Calling terrain gurus. A question or two

[Stratos 3,192]

Is possible to modifiy the SF2 terrain tiles? I'm talking about the default ones, extract them, edit them and readd to the sim so we can use it while in game?? I will like to add some bushes to the now desert tiles, in order to have a more Savannah look and a less desertic ones. then If is possible to add 2d bushes to the bushes on the tiles, like stary did with trees.

Thats it. Thanks!!

[Fubar512 1,350]

Yes, been there, done that.

[Stratos 3,192]

How can I extract the files from SF2? I will repaint the tiles, try it and then try to find how to add trees on the map. Is a real pity that there were no rivers on SF map :( Some dry river beds would have been a cool addition.

Edited May 4, 2010 by Stratos

[Fubar512 1,350]

It's in the knowledge base: http://forum.combatace.com/topic/44027-extracting-files-from-sf2-series-cat-files-by-migbuster/

[Wrench 9,848]

Is possible to modifiy the SF2 terrain tiles?

 

Yes, I do it ALL the time.

 

How can I extract the files from SF2?

 

what kinda question is that?? Use Gerwin's extractor, pull apart the Desert.cat, convert the tgas (sea/sea-land transitions) to bmp, use the ancient Desert/SF terrain editor, drop the TFD/HFD into it and go.

 

btw, ALL the tiles on ALL the terrains between 1stGen and NextGEns are 100% identical. So it makes absolutely NO difference where the tiles come from. So you can use Skypat's extractor on the SF desert cat, and do the same thing (ie: extract all, and just toss out everything but the terrrain inis and tiles)BTW: double check the inis, to make sure they're in ANSI, not unicode, as the TE only reads ANSI.

 

Is a real pity that there were no rivers on SF map

 

again, easily added via the Terrain Editor; mind you, there ARE some tiles blatently missing (farmriverend.tga, desertrivermouths, in both right, left and center but those are also readily available if one knows where to look)

 

Some dry river beds would have been a cool addition.

 

would require manipulation of the height field. IE: exporting the height field as bitmap, importing to Photoshop or Gimp, and 'adjusting the surrounding height' to raise or lower it slightly to creat wadis or other dry drainage features (btw- a 1 pixel brush WILL create a gully/canyon 3-5 km across -- and that's the smallest possible - look on Fighter Bowl terrain I did -- the river vally north of the Saknuseum Sea was create EXACTLY that way, and is HUGE!! Grand Canyon/Valles Marinaris size)

 

You also have to be REAL careful with the Desert1 and Desert2 tiles ... as 99.9% of the airbases SIT on those tiles, hence, they're not having any vegatation. One could, however, create a 'clone' of the Desret1.bmp, and call it .... oh, let's see.... "DesertAB.bmp" (which means doing a 'save as...' for the original tile, so's you don't loose it), then add it to the texturelist ini, and hand place it under the various airbase; of course, you'd need the Desert_Cities.lst for that too ... iirc, it comes with the TE; if not, they're not too difficult to recreate.

 

in order to have a more Savannah look and a less desertic ones.

 

I take you haven't see the America SouthWest map (aka: ASW). "Plains" tiles are all over that map.

 

If is possible to add 2d bushes to the bushes

 

yup, like Fubs said ... been there done that 1000million times (if fact I was just doing it yesturday). You'd use 'tree2', as that's the shorter one.

All done in the TE (see screenie below -- black objects are buildings, white objects are trees)

 

and yes, that's a new-build, custom tile.

 

wrench

kevin stein

Edited May 4, 2010 by Wrench

[Stratos 3,192]

WOW Kevin that was fast and complete. Thanks!! I need to check everything now.

[Stratos 3,192]

 

 

what kinda question is that?? Use Gerwin's extractor, pull apart the Desert.cat, convert the tgas (sea/sea-land transitions) to bmp, use the ancient Desert/SF terrain editor, drop the TFD/HFD into it and go.

 

 

I take you haven't see the America SouthWest map (aka: ASW). "Plains" tiles are all over that map.

 

 

 

What's the meaning of these sentences? I extracted the files. Can't I edit the files in Gimp and save them? I have to use the editor? I simply want to add some bushes to the tile, at first only over the 2d, once I complete these step I will add the 3d bush itself.

I downloaded your ASW terrain, but can't find any new terrain tile, what do you mean by "plain" tiles?

 

Excuse me but english is not my primary language and I can have some problems with it.

[Wrench 9,848]

My apologies ... sometimes I forget about the english-as-a-second (or third!) language.

 

You can EDIT the tiles in any image manuipulation program -- that's the easy part. If you want to only REPLACE the existing stock ones with repaints; just repaint and drop into the terrain folder. If you want to ADD anything NEW to a terrain (new TODS for buildings and trees) new tiles, dry river beds, etc, that can ONLY be done in the TE, as it has to compile a new TFD file, which stores the information as to what tile goes where. If fiddling with mountains, valleys, etc, then it needs to compile a new HFD, which stores all the height field data (get it -- HFD!!<grin>)

 

the praire is called "grass field" .. for some reason I took a cheaters way out.

 

to change pre-existing trees, all you need to do is create the tga for the bush/tree/forest/whatever, and edit the terrains' data in to point to that tga....like so

 

[Texture025]

Filename=mountain1.BMP

HasWater=0

Color=0.718371,0.605424,0.451735

SolidObjectTexture=

AlphaObjectTexture=ter_newtrees1.TGA

 

BUT ... without a NEW TOD, placing the trees when wanted, you'll be stuck with the stock placements (which be sorta sparse)

 

wrench

kevin stein

[Stratos 3,192]

No problem, talking the people can communitate pretty well, I must work on my english.

About the terrain, my idea is to have something like that:

 

 

First I will need to found a cool 2d Bush look. Maybe reusing bushes from default tiles or maybe on google earth. About the trees, can't remember now, but I think there are some bushes and or African trees on SF??

something along these lines.

 

[Fubar512 1,350]

 

First I will need to found a cool 2d Bush look. Maybe reusing bushes from default tiles or maybe on google earth. About the trees, can't remember now, but I think there are some bushes and or African trees on SF??

 

 

Whatever happened to the concept of DIY (Do it Yourself)?

[Stratos 3,192]

Hey Fubar, thats a cool tree. Is really similar tot the one I posted Can I use it?

[+76.IAP-Blackbird 3,557]

It is the one you have posted

[Fubar512 1,350]

It is the one you have posted

 

 

 

Stratos, sure....as Blackbird stated, all I did was to cut it out of the iamge that you had posted.

[+76.IAP-Blackbird 3,557]

[Stratos 3,192]

Guys have you noted the after my question? I have problmes with english but I'm not blind.

[Fubar512 1,350]

Guys have you noted the after my question? I have problmes with english but I'm not blind.

 

Y porque yo soy Galego, tengo problemas con esto

[Stratos 3,192]

Hehehe Nice one Fubar, do you have anyone from Galicia on your family?

Well job is progressing, slowly but progressing. Think it look nice from low altitude, maybe I should lower the density of the bush/trees in order to see more open ground.

 

 

But from higher altitudes look really terrible, looks too clear as a repeating pattern, any idea to solve this?

 

 

Please express your opinion about colour and density.

[Stratos 3,192]

I think this colour is better, and the density too. What do you think??

 

 

 

From high altitude still looks a bit too "tiled", but don't know what more can I do. I will also need to know how to add the trees to the tile, I can't found any tutorial or post about it.

[+Brain32 265]

Edited def tiles or Google Earth?

[Stratos 3,192]

Edited default tiles with superimposed Google Earth bushes.

[+Brain32 265]

When you put GE images over it try not to put squares, this is why you have that pattern. Rather erase parts of it until you get custom, more natural shapes...

It will still have somewhat pattern -ish look but a bit better.

[Wrench 9,848]

Those are real similiar to the 'scurb' tiles we're using on the Indo-Pak terrain.

 

The 'splotchyness' has to be MUCH more random ... use the clone stamp tool, and run them RIGHT to the edges. You will still probably get the occasional square edges, but that can only be fixed in the TE by rotating the tile's facing (0,180,270,90).

 

The real bitch of tileing, is getting the edges to match. Open the various Farm tile in you image progaram, and slide them next to/on top/bottom of each other, and you'll see how they line up. It's just a gigantic jigsaw puzzle.

 

wrench

kevin stein

Edited May 8, 2010 by Wrench

[+Stary 2,427]

Stratos try this one as an example, remember to save is as bitmap:

 

 

[Wrench 9,848]

But he's still gonna be missing the transitions ... I eleborated on that in the "Terrain Editor" thread in the KB. Without those, the blockiness will still be quite present.

 

Nice tile ... it looks familiar, somehow...

 

wrench

kevin stein

[Stratos 3,192]

I'm reading you guys and trying to understand all this stuff, including the one at KB, let's try to add the Scrub to DESERT 1 and DESERT 2 tiles, then I will try to make the transition tiles...

What a pity there's no tiles like the ones I wanmted, lots of time will be saved