ARCHIVED: Fun Stuff

[Moosezilla]

Speaking of 'Fun Stuff' how about a "Lost Worlds" progress thread and/or an alpha or beta version?

 

[Balthasar]

Speaking of 'Fun Stuff' how about a "Lost Worlds" progress thread and/or an alpha or beta version?

Legitimate request. I'll post an update in the 'Welcome' thread so that this thread doesn't get too OT. The stand-alone Barsoom map is my laboratory for all things Barsoomian, like those trees, and for testing Tharks and such without having to wade through 500 units to unravel those inevitable damned vague error messages...

I like, I really like
Is that some martian vegetation I see in the pic as well?

Yeah, I finally wised up and took a scientific approach: if Barsoom is largely dry, the trees would be like those you find in dry areas. They would be water-retaining, for one thing, and sure enough, Burroughs says that the majority of Barsoomian trees have stout water-retaining trunks. Many also have rock-hard woods, like some african trees. So I found a bunch of trees that fit that description and recolored them to account for an iron-rich environment. I'll be adding them to the Lost Worlds terrain as well, as I really like them. I'll put up a better screenshot of them.

Very nice!
Olympus Mons is a lot less impressive than people usually think, because although it is extremely high, it is more like a big bulge in the planet than a mountain. The slope is so gentle you could cycle up it. If you were standing near it, you wouldn't really be able to see it, except that the horizon would be a bit higher in that direction.

Thanks, Plot. I was trying to get that slope-y effect, glad you noticed.

 

[tom2050]

Hey, I just had to share this with you guys...

Last night I was mucking with the stand-alone Barsoom map, and made the great Volcano Mons Olympus:
... Picture was here ...

Nine Tiles - that's gotta be a record of some sort, don't'cha think?
Sorry about the large image size, but I wanted to include some regular size stuff in the picture so that you can see the scale of it...

Now that is impressive. You don't really get the size of how big it is until you glance over at the tiny little mountains. It looks in great harmony with the style of the rest of the terrain. I know how tough doing that with landmark terrain is. You should enter it into the PCX contest.

Plus it looks just as I remember it from last time I visited that mountain.

 

[Sir Sam Vimes]

Very nice!

Olympus Mons is a lot less impressive than people usually think, because although it is extremely high, it is more like a big bulge in the planet than a mountain. The slope is so gentle you could cycle up it. If you were standing near it, you wouldn't really be able to see it, except that the horizon would be a bit higher in that direction.

Yeah, you're right (we need more people who know about science on this thread...) Its a bloody brilliant representation, most people go for making it look like its really tall and thin, which is useless. One thing to remember is that Mons is actually a pimple on a much larger structure, the Tharsis Bulge, which is so big it makes mars massively asymetrical...

For anyone working on the Barsoom map, I'd humbly recommend you check Mapping Mars by Oliver Morton (see: http://www.amazon.com/Mapping-Mars-Science-Imagination-Birth/dp/0312245513 and: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2002/nov/30/featuresreviews.guardianreview16) and also Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy (Red Mars, Green Mars and Blue Mars). Morton's book is fascinating and the Trilogy is a brilliant piece of ecotopian sci-fi that's a damn good future history and also uses real, very accurate, topographic descriptions

Steampunk fans should check Robinsons's Years of Rice and Salt... its not strictly steampunk but its a brilliant alternative history of the Earth from Timur the Lame to the modern day told as a gripping novel.

 

[Blue Monkey]

Speaking of 'Fun Stuff' how about a "Lost Worlds" progress thread and/or an alpha or beta version?

Legitimate request. I'll post an update in the 'Welcome' thread so that this thread doesn't get too OT. The stand-alone Barsoom map is my laboratory for all things Barsoomian, like those trees, and for testing Tharks and such without having to wade through 500 units to unravel those inevitable damned vague error messages...

We've also got a map making thread & a WIP thread. Moosezilla's got a point, though. It's probably time for the "Lost Worlds" scenario to have its own thread.

Yeah, I finally wised up and took a scientific approach: if Barsoom is largely dry, the trees would be like those you find in dry areas. They would be water-retaining, for one thing, and sure enough, Burroughs says that the majority of Barsoomian trees have stout water-retaining trunks. Many also have rock-hard woods, like some african trees.

One the things tucked away in my "to do" queue: Amtorian forests (maybe also to use in the Hollow Earth's Pellucidar):

Spoiler :

take some

Adansonia Grandidieri

some Pachypodiums in flower (yellow- & white-flowered species as well)

and some Dracaena Cinnabari


and mix/adapt them to a suitably humid environment.

 

[tom2050]

It's probably time for the "Lost Worlds" scenario to have its own thread.

I agree, a thread in the main cust & creation forum would get alot more attention and go the next step of helping it to finish and get released.

 

[Balthasar]

I'll take this up with KA, as he is still the founder and leader of the group. I have no objection to a separate Lost Worlds thread, but it's really his decision.

 

[Virote_Considon]

Looking at that 9-tile Volcano, I have to especially commend you on your patience! Just getting two tiles to line up right together can be a pain in the nether-region!

 

[Blue Monkey]

I'll take this up with KA, as he is still the founder and leader of the group. I have no objection to a separate Lost Worlds thread, but it's really his decision.

Even if it's premature for a main forum thread, maybe we ought to have one in this subforum.

 

[KingArthur]

Do we really think a main c&c thread will help? I'm not convinced.

What I think we should be doing is getting something tangible out there. Don't we have enough assembled already to make a fantastically good release. That would be the best advert for our endevours and hopefully inspire folks to help make something great even better..

 

[tom2050]

I had a main civ / creation forum going for a good year before release my mod. Granted, I didn't have any other forums, but it brought alot of assistance by alot of people with ideas, offers of models, how to improve recolors, city graphics, etc... The Project & mod development forum is a bit more hidden than if on the main forum. There it can be advertised what units are remaining, updates on city graphics; preview of terrain and ideas, and the whole bit. Somewhat of a general thread to gather excitement and attention (primarily for those who may not visit the site regularly).

A link to this forum can be given for those who wish to find additional information or offer help.

I had invaluable help from a member who knew the background of my mod incredibly well, who signed up just to offer his assistance. I suppose it depends on how long you feel there is until a beta or official mod is released. But even such a thing might give me a kick in the pants to try to get some of the units done a bit quicker.

 

[Blue Monkey]

Rob has a "demo" of AD II posted in a new thread. Can't even call it a beta because there are game play elements not decided on. Something like that would serve what you both are looking for.
tom2050's comment is also a reminder that people deserve to see their creative contributions in use.

 

[Balthasar]

Rob has a "demo" of AD II posted in a new thread. Can't even call it a beta because there are game play elements not decided on. Something like that would serve what you both are looking for.
tom2050's comment is also a reminder that people deserve to see their creative contributions in use.

I agree, generally. See my new post in the Welcome Thread.

 

[Sir Sam Vimes]

I had a main civ / creation forum going for a good year before release my mod. Granted, I didn't have any other forums, but it brought alot of assistance by alot of people with ideas, offers of models, how to improve recolors, city graphics, etc... The Project & mod development forum is a bit more hidden than if on the main forum. There it can be advertised what units are remaining, updates on city graphics; preview of terrain and ideas, and the whole bit. Somewhat of a general thread to gather excitement and attention (primarily for those who may not visit the site regularly).

A link to this forum can be given for those who wish to find additional information or offer help.

I had invaluable help from a member who knew the background of my mod incredibly well, who signed up just to offer his assistance. I suppose it depends on how long you feel there is until a beta or official mod is released. But even such a thing might give me a kick in the pants to try to get some of the units done a bit quicker.

Yes, I'm only a quarter of the way through my scenario, but i have a c&c thread and its brought in a lot of offers of help

 

[Moosezilla]

Hey, BM try as I might I can't find those Bunny images you posted... they where fun!

 

[Blue Monkey]

Hey, BM try as I might I can't find those Bunny images you posted... they where fun!

Are you talking about the Dreaded Steam-Bun of Ouargistan?

 

[Moosezilla]

As I recall (from an old beer ad) "Yes I am!" Please let me relive the DREAD!!!

 

[Blue Monkey]

Moderator Action: All the threads in the steampunk subforum are temporarily closed while we reorganize. Expect a reopening of a new, organized improved version soon.