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

OK I managed to get the grass to be a flat green texture now (just a blur, but it's something).
I was spending HOURS AND HOURS and pesting the heck out of CAR KILLER who very lovingly helped me through some of my questions / trials / tribulations / near-melt-downs over this thing.
It's a confounding mess, but with a little help, I might just be able to make it work.
Will keep trying. He offered me use of one of this 'levels' as an example if I need it or resources from it to make this work. So shout-out to him (I don't have his contact on here memorized).

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In other news, and why I've been a bit quiet the last 48 hours, I found out that my oldest brother, who turned 64 last month has died. He had a leg amputated last year due to diabetes (and alcoholism) and was using a wheel-chair to cross the road from his assisted living facility in Pennsylvania, and was struck by a vehicle at or just before 600 hours (morning). The vehicle did not see him, and he was not in the crosswalk, and his pelvis was busted into 5 pieces, many broken ribs, brain swelling, kidneys shutting down and all that.
He died on my late father's birthday, which was the beginning of this past week after being brought out of the medically induced coma he was in for a week. Long enough to be lucid and say his goodbyes to his (adult) kids and wife.
I will always remember him. The good with the bad, because even if he liked to drink a lot, he was still my brother and we had many good times. I woke up today and all I could say is 'Man I can't believe he's GONE.". Life is fleeting. So if you haven't said hello and visited your relatives (the ones you care about anyway) lately, I would recommend doing so, so that you needn't live with regret.
When they're gone, it's too late to travel to them and have that one last conversation.

Bro, I hope you made it to heaven where your suffering is over.​

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Sorry I don't have better news, but I'd like to be transparent. I will post this on both the Roane County and Los Injurus threads. Work will still continue on both projects simultaneously, but I am also sick as a DOG so that might slow things down a bit.
--That is all.
-The Bob.

 

Condolences, sorry for your loss.

 

Oh dear i hope everything goes well prioritise your well being over your work in this community you still are a great part of the community no pressure to continue the map i hope everything works out for ya

 

Oh, I'm sorry for your loss. Wish you and your brother the best
Keep being amazing

 

Ah, yeah maybe something's up. Weird. Beam Maps really need some love lol.

 

Oh dear the Bob is angry, the Bob is very, very angry.
This was your baby.

 

Yeah, try to make the terrain work enough times and only to slap you in the face and laugh at you WILL DO THAT. It's enough to make me bonkers sometimes. So I am fixing Los Injurus bugs, as there are tons of them, and also going to be fixing some more bugs on this one and getting the terrain working.

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I'm pushing to try and stick to some sort of schedule, but Los Injurus was due to have an update public by now - but I went through a personal slice of absolute hell in the last month or so (mower blew up, brother died, I got rather ill to-do with my stomach, and then I had two weeks of migraine hell over-top of this due to the hurricane, and I'm about to have more migraine hell this week b/c I can feel the storm developing in the Gulf of Mexico the last 24 hours now down eastwards of Mexico, maybe I'll luck out and it'll dissipate).
So bare with me here, I'm doing the best I can whilst trying to remain as sane as possible. Roane County is on the back-burner until next weekend due to me focusing on getting a less-bugged Los Injurus out (as it'll need less work). I'm still working on this now and then but most of my focus this week is on Los Injurus, and, seemingly perpetually, getting my stupid mower working (ARGH!) again.
As much as I hate the cold (it was worse when I was skin and bones with no body fat, admittedly), I'll be happy when it gets here and the outside stuff gets put on hold for a few months. There's a silver lining to everything, folks.
Due to shared assets becoming a thing now, a requested feature of mine from a while back to help reduce file-size, some things may have broken additionally with 0.33 that were NOT broken in 0.32. Please exercise some patience here, I have to go through things and re-optimize this, though the file size may be smaller since now you can pull textures and texture index entries from stock game levels via the common art sharing system now. Yes, it's finally a thing, but who knows if it works for models, though it definitely works for textures.
If a texture is shared, and you provide duplicates in your level, it may break or also may be unaffected, depending on how you have it configured. Open the material editor to see what file it's pulling from, if it looks like 'art common' or 'shared art common' or something remotely like that which is outside of your level, try deleting the texture entry from your index file and see if it then decides to work again after restarting the level / game. If so, you can safely remove that texture's files from your level, and if not, restore from a backup of your texture index and rename the texture (you will also have to rename entries for decal roads or mesh roads that use it, but this can be done very quickly via bulk text replacement). I hope my explanation helps some of you level-editing gurus and gods out there. Keeping texture names different than stock maps if you change things up (change the texture files, have different parameters like color settings or transparency settings), can help prevent this from happening.
Thanks for all your kind words of support and condolences. It helps, especially when I need it the most.
So yes, thanks!
-The Bob

 

--- Post updated ---
no pressure dude

 

Friday marked the worst migraine ever. I thought it was bad Thursday but as night fell, a world of hell took over my skull and didn't leave until sometime today, returning to just a dull ache (it did lessen through the course of the weekend, I nearly didn't make it to church).
OK so I am slowly but surely getting more terrain layers to show up in something other than flat black.
Fixed broken rock texture. It relied on files in the terrain folder anyways, which likely broke when working with the terrain as I pretty-much had to scrap everything.
Detail textures won't work until I get those all organized into something that works decent. New terrain materials I made are 8k PBR for the map-wide graphic (it's a 4k terrain). It has stock-game materials plastered over-top of it to give detail. Why go through extra dev-time figuring out the texture layering when I should just put in stock details as best I can? NO ONE would notice the difference anyways. The difference is in the terrain-wide layers that contour to the form of the terrain, this helps give a realistic light/shadow effect from far far away (like you can see near the horizon here).
I will also be trying to replace some of the older buildings with models that have much less draw-calls, which should lessen the CPU-hit that this causes in built-up areas. I won't be taking the charm/style away though, but it WILL run better because of it (how much remains to be seen, expect 5~8fps in the worst-hit areas by my guesstimate on slower-cpu systems). Faster CPU systems might not benefit as much, nor will systems that don't bottleneck on this level when running via Vulkan. Still, less work on the CPU regardless of renderer due to less draw call overhead from more efficient buildings means YOU can run more vehicles in the same scene before falling below the minimum FPS to retain full-speed simulation (20fps). I aim for a benchmark of no less than 45~50fps on a decent gaming system in the absolute worst-performing areas. This used to perform at 28~34fps at WORST sections when I stopped working on it in 2018 to work on Los Injurus (except req'd level updates for game-version compatibility). I have not tested it lately, but I'll make sure to include some FPS numbers for DX11 and Vulkan for the before/after, for when the work is further along.

