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c.p.'s mapping adventures

Started by c.p., February 10, 2009, 11:25:13 PM

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epicblunder

It's CP! 

Speaking of tree controllers, i have a quick question for you.  Why did you use decimals in the kSC4FloraPreferencesProperty (the 256 rep placement property) in your controllers?  Is it actually possible to get multiple brushes to work in the same space of the moisture/elevation table?  I've been doing some experimenting along those lines but haven't gotten anything to work; just one brush per slot on the table is what i've been working with.  Any insight on this would be greatly appreciated.   ()flower()

Also that map looks great; love the detail in the coastline.   :thumbsup:

Swordmaster

Always good to see you come in Brian, and as usual with some great new things for us--from a first glance, that looks like a wonderful map. I'm gonna load this up with a decent terrain mod first chance I get.


Cheers
Willy

c.p.

Thanks epicblunder and Willy! :)

epicblunder: As far as I know, there is no way to get multiple brushes to work in the same space of the moisture/elevation table.  I probably started out using the decimal values just because that's what Maxis did.  At some point, I experimented with them a little, trying to figure out what the purpose of them was, but never really came up with any answers.  As far as I can remember my lastest theory was that maybe the lower numbers were for slower auto-generation of trees.  But this is just wild speculation, and I didn't really test it, because my sense was the smaller values weren't going to end up being useful for anything I was doing at the time.

epicblunder

Aha.  I was really, really hoping that there was a way after all to work uniform underbrush into the ground spaces in a large conifer forest without adding them to each brush.  Oh well.  Thanks for the info.   ;D

TheOtherRick

Scooped this map up the minute I saw it. Great work!  &apls  I am going to have a blast with this.  :) For those that haven't seen it, here it is in-game ( I tweaked the config.bmp a bit ). The 800 pixel width restriction doesn't do this work justice though. Thanks for your work c.p.  :thumbsup:


whatevermind

I've always liked trying to build on New England's coasts, so I had to try out your Salem map, and I have to say it's a beautiful map. The marshes are particularly well done.  :thumbsup:

Also, the nearly year-old question about Plymouth's sandbars piqued my interest, so of course I had to read up on it. Turns out they're natural, or at least they've been there as long as anyone's been drawing maps of the area. Several maps from the late 1700s show them clearly, and older maps show Plymouth harbor pretty enclosed, if with less detail. The northern one has been the site of a lighthouse since the 1760s. So either the Pilgrims had nothing better to do with their abundant free time than build sandbars, or more likely, they're natural.  ;D

c.p.

#66
Thanks, guys.

epicblunder: my own solution to that was to make tree clump models containing underbrush beneath.  It may be a while before those are released though, as I am considering making dead/diseased versions of the conifer clumps for use as abandoned tree props (so when lots abandon, some of the trees "die", and you can see the abandoned lots easily from a distant zoom.)

TheOtherRick: Thanks for showing the picture. :thumbsup:  And I'm glad you like the map.  It doesn't look as hilly with that terrain mod as it did in Terraformer.

APSMS: Interesting.  Thanks for the research and info. :)  Since there are sandbars like these along coastlines all over the world, the pilgrims must have built them in league with some larger organization. . .  :D


So I uploaded another map, Imuruk Bay, to the LEX.  It is pretty much a real-life map, based on Imuruk Basin in northwestern Alaska, but it has been rotated and flipped.  It is 7.5 x 5 large cities.





March, 2019: I updated the Imuruk Bay map today, adding a topo map, for printing out, or for whatever use people might have for it. Here is a look at the topo map:

Overall (the one in the upload is at a larger resolution):


Detail:


epicblunder

Quote from: c.p. on November 07, 2013, 08:30:47 AM
epicblunder: my own solution to that was to make tree clump models containing underbrush beneath.  It may be a while before those are released though, as I am considering making dead/diseased versions of the conifer clumps for use as abandoned tree props (so when lots abandon, some of the trees "die", and you can see the abandoned lots easily from a distant zoom.)

Those are both nifty ideas.  My solution so far has been to use underbrush in the first couple clicks of the brush cycle, but that was proved... underwhelming.

Also, that map is excellent!  Where are you getting your alaskan satellite data?  I haven't found anything other than the STRM data for alaska north of 60* (granted i haven't looked very hard for more), which is usually crap at that latitude with any relief. 

Gugu3

Nice maps c.p. &apls
Glad to see you back!are you back into BATing too?
Cheers
Guglielmo

c.p.

#69
Thanks epicblunder and Gugu3 :)

epicblunder: The elevation data is from the USGS National Map Viewer site:
http://viewer.nationalmap.gov

In the past year or so they've released some excellent 1/3 arc-second data for parts of Alaska.  The following map shows the areas where the good stuff is available.  Currently available good stuff is shown in light green and orange.  The crosshatched red and brown rectangles are areas they are planning to release in the next year or two.


