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

Cool to see the next version is up, have to download it now. Good timing too, since I just got an MSI GTX 1060 put in my rig. Now I'll have a little more VRAM to work with, while enjoying the next version.

 

Hey man, I usually use this map on my BeamMP server, but ever since the last update it's not allowing me to join my server. It might be something that needs to be worked on by the BeamMP devs rather than you, but I just wanted to let you know that the version before this one worked just fine. Great map overall! Keep it up bro!

 

easily my favorite mod map keep up the awesome work

 

This zone near airport HUGELY eats fps.

 

So I'm not too sure why this is, but this map will not load at all in any form. Whether i download it straight from this website or in the game it simply will not show up in the menu to select it.

Even loading the game with only this mod active it will not show up.

Game is stored on SSD, I run 1080ti, 3800X and 32gb ram.

 

The map works well for me. I didn't find any no texture issues.

However, here's 3 questions for you Bob.

1. The tunnels are laggy on my end. Is there a reason for that?
2. Do you own a Tennessee state flag?
3. Would you put the Tennessee state flag on your Roane County map or no?

 

I found some no texture issues

 

I'm having a lot of lag spikes too on the map, which didn't occur on previous version nor on any other map. Maybe it will improve if the map builds more cache gradually.

I've seen no 'no texture' issues so far, I DID remove cache from the previous map version though before using this one.

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I love this update ! The map is so enriched by now. It was worth the wait

 

Find this folder on your computer and delete it:
documents\beamng.drive\cache.0.20.???\levels\TSH
Also, if you've edit the map in the past (ignore if you've not done so and only played on it), please remove the following folder documents\beamng.drive\levels\TSH
Please make sure you do not have an old version of the map in the mods folder, and only a single zip file of it exists in the mods folder. Older versions are 1.0xGB to 1.8xGB in size but similarly named.
Please make sure you do not have So_Cal_Interstate.zip (or something very similarly named) as it will conflict with the terrain, textures, and road placement of the map (if it doesn't crash or get stuck trying to load it).

If all that failed, please download the zip file again.
If it still does not work, please let me know none of this worked.

@P_enta If you go through the pictures of the map starting from when the map was first being built, then you will see the history of the map. I started building this near the default spawn point. Oh my how so much has changed - just have a look - it's a million times better now, and so much more interesting (not trying to sound gloating here but it is a work of love).

@2004AudiA41.8T6Spd
There should not be any no-textures in the map, please take a picture of it if you find any. Take a second or third picture of the area when zoomed further out so I can then find it. You may be able to fix it by removing the first folder listed above in this post in regards to the CACHE directory. The CACHE is generated on first load (unique to each game update / version), and does not re-generate if you update the map except for new models. If old models are cached and the new version of the map is loaded, then you will end up with the wrong cached models and things will go wrong, or it might prevent the map from loading or collision working properly.
@Grind86 Please see below:

Please use MEDIUM texture detail. You can leave MESH detail at maximum, but turn the textures down one notch and your lag should go away. Those new tunnels near the airport are huge and really slam the FPS (they are so detailed, even the bolt-heads on the guide rail and pipes/fans are rendered in 3d - the tunnel is a derivative work that was from a purchased model and took several weeks to do).
Please keep in mind if you do not have an 8gb VRAM equipped video card, that you will likely want to use medium detail textures. Otherwise things will go very slow when you run out of VRAM and the system ram will be used in-stead. I am working on shrinking down some of the textures where I can to lessen the load on the GPU, and so that 6gb cards will work properly.
This is partly due to the game engine loading everything on map load, and not unloading things when you're far away like it does in other games. I am going to see if I can try to bribe (yes, that's part of what map support pays for IF needed and only when needed) the developers and pay for a feature to be coded in, where the game will unload what it doesn't directly need to render the current area, and load only what it needs on the spot. This should result in slightly faster map loading but could get some hitches now and then.
This game was designed with old-school style 'level based' maps in-stead of true open-world design, but I'm trying to get the developers to bridge some of that gap. It will only make the game engine more valuable to developers in the future anyways.

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I am done with my several-day hiatus from map development (though I did do a little modeling). I am trying out some of the new road textures that I was working on before I uploaded it but couldn't use yet:

Now keep in mind not all roads will look this good but this is just one of many. I will be consolidating textures, keeping only what I really need in the near future. I will also be reducing the size of some textures *BUT* there will be an HD textures pack available shortly after, for those that need that detail (I am one of those, I am so tired of MUD texture quality).
If the map size does not come down enough I will be hosting the map at MOD DB or NEXUS.
I am currently trying to add some more detail to the airport main terminal building (the one you drive up to and park near), so look for that sometime this week to be shown. No clue how long it will take.
That is all for right now.

 

Just curious, where do I go to for the texture stuff to make the tunnels stop lagging?
I tried to read what you said, btw. If you said it and I can't find it. Sorry.

 

From the menu look at options and then look under graphics options, you may have to scroll down a bit to find it. Also, you may wish to turn off reflections or shadows (though this is a bit drastic) if needed.

 

Okay, is this the graphics thing you're talking about?

 

scroll down more

 

Well, [BLEEP]. My map still lags. Is this what I'm supposed to have?

 

Just a note, while driving around the map, I noticed some buggy stuff here:

There's some scrambled textures + a missing AI route on the narrower section. I'll have this fixed sooner-or-later (likely by the next beta).
There's also a small glitch in the asphalt near the townhouse speed hump area that I just built.
When's the next beta?
It will be in roughly two weeks or slightly more than that. It will be a private supporter beta.
The next time I release a public update will likely be when there's a significant content update to the map and/or a major game version update breaking the map (or doing something almost as bad to it). It's been a while since the last game update so I'd reckon we'll likely get one before the Winter is over, though I don't have any info on when that will be, or even what it will contain. I am considering moving to a 2~2.5 month public update schedule.
Also, when I finish the civilian airport, that will likely cause a public update to happen as well (no firm plan as to when, but it's one of the things coming up and I am currently working on the model again).

 

Bob, what about the map is disappears and shows again suddenly?

 

It should not do that. That's likely a driver issue, or an issue with running out of video memory.
See if it still does it on 'medium' texture detail (you don't need to change mesh detail, leave this near max).
If it still does that, consider manually updating your video card to the newest drivers at Nvidia dot com or AMD dot com. For liability purposes I can't put the links, but I am sure you can figure this out.
If this does not work, verify game files via steam (properties on beamng drive game). Also, may wish to re-download the mod if needed but I doubt that's an issue as normally there would be corrupt textures / no-texture or bad models or a crash/fail to load if that's the case.
Let me know if there is still any issue.

Also, when you do respond, let me know your system configuration, thank-you.

 

No, I say about navigator map.

 

That's the UI not having enough time to update. It does this on large and detailed maps. So if you have a monster map (Roane County comes to mind, surely), or you have a LOT of detail (again, like Roane County in the city areas, or in this map pretty much anywhere it's built up and a bit polished off), the UI can't keep up. HOWEVER, just because the UI cannot keep up, does not mean the in-car GPS cannot keep up. Unfortunately, the GPS broke back in 0.18 on this map for reasons I do not know - I must talk with the developers about that and how to make it work, among other things which are also broken.
I'm trying to do the best I can here, but yeah, you'll notice your speedometer not working as fast when the map flickers - some areas do it, other areas do not. Part of what makes this happen is I have the surface roads, then there's stuff tunneling under the map surface like tunnels, subways, navigable culverts / flood control canals and so-forth, then the (usually raised) highway on-top of that. So there's multiple Z-levels PLUS a TON of detail (it differs as I've had time to finish some spots and not others as much).
Between being a Direct X 11 game (read: single-core sends all the draw calls to the GPU, this severely limits what I can do as far as details go), and only having a single thread for ALL the UI stuff (from as much as I can gather info-wise), it's kind of hard for the UI to render such a huge map. I have a sneaking suspicion the developers will eventually fix this, however (e.g. I will badger them politely about it at a somewhat later date, they've been busy bees lately as have I).
I'm sorry it does this, there isn't much I can do. All the detail causes this to happen, especially if you have more layers on the road surface for detail, or lots of very large roadways.

This map needs some optimization to fix some of that - though I've done much of that already, there is still some good amount to do*. Rendering large/wide roadways with terrain layers helps this A LOT (this is what beats up the mini-map on Roane County too!) VS rendering them with regular decal roads - though inherently not as flexible by nature.
*Please know that while I can optimize a little bit more, don't expect more than a 10~15% FPS jump, as detail will be added in that will often negate the FPS gain from optimization by the time most people play the map.

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MAP PROGRESS FOLLOWS:
The Bob (tm) has been busy working on the airport! This is entirely not done here but I just wanted to show that yes I am doing something over here.

What a difference new textures make! There's 3 layers of texture here and will be twice that many when I am done, including delineating parking spaces, cross walks, mandatory stops at all the pedestrian crossings (under the bridges on the lower level). The airport stucco now has a plain concrete texture in it's place. I will be adding a more fancy concrete texture to the front of the airport when I am done improving the roadway look. I wanted this more realistic and so opted for terrain-based roads in-stead of mesh-based (modeled) roads. This lets me do a lot more detail-wise.
Just for comparison, the relatively plain roads near the default spawn are all 'modeled' roads (part of the MRK kit which fits together like lego road-base pieces some of us lucky folks had as children), versus the much more detailed stuff over by the 'Worst Buy' and both 'Moist Grocery' locations - which is much more unique and different though takes much, much more time to build and perfect.
DO send in those bug reports if you have any, and please include system / hardware configuration to your best ability when reporting them (OK, if you spent a ton on PC stuff & want to brag about your computer, it's okay to do it here as that lets me know what you folks out there are running and how well this works for you).
--That is all for now. More pictures tomorrow likely.

 

A few more hours, and a little more detail follows:

So these textures (which are actually IN the beta data-folders that everyone has now, but not yet utilized except in a few spots) are part of what makes this map so much better than it used to be, and are in-fact some of the same textures that GTA V and a number of other games use (because I paid for these textures, which really kick things up a notch!). I also got a stern talking-to (but still friendly and polite and not threatening in any way) by the staff about the bandwidth this map uses because it's over 3GB compressed (and 7GB uncompressed). So future versions will be hopefully LESS in size, not more. I am looking into an automated texture-reducer, which will help cut the download size down by roughly half or close to that. A full detail texture pack will still remain available for those who support the map and wish to have it from places like MODDB, Modsfire*, my own person MEGA backup, and a few other places similar to that if need-be. The full detail texture pack will just be able to be added into the ZIP file and will require roughly 8gb of video memory, where the normal-detail pack should only require 2GB ~ 4GB.
As time goes by, more and more places in the map will start looking like the above shot does when it comes to texture details. It takes a very long time and while this spot is not yet complete, it's much better-off now as the original airport design screamed 'noob' and was entirely devoid of 'wear' as if it had not opened yet. I will add much more here (as FPS allows) in the next coming days and make sure it's up-to-scratch by the time I get the next beta out to supporters. I will also be working on adding the runways using models that fit together like the rest of the MRK. Then, if there's not enough runways for your liking in the future, you can make your own however you choose wherever you so please. After-all, this is the secret to this map, and hopefully a solution to making city maps easier to come by in the future.
Everyone is encouraged to add sections of the MRK to their own city map, which can be found in the art/shapes/MRK folder in my map data structure.
For those wondering what this map uses as a code-name for BeamNG MP (even though it's reported not to work?), it uses the /TSH/ folder (TSH = The Super Highway, which is this map's codename long before it had any other name). For those wondering, all my maps use project names for folder structure, as they don't always have a name when they start out, sometimes I don't even know what they'll be in the end even when I'm making it, and names might be changed over time. Renaming data structures is messy (though I'll do it for this one eventually), so I just use a quick abbreviation for the project folder and that way it's easy to type when scripting textures, and doesn't have to be changed when the map name is changed or created. Hopefully that clears up any confusion. Why 'the Super Highway'? Simple, some Huckleberry Hound was on and one of the episodes with 'The Highway Patrol' came on and that's the phrase it opened the cartoon with. I'm still a sucker for those old cartoons, I watch them just as well as I did 30~35 years ago when I first saw them on TV. Since modern TV really sucks, I don't care for reality shows except the original reality show 'COPS', and there's too many commercials to sit through when trying to watch anyways (my time wasted watching commercials could be spent making maps after-all, or cleaning cat pans with dynamite sticks) ... so yes, lovely stuff those old shows are.
I always wanted a game where I could make highways like race tracks and race down them, be it in mission format or an open world like this one (even better!), so I made 3 maps (Nevada Interstate, Roane County, and this one) which all have 'highway' in the name in some shape or form. Consider I'm 'okay' at designing roads and highways and other infrastructure, I suppose this is par-for-the-course. There's also Deal's Gap / Tail of the Dragon (one map but with two names), but that was a special-request deal there. Before these maps, the only real highway in this game was the Matrix Freeway map from what I gather - while good - was quickly exhausted. Nadeox's SSRB map, another member's American Road map, and a few others came out some time after Nevada launched, adding even more highway maps to the roster for us to enjoy. So if you wish to make your own highway maps, feel free to grab some stuff from the MRK folder, and some signs, and get to it - I'd absolutely love to try them out!
*If anyone has any bad reports about Modsfire, do let me know; though some of the other mod sites are using it for hosting. I haven't heard anything bad about it yet, however I am all ears. I am looking into alternative hosting options, so I don't bankrupt the staff with my stupidly huge maps.
--That is all for now.