WIP Beta released Saba Island, except the island is a fictional map in BeamNG

Cool... Now i can change the status from "on hold" to "WIP beta relased"! You'll go tell me tomorrow when the map is ready for releasing, maybe remove unused assets, and so forth.
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I might not be around till afternoon tomorrow because i think i will be going on a trip to a resort town for a day. But if not, i'll be here

 

thx
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i cant remember now
:/

 

Please backup your map (you've done this merely by uploading it but do make a separate backup incase something goes wrong!)
Now I've listed instructions to do here, you should be using notepad++ (notepad-plus-plus.org)
You'll want to do this with beamng.drive closed and not running your map.

---

File: backup.level.json.level_0.terrain.json (I've listed just the part that needs changing, and how to change it below this)

Code:

"datafile" : "Levels/backup.level.json.level_0.ter",
  "heightMapItemSize" : 2,
  "heightMapSize" : 4194304,
  "heightmapImage" : "Levels/backup.level.json.level_0.terrainheightmap.png",

Add your map's directory name in after levels here in the excerpt above, and move the terrain into the map directory (it should end up right next to this file, actually).

Now we'll need to make another change below!
File: levels/mountainembracer/main/missiongroup/items.levels.json
The following line 3 here

Code:

{"name":"theTerrain","class":"TerrainBlock","__parent":"MissionGroup","position":[-1061.763916015625,-2005.725952148438,41.77123641967773],"maxHeight":860,"squareSize":4,"terrainFile":"Levels/backup.level.json.level_0.ter"}

Change (scroll right here, you'll need to, it's a good page+ over or so!) the directory path near the end of this line, to add in your map folder in the PATH to show where the terrain you moved, is actually at now.

You should be able to load your map after saving BOTH files and it should be fine.
This will make sure your map is in spec so the moderators won't grumble about it.
Upload it here for testing and add a note this is with the paths changed so we can test it out for you before you submit it for the mod repo. This way if there's something amiss, it can be fixed.
There is also notextures on SOME of the rocks. Here is why!
File levels\mountainembracer\art\shapes\rocks\materials.cs

Code:

singleton Material(rock_01_a)
{
    mapTo = "rocks_01_a";
    normalMap[0] = "game:levels/mountainembracer/art/shapes/rocks/rocks_01_a_n";
    specularMap[0] = "game:levels/mountainembracer/art/shapes/rocks/rocks_01_a_s.dds";
    doubleSided = "1";
    translucentBlendOp = "None";
    materialTag0 = "beamng";
    materialTag1 = "Natural";
   annotation = "ROCK";
   colorMap[0] = "game:levels/mountainembracer/art/shapes/rocks/rocks_01_a_d";
};

Take the "GAME:" part out so it STARTS with levels/mountainembracer and the rest of the path and such.
That should fix your issues. I don't remember any other notexture issues.

It's a good map - if this is your first - it's good. I wouldn't say it's pro-grade but it's actually quite a bit of fun. As you learn more about mapping, I hope one day you have the opportunity to go back and enhance and further add to it because you have a good idea/thing going here with this.
FPS was good and there were no issues running it on max for such a big place with many trees.
I was able to sense what you were trying to create, which is important.
Most important, it was quite fun trying to get my Pessima up the steep hills in the middle of the map, even if I had to use reverse. took a few minutes, but I was chuckling all the way. Games are supposed to be fun, and this map doesn't forget that. The piano truck stayed parked on this one though, I think it'll have to sit that hill-climb out.

 

I have BeamNG running but working on another map. Also, I've cloned the Saba Island zip file and going to make the "backup" version on the desktop. Is this OK?

 

Yeah if you're not working on Saba Island you can edit those things and move stuff around as needed. It doesn't matter where you store the zip (desktop is great for temporarily cluttering while working, for temporary backups).
About backups: Do back up! When you import a bunch of models from a new source map, or do a bunch of editing, or are working with your terrain in a modeling program for instance, good to backup 1st.
I tend to keep backups every few days to a week on mega (mega.nz - or you can use this site if you have a working map) and keep backups on local drives - both the drive I am working on and my spare drives that run 24/7 inside the computer. I also back up on drives I disconnect unless I am using them (hard drives are good drives for backups, if nothing else). USB enclosed hard drives work good, if you don't have a tendency to DROP them, and also, flash drives are good too and can be bought cheaply even at SPRAWL-MART or other stores. I use hotplug here and have a bunch of spare bays, so when I do my weekly backups, I just slide a few drives in on trays pre-mounted, and hook them up while the machine is running (you need to have Sata HOTPLUG support in your mainboard's BIOS or hard-drive controller's BIOS, most mid-level and better motherboards of the likes of Asus and Gigabyte, also MSI and others, have this feature but it's not always enabled by default). this allows me to plug in and unplug drives as I need them, so they don't stick around longer, and in the event I get a cryto virus that locks my files, I can just pop in the reload disk for my OS and forget about that - because I'm backed up.
So yes, always back up, especially after either doing a lot of work, lots of tedious little work you don't want to have to do again (for ex: perfecting roads), or before making big changes that could potentially barf up all over your pretty map. It's saved me multiple times, especially considering one character missing from a main items JSON file (used to be the main mission file it was called), could prevent your map from loading and the console might provide NO clue why.

If your map does not load after making changes, upload the beamng.log file found in documents\beamng.drive folder (where levels, mods, and other things like settings folders are found) and I will see what the error is. Maybe you should get good at reading these (it can help you fix your boo-boos faster).

 

OK, fixed the two files, but which file exactly is the one with the missing rocks? You said /levels/mountainembracer, but i seem to forgot the file where the offending rocks are under

 

My bad! OOPS! Fixed that - edited the post. Should say the correct path there now (the 'code' portions were fine though, it's just the text), I was forgot the whole DIR pathing, and was going to type it as it's in the file I was pasting from, and forgot to enter it in from the code portion after I pasted it to see what it was. OOPS.

Thankfully I can map better than I can type.

 

Alrighty, uploaded a slightly edited version with the edits you've suggested to me. it's under saba2.zip. Also, I'm thinking about putting sketchup models that i've made into my map. Do i need to contact sketchup or credit them for the textures when doing so?

 

I believe sketchup textures are free to use. Still should credit, though.
You can always get textures from textures.com or search the internet for 'seamless textures' for better ones.
Items made in sketchup might not work very well in Beamng unless they're pretty simple, and any object you add will have to have set the 'visible collision final' on the item properties.
If your items have built-in collision meshes (it's called a COLMESH, but i think you need blender for doing those, which is much more complicated), you can script them into the forest brush, but if they do not have built in collision meshes, they won't collide when hit with a vehicle, causing the car to pass through.
Remember there's a 4096 item limit in the map for stuff NOT used in the forest brush.

--Good luck.

 

OK then, I didn't know there was a hard limit on items that are not in the forest brush! Is there anyway to make the forest use the visible mesh for the sketchup objects rather than the collision mesh, of which it does not have? Anyway, did the second map "fix" that I've uploaded work?

 

I will try the fix for the map this evening and let you know.
There is no way that I know of to make forest-brush items use visible collisions.
Try to limit items with visible collision mode set due to it's high cpu use, though occasional use doesn't really hurt especially with simple objects.

 

They are going to be simple things like a Soviet-style apartment that I've built, and planning on building road signs

 

A few of them at select spots in the map won't hurt things. Just use visible collision as you would any other object you add, inside f1 object editor. It's 'visible collision Final' setting.

 

OK, thanks, I forgot to mention that they will be added on my second map I'm working on, and did you test the fix that i've posted? Will is pass the moderator screening?

I'm also going to be putting links to videos of me driving through the island, i've used mods, and used the links of where i've got the mods as credit. Is that OK as well? They are all from the official BeamNG website by the way

 

Hey Synsol, so nice to see a staff member in my map page! Do you think this would pass the moderator's screening? I am working on a much better map by the way. Hopefully i didn't plagiarize from you, because you said there was "another Saba map in progress".

 

OHHHHHHH I forgot about that
Well I guess it wasn't much trouble to send - I knew I whipped it up and sent it to someone.
Good show @synsol thanks for chiming in here and letting me know. I did have little question-marks here above my head.
I will happily whip up terrains for you all day and night Synsol, it's not an issue, even if you don't use them.

I do anything at the drop of a hat for these moderators. They're awesome. This game is awesome, so for the fun it brings me, I try to give back to the community and the team. There are some people out there who appreciate what others do!

 

So anyway, if you're still here, would it really pass the moderators when releasing the final copy?

 

You only have to move the terrain into the map's folder itself.
I am going to upload a copy when I go to bed tonight (very soon), and I will pass you the link to my cloud storage tomorrow, that works, I fixed the rock texture too that was missing (in the terrains folder), and giving no texture errors.


Just food for thought:
On your map's heightmap, you have about 1200 x 1000 resolution of your entire island, on a 2048 x 2048 total heightmap (in other words, just over a quarter of the terrain is utilized). The square size is 4. This leaves you, much alike to my Roane County map, longing for some more terrain detail ability (the detail is very coarse and obvious on maps over a 2 meter square size). This game can support heightmaps of up to 4096 x 4096.
What if I said you could have the same size island with a square size of 1 or 1.1, but it would be the same exact size in-game without all the jagged edges?

Well I am going to try and do that tomorrow/this week if I get busy, and see if it'll come out right or not. Regardless, before I even mess around with changing someone else's map, I am going to upload a 'fixed' version the way it was when you uploaded/made it (without messing with the terrain other than making sure it appears).

I would be lying if I said 'this is the best map ever' - @DoullPepper , @Ouerbacker , @Occam's Razer and @Ghost187 are always trying for that credit - with even mapping skills besting mine (yes!). HOWEVER HOWEVER HOWEVER, I can see that you put a heck of a lot of effort into this map AND IT SHOWS. So maybe, just maybe I can fix this terrain up a bit and let you be able to work with some nice friendly terrain that doesn't look so low resolution when it DOESN'T have to.

To exaggerate here a bit. Take a mouse pad and mouse for example - the mouse is your island, the pad is your terrain. The island is the teeeeeeny thing in the center of it all - with much unused terrain under the ocean floor where we can't drive on it.

So surely, as it sits on my drive, 100% working, it would be accepted into the repository, unless the moderators find something really bad I missed (they could, but I looked around a bit to be more sure).

It's a good map, I will message you privately tomorrow with the file link which you can download, preview that you're happy with it, and upload it via your user name here and submit to the mod repository.

This will take several hours for me to upload, my internet connection = poo.

--Cheers!