Help! LM Mountain to planet

[Blue Monkey]

This was only intended as a quick & dirty version. I'm happy to make changes - just wanted you to have something to work with asap. That way you can see how it works with your cities, units, resources, etc. Then you can let me know what needs to be changed.

Changes like adding atmosphere are best done from rgb images rather than the indexed pcx. In the posted mockup the surrounding atmosphere was crudely done by rotating the original image on lower layers. If you look close you'll see it doesn't match where each quarter turning connects. A similar effect - better looking imho - can be achieved using drop shadows. Here's a five-minute experiment:

Spoiler :

Taking time to experiment with colors & the other parameters something much better can be done. & now that I know which parts go where it's much faster to work up a new version.


On the topic of graphics software: I use GIMP for most 2D work. It's free, well supported and available for multiple OS - with a nearly identical interface. I can continue working on my files when I'm away from home & only have a different platform available.

 

[Cimbri]

I should have asked for the atmosphere anyway. My attempt failed.



Anyway, Terra still looks good in-game, so thanks a million.



Would it be possible for anyone to assist making another 3x3 "planet"? This is for a Hive world (To make battles for planets like Armageddon etc. a lot more interesting). It intend the moon to be a part of the 3x3 square.

Spoiler :

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

What kind of terrain would be best for this? Could Desert work?

 

[Blue Monkey]

No promises, but I can probably go back & make you a version with atmosphere.


EDIT: problem with making another multi-tile planet is that you've already used 9 tiles of the LM Mountains file. That only leaves 7 unused tiles - even were they to properly line up on the map that's not enough. What terrain pcx are you going to sacrifice for this new planet?

 

[Cimbri]

Could tiles like Desert work?

 

[Blue Monkey]

Could do. Other possibilities are an unused LM terrain. Or overlays like jungle or marsh. The planet itself can be separated from the moon - with the moon taking a smaller set of adjacent tiles. Think of a big island/small island joined by an isthmus.

 

[Cimbri]

The island-isthmus would be kinda cool. What would that require?

Would it be easier to use hill or jungle instead of desert (desert tiles being smaller)? I only thought of desert because it is unused in the game.

 

[Zubareva]

Thats amazing. Im not a space girl, but when this is done, i want to play it!

 

[T-mun]

I'm glad Blue Monkey came back to this thread and proposed help you couldn't hope for anything better, Cimbri!

 

[Cimbri]

I know. I'm still amazed what you can do with good 'ol CivIII if you're create enough, and the Cobalt Simian did an amazing job on the Terra-terrain. It looks great in-game.

 

[T-mun]

I know. I'm still amazed what you can do with good 'ol CivIII if you're create enough, and the Cobalt Simian did an amazing job on the Terra-terrain. It looks great in-game.

Yes indeed Very nice work Blue Monkey, and we all waiting for your next production

 

[Blue Monkey]

Well as long long as you're patient. My stove is running out of burners right now. A lot of graphics etc. for the steampunk scenarios, promised work for Ogedei, Asoka scenario map, other terrain work like the sky water, ...



Isthmus & Identical Tiles

As to what terrain file to use - whatever is not used already can be workable. With overlays keep in mind that they are placed over your grassland (plus plains & tundra for forest). Those base terrains show through around the edges. If your grassland is the same color as the space terrain between planets then any of the overlays will be available. Placement on the map makes a big difference. Be sure to follow Pounder's suggestions in post 10. No duplicated tiles or overlays allowed.

1. The example on the left has an isthmus. The planet and moon would appear to be separated. Even so units with the naval flags could not pass between them. Land units could travel between planet & moon at will. either an advantage or a disadvantage.
2. The top of the planet & the moon both use an identical tile. No good - even if they were the same solid color because of the size difference there will be a huge zigzag in the outline of one or the other.
3. The example on the right shows how using a base terrain gives the possibility of moons and planets of a wider variety of sizes.
4. The moon is separated by a tile of water. The planet and moon would appear to be closer in the game than in the first example - yet ships can pass between them. Land units need to be transported, airdropped, or something similar in order to travel from one to the other.
5. In this example careful placement of LM Desert (diamond markers in the editor) allows for different graphics with identical function. No worries about identical looking tiles messing up your planet.
6. Since the base terrains are spread across multiple pcx files with very careful placement it should be possible to get more than one planet out each terrain.

