Mapping Questions (Tips, Tricks, & Advice Appreciated)

[ThinBlueLineKY4]

Hey Everyone! I have a few questions about mapping that I hope some of you can anwer. Any additional tips, tricks, or advice is appreciated. Here are the questions:

1. Is there some way that I can have some virtual grid appear on the map texture that I just imported so when placing buildings and etc I can use the grid to make them symetrical?

2. What is the best way/order or creating a map starting from an empty already created map texture? By this I mean what would be the best order for the following: landscaping, terraforming, buildings, paths, persons, vehicles, events, virtual objects, etc.

3. Is there a way to edit a map texture while in the editor and have it edit live in the editor?

4. Lets say that I am making a beach in the editor on a map. Overall, the beach is really a large bay. I want to have deep water that boats can go on in the middle, and shallow water near the edges of the water (so on the beach) in which I can have persons stand on AI"playing on the beach"Overall, the beach is really a large bay. I want to have deep water that boats can go on in the middle, and shallow water near the edges of the water (so on the beach) in which I can have AI persons stand on "playing on the beach". How would I be able to do this using only 1 body of water? I think there is a way using virtual objects and shallow water type for virtual object, but I'm not 100% sure.

5. What would be the best way to do brigdes? This map I am working on has 4 bridges. With 2 of them being 2 lane bridges (one lane in each direction) and 2 of them being side by side 2 lane bridges (each bridge is for one direction of travel). The 2 bridges side by side aren't short, and will probably require multiple bridge pieces to be placed together to bridge the gap.

 

Any and all answers are appreciated. Thanks!

[itchboy]

1. No, not within Em4. An alternative is tp go into your map texture and overlay a grid on it. Be sure obviously to save a clean backup.
2. Start with map texture, then terrain. Pathing is next along with traffic lights. Events and prop stuff go last.
3. No.
4. Em4 is hardcoded that shallow water I believe wont allow persons to stand in. They'll auto become injured.
5. Bridges are just plopped as need be. They can extend as long as you make a proper 'street' over them.

[ThinBlueLineKY4]

7 hours ago, itchboy said:

1. No, not within Em4. An alternative is tp go into your map texture and overlay a grid on it. Be sure obviously to save a clean backup.
2. Start with map texture, then terrain. Pathing is next along with traffic lights. Events and prop stuff go last.
3. No.
4. Em4 is hardcoded that shallow water I believe wont allow persons to stand in. They'll auto become injured.
5. Bridges are just plopped as need be. They can extend as long as you make a proper 'street' over them.

so i can only have people on the beaches and not in the water? Okay. thanks! how would i set it up where divers can go enar the shore to pick up drowning victims? and thanks for all the answers! And is there some scale so I know how many square pixels on the map texture are equal to one grid square in the editor?

[itchboy]

Set it up by having 'deep water' as the singular VO all across the water.

The editor .pdf contains information about scaling.

[ThinBlueLineKY4]

13 hours ago, itchboy said:

Set it up by having 'deep water' as the singular VO all across the water.

The editor .pdf contains information about scaling.

okay. thanks!