Is there a faster way to create terrain ?

[Chucky]

I need to create several maps (160x160) for my campaign but it's draining finishing one map but alone 5. Isn't there a faster way to make terrain ?

 

[Kino]

We don't know what your terrain process is.
Thus, nobody can tell you how to make it faster.

Though I will say this.
If filling several 160x160 maps is an issue, why create said sized maps?
Why not make smaller/less maps?

 

[Chucky]

Well my campaign is not going to be composed entirely of just big maps but there are some missions (5 I believe) that will require medium or big maps cause it's part of the plot and there are going to be several bases and side quests that a small map just isn't gonna cut it...in other words, I really need big maps...Usually my process is make terrain, hills, cliffs, sea portions etc, then fill them with doodads and the rest of the stuff...the problem is I'm working alone on this campaign and if I only had to do just the terrain then it wouldn't be that much of a problem but I have to do the quests, cinematics, triggers, spells, everything myself. I'm looking for a way to speed up the big stuff. I found a tool, Terrain it's named I believe that allows me to make terrain based on a height map but that just creates cliffs and that's not really what I need.

 

[Kino]

If you insist on having large maps, then your process will be slower.
That's all there is to it.

 

[Celaquil]

The short answer for if there are any shortcuts is that there aren't.
- Not if you want your terrain to keep a decent standard.

There's always the brush tools, which you can make larger to cover most of the map
with trees or something else that will make pathing there impossible, hence you won't
need to terrain those parts. But other than that... I can't really think of anything else
than either to simply practice on doing it faster, or suggest you hire a terrainer, so
that you won't have to do it yourself.

 

[Warseeker]

You could use the copy option to copy one piece of terrain to another side, that's the fastest way to create terrain, specially for large maps terrain.

 

[The_Silent]

Procedural generation is an option, although only so much terraining can be done with triggers.

 

[BlackEnvyX]

You could use the copy option to copy one piece of terrain to another side, that's the fastest way to create terrain, specially for large maps terrain.

^
This.
If you're going to go with this option, I might recommend copying the terrain from one of Blizzard's standard Warcraft III melee maps and then alter it to suit your personal needs. There's so much that Blizzard provided for map designers in Warcraft III that we don't even think about.

 

[Pinzu]

Work structured.
1) Mark out and design where the mountain, rivers, lakes, cities, what have you will be - do the skeleton.
2) When you've done that start fleshing it out more basic concepts.
3) Detail work. One suggestion is to place and the different doodads you'll be using so you don't have to look for it in the index time and time again.

How you structure your work is up to you, the above is just to get you thinking. I myself suffer from picking an area or a city and work hours on getting it the way i want before the basics is done, that's a bad idea if you have speed in mind.

 

[Chaosy]

you hire a terrainer, so that you won't have to do it yourself.

Most people would do this, problem is that getting your hands on one is quite hard. (provided that you want it to be on a decent level anyway)

If you have a reputation you might have an easier time doing it obviously.
I got my hands on Heinvers through simply sending a PM, though he was quite less famous back then so it was less competition.
Same for N.Knight if I recall.

Unless you can promise a certain standard for the map, you'll have a hard time.

Still these days, even I do the terrain myself since it's simple too bothersome to look for terrainers, it's like trying find a needle in a haystack.

 

[Heinvers]

I got my hands on Heinvers through simply sending a PM, though he was quite less famous back then so it was less competition.

Ah. I recall that like it was yesterday.
I think it was two or three years ago when it all started to flesh out with that project of yours. *sniff, vaguely remembers that campaign* ....forgive my wanderings for a bit.

As for OP, it is always an option to use procedural generation using triggers for fast terrain or making a height map as Pinzu usually does but....

That's more for a layout. It is always best to start with small sized maps and then enlarge them after every corner has been terrained properly. That is if you want a more quality based map instead of a quantity based one.

 

[TheLordOfChaos201]

hmm
well my map has absolutely no terrain. ZERO!
I uses an algorithm and trigs to create terrain cliffs and all other junk.
you could design an advanced algorithm that changes terrain according to which number map it's on.

 

[Deleted member 212788]

It's a slow process even if you have someone doing it for you - feel free to ask MiniMage or LinkinBlade - I've helped both of them and both will tell you that when you rush a terrainer the results are less than stellar. Given enough time, and caffeine, a skilled terrainer will work wonders for you.