After being inspired by one of JayBorino's posts in the previous WTE, I came up with a theme I figured will appeal to a bunch of you: "Making a Scene". What does this mean? Simple: for this exercise you're required to terrain a small scene rather than a large landscape. Think a Terran colonist in front of her newly founded home, or a Zergling bursting out of an egg at a Hatchery - that level of detail. As such, the restriction for this exercise is that the map you locate your scene in has to be the smallest possible (regular) size; 32x32. The result of this is that the actual creation of the terrain should take at most a minute or ten, allowing anybody with some time to spare to step in. Thinking your scene through and optimizing the limited space will be the challenge for the veterans.
Uh oh, looks like I'll actually have to deliver! Considering I've never made anything in the editor beyond some minor triggering fixes for Mass Recall, this will be challenging for me.
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Visit my channel where I showcase custom content! Send me a PM or respond to my YouTube thread if you'd like to see your map/s on my channel (eventually!)
To back up my claim on how easy it is to participate in this one, I've taken a small hour to come up with a simple scene of my own: Artanis and Raynor setting up a defense against an incoming attack on a jungley planet. Not all that happy with it, but while it isn't good, I suppose it also isn't bad. This ended up being an even larger scene than I had in mind.
I might have to take a crack at this as it looks like an easy and fun exercise to get into! But don't expect much! I think my creative side left me when I turned 10 haha.
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Check out my YouTube channel for test playthroughs of custom campaigns as well as editor tutorial videos. Mapmakers, don’t hesitate to PM me if you would like me to test your campaign.
Alright, so I though: "Cool, I must do this one", then i open the editor, then create new map and then.... "Well what do you want to do? (talking to myself) Let me think a sec for something cool.... (Answer myself) No, just, let it flow without thinking..." so I let it flow without thinking, I don't know what this is, but it looks like a cool area to stop at and relax.
Think it this way; if you are able to do this wte about terraining a 32x32 map, you can terrain something epic 256x256. The only difference is the number of 32x32 terrains there are to do. If you make a campaign map terrain, there will always be some kind of continuation in the terrain like, you start in a base, you go outside on the road, you follow some paths, you enter the forest, you find a cave, etc. Eatch parts are exaly the same as terraining a 32x32 terrain. You just have to focus on that small area and not on the whole terrain. By focussing on small parts of a map, eatch of them will look much better and then you can link them together mixing doodads from both areas.
Terraining a 32x32 is relatively simple and easy. Making it great is a bit harder but definitly possible even for beginners. For some people it will take a couple minutes, and some others it will take hours. But in the end, it will look good. So when you see a terrain like this one it's just the amount of small parts and time invested that makes the difference. If you invest enough time into making a similar terrain 32x32, you could do something as epic as wargirl's terrain.
Here's a tip I learned during the old WarCraft III days: if you're going to make cliffs that steep, use the smooth brush on them at least once. The untouched steepness just always feels off. I quite like the terrain otherwise!
The color palette you've used is what makes this terrain, I feel. My only issue is that it is very undefined; with so many floating objects everywhere, it's hard to see exactly what I'm looking at. This makes it less impressive as a terrain, even if it's very aesthetically pleasing. Maybe it's worth turning those two zig-zaggy cliffs into full platforms and perhaps doing... something with that big doodad in the top left corner. Also, the floating circle in the middle could probably be removed without detracting from the whole.
This is great! It's still a bit too obscure for a playable terrain (if that was one of your aims), but for an art exercise it's just right. I really like how things are now well defined, yet not so clear that you know exactly what is going on here. It's obvious that this is some sort of Protoss Military space platform, temple, parade or whatnot, but it seems alien enough to retain that air of 'mystique'. And it hasn't lost that aesthetic appeal of the color palette; the decals were definitely a nice touch in achieving this.
