meshcarver

Hi James2464, how's it going man? Aye, visually the engine is absolutely stunning- imo it can be a better looking and more suited engine for a Stalker based type environment than the X-RAY engine although I'm NOT knocking that fantastic engine. But I have had some scenes set up in RV Engine that look amazingly crisp and sharp, which suits this type of atmosphere down to the ground, not to mention the fog and light shafts, TOD, weather, seasons, wind/rain etc etc... From now on, I'm really going to just concentrate on churning these assets out, as to put one in game is fairly straight forwards to an extent, but it slows me down for a few days. Little problems DO crop up when you think it'll be a straight forwards job, but that's to be expected I suppose. Anyway, thanks for your comments..! ;) Lol, aye, I should've thought to place the hut in the actual swamp area in Altis..! ;) Please do keep any and all ideas coming man, I really like to hear peoples ideas/musings etc as it all helps. Aye, I really hope they make the whole process more accessible and streamlined. The SINGLE BIGGEST gripe for me atm is when doing the Geolods, you have to make them quite a bit thicker than the visual geometry, or the units will/can/do glitch through them something terrible! (Meaning, the unit can step through the walls!) And because you make them thicker- if you throw a grenade, it could/does sometimes bounce off this invisible Geolod and that is really immersion breaking for me and also produces problems in a firefight. If BI somehow manage to make the Geolod so perfect that you can literally make it the exact same thickness/thinness as the Reslod then I'll be one happy chappy. That really will make things a LOT easier and more intuitive. ;) Hi LAxemann, damn, don't hold your breath on that one..! All of this is a first for me in a lot of ways mate, but when it comes to the actual layout then before I commit anything to poly I'm going to come up with a general back story first, then design the overall layout around that story. Eg; What was the islands main function before the Incident, where did the Incident happen and why/how. What happened immediately after it and then as the years progressed what took place in regards containment/management etc. What is it like now..? What have "they" built to try to manage and contain what has happened..? Who is "they"..? Lol, I getting carried away with this now... ;) I think if I somehow manage to include all that information from the set up, then the formation and layout will be a lot easier to make feel authentic. I'll also be adding in a lot of little unique places, one off buildings etc, but for now as you can see from my WIP images I'm concentrating on the structures that will be reused and chopped and changed. But yeah, it's going to be a big job but I'm just pacing myself here- I LOVE doing this and my biggest fear is something happens along the way which is a show stopper for me- like I find out RV engine hates my textures, of my models are too fiddly or something. This worry comes from only half knowing EXACTLY how to create a FULLY working/correctly configured structure for ARMA 3, but hopefully as time goes on they'll release a FULL CONCISE tutorial that is easy to follow and fool proof- THEN I'll sit back with relief a bit more. It's probably something I'll only find out once it's all in... Hi man, cheers for the clarification and aye, I'll go back and give that badboy a going over later today..! :)

@NeuroFunker: Hey, thanks man, they're pretty good..! I like the name "Rabbit Hole", as it conjures up all sorts of horrible ideas, and I also like the idea of "The Jackhammer". Cheers dude..! :D Ok, here's a few in game shots of HOUSE_05 under different lighting situations. This one is more in line with the kind of weather I'll be going for in NOVA ZONA. (Although I'll shift the .cfg's location to somewhere in Eastern Europe so it should be even more Stalkerish): http://www.meshcarver.com/screenshots/INGAME_06.png This one is a harsh bright day, so you can get an idea of the kind of texturing I'm going for, quite sharp and dirty- like it's been left in the desolation of the wilderness for years to start to decay and all the colours are getting bleached out of it: http://www.meshcarver.com/screenshots/INGAME_07.png And this last one is to show the brand spanking new lovely lighting effects in the engine and how the planks and holes etc can take advantage of them: http://www.meshcarver.com/screenshots/INGAME_08.png Bear in mind it'll only get that sunny VERY rarely, as it's mostly gonna be grim and grotty weather- so when the sun does come out, it'll be a welcome change... ;) I hope you like it and please feel free to comment on anything you see- it's like Xmas morning when I see people are giving feedback and really helps with motivation too. Take it easy.

Hey all, In making my geolod for a house, it seems to be that I have to compromise between making (geolod)walls thicker so your unit can't "step" through them and not too thick because if you throw a grenade say, it'll hit that invisible geolod thick wall? Is there any way around this apart from mod maker discretion please..!? It's very limiting if this is the case...

