By Reto.FleCK, Level Designer
Getting a game-map from idea to a finished playable state is process that involves a lot of steps. Here I will explain how one of the early steps is done here at Reto-Moto.
When I first start on a new map I’m sketching out the overall Level Design – on the back of a napkin, a beer coaster or in Adobe Illustrator :-). The layout depends on the mission type - and some maps will be more symmetrical than others.
When the layout is in place, I generate a terrain that will suit the layout. We are using a terrain generator called World Machine 2. It’s a graph-based tool that can output all the terrain masks and height-maps used to build our terrain in Autodesk XSI (a post is on it’s way about the way we use XSI to create terrains).
We are using a World Machine file for each type of terrain (flat, sloped, hilly) - but the file contains multiple (endless) maps and in this way a river can cross through multiple maps. This way we can also create maps that are adjacent to each other (or even overlapping) on the terrain.
The graph-based layout (above) gives us, as designers, control of each device that generates the terrain – e.g. you can mask out areas where the erosion should be less or you can heighten specific areas that will suit the level design better.
World Machine 2 also features a fully-privileged plugin architecture - and we did our own plugin (reto.road) for leveling roads.
The terrain above is a preview from World Machine of the height map used for the “Factory Map” in Heroes & Generals
After exporting height and normal maps, masks and splines we generate the in-game terrain is Autodesk XSI, and I can start to position all the background graphics.
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This is a really interesting article for me as I am starting game development and love to map
I think I'm going to have to wait for a stable beta to play. I can't seem to connect :(
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cool, its always nice to see whats going on in the development of gmames
nice lookin forest
It doesn't look good in game. Maxed out, playing the beta...and I dunno. In 2003, it might have been acceptable for a game of this size to have graphics like this.
But in 2012, we have games that look like a PS2 Shooter? Graphics aren't everything, but the immersion is totally killed, and here I thought I found a replacement for Red Orchestra 2.
I think some of the maps look better than others and the lighting conditions I find change things a ton. Played on one of them maps during dusk and it looked absolutely amazing. I think they did a fantastic job considering the scale of the maps. Hardly would compare them to ps2 graphics, textures/explosions/models look beautiful imo.
mkilbride, true for the current state of the game. which is alpha not beta btw. And it's much too early to turn down based on what you experience now if you like the concept and vision.