Haven't had time to map of late. Just updating project so it doesn't expire. Still think about what I need to do to complete. Have ideas for other maps but must finish this one before starting another.

Helicopter paths were not work even though I had followed wiki to the letter. Not sure exactly what was wrong or missing. As a workaround, I just copied all the helicopter nodes from the blacklot map and moved them about till it fitted my map. Now! it finally works?

Had problems with minimap where it had stopped working. Turned out that I had accidentally deleted one of the corner map nodes.

So now the loadscreen, minimap and helicopter works as well. The next problem I am having (have posted question here http://www.modsonline.com/Forums-top-81096.html). When a map first loads, it has the minimap on the right hand side of the screen. How do you make this minimap appear?

I have searched for this but have yet to find the answer. I am sure it is very simple. I believe there is something I have missed out of the a config file somwhere?

Other than testing between two computers. It seems to play alright. Will be testing soon on server with a bunch of people soon.

 Once everyone who has played and made there suggestions. Will add/fix any problems found and i will then put in final detail.

 Still have yet to portal map which I'm sure is going to be an interesting excercise. I hope I can do it properly?

Have been attempting to create minimap and loadscreen. After any dubious attempts they appear to be working. Due to the rectangular shape of my map, I had to go alot higher than the normal 10000 units when taking screenshot. Looks like I may have to shorten the map alittle to get a better map. It is functional just not as big and in your face as per normal.

Loadscreen is working but has that stretched look. Need to fix that. UAV and airstrikes work but helicopters dont. I must have missed some small thing out for it to not work or changed something? Previously it was working.

 Need to put in all the various game modes now. Once they are in and everything has tested out fine and map plays well? Will then move through and start detailing. At present have no fx.

 Heres a few screenshots testing airstrike.

Well I missed the the Modscon deadline. Life just got to busy. Since then haven't really had the time to map. Been plugging away. Have some mates that whenever I talk to hit me up about finishing the map. They want to put up a moded server and this map will be the first. Hopefully I can put more quality time into this map and get it finished. I do not believe it will take much to finish.

Well, mapping, compiling, compiling reflextions were all going well till I included a destructible vehicle! I hit the problem where map would compile fine but reflections wouldn't. After much searching found the fix where you have to // out line 57 of the _load.gsc file. Now the reflections works fine.

If it wasn't for many people posting fixes for these various problems no one would ever get a map finished!

At one point I went to the extent of adding more reflection nodes only to have the compile fail and the log stated that I had exceeded the maximum of 64? Which is wierd as in the wiki it says that a map can have from only a few to 100's of reflection nodes. So don't know why I had maxed out at 64?

Refining surrounding areas and boundrys.

Been through map and changed boundrys. Was trying to think of ways to block areas off where previously you could potentially access water surrounding map.

Chose to put large amount of logs around as if they were forced there by flood blocking player from getting to water.

Placed blown up truck in gap between hedges plus static model so it didn't look so random?!



Open corner of paddock, made it look like a pile of logs had fallen blocking corner.



Area behind house, put fence and sandbags to give the impression they were trying to save there house from flooding.



Along with another gap which is behind house/logging storage area.




Piled some cars in the makeshift muck around race track - More dead cars!!!




Gap directly behind hay bails, pile more haybails in gap. Trying to find a trailer which I could partly load, may put tractorhere and have hay bail rolls in bucket?

Put a couple of trucks in the shed. Dont know if this will stay? For now it populates the are.



View from same location as last but looking back at Hay field.

Coming along nicely. At least it is now restricted to certain areas. At this stage all hedge rows now have clip do player cannot walk through them.

Now the reflections thing has been sorted, shouldn't have to worry about that now!

This weekend/week I should be able to play test the map with a group of buddies on a closed server. This should allow me to determine if the map is in fact too big or if it is just right.

All the areas in the map have been defined. Most areas have had a grass model planted. I put in a clip box all around the map but this is purely for testing purposes so we don't fall out of the map.

 The way things are going i think I will end up blocking most of the areas around the map to players cant get to the water. This should narrow the playing areas but until its been tested. I wont know if this is needed?

If I leave as is. I will have it that the player recieves damage when entering the water (bit like being toxic)...if they dont die before they get back to shore or actually try and go further out they will run into a death trigger that will kill the player!!!

Here are a few more updated pictures.

Trying to decide how to define the areas in this map. I was thinking you really need somethign to identify the area your in so you immediatly know where you are or you can relay it to your team mates as to your location. So seeing as this map really has four main fields surrounding the house/shed etc. I've configured as follows. The images reflect this.

(images follow not in line with descriptions, you can see the areas)
Lower right - logs, lots of them. The storage area before shipping them out.
Lower left - pine trees along with lots of pine treestumps.
Upper left - Field full of hay bails with storage shed for hay bails.
Upper right - Haven't done this yet but, most farms have a paddock that they let there kids rark around in vehicles/bikes/quads etc. So though maybe a dirt track with a pile of dead cars that have been ruined. Haven't started this part yet.

Map compiled with Overgrown light settings. Everything looks so much GREENER! and I change the water texture to muddy water - can you tell! I also decided to take the power pilons out. I can always add them back in again later! I have yet to put a blade of grass down...Visually, things should change quite dramatically once the grass is sown! and many of the props start to be placed - barrels, crates, vehicles, tyres, rubbish bins...the list goes on. I do want to put a heap of dynamic objects in, they're the ones that move when you shoot or hit ;-) Interactive gaming at its best!

Home sick today "cough" "Cough" "COUGH"  ;-) So got some more mapping done. Decided to sit down and figure out why the map was not compiling. Turns out that in the compile log I had exceeded maximum available vertices. So removed all unnecessary terrain patches. Now it compiled. Then I couldn't get the map to load. I was copying another .GSC file from a map IW had made but this was causing problems. So I created a new default config file. Now it runs.

I have to say. Once I got into the map I was actually surprised at how BIG it is. In someways it maybe TOO big??? I guess I will have to test it out and see.

So here a couple more screenshots. These are all taken from the spectator cameras.

Shot taken from same end as previous images.

From the other end of the map.


Looking at house!

I've gone around all the terrain and altered the height. Raised some here, lowered some there - smoothed it out over there - typical landscaping! Went around all the paddocks and raised the ground to define areas of paddock etc Inserted hedge rows to break up all the areas. Installed pylons and hooked up the powerlines on a couple of them. Starting to look like farm although it has some european elements. Stried compiling but get various errors. Cant be bothered with that at present. Worry about that later.

Basic layout of flooded island has been completed. Started to populate trees and vegetation. Current buildings have no detail. House style needs to be changed. Sheds require detail. Have placed various spawn points around map (just DM and TDM at this stage). Added water texture. Terrain currently too flat, need to alter. Areas of fields are created with temporary fence lines. All require creating correctly with fences or hedge rows. Need to compile and test to see if distances are okay?