37 replies to this topic

[J5_Matthias]

Please use this thread to post and discuss the creation and texturing of new models related to the revamping of the Arras/Lens Sector project.

You can comment and discuss in the announcement thread of the project here: riseofflight.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=38829


J5_Matthias & Waxworks

[N28_Uberplane]

Atta boy Matthias!

[Waxworks]

I'd like to be able to add the Channel Map village and town substrates onto the original map, as they are an improvement. They would also be used for new towns, villages and factories missing from the Arras sector, as without them new building objects have to rest on farmland.

However, I need someone to explain to me how this could be done, as there don't seem to be any guides on mapmaking?

[SYN_Vander]

I'm pretty sure I have explained this once with screenshots and everything…but I can't find the post anymore!!!!

[Waxworks]

I haven't found an explanation yet. Substrates are set by landscape in layers.ini? How do I access landscape?

It seems that the factory and urban substrates on the Channel Map can't be used on the original? Is this true and if so why?

I noticed that Lens doesn't seem to have a substrate on the original map?

I'd like to progress with this project but unless I can place substrates it might be limited to extra terrain in no man's land and towns being properly ruined. Any help from modders who understand substrates would be welcome!

[Genius]

I'm pretty sure I have explained this once with screenshots and everything…but I can't find the post anymore!!!!

I thinks you have help here (post #49) : www.sukhoi.ru/forum/showthread.php?t=65384&page=2


Just a test (when I'm stuck or I want to change )





UV-map in progress

[Waxworks]

That's great, just the sort of building the Lens area needs!

The thread looks to be what I wanted- but in Russian… I'll study it, however a simple step-by-step guide in English would enable me to start.

[Genius]

Re, on post #49 i think you have tutorial in russian and english in files enclosed.

[Waxworks]

Post #49 may indeed be more productive, thanks!

[HotTom]

There was another thread on this in which I posted several references. It is linked above in Post #1.

This is what comes of starting two threads on the same topic. Confuses people.

And, no, I doubt Matthias looks at all like Wilhelm Frankl.

[WW1EAF_Paf]

Vitry-en-Artois

[Genius]

Beautiful works !

[hq_Jorri]

Simply stunning!

[Rama]

yes, it looks really good.
Bravo

[WW1EAF_Paf]

Thank you guys, glad you like it.
Here is a village just abit south. You can easily find it on google-maps, the layout barely changed from WW1.

[WW1EAF_Paf]

And here is a small one near to the front.

Fresnes-les-Montauban

[WW1EAF_Paf]

One question, do you plan to rebuild the map pre or past battle? So the correct villages are destroyed /still intact ones.
Waxwork, when I have some time I try to write something up.

[Waxworks]

It is outstanding work Paf. Matthias asked me to update the map because I had already added extra terrain, but yours is far better than anything I had done. Texture work isn't what I'd like to do, I'm far more confident with mission building and research. When I placed villages it was as a generic village, adapted to the existing trees and paths. Vander's villages have a generic grey substrate. Your Vitry-en-Artois is a complete rework of the village, which as it exists has no substrates or bridge and a large wood south of the river.

Have you got any guidelines for these villages? Vitry is far larger than it was, are they to be built to their full extent? Village plans are available from the barrage maps but they don't extend far beyond the front and don't cover the Entente sector. It is possible to be very detailed.

Bloody April will use winter/spring textures, can you adapt your substrates to that?

Boistrancourt is an issue because we still wont be able to use the custom aerodromes in MP?

As the fighting didn't progress very far, it would seem safe to use post-battle ruins? One problem is how to place the Hindenburg and Drocourt-Queant switch lines on the map. This might be done by placing trenches then using screens for textures?

Similarly, another problem is that our ruins are not ruined enough, might it be possible to screen ruins and use the textures to simulate outlines of buildings?

[actionjoe]

Boistrancourt is an issue because we still wont be able to use the custom aerodromes in MP?

Have you tried with the fakefield_m airfield? I've heard that is like a normal fakefield, but with multiple spawnpoints. You just have to care to not put objects on the way.

[WW1EAF_Paf]

It is outstanding work Paf. Matthias asked me to update the map because I had already added extra terrain, but yours is far better than anything I had done. Texture work isn't what I'd like to do, I'm far more confident with mission building and research. When I placed villages it was as a generic village, adapted to the existing trees and paths. Vander's villages have a generic grey substrate. Your Vitry-en-Artois is a complete rework of the village, which as it exists has no substrates or bridge and a large wood south of the river.

Yes, the villages are complete reworks. I paint new custom textures and do the placement of houses in the editor as far as it is possible as it was in real. Not always its really fitting because the buildings often come in blocks and so you have to compromise.

Have you got any guidelines for these villages?

No. I started searching the old threads from Vander & DiFiS about substrates and when I had problems they + AnKor were so kind to help me out with their knowledge & tools. Its a potpourri from existing knowlege here on the board and some stuff i worked out for myself. Its abit of a task to explain everything step by step. Maybe I can get myself to write something down.