I see your point and I was not so happy about doing it this way, but because of the size restriction, and that I was lazy to add a skybox, I simply decided to go with a very steep cliff heigh which all in all, did not turn that bad at all. Yes, it looks stretched, but still it's not "that" bad. It is used to fill the background and not be looked at directly. The depth of field I added in the screens allowed to hide some of the texture streching that looks generally bad. Also, even with a skybox, you would have seen the map boundaries which look even worse than streched terrain and hiding it would have been quite difficult... except maybe by scaling large doodads like temple ramps and placing them at the edge of the map so they are half out of bounds...but meh... or a large amount of trees all around to hide bounds...but meh...
Don't worry Moz, the tips about always doing at least a few times a smooth.. i know AND use it anytime I use heigh tool, and even more in very small terrain where every terrain triangles can become very visible if not smoothed.
I was going for something akin to a trial or court marshal but with robot aliens in space. And if this were to be playable, It'd have to be scaled up. As it stands, it's way too small to work as actual playable terrain. It'd make for an interesting installation mission, though. Busting into a Purifier military compound with a crack team of Protoss warriors to rescue Fenix. It'd be like Trial of Tassadar except not macro.
Visit my channel where I showcase custom content! Send me a PM or respond to my YouTube thread if you'd like to see your map/s on my channel (eventually!)
Yeah, bravo! Welcome to the scrum, Jay. The only feedback I would add here would be that the ground is very flat. Personally, I'd recommend some rocks. To quote...someone..."you can always have more rocks."
Welcome aboard! I think you should do some short video of you terraining and trying to understand what you want to do and ideas you have.
Other than ROCKS, cause you can always add more rocks as Lucid said.... seriously. I suggest maybe some intestines because Zerg are gross.... Maybe creep webbing along the cliffs as well as more creep... Maybe bones. You could use some new zerg doodads like this or that.
Basicly, it's just about refining a little bit more. If you want to make it zerg, make it zzeerrrgggg. You know :P Nice first terrain btw. My very first terrain was probably not that good...
The doodad catalog was overwhelming to say the least. It will take some time to get a grasp on what to search for to find what I want. I got a few Zerg-y doodads in there, but was pushing 45 min for a relatively small scene so I wrapped it up. Also, it took me awhile just to figure out how to be able to actually change from placement mode to selection mode, then also how to rotate things. I'm happy with just learning those things haha.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Visit my channel where I showcase custom content! Send me a PM or respond to my YouTube thread if you'd like to see your map/s on my channel (eventually!)
Totaly true... these "basic" task I do automaticly are actually stuff to learn before searching for doodads... I overseen that for sure.
I'll give you a couple shortcuts usefull for terraining. It might be confusing at first, but as you try them and use the most simple ones very often, it will get more natural.
Simple shortcuts:
D -> Enter the doodad tab
U -> Enter the unit tab
T -> Enter the Terrain tab
Space -> Alternate selection and placing mode
Delete -> Remove selection
Enter -> Open the full modification window
Doodad movement once selected:
Left click -> Drag the doodad keeping its placement requirements
Shift + Left click -> Drag the doodad removing its placement requirements
Ctrl + Shift + Left click -> Rotate the doodad
Page up -> Changes its height upward
Page down -> Changes its height downward
Numpad Divide -> Rotate 90° counter clockwise
Numpad Multiply -> Rotate 90° clockwise
Numpad Dot -> Rotate 180°
Numpad Plus -> Changes XYZ scale bigger
Numpad Minus -> Changes XYZ scale smaller
Dot -> Changes to next model variation
Comma -> Changes to previous model variation
Advanced movement:
Ctrl + Alt + Left click -> Changes Roll value
Alt + Shift + Left click -> Changes Pitch value
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Left click -> Changes height
Camera:
Ctrl + Right click -> Change to free rotation camera
Shift + Right click -> Zoom in (just like scrolling)
Weekly Terraining Exercise #245
Hey again folks!
