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

I will do some performance tests to see if the distance-fog can be removed or not. It's there for performance reasons and was added a LONG time ago. If it runs alright on this Ryzen 3700x and doesn't raise draw calls to some astronomical amount, I will consider removing it. If it cannot be removed, just think of it as SMOG.

I would say around that time, either slightly before or after, is a very good bet. The staff doesn't generally work on Sunday, but it could hit that Saturday or Monday. I'm just tying up loose ends and finishing some unfinished connecting roads right now at the moment, to make the map more cohesive, even though large spots (65~75%) of the city isn't built yet. Doing the best I can do right now.

 

I am gonna be curious on how this map will run on my current computer system, that is when this gets released. I do run my graphic settings on mostly low across the board, and can only at most handle 2 cars on the playing field in realtime.
It'll definitely be a huge changeover from the older SoCal map I still drive on from time to time.

 

Yes, all the roads from So-Cal that you loved are still out there in the rural sections. Stuff that runs through the city has been torn out and completely refreshed and redone from the ground up. There's plenty of new road mileage and highway mileage here, including a partially double-decker section and a huge four-way flyover I call 'the stack'. This map was originally intended to have a city in it back in 2016; however, lacking models or the knowledge to create even a basic box in a modeling program, obviously, that never happened until now within the last 16 months.

It's now going to be a huge city, and it will run just fine on Low or on integrated graphics. If your card is low triangle fill-rate you'll be fine as I'm not high on triangle count here. I make models like the game is from 10 years ago or so. Why? Unless it's a road or a bridge, a tunnel, or something else you can drive inside or upon, it does NOT need to be fancy. Period! It only needs to look good enough that it doesn't kill the immersion if you're driving by or milling about in a lot nearby. If your park next to it and stare at it for 5 minutes and say 'hey, you saved poly's by cheaping out on the buildings', and it breaks your immersion then and there, well that's on you (or anyone else). But yes it runs fine on a 1st-gen i7 950 with a second-hand 30$ 6750 or 6570 video card with 1GB of DDR3, in an OEM HP business-class tower with 1333mhz RAM - on low or lowest mind you, but it runs fine, and is playable.
WARNING: YOU NEED A 6GB VIDEO CARD TO MAX TEXTURE DETAILS HERE, 4GB IS NOT ENOUGH! 2GB or 4GB cards use MEDIUM detail, <2gb use LOW, 1gb use lowest.
YOU DO NOT NEED FANCY VIDEO CARD if you lower settings!!! Provided you can run BeamNG on low/lowest, you'll likely be fine possibly with integrated video at 720p. A good processor like a 1st-gen i7 @ 3ghz or better, or an i3 2xxx series at 3ghz or better, and you'll be just fine in the processor department. RAM, well, I've been sitting here editing for several hours (as if we didn't guess that), and in Windows 10, BeamNG 17.0.2.8973 is using up a whopping 1.75GB of RAM. Yes - Not even 2GB, folks. Now I will tentatively say you need 6GB for best experience, but honestly, I am SURE folks with 4GB SHOULD be able to run this, if I am only using 1.7GB (of 32GB total) for one vehicle in play + the editor open for a few hours. Both my web browser and even Rim World use more RAM than that. Maya uses more RAM than that. I don't have much open, and I don't know what is used RAM-wise after BeamNG has been open all night, but you should be OK with a marginal machine. This is no-where as graphically intensive as West-Coast. There's much more batch-rendering here VS West Coast, meaning, rendering one surface nets you 10~20 surfaces for the same rate. There's a LOT of behind-the-scenes trickery going on in this map to get it rendered without murdering the frame rate. It is going to be huge, but it doesn't have to run like poo, either.
I must stress though, a desktop or recent laptop, with a (desktop) i3 2xxx or better (or laptop 4xxx or better) i3 or i5 CPU at around 3GHZ (the closer / higher, the better) is REQUIRED *IF* you want 60fps.
Anything else made after Core 2 Quad, AMD Fx included, should be able to net you 35~45FPS or such, provided the video card will do that. Anything Ryzen is plenty fine, too.

