Claim Zero - the Height Map is finished

[Deeza]

Hi everyone.

I could see that nobody was free to do our heightmap modifications for us, so I learnt how to use that part of the CS and did it myself! The file can be downloaded here:

http://rapidshare.com/files/157125906/Ak...1.rar.html

I'm not very good at using the terrain editor, so the landscape made turned out very exaggerated, but actually I think I like the way it ended up. The island now has a very dramatic landscape - much more so than anything in Oblivion so far.

It looks like one of the very volcanic Pacific islands, like the Galapagos Archipelago. The whole island is covered in ridges, peaks, volcanic craters and very steep (but climbable) mountains, between which are deep valleys we can fill with forests. I think this will make a great backdrop to the struggle between the Empire and the Tsaesci, as well as giving it that "exotic" and "far away from Tamriel" look it needs.

The island is also much larger than I thought it would be. There is easily enough space to put an entire Imperial/Akaviri town on the Imperial half of the island, as well as including as many caves and dungeons as we like.

I've thought about the town and I suggest we make it in a "colonial" style - a mixture of the Japanese-looking buildings made for the project and vanilla Imperial ones, to suggest that the two cultures have been mixing on the island since the Imperial conquest. Makes it more interesting and varied.

I have added in a ship at the beach for scale and a very rough rock bridge over the chasm to give a point of reference. I have also very roughly painted the landscape with different textures to mark out the boundaries of the different "fine" landscaping claims.

I have not updated the LOD files, because I don't know how. In any case, we can always do it later, since they will change as we add other things anyway.

[exilehunter]

Thanks for your work Deeza. I took a quick look in the Cs and figured that the mountains are too steep. This can cause some region generating issues since trees and rocks will not fit on at that angle. Also, terrain textures are more noticably tiled on angles. If your willing to make some more smooth hilled areas, there's a noise tool in the heightmap generator (look it up at CSWiki for more help). Providing you use it sparingly and adjust the values, you can make landscapes just right with the smooth rise and falls. Takes a while to get it right though.

If i ever get time to mod again, i might make my own modification to the heightmap (dont count on it within the next month )

[Ysne]

Thank you so much Deeza. I wish I had been able to work past that problem part in my brain, but sometimes I just cannot.

[nick_op]

Originally posted by exilehunter
Also, terrain textures are more noticably tiled on angles.

If only. The problem is that textures don't tile in relation to z-axis elavation, so they appear stretched on any steep ground.

[Ysne]

This is good information on how the heightmap does and does not work. Thanks for providing this additional information.

[Deeza]

I know it's a bit "rough and ready". My idea was really that other people could modify the island for the purposes of region generation, practicality and so on... I just wanted to get it "more or less" in the region of what we originally wanted it to look like.

[Ysne]

I will just keep trusting that someone will come along who can smooth it out then. I sure do appreciate you bringing it along this far Deeza.

[exilehunter]

Since the heightmap is significantly bigger than the plan, we may need to alter the suggested areas either by adding new ones or extending existing ones.
Anyway, i had a go at making the heightmap more jagged and natural feeling whilst trying to keep with the original map - http://www.silgrad.com/wbb2/attachment.p...ntid=14249

but keeping in mind what works best when region editting and modding and here's the result:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=IF2PX4E4

Modding Member's, please have a look at the heightmaps and give your input. Afterall, your the one working with it in the end.

Obviously, as modders work on it, they are entitled to landscaping in order to fit with what your claim is. (We still need an expert in land merging!)
By no means does this make it the final heightmap.

The gorge surrounding the river that cuts through the island is my main concern. If it is to remain steep, we might look at Unique Landscape - Entius Gorge for some ideas. Also, the land bridge there can be substituted with a connected rock overhang, making it seem as if the river bore through rock.

[Ysne]

exilehunter you are a miracle worker. Thank you so much for taking the next step with it!. Anyone working a claim, please provide feedback.

I am so happy to see things progressing. Almost like a kid in a toy store with a blank check. :lmao:

[exilehunter]

I'm working on a second revision of the heightmap, this time scanning the coastline for too high ridges and evening it to make the island feel more natural. Also trying to smooth out the transition from underwater to land and cleaning up the gorge (Please find some ideas for the gorge and pop it up in the landscape concept page).
i know the map is designed to have limited access along most of the shoreline, but if i dont 'naturalize' the shores to beaches or at least make rocky/graduating hills, it will look very strange. We can make rocks do a similar job anyway. The 2 volcanic craters are beyond me since they should would need to be 1 cell wide in order to have real lava in them (currently not big enough) otherwise they could have a mesh to make it look like lava or none at all (do we need an open lava crater?).

WE NEED A REGION EDITOR USER! or at least someone willing to use some time to generate them or even better LEARN!

That's about it for now. Once again, take a look at the heightmap if you haven't. I think we need to start contacting people soon.