Even though most of the "continental" United States is covered by 1/3 arc-second data, a lot of it is of mediocre to poor quality.  I get the impression that a lot of it was faked in from contour maps, or something similar.  But gradually, (very slowly) it is being replaced by more modern, high precision data.  The following map shows where the better quality 1/3 arc-second data is currently available (in brown) in the continental U.S.


Gugu3: Yes, in fact I'm working on some R$$ houses right now.  Also, check out my BAT thread:
http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?PHPSESSID=7ce7a5fbb34f300f3651644af81ac5ee&topic=15318.0

epicblunder

huh, well how about that.  I tried using TNM to pull data for SE alaska and the Aleutian chain maybe... 9 months ago or so, and was not impressed.  It was all NED 3-second, and so full of holes it might as well have been STRM.  That's encouraging that they're updating the dataset, though.  I'll have to take a look soon; there's some great map potential there.

whatevermind

Don't forget, for find-your-house-on-the-map level of detail, there's 1/9 arc second data for some parts of the US as well.  ::)

c.p.

#72
epicblunder: Yes, I agree about lots of map potential.  Also, one of the nice things about Alaska terrain is it isn't full of road cuts, grading for buildings/parking, etc.

whatevermind: Good point.  1/9 arc-second data seems unnecessarily cumbersome to work with though, for simcity purposes.

So I uploaded a map from the southern coast of Nebraska:





(Yes, the coastline is fictional)  :)

March, 2019 update: I updated the St. Elwood download today, adding a topo map (for printing out, or for whatever use people might have for it). Here's a look at the topo map (the LEX map is higher resolution):

Swordmaster

That could actually work quite well for some Norwegian fjords, I suppose. Very nice!


Cheers
Willy

c.p.

Quote from: Swordmaster on November 17, 2013, 09:36:08 AM
That could actually work quite well for some Norwegian fjords, I suppose. Very nice!

Thanks :)   The map, especially near the coast, is pretty much low-lying and flat.  I picture Norwegian fjords as being a lot steeper (semi-mountainous), but I suppose there must be a lot of variety there too.

c.p.

#75
So, the Plymouth map is now on the LEX.  This is a fairly accurate real-life map, that has been rotated to make more of the beachfront areas orthogonal.  There are lots of marsh areas, which will be useful for future tree controllers designed for marshlands.
The Pilgrim settlement of the area (in 1620) was in the city tile in the second row from the bottom and second from the left.  I'm guessing that is where the first Thanksgiving celebration occurred also. :)

Hope everyone has has a great Thanksgiving Day (or al least a great November 28, if you don't celebrate in Thanksgiving your country).





March, 2019: I updated the Plymouth download today, adding a topo map, for printing out, or for whatever use people might have for it. Here's a look at the topo map:


mrbisonm

Yesss, that would make a nice Harbour city with plentiful possibilities to create an immense harbour and nice located downtown.
I can already see it. Also the marshlands would make a perfect "close to the city" Natural Park surrounded by some suburbs.
Great map again. Will try this one for sure.

Did I read right?  "future tree controllers designed for marshlands"......ouffff....can't wait, I'm a maniac of marsh and swamps with plentiful wildlife.... Yoooohooooo!

Thanks cp. ;)


....Uploading the MFP 1.... (.........Finishing the MFP1)

c.p.

#77
Thanks Fred. :)  I've been experimenting with a couple different marshland tree controllers, but it is slow going due to RL and all my other projects.  But it will pan out eventually.


So, they recently released more Alaska elevation data.  The following map is Ekichuk, a real-life map from the area around Ekichuk Lake and the Alaska Maritime Wildlife Refuge (you probably haven't been there).  Once again, it is a region with extensive marshlands (mainly along the southern edge).  There are also several small creeks running through the uplands, as well as mountains, hills, and a large harbor.

Maximum extent: 10 x 11 large city tiles.






March, 2019: I updated the Ekichuk download today, adding a topo map, for printing out, or for whatever use people might have for it. Here's a look at the topo map:

Low resolution topo map:


Detail:


Simcoug

Quote from: c.p.
(you probably haven't been there).
:D
I'll bet few people have - I grew up in Seattle and I never managed to make it up to our 49th state.

Awesome map though - I'm glad the elevation data is being put to good use  :) 

c.p.

#79
It's been a while since I've posted here.  It looks like all the old pictures have disappeared. :(

Just wanted to post a couple of pictures for a map I uploaded today, Crowheart Cove.  The map is based on the Crowheart, Wyoming area, but given a fictional coastline:




Update March, 2019: Re-uploaded to the LEX, with a topo map of the region.  The topo map is for printing out, or for whatever use people might have for it.  Here is a look at the overall topo map (the topo map in the download is at a larger resolution):


And here is a closer view of part of the map: