[Map] Assault on Grozny (2km) [Released]

[Ason]

Thanks Amok, luckily I saved the old lightmaps folder with the LightmapAtlas file, I just thought it had something to do with the looks of the map, like it was something that needed to be re-generated everytime I made terrain/object changes like lightmaps needs to be remade.

Also, can someone change the title to "Assault on Grozny" instead of just Grozny?

Here are some new pics, I think it looks better with a BTR coming along

[rodrigoma]

I really like the ambient you accomplished. It reminds me a lot of all the photos of the conflict.

[Microwaife]

This is fabulous.
The streets in screenshot 2 and 4 are a little too clean to me. Mabe put some rubble here and there (i know WIP).
The new statics look really cool!

[Mineral]

dont think that this helps

Yes it will I think. even if the lightmaps folder is empty or anything it will re-generate that tai file to my best knowledge.



watch out with too many ambient fires and smokes. It can cause some problems if you over use them.
Great work on creating that specific atmosphere. Its shaping up really well!

[Mineral]

delete please!

[Ason]

Thanks guys, all feedback noted
I really couldn't have gotten close to where I am without the new statics, once again thanks to Arcturus and the PN team for letting me use them

EDIT: Mineral I re-generated Terrain lightmaps on medium but I didn't get any tai file, but I guess you mean I need to generate objects lightmaps in order for it to be created, since its in the subfolder called objects?

[Rabbit]

Thanks guys, all feedback noted
I really couldn't have gotten close to where I am without the new statics, once again thanks to Arcturus and the PN team for letting me use them

EDIT: Mineral I re-generated Terrain lightmaps on medium but I didn't get any tai file, but I guess you mean I need to generate objects lightmaps in order for it to be created, since its in the subfolder called objects?

Yes, then if it doesn't automatically do atlas lightmaps, run them.

[Ason]

Yes, then if it doesn't automatically do atlas lightmaps, run them.

I'm sorry but could you explicate that? Do you mean if the terrain lightmaps generation doesn't create LightmapAtlas.tai file I should run objects lightmaps?

I did actually save my previous LightmapAtlas.tai file but is it better to get a new one or are all of those the same? I mean the lightmaps files are different each time you change terrain/objects and re-generate, does the same thing apply to LightmapsAtlas.tai file?
If not and it is the same file for all maps I can just keep the old one.

[Mineral]

Where did I say generate objects lightmaps or terrain lightmaps? I said generate atlas lightmaps. That creates the tai file. As you can see on the picture there is a button called generate atlas lightmaps.

[Ason]

Oh my mistake, didn't see that, thanks for the help. Could someone explain what the it does? does it affect the map visually somehow?

[Mineral]

All the files of your lightmaps folder, are the lightmaps for all statics, for each single LOD of the static. Each a seperate file. (a DDS texture file)

Now when you want to spread the map with others, this would be much too big of a file size to give away. And for the clients it would mean loading in thousands of extra texture files(the lightmaps) when they load in the map. So to provide compression and optimization all these lightmaps are put together on atlas files. This isn't only done with lightmaps. All textures of the OG used on your map will also be put together on one atlas. as you can find in your overgrowth folder. The .tai files describes on which atlas which lightmap is and where.

So when you check the .tai file with a text editor, you can see what i mean. For example:

Code: Select all

levels/iron_thunder/lightmaps/objects/tunnel_bunker_cover=00=1469=178=31.dds		levels/iron_thunder/lightmaps/objects/LightmapAtlas0.dds, 0, 0, 0, 0.25, 0.25

that for example means, that the lightmap of the tunnel bunker cover static, GEOM0,lod0(00) located on 1469,178,31(the coordinates) can be found on lightmapAtlas0. the numbers after that are to specify where it is on the atlas. So one atlas will contain dozens of lightmap files.

an atlas, as you can see this contains many lightmaps. As such, for a map with hundreds of statics, you will only need 8 or 9 atlases to contain all those lightmap files:



or the atlas of the overgrowth:


with the tai file:

Code: Select all

objects/vegitation/pr/textures/bark1.dds		levels\iron_thunder\overgrowth\OvergrowthAtlas0.dds, 0, 0.875, 0.5, 0.125, 0.5
objects/vegitation/pr/textures/fir_lod_v2.dds		levels\iron_thunder\overgrowth\OvergrowthAtlas0.dds, 0, 0, 0, 0.25, 0.25
objects/vegitation/pr/textures/tree_branches_lod.dds		levels\iron_thunder\overgrowth\OvergrowthAtlas0.dds, 0, 0, 0.25, 0.25, 0.25
objects/vegitation/pr/textures/tree_deciduous_2_lod.dds		levels\iron_thunder\overgrowth\OvergrowthAtlas0.dds, 0, 0, 0.5, 0.25, 0.25
objects/vegitation/pr/textures/tree_deciduous_3_lod.dds		levels\iron_thunder\overgrowth\OvergrowthAtlas0.dds, 0, 0, 0.75, 0.25, 0.25
objects/vegitation/pr/textures/tree_deciduous_4_lod.dds		levels\iron_thunder\overgrowth\OvergrowthAtlas0.dds, 0, 0.25, 0, 0.25, 0.25
objects/vegitation/pr/textures/birch_green_lod.dds		levels\iron_thunder\overgrowth\OvergrowthAtlas0.dds, 0, 0.25, 0.25, 0.125, 0.25
objects/vegitation/pr/textures/camonet_lod.dds		levels\iron_thunder\overgrowth\OvergrowthAtlas0.dds, 0, 0.875, 0, 0.125, 0.25
objects/vegitation/pr/textures/fir_lod.dds		levels\iron_thunder\overgrowth\OvergrowthAtlas0.dds, 0, 0.375, 0.25, 0.125, 0.25
objects/vegitation/asia/textures/leaf_me_nc_drybush01_lod.dds		levels\iron_thunder\overgrowth\OvergrowthAtlas0.dds, 0, 0.375, 0.75, 0.125, 0.125
objects/vegitation/asia/textures/leaf_ncslybush01de_lod.dds		levels\iron_thunder\overgrowth\OvergrowthAtlas0.dds, 0, 0.5, 0.125, 0.125, 0.125
objects/vegitation/middle-east/textures/leaf_me_nc_drybush01_lod.dds		levels\iron_thunder\overgrowth\OvergrowthAtlas0.dds, 0, 0.375, 0.75, 0.125, 0.125
objects/vegitation/middle-east/textures/leaf_mehighleafbush01de_lod.dds		levels\iron_thunder\overgrowth\OvergrowthAtlas0.dds, 0, 0.5, 0, 0.125, 0.125
objects/vegitation/pr/textures/deciduous_bush_1_lod.dds		levels\iron_thunder\overgrowth\OvergrowthAtlas0.dds, 0, 0.25, 0.75, 0.0625, 0.25
objects/vegitation/pr/textures/deciduous_bush_2_lod.dds		levels\iron_thunder\overgrowth\OvergrowthAtlas0.dds, 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.125, 0.125
objects/vegitation/pr/textures/hedgerow_20m_lod.dds		levels\iron_thunder\overgrowth\OvergrowthAtlas0.dds, 0, 0.25, 0.625, 0.25, 0.0625
objects/vegitation/pr/textures/largebush_lod.dds		levels\iron_thunder\overgrowth\OvergrowthAtlas0.dds, 0, 0.375, 0.5, 0.125, 0.125
objects/vegitation/pr/textures/hedgerow_10m_lod.dds		levels\iron_thunder\overgrowth\OvergrowthAtlas0.dds, 0, 0.25, 0.6875, 0.125, 0.0625

I hope this explains what an atlas is BF2 uses atlas files for a lot of things.

[Ason]

+1 Great explanation, thanks Mineral

[Kerryburgerking]

Looks amazing, really looking forward to it.

[waldov]

Thanks Amok, luckily I saved the old lightmaps folder with the LightmapAtlas file, I just thought it had something to do with the looks of the map, like it was something that needed to be re-generated everytime I made terrain/object changes like lightmaps needs to be remade.

Also, can someone change the title to "Assault on Grozny" instead of just Grozny?

