*INCOMPLETE WORK IN PROGRESS*
I would be very appreciative of any contributions in scene making and items, particularly. That being said, the game scripts demand certain parameters and restrictions, and I also have a certain vision in terms of historical and geographic accuracy (which I don't always live up to, I'll be the first to admit).
Things needed:
1) Banners that can be used in-game based on those visible on the website.
2) A large Hindu temple
3) Chinese architecture
Thanks again to all the contributors who have made this possible!
1. Scene maker's guide
Update: April 5 -- I have a somewhat new idea of how I will do scenes, so for now it's probably best that I do them myself.
2. Item guide
I would be very appreciative of any contributions in scene making and items, particularly. That being said, the game scripts demand certain parameters and restrictions, and I also have a certain vision in terms of historical and geographic accuracy (which I don't always live up to, I'll be the first to admit).
Things needed:
1) Banners that can be used in-game based on those visible on the website.
2) A large Hindu temple
3) Chinese architecture
Thanks again to all the contributors who have made this possible!
1. Scene maker's guide
Update: April 5 -- I have a somewhat new idea of how I will do scenes, so for now it's probably best that I do them myself.
General guidelines:
1) The game is made to work on fairly old computers, and there are a lot of bots running around. I try to use low-res models for vegetation, and try not to add too many scene props.
2) AI meshes don't work on the biggest maps (the raid ones). That means that there can't be any scene props that trap bots in the middle.
3) In the siege maps, the fortifications can't be moved. You can do as much as you want inside the walls, though.
4) I'm interested in maps that look, as much as possible, like real geography -- and not Bryce Canyon or the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pont_d%27Arc, as beautiful as these places may be. Instead, I'm looking for maps that resemble the routes of communication -- mountain passes, river valleys -- or border wasteland where armies and raiders met.
Try and pick an actual area where a battle or skirmish may have happened. It doesn't necessarily need to be a medieval battle -- the same invasion routes tended to be used for centuries.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgian_Military_Road
Get to know the place a bit via Wikipedia and Google Earth.
Now -- you don't have to make a scale map. Feel free to compress distance -- distances look and feel larger on a computer anyway. But if you can, try to make it so that the vista you see in-game resembles a vista in real life. (You don't need to do this right near the edges of the map, and it's impossible anyway).
Slopes should not be too steep, or hills too lumpy. Try to think how drainage would work -- most land parts of the planet, even deserts, are heavily shaped by water. Valleys are cut by water, and if they're blocked, the water will usually find a way out.
Vegetation usually clusters together, and does not grow well on very steep slopes.
When you do add buildings, keep in mind that you won't have a huge fortress or other high-maintenance structure in the middle of nowhere. There will be crops, and usually smaller buildings, in the outlying areas.
Specific information for individual game modes:
For caravan raid and livestock raid, probably the easiest thing to do is take a map in-game and work from that. Delete props, level terrain, but keep the entry points roughly in place.
A raid map looks like this (warning -- this is a very ugly schematic)
"D" and "A" are the settlements of the attacker and defender. They can be very small -- a roadside inn, or a hamlet, or a campsite, or whatever.
The bots will move from side to side across the map, raiding according to the arrows. They move towards the middle while halfway. "L" represents the path taken by livestock raiders, c by caravan raiders.
The area where bots operate represents an inflated hourglass, basically. So, scenery that has a collision mesh, as well as slopes that a horse cannot climb, should be if possible towards the edge of the map.
*Important -- you might not need to generate too much vegetation. There's a scene prop -- forest marker -- that looks like a big concrete slab in edit mode, but in the game is invisible and randomly generates vegetation beneath it in a fairly realistic-looking pattern. Try not to use more than 60-80 of these, or it will slow down FPS.
1) The game is made to work on fairly old computers, and there are a lot of bots running around. I try to use low-res models for vegetation, and try not to add too many scene props.
2) AI meshes don't work on the biggest maps (the raid ones). That means that there can't be any scene props that trap bots in the middle.
3) In the siege maps, the fortifications can't be moved. You can do as much as you want inside the walls, though.
4) I'm interested in maps that look, as much as possible, like real geography -- and not Bryce Canyon or the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pont_d%27Arc, as beautiful as these places may be. Instead, I'm looking for maps that resemble the routes of communication -- mountain passes, river valleys -- or border wasteland where armies and raiders met.
Try and pick an actual area where a battle or skirmish may have happened. It doesn't necessarily need to be a medieval battle -- the same invasion routes tended to be used for centuries.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgian_Military_Road
Get to know the place a bit via Wikipedia and Google Earth.
Now -- you don't have to make a scale map. Feel free to compress distance -- distances look and feel larger on a computer anyway. But if you can, try to make it so that the vista you see in-game resembles a vista in real life. (You don't need to do this right near the edges of the map, and it's impossible anyway).
Slopes should not be too steep, or hills too lumpy. Try to think how drainage would work -- most land parts of the planet, even deserts, are heavily shaped by water. Valleys are cut by water, and if they're blocked, the water will usually find a way out.
Vegetation usually clusters together, and does not grow well on very steep slopes.
When you do add buildings, keep in mind that you won't have a huge fortress or other high-maintenance structure in the middle of nowhere. There will be crops, and usually smaller buildings, in the outlying areas.
Specific information for individual game modes:
For caravan raid and livestock raid, probably the easiest thing to do is take a map in-game and work from that. Delete props, level terrain, but keep the entry points roughly in place.
A raid map looks like this (warning -- this is a very ugly schematic)
"D" and "A" are the settlements of the attacker and defender. They can be very small -- a roadside inn, or a hamlet, or a campsite, or whatever.
The bots will move from side to side across the map, raiding according to the arrows. They move towards the middle while halfway. "L" represents the path taken by livestock raiders, c by caravan raiders.
The area where bots operate represents an inflated hourglass, basically. So, scenery that has a collision mesh, as well as slopes that a horse cannot climb, should be if possible towards the edge of the map.
*Important -- you might not need to generate too much vegetation. There's a scene prop -- forest marker -- that looks like a big concrete slab in edit mode, but in the game is invisible and randomly generates vegetation beneath it in a fairly realistic-looking pattern. Try not to use more than 60-80 of these, or it will slow down FPS.
2. Item guide
I'm quite anxious to set up the Chinese and Indian settings, but this will take a lot of work.
Architecture
* Chinese-style courtyard houses (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siheyuan)
* Chinese urban shops (as depicted here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Along_the_River_During_the_Qingming_Festival)
* Chinese gates and walls (these are a bit later than this period, but close enough -- on a smaller scale, though)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortifications_of_Xi%27an
* Chinese temples
* Hindu temples (Hoysala would be ideal, time-wise, but it would not to be so ornate)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoysala_architecture
Faces
* Asian
Armors
* Song dynasty Chinese and other Far Eastern (http://www.dbaol.com/armies/army_116_figure_1.htm,
http://www.dbaol.com/armies/army_78_figure_1.htm, http://www.dbaol.com/armies/army_71_figure_1.htm)
... and ...
* A rigged Indian elephant
* Any kind of statuary or other outdoor religious art -- Buddhas, stone calvaries, Hindu friezes, gargoyles for churches -- appropriate to the 13th century or before.
Architecture
* Chinese-style courtyard houses (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siheyuan)
* Chinese urban shops (as depicted here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Along_the_River_During_the_Qingming_Festival)
* Chinese gates and walls (these are a bit later than this period, but close enough -- on a smaller scale, though)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortifications_of_Xi%27an
* Chinese temples
* Hindu temples (Hoysala would be ideal, time-wise, but it would not to be so ornate)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoysala_architecture
Faces
* Asian
Armors
* Song dynasty Chinese and other Far Eastern (http://www.dbaol.com/armies/army_116_figure_1.htm,
http://www.dbaol.com/armies/army_78_figure_1.htm, http://www.dbaol.com/armies/army_71_figure_1.htm)
... and ...
* A rigged Indian elephant
* Any kind of statuary or other outdoor religious art -- Buddhas, stone calvaries, Hindu friezes, gargoyles for churches -- appropriate to the 13th century or before.
