Terraining in general

[gloryindeath]

So, what do you guys do when you terrain? Do you throw something together, then go back for details? Do you do section at a time with a lot of detail in each one? I'm just wondering, as I am just starting to use the map editor a little bit, those are a couple of the things that I do. What about you?

 

[Cool Joe Smith]

what ever you want... you can make it part of a map your making or make a "picture" and just make it for a neat picture... what ever floats your boat!

 

[Wolverabid]

Good terrain is BRUTALLY tough to create (in my opinion). It seems to take forever and I'm rarely satisfied with the results. It's definitely best to have a plan in mind, and maybe sketch things out on paper a bit and make notes before beginning.

Initial water level is an important consideration: that's going to effect the entire map and could cause a lot of complications if you want to change things late on.

Cliff use vs. raise/lower height is also important: MiscData.txt is a handy file to have.

There are sure to be plenty of responses in this thread as the best terrain editors weigh in.

[self="http://hiveworkshop.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=360"][off-topic] gloryindeath: please introduce yourself to the Hive![/self]

 

[ragingspeedhorn]

I usually do the overall things first like water and lowering/raising of land areas. Then I do ground tiles for a larger area and details for a smaller area bit by bit.

 

[The_wand_mirror]

First i do the ground, then i raise and higher,lower,plateau and then i just place the doodads on which i would like them to be ... otherwise than that you can also make special terrain .. like a rly large city with paths running everywhere

 

[VGsatomi]

Terraining is the funnest part of map making in my opinion. I dont even start on my first trigger till terrain is 100% complete, since setting up triggers often revolves around the terrain being complete, anyway. That way if my map idea doesnt work due to triggering limitations, I have the terrain ready to be recycled and for another map idea. Plus, It doesnt involve constant playtesting and tedious link clicking like triggerwork does.

I first do the overall layout of the map, or the "shape" so to speak. It really helps you figure out what you want to do with the rest because you then know exaclty how much space you have to work with and where. From that point on I start terraining it piece by piece, or I may jump around if I get bored in one section. Some doodads, like trees, really should be done across the map first since they are more limited in number and determine how many other doodads will be needed to go along with them (I'm one of those who always has rocks and grass around trees). And yes, if you ever plan to hace smooth shores along side water, you really do need to start with an all water map and raise the terrain from it.
-VGsatomi