New baseplate concept by Macuser

[macuser]

Here is the first release of the baseplate just to get the communities opinion and see if it is alright. The concept is by berg, the overlay is by me. IT IS NOT FINISHED YET.

Note: those white looking blotches every where will NOT look like that ingame. They are transparent areas and are for a sort of dirty look.

[macuser]

Here is the source file if anyone is interested.

[BlueMaxima]

Looks meepingly good.

[dak180]

Here is the first release of the baseplate just to get the communities opinion and see if it is alright.

Mmm.... pngs to crush...

[Zarel]

They seem a bit way too noisy. They feel like they would be too distracting, in-game. Baseplates are a good place for teamcolor; maybe we should try working that in, instead? And also decontrast like a ton.

[macuser]

Ingame screenshot before I added buiding specific elements (Note:these are berg's building which will get their own version down the road however the image is here for the baseplates)


-regards macuser

EDIT:Image removed by request of Berg.

[Olrox]

Those look very strange. Everything below is my own interpretation - wearing a big black hat to focus on what you can improve.
The lighting effects should be much more subtle, as Zarel imagined, they look too distracting. They also need more logical connections with real construction materials - Baseplates would be pretty much like a "radier" type foundation, probably mixed with augercast type piles for a blended shallow/deep foundation - pretty common in industrial buildings, like automobile factories.

Those are 99% of the times made with concrete, and if made in tiles, those would be very large, probably something ranging between 2x2 and 5x5 meters.

Also, the striped lines are often used as a symbol of isolation, or warning. Those should be near electric transformers, robotic arms, explosive materials, or anything like that, not around a whole building. What you are probably trying to depict is a "location" (I don't know if that's the correct translation), which is a representation of where certain walls, gates, windows, reservoirs, circulation areas, or even whole blocks, are going to be constructued according to the blueprints - it is a measurement procedure where you use coordinates of the terrain to mark corners and lines and stuff like that to make execution easier, afterwards. It is also used to show that "something will be built here afterwards, so this space is reserved".

Those are hardly dangerous areas - they should be clearly visible but shouldn't be yelling "go away", like yellow+black, yellow+red or black+red patterns overall do. You should stick to one color, and, if you're making teamcolored parts in the baseplates (which I reccommend as well, structures should indeed be more teamcolored), this color needs to be neutral. Like, for example, white, or, if a more subtle tone works out and doesn't look like the building is owned by the yellow player, yellow is also acceptable.

Also, most of the buildings in warzone are probably meant to be partially underground - therefore, I'd reccommend that you represented ventilation outlets and inlets (inlets should be on the structure itself preferrably, since the air is going through the building, is going to be heaten, and probably will be partially transformed in carbon dioxide, and therefore will be lighter, going up, making higher outlets more effective than lower ones, which would need mechanisms to provide a flux).

As you see, most of my advice comes from real structures designing, and since I'm going through a civil construction course for 4 years now, I have a keen eye for such logical needs of structures overall. I would ideally suggest that you made full blueprints of the buildings (since you don't have to care about 90% of the designs, like hidraulic systems, structural calculations, execution planning, area usage/circulation ratios, sewer systems, or even ventilation systems, making such blueprints would be very fun and quick to do), but that's probably too much to ask for

Now I've got to sleep, got Soil Mechanics and Concrete Technology classes tomorrow
And it's 3:34 AM here right now

I hope it doesn't sound too harsh, but that all really comes into play if we are aiming for high standards, and not lame partially incoherent, "don't think too much about it or you'll hate it" designs. That carefulness with design makes everything a hundred times more beautiful to the trained-eye users.

~Olrox

[Berg]

Please remove my name from this thread as I asked you in PM
Even though you are using some of my work (which I dont mind) the base plates are changed by you.


Thank you Berg

PS: Olrox thanks for you input but I do not think "lame" should be used in your reply. Also the screenshot shown here was not for forum use it was shown as work in progress on IRC channel.

[macuser]

kk, made some changes - de-saturated a bit and removed the lighting effects.

[Olrox]

PS: Olrox thanks for you input but I do not think "lame" should be used in your reply. Also the screenshot shown here was not for forum use it was shown as work in progress on IRC channel.

Fine, changed it to "partially incoherent". Sorry if that offended you
It's because my own first models/designs were indeed lame and I have no shame in accepting that.

Teamwork solves most problems, and brings anything closer to perfect (even though nothing is perfect). By isolating yourself and negating teamwork, with a headstrong attitude won't bring benefits to your work and your creativity is something that shouldn't be wasted like that, IMO. I suggest that you think about that - I wouldn't care to criticize if I didn't want your or macuser's work to improve.

Anyway - mostly any WIP is lame. Brainstormings also bring up a lot of lame ideas, but is also probably the best way to bring forth the most brilliant ones. Don't be ashamed just because you can't reach someone else's standards, either because your talents can't provide it all, or because the work isn't even finished. The solutions are closer than you think, but you'll never find them if you turn a blind eye on it everytime

Anyway, who am I to say that? Please ignore it if you don't like it, I don't even know you.

~Olrox

[macuser]

Thanks Olrox, I do appreciate comments/recommendations as they help to improve the work. Criticism is ALWAYS welcome.

-regards macuser

[KukY]

My opinion on baseplates:
I don't like the design. They look like they are totaly made from iron, and that just doesn't fit in WZ that is all about concrete upgrades... Yeah, I know, concrete upgrades are usually based on support materials, but still... However, they would look really good in another game...

[macuser]

That is the sad realization I came to, however as you said they do look ok just don't fit with the concept. Now that I think about it didn't colditz already redo the baseplates in 1024 x 1024?

[Olrox]

That is the sad realization I came to, however as you said they do look ok just don't fit with the concept. Now that I think about it didn't colditz already redo the baseplates in 1024 x 1024?

Yep, and those are made to fit the standard models all the same.

I'm glad that you appreciate my criticism - as I said, it was black-hat thinking, so I turned a blind eye to the good aspects
That's mostly because I was typing that just before sleeping and black-hat thinking is a dozen times easier, 90% of the times. Probably because it is said that 90% of anything is crap (it wasn't me )

~Olrox

[macuser]

do you know what happened to those baseplates by colditz? Where could one get them?