[Map] Wuzhai [WIP]

[Jonny]

Fair enough, so long as it does not look like a construction site kind of office. This is a large factory so they need labs to test what they make to see if it is working ok.

[spacemanc]

It will have proper offices, but it wont be a large complex - unrealistic, but I have to compromise somewhere. A complex like I was going to attempt could probably be a map in its own right ( and use as much of my time as a map in its own right! )
For each static, I now kind of make sure I can reuse it on the map, so if Im not going to use it more than 2 or 3 times, I dont use it and find something else.

[spacemanc]

Heres a quick update of where Im upto. The map now has a river! It quite long ( about 2km with a couple of waterfalls. Its taken me quite a long time, because of the 4m resolution again, and also because the waterplanes have to be totally exact :





Ive now completed 3 flags, and Im half way through 3 more with 2 left to start. Ive also got all the roads and textures, sounds etc to do. The pictures below are the two storage area flags. One is complete and the tunnel ( looks small but massive inside ) hasnt had much done to it ( internal or external ).






Also Ive fractualised the forests which has made them much thicker, without affecting fps. The lowest I could get the fps to was 40fps and that was spinning above the forest in the merlin with my very average graphics card. There may be scope for even thicker forests, but Im not sure how much the overheads ( VOIP etc ) affect fps when playing so Im going to play it safe for now.

Ive still got loads and loads to do, but it really is starting to look nice now and I love flying round it. When it gets cleaned up at the end it will look really nice

PS To get an idea of the scale of the map, the mountains in the bottom picture are in the middle of the map.

[hall0]

Nice i realy like the camp with the double fence.

[spacemanc]

Originally Posted by hall0

Nice i realy like the camp with the double fence.

Thanks - thats one of the completed flags ( apart from roads and textures, and grass colour :/ ) Its hard to see in the picture, but those storage mounds are 2m high, so although it looks open, theres lots of cover. Theres plenty of sneaky ways past that fence too

[Jonny]

Last pic, the camp/storage area:
RHS is a steep slope, cut into the terrain. It looks like it should not really be there. Although if you made it a little shallower and changed the colour of the texture there it may look better. It looks too steep to be safe ATM, so definately fix that.

Move the trees much further away from the fence, you can sneak right up to it now, which NOT helpful to the defenders, IRL or in game.

Forests:
Lower a significant proportion of the trees, it will look and feel better. The denser the forest the better, too. You can easily justify large expanses of grass to make a proper forest feel. So more bushes and lower trees please.

Rivers:
They are not all flat are they? Water does have some viscosity, its not a superfluid, so you do get gradients, like in rapids. So long as you dont over do it you could have fewer waterfalls if the river is slightly inclined.

Tunnel:
What is it for?
Is it for trains?
For storage?
An old mine enterance?
Is the size of the enterance appropriate for its use?
Is it in a sensible place?
It had better not be there because you felt like it....

Edit:
Guard Towers:
I would move them inside the inner fence and then fence them off also. Or move them outside the whole thing, into the gap that there should be between the trees and the fence, and then fence the towers off. It looks very wrong where they are ATM, at least to me. It would make repairs for both the tower and fence easier if they were seperated a little more.

The enterance needs a gate and a guard house, too.

[spacemanc]

Originally Posted by Jonny

Last pic, the camp/storage area:
RHS is a steep slope, cut into the terrain. It looks like it should not really be there.

Move the trees much further away from the fence, you can sneak right up to it now, which NOT helpful to the defenders.

Forests:
Lower a significant proportion of the trees, it will look and feel better. The denser the forest the better, too. You can easily justify large expanses of grass to make a proper forest feel. So more bushes and lower trees please.

Rivers:
They are not all flat are they? Water does have some viscosity, its not a superfluid, so you do get gradients, like in rapids. So long as you dont over do it you could have fewer waterfalls if the river is slightly inclined.

Tunnel:
What is it for?
Is it for trains?
For storage?
An old mine enterance?
Is the size of the enterance appropriate for its use?
Is it in a sensible place?
It had better not be there because you felt like it....

I noticed that slope as well when I posted the pics - never seen it before - its now gone! The trees are needed close to the fence as its hard to get in the compound already, so any less cover and it will be too easy to defend. Theres already a gate house, checkpoint area and gate. Guardtowers look crap anywhere else.

The river has a very slight incline, to help fit my terrain. Theres only a couple of waterfalls, and as you can see they are more like rapids than the usual 50ft waterfall that people go for ( though might be one of these added on edge of map. ) As for adding more rapids, well theres only one rapids effect and its quite "violent" so theres one more downstream, but will look crap if I add anymore.

The "tunnel" will be more like a storage mine. You can only actually see the entrance from that exact angle - anywhere else you can hardly see it. Theres also a small top entrance shaft. Its very tall and narrow inside, so I was hoping to make several floors, but struggling finding suitable statics to use , so it may be left quite simple with maybe an entrance with doors ( unenterable ) leading off it. The location is excellent, The valley should create a good setting for battles as theres excellent terrain and vegetation and thats the main thing!