What video card do I use? An RX 480, it's almost 3 years old, has 8GB of Video Ram, and won't even run it's default core clock speed since the sub-station blew up in May / June and we had some lightning hits, too. I am trying to limp by as my car needs maintenance, my 40-year-old sister needed cash, and my house needs maintenance and it's fall, so it's all hitting at once...that and I refuse to drain the map funds for a video card. That being said, at around 1200~1250mhz (slightly less than stock), my RX 480 does just fine and will easily keep 60~80FPS on max details with modest reflections, SSAO, and 8x FSAA on, with one vehicle. More vehicles taxes both the processor and the GPU heavier, so shut reflections and/or shadows off if things get SLOW.

Book complete Back to editing...

I will attach pictures here from the lot I am working on shortly, within the next 3 hours or so - it's close to done.

 

I can definitely say most of my specs have not changed.
I still run on a hot AMD A10 6700 apu coupled to an old NVidia gtx 750 ti-sc with 8gb of ram on a single stick.
The only thing in my set up that has changed was my monitor, upgraded to a 1080p monitor.

Hopefully I'll be able to get a new gaming pc that will run this game, and newer stuff a lot better.
I remember buying a prebuild gaming pc from "Worst Buy" online earlier this year and ended up returning the thing after just using it for 2 weeks.
(that pc did not like my old 16:10 monitor I had at the time)

 

Ah, you'll be fine. Those are bulldozer/piledriver cores (FX cpu era), but they're still better than Core 2 Quad... if only by a bit. The A-series has half-decent graphics though.
Get yourself a budget Ryzen 2200G / 3200G machine and enjoy! Your existing machine might be able to manage 30fps without too much trouble, just adjust video settings until you get the desired performance. I will try and rig the traffic light textures to work at low res before the beta (well next time I close the game out any-who). Nothing wrong with being on a budget as long as you can run the base-game my brother, so don't feel like you're not good enough to be here. You are always welcome on my threads here.
For what it's worth, you might be able to snag a used machine & keep your 750Ti, just keep in mind what a pre-built 2200G or 3200G system costs though... as it might be cheaper to just get a new one and keep that for an email computer (or give it to a parent / sibling or relative as I generally do with my old parts).
Don't feel too bad though, it could be worse! My 70-year-old mother's Windows 10 email computer is an Athlon II x2 240 (?) processor (2008?) on an Asrock AM2+ board with 4gb of DDR2 800mhz memory, with integrated Geforce 8150 video... yes, about the lowest directX 10 thing money can buy ever made, heh. But it has a Kingston Hyper X SSD in it and it boots Windows 10 (laughably) in FOUR SECONDS, so we've not updated it yet. Now it doesn't have an ice cube's chance in [censored] at running BeamNG, but IT DOES WHAT IS EXPECTED OF IT. The board does support 8GB (and very possibly 16GB) of RAM, though, even though it was a budget AsRock board with non-solid-caps when it was bought 11 years ago. I might just snag a used Ryzen 1st-gen board/cpu for her for Chris's Mess this year as a present, as we run RETAIL Windows 10 here... no more 'your Windows is not activated' issues, if I can find one cheap enough anyways.

So on to map progress! I got another block of the city done, hooray...

Still have to stripe all the roads around the lot (this entire block) itself, those will be functionally completed by the beta, and I still have a few more days of work to do.
In picture number 5, there's a jump made of rocks right by the end of the bridge. Yes, it's a jump, just like the ones on the road between Harriman and Rockwood in Roane County. So if you enjoyed bouncing off of those and crashing to bits, you'll enjoy this one. Also, much of the rock cliffs are angled in a manner that you can easily drive clean off them, not that you'll land well. It's a good 25~35 foot drop (about 10 meters) in some places, depending where you fall off. So definitely not forgetting the primary mission objective here - car crashes! That's what makes it fun, guys.
--That is all for tonight. More progress tomorrow.

