WIP Beta released A new *CITY* map - LOS INJURUS 2023-12-20

#Blunderton4Staff2K20

I love how involved you are with your work. I think you would be very great as a staff member.

 

#Blunderton4Staff2K20

This is the only hashtag I will likely ever be on board with. Bob's detail and love for his craft is beyond measure.
Go bob!

 

Oof, I could not live in that house. I'm actually deathly afraid of lightning to the point where even though I live in a house with a wooden roof which is also surrounded at close range by trees much taller than itself, I still go running for the bathroom (only windowless room in the house) the instant I hear thunder in the distance.

Also, are those turn-lane arrows supposed to have straight edges like that?

 

@disloyalpick @Glorious_duck Thanks guys, appreciate that. I do my best to pack the detail into the roads as best I can realistically without murdering the FPS too much.

About 60 years ago when my mother was being raised, 'ball' lightning went in one front common-room window of her house, rounded the corner and went down the hall and out the back bedroom window by where her (not-so-english speaking) grandmother was sitting. The grandmother rightfully so yells 'did you see the fire, it came through and went out the window'. I've seen lightning as close as 20~25 feet or less, when at a water park/amusement park as a kid around 1990 or so, I was almost 10. Just last week it felt like someone brushed my head with their hand and I saw my niece's hair start to stand - but just a few strands on top, amidst a small crackle sound, right when the lightning flashed nearby. BOOM! I said *OK* *NOW* It's time to go in the house. They aren't kidding about the storms being dangerous as they roll in, but luckily we were right against the house, amidst grounded objects all around so it's unlikely we'd be the path of least resistance - not impossible - but rather unlikely. There are days where it sounds more like a war-zone sometimes with the crashing and booming all the time. Cloud to ground lightning is a regular site here - luckily a lot of storms peter out by the time they get up on the Cumberland Plateau here. Conversely, they also can form right over-head, I just watched one do that about 10 days ago. Went from no rain or anything, the cloud got bigger, and bigger, and bigger, until finally... rumble rumble... 10 minutes later *BOOOOM* and about TWO HOURS after it just sat there and rained the heck out of the farm behind, and the house next to me, it finally started moving over us. It then rained for an hour. The weather is very spontaneous here, very much different than I was used to in the north-east. You hear thunder it shows up you get two drips and nothing it just dies. Other times as I said it forms right over head and gives us a good 20 minute rain shower, or an extreme scare - especially if it's sunny and suddenly *BOOOM*. Those who live in Florida, Louisiana, New Orleans, Eastern Texas, South Carolina, Alabama, and Georgia *ALL* get to join in the fun, and know what I'm speaking of.

And yes, those are EMULSION arrows, not painted, though the edges do contrast a bit to the quality of the road striping everywhere else. Good call, will see what I can do to improve that / match it better.

---

In other news, got a new connecting road in, mostly because I was sick of the long drive to where I was working all the time (Especially before I fixed the CRASH issue).

Most of the road isn't striped yet (doesn't have lanes), but this allows of much more speedy drive from the spawn point (which is on the wide route in the last shot with the palm trees on it). Just head up the hill past the Burger World, construction site, and the Blood-bath and Beyond store, and keep going to get to the tunnel. The tunnel then takes you out to the winding wide roadway in the second shot, and down over the bridge (in the first shot) dumping you out where yesterday's pictures were. Commercial truck traffic 'trucks over 30 feet long' won't be allowed in the tunnel (they get to try and get over the mountain some other way), but local traffic will. This allows much more direct access to get from the main residential and commercial districts, down to the industrial district with the airport in it. This is why it's such a wide road , as there would be a lot of traffic to handle. The tunnel and the bridge are both two lanes per side with a concrete median, as will be the road in-between (sans median). It's three lanes on the far side of either, though, just not in the middle from the bridge to the tunnel. Promise to make it nice when it's all done up.
*The third shot shows an arched bridge, and a smaller road, that doesn't quite go anywhere yet, but it will eventually.
--That is all for tonight. Hope to bring more good stuffs tomorrow.

 

Did some detailed and added a new shopping center, mostly finishing up the road I made last night. The edging doesn't quite match, but I'll match that better later (have to re-color terrain a bit 1st).

I also re-fit the terrain a bit on the residential (spawn area) side of the tunnel. I have much, much more work to do in this area though. The part with the dark pavement will have some construction barrels (the orange / white kind) on the sides of it and center. If they have collision it will only be a basic bit of collision to knock the car upwards a bit, as if the bottom was filled with sand, as they rarely fill them the whole way unless it's one of the 1st few of them in a line. In the second shot below, the spawn point is in the distance just before the very tall sky-scraper.

Below, I've added a strip mall with somewhere around 18 or 19 store fronts, and a small area out back with some pallets and rubbish bins.

So maybe I'll get some more done later tonight, not sure - hurting pretty bad (maybe because the Hurricane is coming - I'm in-land but it STILL makes me HURT bad). My knees are killing me something severe right now... good thing I don't have to stand to map
Got an industrial building you think belongs down here in the 'industrial zone' area? Feel free to submit pictures, or google maps links! (if you do, please specify the direction of the building via the link, or take a screen shot by hitting PRINT SCREEN and pasting it (CTRL+V) into the browser, or on non-Windows 10, just upload a JPG by pasting the screen shot into Paint or Paint dot net software).
Depending on the FPS hit they cause, I might snag some buildings from the in-game maps like Utah or WCA. Those are pretty draw-call intensive, however, so I usually try to make my own as I make them very 'cheaply' in terms of draw-calls - though maybe I could simplify some of the in-game buildings a bit for this. The developers make nice buildings, they're beautiful, but they're definitely a lot of draw calls.
"What you mean if you take off all the gutters and down-spouts and electrical panels off buildings it will save me 3~4fps?" .... yes that.
--Cheers!

 

Even though this isn't American themed, a giant Bunnings or a building like Home Depot. Bunnings is our Home Depot here in Australia, and i would love to see a sausage sizzle out the front, just like a normal Bunnings

https://bit.ly/2PvNnzS



It also has an area you drive up the second level for larger objects (wood, appliances), it would be cool to access that as well.

 

We're getting some big-box stores into the map soon. As soon as I can get some of this industrial area done, the commercial strip will start going in (not where the strip mall is, that's just opportunistic commerce right now). The big commercial strip will go into the area "one exit past the police department, when coming from the spawn point".
Will see what I can do. I've never heard of Bunnings, sounds more like a bread company. I am sure we can get 'Home Cheapo' or 'Blows' here sometime soon.

 

Lazy question here: remind me again when the public beta is going live? If the AI works as intended this map may be able to fill a vehicle-testing niche no other can.

 

This map is going live in the 2nd half of September. I do not know where I'll be hosting it, it might be here. It might not be on here, and might be on a separate server, due to asset rights that I'm not 100% sure I want to give up as-per BeamNG EULA. That release date is tentative, and subject to me having enough time without too many interruptions while working on it, and no major 'other issues'.

There will eventually be a specific test-track for vehicles, a 'proving grounds' of sorts, just outside city limits.

---

Did a little quality-of-work improvement on the area and matched the edge-textures for the roadway a bit better.

AI is already installed here, so this should be fully-functional with two lanes each way when it is released. In the 3-lane per-side areas, AI will use 2 of the 3 lanes (this is the case for the majority of the 3-lane per-side roadways, such as avenues with raised stone or concrete flat medians, or 3-lane highways in *most* areas).
*REALLY* need to get my signs in here. Also need to make some wooden barrier common to parks and public spaces, where metal or concrete DOT-approved barriers aren't warranted.
More pictures later, if I get something nice done up enough to show you folks.
EDIT...
Added sign resources into the map folder (you'll see them soon!), fixed up the old Packard plant model not showing higher detail when it should (due to it's massive size mostly), and also added in another edge texture for the darker spots. Nothing to show for those, though. Detail levels by pixel fill only work based off range and have nothing to do with the size of the model, evidently...Derp!
More tomorrey!

 

A proving ground isn't what I'm after. What I'm after is a freeway with working multi-lane AI to test how a car does at chopping through traffic Wangan Midnight style.

 

how about "Super Tools"?

 

Right I understand, but all is helpful for testing vehicles. There's plenty of spots where the traffic works enough to test currently, and it will only improve in the future. The proving ground was requested by another user. That will likely be in sometime after September. You'll find plenty of multi-lane roadways however, as it IS a city. I believe the commercial area will be four lanes each way with frequent left turn lanes taking over the center-most lanes. Seeing about using jug-handle intersections there on that main commercial area due to the hazards of left-turn traffic. Should be interesting!

 

There's a 'NO TEXTURE' bit on the roof of the station, but please ignore it (it's work-in-progress as always). I still thought this scene looked good enough to share as-is.

This took two hours to make this single lot, and add in several forest items to the map (not just forest stuff, but rocks, signs, the updated gas station model from improved ECA, which I really like).
Signs are in - FINALLY - still have a few more speed limit signs to make though and a few to grab from Roane County (interstate and business signs, as this map will share SOME business names).
The rocks currently DO NOT match the terrain 100%. This will be improved in the future with both terrain *AND* rock recoloration. They still might stand out a bit, but I'll try to lessen it, they're currently swiped from Utah as-is.
Bugs that will be fixed by next release of beta: "No-texture" issues on gas station roof and missing 'raw wood' texture for the shed against it. They're just missing entries I have to add as I didn't want to put the *entire* ECA contents in. I did however add some of the new/improved buildings to the map, to mix in with the rest of the city, for reasons which should be obvious. I promise not to get lazy and not make my own (I've added in some custom textures, I made a couple this round, you might see them on factory buildings the next beta). No worries as I love modeling buildings almost as much as mapping.

Really happy with how this turned out. I have a few more gas stations to make like this one, some will look like this one, some will be other franchises with different buildings as I have time to make them.

EDIT: Bug fix: Cars stuck in the off-ramp right by the spawn point (closest ramp to Burger World) bug is fixed.
A change in spawn-in behavior for AI traffic in 0.17 game version caused this bug, there's likely others, which I will be on the lookout for.
Another EDIT... but not another 'book' beyond what's already here.

Traffic working as intended, wow! Yay for a 'feature' that does not = bug.

 

Tonight I've made a total of 33 new pieces to go with the existing sidewalk-only road-kit. This brings the MRK up to 891 (!!!) individual pieces, weighing in at a floppy-disk-stomping 435MB... ouch. However, you can make pretty much anything with this kit. Even make your own roads of any width/size just as good as the developers, then blending them almost perfectly with the existing roadways - as seamless or as noticeable as you want to.
See the pic below for all the curves (and I-curves which are inside curves for the opposite side of the road), all the slopes (up and down) etc. Even a filler and end-piece for the concrete median like found in avenues.
Not shown are intersection pieces, driveways/lot aprons (where you are supposed to drive over the curb, includes the 'ramp'), straight half and full pieces with curbing on both sides.

I will be able to add a little more detail at the spawn point (while still lowering draw calls - all new pieces are optimized!), and customize it a little more.
I will be making narrow median pieces, though these might not get made right away, as I can use Jersey-barriers for most of that need (for one foot wide or less barriers). Sections of wide median where a left-turn is introduced will eventually be needed, and hence be made.
These new pieces also will allow me to use bridges that differ from the roads they connect to, as you can pretty much 'put curbing any way you want it' provided you have the room, now.
The next beta will be on/around/just after the 10th. I need some time to tear apart the map a little more, adding little bits of detail & working with new pieces.
I can only hope that, other folks will enjoy working with the MRK kit as much as I do.
If anyone that's made half-decent or better maps wants to test out the MRK kit, give me a shout any time after the 11th of this month!

In due time (this month, if everything goes as planned) I will be releasing (to all) the MRK kit as a stand-alone map with nothing in it but the MRK kit (and a blank terrain to get you started, with a sign that at the spawn that tells you "This is a mapper's resource kit, not a map for you to play, DERP."). That (public) release for the MRK only, mind you, will be separate from the entire city map itself (just to be clear). It will only be a basic map with a spawn point, so that it can go with the maps in the map folder. I will speak to the staff on this, so this may change, if there's a better way to release this.
The Los Injurus City map WILL see a public release this month. The first public release will not be updated (beyond any teething issues) until Chris's Mess (mid-December), however the Patreon supporters still get a new beta every 2~3 weeks until the city map is done. So if you're awesome and want to contribute to 'MAKE BEAM GREAT AGAIN' or just plain impatient *innocent grin*, do stay on the Patreon if possible. Remember, folks who support this aren't solely supporting me (a disabled person on a fixed income using commercial software to model things / work on this project), you're supporting the BeamNG community here, with the contents of the Modular Road Kit (MRK) with which they can build their own cities.
Release schedule for the "TL DR" folks
Supporter updates - every 2 to 3 weeks as possible
Public updates - every 3 to 4 months
*Patreon monies do NOT go to wanton spending on needless computer upgrades (I bought new parts to build the Ryzen PC with money from putting my nephew's crashed car back on the road), it goes towards commercial software fees, assets / textures, and doctor bills/medications. This notice is posted periodically in an effort to be as transparent as possible.
What's next?
So look forward in the coming days to new roads created, and some existing ones possibly fixed up a bit more. I am going to do my best to make some realistic jug-handle* intersections for the commercial corridor route. The buildings won't be in this beta though for some of it (big box stores aren't ready yet), those will make the later beta this month, and not the early month beta.
*jug-handle intersections are ones where you have to merge right (before the intersection) off the feeder road before you can turn left onto the destination road, where-in you can then turn left again at the intersection to U-turn or proceed straight through the intersection. This is common on multi-lane roads with A LOT of traffic, especially those with a tall median barrier, where left-turns would be dangerous.
--- Post updated ---
Tonight's progress after adding in a bunch of pieces includes:
Improving the spawn point, adding bushes, parking stalls (the lines!), and curb-cuts. Also hid some rough terrain with foliage by the drainage ditch end. That's much better now.

So now the above looks like an interchange and parking lot a whole lot more, improving reception of the player in the map, for the default (and current only) spawn.

Below in the picture(s) I've added yet another (hidden!) jump! Why not, right? This dead-end alley looks like it has seen better days, and not just because of it being mostly bull-dozed for an exit ramp to be installed. The jump, if taken correctly, will allow you to land right on the exit-ramp at the intersection where the above-shot was taken next to Burger World (the spawn). You can still sneak through in the opposite direction from the back entrance of Burger World, for map-flow reasons. In the first shot below I will add a few more plants on the left along the embankment tomorrow.

Dead ends are no fun for exploration and immersion in any driving game - no good reason for the fun to end. This being a crash-simulator and all, jumps are the best bet. You can get quite a bit of speed here, as you have almost a full city block of straight-away before the jump. The stuck-car-bug with traffic in 0.17 on this very ramp (last shot) has already been fixed, so thanks for sending in that bug guys/gals.

In other news, I found out what's eating tires in some intersections out by the school a few blocks from the spawn point (by Chicken Munch). There's an error in the collision mesh where the manhole cover is and where the road tapering joins up. This will be fixed before the next beta. Thanks also for sending that one in, too. This affects a few of the intersections with the 4 and 5 lane roads (and any that size), but only happens very rarely and at certain odd angles - but there's a lot of them in the developed part of the map - so good someone sent that bug in!
--- Post updated ---
This intersection is now signalized and has all it's cross walks / stop bars that it needs to have. I also added barrier walls along both sides of the ramp up to the bridge, as it was missing before.

The two empty lots are now also mostly done (one is the grey colored parking lot on the bottom left, another is further to the left, mostly out of the shot). They need a few wear textures, that's about it.
I have a good dozen or more traffic lights to install (that's a dozen or more whole intersections), I'm rather behind on that currently. Considering making one-piece lights, since a lot of intersections are only one of a few different dimensions.
This was just one more of those dumb little things that needed doing here for a while. Turns out those median pieces I just whipped up come in super-duper handy for parking-lots, too.

 

Have you been thinking about a change to the surface texture? Because the ground texture is alot lower quality than all those buildings and roads that have alot higher quality.

 

IIRC, Bob said that the current ground texture is a direct rip from Utah and it's going to be replaced.

Don't quote me on that though.

 

It's actually a lot like Utah, but it existed in this state before Utah was a game map (yes, that's going back). It actually came from Black Hills by Ouerbacker (which became Nevada Interstate, made with permission). Those textures (at-least the cliff-side texture) were originally from Open Game Art (dot org) site, free use / commons licensing.
They aren't great, but they're mostly a place holder for right now. I might be able to improve them in the future - but to be honest it's on the back burner until I have more city built. If anything I will cut the saturation down just a hair, as it's more a faded brown earth-tone in Cali VS the current warm sandstone hue of Utah that it currently depicts. Again, the original 'So-Cal' map this came from released prior to Utah, it originally looked the same color as 'Black Hills / Nevada Interstate' before getting it's current coloring.
The terrain can surely use some more detail textures, that's for sure. That'll help it look a lot better when it's a half-block or so from you, or less.

More improvements coming tonight. I am working on the commercial 'main drag' of the town, again there won't be many/any buildings there until some time later after the next beta release.

 

Not forgetting logistics of it all (Truckers!) ...
So I've managed to finish a building I was working on earlier this week. It's equipped with a 3 vehicle wide loading bay for tractor-trailers (I did verify the height), plenty of parking, and it's 'light industrial' as far as business class or zoning goes. Offices on the upper floors and various machines and such would be on the lower floor. I am sure I will be back to furnish the lot a little more later. That being said I am pretty happy with the building as far as looks go. The door is a re-color from an existing texture I had, and the windows are new graphics, which may later come in a variety of colors.

In the last shot, there's a flat barren lot on the corner, almost center. That'll be a gas station with multiple gas pumps. I have to make another gas-station model and re-work the pump/canopy model for the existing one sourced from ECA (since that's pretty good, and consistency is good too). Also, the large hills in the background are C&D debris, mountains of it, and also some sand. This is what cities all around the world dump into the bay when they need more land-fill to make more land - or just bury it in random spots where it's needed. Some cities even make asphalt and concrete type materials out of it for road paving or other similar infrastructure projects. Regardless, it's awfully fun to go speeding down the road that crosses at Burger World and nail the pile of debris (which is dead-center at the end of it), which if you hit it fast enough, will send you into the water past it after a good 5~8 seconds of air time. It's a car crash simulator, what better than yet-another-jump, right?

In the future, there will be large RDC warehouses in the map, mostly within a recent industrial park - Nevada Interstate will get some of those too, eventually. This could be a month or two away, though.
That's all for tonight. More stuff later or tomorrow.

 

ikr I always look for a house to set as home on these maps

 

When this comes out i am definitely making it in Cities:Skylines.