[Jonny]

The whole idea is to make it IMPOSSIBLE to get into one of those compounds. Players WILL find a way. Trust me. I have seen 6 people sneak across Ejod without being seen, with another 6 people posted on any and every rooftop with a ladder. I have done it myself. Make it HARD. VERY VERY VERY HARD.

Your tunnel is too hard to get any vehicles into, for either construction or for moving things, to make me believe it ATM. I just cannot believe it was built that way around when it would be much much easier to just turn it 90 degrees and add a corner in there in order to get under the mountain. It could still be hiden by trees, but would make sense.

Thats good to hear about the river thing. perhaps you could add a small cave behind the waterfall, not fronted by rocks or dug out like the OGT one, but more like what naturally forms (pic from wikipedia):

[spacemanc]

Originally Posted by Jonny

The whole idea is to make it IMPOSSIBLE to get into one of those compounds. Players WILL find a way. Trust me. I have seen 6 people sneak across Ejod without being seen, with another 6 people posted on any and every rooftop with a ladder. I have done it myself. Make it HARD. VERY VERY VERY HARD.

Your tunnel is too hard to get any vehicles into, for either construction or for moving things, to make me believe it ATM. I just cannot believe it was built that way around when it would be much much easier to just turn it 90 degrees and add a corner in there in order to get under the mountain. It could still be hiden by trees, but would make sense.

Thats good to hear about the river thing. perhaps you could add a small cave behind the waterfall, not fronted by rocks or dug out like the OGT one, but more like what naturally forms (pic from wikipedia):

If you make it hard for one team then its easy for the other - I want it balanced, map wise - its the defending teams job to make it hard.

My idea behind the tunnel is its a secret ( or very secure ) storage area - but as I say lack of statics means I cant create what I had in mind. Therefore Ill make the flag ( inside the tunnel )quite simple and move the fight outside a bit more with other statics.

Things like holes under waterfalls will be the last thing to do, when I can get a better idea of where rally points would be placed etc. atm the river is pretty much eye candy ( plus less need for trees ) as its near the edge of the map - its nice flying up and down it in the merlin though!

[Jonny]

It WILL prove to be too easy ATM, trust me. You really dont know where I have seen people get into. That thing on Ejod, the target was a one storey building at gardens, with a guard on top. If you got seen at any time you got shot. You had to get ON TOP of the roof, WITH THE GUARD to win. And almost all of the six+ who tried managed to do it. I actually did it in ONE try, without being shot at all. So believe me when I say that that is a piece of cake, especially when I have snook across open, almost flat desert with two other people on Ejod. Without ever being seen.

If it is a very secure storage area, then it is very expensive, and must have a good road into it for vehicles. It also has a very well developed series of pillbox type defences, which are well camoflaged.

If it is secret, it does not have a big enterance like that. Or it has a big obvious enterance, but it looks old and is partially covered in rocks. And is NOT a flag as the invading force does NOT know what is actually there.....

If it is built for JUST people then it could be that way around, but it looks like its also for vehicles, so they need to get in. So at least rotate it 45 degrees. ATM it seems really quite silly.

I would like to see a river system in the centre of the map, there are certainly enough valleys for it. You could even build an opening of a tunnel for it to use to get out of the lowest point on the map, if it is near the centre. I really think it would add to the feel of the hills if you could look over an open grassy field and see a river winding its way infront of a large, dark forest as you drive to intercept a squad of enemy infantry.

EDIT:
ATM, In game, that thing is piss easy to get into.
Supress the guards on one side for a long period, to get the attention of the ones on the other side. Watch those closely as somebody closer to the fence than you hides, out of sight, behind a tree/bush. Tell them when to move, keep to short hops between trees. Fire a few stray shots at the biggest threat to your attempt. To get their attention away from the runner. Runner enters fence, climbs up a tower as you supress the guard with a SAW and the other side takes a barrage of LAT rockets. Break into the first flank, large force. Runner takes the tower, and holds it after someone has thrown a grenade into it. The enemy are now concentrating on the breach, the tower guards are dropping like flies and you hold one for sniping others and for observation. You now control the towers as more of you climb whilst being covered. Once you have the towers you can easily supress any hostiles while remaining ground troops bound to any open doors and throw multiple nades in there.

If set up properly, not hard for an organised squad, the whole thing should take under 4 minutes from opening volley on first flank towers till you have won it.

Its even more effective if you can have another squad hit the main enterance after its guards have been distracted and then run in there as a distraction.

Dont forget to save one rocket for any assets you might find and practice neutralising towers with grenades as much as possible beforehand.

Alternatively you can waltz in under cover of a random assault, then pistol everyone to the head who looks at you funny from a tower.