A couple of questions on model uploads

[Solu9]

Heya.
I've been away since the launch of Hive 2.0 and some of the new features confuses me.

1.
When uploading several models which are meant to either complement each other or models which are basically the same but with a few twists.
Is the only way to combine these into "one" resource by uploading one model, and then edit in the rest of the models?

2.
When updating a model it used to go to the top of the model list. I suppose to let users know that the model had been updated. This does not happen anymore or?

3.
After the new patch where the multiplayer map size has increased to 128mb is there a golden size to aim for?
I recon a unit model was around 200-400kb and attachments 10-40kb.

 

[GhostWolf]

1. It's possible (and is the way all resources work), however I have no idea how it's done via the Hive's UI, since I never uploaded anything.

2. There were multiple threads about this - mostly about what the default behavior should be. I think Ralle changed the default so updates do go on top? either way, it's a part of the search. You can look for the threads in this forum.

3. The quality of the models should probably not be changed too much. Suddenly having a model with 5k polygons will look weird next to all of the other models. Textures are also still the same. So while you can probably be far less restrictive, going overboard won't really get you good results either, it's just an old game with low quality (relatively speaking, in the end it tends to look good) resources, nothing to do about it. I do however see this as an encouragement for custom textures, which can also lead to far better texture unwraps.

 

[Solu9]

1. I couldn't figure out how to do it in any case. So I submitted one model then edited it to contain two.

2. Hm. I've just uploaded a new version of a model of mine (which was still pending if that matters) and the model stayed and didn't move to the top. Not a big deal but I thought it useful that they did jump up top.

3. Yeah. But with custom textures the size can matter a lot though.

 

[Ralle]

When uploading several models which are meant to either complement each other or models which are basically the same but with a few twists.
Is the only way to combine these into "one" resource by uploading one model, and then edit in the rest of the models?

Exactly. You upload a single one, then you edit and can add more. You can also add the icon and alternative textures.

When updating a model it used to go to the top of the model list. I suppose to let users know that the model had been updated. This does not happen anymore or?

It still does, but the system only bumps it if 14 days have passed. This is to limit the amount of unnecessary bumping people can do.

After the new patch where the multiplayer map size has increased to 128mb is there a golden size to aim for?
I recon a unit model was around 200-400kb and attachments 10-40kb.

Aim for the lowest size possible always. It gives more options for the modder. But it's also a good idea to include a high-res texture as an alternative for those who may need that.

 

[GhostWolf]

But it's also a good idea to include a high-res texture as an alternative for those who may need that.

It's not as simple as that. If you only edit the textures, so to speak, it tends to lead to terrible unwraps (and many Blizzard models have obnoxiously bad unwraps).
With custom textures, you can make a proper unwrap that actually matches your textures.
So while the models themselves probably shouldn't differ in quality, I do think that increasing the amount of custom textures is correct.

 

[Solu9]

Great info. Thanks