I'm starting to hate rocks......

[andylegate]

Really. I mean we take rocks for granite (sorry, thats a sick pun, but couldn't resist!) right?

So here I am, modeling some bolders, smaller rocks.....dimple here, bulge there, crack here...flatten it there....

Only how many more to go??? It's a BIG boxed in canyon this first Training Age of mine.......The rocks, they've got to look real. I don't want to cheat a make a picture of rocks, as the explorer will be able to walk up to these babies. Walk on them, jump on them, etc.....

Never thought about it before.........

Well, at least I'm not having to make the gravel that covers the ground!

[Chacal]

That's the worst pun I've seen yet on this board. I may have to flag you as kickable, with a very high elasticity.

About rocks: you need just a few "hero" ones, the ones that players will get close to. You can reuse the meshes, rotate them, scale them, invert them, give them different materials.

All the other "extra" (background) rocks can be low-poly. If they're not colliders and not kickable, they shouldn't lag down your Age. Don't give them a col_type, put them behind a low-poly collider as Cyan does.

Actually they don't need to be separate objects. Have a look at how Cyan did the rocks in Aegura. Often the whole rock face is one single object.

[Trylon]

Really. I mean we take rocks for granite (sorry, thats a sick pun, but couldn't resist!) right?

So here I am, modeling some bolders, smaller rocks.....dimple here, bulge there, crack here...flatten it there....

Only how many more to go??? It's a BIG boxed in canyon this first Training Age of mine.......The rocks, they've got to look real. I don't want to cheat a make a picture of rocks, as the explorer will be able to walk up to these babies. Walk on them, jump on them, etc.....

Never thought about it before.........

Hmm, methinks you could also have a number of standard rocks modeled, and apply various decal textures to them (like, a crack here, and a moss or sandy patch there, or maybe a little decal of a gold vain, quartz vain, or other ore) Makes things easier than modeling every rock individually.

Well, at least I'm not having to make the gravel that covers the ground!

Yeah, I really hope you're using a transparent gravel texture for that - like it's done in the cleft-desert.

[andylegate]

NEVER!!! My map will the the most detailed ever! It will take DAYS to download, and no computer will be able to load it, as it will be such a memory hog!! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!

loud smacking sound as Andy's wife slaps some sense into him.....

Ah yes, excuise me!

Acutally ,yes. I have high poly that explorers can get to and low on the rest. And yes, I'm cheating by going Shift-D and then making small changes!

And the gravel....I have a great texture for it, looks very real. It's tiled though, but I've got another trick for that, when I can get to it.

Wait until you see the sky.........I'm hoping it stops most in their tracks and makes them go:......woah.........

[Jennifer_P]

Really. I mean we take rocks for granite

Hehe, that's great! I'm going to use this one sometime with my fellow geologists!
Most people just ignore rocks and terrain and create amorphous looking rolling hills, but you take rocks seriously! /bigthumbsup

[andylegate]

Yes, I take my rocks seriously....



and for some reason, no one will believe me when I tell them I've put a pool in.......

[Jennifer_P]

Oooooh, very nice rock...
And I love the pool, hehe!

[Goofy]

Sorry andy I can't alow that pool theres no Lifeguard stands

it does look cool thought. Also since you brought up rocks. I'm trying to builds some myself. On most of them people will be able to get closes, but others they won't. Unfortunately I have no clue where to start when it comes to making rocks or the other element I'm making. lots and lots of research for me to make most things.

[bluewyvern]

Yes, I take my rocks seriously....

*enthusiastic applause*

I wish everyone took rocks as seriously as you.

Really! An Age isn't so much in the towers and caverns and puzzles and temples and bridges and trams and sculptures, as you may think...it's in the dirt and the sticks and the rocks, the small and simple things underfoot, and you're on your way to a great Age indeed.

[Chacal]