In the last weeks I put much work into a new map in order to use it as a base for a new event since we already have a lot of single maps, but only very few events. Now I have made 5 tracks on the same huge map with varying terrain, water ponds and snowy areas:
Marathon
Midnight
Beyond Roads
Wet Ponds
Back Again
It's a huge event since to race everything takes at about 45 minutes.
This time I used some possibilities, I wasn't really aware of in the past:
I made the maps in a higher resolution in order to get more details on the huge map.
I used coordinates beyond the basic map image. This works since I made a map where streets seamlessly continue on all bordering tiles. This way I got an even larger usable terrain and could define intercepting roads without obvious circles.
I carefully set up a height map without roads at the beginning and molded the roads into it. (Until now I used a random terrain and cut roads out of it.) The change in technique leads to a more realistic track since the road mainly follows the terrain instead of cutting randomly though the terrain. (This follows the principle of how roads are made in real life.)
I created a post sprite used it as an additional (more or less realistic) visual guide for the border of the road. This is a strange use for vegetation sprites. Unfortunately I couldn't manage to disable the random scaling and positioning, but I think it still adds a nice touch even if the positions and size variations of the posts are sometimes quite odd.
I not only used an alternative sky texture in the last map again but incorporated a bush as a new vegetation sprite. (Originally I wanted to add a tree, but since I found no way of scaling a vegetation sprite to the proper size of a tree I went for a bush in the end.) It's not photo-realistic, but since you normally are not close enough to see much detail, I believe an svg-drawn vegetation sprite is an advantage. Especially because it's easy to adapt and doesn't need to re-use the same leaves or branches for a whole bush, which wouldn't look very good. (For the moment I kept the vegetation sprite in the map folder, but if you like it we of course can add it to the main vegetation sprite folder. (The same applies to all my so far used additional sky images as well.)
Since people seem not even have red this entry I wonder if it was buried under the other postings and therefore overseen. Maybe I did to many maps in a short period and nobody is keen to get the new maps I make.
If you feel my output is not useful, please let me know! If that's the case I shouldn't waste our time with it. Maybe you liked my first event the most and get the impression what I contribute nowadays isn't as entertaining as my first maps...
With every new map (or event) I tried to extend the so far used elements. Unfortunately I often need to reconsider since the variation the programming allows me to implement is limited in several ways. (That's not a critique of the programming, but I hope we soon will find someone who can add missing features and extend the remarkably well done base for future releases.)
If I had more time and was a faster learner I could learn c++ myself in order to help in that regard, but I fear it is not very rational to expect I could do this in a reasonable time frame.
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
I finally sampled the event. It's clearly worthy of the name "marathon". :) Very nice.
A note concerning Beyond Roads: The time limit should be more lenient. I drove without making any mistake (no rollover) and finished with only 10s to spare. That's very punishing for such a difficult track layout.
I still have to test Back Again.
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
"Maybe you liked my first event the most and get the impression what I contribute nowadays isn't as entertaining as my first maps..."
I actually think that you're getting better and better at it. Either way, you clearly put in a decent effort, and it shows.
"If I had more time and was a faster learner I could learn c++ myself in order to help in that regard, but I fear it is not very rational to expect I could do this in a reasonable time frame."
My personal experience with this is that it's best to start (very) small. Pick up your favourite bug or enhancement request (either from the tracker, or something you've spotted yourself. Then start inspecting the C code, try to understand what it does, and try to see which files you need to tweak in order to get what you want. At the beginning it's painful and very slow, but little by little you get the hang of it. When you get stuck, I'm sure Jasmine could lend you a helping hand (and maybe Ishmael, if we can lure him back).
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
Thank you very much for your kind feedback. It's good to read my efforts are not wasted.
You are right about "Beyond Roads". I find it always difficult to estimate a good time limit since it very much defines the difficulty of the map. I will upload a changed version together with the other changes you proposed concerning the texture sprites.
I could make a complete zip-file with all my tracks for that purpose since the changes will concern a lot of files.
I'm not sure about C++. If I had more time I might be able to discover the language the way you proposed. Considering my recent time management I don't believe it will work that way some time soon.
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
"I could make a complete zip-file with all my tracks for that purpose since the changes will concern a lot of files."
I'm not sure. I think we will anyways need to commit your pending maps (those not yet in SVN) and also the sprites. Then we adjust everything to suit SVN. Does this make sense?
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
In the last weeks I put much work into a new map in order to use it as a base for a new event since we already have a lot of single maps, but only very few events. Now I have made 5 tracks on the same huge map with varying terrain, water ponds and snowy areas:
It's a huge event since to race everything takes at about 45 minutes.
This time I used some possibilities, I wasn't really aware of in the past:
Please download and test the new event!:
http://www.veganmania.at/div/marathon.zip
I hope you enjoy it. Maybe I could even enhance the event if you give me constructive feedback...
Since people seem not even have red this entry I wonder if it was buried under the other postings and therefore overseen. Maybe I did to many maps in a short period and nobody is keen to get the new maps I make.
If you feel my output is not useful, please let me know! If that's the case I shouldn't waste our time with it. Maybe you liked my first event the most and get the impression what I contribute nowadays isn't as entertaining as my first maps...
With every new map (or event) I tried to extend the so far used elements. Unfortunately I often need to reconsider since the variation the programming allows me to implement is limited in several ways. (That's not a critique of the programming, but I hope we soon will find someone who can add missing features and extend the remarkably well done base for future releases.)
If I had more time and was a faster learner I could learn c++ myself in order to help in that regard, but I fear it is not very rational to expect I could do this in a reasonable time frame.
I finally sampled the event. It's clearly worthy of the name "marathon". :) Very nice.
A note concerning Beyond Roads: The time limit should be more lenient. I drove without making any mistake (no rollover) and finished with only 10s to spare. That's very punishing for such a difficult track layout.
I still have to test Back Again.
"Maybe you liked my first event the most and get the impression what I contribute nowadays isn't as entertaining as my first maps..."
I actually think that you're getting better and better at it. Either way, you clearly put in a decent effort, and it shows.
"If I had more time and was a faster learner I could learn c++ myself in order to help in that regard, but I fear it is not very rational to expect I could do this in a reasonable time frame."
My personal experience with this is that it's best to start (very) small. Pick up your favourite bug or enhancement request (either from the tracker, or something you've spotted yourself. Then start inspecting the C code, try to understand what it does, and try to see which files you need to tweak in order to get what you want. At the beginning it's painful and very slow, but little by little you get the hang of it. When you get stuck, I'm sure Jasmine could lend you a helping hand (and maybe Ishmael, if we can lure him back).
Thank you very much for your kind feedback. It's good to read my efforts are not wasted.
You are right about "Beyond Roads". I find it always difficult to estimate a good time limit since it very much defines the difficulty of the map. I will upload a changed version together with the other changes you proposed concerning the texture sprites.
I could make a complete zip-file with all my tracks for that purpose since the changes will concern a lot of files.
I'm not sure about C++. If I had more time I might be able to discover the language the way you proposed. Considering my recent time management I don't believe it will work that way some time soon.
"I could make a complete zip-file with all my tracks for that purpose since the changes will concern a lot of files."
I'm not sure. I think we will anyways need to commit your pending maps (those not yet in SVN) and also the sprites. Then we adjust everything to suit SVN. Does this make sense?