WIP Beta released The Tennessee USA Roane County 0.71 Beta Discussion/Suggestion/feedback Thread 19.3.1

If I get them

 

Thank you. I wonder if they will have switches and diamonds.

 

They're Chris_Lucas's tracks (he also did the *train!), they're not my creation. However, in all retrospect, I should have asked him about this when I received them. I will shoot him a message - if he says it's good with him, I will post them up in the map creation forum. I have already done the scripting for them and whatnot, i'll put that up too. The scripting was the tough part. 99% sure he won't have an issue with it.
*The train is a beta, it's not quite ready for release yet. I am sure if you dig around and find the thread, and the beta group, you can get it too. When the author is ready, he will release it but it doesn't hurt to look around a bit. I will speak to him about getting this timed with the map release IF he has time.

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On other notes, I've been slowly progressing here, getting most of the 'dirty work' out of the way to make a proper way, like scripting and textures. This requires a lot more effort than So-Cal did, that's for sure, and I haven't even 'fixed' the forest up beyond a tester-quality job yet
On the flip side, once the forest is fixed up (a few more hours of work - but not tonight), it should be full speed ahead. I think it's safe to say there's currently 55 or so miles of roadway (not counting both side of the highway seperately at any point) in the map currently, that's around half that should be there. This is considerably bigger than So-Cal is and also a LOT more work. With So-Cal I pretty much had 80~90% of the textures done already. But with this huge map, I can smoke a whole cig in the time it takes to drive across the map & I am still not there yet - sheesh. I can not stress it enough, this map is monstrous. Still on track for a private alpha test of the map on the 1st week of July, with a semi-public alpha getting put up shortly after the testers say it works. I should atleast have the forest and a decent amount of track down by that time, hopefully.
A preview below on some of the new textures (they have decent specular and normal textures too), last 3 pics of the train was just showing the test-run last night, on some track I placed, before added over a dozen new road-textures. The train *DOES* do reasonably train-friendly slopes.
Again, to reiterate, I will post the track sections online here as soon as I hear back from the creator of them. I think they're from RigofRods honestly if I remember correctly. Anyways here's the pics:
--- Post updated ---
I was doing some mileage checking, I've got the scale at about 90% the size of the real thing. So 5 miles in real-life translates to 4.5 miles in game driving. That's pretty good, I doubt anyone will miss that extra 10%.
Just two shots so ya'all can get perspective of what this is like driving through the highway, where there actually ARE trees (errmm next to the highway, the trees aren't ON the highway!). I know I posted pics earlier (and updated the 1st post btw), but here's two more.
Driving WEST on route 40 (both pics) in a Pessima beater (my official test car).

 

ok thanks, I wanna get tracks so I don't make a massive chunk of progress on map and then realize oh theres no room for tracks.

 

I uploaded the track pieces, plus my example scripting (you'll have to edit materials.cs) to a separete forum page. http://www.beamng.com/posts/388664/

 

Ok I

have a question, in you text doc you said "DO NOT re-center the origins of the pieces when you spawn them (clear USE_FLOOR or RE_CENTER or whatever those two checkboxes are) or the collision WONT WORK." What do you mean, I can't get collision mesh to work but I can't understand what this ^ means.

 

This question is to be posted in the forum for the Train Tracks, that's why I made a separate thread for it. It helps keep this forum on-topic.

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On other notes, I got the Airport Road bridge near Rockwood Airfield/Airport done. Re-did the highway to accurate grade also, so chalk off another few miles of highway 'upgraded' with the new textures and grade.
The only thing that's missing is the trees/rocks and other misc things like long grass, signs, possibly utility poles. "Mr. Commercialus Maximus" a.k.a. TRUCK is here to show scale...

 

Cannot wait.

 

Did the last west end of the highway overpass, that's done too (looks like the one in the pics above).
Still have one more bridge to do that goes over Kentucky St. on the east edge of the map.
Worked on the Route 40 overpass over route 61/s. Roane St. Really hope I don't have to move Roane St around for the 4th time... Only one rail line is in place currently, it needs 3~4.
Pillars and all that are all custom, to do a mimicking of the real bridge. A little more work has to be done on the abutments at each end. I posted a google maps street-view shot for comparison. It's the pic that actually has trees Remember, only enough work has been done on the terrain, that I can make a road network on it. It will be prettied-up later on, once the road network is done.
This way people with Potato PC's can still run the lo-fi version of the map, before the non-essential details are put in. I get enough complaints about fps. This map is HUGE, so it's important those details come LAST. Why? Because if I change things (like I did to Roane St. 3 times and countless other roads) I have to undo everything. This is map development - When the roads/rail are done, more goodies can go in!

 

Your highway making skills are amazing! I most definitely envy you! Good job!!

 

Thanks a bunch, even with the map this spartan and early in development, it's nice to hear nice things. I always wanted a game for 22 years on my PC where I could make stuff like this. I started building city maps for Doom/Doom2 in January or February 1995. So I've got 20 years+ of ideas saved up.
This is a pretty easy editor to learn to make maps with. I think this is even easier than the Half Life/Half Life 2 editor program - Worldcraft/Hammer-editor. I don't make the most sophisticated looking maps, but they sure have their share of fun packed in, I like to think so anyways. It's function over form here, 100% of the time. I make the terrain only nice enough to pass muster, and put most my effort into creating a realistic, fun to drive road (and now rail!) network. It just needs to be fun, and not every has the graphics hardware for mega-detail. This map performs atleast as well as Nevada Interstate, currently.
Out of this map, and my other two Interstate maps I have released thus far, you'll have a lot more room for speed here. With the wide-open nicely banked corners, interspersed with lots of straight runs, should keep boredom a distant memory. Lots and lots of rural miles of road and highway here, with some windy mountain roads/switchbacks modeled in to give some variety.
As stated before, this map is based off real terrain (though an exact 1:1 duplicate would take me +1 year, so it's within reason to say it's not perfect).
When I get buildings done, or they're donated to the project, there will be a city map at some point, but don't expect it quite too soon.
In about a week or two a private alpha will be out, you can try it out then once I'm sure it's packaged correctly and functions on other computers as intended.

 

Can I have the coordinates of the Google Maps picture, please? Or the URL?

 

Sometimes things don't always go as planned.
So, I loaded the map up; and to my dismay, Beamng.drive lacks the required precision to properly save train track locations. See 2nd pic for what I mean. I have to cancel driveable train track for now on this map as a feature, until they fix this issue in Beamng.drive, as it doesn't save enough decimal places to properly put them in and then load it back up right the next time except in the smallest of maps. This is a very laaaaarge map, so that's going to be an issue. I will see if it works in So-Cal Interstate, If I can get it working there to the precision needed, maybe i'll have much better luck with that as it's no where near as large.
If it works there, I'll stick the train tracks in So-Cal and build rail there.
On other notes, I completed the jersey barrier graphics (1st pic), so those are in. It's starting to come together nicely. I hope to have this in shape for release within a week or two (closed alpha followed by a possibly open beta-test shortly after).
So I have to script my forest in tonight, that should really bring the map to life. There's just basic trees in for now, but it'll look better when the tan rock is in place.

* The 2nd pic showing the train track, this was PERFECT when I saved it, but was FAIL when I loaded it up.

 

Nice Progress! Will you add guardrails like the real life image?

 

Yes, I've got ones that work well with the map now. They aren't in until the road network gets closer to done, in-case I have to move anything again - the south side of the bridge is pretty good but not sure I got the north side 100% yet.

 

It sucks that Beamng didn't save the track properly.

 

Are you going to add real road signs and actual places to go to?

 

Yes, there will be 'places' even if it's just scenic outlooks and stuff. Going to experiment with missions soon, once I get more of the road network 'finalized'. There will be buildings! OK, don't get too excited, it's just whatever was East Coast Usa, since I am not good with 3d modeling programs that I've got.

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On other notes, the forest is installed (in part of the map) now that I've got the forest finally scripted in properly. Glad I got that fixed. Complete with proper custom rock colors, too.
This, less signs and poles and such, will be much closer to what the completed map looks like.
There were some forest items in before for the mockup, but this time it's the full thing.

 

Thanks awesome! Can't wait to use this map! Will you make more forest maps in the future??

 

Well I have to make one @ some point for the Abandoned PA turnpike. Chances are that might just be next after this map. I will be backporting a few things to my other map, So-Cal sometimes toward the end of next month. When this map is 'done' I will consider making another forest map.