Buzz's Mapping Madness

[Buzzsaw]

Alright, here is the story of Buzzsaw (me, mysteriously) learning to make the transition from total n00b to uber-mapper. Hopefully along the way I will be able to be able to convince similiar n00bs as well as CoH players to take an interest in mapping, and the modding of CoH in general.

So here we go. You get to experience first hand (or is it second hand?!) the joys and woes of becoming a mapper.

________________________________________________

Day 1 (actually yesterday)

Things I did today:

Read some good tutorials.
Read some very rubbishy and boring tutorials.
Got my first map working!First day of learning to become a mapper...and how easy it was! Some great tutorials up on the RelicCOH forums, particularly: Starting Out Guide (http://forums.relicnews.com/showthread.php?t=130501) and First Multiplayer Map (http://208.49.84.50/buggo/WorldBuilder02-MyFirstMPMap.htm) (also posted by AeroTow in this forum).

Anyway, I used the second guide to get my first map in game, alright so it's a boring, bare map, but at least it taught me the basics...but then I thought aswell spice it up some.

And because I'm a n00b I forgot to get some pics because it was yesterday...so i'll include pictures in my next post later tonight (when i've done more to my map).

Buzz out.

[AeroTow]

Nice to see more people getting into it! i just recently started and am in the stages of fixing textures, have just completed the lighting effects on the map :D
Why don't you join the mod team?

[Buzzsaw]

Day 2 (actually today!)

Things I did today:

Read some more tutorials!
Added lots and lots of detail to my map.
Got help off AeroTow :D
Added music.
Played my Alpha Build of the map.Right, I actually knuckled down and added the main bulk of 'stuff' to the map today. I reackon it's taken me about 5-6 hours to do this much, which, for my first map I don't reakon is too bad! :p

I tried to get in as much detail as possible, especially into the main areas, and also tried to include as many different features as possible, so that I could get a feel for textures, objects, heightmaps, splines etc. As with any map (let alone your first one!) problems were encountered. The first time I played it, I was unable to build anything around my HQ, but some advice off AeroTow to increase the Territory area around the HQ saw the end of that problem! My next problem has not been fixed yet. For some reason, the enemy AI seems very unwilling to leave their base, except when I get near it to attack them. My only presumption is that it is because I used such a small map...but I will keep fiddling around to see what happens.

Here are some pictures of my Alpha build of the map:

Good old view over the Axis base:
http://img359.imageshack.us/img359/1699/reliccoh200705222030023wg3.jpg
As you can see, I have not added any out of bounds decals or details, simply because I've not got round to it (and probably need to read up on it!).

The Church:
http://img368.imageshack.us/img368/6198/reliccoh200705222029417jz6.jpg
Pretty much the middle of the map (yes, it's very small). You can also see a very tinfoil-looking pool of water, which I have yet to add waves to.

The Village/Hamlet:
http://img359.imageshack.us/img359/9933/reliccoh200705222026526oa5.jpg
I like this corner of the map. WYSIWYG, really, a few buildings, lots of random little boxes and barrels to try and make it reasonably realistic!

The Farm:
http://img368.imageshack.us/img368/3793/reliccoh200705222026336zj3.jpg
My first (and favourite) part of the map I created. The grass in the meadow does actually stretch right up to the woodstack/log, but the viewdistance was poor so it didn't capture it. Oh well. I like this because of the tactical opportunities it opens up. Although you can't tell from the pic, the Allies have a nice straight run into it through the front gate, and those logs provide great cover for an MG team watching the front! However, look carefully round that back and there is another back door, nearer the Axis base...allowing them to flank the flag if care is not taken!

Things still to do:

Make out of bounds look nice and pwetty.
Add waves to the water!
Figure out why the Axis are n00bs and don't leave their base!

[AeroTow]

Very VERY nice map for a first try!

Well done mate!

[[MyIS]Airborne]

Nice Job

AB

[Buzzsaw]

Day 3

Things I did today:

Finished off the map!
Gave the water some kinky effects!
Made out of bounds look tasty!
Got raped by a normal AI when play testing it! (Finally got them to work).Ahh. Finished my first proper map. Alright, so it gameplay terms it's probably completely crap, biased, unbalanced, but in Mapping terms its not too shabby. It was mostly a case of adding finishing touches, checking it all worked, all that boring shizzle. Possibly I'll be adding more to it, but who knows, so I'm still calling it a BETA version.

So yeah, not alot of changes on the whole, just those bits which make it look nice when your blowing it up with 61mm mortars and air strikes! :)
When I gave it a whizz in game, the Axis AI seemed detirmined to spam the MG Team, and despite getting a good position in the church with my Riflemen, one was duly destroyed by Flamethrowers and MGs...ho hum...at least it worked!

Pics :

[B]New & Improved Water!
http://img371.imageshack.us/img371/6392/myfirstmpmapwaterxy6.jpg

Another peaceful day in the village of Villers-Bocage:
http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/3728/myfirstmpmapcountrysiders6.jpg

Things to do:

Join the COH Red Dawn team!
Start a new map...I'm thinking urban...
Read more tutorials, practice new techniques.

[Cherni_95]

Buzz you so 1337. I need heightmap editing on mine, cus it suckz0rz so much.

[Buzzsaw]

And I need to start mapping again!

Watch this space...
;)

[Sir. Tasty]

And i will be watching you :p

[cpt.Resistance]

where you fid the map creator program?
i am itching to create a city map

[Buzzsaw]

You find the World Builder in the Program Files/THQ/Company Of Heroes folder...unfortunately work has ceased from me because I believe the 1.71 patch has broken my worldbuilder program. ¬_¬

[Cherni_95]

Problem has been fixed for a while: http://forums.relicnews.com/showthread.php?t=156370

[Buzzsaw]

<3 Cherni.

Although I'm still upset with him (he knows why!).
:P

[cpt.Resistance]

Thx.....i'l try it out

[BoDyBaG2224]

I had a decent 1v1 set up. But I couldn't figure out how to play test it. I think all of my files got all smooshed up.

[cpt.Resistance]

How do you get in water?