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

OK, much better now. Finally got it. Only took *THE ENTIRE DAY*, of which I started at 2pm, it's now 3:30am ... GRRRRR...
EVERYTHING fought me tooth and nail. I could have made a MOVIE out of this, heck, a whole series. I should have youtubed it.
I did get a lot of wires re-routed, and I repaired my DVD-RW drive because IT BLEW UP in the middle of it all. So I stuck some lite-on 16x DVD-RW in here, because it's what I had, and repaired the ASUS 24X DVD-RW which involved taking it apart and re-seating things... Yeah. I used to rebuild boxes of these things for spares 10~15 years ago.
Clonezilla didn't work at all. RAID card/chips/arrays not supported
REDO backup didn't work at all. RAID card/chips/arrays not supported
Crucial's own software for OS migration didn't work at all. Couldn't find the drives because they're in a RAID array.
Tried to find the boot.ini (which would have fixed this along with a sys command). Found out Windows newer than 98/XP doesn't have these things anymore. Now why did they have to mess with that stuff and change it, why why why!???
I could not use the Windows 7 Home DVD to fix the boot configuration error from Macrium, says my Windows 7 Home to Pro anytime upgrade installation is a different Windows version.
BCDEDIT does not work from Windows especially when the target isn't the disk you're on. I felt like a blind man in a modern art gallery with that thing.
Microsoft wouldn't allow me to download the ISO for the Pro upgrade because upgrades are not supported.
Tried to burn a copy (since I didn't get a disc) of the full Windows 7 ISO from Microsoft (I got around the serial number thing) and only had DVD-R DL discs, and the burner refused to work with them, even though they are supported, and even though I set it to very slow speeds.
Macrium didn't work right - needed system restore on, which I've disabled, eventually it cloned, a clone that wouldn't boot even though a clone = copy, right? Eventually the rescue disc fixed that issue after much reading and one bad headache later.
But, it's working now...

When it rains it pours. I don't envy folks with a tech job. I used to clone a system in 10 minutes with Norton Ghost back in '99 AND WAS DONE WITH IT. If my OS went Poo as Windows always did, It was back up and running in like 10 minutes then. Why do they have to change things, why, it makes it easy for the normal folks who don't understand computers, but for folks like me, it makes me just want to choke someone as the computer tries to prevent me from doing what I can do and need to do at every turn.

Well needless to say, All ready for some editing again tomorrow. After I do some other things around the house I neglected to do today.

--We appreciate your patience, the next available Bob will be with you probably tomorrow, or something like that.

P.S. Hey I didn't even hit it, not even once, and it's fixed! This computer is learning!

"STUPID TECHNOLOGY!"

 

So yes, got my other things done I needed to do. Now back to what I was spending some time doing the last time I was working in the modeling program. So the highway I use the snot out of, I have been re-working the LOD's pretty well now, and I think I've got the draw calls much MUCH better off now - exponentially less!!! This should help as the highway was really cranking the draw calls (not the ground-level ones but the raised models with the railing). I will be re-doing the highways because of this. It's going to take several days but the end result should be a noticeable boost in FPS for everyone who's CPU-limited when near these highways. For those who are GPU limited, it's a bit less poly-surfaces generally, much less draw calls (will help too), so the over-all situation should be much more balanced usage. Let me just say this was FAR from the fun part of mapping - the complete opposite. But if I want to make what I want to make in BeamNG, this is what has to be done. In the future I will make longer pieces so that draw calls are reduced further. For now I just want to make drop-in replacements so that it is ready to rock when the time comes.
Again, the ground level pieces featured in the latest Beta that are 6 & 8 lanes, with no guide rail on the sides, will not need to be redone. The bridges / raised portions (all 6 and 8 lane), unfortunately, yes, those will need to be redone, but I will re-combine the pieces with the improved parts wherever possible to save LOTS of time.
Here's some examples:
1st shot, close up to the bridge railing here, this was draw call nightmare. Over a dozen for just the railing itself. Now it's 3 for the railing.
EDIT: also, the curbing on the highway pieces below the rail won't be flattening tires as easily now, I've fixed it. Still can't go landing on the top of the Jersey barrier in the center though, if I would have to fix that it would have to be unrealistically thick.

 

Will there be any destructible things in the map? Like bridges or buildings?

 

Not at this point in time. Depends on future game engine updates. I don't possess the skill to do this type of thing, involving destructible buildings.
I may be able to simulate crashable and/or moving doors though.

I would love a destructable environment in this game as much as you would, though.

 

Just a heads up, if I don't respond in a timely manner over the next few days, my internet has been wacky lately. Don't know if the ISP is upgrading things or it's dying again; but the last time it died, it was about a week or 10 days before it was fixed. Forewarned is forearmed. Just thought I'd throw that out there in the event that it died again like it did 9~10 months ago. It's been broken mostly in the evenings (USA Central time), so just thought I'd put this out there while it was functional.

 

will there by towers?

 

If you mean 'Will there be towers / large & tall buildings?'

YES
Very much so. Actually @fufsgfen sent me one so kindly, so I am going to turn that into a Wach-all-ova-ya Bank or something like that. There will be LOTS of nice tall large buildings in this city. Tons of them. There's already a small sampler section (1~2 miles) of subway for these tall buildings, to help make some sense of it all. But yes if it's huge city you want, you'll certainly get it.

More behind the scenes work and reducing draw calls, making better consistency between areas of the map, and refining the LOD's a bit (mostly just the roads, houses will be done in the not too distant future) so that the way forward is a bit smoother than it otherwise would have been. This way it's just model creation and placement.

 

you should add cars in some parking spaces but only cars from beamng default just to make it realistic

 

the only way that would work is if the vehicle meshes are added in as static objects with collision, but that it extremely unrealistic as the vehicles would be completely solid and immobile, otherwise having a bunch of actual jbeamed cars all over the place would KILL FPS so all in all, that idea wont work

 

no l mean like the ones that you can spawn and drive

 

Spawn 10 cars on any map of your choice, you will then see why it is not going to happen.

 

yeah i was just saying if you were experienced. And if you could make it where if you changed car it wouldn't change to the ones that come with the map.

 

Experience does not help really, it is equally same if you spawn 10 cars or most experienced map maker places 10 cars on map, effect will be the same, it is just how game works at the moment.

 

can you put an beta download

 

No be p a t i e n t

 

I CAN HAS AN BETA

 

Those who support him do get something that is Alpha download.

 

P A T E I N C E.

 

Pat E Ince? What about him? Did you mean patience, but had no patience to spellcheck

Hopefully Bob's internet start working soon, people clearly are in need of picture book showing progress, at least I do enjoy reading those.