DCS Terrain Tool for 3rd party developers?

[hannibal]

i am very excited about this.

 

i think it would be awesome if Eagle Dynamics will release some kind of terrain tool on or after the release of DCS Warthog.

 

i have seen that games that have some kind of modding ability will have longevity.

 

its cool that there were guys that made playable F-14D or F-18 on Lock-on.. in addition to all the great mods like Sim-mods HD A-10A, or Walmis F-15..

 

but what has been lacking has been terrain...

i recall Nellis has been in the works for sometime, and will be implemented in DCS Warthog..

 

but i will be blown away if 3rd party developers, talented sim

enthusiasts or maybe even a noob like me with some 3ds max skill (or what ever a terrain tool will allow import/export with), to build terrain content!!!!

 

for instance that ORBX FTX on microsoft flight simulator X... that addon just multiplied the immersion factor by a power of 10, with the amount of detail that that teerrain addon gave to FSX.

 

granted, im not refering to the definition of theat particular addon, but just being able to create other theatres IMO would BE AMAZINGGGG..

 

is great that DCS is having Nellis and the surrounding area, and up' the detail of crimea and expand it a little more..

 

but with the soooper dooper advanced flight model that DCS will offer on DCS Warthog, maybe i would just like to fly the 'HOG' over Hawaii, or New York City over "somebody's" created terrain...

 

so again, i have read some where about a terrain tool, this particular item will make DCS warthog even more interesting!!!!!!

[Nate--IRL--]

Ahem.......

 

http://en.wiki.eagle.ru/wiki/All_about_land

 

Nate

[slug88]

As Nate implies, this has been available for quite a long time. In fact, IIRC the Nellis terrain started out as a 3rd party mod back in the early days of BS, and it was only when WH development ramped up that it was decided to integrate it into the game. It's been a while, however, so I might be completely wrong about the Nellis thing :).

 

Edit: Also see:

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=45658&highlight=afghanistan

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=50244&highlight=manchuria

[hannibal]

i saw those.. awesome work.. i guess it just takes alot.. ALOT of effort to make a new map for DCS... lol only if there was something that could function like Global 2010 for FSX, and just export an allowable area that DCS can handle...

[Nate--IRL--]

There was a video done that showed the whole procedure for getting terrain into DCS, it was about 16 mins long, but I can't find it now sorry. It showed the import of a small island into the DCS engine, from satellite & elevation maps.

 

Nate

[hannibal]

if this was all possible... why does everyone end up playing on crimea? i guess time will tell when warthog comes out...

[Nate--IRL--]

Found the video ---> http://forums.eagle.ru/showpost.php?p=921493&postcount=287

 

The main scenery tools thread --> http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=41814&

 

Nate

[joey45]

if this was all possible... why does everyone end up playing on crimea? i guess time will tell when warthog comes out...

 

All you need is 3DS Max and your away.

[luckybob9]

As Nate implies, this has been available for quite a long time. In fact, IIRC the Nellis terrain started out as a 3rd party mod back in the early days of BS, and it was only when WH development ramped up that it was decided to integrate it into the game. It's been a while, however, so I might be completely wrong about the Nellis thing :).

 

Edit: Also see:

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=45658&highlight=afghanistan

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=50244&highlight=manchuria

 

Mostly correct I think, I joined later into the project, but have since become the point man on it.

 

There was a video done that showed the whole procedure for getting terrain into DCS, it was about 16 mins long, but I can't find it now sorry. It showed the import of a small island into the DCS engine, from satellite & elevation maps.

 

Nate

 

http://forums.eagle.ru/showpost.php?p=921493&postcount=287

go to the main thread in page 29 for more information if you cannot download it.

 

if this was all possible... why does everyone end up playing on crimea? i guess time will tell when warthog comes out...

 

It is a big process to do roads, rivers, and airfields. Plus everyone needs to have the exact same files to work properly.

[Nate--IRL--]

Re-Hosted the video here ---> http://www.mediafire.com/?4xs0dwmy1pn075v

 

Nate

[Speed]

Mostly correct I think, I joined later into the project, but have since become the point man on it.

 

 

 

http://forums.eagle.ru/showpost.php?p=921493&postcount=287

go to the main thread in page 29 for more information if you cannot download it.

 

 

 

It is a big process to do roads, rivers, and airfields. Plus everyone needs to have the exact same files to work properly.

 

I'd be interested in doing it if I could create a near full size Iraqi theater map. Are the limits to the current sizes of DCS maps size based or object based? If object based only, could one create a very large map that was simply sparsely populated?

[cctoide]

I believe it was said the limit on the map size is how much memory the sim process can access. On 64 bit systems bigger maps would be possible, but that would exclude people on 32 bit systems, plus only a 64 bit Warthog has been confirmed (if I'm not mistaken) so far, BS hasn't.

