Custom layers

[Phoenix100]

Whilst I was watching the development of this game I kept seeing all these beautiful screens of satellite detail of the terrain, airbases, coastlines etc. So far I haven't found any of this in the release. Is it the case that you would have to put all that in yourself, via third party apps?

Plus, even the sea, once you zoom down to a level sufficient to see formations etc seems just like a very blurred low res image - if there are meant to be depth details apparent in the visuals then I can't make them out because they're too blurred. This is how it's meant to be, I guess? I'm viewing with a 1900x1200 res screen. There's no way to alter the resolution of the game? Or maybe that's not the issue. Maybe it really is just blurred. I'll post a screenie later to show what I mean, in case it's not clear.

[Primarchx]

Which view are you looking at - standard or contour?

[Phoenix100]

Well, that's an interesting question. Where does that option appear?

Do you mean with relief layer on or off? It makes no difference to the point I'm making, I think. The level of detail, down low, is very poor. Maybe it's not needed. I just expected it to be there from all the things I'd seen about the game. And it's not. Not in my version, anyway.

[Phoenix100]

Here's a pic of a coastline (part of The Falkland Islands/Malvinas): Is it meant to be this fuzzy without me doing something with custom layers? If I were to wish to park a boat in a fjord or inlet in the pic, which do I follow for where land is - the country outline in yellow, or the blurry photo type image? Couldn't do anything accurate with the photo image. Maybe the skipper would make sure he didn't run aground - he'd have to though, because I couldn't help with this image. Is this all intentional, is all I ask? Or am I not doing something I should be doing?

There's not exactly a good match between yellow line and image, by the way....



And is that hard line meant to be there - as it is in so many images when you zoom in - about one quarter of the way from the top - like a bad tiling effect?

[Phoenix100]

Another pic of the bad tiling type effect? Is it intentional, or am I missing something? Thanks.

[Phoenix100]

And here's the ocean floor thing. (Notice also the big tiling line, as in the other pics). Is the ocean floor meant to be this blurred? Maybe it's ok as a representation of features 3,000m down, but I just thought I would ask?

All these images turned into gifs (low quality) to upload them, but you can still get the idea).

[TheWombat_matrixforum]

I'm also interested in more information on importing custom layers--it does seem that you need to import stuff yourself if you want Google Earth-quality images. As is, with the relief layer on, it's decent looking, but I think I'm kind of spoiled by Google Earth and other geo-view programs . I've read the section in the manual about custom overlays but for the life of me I cannot decipher what they're saying there.

[mikmykWS]

Wombat did you read the addendum article on it?

In a nutshell you have to grab the image from another source (using GMAP Program), save and rename the file, then import it in. Bing seems to be the best image source in the tool at this point.

Mike

[montanaza]

What format should we save it in Mike?

ORIGINAL: mikmyk

Wombat did you read the addendum article on it?

In a nutshell you have to grab the image from another source (using GMAP Program), save and rename the file, then import it in. Bing seems to be the best image source in the tool at this point.

Mike

[TheWombat_matrixforum]

ORIGINAL: montanaza

What format should we save it in Mike?

ORIGINAL: mikmyk

Wombat did you read the addendum article on it?

In a nutshell you have to grab the image from another source (using GMAP Program), save and rename the file, then import it in. Bing seems to be the best image source in the tool at this point.

Mike

Hmm, where's the addendum? I only saw the stuff in the manual, and I couldn't figure it out. I think I need the kindergarten step by step version!

[mikmykWS]

Section 8.3 of the Manual- Custom Overlays 101

If you're still stuck let me know and I'll try and make a video in the next few days.

[Maesphil74]

So if you want the map to resemble the AAR screenshots + video's, you have to download the extra 'layers' and install them?
If not you have the graphics like in post 4-5-6?

Correct?

[jpkoester1]

I think the problem is probably twofold.

1. Including more detailed layers would require MASSIVE amounts of HD space (Think 2.5 Gig is big - IIRC correctly most of that are already the map tiles). So adding more detailed layers is only possible for limited parts of the earth's surface. This probably mostly depends on the individual scenarios. I am sure that we will see custom scenarios released in the future with the appropriate tile-packs included in the scen.

2. Second problem is probably one of intellectual property rights. How much do you think it costs for example google to create these detailed aerial photographs that you can see in google maps or google earth. Data like that does not come cheap especially the more detailed you need it. Aquiring a more detailled dataset was probably not feasible for a game like Command.

Regards,
JP

[Maesphil74]

I understand that.

But this comes as a bit of a suprise to be honest.
I really liked the maps in the video + AAR's.

The maps in post 4-5-6 (which are apparantly how the vanilla game really looks) not so much [:D]

[Phoenix100]

Those aren't the problems I feel, jpkoester - I feel this problem - annoyed that I wasn't told anywhere, before buying, that the game looks nothing like it looks in trailers, AARs and all those beautiful development pics we saw featuring google earth type images of terrain and airbases etc. The detail you get in this game is the awful lo res stuff I've posted above. It's terrible.

It may be that the game has other saving graces - I haven't found them yet, it seems to me to be a version of Harpoon to be honest, with a big beautiful database, some greater control levels, the same degree of clickfesting - but that's not the point. What I was led to believe it would look like for sixty quid is not how it is.

Of course, if prospective buyers were shown the images I've posted above and told that's what it looks like when you get down to the level you need to be at to control things near a coastline, I'm guessing fewer people would buy....

[Phoenix100]

Just in case anyone thought the gif images were too poor to make a judgement - here's a Jpeg of the Malvinas/Falklands coastline. This is by no means at closest zoom.

[Phoenix100]

You would think it would look better the higher you set the camera, but this is it from a bit further out, again, a jpeg:



What a useless blurry mess!!

Now there could be something wrong with my system, but no one has suggested that. The reason I originally posted these , on release day, was just in case there was something wrong - but no one has got back to me. So I assume everyone is looking at this kid of rubbish.

As I said, the game isn't about graphics, perhaps, but all the pre-release stuff showing those beautiful images of detailed coastlines and photo-realistic airbases were really very misleading if this is what you really get. If I'd known I wouldn't have bought.

[Dimitris]

ORIGINAL: Fleming
So if you want the map to resemble the AAR screenshots + video's, you have to download the extra 'layers' and install them?
If not you have the graphics like in post 4-5-6?
Correct?

Which AAR screenshots and which videos? Links please.

[Dimitris]

ORIGINAL: phoenix

You would think it would look better the higher you set the camera, but this is it from a bit further out, again, a jpeg:



What a useless blurry mess!!

Now there could be something wrong with my system, but no one has suggested that. The reason I originally posted these , on release day, was just in case there was something wrong - but no one has got back to me. So I assume everyone is looking at this kid of rubbish.

As I said, the game isn't about graphics, perhaps, but all the pre-release stuff showing those beautiful images of detailed coastlines and photo-realistic airbases were really very misleading if this is what you really get. If I'd known I wouldn't have bought.

Have you tried the relief layer?

[jpkoester1]

Hi phoenix,

I do understand where you are coming from and that I didn't state the problems from the user (your) perspecitve. I was just saying that including a more detailed tile-set as the standard release is problematic for the developers for the stated reasons (amount of data and cost involved due to intellectual property problems). If you know of a more detailled tile-set that can be aquired at reasonable cost I am sure the developers would be interested to include it in the game as standard.

Regards,
JP