Map Modifying Discussion - History (Read Only) - Printable Version

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+---- Thread: Map Modifying Discussion - History (Read Only) (/showthread.php?tid=51019)

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Re: Display Issues - 6S.Maraz - 14.01.2008

asheshouse Wrote:I have a recurring problem of squares of texture popping in and out of view at certain viewing angles.
This seems to only affect areas close to the map edge where the land/sea boundary is running off map.

Tried playing around with map_T land/sea boundary but cant get rid of it completely.

This screenshot shows the problem. You can see the squares in the distance. As you move the viewpoint around the squares disappear and reappear.

I had this same problem too. Check that there are no "land" textures in the sea or at the coast. Only Water0...Water3 textures are allowed. Usually a "land" texture put in water gives no problems, but near the border of the map it looks like it gives this effect... this is at least what worked for me.

Maraz

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Re: Display Issues - lowfighter - 14.01.2008

Asheshouse on map_T paint your last pixels at the borders of the map with same color, say lowland0 color. Although I'm not sure it's this because you work in excelent mode and there might be other problems...
To be more precise see what happens at the northern border. If the last pixels are forest for some distance then the forest will be extended off map to north indefinitely. If last pixels for some distance are lowland2 for example then the lowland2 texture will be extended off map to north. Etc. Generaly all the standard maps take into acount that and there's only one texture which you see off map.

asheshouse Wrote:I have a recurring problem of squares of texture popping in and out of view at certain viewing angles.
This seems to only affect areas close to the map edge where the land/sea boundary is running off map.

Tried playing around with map_T land/sea boundary but cant get rid of it completely.

This screenshot shows the problem. You can see the squares in the distance. As you move the viewpoint around the squares disappear and reappear.

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- asheshouse - 14.01.2008

Thanks Maraz. Thats solved it.

I think what you suggest is a good idea Lowfighter.
It will make the map edge tidier.
As well as forests it will make sense to stop rivers 1 pixel away from the map edge.

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- spud - 14.01.2008

An idea I just had to mitigate the "layered forest edge" problem. The issue being that airfields (or target areas) with laytered forests nearby need trees to demark the forest edge, but we have no trees the same height as the layered forest to place.

What is the lowest elevation change possible on a map? My idea would be that you'd
make a ridge or pyramid of that min height, with a long slope. Have the slope end near your airfield. Then, instead of looking at an invisible forest edge vs sky, at least it's invisible edge vas gree hillside. Possibly the ground texture might be changed to a darker gree to match the forest, too. In addition, you'll not be looking down the edge of a layer, since the layer will be on a shallow slope.

Obviously not always possible, but it seems like a nice way to make the forest look "thicker" from the air base if you possibly can.

Palau shows this (with a larger hill).

tater

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- ClockWatcher - 14.01.2008

Spud,

You will have to factor in that height change depends on the the height you are at. IL2 does not change height linearly, the higher you go, the larger each step increase in height change.

I.e.

From 0m to 15m, change is 0.3m per RGB increase of 1 in map_h
From 16m to 220m, change is 1.89m per RGB increase of 1 in map_h, and so on..........
and at 2000m to 4000m, change is 66.67m per RGB increase of 1 in map_h!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For your slope to work your airfield would have to be at low levels to get the effect you are after.

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- spud - 14.01.2008

Great, most I care about have the surf breaking on one end of the coral!

Crappy picture of idea:



The black line with arrow shows the player's view of the forest. Note that where the top of the forest changes direction to downhill (off to the right, not shown), the view parallel to layers will run into the bottom of the top layer, so there is no path to see sky through the sloped forest...

tater

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- Skunkmeister - 23.01.2008

Question for ClockWatcher...how do you remove the distance and elevation scales in Microdem?

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- ClockWatcher - 23.01.2008

An answer for Skunkmeister

Two main methods:

Menu: "Modify" then select "Maps marginalia"

or

Right click on map you are editing: "Legends/Marginalia"

Untick all boxes and choose "Redraw Map" then "OK"

CW

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Combining actors.static files - asheshouse - 25.01.2008

I guess this is not new, but I can't remember reading any posts about it.

I was investigating simple ways of combining actor.static files.

Working in FMB Editor, loaded my NEFrance map as normal.

Then used Load As and navigated to root/maps/Ardennes and clicked on the actor.static

Result was all of the Ardennes objects appearing in the bottom left of my NEFrance map.

So if anyone works on a map with a blank actor.static and creates new scenery this method can be used to combine the new objects with the master. Have I got this right?

This is the Bastogne area, superimposed south of Dieppe.

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Re: Combining actors.static files - FC - 25.01.2008

asheshouse Wrote:So if anyone works on a map with a blank actor.static and creates new scenery this method can be used to combine the new objects with the master. Have I got this right?

That's correct although same thing is when you use paste from command, that's how you can use templates to populate map quickly. You make actors for city and use paste from to put it on a map at place where your mouse pointer is.

