Surface Editing

[jollyjack]

Hi. Has anybody some information on the surface editing tools in the ME?

 

I'd like to create a village, an airfield and some (working?) roads on the Rheinland map i want to use in a mission, albeit fake; on the map there are just bushes etc,

and right there was a harbor or two, plus houses and roads.

 

Also in other places there are real old important towns just not there ...

 

From surface edit, now what can you do with them ...:

 

Edited May 8, 2020 by jollyjack

[jollyjack]

BE WARNED: the changes you make are hard written in to the original map, and probably will be overwritten when you update the game !!!

 

So i found something: I changed an area (triangular shape gives an multi cornered area selector) from forestry to sandy.

Now I wonder if these texture changes are written in to the ORIGINAL map textures, or are a shell with an extra layer and mission related.

 

 

 

Now who knows how to add roads and railways???

 

Edited May 9, 2020 by jollyjack

[DN308]

Are these changes visible ingame ?

 I found the change on a forest still visible in game after all

[jollyjack]

Yep, they load OK; i made a backup of the original Rheinland summer map, and it seems there are extra files saved in that folder afterOK-ing and save-exporting your edited area. I found more edits in other landscape folders, probably put there from using other MODs in GB.

 

The files are called Surface.dat and SufaceText.txt.

 

On the Rise of Flight i found a start of a manual. The editing processes seem to be similar. https://riseofflight.com/forum/topic/40233-map-editor-tool/

 

Alas AnKor's tool is missing, 404 link. The GB ME Surface Edits load in the game OK, and i think you can edit them out again in the mission editor via using Edit Surface again.

Maybe SYN_vander has more information?

 

Now i really want to learn about adding towns, expanding roads and especially railways. Far too many important ones are missing in the Rheinland maps, in areas i know well.

 

Jason stated that the important thing is the flight sim, but how can you create historical mission events with crucial battles area airfields, towns and railways/roads are not there ...

I understand that finances don't allow more dev worktime, so it would be a good thing to get more 3rd party involvement.

 

For me the ME is just as important as the game itself, and i wish the railway possibilities options would be greatly improved.

 

PS i found a chunk of forest still present after editing within an area, but moving the edited area got rid of them. Must be a little buggy LoL.

 

Edited May 10, 2020 by jollyjack

[DN308]

So you mean that to remove trees, we must start to edit the surface with grass or any kind of soil. And then we can add buildings or so on?

 

please show me how you do that ´cause I tried that too and trees are still there (I used industrial ground)

@SYN_Vander help needed...

??

[jollyjack]

well, you'll have to experiment yourself, you can load textures to a selected are, but i am pretty new to this, and posted my first findings ...

there are some dds texture files built in to the ME to select from, and it seems possible to put them unto the map, but there are probably experts here who know more, 

that's why i posted this 'starter' ...

 

There used to be more info on the Rise of Flight forum MOD pages, but tons of dead links as most activity was around 2012 there ..

 

Examples:

https://riseofflight.com/forum/topic/48942-editing-landtexturesquality-or-mask-files-costume-trees/

Edited May 10, 2020 by jollyjack

[SYN_Vander]

1 hour ago, DN308 said:

So you mean that to remove trees, we must start to edit the surface with grass or any kind of soil. And then we can add buildings or so on?

 

please show me how you do that ´cause I tried that too and trees are still there (I used industrial ground)

@SYN_Vander help needed...

??

 

Last time I fiddled around with surfaces was years and years ago! But I do support such a 3rd party intiative to enhance the existing map. If it is good enough you can offer it to Jason & the team to include it officially. I'm busy with some other stuff now, maybe I can help in a few weeks. I suggest ask the devs if there is some documentation?

Edited May 10, 2020 by SYN_Vander

[jollyjack]

Thnx Bob. Your input is always welcome.... (en ik kijk wel weer es wanneer er koffie in de aanbieding is bij AH. DE snelfilter?)

[jollyjack]

PS i just saw this old thread on the Rise of Flight forum: https://riseofflight.com/forum/topic/30042-making-rails-roads-and-trenches-it-works/

 

A pity AnKor85's links are almost all dead meat now

Edited May 10, 2020 by jollyjack

[LizLemon]

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ROF tools.zip