[FS] High Reach (2-7) Review and Help, Need help and guidance on my first map. Options

[Flash909]

My first map that I created is called High Reach.
It is a multiplayer map for 2-7 players.

It is recommended that you play this map with tech level 9, due to there being many tech level 10 buildings around
the map being able to be captured. Such as:

-3 Tiberium Waste Facility
-1 Nod Temple
-2 Missile Silo
-1 GDI Upgrade Center (With Ion Cannon + Drop Pod Node added already).
-2 Construction Yards

This map is supposed to be very difficult, since there are more than abundant amount of Visceroids, Tiberian Fiends, Tiberium Floaters, and a bunch of other "goodies"


Background: After years of battle between Nod and GDI forces in the city of Fairview, the city was devastated by an oncoming onslaught of tiberium lifeforms controlled by renegade mutant religious leaders. The civilians made peace pacts and finally came to an agreement to unite in a common cause with the mutants: To Live. The civilians, with the help of the religious leaders who control the mutant lifeforms, salvaged various types of Nod and GDI supplies and technology, and began to fortify the city of Fairview due to rumors of Nod and GDI forces returning to Fairview in regard to the vast amount of tiberium and research that could be conducted. Equipped with rockets, SAM's, laser technology, Cyborgs, Stealth, and other weapons and armor, the civilians of Fairview have been living peacefully amongst each other, until one day various factions of Nod and GDI forces returned...

Since this is my first map, and my first time ever modding.
I was hoping for help with lighting, cliff errors, and for some of you to test out my map and tell me what you do or do not like.

I kinda was messing with the lighting

Their is one thing I was curious about, and that is about the "Special" house and "Civilian" house. If i use the special house, the units just stand there and do nothing, while if i tag the units with civilian, they respond to attacks and things. is this a glitch or something?

By the way, I love the random Air attacks by the civilians.
Note: If you want to kill the aircrafts' you have to click on them, your SAMS will not consider them hostile. Something I wish to correct.

I have some problems with scripts and tags, I want there to be like random Ion Storms and Meteor Strikes, but I looked up tutorials and i keep messing up somewhere.

Download link for the map will be up probably tomorrow.

I only play skirmish, I don't like the online play.

*Update: Edited: 8/9/10*
Download is available, please try it out and post what you do or do not like.

 high_reach_final.zip ( 116.84K ) Number of downloads: 237


This post has been edited by Flash909: Aug 10 2010, 03:17 AM

[Apache]

Judging from the screenshots and minimap, this map looks okay. Probably not going to be spotlighted, but your doing fine.
I can tell it may be difficult. Such as the orange CPU getting attacked by a Tiberium Floater.

But there are WAY too many neutral enemies, but that okay since it is meant to be difficult.

[Rampastring]

It's okay for your first map.

Terrain should be detailed better, look at the spotlighted maps here for examples.

Never use the FinalSun cliff painting tool. Your cliffs don't look natural, they look like the cliffs would've been built by humans. The most noticable part is the 2nd last screenshot.

Lighting is too intense in some areas, but it's quite good for your first map. For better lighting, look at the spotlighted maps' lighting.

Their is one thing I was curious about, and that is about the "Special" house and "Civilian" house. If i use the special house, the units just stand there and do nothing, while if i tag the units with civilian, they respond to attacks and things. is this a glitch or something?

I think it's meant to be like that, Special units are an ally to everyone, while Neutral/Civilian units are hostile.

This post has been edited by ^Rampastein: Aug 8 2010, 07:39 PM

[Flash909]

Judging from the screenshots and minimap, this map looks okay. Probably not going to be spotlighted, but your doing fine.
I can tell it may be difficult. Such as the orange CPU getting attacked by a Tiberium Floater.

But there are WAY too many neutral enemies, but that okay since it is meant to be difficult.

Yeah, ^_^ i just love "The Forgotten" and adding all the neutral enemies makes it more difficult and entertaining.

It's okay for your first map.

Terrain should be detailed better, look at the spotlighted maps here for examples.

Never use the FinalSun cliff painting tool. Your cliffs don't look natural, they look like the cliffs would've been built by humans. The most noticable part is the 2nd last screenshot.

Lighting is too intense in some areas, but it's quite good for your first map. For better lighting, look at the spotlighted maps' lighting.

I think it's meant to be like that, Special units are an ally to everyone, while Neutral/Civilian units are hostile.

Oh, cause i always thought that the "Special" was meant for hostile units that are neither Nod, GDI, or Civilian; and that they act on their own. but ok

Should i use the marble maddness tool to create the cliffs? or is there another program you would suggest?

Final thing
i've noticed in many topics regarding ligthing that they use numbers like 1.0050404593 blah blah blah.
I am rather confused with where and how they adjust the lighting.

I feel like a nub. :o

[Rampastring]

Should i use the marble maddness tool to create the cliffs? or is there another program you would suggest?

Use the marble madness mode to check for cliff errors. However, what I meant is your cliff making style. You should avoid placing multiple cliff pieces which go into the same direction after eachother and make your cliffs look natural.

i've noticed in many topics regarding ligthing that they use numbers like 1.0050404593 blah blah blah.
I am rather confused with where and how they adjust the lighting.

In FinalSun, Edit -> Lighting.

I usually use simpler numbers in my maps. Try testing your map with different values, you'll learn fast how to make a good lighting.

You should also edit your lightposts in the map with the FinalSun INI Editor or with Notepad, they're too intense at the moment.

Here's a good tutorial for lightposts (should be easy if you've edited any INI files before): http://www.tiberiumweb.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=972

If you haven't edited any INI files before, it's a good time to learn it. We should have a good INI editing tutorial somewhere in the TS modding tutorials section.

This post has been edited by ^Rampastein: Aug 9 2010, 02:58 PM

[Flash909]

Thanks you, this info should help me.

[Flash909]

Here is the link to try out the map, tell me what you think.

I'll update the screenshots that are currently posted later on.

I fixed cliff errors and the water looks great now.

 high_reach_final.zip ( 116.84K ) Number of downloads: 247


Tell me what you like and don't.