[kingneptune117]

If I remember correctly, not too long ago, there was a DCS A-10C article on simhq. It was titled something like "New information about DCS A-10C! with a surprise at the end!"

 

The surprise was a SDK kit to devlelop new land and areas and what not. Somehow it just passed over the forums with no recognition.

[hannibal]

If I remember correctly, not too long ago, there was a DCS A-10C article on simhq. It was titled something like "New information about DCS A-10C! with a surprise at the end!"

 

The surprise was a SDK kit to devlelop new land and areas and what not. Somehow it just passed over the forums with no recognition.

 

Exactly.. this is what i want to know about..

 

im not a modder or anything, i just want to know of the likely possiblility of me flying the hog over an area aside from nellis and crimea, in a populated multiplayer session...

[slug88]

If I remember correctly, not too long ago, there was a DCS A-10C article on simhq. It was titled something like "New information about DCS A-10C! with a surprise at the end!"

 

The surprise was a SDK kit to devlelop new land and areas and what not. Somehow it just passed over the forums with no recognition.

 

Are you referring to this article?

http://www.simhq.com/_air13/air_456a.html

(emphasis mine)

And here's a big surprise that came out of our conversation. DCS: A-10C Warthog will include the ability to load multiple maps, not just the Black Sea map. This in conjunction with a new terrain SDK will allow 3rd party developers to create and import all new terrains into DCS without needing to overwrite the existing one. Perhaps we'll see a 3rd party cottage industry creating and selling new terrains for DCS. That's all Matt would say for now, so look for more details on this capability to be announced later on.

 

 

If so, the surprise is that WH will be able to load multiple maps simultaneously, rather than having to switch between and overwrite them outside of the game with a mod manager. As mentioned several times in this thread, that SDK has been available for quite a long time now, and is currently being used to make at least 2 new maps for BS and FC2.

[slug88]

Exactly.. this is what i want to know about..

 

im not a modder or anything, i just want to know of the likely possiblility of me flying the hog over an area aside from nellis and crimea, in a populated multiplayer session...

 

Your question was answered on page 1. Multiple new maps are being developed as we speak.

[luckybob9]

I'd be interested in doing it if I could create a near full size Iraqi theater map. Are the limits to the current sizes of DCS maps size based or object based? If object based only, could one create a very large map that was simply sparsely populated?

 

There is no real set size, from my understanding it depends on detail that you put into it and polygon count of the ground mesh. I pretty sure an Iraq size is doable.

 

Exactly.. this is what i want to know about..

 

im not a modder or anything, i just want to know of the likely possiblility of me flying the hog over an area aside from nellis and crimea, in a populated multiplayer session...

 

It is very likely. I can make a small piece of ground that works quite quickly, but doing larger areas takes time as you have to check for errors and such. Then the real fun comes with creating airbases and populating the world with 3d models :D

[Blaze]

Imma make me a chunk of Northern California! :D

[hannibal]

Your question was answered on page 1. Multiple new maps are being developed as we speak.

 

link to page one?

where will these "new" multiple maps" be located???

like to know!

 

And please do not tell me this either

Q: What terrain is covered?

A: DCS: A-10C introduces a new map covering the area around Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, USA. The existing Caucasus map from DCS: Black Shark and Flaming Cliffs 2 have also been expanded eastward to include the entirety of Georgia as well as terrain surrounding it, introducing several new airports and air bases in both Georgia and Russia.

 

I want to get OUT of Gerorgia and Russia..

im talking about south america, asia, etc..

Edited September 23, 2010 by hannibal

[slug88]

link to page one?

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=57948

 

where will these "new" multiple maps" be located???

As per the links on page 1,

 

Afghanistan

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=45658&highlight=afghanistan

 

Manchuria

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=50244&highlight=manchuria

 

I want to get OUT of Gerorgia and Russia..

im talking about south america, asia, etc..

See above.

[diveplane]

new maps is a must and a breath of fresh air with the new sim, cant wait to see world locations built, will be amazing.

[hannibal]

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=57948

 

 

As per the links on page 1,

 

Afghanistan

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=45658&highlight=afghanistan

 

Manchuria

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=50244&highlight=manchuria

 

 

See above.

 

I was expecting an ED developed terrain/map...btw

[hannibal]

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=57948

 

 

As per the links on page 1,

 

Afghanistan

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=45658&highlight=afghanistan

 

Manchuria

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=50244&highlight=manchuria

 

 

See above.

 

I was expecting an ED developed terrain/map... new multiple maps by the developers...

[slug88]

I was expecting an ED developed terrain/map... new multiple maps by the developers...

 

Oh, my mistake. I thought you were asking about 3rd party maps, as per the title of this thread.

[luckybob9]

Creating an entire map is a HUGE amount of effort. Not only do you need to create the terrain, but you need to create completely new airfields, 3d objects, bug testing....lots of time :)