_______
Don't know about all that praise. I don't produce enough work to be anything more than someone mentioned in the fine print at the bottom of the page. I enjoy what I do - mostly a lot of scutwork for the real creators.

 

[Cimbri]

dont worry, I'm patient. I've been fine-tuning the map since late 2011. Ever since my buddy had me read the new Horus Heresy novels. I don't even play WH40K, it's just good sci-fi to me.


Hmm... given that this "Hive world" ball would be placed at three or four predetermined locations (...or rather in the general area of three or four predetermined locations, given that the terrain has to match) I assume it would be easier to abandon the idea of the isthmus and just go with the 3x3 solution on normal (or landmark) desert terrain?



And about the praise - look, I started playing this game back in... 2001-2002 was it? I've spent more time toying with the map editor (perfecting maps and adjusting rules) than playing the actual game. Every person who adds content to this great game is a hero to me. This game has held my interest for well over ten years. I know no other game that has managed that. And that is solely because of the modders.

 

[nick0515]

Is it possible to do this with a 16 tile square or is 9 the maximum?

I've been experimenting with a numbered LMMountians file but haven't been able to make a square that has none of the 16 tiles repeated.

 

[Blue Monkey]

Anything bigger than 9x9 will have duplicate internal tiles. You can vary it by using some combination of lm terrain & overlays. That's the only possible way. It eats up available terrain graphics really quickly.

 

[nick0515]

I see, thanks BM.

 

[Blue Monkey]

Went back through this thread to re-familiarize myself with what I had done before - in case Delta_Strife wants help in his project. In the process of thinking through what could be done differently or to extend the effective use of the available terrain pcx ...

Is it possible to do this with a 16 tile square or is 9 the maximum?

I've been experimenting with a numbered LMMountians file but haven't been able to make a square that has none of the 16 tiles repeated.

Anything bigger than 9x9 will have duplicate internal tiles. You can vary it by using some combination of lm terrain & overlays. That's the only possible way. It eats up available terrain graphics really quickly.

• Clouds: Take an unused (in the particular scenario) overlay - marsh, jungle, etc. Even flood plains could be made to work. Change the graphics to be clouds. Scattering clouds around can help disguise the repeating tiles.
  • Example: Use Desert for the general base planet terrain. Remember that it doesn't have to look like Desert and you can also use LM desert to add variety. Use Flood Plains for the clouds. Since Flood Plains uses Desert for the base terrain wherever the underlying terrain shows through it will still look like your planet.

• Planetary Seas: If the water terrains are already used for "deep space" oceans can be simulated by changing the graphics of an overlay. Transiting oceans can be limited by using appropriate flags ("wheeled units") and/or movement speeds.
  • Example: Change Marsh to look like water. Cutting chunks of standard Ocean terrain to match the outline of Marsh and pasting it into the Marsh file is one crude but effective choice.

• Terraforming (worker action): "Irrigation" & "Planting Forests" can be used for "Terraforming". Change the appropriate graphics to mimic base terrains such as grassland, plains, etc.
  • Example: Use Irrigation for the Terraformed terrain. Since there are separate files for irrigating several terrain types you can make the terraforming effect look different on different parts of the planet depending on what base terrain you use. Example: If you start off with all placed forests and/or jungles as LM, then when you plant forests you can be using graphics with a completely different appearance.

• Combine these effects: Keep in mind that even though we're stuck with the file names because of the way the game engine works. the graphics can look completely different from how they do in the standard game.
  • Example: Desert for the base terrain overall. Flood Plains = clouds. LM Marsh = Oceans (LM because Marsh uses Grassland as based terrain & LM Grassland can use graphics to match the Desert). Irrigation = regions (graphics shaped however you like) transformed to match whatever terrain you like. As with the ocean you can CnP Grassland graphics into the Irrigation files.

It will take some experimentation - as discussed in several previous posts - to find the proper combinations of placement and terrain files. But, as they say, the basic research is done and now it's just an engineering problem.