beskhu3epnm's Mapping Projects

[pvarcoe]

The Puget Sound map will be a good one to build on with the water opportunities.
Lots of harbor's, and rivers wouldn't be too tough to create.

The Palm Spring one looks fabulous though.
That one would be a blast to do.
I'd use cycledogg's desert flora mod.
That would look spectacular.

[jeronij]

This is some very interesting information. And the Palm Springs map looks outstandingly real   

[Heblem]

I have been to Palm Spring, theres alot windmills and is near from LA, I-10 cross that area... superb map besk 

If you want a really desert map for that one i can edit the properties and make the terrain a bit more realistic... 

[beskhu3epnm]

OK Eblem, I'll take you up on your offer! Will you be modifying the standard Painted Desert mod? If so, I can include in the upload package so everyone can have the same terrain! I'll post this file in the private thread for you to "test drive." 10m data is awesome!

[BigSlark]

beskhu3epnm,

Your maps are absolutely amazing, please keep up the great work.

I have a challenge for you and I pose the question to the rest of the SC4 community. There have been several attempts at a map of Jackson, Mississippi, yet none have come close. Downtown Jackson is at 279 ft. elevation, with the nearby Pearl River at around 255-260 ft. at regular flow. The problem is that north of the city is the massive Ross Barnett Reservoir that is created by impounding the Pearl River. The top of the long earthen dam's elevation is 308 feet, with the reservoir's full pool at around 295 feet. The 33,000 acre reservoir's shores is the location for major suburban growth in the metro area, and is a very important geographic feature to consider.

In my opinion, it seems the best way to tackle the problem is to make sea level the river and then use ploppable water to recreate the reservoir.

What do you think, beskhu3epnm?

Thanks for looking into this!

Cheers,
Kevin

[Air6]

The Palm Springs map is just amazing 

[beskhu3epnm]

Air6: Thank you! Merci Beaucoup! (is that how you spell that? -  not so good at le Francais - ask wouanagaine!). HabLeUrG has now been contracted out to do a custom terrain/rock mod for a more realistic appearance to the Palm Springs map!

BigSlark (aka Kevin?): Thanks for checking this out. It is always good to see someone stop by and pose a challenge. I have the answer to your challenge, of course! Jackson Mississippi is something I have never done, but I can assure you that the 10m DEM USGS data does exist for that area. This means that I can create the map using the same resolution as the Palm Springs map for Jackson.

If you happen to look up my Grand Teton National Park (an error on ST prevents me from getting the link), this is the same quality that Jackson Mississippi would have. Now, that being laid to rest, the next issue is the water heights. Grand Teton has a similar, but more extreme issue. The whole valley gradually attains elevation, but to the tune of about 200m (656ft). Terraforming Teton has developed some interesting ways of going around this problem... but I will tell you what is typically done:

First off, when creating the map, I can set the river depth to the minimum land elevation. In SC4, Sea Level is 250m, and the lowest part of the land should be around this point. So although the river will increase in elevation above sea level over a set distance, the entire river should be allowed to show, at least up until the reservoir. I can then use the 'compressor' tool in the NHP SC4TF version, and give a solid one-elevation riverbed to follow, giving a nice, uniform look to the river. The reservoir will then have to be plopped manually, perhaps using ploppable water and some sea walls to give a nice, uniform look.

Overall the problem, being only about 60ft (18m - slightly more than a ground highway embankment) is really quite manageable. I would then use a dam or waterfall to gel everything together nicely.

Another option is to select the space using my Adobe Photoshop CS2 and lower it manually by darkening the greyscale. I would then open it up and create the riverbed accordingly. The only adverse side effect would be a set of 18m cliffs surrounding the reservoir.

As you can see, SC4 has dealt mappers a bit of a headache when trying to create RL terrains, in that water (especially flows of water) cannot be done realistically. They can be 'risk managed' however.

What do you think? I could probably spin off a map of Jackson real quick when I get a chance.

