Map: Height Maps

[dmnt]

Originally Posted by Grant1pa

I just posted a scenario with a base map I generated using the program. I'm still learning how to use this program, as well as interpret the heights generated with terrain features from satellite views. Counting hexes is difficult, and sometimes perplexing in establishing roadways and buildings.

Every (x,y) position where x and y are divisible by 4 will be displayed when you zoom in far enough. That is to help you counting the locations.

Maybe there should be 3-level option for that, every hex with numbers, every 16th hex (as currently) or completely off. Or some hovering tooltip when the mouse cursor is held on top of the hex.

Any ideas appreciated for improvement.

My approach is to start with the fresh downloaded map and to add major roads first. Then I'll start drawing lesser roads and fill areas captured inside the roads and finishing them one by one until the whole map is ready. And I'll adjust the hex heights if necessary to better suit the feel of the terrain, for example if the road goes up and down when in reality it's going on the same level around a hill.

[dmnt]

Originally Posted by MarkSheppard

Tried making a map with this location; got a uniform flat map.

http://www.venhola.com/maps/geo.php?...89355469&rot=0

This was something I had problems too with making maps via MicroDEM too -- the difference between a near sea level map and one at 400m above sea level; meaning I had to keep a set of MicroDEM terrain level tables for each altitude.

This feature is now improved:

if the terrain contains height differences more than 150 meters they are proportionally mapped from 0 to 150 meter range. Your downloaded map should now be better suited for map building.

[dmnt]

Aaaaand finally, here's at least some kind of user manual. Enjoy!

https://github.com/tvenhola/SPMBT-ma...ster/MANUAL.md

[IronDuke99]

How does one "choose clear keeping the current contours"?

[dmnt]

Originally Posted by IronDuke99

How does one "choose clear keeping the current contours"?

That's just my memory trying to think what that tooltip said.

Choose the "Add clear terrain to hex following the contours of the existing map [C]". So when you first fire up the map editor, you can press N, C, 6, type 255 (and press Enter) and finally press L

OR

Click the blue triangle, green square on top left, "fill range" button above the blue triangle, type 255 and press enter, click "fill" button next to the "fill range" button.

This should give you the nice hills and slopes of the terrain.

[Grant1pa]

I have a question and I appologize if this has been asked prior.

I've been using the maptool in this thread (http://www.venhola.com/maps/)
and have been very impressed with the ease of obtaining realistic map heights for real world locations.

However, it's driving me crazy trying to emplace streams and lakes which occur on heights above "0" elevation. Which I know is obvious to members of the forum, you can place streams on "10" elevations but they move to "0". In game design, this may not be an issue unless you try to put streams or lakes on higher than "10" levels. The drop is simply to drastic and you have to greatly modify the map heights generated by the tool.

My computer programing days have long past and I surely don't have the expertise to critique or advise on the problem. Is there anyway to allow streams or lakes in higher elevations. Streams progress downstream as well as lakes can be on any elevation. It would be great to be able to emplace these terrain features onto the elevations produced through the map tool.

In a wish list of improvements to the game mechanics, this would have to be my highest wish.

Anyone have any answers?

Tom Garlock

[Imp]

All terrain associated with water including marshes always creates a hex at a height just below zero, I have discovered no way round it.

Pavement also seems to lower hills by half a level.
Placed on level 3 it normally becomes a level 2.5 hex as an example.

[Mobhack]

All water terrain is level -1 and deeper. That has always been the way, its a design feature of the basic terrain code.

[dmnt]

Originally Posted by Grant1pa

However, it's driving me crazy trying to emplace streams and lakes which occur on heights above "0" elevation. Which I know is obvious to members of the forum, you can place streams on "10" elevations but they move to "0". In game design, this may not be an issue unless you try to put streams or lakes on higher than "10" levels. The drop is simply to drastic and you have to greatly modify the map heights generated by the tool.

My computer programing days have long past and I surely don't have the expertise to critique or advise on the problem. Is there anyway to allow streams or lakes in higher elevations. Streams progress downstream as well as lakes can be on any elevation. It would be great to be able to emplace these terrain features onto the elevations produced through the map tool.

I personally have just placed the lakes where they happen to be. In some cases, it's in higher terrain and the shores become steep, but I just took it as a limitation of the game engine. Thinking over this last weekend I have couple of proposed solutions for the changes I could make for the map producing code. I'd appreciate any input from the end users:

1. Forcing the zero level: In the map tool there would be an option list for the download map section where you could arbitrarily set the ground level 0 to any metric height you wish. That means, if you have a lake that's 12 meters above sea level you could force "12 meters" to be the zero ground level and anything below that would be zero. Pros: You get your lakes to proper height. Cons: you lose terrain information below that level. Not good for mountains.
2. Adding an option to tilt the terrain: You could set the ground tilt so that the lake (or rivers) would be near correct by setting three points on the map to be on certain height level. That would create a slanted height map so that most of the lake or river is on correct terrain height. Pros: You get most of your lakes to correct height. Cons: the terrain height is sloped and not absolute but rather relative to nearby environment and slopes appear where they would not. Tedious to implement.

The backend code already has the ground level setting code (which was the source of the bug mentioned in this thread earlier) but the frontend currently has not means to set it or to signal it to the backend.

Also, if anyone wants to participate in coding this web app you're welcome.

[RecruitMonty]

I don't think you need to bother. If that is the way the game engine likes it then we just have to live with it. Otherwise it defeats the object of developing a tool to render height properly.

I do think something should be done about pavements etc though. I never understood why that was the case and I always found it rather arbitrary.