Vitry is far larger than it was, are they to be built to their full extent? Village plans are available from the barrage maps but they don't extend far beyond the front and don't cover the Entente sector. It is possible to be very detailed.

I build the villages after WW1 maps. So compared to the villages & towns ingame they really look too big. But well, thats maybe the price for trying to do it as real as possible.
Vitry is indeed abit bigger because of the majestic river, which in real life is much smaller

Bloody April will use winter/spring textures, can you adapt your substrates to that?

My textures are drawn into the summer landscape. They are not substrates, so its much less flexible, but brings alot more detail, like individual treeplanting. So it is hard to transform them into winterterrain. Autumn is not that much work.

Boistrancourt is an issue because we still wont be able to use the custom aerodromes in MP?

Im not sure. Is "Mods on" in MP not possible?

As the fighting didn't progress very far, it would seem safe to use post-battle ruins? One problem is how to place the Hindenburg and Drocourt-Queant switch lines on the map. This might be done by placing trenches then using screens for textures?

Redrawing the frontline is not an easy task and I have not much knowledge about it
There could be a workaround with substrates. I tested it in SP, but I have no idea how much impact on loadingtimes & performance it would have. Also it would miss everything else from the game-frontlines except being visual because of some painted craters. It makes only sense for a small part of the front, because each substrate has a max. size of 800x800m. This means alot substrates would needed to be placed.

Similarly, another problem is that our ruins are not ruined enough, might it be possible to screen ruins and use the textures to simulate outlines of buildings?

Yes, that should be possible, but resolution is not very high. Would only look good from mid - highaltitude.

[WW1EAF_Paf]

Waxworks, do you have a village in mind that got partly destroyed and could be important for the map?
I would like to try out how it will look with painted textures.

My plan at the moment is, to go first for the villages that are also painted on the ingame flightmap. So it can be helpful to navigate by the look of them.
See this recce-photo. Its easy to navigate when the villages have their custom layout


But I can also try to make villages with a higher priority for the battle.

[Waxworks]

While there were summer battles in the region, Bloody April requires that we use winter and spring textures, it's more or less a must. My scheme for the update was to be to use a grey substrate as the previous update, except to use a lighter grey for village roads and perhaps a green texture for non-road non-building areas. This wouldn't look as good, but it might be quicker?

There are many villages on the map, ideally we would have all of them. Hopefully the in-flight map can be updated with new villages, the alternative would be to use icons.

One objective for the fighting was Roeux and the chemical works, that might be a good subject?

[WW1EAF_Paf]

While there were summer battles in the region, Bloody April requires that we use winter and spring textures, it's more or less a must.

I know the winter was a long one this year. So problem is, I think the wintermap is too "winterish" and the summer textures don't look like spring anymore. But to repaint the whole landscape-tiles is another BIG job besides populating the scenery

I think major battlepoints and bigger villages are best to be custom-made. Smaller ones can make use of substrates. Its possible to extent the list of Substrates so there could be some more randomness to the generic substrate-textures.

[SeaW0lf]

Awesome work!

[redcoat22]

Do we even have "Spring Textures"?

[Waxworks]

Perhaps not, spring is only selectable as a season not a landscape. I'm not familiar with textures and I wanted to use neutral ones that would work with any season, like the base grey used on the existing maps. As long as the terrain matches the rest of the map it is useful.

However, Vimy Ridge was snow-covered when it was captured, and there were snow storms up to the middle of April.

[WW1EAF_Paf]

Officially we have Summer, Autumn & Winter. My textures are based on the summerlandscape. With some colour-work they will also work for autumn. A few villages are ready for autumn. Winter is another thing. Didn't even try to make it yet

But here is some test-spring-landscape based on the summertextures. Does it already look to greenish for april 1917? I tried to give it a still cold look.
I also thought about thin snowbanks, but that would mean much more work, hehe.

from altitude:


Edit: These shots made with FligthFX-SMAA-Lumasharpen, no colourchanges.

[Rama]

Too greenish no, but maybe a bit too dark

[WW1EAF_Paf]

Thank you for the feedback Rama.

Just thought about the frontline and how we can make it interesting looking. To start working on that we need to make a decision which frontline is best suited to simulate the battle.
When you play a mission, I think you want to have the battle in progress, so what about taking the line of 9th April evening?

[J5_Rumey]

Good work. Love it.

[WW1EAF_Paf]

Working on the global landscape texturesis very timeconsuming and I come back to them when I have more time again.
I the meantime I began with Pelves,Roeux & the Chemical Works.
Here is the mainlayout. Textures are very WIP,just layout. View is also a bit dizzy from battlesmoke over the frontline.

[Dutch2]

Wow great things are going on, thanks guys.

[WW1EAF_Paf]

Small steps. Some texturework left and then I have to plant some trees.

[J2_Adam]

Fantastic! Thanks!

[CaK_Novotny]

Vauuu! Super!

[hq_Jorri]

I like the craters you're adding.

[SeaW0lf]

Very nice!

[Genius]

Hi,

Impressive works, very immersive

Bye
Genius