Matrix Games Forums

Thanks for that JohnRa.

JohnRa wrote: Tue Nov 15, 2022 8:46 pm...water depth looses a little...

Now, you're the second person to bring this up. Makes me wonder if I'm missing something important in game play - is there any significance to water depth (besides aesthetic) in the game? Or is it just an expectation that it might be significant when Oceania is released.

I ask 'cause I can and will certainly make the water less blue if needed - but I kinda like the deeper blue assuming it isn't a game-play issue.

Thanks for any thoughts on that,
-Mark R.

I hope it will gain significance at some point, but right now for me it's purely aesthetic - too solid if you will. It's not so much the tone, but the lack of variation at shores and banks and the feel of depth further out. I assume that with coming island planets and more water on worlds it might become more apparent.

So terrain does shift it's color palate, dependent on the star type, excellent.

Looking like satellite imagery is a compliment, of course.

I'm getting very close to done with Terrain Mod v3.2.

I dug into the issue of ocean depths a bit and I wasn't able to figure out where the shading is coming from. I suspect it may be done at runtime by the engine - but that could be wrong on that (I will continue to search).

In any event, the ocean-depth shading does occur, even with the darker blue I'm using, as can be seen in the following image (Yellow G2 Medusa). The base darker blue makes the depth shading more subtle.
Another update in v3.2 is the lava flow and lake imagery. Below is an example followed by two real-life reference pictures.
-Mark R.

And winter forests/mountains with real-life reference below:

Superb!

Terrain Mod v3.2 is available in the opening post:
https://www.matrixgames.com/forums/view ... 3&t=389032

This ended up being a much bigger upgrade than I originally intended. Thanks go to a few of the folks here for pushing me past where I would have gone on my own. More 'grunty' forests, lava lakes and and general gruntiness throughout the terrain textures.

Only you can decide if I went too far


-Mark R.

We have to thank you! Looks amazing.

Sir, you have out done yourself, this looks great, especially next to the original. Vic should add a mod folder or custom folder like other games have done recently, mainly the SC series and now the new Flashpoint game. This mod should be part of the update as a choice for game owners.

THANK YOU

I've also updated my mod-mod kits to reflect Mark's changes.

https://ko-fi.com/s/292253af91 (same link as before)

@Mark, there was corruption in the file shadowBIG/Textures/plains_sandy2.png. It wouldn't open in Photoshop. I managed to save a version that could be used in my mod-mod but I'm not sure what the issue was with the error.

The effects are fantastic with these graphics. My only criticism is I feel the Low Mountains are looking too 'sharp' and are looking too much like the High Mountains.

DasTactic wrote: Thu Nov 24, 2022 3:39 am I've also updated my mod-mod kits to reflect Mark's changes.

https://ko-fi.com/s/292253af91 (same link as before)

Das, that link still says v3.1 - I'm assuming it's actually v3.2, but want to verify.

DasTactic wrote: Thu Nov 24, 2022 3:39 am@Mark, there was corruption in the file shadowBIG/Textures/plains_sandy2.png. It wouldn't open in Photoshop. I managed to save a version that could be used in my mod-mod but I'm not sure what the issue was with the error.

Weird! This is the second time this has happened. On my end, plains_sandy2.png looks fine. I don't have photoshop to verify, but it opens fine in GIMP. I'm not sure how to proceed on this.

DasTactic wrote: Thu Nov 24, 2022 3:39 amThe effects are fantastic with these graphics. My only criticism is I feel the Low Mountains are looking too 'sharp' and are looking too much like the High Mountains.

Okay. I felt my earlier version was too blurry and so I sharpened it up a bit - perhaps too much.
In a similar vein, I have a gripe about woods vs. forest that I didn't notice until too late. In some places it's easy to see the difference, but in others they look very similar and difficult to tell the difference -> I want to see if I can improve that too.

If I ever do a v3.3 I will try to address these issues - and perhaps the subtlety of ocean depth too (Oceania might push me to that - here's hoping!).


And... Thanks to everyone for the kind words!
-Mark R.

mroyer wrote: Thu Nov 24, 2022 3:57 am

DasTactic wrote: Thu Nov 24, 2022 3:39 am I've also updated my mod-mod kits to reflect Mark's changes.

https://ko-fi.com/s/292253af91 (same link as before)

Das, that link still says v3.1 - I'm assuming it's actually v3.2, but want to verify.

Yes, that is right. I had changed the title so I'm not sure what happened there.

Hi all. Mark found some size issues with some forest and jungle tiles in my mod-mods and I've just corrected these now. You can download from the same link in the OP.

Cheers

Das

This mod is super, a mandatory add-on. However, in the latest iteration (v3.2), I find the forests and jungles a bit underwhelming.

forests and jungles a bit underwhelming.

I hear you. After playing with the imagery for a week or so, I've decided I like the forests/jungles better than the vanilla, but agree that there's room for improvement. Perhaps its as simple as enlarging the image scale just a bit making the trees more pronounced. I'll surely fiddle around with that to see how it looks. I've already tried lightened the forest color to make it more distinguishable from heavy forest.

-Mark R.

Awesome work, thank you!
However in 3.2 I agree forests are not visible enough, it isn't easy to play in heavily forested areas :/

Prototype Terrain Mod v3.3 => jungles/forests more distinctive

I've increased the size of the forest/jungle imagery by 125% and tried to make the color differential between jungles and forests more easily recognizable. See examples below - right-click and open image in new tab to see full size.

solops wrote: Fri Dec 09, 2022 6:32 pmin the latest iteration (v3.2), I find the forests and jungles a bit underwhelming.

TurambarMB wrote: Wed Dec 14, 2022 9:36 amin 3.2 I agree forests are not visible enough, it isn't easy to play in heavily forested areas :/

Thoughts?


(And DasTactic, I did to some work to make low mountain imagery more distinctive from high mountain - I'll try to post a pic of that too, when I have a moment.)


Yellow G2 Star - Medusa
Probably the heavy argon atmosphere is giving the jungle mist/clouds the pinkish hue.

v3.3



v3.2



Orig



-Mark R.

Much improved!

Looking good. Hopefully Santa will bring us v3.3 for Christmas?

Moat_Man wrote: Wed Dec 21, 2022 3:26 amHopefully Santa will bring us v3.3 for Christmas?

Stocking-stuffer in the opening post.
https://www.matrixgames.com/forums/view ... 3&t=389032

-Mark R.