@NerdMod, Hey thanks mate, very nice of you to say..! I'm really trying to keep them all consistent texture/resolution wise as that'll help immersion too (Nothing like turning a corner to be assaulted by a 32*32 pixel brick wall!). I'm really pleased with how they are looking texture/geometry wise in game man- it's always nice getting the latest one in to finally see it and walk around it etc. The new lighting fx are absolutely lending themselves to creating even more of a "Stalker" atmosphere too. When you're inside one of them and can see sunlight streaming in through all the little cracks and gaps it is very reminiscent of C.O.P/STALKER in general. Now, if only BI would include that new lighting effect for night time with lightening strikes and moonlight (subtle) it'd be amazing- but yes, all in all, this is a fantastic new addition to the engine! Anyway, I've very nearly finished putting "House 05" in game, I just need to correct out the bloody Geolods for it and it's good to go! I really don't like posting screenshots before I've totally finished a structure- it feels like a "cheat" somehow to me lol... ;) But it is in game and I really like how is looking, but for now you can still glitch through some Geolod walls etc and it's a nightmare trying to thicken them without making gaps too small so that things like grenades etc don't bounce back off invisible Geolod. I'll post a couple of shots of it anyway, one in daytime so you can see the light shafts, and one at night time as it looks creepy as hell... ;) take it easy mate, and I hope things are going well for you! @GiorgyGR + NeuroFunker, Hi guys and thanks for your input! :D Aye, whilst I'm working on this, I'm also writing down any ideas I have about things like Anomalies etc, and even trying to come up with names for them etc. Some names I've come up with for now are: FLAT CASCADE REVOLVING DOT OPEN LINE PEELER ...and lots more. Obviously actually creating these is a long way off- the entire Island needs completing first, but it helps keep me on track if I have a library of information to re-read every now and then. Saying that, if anyone reading this wants to try to come up with some names, I'd love to read them here- feel free to post ANYTHING you can come up with. And yes, parts of Altis in the correct time/weather settings is a great place to test these objects out for this project- it can be really similar in atmosphere to The Zone which is great! :)

Its all the little "unknown"/"glitchy" things like this that are NOT set in stone that really stop this game from being truly great. I've even V/stepped through buildings in Altis and Stratis... Try it! You can create nice fine Reslod, but Geolod has to blanket it so thickly it loses its intricacy and practical purpose, ie; throwing grenades through small gaps etc...

Aye mate, I've already gotten a much more thicker and simpler GEOLOD into it instead. Works better and I can forgive myself the little "inconsistencies" that's created but hey ho- there's only so much you can do with the tools at hand hey..? ;) I think from now on too, I'll give myself a "minimum room size" in general to stick to, as the thicker GEOLOD walls certainly "shrink" the size of the room in a way... Also, a little grip is even when I now have my GEOLOD walls 0:5 meters thick, when you "V"/"Step Over" anim against it the unit STILL visually pops outside the wall even though he can't get there. Pretty bad bit of collision programming that I think..? Either way, this is much more streamlined and better now Sealife and THANK YOU for your help mate..! ;)

Hi, No, there's no complaints at all in the log mate. How would one do the Geolod for the roof then please? It has a lot of planks and holes in it as you can see here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/86890612@N02/9448306423/ So what do I need to do to make it a correct Geolod? My main problem is that if I just put a large thick Geolod box on the roof, then when you try to throw grenades into or out of the holes, they'll bounce off the invisible Geolod... I should point out that this is ONLY a problem just because of the throwing grenades issue. Without that, it's working great. But, it looks/feels REALLY bad when a grenade bounces back off thin air in the middle of a hole. ---------- Post added at 08:25 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:00 PM ---------- ...after some more testing, the way to think about this then is that: GEOLODS and ROADWAYLODS block/stop/collide with grenades etc. It would be so much simpler/convenient if grenades were ONLY affected by FIRELODS... damn...bugger...pants...trousers...bummer...poo.

@Dale- thanks very much for saying Dale, appreciated..! It is a huge project aye, and I sometimes feel like I've given birth to a monster lol... ;) @Grimwald- hi matey, yeah, I see what you mean man. With all these texture set though, I'm trying to do a second pass on them as I go. The more this project goes on, I find myself edging towards absolute grimness/drabness palette wise so mabe I need to revisit that particular one..! Do you mean make the paint on the entire pump a bit brighter man..? And thanks for your feedback..! :)

Neurofunker, Yes mate I have, I know someone from that modteam too! It's a fantastic looking mod, but because I'm working on NOVA ZONA I haven't really had time to play it!

Hi Sealife, Thanks for your ongoing input- this issue is very problematic. I have a lot of walls with small holes I'd like to be able to throw grenades out of but because of them hitting Geolod it looks like they hit air and bounce back! :( This, compounded by the fact it's recommended all geolod are at least 0:5 meters thick makes it even worse..! Such a pain in the arse this stuff... Stops you from getting on with the real job at hand...

I throw a hand grenade/smoke grenade and it bounces off GEOLOD. I shoot GEOLOD with rifle and the bullet goes though like nothing is there. I shoot FIRELOD with rifle and it hits correct. For some reason, thrown grenades "connect" with GEOLODs and bounce off them etc..? Are thrown hand grenades classed as object to object collision..? From Mondkalbs addon tut: "This LOD is responsible for the simulation of projectile hits. If you don't create it, Arma 2 will use the Geolod for this, but no bulletholes will be displayed." Maybe grenades are not classed as projectiles? If so, it's a world of pain setting a model up... Can confirm this now. After multiple tests, bullets and grenade LAUNCHERS mounted under guns do NOT collide with GEOLOD, but HAND THROWN GRENADES DO.

