Level Design tHE rOAD TO OREL FINAL MAP THREAD BY THE AUTHOR

[Mike_Nomad]

Didn't get to play a full round, but the detailing does looks better. Yeah, if you want to get nitpicky, the trees probably woulnd't grow like that. I thought some of the rock formations didn't look quite natural, but that would be me being nitpicky.

What got me was that I was getting horrible frame rates, 10-15 in many places. I probably averaged 15-25 overall.

No comments on the gameplay, I didn't have time to stay long enough (plus with more than twice as many Germans as Russians.....)

Wow!! My frame rates have been constantly in the 35-50 range.... no slowdowns whatsover. How old is your machine Moe?

Gamep[lay has been great for both sides... I've played both sides extensively.

 

[Avantgarde]

Personally I don't like that new spawn system. If I'm not wrong, I think the teams are starting at North Bridge/South Lake, which is not orel-like. In my opinion you really should get the old Orel spawn system into the new map. When one team captures the heights, it spawns at second spawn area ..etc.

Also think about that overhead map again, exspecially with the names. Im not on about those wrong spelled ones, I don't like the confusing placement of the words like "Church", "North Heights"....

Ok, other issues have been mentioned already..

 

[=GG= Mr Moe]

Well, considering I did get my new processor running in it and almost all other maps got a boost of around 5 to 10 fps, I thought the frames rates for this were a little low. Mind you, I did not get to run around the whole map, mostly from the initial Russian spawn to the heights area.

P4 3.0GHz HT 800MHz FSB
PC3200 2GB
ATI X800 XT 256 MB etc etc....

Everything is listed here, MOE's computer specs, I just need to update the page as far as the processor, bigger secondary monitor, and ATI Catalyst version (with maximum application preference settings), but the above specs give you an idea...I am still tweaking my memory timings.

 

[Mike_Nomad]

Well, considering I did get my new processor running in it and almost all other maps got a boost of around 5 to 10 fps, I thought the frames rates for this were a little low. Mind you, I did not get to run around the whole map, mostly from the initial Russian spawn to the heights area.

P4 3.0GHz HT 800MHz FSB
PC3200 2GB
ATI X800 XT 256 MB etc etc....

Everything is listed here, MOE's computer specs, I just need to update the page as far as the processor, bigger secondary monitor, and ATI Catalyst version (with maximum application preference settings), but the above specs give you an idea...I am still tweaking my memory timings.

Not for anything, but your specs are respectable... I'd make certain of the Vid Drivers being the latest and ensuring nothing at all is running in the background that you may or may not be aware of.

 

[lordsearider]

Just leaving you this thread to our site FKMod in regaurds to your new map.

also we have taken it off our server untill it is fainalized instead of a beta.

http://fkmod.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12743

 

[KH Reese]

Visuals are good. The wind sound is horrible and annoying and the river sound at Axis village sounds like Niagra Falls.

 

[Bolt]

the river sound at Axis village sounds like Niagra Falls.

Believe me, its not only Axis village.

 

[Arete]

I can agree about the wind sound, it's very annoying.

 

[Mike_Nomad]

I can agree about the wind sound, it's very annoying.

Agreed..... its too loud and too much. It needs changing.

 

[IconoclastDX]

Ive only played it in practice but here's what I think.

I really like the new spawn system. It makes sense to spawn closer at first. This might not seem 'Orelesk' but the current spawns do not lead to any tactical limitations as there werent any enemy encounters until way past the villages anyway. If anything, it opens up tactical options as players will be more willing to advance to places that they were less willing to go before because there were just interested in getting back across the river ASAP.

I dont get the advanced tank spawns though, at North and South Heights I think. Why are those there? If its just for stranded players then I would say remove them. Having a tank spawn so close to such a such critical objectives is not 'Orelesk' and does favor/limit tactical options. Plus the objectives are just too close together.

Trees. Holy crap, there are a lot of trees. I see where your going with that but I think all the trees are facilitating the close quarters combat feeling that people have been reporting in this version. There are so many trees that you practically have to be on lage hill to see very far at all. And since there is really only one hill, it limits ranged engagment. Plus, its a framerate killer. Id keep trees in loose bunches and not just everywhere. Althought I see that you tried hard to make the tree placment logical. Still, too many. I remember you saying that the map looked bare but I dont think so at all. Dont be afraid of the wide onpen feilds. I dont think they look bad.

Some of the shading on the buildings are a little off (too bright). Especailly the new white ones with the red doors. No big deal.

I like the central church a lot. Its a great landmark and is large enough to be tactically considered.

I also like the increased number of buildings around. The extra cover is appreciated as long as its not overdone, which it doesnt appear to be.

The new bridges also look nice. Although I still bounce around on them like crazy.

Still looking for the forgeing spot in the river. Its in there right?

Good job, I cant wait to play it online. If I can find a server.

 

[karl stiner]

well Moz got hes map just Right with tress

 

[Quietus]

Slashbot is a ghost man! lol "here's the new map" *splits for another few months*

 

[lordsearider]

Slashbot is a ghost man! lol "here's the new map" *splits for another few months*

sssssssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhh hes out watching us pick his creation apart......he he ...............

he's done a good job just needs the final version, little tweak here ,a little bend there, a hammer hit here and he'll be back with the mikie-agilo of RO maps....

 

[Mike_Nomad]

Still looking for the forgeing spot in the river. Its in there right?

Yes, they're BOTH there, one for each side.

 

[Quietus]

I hope it's not another 2 (or more) months before we see it completed. Oh well. I think after my current infantry map I'm working on I'm going to do a tank map.

 

[Slashbot_427]

Im still here

Im having a hard time sorting out one of the bugs in the map. The showstopper one where you can drive inside buildings....

It effects only the buildings - Houses and Church - that I have imported into mylevel. Things like the bridges are fine. The silos in the wheat fields from the TW packages are fine. It only effects vehicles, infantry and projectiles all collide properly. So you cant walk through buildings, and if you drive in and then get out of the tank, you cant walk out through the building. You cant fire out either.

I've checked all the collision settings I can find- I've reimported all the
textures and statics. The setting in the Statics browser for the texture collision is set to "True". The ActorProperties->Collision settings are the same as other statics that collide with tanks. The bug also seems to be spreading as I noticed it in only one house initially( after I released BETA2 !!!!) but now it affects all the houses and church.


Im stuck I dont know how to fix it other than replace them with BSP or put blocking volumes around them.

HELP

 

[Quietus]

Im still here

Im having a hard time sorting out one of the bugs in the map. The showstopper one where you can drive inside buildings....

It effects only the buildings - Houses and Church - that I have imported into mylevel. Things like the bridges are fine. The silos in the wheat fields from the TW packages are fine. It only effects vehicles, infantry and projectiles all collide properly. So you cant walk through buildings, and if you drive in and then get out of the tank, you cant walk out through the building. You cant fire out either.

I've checked all the collision settings I can find- I've reimported all the
textures and statics. The setting in the Statics browser for the texture collision is set to "True". The ActorProperties->Collision settings are the same as other statics that collide with tanks. The bug also seems to be spreading as I noticed it in only one house initially( after I released BETA2 !!!!) but now it affects all the houses and church.


Im stuck I dont know how to fix it other than replace them with BSP or put blocking volumes around them.

HELP

I don't know man. I would've made the main structures of all buildings (including the church) BSP. You have WAY too many static meshes and that's what's choking out peoples video cards & framerates (static meshes are handled by your video card not your CPU). You have insanely high "actor ms" and I don't know what's causing that but it's destroying the framerates as well. You also have some animated trees which to my knowledge drain performance also. There's even more stuff which I won't mention that is unoptimized. Really I'm sorry, I like the idea but the execution is horribly unoptimized both technically and in design (the random rather than grouped tree placement) which leaves it unplayable on my PC. You know it also still has some of the same nagging problems of the original like collidable grass and messed up ruins stairs/ mandatory crouch to use them. *Sigh*

 

[lordsearider]

would it be easyer if the building were , say .......ruins , as in walls only, as in bombed out, war torn , as in a war in raging , then your bailed out extanker, now infantry can hide somwhere ............... in would be easyer i think, it may help your problem with vehicals and fram rates and make it seem more like a battle feild ......... the buildings now are just a block to hide a tank behind since there is no doors that are open, give it a try and see how it works

 

[Slashbot_427]

would it be easyer if the building were , say .......ruins , as in walls only, as in bombed out, war torn , as in a war in raging , then your bailed out extanker, now infantry can hide somwhere ............... in would be easyer i think, it may help your problem with vehicals and fram rates and make it seem more like a battle feild ......... the buildings now are just a block to hide a tank behind since there is no doors that are open, give it a try and see how it works

Not a bad idea Lord, at least for some of the buildings.

All that work making statics down the drain.... I had a whole town at the north/south lake area at one point, played OK FPS wise, but the editor couldn't path through it all...

I wont be attempting a map this big again unless its in the desert with no houses, trees, water, fences, or anything really.

I guess Im out of the map comp...

 

[Quietus]

Not a bad idea Lord, at least for some of the buildings.

All that work making statics down the drain.... I had a whole town at the north/south lake area at one point, played OK FPS wise, but the editor couldn't path through it all...

I wont be attempting a map this big again unless its in the desert with no houses, trees, water, fences, or anything really.

I guess Im out of the map comp...

Well if you learn from your mistakes you CAN do a huge tank map like this AND have it be playable but you have to do alot of things differently many of which I suggested. Why not just take the original Orel and fix all it's deficiencies/bugs/problems, add some nice realistic natural groupings of trees and have that be your "final"? That's what I would do.