FC

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- spud - 25.01.2008

If you paste from a file, what file do you use?

tater

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- asheshouse - 26.01.2008

FC -- I'm still not sure how to do what you describe.

How do you "make actors.static for city"

Can you use any existing maps and select and save objects from it?

---- or do you use a blank map?

When I have tried to select and "Save As" the actors2.static file I create is empty.

Do you have to set up more commands in FMB Map Editor?

When I "Paste From" using an existing maps actors.static then the objects always appear bottom left and might overlap existing objects. I can move them from there, but is that what you mean.

I'm sorry, but I think I need an idiots guide to this.

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- lowfighter - 26.01.2008

Creating a template:

Suppose it's a template containing one airfield. Open one of the empty maps in map builder mode. Delete everything except say one airfield on the empty map. Modify the remaining airfield as you wish. Save. Exit il2. Go to root/maps/empty1a (Ithink that's the name of one empty map) and you'll find an actors.static file. For easier reference later rename let's say airfieldstemplateactors.static. So then whenever you buid on a map you can paste this airfieldstemplateactors.static on your map.
You can think of an airfieldstemplateactors.static which contains a lot of different airfield types. Then when you build your map, paste airfieldstemplateactors.static inside, then copy the different airfields and paste them to your desired locations on the real map.

The town template:

First decide which city texture you want to use. Go on empty map and paint that texture. Notice the texture is repeating. Open the empty map in FMB map mode delete everything and place the buildings on the city texture you painted on the map. Make sure you place buildings such that you fill a WHOLE repeating city pattern. Save. Go out and save the actors.static maybe like city_nameof citytexture_actors.static.

EDIT: you can use the city_nameof citytexture_actors.static whenever nameofcitytexture.tga is present on your map. The buildings will not match the texture when you try to paste on a different texture. For example you build your template on "midcity.tga" texture. You can't use the template to paste over a "centercity.tga" texture (if that's present on the map).

There are also some other ways...

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- asheshouse - 26.01.2008

ok.

I need to check a few basics here.

My all.ini is in root/files/maps --- it maybe that my file locations are now a little hybrid?

There are 8 empty maps listed in all.ini

Empty1a Empty1a/load.ini
Empty1a_Winter Empty1a_Winter/load.ini
Empty1b Empty1b/load.ini
Empty1b_Winter Empty1b_Winter/load.ini
Empty2a Empty2a/load.ini
Empty2a_Winter Empty2a_Winter/load.ini
Empty2b Empty2b/load.ini
Empty2b_Winter Empty2b_Winter/load.ini
Empty4a Empty4a/load.ini
Empty4b Empty4b/load.ini

My mod map folders are in root/files/maps
There are no folders set up for Empty1a etc, so these are not listed as a Load Map option when FMB is opened.

I can create folders Empty1a etc, but what files need to go into the folder.
Is there a default load.ini for empty maps?
Do I need to create an empty actors.static?
Can the *.tga files be any size -- in increments of 32 pixel?

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- lowfighter - 26.01.2008

Asheshouse you say you can't open empty1a in FMB??? That's crazy :?
If you CAN open it, for map editing and saving, just before working create a folder in root/maps, a folder having the same name as the original folder, in this case /root/maps/empty1a/. That's all, no need to place anything there. Open the empty1a in map builder mode, do the changes and save. As you exit you'll notice a bunch of files have been written in /root/maps/empty1a/ among them your actors.static IF you modified the actors during your work. Don't forget if you want to work in several sessions to create also
/root/files/maps/empty1a and place there the corresponding files, add to filelist etc. If you work modifying the actors.static don't forget each time after you saved and exited to COPY your /root/maps/empty1a/ actors.static and overwrite with it /root/files/maps/empty1a/actors.static...Then next time when you start a new building session the actors saved in the previous session will be loaded.
PS: this empty1a is just an ordinary map but with no towns or rivers, just a few airfields, that's why I was giving it as example. You can also just build your initially-empty map from scratch and then place there your actors to save as template.

Not sure what means the question about the size of the tga...which tga?

asheshouse Wrote:ok.

I need to check a few basics here.

My all.ini is in root/files/maps --- it maybe that my file locations are now a little hybrid?

There are 8 empty maps listed in all.ini

Empty1a Empty1a/load.ini
Empty1a_Winter Empty1a_Winter/load.ini
Empty1b Empty1b/load.ini
Empty1b_Winter Empty1b_Winter/load.ini
Empty2a Empty2a/load.ini
Empty2a_Winter Empty2a_Winter/load.ini
Empty2b Empty2b/load.ini
Empty2b_Winter Empty2b_Winter/load.ini
Empty4a Empty4a/load.ini
Empty4b Empty4b/load.ini

My mod map folders are in root/files/maps
There are no folders set up for Empty1a etc, so these are not listed as a Load Map option when FMB is opened.

I can create folders Empty1a etc, but what files need to go into the folder.
Is there a default load.ini for empty maps?
Do I need to create an empty actors.static?
Can the *.tga files be any size -- in increments of 32 pixel?

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