Picking through the TODO list - what should my first project be?

[H-Hour]

I've been looking through the list of maps and the suggestions for new maps, trying to decide what I should work on first. Ideally, I'd like something comparatively simple so that I can start to get a feel for how it all works before getting too deep into complex geometry.

Since I'm new around here and others have a better sense of what's urgent and what's not, I thought I'd post up the few things I'm considering at first to hear what people think is most urgent (also, if someone else is working on it, let me know). They are:

1. Working on the Desert or Ice RMAs. I imagine the geometry would be pretty simple for these and it would give me an opportunity to learn how to set up RMAs. Right now they've each got very few tiles.

2. Working on a map for one of the terror sites/infrastructure attacks -- probably government offices or a big factory.

Any suggestions on which is needed more? Is there something else I've missed that would be a better place for me to start?

[vedrit]

I would think offices/factories/heavily populated maps would be in higher demand. After years of peace, one would assume that there would be massive city growth, and so a diminishing of rural areas.

[Destructavator]

True, we don't really have much as far as maps of skyscrapers or big city buildings or anything...

If you do make new maps, it would be nice to have some that really look like they are from 80-some years in the future, which is when the game takes place.


Many of the maps right now are old and from back before the plot was set in the future as it is now.

[Kildor]

You can start from RMAs tiles. And we really need RMA for urban, big city.

[H-Hour]

Thanks guys. One problem with urban big city is what to do about language? Store-fronts, advertising, they all need signs and text. How should that be handled? Should there be one language per culture and we have to create different maps based on different cultures? Or is it not that big of a deal?

[Kildor]

Well.
the map can be binded to 4 cultures (eastern, western, oriental, african). And I don`t see a problem if eastern city will have hieroglyphs, oriental some arabic texts and so on. Also english should be spread enougth all over the world. And I don`t see a problems in some stilisations (mixed japan|chinese|corean ideography for example).

[Destructavator]

Another thing to consider, regarding language/localization:

In real life, there are companies working today on "smart" street signs, store signs, etc., that automatically interface with portable cell phones, portable PDAs, computers, etc.  I don't know a lot about this technology other than it currently hasn't really picked up steam yet, but long before 80 some years hopefully in urban environments one could walk down a street, and as they pass a restaurant, their cell phone or earpiece (with a computer in it) would chirp and tell them what they are walking by and if their favorite dish is being offered as a special that day or not.

One could also walk by a newspaper stand and get similar information.

Of course it would transmit in whatever the person's native language is.

I don't know if it would ever make real signs obsolete or not though...

Also, here in the United States where I am, there are plenty of stores with signs in more than one language in addition to English - Heck, I live across from (can see it from my window) a Chinese restaurant, they have signs in both English and Chinese.

I've heard that up in Canada, just north of where I am, signs are in both English and French.

[Hertzila]

I'd say that the languages in signs depend on the nation (official languages), local population and target audience.
At least in Canada they most likely need to write in two languages since there are officially two languages and the target audience is most likely to speak at least one of them as a native (any better word for "the first language a person learns, usually as a kid"?).

Also I don't think signs themselves are going anywhere but they may not matter as much in the future if everybody has access to "smart" signs. Most likely they will stay to pinpoint the location of the store or restaurant or something but they no longer have to be that big for people driving cars and such.
Advertisement for different products might be an exception though.

[H-Hour]

Thanks everyone. I guess the consensus is big-city urban, so that's what I'll work on. For now I'll try to do a set of RMA tiles for streets so that there's a skeleton form to build off of.

Regarding languages, for now I'll probably try to minimize the text on billboards and ads. But I don't see visual signs of all sorts going away any time soon. I see them proliferating, but who knows in 80 years.

I'm also planning to build first in a more western style and later we'll see what can be done about creating different city styles for the different cultures.

Looking at other RMAs, I've got a maximum of 12x12 256 tiles. If we're talking big, tall buildings, that only leaves me with space for a couple city blocks down one main thoroughfare. I'll do my best to design it so that the tactical options for maneuver aren't channeled too much down the street, but may need to find some creative solutions.

[vedrit]

I dont know if its supported, but something I've been fiddling with is textures using video files. A sign could be made thats snappy, eye-catching, and poly-lingual, using this.

[Destructavator]

I'll do my best to design it so that the tactical options for maneuver aren't channeled too much down the street, but may need to find some creative solutions.

That's easy - just use some type of (police) barricade or something - local forces seal off the area and let Phalanx handle the aliens.  It can be that simple.  Some video games with urban/city settings also use parked vehicles to block off areas, etc.

I dont know if its supported, but something I've been fiddling with is textures using video files. A sign could be made thats snappy, eye-catching, and poly-lingual, using this.

Yeah, I've done that before in Blender, as Blender has supported that for some time, although maps are in .bsp format.

Actually, IIRC bsp shaders do support animated textures, usually for bodies of water, lava, acid, etc.  Not all bsp files are the same as they can very depending on the game engine using them, but I think UFO: AI does support this because of the animated textures in the alien bases.

If you want to create new animated shaders for additional map textures, I'm sure we could use them, although I don't know how bsp shaders are constructed, its probably different than using any standard modeling program.

[Kildor]

animation is supported via materialsystem.

[vedrit]

If you want to create new animated shaders for additional map textures, I'm sure we could use them, although I don't know how bsp shaders are constructed, its probably different than using any standard modeling program.

Well, Im not sure about Blender, or about .bsp files, but Maya accepts a wide variety of formats. If you already know how to do this in Blender, Destrucavator, then some hints would be awsome. As for the file itself, depends. We could either get someone to draw it, or someone to model it (A personal project of mine will be using videos for people walking behind windows, which will be modeled and animated sperately)

[H-Hour]

More experienced hands can correct me if I'm wrong, but the animated textures for maps don't actually use videos. They just cycle through a series of image files. I'm basing that on this info though.

[Kildor]

you are quite right :-)

And information about animation isn`t stored in bsp, it`s stored in .mat file.