 

Im hoping that this map will be released by tommorow before 5:00pm because im going somewhere where their isn't any good wifi until Monday.

 

@bob.blunderton I would definitely pay the subscription for the map, however I can't pay in USD, only GBP...

Also when this map is finished, will it be put online on the repo?

 

I believe it should be able to do the conversion for you, as I have folks who are from Europe including England, Ireland, and Greece who are supporting the map so kindly.
The map will be on the repository hopefully the beginning of next week if all goes well. I've been tying up some loose ends here to make it more presentable and have less plethora of errors on the console when loaded.

 

The thing that i care about most is that you get it finished no matter how long it is taking.

 

Clearly, you can make out the stones on this 8k x 16k texture. Worn concrete, I hope it's worth it's 85mb!

For perspective, the double-yellow lines show scale. Yes, that's likely more detailed than most non-HD updates of games today. Owners of 8GB video boards will no longer suffer buyer's remorse.
Going to try to get most stuff finished up tonight so I can test and upload Sunday evening. I'd say a Patreon beta posting on Monday - Tuesday at the latest. The repository quarterly update will begin starting next week so anyone can download the map. Sorry it took so long, but this is the largest mod project, the highest detail, and the most complicated mod I've ever made.
And to think I don't even have the specular (shiny) and normal (3d mapping) done on this yet. This is just a flat texture with generic sheen on it from the game engine. Will get to those before release.

I want this to impress and above all I want this to make the supporters proud, because 'reasons'.
The map will be using the new ECA gas stations by default when it releases due to time constraints. I will make some custom ones soon after, including SNAKE OIL gas station franchise.

Upon release all Patreon supporters will be credited in the resource page with a big thank-you (and get this release before it hits the repository). Custom homes sent in for modeling may not all be in, but they will be in soon after (and those who submitted one will privately get an update via private message, because "why not?").
Patreon updates every 2~3 weeks will then continue after 2~3 days break, so The Bob keeps his sanity and doesn't "Beam out"!

--Beaming out, The Bob.
--- Post updated ---

For sure this one's getting done. Unless I'm dead it'll be finished sooner or later. It will likely take me another year to get it done AT LEAST, if not 1.5~2.0 more years, who knows. I've sure come quite a long ways in the last year plus, since I laid down the first prototype road pieces in May 2018. I'm making this because BeamNG needs city maps, BADLY, and it needs bits and pieces to assemble them, which is the secret sauce here.

 

Slowly but surely getting loose ends tied up and finishing up the map to where it needs to be for public consumption.


Also if you notice something in the following sky-cam shots...

The FOG is GONE. Ignore missing sections of roadway, they're mostly there, just doesn't show up well form far away. This will be improved upon later in development. The change in draw distance will cause the map to be just a little bit harder on the CPU to render, but it shouldn't perform any worse than West Coast USA (which I am using for FPS comparisons / benchmarks).
I also got the road around the lake graded and ready for texturing, the bridges are also in, now you will be able to drive around the lake a lot easier, and quicker than using the highway. This roadway will be very basic but it will serve it's purpose until these areas it's in are built up like they're supposed to be.
The map selection screen bits were improved, and descriptions mostly re-written. The map will look more professional now and also better reflect it's current state & setting / contents.
I will have one more full night of working on this, after which, it will be updated. Patreon supporters will get the link Monday during the day (U.S. Time-zones, barring internet outages), and the map itself should be on the repository by Wednesday or as soon as the staff can hook it up (plus or minus a day or two).
Again I want to thank all the Patreon supporters, as without you, my interest may have waned (or at-least the AMOUNT of work I do in a day may have waned) and this very well may not have been possible. That being said, public releases get updated every 3~4 months, Patreon supporters get an update on average every 2~3 weeks. Only large milestones will cause the release schedule to differ (again, barring things outside my control).
TL-DR : MAP HAS NEW SELECTION SCREEN ICON THAT LOOKS LIKE THIS:

So, I will be busy busy busy with this in the next day or such, finishing everything up...
Bugs fixed:
Two way traffic heading the wrong way in the wrong lanes in front of the abandoned mall, has been fixed.
I may have fixed the 'cars jammed at the Burger World Drive-thru' bug, but I have to test it some...
Anything else that comes up between now and release (such as bugs I can live with that aren't very severe!), will be fixed AFTER release, and the release will not be postponed any more than it already has been.
Also to note, I've picked up professional Corel graphic software and Pinnacle Studio, for making preview movies, all of that was on-sale and was purchased with Patreon funds. Don't worry, I got it on steep discount, but it'll help when working with graphics to say the least (as I like to make a lot of my own textures, and I don't use Substance Designer / Painter as I don't care for the resulting textures it makes). The video previews for the map won't make it for at-least the first week of public release, those will be in later-on once I figure out what the heck I'm doing in Pinnacle Studio - there will still be the usual screenshot previews though.
That is all!
--- Post updated, because this forum still has stupid bugs once in a while... STUPID TECHNOLOGY!!! ---

 

Can't wait! I'm sure this was one hell of a journey for you. I just hope I can run it...

 

drooling intensifies

Man, that menu thumbnail low key reminds me of the ones people used to make for replacement & refresh tracks in High Stakes. That nostalgia hit tho.

 

Post your system configuration and I will give you a message back saying what FPS I believe you'd get on it at what settings.
List the following:
Cpu model and speed (if listed), Gpu (video card) model and VRAM (video RAM not system RAM) size
Okay now list System Ram "Memory" amount
about how old the machine is currently, and if it's a 'laptop', 'desktop custom built' (gaming tower goes here), or an 'all in one' or 'store-bought desktop'...
That being said, I have 0 issues holding 60fps around this map (when I last checked!) on the Ryzen or the i7 4790k with one vehicle, on a rubbish three-year-old RX 480 8gb card that doesn't even like to do it's out-of-the-box core speed. Yes folks, The Bob is cheap and only buys things if they're a super-duper good deal you can't refuse (someone yells "you sucker, they saw you coming a mile away!" from the background), or if it's absolutely necessary. When the video card finally goes to the big tower in the sky, I will then worry about replacing it - but good on y'all because that's part of the reason why I am releasing the map, so it dying doesn't hold up release another week or two when it finally does go poof and let it's magic smoke out.
Yes, it was entirely one heck of a journey. I can't say I minded though. Sure I'd love to be doing something else some nights but it certainly beats homework as the kids must do, by a long shot (never-mind I'm almost 40 and physically disabled, so what else is there to do IF the house is in good order). That said, this journey has just begun and is far from over. It might not even be half-way done. I mind not, however.

So tonight on the roster of things to do tonight:
Iron out any remaining AI bugs and missing AI paths in roads
Fix broken building model near spawn point. FIXED (had a bad file name!)

Fix no-texture on airstrip hangar roofs. entirely my fault... FIXED (bad texture name>map reference)

Make the finishing touches on the road around the lake.

The road around the lake is very very basic, lanes only, but you should be fine with it to get you to the other part of the city (that's not nearly as done). This road will be vastly improved as I build along it.
Maybe install some more traffic lights. I might not get to this, this is to-do but not required before the beta.
Add another service station near where I was working on things lately.
GAME BUG: Reflections do NOT respect holes in the terrain for tunnels or other entrances like subway stations, this is minor, game-caused. I cannot fix that one. The bug has been reported, and may or may not be fixed.

I will get as much done as I can. At 1~3am I will cut off working and move to testing extensively (for stuck cars, broken AI paths, cars into buildings etc). Then after an hour or two I will go to uploading the map (which now only takes 30~45 minutes on new internet VS all night).

So do look for the notifications tomorrow after a very busy night by The Bob.
Edit: added two pictures to denote fixed bugs.

 

Intel i5-8300H @ 2.30 GHz, VRAM isn't specified for some reason
7.80 out of 8 GB of RAM is usable
Dell Inspirion G5 5587 Laptop
I got it for Christmas so I'm assuming it was made in November or early December of 2018, so a little less than a year.
I'm able to run almost all max settings except faces/update and tiremarks
--- Post updated ---
*I'm not too knowledgable on PC's so apologies in advance.

 

I just realized that I forgot to mention how much VRAM my current graphics card has in my previous post.
the amount of VRAM this card of mine has is 2GB, and it runs two 1080p monitors. (my new asus 24 inch gaming monitor, and wacom cintiq 13hd art tablet)

 

If that has the GTX 1060 6gb or even the 3gb you'll be fine. Use medium texture detail if you get stuttering, as this is more texture heavy than even West Coast USA or Italy is. For instance, the one worn concrete road texture is 8k x 16k detail (8192 x 16384).
8GB of ram will leave you just dandy, and 2.8ghz recent model CPU is just fine. Not the world's best machine, but definitely plenty good enough to not complain about - I'd be quite happy with that for playing the game (not doing content creation though, I'd munch up 8gb of RAM in <5 minutes). No worries there!

Well I am currently using 6600MB of Video RAM here right now. That's a little over 6.5GB. OUCH! I don't think I've ever used quite this much, but it hovers between 5.75~6.5GB on this map as it's extremely detailed, even if it's not done yet. It's a whole city, after-all, it's just 'not done yet'. Texture VRAM use will not go over 8GB if I can help it, as that's what I've got here.
Use MEDIUM texture detail. Set other options after setting that. Use MSI afterburner program to see how much VRAM you're using.

---

Map progress.
Road around lake is connected and done enough to use (both ends of the lake). It's not pretty but it's 100% functional.
Added a construction site by the red brick towers I just put up, as nothing's there yet. Made area more polished.
Bugs addressed with textures and some other issues. Lots of little things.
Bug where cars are stuck in roads just past the school on the way to the police department is fixed.
Won't have time to add more traffic lights tonight. Release is still on schedule.
Should be finished in an hour after I eat something and then lay down AI lanes in the new parts, and give it some testing.

That is all.

AI routes are now completed, and all bugs I could fix are fixed (ones that are in the map anyways... heh!).
Uploading will now start.
Expect a message either within an hour or later this afternoon when I wake up (USA central time).

 

Silence, bottom.

 

In the event it's not clear, this map data will be transferred to the BeamNG servers for release, hopefully no later than Wednesday. I wanted it to go up first thing Tuesday but my internet is going 15~80kb/s (satellite internet + pouring rain = FAIL). So anyways, it's still uploading, albeit extremely slowly, so when I am awake, and it's done, It will be sent to the staff for review, the Patreons will also get it then, and finally when the staff clears it (a day or two), it'll be live on here. We really DO need the rain, except for the whole breaks-the-internet bit.
AT LEAST THE MAP IS DONE AS MUCH AS I WANTED IT TO BE! ...and my head's killing me. But it's ready...
Now we just wait for logistics of it all.
Edit: After waiting almost 3 hours, the upload is STILL barely 10% done. Rain is killing my satellite internet!!!
Patreon supporters will then likely see this Tuesday morning (USA time) and it will appear on the repository a day or two later. Thank-you for your assumed patience... we *DO* need the rain, but of all times, why right now?
I will resume the upload 2am (super-early on Tuesday) my time (USA central time) and it should be done within a few hours after, or so I hope. It will be rainy off and on the next few days, though.

 

Hey bob, I know this is off topic but do you live in South Carolina or near South Carolina? Im asking this because its raining here as well.