A Very Small Nellis Test Rage Update

[+Dave 2,322]

9 December 2013

 

 

Work proceeds well on the Nevada map with the last of the updated ground textures being integrated today (goodbye 16 meter textures!). We just have two major items to clean up: complete airbase lighting at Nellis and Creech, and fix an elevation error around several lakes.

The biggest issue now is not so much the art and geometry assets of the map, but the more technical task of completing the integration of the map into DCS.

[JediMaster 451]

Can you place an aircraft carrier in any of the lakes? That would be awesome.

[+Stary 2,427]

and Nellis is in develiopment for how long? 3 years?

 

there goes your Vietnam or Middle East for DCS...

[JediMaster 451]

In retrospect, I'm sure ED wishes they'd never announced Nevada for A-10C and left it until EDGE was done. Of course, I'm also wondering if it wasn't possible for them to have done it pre-EDGE instead. I accept that the one in the beta needed fixing, but I don't think anyone including them expected it to take this many years for EDGE integration. I think tying Nevada to EDGE was a marketing mistake, even if the final result will be better than a pre-EDGE version would've been.

[Centurion-1 1,228]

I hope once EDGE is out they start offering the tools to modders or at the very least 3rd party creators so people can start working on new maps for DCS! Anyways, the latest EDGE screenies do look very good.

[JediMaster 451]

The 3rd parties certainly will have them, as the Normandy map shots illustrate. Whether it will ever go "public" is another matter.

[Stratos 3,191]

Do you think a SEA map simulating the 60-70's is doable?

[Centurion-1 1,228]

That depens I think on how trees and forests are handled, if they are individual objects placed into the world then making a jungle terrain might be quite daunting and system taxing even if there are good randomize/seed tools in place. On the other hand, if jungles can be made to be the "default" ground coverage and we settle for very lowpoly trees/sprites i don't see why a SEA map would not be possible. Then we'd just need ALL THE AIRCRAFT from SF2.

[JediMaster 451]

Can it be done? Of course.

 

Can it be done to a degree that will be considered worthwhile to customers for a price that is reasonable? No idea.

 

For free? Uh, no, that's not going to happen!

[Stratos 3,191]

I'm not a AC modder, but what If a CA team reunite to create a PhantomE for example? FC fidelity, no need for DCS, do you think that will be possible?

[JediMaster 451]

I don't know how much is involved to make a plane for DCS World, but IIRC it's far more than SF needs.

[Centurion-1 1,228]

I guess the difficult part is figuring out a whole new workflow... and you need someone who knows C++ to write code for it, AFAIK there is no "fill in the blanks/important numbers" approach to making these like SF2s data.ini. Just the external 100k polys model and 6DOF cockpit = assload of work. That said, if there was some decent guide or "template" aircraft released I am absolutely sure the modders could start making planes that are atleast Flaming Cliffs standard. 

If you look at the different studios producing addons all seem to have the longest dev time for the first addon, the subsequent ones are much faster. Also, you can ofcourse re-use code from project to project for all the similar bits. The problem is that this code is proprietary, so the chances of any studio giving away their work for free is pretty slim.

 

-> This is my biggest problem with DCS: everyone wants money for their efforts so everything takes AGES to be done and costs way more than it should. That and the fact it needs a super computer to run properly and look even decent... 

 

Personally I'd love to be involved in a DCS project, freeware or payware..