[General] Rating Terrain

[claptomanic]

Hey all...

because nobody said something about the terrain im making for my map i wanna ask you all to tell me what you think because i would get crazy if i redo the whole terrain and everyone thinks 'OMFG! that looks like shit....'

please have in mind that i dont want to have perfect terrain.....i just want it to be average or a bit above average (so it should look okay to nice but not perfect...i know that i wont be able to make perfect terrain^^).

Here's my map

i dont care whether you write your opinion/criticism/suggestion for improvement/whatever here or in the thread of my map.


thanks in advance

greetz clapto

 

[rulerofiron99]

Hey clapto

Taking a look at it now

Okay so:
+ Sufficient attention to detail at parts (e.g. flowers in front of a tree, a spot of lilypads on the lake, bushes here and there)
+ Nice use of "faeries" in the forest
- Terrain height in the first few screens (forest) should be more gradual
- Too many wheat doodads!
- Fences around the chicken thing stick out, scale them down to fit perfectly
- City entrance is way too plain. Play around with terrain tiles, add a water feature and some park benches.
- Wastelands are plain, add some rocks, skeletal remains. The two grass types don't match. Replace the green with Lordaeron Fall - Grass. Use a different, "dead" tree model to fit the "wastelands" theme. A recoloured Northrend Tree would work well.
- Spiky rocks are too spiky.
- I can see the edge of the map in the last screen!

Overall, I give it a 6/10 - above average. Don't be discouraged by all the minuses I gave, those are small things that would make this a solidly above average, gameplay-centric terrain.

 

[claptomanic]

okay ^^ thanks

will wait for your answer^^

EDIT: tried to rep you but i have to spread around -.-*

 

[rulerofiron99]

It's the thought that counts

Feel free to PM me if you want me to take a look at some updates!

 

[claptomanic]

thanks for the review

will try to fix the minuses (or at least the most of them) and will change the screens then. youll get a VM then to tell me whether my changes are shit or not ^^



anyone who wanna tell me the same opinion or anything else about the screens....i would be glad to hear/read it ;D

 

[claptomanic]

bump it just to read other opinions.

 

[claptomanic]

bump to read other opinions (also for the new screens ) and to read ruler's opinion about the changes ;D

 

[Maestros]

Hey all...

because nobody said something about the terrain im making for my map i wanna ask you all to tell me what you think because i would get crazy if i redo the whole terrain and everyone thinks 'OMFG! that looks like shit....'

please have in mind that i dont want to have perfect terrain.....i just want it to be average or a bit above average (so it should look okay to nice but not perfect...i know that i wont be able to make perfect terrain^^).

Here's my map

i dont care whether you write your opinion/criticism/suggestion for improvement/whatever here or in the thread of my map.


thanks in advance

greetz clapto

Checking it now

~reserved

Edit:




The trees that are fallen, are way to big and way to low in graphics which is a bad combination.
Some parts you raised/lowered are shard, smooth them.
Dont overuse the Flowers, and dont put them in the middle of nowehere, like in screen 1.
You have created nice paths between the grassy areas but,
is that -Sunken Ruins Sand- i see there? if yes remove it.
Back to the paths of dirt tile, as you can see when they meet with the grass there is a sharp change, which looks bad, in order to smooth that out, go to advanced modify tileset, move the dirst in the far left. And if possible add a tile from Asheval, its a grassy one, but with some dirt on it, you will see it, and add that in between the dirt paths and the grass, it will make it much more smoother and much more nice.
If possible use custom trees, found in the UTM
Too many wheats.
The tile from village set, the one with the stoned road i cant recall its name, bad combination with that grass.
Again large doodadds, the grave-corsses, the light-signs, the plants, way to large for their definition.
And again, use custom doodadds.
I liked the fountain concept very much!
About the fairy forest i congratulate for your idea of using those effects as doodadds i do it also and its awsome!
Nice terrain there but with a few things that kinda ruin it, that huge "thing" i believe its a tree? a hollow tree? Too huge for its definition, instead of bushes try using some custom enviromental doodadds, and the tile of leaves from ashenvale, dont use it randomly, instead use it beloow or near trees to make it realistic.
Wastelands is very good actually, but too flat, use the raise/lower every now and then.
Graveyard is good but again enourmous doodadd size. Try adding some fog effects in the graveyard, making it more creepy.

Pew pew! I hope that covers about everything!

 

[rulerofiron99]

- Ankhs/crosses at golden statue oversized. Add a "park/recreational" area around the statue; don't you think it feels weird to have a statue right infront of some houses, and why are there fences?
- Fountain is overkill. The six "pillar" fountains could be done better. It *does* have the nice effect of being almost like water-spouting-pipes, but it looks cheap. Touch it up pillars/columns. With the main fountain being that large, you want to manually build the walls around the large pool.
- City entrance is still bland. Use terrain tiles other than the black tile. Look at the size of those flowers. Just look at them.
- Lordaeron Fall trees really do look out of place in Barrens, I suggest you remove them completely. I suppose the few remaining green terrain tiles are fine, you can leave them. Add some more terrain height (and SMOOTH), it looks way too flat right now.
- Trees on the rocky mountain look terrible, quite frankly. Use some carefully placed rock doodads instead.
- Graveyard looks decent. You can add some more small prop doodads - a skull here and there will do wonders. Just don't spam them!

Overall looking better, keep up the good progress

 

[claptomanic]

first of all....thanks and +rep to you two^^

then to your reviews:

StaRMaestroS

The trees that are fallen, are way to big and way to low in graphics which is a bad combination.

you mean the tree bridges right? then yes but replacing them with real bridges wouldnt it the theme so they have to stay.

Some parts you raised/lowered are shard, smooth them.

i thought i smoothed all Oo will take a look at them again

Dont overuse the Flowers, and dont put them in the middle of nowehere, like in screen 1.

will change that ^^

You have created nice paths between the grassy areas but,
is that -Sunken Ruins Sand- i see there? if yes remove it.

yes it is because just dirt looked very bad....will replace them with something else ^^

Back to the paths of dirt tile, as you can see when they meet with the grass there is a sharp change, which looks bad, in order to smooth that out, go to advanced modify tileset, move the dirst in the far left. And if possible add a tile from Asheval, its a grassy one, but with some dirt on it, you will see it, and add that in between the dirt paths and the grass, it will make it much more smoother and much more nice.

thanks for the 'move the tile to the left thing' didnt know that for the 'add the tile' i cant add more tiles so sorry^^ (and yes i need all tiles ;D)

If possible use custom trees, found in the UTM

i could but i wont...reason: my map is really big even now so i avoid importing anything not really important ^^

Too many wheats.

did you look at the old or the new screens? if you looked at the new screens ill answer this with a link ^^ take a look can you look through the wheats?

The tile from village set, the one with the stoned road i cant recall its name, bad combination with that grass.

any suggestions how to make it better? (the name is Churchill )

Again large doodadds, the grave-corsses, the light-signs, the plants, way to large for their definition.

some have to be that big....but ill take a look

And again, use custom doodadds.

see above....

I liked the fountain concept very much!

thanks

About the fairy forest i congratulate for your idea of using those effects as doodadds i do it also and its awsome!

again...thanks

Nice terrain there but with a few things that kinda ruin it, that huge "thing" i believe its a tree? a hollow tree? Too huge for its definition, instead of bushes try using some custom enviromental doodadds, and the tile of leaves from ashenvale, dont use it randomly, instead use it beloow or near trees to make it realistic.

big tree? you mean the one on the last screen of the faerie forest? thats a dungeon and has to be that big^^

for the bushes....could you give an example of what i should use instead?

for the leave-tile....will change that (even though i dont know whether ill do it now or later^^)

Wastelands is very good actually, but too flat, use the raise/lower every now and then.

planned that already ^^

Graveyard is good but again enourmous doodadd size. Try adding some fog effects in the graveyard, making it more creepy.

will take a look whether ill change the size of some ^^

for the fog effects....tried to implement an area fog system but the system failed...any tipps for that?

Pew pew! I hope that covers about everything!

i think so ^^ thanks for the review ;D and like already said +rep^^



rulerofiron99

- Ankhs/crosses at golden statue oversized. Add a "park/recreational" area around the statue; don't you think it feels weird to have a statue right infront of some houses, and why are there fences?

okay ill resize the crosses and add a 'park' ;D

to the fences....hmmm....yeah....they were there because it looked too empty without them ^^ will delete them and look what to put in the city instead^^

- Fountain is overkill. The six "pillar" fountains could be done better. It *does* have the nice effect of being almost like water-spouting-pipes, but it looks cheap. Touch it up pillars/columns.

okay will change that

With the main fountain being that large, you want to manually build the walls around the large pool.

explanation please ;D

- City entrance is still bland. Use terrain tiles other than the black tile. Look at the size of those flowers. Just look at them.

okay will change the entrance ;D and yes ill change the size of the flowers ^^

- Lordaeron Fall trees really do look out of place in Barrens, I suggest you remove them completely.

hmmm...will think of it^^ maybe ill replace them and hope its more fitting then^^

I suppose the few remaining green terrain tiles are fine, you can leave them.

i just left the really green grass in the area from the forest to the wastelands to try to make it look smoother...

Add some more terrain height (and SMOOTH), it looks way too flat right now.

already planned to do that ^^

- Trees on the rocky mountain look terrible, quite frankly. Use some carefully placed rock doodads instead.

which rocky montain? i dont get which screen you mean....could you tell me?

- Graveyard looks decent. You can add some more small prop doodads - a skull here and there will do wonders. Just don't spam them!

okay will do that^^

Overall looking better, keep up the good progress

thanks i do my best ^.^

 

[rulerofiron99]

Make them a little further, smaller, and lower though. Image just to show you what I mean.

which rocky montain? i dont get which screen you mean....could you tell me?

Second last screen in wastelands.

 

[claptomanic]

ahh okay thanks

will take a look whether im able to make the walls of the fountain ^^

and also i will look what im able to do with that mountain^^

 

[rulerofiron99]

Oh right another thing, I would be eternally grateful if you could lower those wheats to about 60% current size

 

[claptomanic]

okay ill do you that favour ^^

 

[Maestros]

first of all....thanks and +rep to you two^^

then to your reviews:

StaRMaestroS



you mean the tree bridges right? then yes but replacing them with real bridges wouldnt it the theme so they have to stay.


Well you can always use elevators



i thought i smoothed all Oo will take a look at them again

There are some points i noticed



yes it is because just dirt looked very bad....will replace them with something else ^^

IMO the sand is way of theme and should only be used in beaches.



i could but i wont...reason: my map is really big even now so i avoid importing anything not really important ^^


Dude, there are AWSOME doodadds in there with like 7kb filesize..




any suggestions how to make it better? (the name is Churchill )


Yes, have the paths just dirt


some have to be that big....but ill take a look

No they don't, its totally up to you!


for the bushes....could you give an example of what i should use instead?

Doodadds from the UTM ^^ and also there is an AWSOME collection of ANIMATED grass there which is totally uniQue and gives a great taste of realism when playing.


for the fog effects....tried to implement an area fog system but the system failed...any tipps for that?

Well, dont do that again xD It sucks big time! In the UTM there is a model called glow, that model can be colored with the RGB in the object editor, and if rescaled to be large, can give an excellent sense of fog, but very smoothly... i STRONGLY recommend that.

As for the paths and the dirt, let me show you a terrain ive been fixing these days to show you how you can make paths seem nice with dirts, and the tileset varation to be very smooth.

Ashenvale tiles

The tiles used to form the paths and their boundries are

Ashenvale - Rough Dirt
Ashenvale - Grassy Dirt

Both reQuire 1 space in the tileset, so removing the Sand, and the Cobble Path and replace those can be helpfull, try it, you dont have anything to loose

Also might i recommend something else from the UTM.
In there, in the Cinematic category there are 2 extremly usefull doodadds.
Light!
One normal, one blue. Every map has problem with its lighting especially in walls buildings and tiles. I spoted one in one of your screenshots, Churchill New, Screenshot number 2, in the backround the walls, you will see what i am talking about, it looks bad, and you can fix that with that light! Its like the torch light, only without the torch, and ofc the Blue one, which affects shadows, can be an AWSOME adition to your graveyard!

 

[claptomanic]

okay StaRMaestroS you won ;D

i took a look at all the models UTM has and chose to import some of them in my map^^

 

[Maestros]

I already know that. I saw from your profile that you were viewing the UTM