I have an idea - ONE BIG GOOD TUTORIAL

[Bartchie 10]

Because all tutorials are contradicting each other and I almost died in searching the forum without solutions because all the time somebody is writing some sh**s about ArmA1 in ARMA2 MAP EDITING FORUMS, can some person who is making (WORKING) island FOR ARMA2 show us all settings of his config.cpp, visitor, .rvmat files - especially pathes and structure of folders in a p: drive.

For example, there are no tutorial about how to set up config.cpp for island.

Maybe somebody can make video tutorial, heh ? Ok I'm just writing BUT I swear to god, if something what I want will appear (ONE BIG GOOD TUTORIAL) and if it's gonna work for me, THEN I WILL MAKE VIDEO TUTORIAL. All I know for now is how to use GlobalMapper to import DEM/SRTM and export it to Buldozer and how to change sea level and smoother the island and some few tricks in Buldozer and how to import that job into Visitor 3 and how to make good sattelite image from Google Earth in 20480x20480 pixels and finally how to f*ck up your job - make island not working in ArmA2 :)

I love everybody who read this and understand me (brother love for guys and LOVE for girls :D )

[helo 10]

Yeah, one big video tutorial would really help.

[minimalaco 30]

I agree! , serious excellent, I have too many doubts: D

I already have the land of 40x40 thanks to Ebanks: p, but I have doubts on like making the rivers in the map, doubts of the natural and artificales objects, doubts on like adding ways and many other things jajaja.

Edited March 18, 2010 by Minimalaco

[prowler.wolf 0]

It can be a pain in the ass to search for information but it is all here(most is in the stickied thread as I am sure most are familiar with it). My only complaint is that some of the information is outdated. For everything else there is always the option of just creating a new thread if you can't find a definite answer.

Video tutorials are a huge undertaking and if someone feels obligated to put the time and effort into it then more power to them.

[Bartchie 10]

Ok my island is almost working. If I'll be able to put more buildings and nothing gonna crash then I'll try to make some tutorial. There are some people who want to see visually how is that island making looking like.

BTW there is something strange about that CA. I think that main CA folder in P:\ should be called ROOT because there is ca.pbo in addons of ArmA2 and people are thinking how the hell there are roads, buildings in CA folder like in CA.pbo :)

[helo 10]

I have the problem that the conifg.cpp bat doesn´t copy things to my island folder. The tutorial says the following, but it doesn´t work for my with Win7 x64. Nothing will be copied :mad: :

Your Project folder

* 1: Now you can create a own project Folder in your P:\ drive. Optimal would be P:\TAG\ name or an other short identification\namespace.

o In this Tutorial we will use as our Namespace P:\TUT

* 2: Following now a quite important part where we make sure that we have working animations/ladders on our Terrain. For that we need the respective config files from each Object which we´re about to use within our terrain.

* 3: To do that we can easy create a small bat or use the windows command line: Navigate to the P:\ca folder and

* 4: Run the following dos command: xcopy *.cpp P:\<YourNamespace>\ca\ /S /Y Or manually move the cpps with the correct folder structur to your namespace

o

+ If your not familiar with cmd then put this copy_cpp.bat in your P:\CA\ foldier and run it.(xp-- P partition run,.cpp file to ca)

o This command creates a duplicate set of '\ca' folders under your namespace and copies only the config.cpp files to each subfolder.

o Read more about that in Synides Great Tutorial ArmA_Build_Environment_Setup

[bushlurker 45]

"CA" is BIS's "namespace"... not a very descriptive one, but a namespace nonetheless...

Basically it isolates BIS stuff from user content, and also directs Visitor-made islands to the correct locations for files...

During development, you add official game assets to Visitor from the specially made "dummy" CA folder on your P: drive - this means that when you produce your final island, and give it to people who have no P:\ drive - it works.... because everything is pathed to look for "CA\something"... and, if you look inside any BIS .pbo - you'll find that it's prefixed "CA\something" so that to get an asset out of that .pbo during run-time, when the island file looks along the "CA\whatever" path - which is the path you told it to look along during island object adding - it'll find the users game assets - and be able to use them...

If you change your P:\CA folder to P:\ROOT - Visitor won't care... as long as the models are there... but when you try your island in-game, the first thing it'll do is look for the locally installed models - in ROOT\...

Nobody else has a "ROOT\"... they all have a "CA\"... It won't work...

In short... it's just the way it is... get used to it, and worry more about the stuff you CAN change...

@Helo...

Win7x64 here too... SgtAce's little .bat file should work just fine for you...

Make sure you DO have a main P:\CA folder - with all the game assets un packed in there according to instructions...

Make sure you have a folder for your namespace, and a blank empty CA folder inside that...

Make sure you have a third folder - for your island project - make it the name of the island... like this...

P:\CA\<lots of unpacked game stuff in their folders>

P:\HELO\CA<empty folder for now>

P:\HELO\ISLANDFOLDER\<all of your island source 'n data folders 'n stuff in here>

Read that again - carefully... notice how you have a HELO folder - inside that - BESIDE each other - you have your "personalCA" folder and your island folder...

Now.... open notepad and paste this in there...

xcopy *.cpp P:\HELO\ca\ /S /Y

Save that as "copy_cpp.bat" (not copy_cpp.bat.txt) - INSIDE P:\CA\

So you have.... P:\CA\copy_cpp.bat

Run it once - you'll see a DOS window briefly...

Now look inside P:\HELO\CA

You'll see that - whenever theres been a folder in the main P:\CA that has a config.cpp... that config has been appropriately mirrored into your "personal" CA folder - not the models - just configs - for things that have or need configs... so - no plants in here for example - they don't have configs...

When adding stuff to Visitor to place on your island - like buildings, etc - you add models from that main P:\CA folder into your "artificial" or "natural" objects lists - then place them as normal... this little "local CA copy" is just the configs necessary for doors, ladders, etc - it needs embedded in your island project so stuff works... that'll all happen automatically - the only thing you need to do is make this little local copy in the first place... then forget about it and "use" the main P:\CA folder for adding objects to use as normal....

When you binarize your island, all those configs in your little "personal CA folder" will be included in your island package - and stuff will work properly...

Confusing.... yeah, maybe a bit at first... as soon as you grasp whats going on you'll just take it for granted and get on with it...

As far as tutorials are concerned... like ProwlerWolf says - they take ages to make... Sgt Ace's Tut covers everything you really need to know, except perhaps laying roads - which is explained adequately by Alliex elsewhere...

ZeroG did a good job of gathering most of the important stuff in his sticky thread... if something isn't covered by some thread or other catalogued in his list then ask here I guess... though reading the Arma 1 Island Making section is helpful too - 90%+ of the info in there is equally relevant to Arma2...

B

Edited March 18, 2010 by Bushlurker

[ZeroG 23]

Yeah, I actually had the same idea bout a tut, but only when I finish my island to tell EVERY aspect...for now, I could only add a section for Heightmap, Satmap, Rivers, Roads, Bridges...haven't come too far until now...

Anyone who would like to help creating THE tutorial:

http://forums.bistudio.com/group.php?groupid=132

[helo 10]

Thx @ Bushlurker for the quick response. I tried it again and it worked.

[[aps]gnat 28]

I always foot note these things with a ...... counter-tip. No disrespect for everyones awesomeness in tutorials etc, but I think it prudent to post my info for new V3 users as well.

Whatever works for you, there never seems to be a perfect setup, but I have found;

1) You do not need to use the "named space" holder for all your projects. They are just as effective (more so IMHO) in the root of P drive

2) You never need to copy all the CPP / config files inside of your project, leave all BIS's stuff De-PBO'ed in the CA & Bin & Core & Dta etc, in root of P drive. UnRap every config file you can find.

I have produced several terrains this way (1 published) and everything works perfect, ladders, plant etc etc

As for a Video Tut ..... I did a whole series of Youtube tuts for O2, and that was tough, to do the same for V3 I'd actually consider tougher!

Edited March 21, 2010 by [APS]Gnat

[ZeroG 23]

Gnat;1594070']

As for a Video Tut ..... I did a whole series of Youtube tuts for O2' date=' and that was tough, to do the same for V3 I'd actually consider tougher![/quote']

Youre right...creating a whole map would seriously take at least an hour of video from the beginning to the end..

For my idea, I would just do sth. like Alex Sworn's tutorial...200 pages with a lot of pics and explanations...imho a better way to learn it than by rewinding, forwarding and pausing...rather I'd create a pdf...

[bushlurker 45]

Whatever works for you, there never seems to be a perfect setup

Perfectly true, of course... and another big drawback for anyone making a tutorial... they should all be headed "Well This Worked For Me..."

I guess with the actual Visitor 3 aspects, Sgt Ace's Tut was all I personally needed... plus Alliex's nudge in the right direction with the road tool...

The stuff that happens outwith Visitor is a different story though... there's a LOT of different approaches to DEM, Sat and Mask generation and preparation, sometimes dependant on available software, sometimes constrained to certain techniques because of the particular terrain in question... no one tutorial could cover that...

B

[Master gamawa 0]

Damn, I have so many ideas for maps but I suck at scripting and configs. I dream of the day when a new multi-application comes out where everything is organized automatically and it's you know.. made for idiots... like me.

Imagine that:

Step one - Import satmap, adjust height and shape, slap on some textures

Step two - paint clutter (rock brush, tree brush, grass brush, fence brush etc)

Step three - import houses, structures and paint roads.

Step four - export map as pbo

Man I would make so many maps your brains would melt out of your skull!!

[Leopotam 10]

Master gamawa, you would write books, fantasy books. ;)

[shezan74 11]

Damn, I have so many ideas for maps but I suck at scripting and configs. I dream of the day when a new multi-application comes out where everything is organized automatically and it's you know.. made for idiots... like me.

Imagine that:

Step one - Import satmap, adjust height and shape, slap on some textures

Step two - paint clutter (rock brush, tree brush, grass brush, fence brush etc)

Step three - import houses, structures and paint roads.

Step four - export map as pbo

Man I would make so many maps your brains would melt out of your skull!!

We have it... it's "ACME Full World Generator" by "God Rulz Software Inc."

It's a small tool (2 mb) that will generate complete islands and missions from scratch. Simply supply 2 random numbers to allow full randomized island generation.

It's able to create missions, addons and new vehicles too by download their specifications from www.janes.com. Export format includes ArmA, ArmA2, Cod4, Modern Warfare 2, simcity and Train Simulator.

It's still in private beta, and is actually under test by Saint Peter and Archangel Gabriel. They have had some troubles in those days due the works for 2010's Jesus Resurrection celebrations but we think we could have something usable for second half of this century. :D

Actually we have only some good tools and the old "handmade" way to make islands. It's nice, hard, difficult but gives you great satisfactions. Try it, we're here to support you :)