25.10.2008, 09:40
Some of you know or even used it (Bada?) on the new maps, also it has been used on late oficial maps (like the Desert one). For who doesn't know:
Traditionally one has these lowland, midlland etc regions on map T as compact more or less extended regions. If you fly over such an extended (say lowland0) texture it becomes boring after a while, there are no variations. So the checkerboard idea is like this
in load.ini you asigned
lowland0=tx1.tga
and say
lowland1=tx2.tga
These textures to be used have to blend well yet to offer some contrast
On map T you have the extended region painted with lowland0 color (RGB=0)
Now you can create a checkerboard tga (say CB.tga)"template" containing only two colors RGB=0 (lowland0) and RGB=1 (lowland1). It's good to be big enough say 256 by 256 pixel each pixel alternating the color. In GIMP (possibly similar it can be carried with PSP etc) open your map_T and the CB.tga. Go to CB.tga, in the menu go to filters then noise then spread, select spread. The spread has some parameter but basically will move pixels around randomly on your CB.tga. Apply spread and the result is a random image containing only rgb0 and rgb1 pixels. Copy the whole image. Go to map_T and select the lowland region. Click on pattern and select the randomised checkerboard. Go to edit and fill with pattern. The result is that now the compact RGB0 region was replaced by a random looking pattern of rgb0 and rgb1. Save as different map_T such that you can always return, use different patterns etc. In game it means you have now some more variation if you fly over the former loland0-only region. Possible to use different patterns with one colour been predominant over the other, or patterns with more than three basic colors. The nice thing is that it's a fast procedure. :wink:
The cunning thing is how you choose and match your textures, especially that we are SO limited with the total number of textures to be used on a given map.
:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
Traditionally one has these lowland, midlland etc regions on map T as compact more or less extended regions. If you fly over such an extended (say lowland0) texture it becomes boring after a while, there are no variations. So the checkerboard idea is like this
in load.ini you asigned
lowland0=tx1.tga
and say
lowland1=tx2.tga
These textures to be used have to blend well yet to offer some contrast
On map T you have the extended region painted with lowland0 color (RGB=0)
Now you can create a checkerboard tga (say CB.tga)"template" containing only two colors RGB=0 (lowland0) and RGB=1 (lowland1). It's good to be big enough say 256 by 256 pixel each pixel alternating the color. In GIMP (possibly similar it can be carried with PSP etc) open your map_T and the CB.tga. Go to CB.tga, in the menu go to filters then noise then spread, select spread. The spread has some parameter but basically will move pixels around randomly on your CB.tga. Apply spread and the result is a random image containing only rgb0 and rgb1 pixels. Copy the whole image. Go to map_T and select the lowland region. Click on pattern and select the randomised checkerboard. Go to edit and fill with pattern. The result is that now the compact RGB0 region was replaced by a random looking pattern of rgb0 and rgb1. Save as different map_T such that you can always return, use different patterns etc. In game it means you have now some more variation if you fly over the former loland0-only region. Possible to use different patterns with one colour been predominant over the other, or patterns with more than three basic colors. The nice thing is that it's a fast procedure. :wink:
The cunning thing is how you choose and match your textures, especially that we are SO limited with the total number of textures to be used on a given map.
:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: