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Newcomers DBPro Corner / building landscape

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smerf
19
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Joined: 24th Feb 2005
Location: nm usa
Posted: 22nd Oct 2005 13:24
many questions about building a world besides houses. im talking landscape.
what do you all use for mountains and just plain o simle outside.
rolling slopes and whatnot?

also i more question. If you use geoscape3d how do you get your characher to stick to the ground. like do you use object collision or get ground heith? thank you.


may take 2 to 3 days to repy work long hours

A child's dream never dies.
David iz cool
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Location: somewhere lol :P
Posted: 22nd Oct 2005 15:08
heres some code to walk on an xfile ground:

thank zotoaster!



Zotoaster
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Posted: 22nd Oct 2005 15:09 Edited at: 22nd Oct 2005 15:10
Well, the simplest way is to make a matrix, but to make rolling hills and stuff, well youd probably need a heightmap for that (unless you can be bothered typing out the height for every tile ), Just incase you don't know what a heightmap is, it's a greyscale picture, and it has different brightnesses, each pixel refers to a height of the matrix, the brighter the pixel the higher the tile


[edit]

Lol, posted at the same time...

btw, the code that David iz cool posted it for an X Model and only works with dbpro


Zone Chicken
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Posted: 23rd Oct 2005 00:49
If your using dbp i'd would use a advanced terrain instead of .x using geoscape simular to this.

http://forum.thegamecreators.com/?m=forum_view&t=49618&b=1

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TDK
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Posted: 23rd Oct 2005 02:20 Edited at: 23rd Oct 2005 02:22
Quote: " If your using dbp i'd would use a advanced terrain instead of .x using geoscape simular to this."


I'm not saying that AT's aren't many times better than matrices, but what makes you think that this method is going to be any easier for someone who doesn't understand how basic matrices work?

IMHO, far too many newcomers are incorrectly told that the DB matrix is unusable and that they should switch to other landscaping methods. You can actually do quite a lot with matrices while learning - they have an unjustified bad reputation!

Quote: "If you use geoscape3d how do you get your characher to stick to the ground. like do you use object collision or get ground heith?"


You have to use collision - and that's why Get Ground Height makes working with a matrix so much easier when you are learning.

At the stage you (and many other DB newcomers) are at, it will be a while until you are at a stage where you have outgrown the matrix and need to move up to something better.

The learning experience you get working with matrices will be invaluable when you move on to other methods of terrain building.

David iz cool:

If you use the code that you posted, do you know EXACTLY what each and every part of it actually does?

TDK_Man

Zone Chicken
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Posted: 23rd Oct 2005 03:49
Quote: "I'm not saying that AT's aren't many times better than matrices, but what makes you think that this method is going to be any easier for someone who doesn't understand how basic matrices work?
"


Because the link i posted explains how to export a 8bit terrain map and a texture out of geoscape for a advanced terrains along with basic loading and a camera since that was the program he/she was asking about using.

Quote: "You have to use collision - and that's why Get Ground Height makes working with a matrix so much easier when you are learning."


Same with (get terrain ground height)

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David iz cool
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Location: somewhere lol :P
Posted: 23rd Oct 2005 04:15
Quote: "David iz cool:

If you use the code that you posted, do you know EXACTLY what each and every part of it actually does?
"


no,not yet,im studying it.but im finding dbp isnt that hard to learn!,im picking up alot of things quickly
TDK
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Posted: 23rd Oct 2005 05:27
Quote: "no,not yet,im studying it"


Good. Many people will just use code they don't understand because it works - rather than try to understand what it's doing. Good move on your part!

Zone Chicken:

I was basically suggesting that it's often better to suggest to someone starting out learning DB to stick to the really basic stuff at first. I don't know exactly how far smerf has pushed landscape design using a standard matrix, but I got the impression from his post that he'd not done it at all yet.

In which case using a matrix would alleviate the need to do a lot of the work involved - including learning how to use Geoscape (if he's never used it).

Now if someone posted "I've played with matrices for a few weeks now and I just can't do X or Y with them" then I would be with you 100% - Advanced Terrains are the next logical step.

My niggle is that too many posts from newcomers, (not particularly this one as you were responding to specific things mentioned in the initial question) are getting comments like 'Use Sparky's DLL - it's much better than DB's collision' or 'Make your landscape an object - DB's matrices are useless' and so on.

What they should be saying is 'learn DB's collision until you reach it's limits' or 'Have you gone as far as you can with the plain old DB matrix because it's not all that slow or bad if used correctly'.

Many third party add-ons - like Sparky's - are excellent, but really are for advanced users who have reached the limits of DB's native commands.

In any case, if smerf has gone as far as he can with DB's matrix abilities, he will respond to my post saying so, in which case I too would point him at AT's.

TDK_Man

smerf
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Location: nm usa
Posted: 23rd Oct 2005 10:18
well just to give you all a little better understandinf of how far along i am. I have used matrixes but do not completely understand how they are used.
as tdk mentioned earlier i was excited when i found matrixes as an alternative to x models but someon had told me they ran incredible slow so i abandoned them i have used the get ground heith command but i stiil dont know how to maniplulate a matrix to build a wall for example or landscape other than randomly.
i bought the book beginners guid to dark basic. witch only covered 2d i have been using that along with dbp help index to get this far. http://www.geocities.com/smerfboyblue/index.html here are some screen shots of some stuff i put together.layer walks sound playes when he does so there is randomly generated wind sound sin the background and he has a gun he sticks to the ground. this will just give you a basic of my cuirrent level.

would anyone reccomend the next book in the db series for me?
little off topic sorry. but basic i have not learned to manipulate matrixes and have no idea how dont even know how to use data arays.

A child's dream never dies.
Zotoaster
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Posted: 23rd Oct 2005 15:03
Well matrices are still your best choice for just now.. no matter what people say, becuase people seem to think that matrices are useless these days and are never used in any games [at anyone who thinks that: check out Dumbo & Cool, best game for DB and made with matrices ]


Quote: "dont even know how to use data arays."


You don't need arrays to make matrices, but they're simple anyway..

you could do:

data1=100
data2=57
data3=798
data4=76587
print data1
print data2
print data3
print data4

OR

dim data(4)
data(1)=100 : data(2)=57 : data(3)=798 : data(4)=76587
for d=1 to 4
print data(d)
next d

basically: it can store lots of data.. rather that having to put a 1, or 2 or 3 etc infront of it, you can select all of it at once..

if you know what I mean


Zone Chicken
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Posted: 24th Oct 2005 00:22
If you have and are planing on using geoscape you can export your levels as .dbm and .dbg for a matrix load using this well documented code posted by lewis from the geoscape site.



however all the matrix i have exported from geoscape usually run at 100 fps or even below but the exact same level used as a advanced terrain will run at 400 fps or even better with uncapped sync that is the reason i would say advanced terrain first.

I never said not to use a matrix terrain or they where useless just i would use a advanced terrain instead of a .x out of geoscape.

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smerf
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Posted: 25th Oct 2005 11:21
ty for the help guys

A child's dream never dies.

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