The problem I have is setting up the DL package (changing tiles to get the Region Census image - doing the HTML readme, setting up the archive, reducing the image size of all images to two different sizes for upload image and showcase image) takes ages. I may be able to post a fileden link here, and then you can test it out. Let me know, either way!

jeronij: Real glad you stopped by. I am always motivated to give the LEX the best I've got! After all, I don't see too many maps out there, and people always need somewhere to put all of this custom content...

Heblem: (notes the name change in my head) Welcome amigo (again and again). This is my other 16bit mapper friend everyone! We now both use the same techniques. Stay tuned for potential development on the Palm Springs Terrain Mod...

[BigSlark]

beskhu3epnm,

Thanks for looking at this for me. Mapping the river bed and then having the Reservoir as a large plain to plop water seems to be the best solution.

The name "Reservoir" is a bit misleading, as you would expect it to be impounded, so to speak. In fact, the Ross Barnett's shorelines were almost completely left to naturally occur and the upper reaches of the lake are actually cypress swamps. Check out the outdated Google Maps sattelite image.

Anyway, I'd really like to see what you come up with and a fileden link would be fine. As for a terrain mod, I'm a bit lost. The soil here is all clay, but vegetation quickly takes over any clearing. Meadowshire seems to be the best bet as it would be applied to lower elevations. What do you all think?

Cheers,
Kevin

[beskhu3epnm]

Kevin, I've decided to undertake this project. I've already checked out the data, and have decided that everything will come out top notch.

If you get a chance, check out my NHP St. LouisSt.Louis map. The terrain is quite similar, and the river levels had a similar problem.

The river's elevation gain is present here as well.

Also, the distance between the dammed area and the city centre is approximately 12 large tiles away. I will likely rotate the map about 38 degrees CCW to make the dam area paralell with SC4's tile system (so that you will not have to make a diagonal dam... which is unheard of in SC4 speak). The reservoir/lake will represent a section of large city tile that will have to be plopped.

This is all I can gather from looking at the map, so I will be back later on with a more firm analysis once it has been completed.

Maybe I will see you online later on,

Travis

[beskhu3epnm]

OK Kev,

Update time. The map was completed long ago, however the river has been giving me fits!!


This is not the original flow of the river!! The change between the river surface and the surrounding land was minimal. I did some improvising and directed the flow based on the tiny disparities in elevation. I don't believe that it is accurate! Let me know if I am close.

Also, the land to the west of the river was lower than the riverbed. Unfortunately I did not see this until after I had zipped up the file. You may have to go in and manually edit the terrain.

Map Statistics:
Size: 9x9 Large Tiles (2305x2305)
Maximum Elevation: 405.8m (405.8-250=155.8m)
Minimum Elevation: 203.5m (underwater data)
Time to make: 8 minutes 34 seconds
Time to edit waterflow: 42 minutes+

NHP Jackson Mississippi

Let me know how it works out!!

[BigSlark]

beskhu3epnm,

It looks great! The water level issue on the west side of map is because the other side of that ridge is a different river system. The Pearl River system is narrow east-west and stretches about 250 miles almost directly north from the Gulf of Mexico at the Mississippi/Louisiana state line. The river to the west is the Big Black, which is a direct tributary of the great Mississippi, which is only 45 miles from downtown Jackson.

As for the river, it flows away from the dam. I think I understand where your problem is coming in, as it has numerous oxbow lakes and swamps in the floodplain surrounding it, as well as the flood channel adjacent to downtown.

My only request is that could you add the channel near downtown Jackson and perhaps double the size of the area covered? The metro area stretches for 45 miles in all directions from downtown, yet only about 1/8th of that area has a dense population density. There are extensive semi-rural "suburbs" to the south, southeast, and northwest of the city and it would be a shame not to include the trailer parks and three Wal-Mart Supercenters!

Thank you again for taking this project on, I promise you that the Res will be the first place I plop/drag infrastructure.

Cheers,
Kevin

[beskhu3epnm]

Hey Kevin!

Some details regarding the request: Doubling the area covered would result in an area 18 large tiles x 18 large tiles, 324 large tiles in all. My current project, The Columbia River Valley is 12x12=144, and takes 2.5 hours to change tiles on, let alone build on. This map would have more than twice as many large tiles!! It truly is a large area. In fact, anything over 14 large tiles squared causes my SC4TF to crash (memory overrun, despite having 2048MB of RAM).

