New island projects - what do you want?

[digitalcenturion 20]

Any status updates on that american building pack? I'm currently delving myself into some building making for my ArmA2 colorado map because of the more or less total unsuitability of the ArmA2 houses for a believable american map. Working on low-ish poly housing is not really time-consuming but i do lack the experience needed in O2 and config work.. And time spent in Max is time away from Visitor.

[madrussian 347]

I just thought of this specific idea:

Someone should remake Chernarus but with all and only enterable buildings. Imo, IceBreakr already proved something like this could work extremely well with the mighty Panthera.

[enad 11]

Ice used ArmA 1 buildings on Panthera and personally im sick of seeing ArmA 1 buildings in 80% of ArmA 2 maps.

[Fox '09 14]

Us building pack is still coming along , I'm waiting on objects by echizel . Maybe I should drive to Orlando and bug bi at their office for US buildings :D

[callihn 10]

Could not vote, would rather see an urban map.

[icebreakr 3121]

You're getting two my new maps soon:

- jungle & urban Lingor

- smaller project Massacra (woodland) ;)

[aidas2 10]

A map similiar to the one in Behind Enemy Lines (1) movie would be a nice addition, with destroyed abandoned towns, fields with empty tanks, traps, wire, left over weapons, you get the idea, and a little chechech, rebels addon to :D Great maps btw, cant wait for Lingor

[TomatoArden 0]

I want you to make an island based on Angkesey, North Wales, UK. Its somewhat large, but not very densely populated compared to Chernaraus, so doesnt ahve as many buildings, except for a few towns. But it does include an ir base used by RAF for jet pilot training and SAR helicopters and It has a major port connecting UK to Ireland (which is actually located on a smaller island separated by a shallow channel.

Ignore the mainland and the bridges and you can have a fun. I used to live there so itd be cool to play Arma on it!!!

A lack of accurate building models wouldnt be a problem!

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

[bushlurker 45]

I want you to make an island based on Angkesey, North Wales, UK.

Why don't you have a go making it yourself TomatoArden??

I'm seriously NOT being sarcastic by the way... theres reasonable DEM data available for that area, the tools are available and free, theres a decent tutorial to get you started... island making ISN'T that difficult technically - FAR less so than modelling (well I think so anyway :D)... it just takes a long time usually - directly proportional to the size of the terrain, basically...

Angelsey is a large island - you'd have to scale it a bit, but then again, thats a good thing on two counts - firstly, the DEM data are either 30m per pixel (and scrappy in places), or nice radar 90m per pixel (less detail but no "fixing" required)... the 90m would be fine in this instance, since your second reason for scaling is to make the project achievable! - a 10km x 10km "Angelsey" would be the same size as, say, Duala... still plenty of room for most of the "towns & villages" to be nominally in the right place, and room for the RAF base and training areas... you could have a decent Beta version by Christmas!

I'm doing basically a roughly 190x190mile M.O.D "training area" in Scotland - scaled to 20x20km... a little TOO scaled maybe, and definitely more than a little too big at 20x20km - it's taking FOREVER!... However, Anglesey scaled to 10x10km would not only be a less dramatic scaling, but you'd start to see encouraging results pretty quickly and, with your local knowledge, it might just turn out to be awesome!

Think about it... ;)

B

Edited August 18, 2010 by Bushlurker

[TomatoArden 0]

I just realised how big Anglesey is, rather huge compared to even Duala,o so maybe it would need to be scaled down a bit

[Daniel 0]

Are there any major disadvantages to simply using a 20x20km real world terrain, as opposed to using a much larger terrain scaled down to 20x20km? I fancy having a crack at terrain building again.

[raserisk 12]

More Urban maps, around the same size as the one made called Baghdad however more detailed. Western architecture preferred.

[bushlurker 45]

Are there any major disadvantages to simply using a 20x20km real world terrain, as opposed to using a much larger terrain scaled down to 20x20km?

Good question!... it's all down to DEM resolution...

Theres two major freely available sources at the moment - SRTM radar (90m per pixel), and ASTER (30m per pixel)...

Very briefly... SRTM is radar derived - clouds don't matter = good, doesnt handle abrupt dropoff well = coastlines need a bit of smoothing usually)...

ASTER is multi-spectrum optically-based (tho not necessarily visible light), elevations are produced by fudging two seperate layers together (NASA do that bit :)), optical = clouds DO matter, shorelines are a bit better but a little "hole" fixing is usually required...

Basic standard to get semi-decent ground detail plus reasonable framerates for an A2 terrain is 10m per pixel on the ground - so as you can see, your terrain is potentially FAR more detailed than the best freely available DEM, but since it can only be as detailed as the DEM you use.....

Short of going out with a Total Station and digitising the entire area at 10m resolution or less (which is what we do for archaeology DEMs, but I wouldnt advise it for big landscapes unless you have 2 years to spare ;)), you have no practical hope of doing a proper, accurate 10m/pixel on-to-one terrain anyway...

So its a balancing act... take my scotland area... I'm using the SRTM 90m/pixel DEM... since I'm scaling roughly 9:1 to cram the roughly 190km area into 20km, that means my 10m ground res translates pretty closely to the 90m DEM cell size... 2km becomes 250m... not brilliant, but the best I could achieve and still include the whole of the area I wanted to model... If your proposed area is smaller the ASTER data may be more appropriate - depending on the quality of the granules available for your area...

B

[galzohar 31]

If one is to make a real place, I'd rather see a trimmed version (say, just southern half) than a scaled down version. After all having it the same as the real thing is why you based it after real terrain anyway.

Another thing I keep seeing is islands needing to reduce detail for the sake of performance, rather than reducing size. I'd love to see an OA island that loses size rather than detail in order to make it run well (and not have to pay 10$ for it, not that I know if it's even going to be any good).

In any case, my aged-old request still stands - An island with large and/or dense urban environment(s), using 100% enter-able buildings. Zargabad was a great step in the right direction but I'm sure many people would love to see something bigger and/or better and/or more dense.

[Franklin 0]

I just downloaded the Lingor beta, and i gotta say its looking very promising!

I like the thick woods with lots of bushes and tall grass, and i really like that there are some small villages right on the edge of the jungle/forest. I think it would be awesome to up the amount of jungle or forest, with lots of bushes and tall grass throughout them to allow for some really sneaky assaults on some small villages. I like what you got so far, and im a huge fan of your other islands!! keep up the good work, its very appriciated!

[bushlurker 45]

If one is to make a real place, I'd rather see a trimmed version (say, just southern half) than a scaled down version. After all having it the same as the real thing is why you based it after real terrain anyway.

One of the principal reasons for scaling is also playability... this is a game, after all... Take the Normandy map - do you really want to spend 3 hours driving, or 20 actual realtime minutes+ flying across the channel? then doing it again when you die and respawn forty real miles away? It has its place, with suitable large-scale missions, but you can see how the trade-off between size and ground detail leaves it looking a little clumsy in places.

Thats a big location - without (much) scaling... lets look at a smaller example... Duala is an imaginary terrain - it's a hugely popular and playable map... why? - well cause IceBreakr made a damned fine job of it is one answer, but also cause it has all the ingredients we want in a good mid-sized terrain... a good number of villages, towns, a couple of small "cities", several airports... all the stuff we want in a map...

Theres very few realworld locations where you'll get all that stuff in a 10km x 10km area! In that sort of realworld type environment you might have a scrubland area 40 miles across, 5 miles or more between villages... again, you're either faced with making a huge map or, keeping to 1:1 scale - you pick an interesting 10x10km area - what will that actually contain? 2 villages, some scrubland and maybe part of a mountain?

I chatted with someone a while back about in-game editor placing objects - he was dead keen to build a "proper full-sized FOB based on measurements and photographs and everything!" ;)... after we figured out that it would actually cover over 2/3 of his proposed island he decided to scale it a little - for "playability reasons" :D - not much point having a "full sized helicopter area" when the base is so big theres nowhere left to fly to...

The real world is bigger than you think...

There IS a place for proper 1:1 scale maps - Old Bears "Brik" is a great example, Zargabad is almost big enough to be a good shot at a reasonably believable 1:1 proper town environment.. My friends FOB could actually make a good "environment" just on its own, with a little surrounding countryside it would be a genuine 1:1 FOB "island" - if you could think of missions that take place in a base so big it takes half an hour to drive around... these are essentially closed, specific environments - you can't really play Domination on them, for example - its not the same kind of "island"...

For the more "traditional" sort of island - think of Sahrani - an enormous 20 x 20km - big enough for two whole countries ;)... if it were a realworld location and maybe 200 x 200km it would almost be believable...

Turning an equivalent 200 x 200km realworld location into a playable 20x20km "island" is no different...

B

Edited August 19, 2010 by Bushlurker

[mrcash2009 0]

Mountains, rivers, lakes, forests

I put this in the request thread some time ago but I would LOVE to see a map based on the Lake District in the UK ..

Google maps street view

I do miss a map with a running lake that has trickling water sounds, best example is the Ghost Recon 1 map "The Farm" .. using the lake to take cover on the banks to snipe enemy in barns etc with the gentle stream water running past at night, lovely.

Edited August 19, 2010 by mrcash2009

[lone.wolf 80]

I think we still need a IceBreakr snow/winter map, there isn't any great ones out at the moment, and it could be a nice diversion from the scorching desert :)

[ck-claw 1]

I think we still need a IceBreakr snow/winter map, there isn't any great ones out at the moment, and it could be a nice diversion from the scorching desert :)

Ohh i just love the winter maps! But afaik there aren't any winter troops/vehicles to match? (or atleast not enough)

[bushlurker 45]

Ohh i just love the winter maps! But afaik there aren't any winter troops/vehicles to match? (or atleast not enough)

You guys know about Thirsk? and Kuik's Winter Camo? - check HERE

OK, Thirsk is relatively small (5 x 5km), but it comes in Autumn AND Winter versions, plus Kuik's Winter Camos pack contains a decent selection of winter troops and a few winter textured vehicles too!

It's not a Total Winter Conversion of all units, and Thirsk is quite small by modern standards, but - speaking as a terrain-maker - it's beautifully made! Add in the matching Kuik's winter camo units and vehicles, and download the Thirsk Coop Mission pack from my favourite mission-writer, VanhA, and you're set for an awesome small-scale, OFP style co-op winterfest!

Seriously... the best fun I've had with Arma 2 so far (apart from the recent large-scale Chernarus Rhapsody Tournament) has been creeping around in the forest and the dark in the driving snow - totally lost, while opfors silenced snipers picked us off, one after the other.... classic stuff - well worth a try!

B

Edited August 20, 2010 by Bushlurker

[ck-claw 1]

Knew that was gonna come back and bite me on the ass!:p

Wasn't aware of most of that stuuf mate!

Thanks for the heads up! :)

[dr@gon 118]

We need a good jungle island. I haven't been able to get Lingor bets to work properly (vegitation doesn't show). A working jungle environment a must.

I would also like to see African Bush island simular to the Angola region.

[enad 11]

Why don't you just wait till Lingor is done....?

Maps aren't made in 1 week you know.

Old bears map Tropica is a pretty good African bush map. Icebreakrs Isla Duala may be a little to tropical for what you are looking for.

[exall 0]

Uh, maybe US setting? Countryside with some small cities, or a large one

[aidas2 10]

Considering that you've done most of the main climate zones, I would say a Very good Winter map with Hills high / big and common like in OA's Takistan, including some glaciers, forests, planes, observation posts, bases, airfields and a arctic sea in one side something like in Inception or MW2, with 90 degree angled hillsides to :D to simulate the most epic and large Snow mountain range ever. I dont remember anyone doing something like this, so it would be very awesome if you or someone else could do, but I would prefer you do it since you have a good eye on detail. Some heavy winter modules and Winter OpFor, Blufor, Spec ops infantry Air units, Campaign/ missions would just be damn amazing

Some pics of what I'm talking about:

http://www.starstore.com/acatalog/mcf-military-arctic.jpg

http://www.royalmarinesonline.com/images/mountain-artic1.jpg

http://www.arcticsecurity.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/White_soldiers.jpg