After being inspired by one of JayBorino's posts in the previous WTE, I came up with a theme I figured will appeal to a bunch of you: "Making a Scene". What does this mean? Simple: for this exercise you're required to terrain a small scene rather than a large landscape. Think a Terran colonist in front of her newly founded home, or a Zergling bursting out of an egg at a Hatchery - that level of detail. As such, the restriction for this exercise is that the map you locate your scene in has to be the smallest possible (regular) size; 32x32. The result of this is that the actual creation of the terrain should take at most a minute or ten, allowing anybody with some time to spare to step in. Thinking your scene through and optimizing the limited space will be the challenge for the veterans.
As always, good luck & have fun!
The Global Information/Idea thread for Terraining Exercises can be found here: http://www.sc2mapster.com/forums/development/terrain/14658-terraining-exercises-global-information-idea-thread/
Uh oh, looks like I'll actually have to deliver! Considering I've never made anything in the editor beyond some minor triggering fixes for Mass Recall, this will be challenging for me.
Visit my channel where I showcase custom content! Send me a PM or respond to my YouTube thread if you'd like to see your map/s on my channel (eventually!)
Heh. This is what I do every week, but I should have some time, as usual.
To back up my claim on how easy it is to participate in this one, I've taken a small hour to come up with a simple scene of my own: Artanis and Raynor setting up a defense against an incoming attack on a jungley planet. Not all that happy with it, but while it isn't good, I suppose it also isn't bad. This ended up being an even larger scene than I had in mind.
I might have to take a crack at this as it looks like an easy and fun exercise to get into! But don't expect much! I think my creative side left me when I turned 10 haha.
Check out my YouTube channel for test playthroughs of custom campaigns as well as editor tutorial videos. Mapmakers, don’t hesitate to PM me if you would like me to test your campaign.
The title of Moz's screenshot tells us just how many maps he's made since 2009 xddddd
@ScrinKing: Go
I'll have you know that I got a new computer about a year ago and lost all my old screenshots =P.
To be fair, I do have some random terrains lying around. Mostly the Starmon stuff, and a huge Agria terrain I was working on called 'Port Raynor'.
Alright, so I though: "Cool, I must do this one", then i open the editor, then create new map and then.... "Well what do you want to do? (talking to myself) Let me think a sec for something cool.... (Answer myself) No, just, let it flow without thinking..." so I let it flow without thinking, I don't know what this is, but it looks like a cool area to stop at and relax.
@JayborinoPlays: Go
Think it this way; if you are able to do this wte about terraining a 32x32 map, you can terrain something epic 256x256. The only difference is the number of 32x32 terrains there are to do. If you make a campaign map terrain, there will always be some kind of continuation in the terrain like, you start in a base, you go outside on the road, you follow some paths, you enter the forest, you find a cave, etc. Eatch parts are exaly the same as terraining a 32x32 terrain. You just have to focus on that small area and not on the whole terrain. By focussing on small parts of a map, eatch of them will look much better and then you can link them together mixing doodads from both areas.
Terraining a 32x32 is relatively simple and easy. Making it great is a bit harder but definitly possible even for beginners. For some people it will take a couple minutes, and some others it will take hours. But in the end, it will look good. So when you see a terrain like this one it's just the amount of small parts and time invested that makes the difference. If you invest enough time into making a similar terrain 32x32, you could do something as epic as wargirl's terrain.
Working on projects:
Jumping on the bandwagon. Here's an hour or two of work. Not a lot of doodads. Still trying to get the hang of things
@Scbroodsc2: Go
Here's a tip I learned during the old WarCraft III days: if you're going to make cliffs that steep, use the smooth brush on them at least once. The untouched steepness just always feels off. I quite like the terrain otherwise!
@redlerred7: Go
The color palette you've used is what makes this terrain, I feel. My only issue is that it is very undefined; with so many floating objects everywhere, it's hard to see exactly what I'm looking at. This makes it less impressive as a terrain, even if it's very aesthetically pleasing. Maybe it's worth turning those two zig-zaggy cliffs into full platforms and perhaps doing... something with that big doodad in the top left corner. Also, the floating circle in the middle could probably be removed without detracting from the whole.