Here are some new pics, I think it looks better with a BTR coming along

Screenshots look nice, it looks like the modern Stalingrad it should. Are those destroyed Apartments custom models? ive never seen them before, they look very nice as opposed to all the apartments being untouched. The map definitely has the dark desolate feeling unique to Grozny.

[Zemciugas]

Looks brilliant dude! Need more destroyed buildings and other buildings in general IMO. Some more debris like destroyed cars/ arty craters would provide nice cover as well, the map looks amazing so far though.

[Ason]

Thanks guys!
@waldow: yeah I got some new statics from project Normandy

Could someone change the title of this to [Map]Assault on Grozny(2km)[WIP]

[Amok@ndy]

done

123456

[Ason]

I think the time has come to decide what kind of vehicles and weapons to use for each faction.
First I got some questions:

1. If I remember correctly I once saw a post about a new? way to choose what kind of kits/weapons to use in the kits menu/spawn menu ingame. It was like a menu in the editor with 2 rows on for each team of 6-8 dropdown boxes to set the kits. I believe it was to make it easier to not have to do it in text files. Was that WIP or just in my dreams?

2. Could someone explain/link tutorial on how to customize weapons to remove scopes.

If someone got suggestions on what kind of kits/weapons to use for each role your welcome to post them since I'm no expert on weapons. I tried to search for lists of most used weapons and kits and this is the only information I got so far, and I would really like your opinions on these thoughts and info:

Grenade launchers on the AKs were widely used by russians, it was considered one of the best weapons to fight chechens inside buildings and almost all regular infantry had them. So if it's possible I could have rifleman kit use grenade launcher(This is a big suggestion on my part, I don't really know how it would be like for gameplay, maybe a bit Overpowered)

I belive the most common vehicles were:

BTR-80 with 14.5 mm KVPT

BMP-2 with 30 mm 2A42 autocannon. If it's possible to remove ATGM I think it would be best for realism but I think it would be nice for gameplay to keep it since it's an awesome weapon.

T-72 Would have to use the MEC one since russian faction don't got it, or I could use T-90 without ATGM but if it's not possible to remove ATGM then in my own opinion using the MEC T-72 would be much better even if it got MEC texture for now.

T-55/T-62 I can't remember which one of these the militia faction got but I think the chechens could use one of them.

Others: MTLB, BRDM-2 and BMP-1. Also Shilka if we will ever see one in PR.

This is my idea about vehicles:

Russians:

2 T-72
2 BMP-2
2 BTR-80
1 MTLB
1 BRDM-2
2 Logis
1 Trans truck
1 AH Hind

Chechens:

1 T-62 / T-72
1 BMP-2 / BMP-1
1 BTR-80
1 MTLB
2 Logis
1-2 Trans Trucks
Many civilian cars
2 Defensive Tunguskas on southern part of the map and maybe 1 in northern part.
I'm thinking of maybe placing some RPGs on the floor in some apartment buildings in the city if the requestable RPGs are not enough.

This is all suggestions and ideas from my part, I would like your opinions on this and suggestions and help is really appreciated.
Thanks for changing the map name btw

[Rudd]

1. If I remember correctly I once saw a post about a new? way to choose what kind of kits/weapons to use in the kits menu/spawn menu ingame. It was like a menu in the editor with 2 rows on for each team of 6-8 dropdown boxes to set the kits. I believe it was to make it easier to not have to do it in text files. Was that WIP or just in my dreams?

if you have vehicles and weapons loaded in your editor, then all you have to do is select the object spawner and on the tweakbar you'll see the vehicle for team 1 and 2. Click that drop down menu and select the vehicle you want.

To remove scopes, you'll need to go to the team kit files afaik and just replace the scoped weapons with the unscoped versions in the .con files. Not entirely sure how to get up that team variation correctly though.

Vehicles wise, I recommend your 64p version only has a max of 1 tank per team, the 128p version could have 2. Retexturing the MEC T72 would probably not be too much work I guess, though it would need the crewman coding for Russia.

The BMP2s have got a variant without the AGTM, select the APC version instead of IFV.

[NO FUN ALLOWED]

This is becoming every thing I hoped it would. Great job man