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Level Design Scenarios being mapped:

Actually, I could be wrong, but a mesh based terrain is certainly feasible. It shouldn't have more of a performance hit than a similarly configured bsp terrain. The problem would seem to be more collision handling, especially with vehicles.

As for working with Bryce, I've never done this but I believe you can model terrain in Bryce, then export a heightmap which can then be used in UEd to create the terrain. All you'd have to do after that is paint it.
 
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Try not to complicate matters where terrain is concerned - use the terrain editor for the bulk of your terrain and use 128 x128 sections - try to avoid 256 x256 as your triangle count goes intergalactic - one trick I saw Cass using on a very early version of Arad was terrain made in the editor for traversing on foot or in vehicles and distant landscape was made using sheets in BSP and it looked really good from what I remember - I think this was an attempt to keep the triangle count down because the map is huge.

I saw Rich make individual dirt piles and craters out of meshes for Odessa and that worked better than terrain for shaping and better control of the look and feel of what he wanted for his particular project.

You need to spend time modelling your terrain in the editor to get it looking convincing - I see a lot of terrain on maps looking like Pamela Anderson's tits tbh.
 
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RO-MamayevHill, work in progress by Switch aka Maj.FauxPas

RO-MamayevHill, work in progress by Switch aka Maj.FauxPas

My primary RO map project and subject of research is Mamayev Hill. I expect to complete it by this fall, but will most likely complete one or two other general skirmish maps before Mamayev simply because it's a huge undertaking and will require some practice first.

The Mamayev hill map concept for RO is basically a series of cap zones leading up to the bunker atop the hill itself, with the ability to recapture some but not all objectives. The Axis will be attacking and the Soviets defending.

The map will be primarily infantry based, but some form of armor may play a role.

Axis will start near the small airstrip on the west flank of the hill, while Soviets will start primarily on the top of the hill, near the bunkers around the two water towers. Ideally, more spawnpoints will be available as the battle progresses. The water towers on top of the hill, which were converted into heavily fortified bunkers by the Soviets, will be the final objective. Playable terrain will be fairly simple, a straight-forward, uphill battle for the Axis. Aerial reconnaisance photos from 1942 have been amassed and scrutinized in an effort to provide a realistic representation of the battlefield. :D

Note the photo halfway down, a recent photo facing northeast from Mamayev hill, complete with watertower and multitude of factories, on this page:
http://volgograd-stalingrad.tripod.com/volgograd.htm
Since the Soviets were pushing west from the Volga (towards the camera), and indeed south and north to create the Stalingrad 'Kessel' (pocket), the man in the photo would be pointing towards the last spawn point of the Soviets, from the view the Axis would have while capping the victory objective.

The orders-of-battle,especially for the 6th Armee around that time, look a tad ragged, composed of several small remnants of once-strong divisions. Things that cannot be translated into the RO map include a fairly intact equestrian supply train and anti-tank cannon regiments. Both artillery and bombing were heavily used by the Axis, but lightly by the Soviets. Also, I'm using the term 'Axis' instead of 'German' because there were primary elements from other nations, most notably Romanian.

Timeframe is 1942... not sure on the month since I haven't researched the arrival of the 6th Armee, but sometime in the thick of the Stalingrad battles, a few months before the imminent surrender of the 6th. IIRC, that would place Mamayev hill exchanges in the fall of 1942.

Mamayev hill is located in the middle of Stalingrad, making for difficult optimization, since the center hill of the map will be convex, and much detail needed for the city in the background. I may even fog the city in, or simply paint it as a backdrop, with rising smoke from the other Stalingrad battles. From south to north there was Red Square, the Grain Elevator, Lazur Chemical Factory, Krazny Oktyabr, Krazny Barrikady, Dzershinski Factory, and Spartakovka. Just up the Volga to the north is Ponyri. How to fit all of these into the visible background of the map, and the Volga as well? Yeah, I'm thinking lots of fog.

Great maps of Stalingrad around 1942


As to the hill itself trading hands, the reports of the Axis indicate that 'Hill 102', as they called it, exchanged hands several times. However, it is sworn by the Russians to this day, that 'Mamayev Kurgan' was never set foot on by Axis forces. Both sides are certain that every square centimeter of the hill contained some form of sharapnel from the ferocious fighting.

Mamayev hill is the site of a grand memorial to the defenders of Stalingrad, now called Petrograd.


I hope to do it justice. :)
And with all that planned and settled, there's room for other Mamayev maps as well I hope.


Linkage:
http://www.stalingrad-info.com/
http://users.pandora.be/stalingrad/
http://feldpost.mzv.net/index.html
http://www.privates-antiquariat.de/stalingrad-v-d-krieg.htm
 
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Lruce Bee said:
Try not to complicate matters where terrain is concerned - use the terrain editor for the bulk of your terrain and use 128 x128 sections - try to avoid 256 x256 as your triangle count goes intergalactic - one trick I saw Cass using on a very early version of Arad was terrain made in the editor for traversing on foot or in vehicles and distant landscape was made using sheets in BSP and it looked really good from what I remember - I think this was an attempt to keep the triangle count down because the map is huge.

I saw Rich make individual dirt piles and craters out of meshes for Odessa and that worked better than terrain for shaping and better control of the look and feel of what he wanted for his particular project.

You need to spend time modelling your terrain in the editor to get it looking convincing - I see a lot of terrain on maps looking like Pamela Anderson's tits tbh.
A quick word of caution in addition to Colin's advise:

Making a good, fun and technical good running map using the standard tools provided is already challange enough for most people.

So please, just try to make a fun, good performing map without trying to go whack on weird bad performing and unworkable gimmicks and gizmo's like Odessa's static mesh dirt mounds when you can do a better job by just using the terrain.

Smesh terrain cons:
  • worse collision calculations then terrain
  • Needs a collision hull with the exact same polycount
  • Without collision hull karma (deaths and vehicles) will just pass through them
  • Adds chunks to Smesh memory where terrain can do a better job. Use that memory for usefull stuff.
  • Adds to Texture memory because they use a special alpha texture for blending where terrain has blending build in
Smesh terrain pro's: you can make it go vertical and upside down.
 
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