@Mozared: Go
I took your suggestions into consideration
@redlerred7: Go
This is great! It's still a bit too obscure for a playable terrain (if that was one of your aims), but for an art exercise it's just right. I really like how things are now well defined, yet not so clear that you know exactly what is going on here. It's obvious that this is some sort of Protoss Military space platform, temple, parade or whatnot, but it seems alien enough to retain that air of 'mystique'. And it hasn't lost that aesthetic appeal of the color palette; the decals were definitely a nice touch in achieving this.
@Mozared: Go
I see your point and I was not so happy about doing it this way, but because of the size restriction, and that I was lazy to add a skybox, I simply decided to go with a very steep cliff heigh which all in all, did not turn that bad at all. Yes, it looks stretched, but still it's not "that" bad. It is used to fill the background and not be looked at directly. The depth of field I added in the screens allowed to hide some of the texture streching that looks generally bad. Also, even with a skybox, you would have seen the map boundaries which look even worse than streched terrain and hiding it would have been quite difficult... except maybe by scaling large doodads like temple ramps and placing them at the edge of the map so they are half out of bounds...but meh... or a large amount of trees all around to hide bounds...but meh...
Don't worry Moz, the tips about always doing at least a few times a smooth.. i know AND use it anytime I use heigh tool, and even more in very small terrain where every terrain triangles can become very visible if not smoothed.
Working on projects:
@Mozared: Go
I was going for something akin to a trial or court marshal but with robot aliens in space. And if this were to be playable, It'd have to be scaled up. As it stands, it's way too small to work as actual playable terrain. It'd make for an interesting installation mission, though. Busting into a Purifier military compound with a crack team of Protoss warriors to rescue Fenix. It'd be like Trial of Tassadar except not macro.
First ever anything created by me.
Queens watching over their unhatched eggs:
An infestor waiting for his creations to mature:
Visit my channel where I showcase custom content! Send me a PM or respond to my YouTube thread if you'd like to see your map/s on my channel (eventually!)
@JayborinoPlays: Go
Yeah, bravo! Welcome to the scrum, Jay. The only feedback I would add here would be that the ground is very flat. Personally, I'd recommend some rocks. To quote...someone..."you can always have more rocks."
@JayborinoPlays: Go
Welcome aboard! I think you should do some short video of you terraining and trying to understand what you want to do and ideas you have.
Other than ROCKS, cause you can always add more rocks as Lucid said.... seriously. I suggest maybe some intestines because Zerg are gross.... Maybe creep webbing along the cliffs as well as more creep... Maybe bones. You could use some new zerg doodads like this or that.
Basicly, it's just about refining a little bit more. If you want to make it zerg, make it zzeerrrgggg. You know :P Nice first terrain btw. My very first terrain was probably not that good...
Working on projects:
The doodad catalog was overwhelming to say the least. It will take some time to get a grasp on what to search for to find what I want. I got a few Zerg-y doodads in there, but was pushing 45 min for a relatively small scene so I wrapped it up. Also, it took me awhile just to figure out how to be able to actually change from placement mode to selection mode, then also how to rotate things. I'm happy with just learning those things haha.
Visit my channel where I showcase custom content! Send me a PM or respond to my YouTube thread if you'd like to see your map/s on my channel (eventually!)
Hey!
It has been a long time since my last submision, so here's a new one.
Check out my kitbashes! Custom Campaign Initiative: Lots of great Custom Campaigns!! Check out and Support!!
@JayborinoPlays: Go
Totaly true... these "basic" task I do automaticly are actually stuff to learn before searching for doodads... I overseen that for sure.
I'll give you a couple shortcuts usefull for terraining. It might be confusing at first, but as you try them and use the most simple ones very often, it will get more natural.
Simple shortcuts:
Doodad movement once selected:
Advanced movement:
Camera:
Working on projects: