environment and terrain features....

Think how many missions it should be possible to create with good and large maps of: Fulda region, the Norvegian/Russian border, Italian/Yugoslavian border, for example....

Anyone is workin on something similar?

I think that having 1098556348 versions of Nogova is quite boring.....

PS

Sorry for the bad english. Hope to be understood.

The fact that we have a lot of redone islands is because they only take 1% of the effort new islands take to make.

1. If you want a totally new island, that's exceptional, you'll have to look in a Mod.

2. If you want a new island, make it yourself, after all, wrptool isnt hard to use, it's designing a believable island that's the problem.

whistle.gif

And if you dont like the redone islands, don't use them, but I think they do give a whole new look to ofp.

nener.gif

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Real Islands, and varity is nice, but at least we got something, thanks to the hard work of many. Even redoing an island isn't easy especially when new textures/models are involved. But overall I agree, new and unique island are needed.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Yeah they are needed, what I'm saying is a complete new island isn't likely to be accomplished by one (Sane) person alone.

You start an island with good intentions, open up wrptool, start making terrain and ground elevations maybe or import them from wilbur. Then you start placing your houses (Which is tedious) making sure they fit to ground, making sure they face the right way.

Then you say to yourself, hey i could make some new ground textures and spend hours doing them.

Then maybe you think you'll need houses.

And the list goes on.

To a single person, all that work can be very disheartening.

If you haven't got a talented addon maker and/or texturer behind you, then your chances of succeeding or slim, unless your all of those....

But I do agree with the fact that new islands are needed, but all Im saying is, dont expect one unless its from a mod.

wink_o.gif

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Fulda Gap Demo (385k)

Small thing I made with accurate roads. Elevations and buildings are off because I had no good source material for them. I have no intention of ever finishing this island. If you want to try to persuade me to go ahead.

I wanted to finish this a long time ago but I had lack of support in the modeling and texturing department so there is no way I could make it realistic.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

@The cobra

I don't think we need complex urban areas a s OFP's AI is all but usefull in MOUT-type scenarios.....

@CJE & Silent n Deadly

Never thought it's easy to modified an existing map. Personally I haven't enough free time to make one by myself. No blame or criticisms on those who improved already existing islands: some are really good some less, but all the island makers have my respect for the amount of work such efforts required to be done.

But sometimes I've got the impression that's an incredible amount of energy wasted in doing something that the community doesn't really needs as I think of the usage the same communty do of these stuffs. Mapfact Nogova is a good example, I think....

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Real islands ain't easy to make compared to a fictional island. A island which ain't based on a real life area can be made by mind, and you don't have to care too much about getting the terrain to look as it should look. Besides, there's a lot of good islands out with totally new objects. And Norwegian/Russian border...better using FDF Mod, which already got a island that's Finland/Russia border. It's better because: 1) FDF Mod got all you need. 2) Almost none norwegian units or vehicles out. 3) Much bigger chance of a war between Finland and Russia than between Norway and Russia.

Besides, making a island based on norwegian terrain ain't easy, cause there's shitloads of mountains everywhere crazy_o.gifwink_o.gif

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Yep, you try mapping that terrain. crazy_o.gif

And then getting rivers, etc.

The ofp engine that handles terrain is a let down. rofl.gif

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

@Garcia

You're right about the FDF mod, but you should consider that one of the major problem for a mission editor for his mission to be d/l and played are the number (and the amount in tersm of MBs) of addons required to play his mission. Personally I've got a DSL connection but there's a lot of people who avoid missions with certain addons requirements. Forcing to d/l only a map is much better than forcing to d/l an entire mod. At least, I think so.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The hardest thing about making realistic areas is the terrain and the level of detail there is. I have tried to make real places but it just doesn't work right without a huge number of addons.

Gundhelm Photo

That picture alone has 40 new building models in it alone. That is a town I tried to make on the Fulda Gap Island I posted earlier but there was no way of doing it because there are just too many new models and too many objects needed in one area.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi, i think that's impossible to make a realistic island in the OFP because of how it handles 'em; unless they be as smaller as that parsil island or somthing like that. The big problem is... what for?, do the MP servers use addon islands (apart of the lagger BAS Tonal or islands for "certain ppl") no. They don't, they don't even use the Mapfact Nogova 1.22 . So what for?, for play in SP!?, that's boring; and what we leak more than good terrain... it's missions. MP missions, SP missions, with addons, without addons or how ever; 100.000 addons & 30 missions, something's wrong there... . What we need it's more missions, coops over all, there's enought CTF's & TDM & DM & CTFI arround there; but there'r the same 30 coop missions (with BIS units) from this last 2 years. And that's veeeery baaaad. A good island that i don't know if still beeing made or if has passed away to the OFP long history of not released addons (BAS Desert Addon, TOW Deltass, USMC Mod vehicles/units/hell-o's, islands, weapons, scripts, objects... bla, bla, bla...) it's a island called:

MadAussie Iraz island:

3.jpg5.jpg

7.jpg6.jpg

looks very good i think; but if it's released... will any MP (Public) server use it?; will some one make coops in that island?! i don't think so... it's a bit pointless but allways good make more islands. Let's cu

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Another thing that keeps people from making realistic islands is that ofp maps are not big enough to hold anything realistic. I dont know if they are real or not, but the fdf islands like the desert island, dont know its name, Is the most realistic looking island Ive found.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Realism....Sometimes I've got the impression that this word is really abused around here: we talk about it only for convenience, when we need to do that.....

Maybe a 25x25 km map could not be sufficient to built a Red Storm Rising-inspired campaign but, in my point of view, it's surely could be a good inspiration for more missions (SP,MP,Coop, etc).

The Grenada island is a very good idea: you could built up a campaign around such island.....

Finishing: I don't think that the number of addons a "real map" may requires could be a so unsurmountable problem: in my HD there are about 10 non-BIS islands and the amount of addons needed to run 'em cover almost the entire spectrum of addons an editor could need of.

Now it's time for me to go to bed.

goodnight.gif

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Here is the problem I am faced with. I want to make my islands original. I prefer to make woodland ones although at some point I wouldn't mind making a desert one once there are objects that I like out. (Not really one to use Tonal stuff I am not a big fan of it)

Anyway the problem is I lack buildings to make the woodland islands original. There are no sets of buildings that I can really make a realistic island out of without using the BIS buildings over and over again. I have already made about 10 islands plus probably about 20 more unfinished ones with those buildings so I am kind of running out of ideas.

I have a mod that is dedicated to making islands and we're working on new buildings now but still it isn't really going fast enough to any point where a whole pack can be ready anytime soon. So I find myself using the same old BIS buildings over and over again and I keep running out of unique ideas to do it in. I would gladly make the Fulda Gap Island or Iceland and maybe even Grenada but I just lack the buildings to put in them.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
@Garcia

You're right about the FDF mod, but you should consider that one of the major problem for a mission editor for his mission to be d/l and played are the number (and the amount in tersm of MBs) of addons required to play his mission. Personally I've got a DSL connection but there's a lot of people who avoid missions with certain addons requirements. Forcing to d/l only a map is much better than forcing to d/l an entire mod. At least, I think so.

And the desert FDF island is just an edited version of Malden ain't it? They've just made an island on 25.2x25.2, added malden and some more terrain to the sea.

Well, I find it to be best with a full MOD, cause IMO a mission based in i.e north of Norway with US and Russians fighting each others would be rather unrealistic tounge2.gif I don't like missions where you got an island that's supposed to be under control by a certain country, and then there ain't 1 single unit from that country on the map...but that's just me wink_o.gif Besides, with a full MOD you will most likely get a as realistic island as possible, cause you will have objects that fit to the island and the culture the island is supposed to be from.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

USMC Sniper, Pappy Boyington and I created, IMHO, THE most realistic city island out there. It's not really based on a real city but you can imagine that being a city unlike some other "cities" with random houses just put wherever and a name called "Duluve". It might not be perfect for your huge 64 on 64 battles but it's a nice place to test addons on and to just mess around and have that "big city" feel to it.

Now, I need my sleep so I can beat up on Stealth3 in Crime City Tomorrow pistols.gif

goodnight.gif

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

@Jakerod

After all the original BIS houses and buildings shouldn't look so bad in a central european-style map: they were created by europeans and placed on islands that really exists in Europe. It's style is cleary presents on Everon and Malden.

Maybe it could appear "strange" to see ten different towns with the same cityhall, but this could be a good starting point anyway.

However, I understand you: I know what happen when you're catched by nausea....

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
Sign in to follow this  

×