Creating Area Graphics

[Domi]

No, that does not mean that I am going to do it but I want to know a lot of things about area creation. so I am just going to throw questions (I'll start with 3) and hope for an answer or two. And of course we all know that it is nigh impossible etc, so there is no need to repeat it.

 

So, if one wants to make an area from scratch (not a re-edit of a map from BG or IWD)

 

Obviously if someone had written a tutorial already - a link will be most welcome!

 

1) what sort of graphical material can serve as a base?

2) how does it need to be altered?

3) which programs one needs to work with and please describe the particular applications of each.

[Galactygon]

1.) Any area from the IE game will do, as well as various Tilesets found originally at TeamBG.

2.) That is up to you

3.) Either Paintshop or Photoshop, unless you are willing to spend 1000s of euros/dollars on a 3D tool. I've heard Paintshop is much cheaper than Photoshop.

 

-Galactygon

[Domi]

Well, I think I boldened it now: not an area from existing game

 

ie an areal photograph? a photograph? etc...

 

so why would one need a 3D tool? What purpose does it serve?

[NiGHTMARE]

I recently created a brand new new outside area by taking a texture pack someone made for Quake 3, tiling one of the included 256x256 textures to 1280x960, and then blending in pieces of several other textures in the pack using Paintshop Pro's clone brush. Once that was tone, I added in trees, bushes, etc from various packs I'd downloaded from TeamBG.

 

Obviously this method couldn't really be used to create buildings, dungeons, caves, etc (at least, not without a lot of work), but for wilderness areas it's pretty effective.

 

 

Also, there are literally dozens of completely free yet very powerful 3D tools available - level editors for FPS'! I've never heard of anyone design an IE area with this method, but it's thereotically possible, and using suitably high numbers of polygons and high resolution textures, it could look pretty effective...

[Galactygon]

Well, I think I boldened it now: not an area from existing game

It doesn't take too much of a hassle to get a variety of areas blended together so no one notices any similarities. It's more than a simple a re-edit.

 

-Galactygon

[Sir BillyBob]

There are advantages to using an area already made. The wallgroups and lighting effects being done already speed up the process. You still want to change the area some so people don't recognize it immediately. My town was the hardest to build (and being the first area, I'm still not happy with it) since I did it from scratch. You can see where different grass textures didn't blend well. However, it is "brand" new and therefore better than seeing Berogost again (and again, and ...).

 

The tools for building areas are still weak. But I wouldn't even attempt this without them.

[cliffette]

Well, I think I boldened it now: not an area from existing game

 

ie an areal photograph? a photograph? etc...

 

so why would one need a 3D tool? What purpose does it serve?

You can use any .bmp file and slap it as the background in IETME. I tend to make the area by blending old areas (taken using screen captures from the game) in photoshop, saving the final product as .bmp, then loading it into IETME.

 

Therefore you don't need a 3D program, but if you wish to make original areas with new objects, it's best to use a 3D program (for that BG-look). Basically, you set up your 3D world, then take a snapshot of it from the correct angle. After that, the snapshot can serve as your background in IETME, so you're basically back at 2D after using a 3D tool.

 

You'd have to be hugely talented or have heaps of free time to make a convincing BGesque background in a 2d paint tool from scratch.

[Guest cliffette_]

Oh yes, and you can use a photograph, but it'll most likely look strange unless you have it at the right angle/proportions, as your characters will be walking all over it using the isometric view.

 

IETME is just a BG area editing program which allows you to set up light/dark regions, add tilesets to existing images/backgrounds, set up walkable/unwalkable regions, add characters/doors, set weather effects and allows for the shading effect you see when characters walk behind something. So it's a great tool! It also comes bundled with a detailed tutorial . Hopefully there's a mirror for it, as I got IETME at TeamBG.

[SimDing0]

All the tutorials on this were at TeamBG. Sigh.

[Andyr]

Here's IETME, which has a tutorial inside it. Putting it here for now, in case anyone wants it or wants to mirror it somewhere (Cam doesn't appear to be about).

[Domi]

Nice...