Questions for rough terrain coders/makers...

Warhero · #1 October 22nd, 2005, 06:01 PM

Is it any way possible that if player use map editor in Battle Generator and change rough terrain option to "0", it really means that there's NO any rough terrain on the map?
Not 1-x rough hexes at all anywhere? Now seems to me that "0" option does not do as it should be

... I mean that many times (depends on size of map) despite of using "0" there's too much (and usually right middle of map) rough terrain hexes which tanks have to pass from left or right (sometimes there's only 1 way to get them if border of map restrict from other side

... Ok, I understand that this is just a little detail of game but sometimes I wish that using some option (as "0" in this case) really does it's "work" properly. Is code for rough terrain originally meant to work this way? Does player have to load totally new map (which has not any rough hexes) or push recreate until map is totally rough free?

DRG · #2 October 22nd, 2005, 10:25 PM

Keep the hill height to 1 and that will virtually eliminate rough. There is code to create random rough on hills independent of the "rough" control in the map generator. Keeping the hill density low also lowers the chance of no rough. If you make that a high number you will get a lot of rough.

Don

Warhero · #3 October 23rd, 2005, 07:25 AM

Thanks about fast response Don. But it's bit "strange" IMO at least, that player must use just "1" for hill height to avoid rough at all, isn't it? I would understand better if player will use let's say, 3-4 and forward to get rough terrain. IMO values 1-3 could be more sensible (of course, depends on location) for getting "clean" terrain. I have noticed that for example, generated Vietnam/Southwest Asian maps have too often rough by using values 1-3. Ok, I'm not ever visited there and checked area types but still I would hope that sometimes in future players could "control" map types in Generator's editor more in this case...

I'm not going to complain to anyone about this, just thinking how to improve editor even better ok?

DRG · #4 October 23rd, 2005, 03:12 PM

I don't have a problem with the amount of rough terrain in the game and I'm the one who set up the system that the maps use. Rough is any terrain that isn't flat that tanks or any unit needs to go slow through It does not have to be rocks but it can be. It is not realistic to have no rough on a map and it makes things interesting IMHO when players just simply cannot run straight from one side of the map to the other on nice smooth grass. The map making code has a lot of twists and turns in it. Rough terrain is not simply assigned from one central area in generated maps. It's generated in a number of places becasue each area has it's own special reason to have a bit of rough on it.

The map generator is designed to produce good general maps for normal useage. If you want totally rough free maps you'll need to save the ones you like and edit out the rough you don't want by hand. The code is not going to be changed for this as it would impact on every single map generated and would require weeks of testing to get things "right" again and I personally don't see the need for it to be done.

Don