Your Style Maps

[junk2drive]

Here is what I started to do last night. MR is the master at this step. I don't have the patience that he does for drawing all the roads and streams and such. Anyway I'll hold off until we have a better idea of what we are doing.

[HintJ]

Thanks for the offer anyway!

The reason I want to hold off for now is that I'm afraid that a 500 pixel texture is going to look bad near the ground level. According to Benpark and Rick, I can do a larger resolution for the texture as long as it is still squared.

What you've posted there is a 1000 pixel shot--I assume from expanding my 500 pixel original--I plan to use at least 1000 pixel texture (more if no performance hit) so that it looks like the actual CC map in PC, but still use 500 for the map data and size.

[Stridor]

ORIGINAL: HintJ

Thanks for the offer anyway!

The reason I want to hold off for now is that I'm afraid that a 500 pixel texture is going to look bad near the ground level. According to Benpark and Rick, I can do a larger resolution for the texture as long as it is still squared.

What you've posted there is a 1000 pixel shot--I assume from expanding my 500 pixel original--I plan to use at least 1000 pixel texture (more if no performance hit) so that it looks like the actual CC map in PC, but still use 500 for the map data and size.

Hi HintJ,

I wrote the map maker and everything else (PCK->PCO) although I am no longer connected to the project so can't offer any "official" post release support if there is any compatibility issues with IE9 for example (which there probably will be knowing Microsoft) or bugs in the code. Matrix has someone else working on that now.

You can use any size power 2 square dxt1 dds for the megatexture, this is limited by your machine specs.

For example you could have a 500m square map and use a 8192x8192 dxt1 dds this would give you 16x16 = 256 pixels per square meter which would look superb even close up! 8192x8192 is probably the limit on the texture size. A 2000x2000 map (the largest) = 4x4 = 16 pixels per square meter which actually doesn't look too bad.

I did some tests and could go 16384x16384 in some circumstances, but boy you need a lot of vid memory and a fast machine to run at that sort of res, not to mention edit at that sort of resolution.

Map maker by default only generates a megatexture which is 1m = 1pixel for performance reasons, but you are welcome to change it out. As always it is a balance between performance and graphics quality.

This is for the megatexture. You can still use the older technique of repeating textures and overlay masks if you need high (albeit repeated) ground resolution.

A lot of megatexture stuff was done before I added the grass (small object) rendering engine, and surprisingly use of this new system negates a lot of the need for highres megatextures.

Regards

S.

[HintJ]

Thanks so much for all the work you have done Stridor! (and everyone else that worked on PCO, also.)

That is such good news about the textures. I mean extremely good news, better than I had hoped. I've played CC countless hours and dreamed about what the game would look like in 3D! I'm not saying I can make a great CC map, but at least the possibility is there to have a CC map look just as good, if not better, than it does in CC itself.

Without a doubt, this is one of the my most anticipated games in a long time. I know that I'll love it because I already like PCK.

[benpark]

The only real issue with using CC maps or satellite images for source material is that 3D objects sometimes look odd on a ground texture. Buildings, trees and the like are odd looking and need replacing.

[Mad Russian]

I would make two copies of the map made from a 2D rendering. One to recreate the textures you want and the other to show placement of structures. The one I would overwrite with the colors I wanted. The other I would keep for references.

HintJ, the picture that you supply to MM for your terrain features doesn't have the textures or use the terrain map for textures in any way. What MM does do with the terrain map is allow you to assign textures to the colors on the map. Hence, the reason you see large areas of solid colors on my terrain maps. I want large areas of textures not something that looks like it has the measles. OTH, there are times when it's the measles all the way.

Just depends on what it is you're trying to do with MM.

Good Hunting.

MR

[HintJ]

MR, please correct me if I'm wrong here.

My plan is to get a large quality screen shot for the base texture, squared. I then will reduce it to 500px500p for a 500mx500m map, import it into MM, and then paint the map data, according to what I see on the map w/individual colors read by MM. I can then also paint a grey-scale elevation map in MM.

Once finished, MM will create a megatexture, which I can replace w/my original larger texture map that jibes w/the map data?

[rickier65]

I see that it looks like yesterday Matrix uploaded another Map Maker Tutorial to 'you tube' . this one on creating wooded areas.

http://www.matrixgames.com/products/391 ... :.Ostfront

Thanks
rick

[Mad Russian]

ORIGINAL: HintJ

MR, please correct me if I'm wrong here.

My plan is to get a large quality screen shot for the base texture, squared. I then will reduce it to 500px500p for a 500mx500m map, import it into MM, and then paint the map data, according to what I see on the map w/individual colors read by MM. I can then also paint a grey-scale elevation map in MM.

The screen shot doesn't need to be high quality. None of the screen shot will end up in the game. The colors on your screen shot will simply be used to assign terrain textures to.

I would take it to a paint program and "clean it up" before bring it to MM.

Once finished, MM will create a megatexture, which I can replace w/my original larger texture map that jibes w/the map data?

Once you make the map it will generate the megatextures for you. Those can be modified later or not as you see fit.

Good Hunting.

MR

[Mad Russian]

This screen shot shows the colors I used to make 4 maps. The upper left hand corner is a 2km map, lower left hand corner is a 1.5km map, lower right hand corner is a 1km map and the upper right hand corner is a 500 meter map.

All I use are plain solid colors.

Good Hunting.

MR

[Mad Russian]

Which means that any map, including the one you posted, or any part of it can be used directly in MM after correctly sizing it.

MM uses the colors on the map to determine textures. So whatever colors are on the map will work for selecting texturing. Where the issues start to get a bit more complicated in our favor is the the more colors the more options you have.

If you notice this map it looks brown and green. But if there is any shading difference at all in the mapping colors you have to assign textures to them. Or they stay with whatever you set the standard texture default to be.

Much of the detail on this map are structure details as well. All buildings, trees, crops, foxholes, trenches, and, of course, grass will be added separate from the texturing.

Good Hunting.

MR

[Mad Russian]

Here is just a part of your map under magnification. You can see that there is much more going on that a simple green and brown. There are many shades of green and brown. Where the buildings and trees are setting is each going to have a texture assigned to them. Either by you or by MM.

From your screen shot I would remove all trees, foxholes, trenches and buildings. By remove them I mean do a solid color where they are now.

That's why you see solid blocks of easily identifiable colors on my maps. Not because they will be any less textured than the picture of your map. But because they are going to have those textures applied over those basic colors. Where I would use your map is to come back and color in the areas you want trails, roads, the village, the water, open terrain. Then I would texture it according to the original screen shot you took. That should get it looking pretty close.

Good Hunting.

MR

[diablo1]

My idea of a neat map would be a huge forest cottage in the middle of the battle map with 6 roads leading into it, 1 from the nw, 1 from the ne, 1 from the w, 1 from the e, 1 from the sw and 1 from the se. Surrounded by forests and Grass, all kinds of grass, lots of grass. lol The cottage would be the sole objective for both sides. Units would start at the board edges 3 for the soviets and 3 for the germans all converging on this hamlet with smoke pouring out of its chimney with the smells of pork and beef, and fresh baked breads and kegs of rum surrounding the outsides of it. Through the windows scouts from both sides have spotted 4 lovely voluptuous females going about their business of making dinner with no males in sight. No tanks all infantry, offboard support allowed though. As the battle rages the cottage would change hands many times over with squads of men rushing through the door, ravaging the fresh pork & beef and hot buttered breads and then gourging themselves on the lovely ladies just before the enemy squad moves in, blasts through the doorway riddling their enemy with bullets and then dragging their corpses outside and then repeating what had just been done, ravaging the pork & beef and hot buttered breads and then gourging themselves on the lovely ladies only within moments finding themselves at the end of riddling bullets tearing and ripping through their own flesh and turning out their lights and being dragged out the door, tossed in a sea of blood and bodies already littering the wooded landscape near the cottage....

[HintJ]

What I plan to do is maybe use that map (or one like it) for simply painting the different terrain. But for the actual textures, I will use a much higher resolution screen shot of the same map, touched up a bit.

[Erik Rutins]

Diablo1,

You can do whatever you want with the editing tools, but that's too much information, thanks. Please keep this a family friendly forum.

Regards,

- Erik

[diablo1]

ORIGINAL: Erik Rutins

Diablo1,

You can do whatever you want with the editing tools, but that's too much information, thanks. Please keep this a family friendly forum.

Regards,

- Erik

I forgot to mention the soldiers were "vampires". [:)]

[Mad Russian]

ORIGINAL: diablo1

My idea of a neat map would be a huge forest cottage in the middle of the battle map with 6 roads leading into it, 1 from the nw, 1 from the ne, 1 from the w, 1 from the e, 1 from the sw and 1 from the se. Surrounded by forests and Grass, all kinds of grass, lots of grass. lol

Yeah...LOT'S OF GRASS....[X(] [:D] [&o]

The cottage would be the sole objective for both sides. Units would start at the board edges 3 for the soviets and 3 for the germans all converging on this hamlet with smoke pouring out of its chimney with the smells of pork and beef, and fresh baked breads and kegs of rum surrounding the outsides of it. Through the windows scouts from both sides have spotted 4 lovely voluptuous females going about their business of making dinner with no males in sight.

If there wasn't a war going already that would start one. [X(]

No tanks all infantry, offboard support allowed though. As the battle rages the cottage would change hands many times over with squads of men rushing through the door, ravaging the fresh pork & beef and hot buttered breads and then gourging themselves on the lovely ladies just before the enemy squad moves in, blasts through the doorway riddling their enemy with bullets and then dragging their corpses outside and then repeating what had just been done, ravaging the pork & beef and hot buttered breads and then gourging themselves on the lovely ladies only within moments finding themselves at the end of riddling bullets tearing and ripping through their own flesh and turning out their lights and being dragged out the door, tossed in a sea of blood and bodies already littering the wooded landscape near the cottage....

And then it's time for the counterattack.....


Good Hunting.

MR

[diablo1]

I kinda got tickled at Erik; he publishes games of simulated killing and destruction that even keep the rememberance of Hitler and Stalin alive and then tells me to "keep this a family friendly forum" lmao Sorry Erik but that was kind of ironic and funny. My story was tame compared to what happens in the games you publish and what they are about. I've seen AAR's more descriptive than my little story.

[Thomm]

ORIGINAL: Mad Russian

Mad Russian,

Could you please just throw that texture on a map with random elevations?

I am just curious what this looks like, because so far I recall seeing only generic textures generated from "solid" color bitmaps.

In other words: I still don't get it!

Best regards,
Thomm

[rickier65]

ORIGINAL: Thomm

..Could you please just throw that texture on a map with random elevations?

I am just curious what this looks like, because so far I recall seeing only generic textures generated from "solid" color bitmaps.

In other words: I still don't get it!

Best regards,
Thomm

Thomm, I used an existing map and just laid the texture over it. The texture quality isn't what you'd want to use since i downloaded the screenshot resized it to 1000 x 1000 then converted to a dds. ideally you'd do all of your texturing work with some high fidelity source, then convert to dds as last step.

but in about 10 minutes I did this.

Thanks
Rick