Hi, Just done a test were I threw a grenade and it collided with the geolod, not the firelod. :(

Hello again, hey, thanks for the comments and aye, the rays are looking like the ones in that video you linked (Nice video btw..!), so it's getting there..! I think things like have rays flash up at night in a thunder storm would be the icing on the cake for me, that and better torch lighting casting shadows and rays too but I don't think that's going to happen!

Hi, I'm currently sticking a very rickety building ingame, and was wondering if there's ANY guidelines for how to LOD up your building so that the rain effects work correctly please? Rain seems to be "stopped" by a GEOLOD poly, but only of a certain size..? Does anyone have any info about this please..? Thanks, Marc

Hi chrys45, Thank you for you comments and suggestions man..! I am really pleased you mentioned that the buildings upto now create an atmosphere - that's exactly one of the main things I'm trying hard to achieve as it'll boost the feeling of dread and grimness even more once they're all situated into NOVA ZONA itself. And yes, I plan to create a lot of little incidental objects like piping from walls, furniture and old style computers etc once the main body of work is out the way. I would LOVE to be able to create underground areas too, I really would, but until I get sufficient confirmation that BI supports this with their Terrain process I'll be holding off... I want to do it 100% correct or not at all, as it could be extremely glitchy to the point of game breaking as it is right now. :( Anyway, I'll have an ingame shot soon of one of the little wooden houses so you can get an idea of the atmosphere I'm going for once more... ;) Oh, and seeing all the buildings now with the Godrays is fantastic... The light streaming in through the holes in the roof and windows! STALKER goodness all round!!! :)

Hi guys, ok, another update here- this one was a bit quicker to do than the Petrol Station, as it's a much simpler design and layout. There are some like this in the STALKER game itself, and again I took cues from them (To retain the feeling) and tried to make them a bit more gritty and realistic. I will be doing a fair few variations of this too, as it's fairly low poly and is easy to mix and match to create a lot of differing layouts, even multiple floors too. So expect to see some desolate huddles made up of these kind of half constructed buildings scattered throughout NOVA ZONA- the idea being that before the "Incident" the island was starting to become fairly prosperous and was a burgeoning thriving community. Then it all went to hell... Anyway, here's a shot showing some damaged wall section also so expect to be able to shoot through the gaps etc. And also, now with ARMA 3's new and bloody lovely Volumetric Godrays it should enhance the immersion even more. Oh and btw- does anyone know if when lightening strikes at night, do you see Godrays then..? With the lightening effects I mean..? http://www.flickr.com/photos/86890612@N02/10063481444 (As always, I really urge you to check out the screenshots via my blog too- for some reason it really hosts a better quality picture. It always ends up looking very "grainy" using Flickr.)

Damn..! Just found out that an update to ARMA3 has added light shafts that also work indoors..?! :) This has really got my pecker up so I'll be bearing it in mind for upcoming building creations... I'm really glad about this as it was something I really thought was missing... I haven't actually seen it yet as I been so bloody busy lol... Saying that, I'll try to get a screenie including them for my next structure ingame. Great news..!!!

Hi mate, Yes, the Multimat is the one with four colours mask, apparently created to lessen the section count on structures and be more efficient!

Hi guys, just a quick question about RVMATs in ARMA 3. Is it acceptable (Performance wise etc...) if I was to have EVERY structure in a map utilizing a MULTI MAT..? Some of them would use all 4 texture slots, others maybe 2 or 3... Is that ok for the engine..? Would it still run ok? Thanks fellas, Marc

Hi DAP..! Excellent news, really looking forwards to this mate- RELEASE THE ZONE!!!!! :)

Hey thanks for your comments guys. Aye, me to GDSN, I absolutely love the atmosphere STALKER gets across- it's so varied too with the constantly changing weather of TOD. I hope to expand on that theme by including atmospheric conditions specific to different areas of NOVA ZONA, and am planning on having an area somewhere by the epi-center called The Marked Village where all the houses are absolutely gutted and rotted, and the community just disappeared at the time of the Incident. All the windows now boarded up and generally not a safe or nice place to be- atmospheric conditions there will make it very hard to stay long... ;)

Back at last from RL..!!! Ok, this update is for a Petrol Station in the old NOVA ZONA rusted and ruined style, and is inspired by the excellent petrol station in Call Of Pripyat- there is something I love about that buildings shape and silhouette, it's really evocative of times gone by for me. I've tried to update the design a bit to take it away from the source material, and done some research on Ukraine/Russian petrol stations and I noticed that there used to be quite a lot that had this chequered tile motif along the edges of their walls, so thought that looked pretty striking. I've continued that design inside the building aswell, which you probably can't see from these screenies but there's a two tone wall pattern inside with a chequered section to separate the tones. Anyway, here's a few shots and you can also see there's some old battered shelving units inside too, to offer concealment and protection incase you get caught with your pants down: http://www.flickr.com/photos/86890612@N02/9927795846/in/photostream/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/86890612@N02/9927941243/in/photostream/ I hope you like it guys, and I look forwards to any feedback. :D