Since this portion of the project has hit a bit of a snag, what I may do as an alternative is deliver the map "as is" (meaning offer you the largest possible map, given that I need a memory upgrade) of 14x14 large tiles, with only a quick re-hash of the river system. This will allow you to perfect the channel, and corner off any small lakes or marshland in the area.

Be warned! I have recently played a large region this size, and after over 100 hours, I only had 6 large tiles decently developed, a far cry from 324!!

I had no idea Jackson was so large... I thought that if I covered the dam, that would do it. I seen the data, where Jackson's downtown was SW of the dam location, so I tried to fit that in there as well.

Would you like the dam rotated as it is in its current fashion? ( I got it right - 38 degrees CCW)

At any rate, you can check out the work I've done on the 9x9 version on the post above (Fileden link). At least check that to get an idea of the size we are looking at here!

Take Care,

Travis

[BigSlark]

beskhu3epnm,

Currently I'm building on NHP Kettlewood, which I really like but I want a "fantasy" region and "realistic" region to enjoy at the same time. (Some days I find myself copying street layouts from my atlas of the metro area and others creating residential areas perched on the side of a ridge, random, I know).

I completely developed your Wizard's Coast map from November 2006 through April 2007 and started Kettlewood in April. After playing a smaller region and then a larger one I have discovered that I LOVE the space you are able to put between good size settlements. And considering Jackson is spread out, well, a 14x14 with lots of water level issues to fix in the west would be a great project for me to perfect my terraforming skills.

I like the tilt, it will make life MUCH easier as major roads in the area run at a right angles to the Pearl River.

Once again, I thank you deeply for taking on this project for me!

Have a great weekend!

Cheers,
Kevin

[RickD]

Hi beskhu3epnm,

I just want to thank you for all those great maps you are making. I grew tired of all those flat, boring maps and was looking for a challenge when I discovered your maps.

I recently started playing on Kinbasket Lake and I love it. It wasn't easy to build the roads, highways and especially the railroad through the mountains. But I managed it, even with the BRF Slope Mod. And it was worth the effort, I now have some quite impressive bridges and tunnels.

Keep it up! 

[beskhu3epnm]

RickD,

Thank you for playing my maps! That project was a joint project between myself and HabLeUrG (now Heblem). It is a RL location that I made, and finished for custom buildable terrain by Heblem. It is one of my proudest creations, and one of the most difficult to build on. Congrats on being able to work so well with it. Maybe you could post some images in this thread of your bridge/tunnel work?

The scenery on that map is incredible, as you can probably tell!



That last pic is of Mt.Hableurg from the ocean...


Kevin,

RLS has hit, and I have a secondary project (non-mapping) on the go. I figure by Wednesday I should have your map ready for ya! Take care,

Travis

[beskhu3epnm]

Comparison Time!!

There has been some recent discussion concerning 8bit JPEG or BMP files and 16bit PNG Greyscale files when it comes to mapping. Since most people don't know the difference, I'm here to show you guys!

This is a standard 16 bit map from my collection. It is the Yosemite Valley in California.


You can see the detail on El Capitan here:

(in SC4 city view - the next image is also in City view)


As a direct comparison shot, I've compared a section of elevation. Notice in 16bit clarity:


Now time to downgrade. I created a BMP 8bit down from the 16bit PNG that I was using (to keep the scale the same). I then converted it to import by changing the ImageImportScaleFactor exemplar using the Reader on my Columbus Terrain Mod. This way, no custom plugins would be needed and I could do the conversion swiftly. The conversion factor was 4000m (3590m being max @ 229b/w).

As this is a BMP being converted from an already static image of a map in 16bits, this is the highest quality image that BMP can provide:


El Capitan is butchered:

butchered again:


And that valley comparison:


The elevations were also way off, and if there was a water level with this map, that would have been ruined as well. El Capitan in that image was about 7/8 scale. More adjustment would have been necessary.

The "steps" or "ridges" that you see in other 8bit maps were not present here, as those are unique to the JPEG file format, and it's relentless loss. This BMP file suffers from poor resolution (zoom in on your favorite image closely, you can see all of the pixels by themselves - same thing here!).

I did this little test mostly to show our up and coming mappers that this is the correct way to go when creating maps. For those that want some instructions on how to create color 16bit PNGs and maps, let me know. That information is already out there for you to discover...

[M4346]

I am very much in love with all of your maps! I have recently begun work on the NHP Sumidero Canyon which I really love too! It is proving to be a quite a challenge! I will have images as soon as I deem them fit for showcasing! I also love the NHP Pacific Rim National Park! They are both spectacular creations!

I wanted to point out and express my awe and amazement to the highlighted detail above (the 'steps'). I find it so amazing to see this in SC4, something I have see in the Drakensberg for example and seeing it there reaffirms my views of you (pl.) being AMAZING mappers! It also brings back memories of the Drakensberg! You should visit sometime, I think you'll find the mountain range inspiring.

That is a great job done there!

Also, thanks for explaining the 16 bit vs 8 bit thing.

[beskhu3epnm]

-M-,

No problemo on the mapping thing. As you can probably tell, we had perfected this technique before going public to ensure the best possible stuff. If you fancy yourself a future mapper, I can direct you to a *public version* of this type of mapping technique. I will be posting links at a later time in this thread (mostly over at ST).

As for that Gradient on the Kinbasket Lake map, that particular portion that you have highlighted actually showcases a very smooth gradient, allowing the terrain textures to apply themselves uniformly. Credit goes to Cycledogg for that one!! As I've used a 30m DEM file for that map, the results are fantastic. There are also some minor 'bands' or steps at that location, as you can see them carry over to the rocks. I just spent the last 35 minutes reading about Drakensberg, so I know exactly what you are pointing to.... Awesome....

So keep an eye out for the 16bit maps, at a STEX/LEX near you (for almost the last year)!!

[M4346]

-M-,

No problemo on the mapping thing. As you can probably tell, we had perfected this technique before going public to ensure the best possible stuff. If you fancy yourself a future mapper, I can direct you to a *public version* of this type of mapping technique. I will be posting links at a later time in this thread (mostly over at ST).

Ah, yes, I imagined that quite a lot of R&D went into this and the results are spectacular! I do not, however, fancy myself a future mapper due to my lack of patience and in the light of my recent ambitious projects that I have vowed to undertake I won't be able to fit it in either. Thanks for the assistance and willingness to help though. I am sure, and I hope, that someone else will take you up on that offer and may be schooled by your masterful hand!

As for that Gradient on the Kinbasket Lake map, that particular portion that you have highlighted actually showcases a very smooth gradient, allowing the terrain textures to apply themselves uniformly. Credit goes to Cycledogg for that one!! As I've used a 30m DEM file for that map, the results are fantastic. There are also some minor 'bands' or steps at that location, as you can see them carry over to the rocks. I just spent the last 35 minutes reading about Drakensberg, so I know exactly what you are pointing to.... Awesome....

So keep an eye out for the 16bit maps, at a STEX/LEX near you (for almost the last year)!!

I also figured that it must have been the terrain textures that generated that effect and I myself use only CPs amazing terrain textures (I personally prefer the Olympic one). But then again the effect cannot be properly and as masterfully showcased on its own, it needs an amazing map!

I also prefer to use the PEG Dark Granite Rock Mod, something that I think you'd understand if you've read up on the Drakensberg and saw a few photos of the brown basalt cliffs! (It having paler sandstone lower down. It is capped with a layer of dark basalt and that is why that highlighted area reminded me of it - descending and horizontally layered sandstone)

I am also heading over to the STEX to check out the maps already released, have them put into SC4 and just stand in awe of the detail and effort put into them! As I've said, I love your maps!

Thanks! And you should really make a note of the Drakensberg on your "to-do" or "must-see" list. It is really spectacular and no photo can do it justice!

[dmscopio]

Just drop by the say your works are amazing, besk. you are doing god's works here! I don't know much about mapping but these are absolutly great works, especially the one with the Mt.Hableurg