There's still chunks of black stuff, as I said, it's still a work-in-progress. Rock color isn't 100% yet either.
I chose to replace the 'loose stone' or 'gravel' texture that was previously under roads with something resembling grass. This will work now as I no-longer use road textures that have slightly-translucent sections as a base material (some stock levels do this), Except one or two road textures, which still do that (they're out of the 2016 ECA level version, but they're getting replaced before this gets out anyway).
This SHOULD result in a cleaner looking level, and improving some (but not all) of the road textures is always a nice improvement.
PICTURE ABOVE IS NOT THE FIRST LEVEL LOAD IN THIS GAME VERSION! It's the third, since last clearing cache out.
To the best of my ability, I will try my absolute very best to make ABSOLUTELY SURE this will run 100% texture detail on a 4GB graphics card. If there is no way for me to do that without textures on high looking like some Quake mud circa 1996, then I will push up to 6GB requirements. I refuse to go higher than this however, for a level that requires only 1~1.5gb of compressed data.
So entirely, just wanted to update that yes I'm getting somewhere. Getting the terrain fixed req'd a 200~350mb of file size (Uncompressed!) increase just for the terrain textures alone (which not all are working yet, but I shouldn't need too many more layers, and a few are done but not configured in-game yet).
Head still hurts, though it's tolerable and I can still think (almost as good as normal, but this still leaves something to be desired), but considering I've been messed up since around 4~5pm on Wednesday of last week which is when my head started pounding / nerves started acting up, any let-up is a welcome improvement. (note: when I say nerves, I don't mean emotional nerves, I mean 'I lose my finer motor control and things get twitchy/jumpy and I drop more stuff etc). Still, even when they do come back as good as could be expected, if another system in the Gulf or out by Haiti/Cuba/etc does not immediately take it's place, I'm not about to enter into the next local anvil juggling contest.
As per the hurricane/tropical storm rolling through: I did not get impacted by more than just torrential rain here, but we're up high at almost 2000ft elevation here. So if it actually flooded up here, it's beyond time to build an arc, because some 90% of land currently above sea level would have been flooded by then. The big mountain-climb (if you can call it that, some 800ft~1200ft, forget the exact amount), that is in the Roane County level here as you take 40 west-ward past Harriman/Rockwood exit of rt 27 (27 is the road from Harriman through Rockwood and is the major north-south road, by the Rump Hotel spawn point and head west on 40 to go up the mountain/plateau), it's the same huge lump of rock I live on. So yeah, if that floods where I'm at, we're done-for as a species - as by then New York City and LA would be under AT LEAST some 1900ft of water.
That having been said, my full condolences to the flood victims and those who otherwise didn't make it through the hurricane as well as I did. If I could do anything to help, I would gladly do it but the real devastation starts about 3 hours from where I am at, and that only gets me to where route 40 is washed out and closed. So it wouldn't do me any good to drive out there anyways unless I wanted to tack another 90 minutes onto my commute each way. Plus I'd have to get the car running again, and when it broke in July I never did get around to finish working on it after throwing my back out trying to break a 21-year-sized bolt loose (it broke loose when I put full force on it, and that's what threw my back out, I almost went for a ride on the MAC Ratchet Express). I didn't mangle any knuckles, though I'd have rather done so than throw my back out for the 65535th time.
I will fix it one day when I'm able. I really should do so before it gets cold, as it's already become the summer-time spider retreat of the century. Me thinks it's time to get the can of Webster-B-Gone and go to town on it, so I can actually GO TO town in it!
Sorry for the wacky rant. God-speed to y'all in FLA, NC, and GA in the USA, I wish you the best. Just wanted to let everyone know I was still trying to fix this stupid thing and AM GETTING SOMEWHERE.
The Bob has absolutely no clue what the ROAD ARCHITECT tool does aside of pathing or intersection stuff. I haven't had the gumption to click on it until I get the terrain fixed. Then I can mess with it AFTER BACKING UP the level of-course. So please don't ask YET. Give me a month or two on that tool to figure it out, as I had absolutely no warning it was coming. There's a youtube video on it I saw a link for (or is it hosted here?) on the update post for the game-engine 0.33 update, but I haven't had a moment of clarity/time to watch it either (but I will!).
--That is all!
-The Bob.
Intel 13th / 14th generation processor owners ONLY: Please look for the upcoming 0x12b update on microcode coming out in the very near future (if you don't get it already). This will address long-term voltage creep on the processor over long compute sessions. If you already have the latest 0x129 or later microcode updates and your system is not crashing afterwords, I would not sweat it too badly, but do be mindful if your system runs hotter after several hours of gaming vs after twenty minutes of gaming. 0x12b is expect to only hit performance of SOME but not all tasks by up to 2~6% decrease (single threaded or multi-threaded), and removes also the C1E BIOS OPTION from most computer BIOS screens. If you don't know what C1E is you do not need to worry about it (IIRC it keeps high power state duration limits from kicking in for extreme systems, as this causes sustained-voltage creep). Just wanted to keep folks posted. I might post about 0x12b on Los Injurus City thread later this week if I have something to post over there before the work-week is through.
Look to the manufacturer of your computer (if pre-built / store-bought) or the website of your motherboard manufacturer this week for the 0x12b system BIOS microcode update.
Update entails the following for INTEL CPU users 13th/14th generation ONLY:
Please click to expand the update notes below, I highlighted the important bits.

 

Great work dude now i can drive inb a map ive seen on the friz channel since 206 YAAAAAY
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awesome work your a goat in the community

 

Im seriously happy for your work, I just hope you aren't letting it take over. Migraines after a major personal issue like that sounds a lot like de-hydration and/or serious stress.

 

Hey Bob, I'm so sorry to hear about the loss of your brother. I have only one sibling myself, my brother, and I can't imagine losing him. Prayers and good vibes your way.

As far as your work on the maps go, I've never seen someone as persistent an dedicated as you! I'll be getting a wheel and pedals soon, and I'll definitely have your maps in my inventory for long drives to just vibe out. I moved up to Tennessee (Sevier County) three years ago, so I'm especially excited for Roane County!

 

My migraines come from the hurricanes, among other things, and tornado-producing thunderstorms. I get regular headaches (about half-way to migraine territory) when there's just low pressure close by, or tropical depression/tropical storm stuff around the shore. I can pick up a Hurricane wherever it forms in the Gulf of Mexico, and often times can pick it up out over the islands SE of Florida.
"There's another storm formed in the Gulf isn't there?" "Yup, I got a migraine for two days I know when something's up". I've actually got this down to a science, but oh I hope we don't have another one over Georgia again (this Hurricane Milton looks like it's going to be dead-set on hitting Tampa straight on, so if you have family in Florida, board up & GET THEM OUT NOW).
A Hurricane coming ashore and being in a neighboring state (4 hours drive away) means I am completely incapacitated and at the point where it is absolute agony, way worse than any broken bones I've ever had, I never had a migraine as bad as the one I had the Friday that Helene was in Georgia/Carolinas.

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Our pastor just got back last week from his vacation in Georgia. He got down there the day BEFORE it hit, somewhere close to the shoreline by the Georgia / Carolina border. I was worried sick, but he did reach out and said they're alive and alright just hot and sticky. They had no power once the tree limbs started coming down. He said he spent an entire day cleaning the yard where he was staying (with another older couple), and it took them 6.5 days to get power back where they were at. No power, No A/C, no fans, no nothing and it was hot humid and sticky down there. NOT fun.
Get to church this morning happy that Pastor is back as he's just wonderful to everyone there, and here the Lay-Lady is stuck at home with a stuck back. I KNOW WHAT THAT IS LIKE - all too well!
So I had to lead the church service, which I found out 20 minutes before we started. O'Boy. My first question was "Hey you paid the church's insurance bill, right?". Thankfully Pastor was there to do the sermon as I'm not certified to do that, but I can manage to run a church service evidently on NO notice and 4 hours of sleep (if that) when there's no-one left to do it. Honestly I wasn't jumping at the chance to do it, but I was the only one who could, and when several elderly ladies and an elderly man ask you to do it, and you're their only hope, you do whatever it takes. Saying no isn't even an option, not remotely close. For the people who accepted me into their congregation so warmly, without any questions asked, how could anyone think of saying no? I did say at the end how much I was missing our Lay-Lady though, I wasn't letting that one go. We managed, and did what we needed to do. I can just be thankful that was our biggest worry at the moment, for compared to what some others are going through in several neighboring states, these predicaments were nothing in comparison.
Thursday or Friday we threw in some money and got donations together for the victims of Helene, what we gave should at-least get one family by for about two weeks. It's about all we could spare here, we're not broke but we're certainly not wealthy. Some of that money I was saving for eventually replacing this computer, but having a 5-year old computer is a 1st-world-problem compared to what those people are going through down there, where they don't even have basic services like clean water or food, let alone internet/computers, or anything else like that. I will get by, but I can always get out the 'parts cannon' for this one if after these last 4 years of it's 5 year life-span it decides to go boom again. I won't mind a bit, and replacement was really only something I was considering due to the fact that I've run this thing through the wringer for over 5 years and eventually something WILL fail.
That said, I have no regrets. I send hope and prayers to those affected by Helene as always, especially those 100,000's of people who never realized or had any clue what was about to happen to them even hundreds of miles in-land. This wasn't just a hurricane that CLOBBERED the big bend in Florida, but BIBLICAL FLOODING. I've never seen anything like this in my life since the mid-west flooding on the early 90's. This year has seen a lot of crazy weather, from this hurricane flood monster that just happened, the tornado forming right over my house but not touching down (that was purely God's doing saving us, I heard the vent fan spin up in the bathroom ceiling by itself which is likely what busted the bearings in the thing - I thought we were all done for, back in the April/May time frame). I sure hope this isn't solely climate change making things worse, as if it gets any worse it's going to be difficult for most of us to survive - it's hard enough already.
For those out in the disaster zone / ground zero: Stay strong, but do whatever you have to, to survive. Just don't forget who's kept you alive this long (hint: it's not me!) and help your neighbors / towns-folk if you have the means. Helping them DOES help you, and you might need help with something later also.
I've had headaches to light-to-moderate migraines the last 3~4 days so there's some warning to be had from those, stay vigilant folks. Remember, if your internet is down but you still have power, you can still play BeamNG Drive even if you cannot connect to Steam service, by running it from the directory directly.

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Thank-you, that means a ton. It's tough, but I'm slowly accepting it. There's no real 'getting over it' though, you do learn to live with it after a while. There will always be that empty place, no matter how mean he got sometimes, in my heart and he will be missed. He was fun most of the times anyways, and I remember those times the most.
I try to have continued dedication to my projects. I am not happy with the state of Roane County for BeamNG Drive but I'm slowly getting that stubborn [insert expletives-a-plenty] terrain working. It might not be that pretty but anything is better than a pitch-black nothing. I'm only concentrating on getting it working properly before I do any more improvements to it (even FPS improvements). Once I get it WORKING, I will try and bring up the FPS a little bit where possible, possibly extending the view distance some (it previously had to be reduced due to single-threaded DirectX draw call limitations, but we have Vulkan rendering available now).
Los Injurus will always be worked on and continually updated (not always on the public server, but it will get more updates than it's been once I get over this glut of work I've taken on as-of late, especially once winter hits when real-life duties are greatly reduced), so no worries there.
Persistence and dedication are qualities I strive to achieve, thank-you for the compliments in those regards. Always nice to hear something nice for a change!
I will do my best to try and get those updates out as soon as I can, but just know I'm working on many things right now, so no single thing unfortunately is getting priority at the moment. I just hope these migraines stop soon, as those quite readily are very good at making me unable to think clearly.

Thanks! I try to make awesome large layouts so that you can get some top speed and good chases going, with just enough detail and realism to make it somewhat immersive (but not too much detail to need a team of 100's of people to make it, nor too much realism that would cause you to need NASA's computer to run it, but to find that happy middle ground).
I do really wish I was a goat sometimes, with as much as my riding lawn mower breaks down... it'd sure come in handy. "Mower broke again, we're having a family get together this weekend and with this yard it's ALL YOU CAN EAT! Just avoid that little spot where the dog leash reaches." My yard has grass a foot tall in spots, I haven't mowed in over a month. One day I'll be able to fix that stupid thing. I know what broke it's just a matter of being able to get out there, get the old part off, get the new one, and have the physical ability to put it back on. When I get sick of getting lost in the yard maybe I'll decide to get a new one - but they're 4000~5000$ for a good one and I just don't feel like throwing that down on just a mower right yet.
*sigh*
I so wish I was more able, I really truly do. But I will manage to find a way.
Thank-you to all who wrote in with nice comments. Doing the best I can over here & thank-you also for your patience. As long as this doesn't cause me to go bald, it'll be all worth it in the end.
--That is all!
-The Bob.

 

any new updates bob ?

 

Bob are you okay is there a problem Bob ?

 

Gotta chill and wait.

 

im just getting worried for him i hope hes ok
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i dont care about the mod as long as ok

 

Bob was active the day after you commented this, in his Los Injures thread.

 

phieww luckily hes ok

 

Hopefully this map gets an amazing update. I'm looking forward to using this map on my beam multiplayer server. I'm currently using American Road but it's really bland.