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Thread: modding campaign map

  1. #61

    Default Re: modding campaign map

    I see this project would be pretty huge, but how much time would it take to make a small square with some provinces and some mountains?

    It would be a great resourse to observe.

  2. #62

    Default Re: modding campaign map

    Very intriguing.
    "Everyone believes in something. I believe I'll have another drink."

    "Wise was he who created god."

  3. #63
    Dynamo11's Avatar Domesticus
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    Default Re: modding campaign map

    Quote Originally Posted by spartan_warrior View Post
    So for the last few days I have been playing around with the sample .max files for Shogun 2's maps, and while I haven't tried anything out in game yet, I have just been familiarizing myself with the structure.

    But anyways what I wanted to say is that, seeing as how the campaign maps in warscape are created from models now (using splines, vertices, and polygons), I had an epiphany today. I am currently taking a Geographic Sciences degree and in that I use a lot of GIS software, which creates maps using raster and vector data, and vector data is essentially a bunch of vertices and splines. So I did a little experiment, I took some detailed world vector datasets and imput them into my GIS software, then transformed that into Winkel Tripel projection to balance out angular and distance distortion (this projection is the standard used by National Geographic). I then exported that out into an AutoCAD file and imported that then into 3ds Max and got this:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 




    So essentially I was able to create usable coastal and river splines for all of Eurasia in a matter of minutes, of course this still needs a ton of work done to it to make it somewhat usable but it will be a hell of a lot easier then drawing these things out by hand which would take hundreds of hours.

    The best thing about all this is with the right tools and datasets very detailed maps can be created using different projections.
    Holy


  4. #64
    spartan_warrior's Avatar Combating the ignorant
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    Default Re: modding campaign map

    Just a little update, I've been working on preparing my data to begin work on a map, while doing that I noticed the datasets I was using were far too detailed for the size map I am trying to make. I was using vector data for 1:10,000,000 scale maps, and there was just way to many vertices, I don't think the game would be able that many. So I instead switched to 1:50,000,000 vector data and that seems perfect, about the same ratio of vertices per area as the FOTS map. Heres a sample of what will hopefully one day work in game...

  5. #65
    Sogdog's Avatar Centenarius
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    Default Re: modding campaign map

    ur a legend if you make this work!

  6. #66

    Default Re: modding campaign map

    Quote Originally Posted by spartan_warrior View Post
    Heres a sample of what will hopefully one day work in game...
    Still looks great.
    I'd take less of Africa and go deeper in Russia in the North though... it's going to be needed in case anyone wants to remake Napoleon with the Shogun engine and for Rome-era stuff, some more Mongolean territory. I don't know how hard it would be to rotate.
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  7. #67
    spartan_warrior's Avatar Combating the ignorant
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    Default Re: modding campaign map

    Quote Originally Posted by daniu View Post
    Still looks great.
    I'd take less of Africa and go deeper in Russia in the North though... it's going to be needed in case anyone wants to remake Napoleon with the Shogun engine and for Rome-era stuff, some more Mongolean territory. I don't know how hard it would be to rotate.
    That is possible but i am hesitant to good too large, as we still don't know that that limit for map size in the Warscape engine is yet. I don't want to make something too big only to have it not work. I'll test the waters with this, as really this map is intended for a Roman or Medieval setting.

    For an Napoleon or Empire setting we would ideally want the Americas as well. Really once I get this one working I may go larger including all of Eurasia or even global, but for now I want something manageable to work with, as if this map isn't ambitious enough...

  8. #68
    wangrin's Avatar Unguibus et Rostro
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    Default Re: modding campaign map

    Excellent work spartan_warrior

    For people interested in GIS softwares, QGIS (Quantum GIS) is free.


    About bigger map, it would be interesting to know if we can use "theaters" like with ETW


    « Le courage, c’est de ne pas subir la loi du mensonge triomphant qui passe, et de ne pas faire écho de notre âme, de notre bouche et de nos mains aux applaudissements imbéciles et aux huées fanatiques.. » Jean JAURES

  9. #69
    wangrin's Avatar Unguibus et Rostro
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    Default Re: modding campaign map

    Sorry - double post


    « Le courage, c’est de ne pas subir la loi du mensonge triomphant qui passe, et de ne pas faire écho de notre âme, de notre bouche et de nos mains aux applaudissements imbéciles et aux huées fanatiques.. » Jean JAURES

  10. #70
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    Default Re: modding campaign map

    Quote Originally Posted by wangrin View Post
    Excellent work spartan_warrior

    For people interested in GIS softwares, QGIS (Quantum GIS) is free.


    About bigger map, it would be interesting to know if we can use "theaters" like with ETW
    it shouldn't be a great problem

    we can generate each theatre as a separate campaign map, than I can work directly on esf files using taw's tools. I can manually handle transition areas between theatres.

    There are 3 kind of problem.

    1 - I don't know for sure if regions.esf in Shogun 2 has a format similar to Empire and Napoleon, because I haven't Shogun 2 (but taw told me that the great differences are in startpos and pathfinding)
    2 - We haven't in Shogun 2 a UI to highlight transition areas
    3 - Manage trade_routes between theatres is very hard and long and it needs a sort of mixed-work using both 3ds and taw's tools

  11. #71
    spartan_warrior's Avatar Combating the ignorant
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    Default Re: modding campaign map

    One thing I noticed in the sample .max files is that there is an unused layer called 'transition zones' in that there are a few rectangular polygons, I'm guessing those are for the areas which link the theatres.

  12. #72
    Ordinarius
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    Default Re: modding campaign map

    yes spartan_warrior exactly
    this a confirmation
    theatres are still active even in Shogun 2

    February 17 2011

    This is a quite old explanation of transition areas

  13. #73
    wangrin's Avatar Unguibus et Rostro
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    Default Re: modding campaign map

    Layers in .max file (FotS map) :

    • Borders.cs2
    • Bridges.cs2
    • Groundtypes.cs2
    • Land_Trade_Routes.cs2 [none]
    • Land_Trade_Routes.cs2 [working]
    • Moutains.cs2
    • Playable_area.cs2
    • Railways.cs2
    • Regions.cs2 (grids)
    • Rivers.cs2
    • Roads.cs2
    • Sea_Groundtypes.cs2 (grids)
    • Settlements.cs2 [farms]
    • Settlements.cs2 [ports]
    • Settlements.cs2 [region specialties]
    • Settlements.cs2 [settlements]
    • Settlements.cs2 [stations]
    • Toms_rail_pieces
    • Trades_routes.cs2 [none] (sea international trade routes (usa/france/great-britain)
    • Trades_routes.cs2 [working]
    • _camera_for_render
    • _Guide_image
    • _heighmap (composed of heighmap_2D and heighmap (grayscales heighmap))
    • _Port_Coast_Areas (Coastal batteries bombardment area)
    • _Railway Guide
    • __Borders_For_Render (composed of Moutains_Borders, Region_Borders and Land_Borders)
    • __Camera_For_Render
    • __GUIDE_Settlements
    • __OLD_Regionsmap
    • __Port_for_rendering
    • __Region_Label_Highlights
    • __Region_Labels
    • __Region_for_Rendering
    • __Rivers_for_Rendering
    • __Roads_for_Rendering
    • __Sea_Crossings_for_Render
    • __Settlements_for_Rendering
    • __Trade_Routes_for_Rendering
    • rail_lod1


    We can found more layers in S2TW .max map such as __GUIDE_transition_zone or Coasts.cs2
    Last edited by wangrin; October 09, 2012 at 04:37 PM.


    « Le courage, c’est de ne pas subir la loi du mensonge triomphant qui passe, et de ne pas faire écho de notre âme, de notre bouche et de nos mains aux applaudissements imbéciles et aux huées fanatiques.. » Jean JAURES

  14. #74
    Libertus
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    Default Re: modding campaign map

    This thread is awesome , I look forward to seeing where this goes, as I am new to modding.

  15. #75

    Default Re: modding campaign map

    For Middle Earth or other fantasy type settings it may be worth looking at maps made in terragen, i know they can be converted/imported to 3dmax.
    With the new tools possibly for battle maps also?
    Any kind of collection of open source base maps converted into useable 3dmax that can be put together would be a treasure trove in terms of attempting a large scale mod on warscape.

  16. #76
    Dynamo11's Avatar Domesticus
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    Default Re: modding campaign map

    Quote Originally Posted by spartan_warrior View Post
    Just a little update, I've been working on preparing my data to begin work on a map, while doing that I noticed the datasets I was using were far too detailed for the size map I am trying to make. I was using vector data for 1:10,000,000 scale maps, and there was just way to many vertices, I don't think the game would be able that many. So I instead switched to 1:50,000,000 vector data and that seems perfect, about the same ratio of vertices per area as the FOTS map. Heres a sample of what will hopefully one day work in game...
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    Amazing


  17. #77
    88HaZZarD88's Avatar Tiro
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    Default Re: modding campaign map

    Quote Originally Posted by spartan_warrior View Post
    Just a little update, I've been working on preparing my data to begin work on a map, while doing that I noticed the datasets I was using were far too detailed for the size map I am trying to make. I was using vector data for 1:10,000,000 scale maps, and there was just way to many vertices, I don't think the game would be able that many. So I instead switched to 1:50,000,000 vector data and that seems perfect, about the same ratio of vertices per area as the FOTS map. Heres a sample of what will hopefully one day work in game...
    compliments !!

  18. #78
    Litany of fury's Avatar Libertus
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    Default Re: modding campaign map

    Quote Originally Posted by spartan_warrior View Post
    Just a little update, I've been working on preparing my data to begin work on a map, while doing that I noticed the datasets I was using were far too detailed for the size map I am trying to make. I was using vector data for 1:10,000,000 scale maps, and there was just way to many vertices, I don't think the game would be able that many. So I instead switched to 1:50,000,000 vector data and that seems perfect, about the same ratio of vertices per area as the FOTS map. Heres a sample of what will hopefully one day work in game...
    If this works out, that map could be incredibly interesting especially with the ways to access India. You could sail through the Suez canal, rendering that province vital to trade routes etc, or conquer your way through the middle east to access India. It would add a new perspective to the whole way of playing total war, EPIC.

  19. #79

    Default Re: modding campaign map

    Quote Originally Posted by spartan_warrior View Post
    So for the last few days I have been playing around with the sample .max files for Shogun 2's maps, and while I haven't tried anything out in game yet, I have just been familiarizing myself with the structure.

    But anyways what I wanted to say is that, seeing as how the campaign maps in warscape are created from models now (using splines, vertices, and polygons), I had an epiphany today. I am currently taking a Geographic Sciences degree and in that I use a lot of GIS software, which creates maps using raster and vector data, and vector data is essentially a bunch of vertices and splines. So I did a little experiment, I took some detailed world vector datasets and imput them into my GIS software, then transformed that into Winkel Tripel projection to balance out angular and distance distortion (this projection is the standard used by National Geographic). I then exported that out into an AutoCAD file and imported that then into 3ds Max and got this:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 




    So essentially I was able to create usable coastal and river splines for all of Eurasia in a matter of minutes, of course this still needs a ton of work done to it to make it somewhat usable but it will be a hell of a lot easier then drawing these things out by hand which would take hundreds of hours.

    The best thing about all this is with the right tools and datasets very detailed maps can be created using different projections.
    There are times when people like you do that and i wish i was a graphics designer.....whatever you call it

    Is the file small enough to upload to use in ultimate unwrap 3d?

  20. #80

    Default Re: modding campaign map

    For people interested in GIS softwares, QGIS (Quantum GIS) is free.
    Cheers.

    About bigger map, it would be interesting to know if we can use "theaters" like with ETW
    Agree....including South America and Africa....5 theatres....Australasia and Far East.....7 theatres
    Last edited by coolgit; October 11, 2012 at 04:47 PM.

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