posted 08-02- 04:11 AM               

SDOP Theater - Singapore Terrain is now a fully stand alone terrian, currently with 5 (if I remember rightly) working AI usable airfields.

The terrain has the usual SDOE targets and towns

I've sent Diego the basic texture map I'm using (nice ocean.. basic land), and he's gonna work his magic once again ))

The ocean has been flattend, and the Land terrain editing will start in a while

This is the terrain area map

Singapore Terrain is proudly brought to you by Team SDOP - Diego and Nat

posted 08-02- 04:33 AM               

One question though, how are you going to do the jungle? Texture or models.

Trees would look so good, but bang go the frame-rates. I already get problems.

Midway was great, until; those ships start all that AA fire. Tracer by the bucketload and I'm down below 20fps. Got as low as 15 when I strafed the Akagi.

posted 08-02- 06:40 AM               

Tailgunner.. no, I haven't sorted out the airfield problem on Midway yet The base terrain I used for Singapore has allowed me to keep alot that I just couldn't for Midway, but I'm sure we'll get the airfield on Midway, it's a simple thing for most plane builders to put the airfield where it should be, I just haven't had a volunteer to do it thats all. It's just exactly the same principle as putting an external SM file on an aircraft and placing it where you want.. all that midway needs is a ref to the airfield and putting where it has to go on the map.. I just don't know how to do that, mposis tried to explain how to do it in the extracted SM file.. but I never got it right and it messed things up

oh, as for the trees.. I'm thinking of either having them texture only, or maybe trying to "draw the terrain up" in places and texturing them with tree textures, I'm not sure yet, but you'll be glad to know that I usually have low FPS in any type of mission, but on my first flight over singapore I was hittin between 50/60 fps

posted 08-02- 07:37 AM               

What can I say...sniff..blink...it's beautiful.

I wouldn't worry to much about the terrain being spot on to what it was in WWII, heck, as it stands now it's the most accurate bit of terrain we have.

I flew somemore Midway last night. I love that terrain so much. I do wish the airfield thing could be worked out, but as it stands right now it's already my favorite. Of course I'm fickle....Singapore could change all that.

These terrains have wonderful implications for the War.

Great work!

PR=FC=

posted 08-02- 08:52 AM               

1.) Is it possible for you to make terrain larger than 40x40 miles? I think Bryan Russel experimented with this previously.

2.) Any plans in the future to make a mountainous terrain for C47's to simulate the trip over the 'rock pile?'

posted 08-02- 09:24 AM               

As for future terrains, well, once Singapore is done, I want one of Japan, maybe Iwogima {sp} or someplace like that, and then maybe 1 more, so that we have a complete 4 terrain SDOP. I did consider Burma.. until I looked at the maps and saw how big that thing is.. lol I wanted a good mix of sea and land so it had to be Singapore, plus it was a major battle area aswell.

The basic of Sinhgapore are done, but it could take some time before it's finished, I'm having trouble with Max... so I reinstalled it.. now I have one version will let me edit the vertexs, but the other wont, and the other will let me texture map, and the other wont!! Problem is, to edit the terrain, I need both at the same time.. lol I don't know whats caused this problem, so I've been gettin pretty peed off today..

posted 08-02- 11:25 AM               

The huuge fortification guns at the fort are still there as well as all the catwalks and tunnels.

I can't remember if I took any pictures..

posted 08-02- 01:29 PM               

(scratches head, shortly followed by chin)

But Why don't you extract the Dover, Rhine or Africa map and then Copy and paste the air-fields or copy their references?

In theory then you could open up the airfield .SM and edit it and save it as something else...thus making it spacific to midway and so on? If this works/is true let me know and I may create a map or two...I would love to create propper WW1 airfields and starting positions...blah blah...

posted 08-03- 01:03 PM               

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SchaF bailed out! ;)

posted 08-03- 06:24 PM               

Right now we have no time frame for Singapore, Midway is still top priority, but there's some things I need to learn before Midway can be completed, and as for Singapore.. well, thats going to be a hard one to complete. I'm undecided on how to go about the terrain model itself.. whether or not I should edit the current terrain model to bring it into line, or to builld the complete terrain from scratch.. niether is a good option and both require additional Max knowledge, so on those grounds I'm really glad that I released the Midway Beta since te final version could be some way off yet.

We'll keep you posted of any breakthroughs or milestones reached so you all know how we're doing, and as I always say, if anyone with good knowledge of Max would like to join Team SDOP (heh) then give me a shout, help is always a good thing