I'm trying to get a map set-up so one part is on land, then another part is underwater, and there'd be like a glass tunnel connecting the two. The obvious gameplay problem is if water would be rendered inside the tunnel. How do I prevent the game from rendering water in a certain area? I know how to make it so you don't take damage, but what concerns me is the inability to fire weapons.

The only solution I can think of would be to raise the terrain above the object, then use terraincutters so the terrain would vanish, then make a .msh to simulate terrain outside the tunnel, which would take forever to get all worked-out.

There is absolutely no way to have a tunnel that is literally underwater, and yet not render the water in the tunnel. Sorry.

THEWULFMAN wrote:There is absolutely no way to have a tunnel that is literally underwater, and yet not render the water in the tunnel. Sorry.

Weeellll that is if you don't know how to create your own water in a 3d model. Fo example, the naboo fountain has water in it and the Yavin IV waterfall has water.

linksith wrote:

THEWULFMAN wrote:There is absolutely no way to have a tunnel that is literally underwater, and yet not render the water in the tunnel. Sorry.

Weeellll that is if you don't know how to create your own water in a 3d model. Fo example, the naboo fountain has water in it and the Yavin IV waterfall has water.

That is not water. Those examples are just models made to look a little like water. Not the same thing.

Maybe you could not place the water on that area and have some sort of "structure" or "terrain" that makes the water seem seamless.

There are many options with 3d modeling. the trick is..... you need to be really smart.

EDIT: also, ZE is a different type of 3d program that is made to be easy for battlefront and has no export option, etc. etc.

linksith wrote:There are many options with 3d modeling. the trick is..... you need to be really smart.

EDIT: also, ZE is a different type of 3d program that is made to be easy for battlefront and has no export option, etc. etc.

I know there are many options with 3d modeling. But I was answering his specific question about water made in ZE, not about models. I am not saying you aren't right, water can be faked by models.

And ZE actually does have an export option. You can even export the terrain in .OBJ.

wait. really? if you exported the obj model as a msh file, is there any way to save the msh as a ter (terrain) file?

jdee/barc wrote:is there any way to save the msh as a ter (terrain) file?

No, not exactly. You could however add the model like a .msh and it would act like the terrian if you wanted to. But that's for another topic.

the terrain has lots of features mshs dont support like textureblending etc. you cant make an msh terrain (but it was originally supported to use custom burshs for the terrain) and i dont know how you could make the terrain an obj.
using a msh as terrain has been discussed before, the conclusion was that it has too many disadvantages, specially render- resource-wise

DarthD.U.C.K. wrote:i dont know how you could make the terrain an obj.

Odd, I don't remember how, but I remember doing it once. Eh, never mind then.

Alas, SWBF2 does not allow for such things, so the surrounding environment must be made to look like water.

You people call yourselves modders. Where are the hackish work-around options?

Here's a half baked one. Place the tunnel in the water, then place a copy underneath some other part of the map (underneath a large object if you want to use the terrain...) Teleport regions placed in the entrances/exits to both tunnels, and fake underwater environment effects around the substitute tunnel.

The drawback is that you would probably be limited to cloning a small area around the tunnel, no interactions between the tunnel and the outside environment, and you would want to make your "view distance" short outside the fake tunnel so the user does not notice. Maybe add underwater "fog" effects in both places.

Also, unless someone has found out how to manipulate the position data from GetEntityMatrix, so that you could teleport based on relative position, the teleport will be jarring to the user as it will take them from say, jumping at the side of the tunnel entrance, to on the ground in the middle of the fake tunnel entrance (Where the teleport desination node is..)

To look polished it would take a bit of work, but if its the crux of your design plans and you are in modding for the technical challenge aspects as much as the design, then its feasible.

So, feel free to point out the glaring error in my concept if there is one. I'll tell you its just a minor set-back.

Ace_Azzameen_5 wrote:You people call yourselves modders. Where are the hackish work-around options?

Here's a half baked one. Place the tunnel in the water, then place a copy underneath some other part of the map (underneath a large object if you want to use the terrain...) Teleport regions placed in the entrances/exits to both tunnels, and fake underwater environment effects around the substitute tunnel.

The drawback is that you would probably be limited to cloning a small area around the tunnel, no interactions between the tunnel and the outside environment, and you would want to make your "view distance" short outside the fake tunnel so the user does not notice. Maybe add underwater "fog" effects in both places.

To look polished it would take a bit of work, but if its the crux of your design plans and you are in modding for the technical challenge aspects as much as the design, then its feasible.

So, feel free to point out the glaring error in my concept if there is one. I'll tell you its just a minor set-back.

Sounds similar to an idea I had for a multiple world map. Can't believe I didn remember that.

In my opinion the best "hackish work-around option" is to have the whole thing be "underwater" like in Rebel Ops Part 1, Aquarius: Deep Sea. There was no actual water in the map, but it was convincing enough for me.

Manaan: Murky Depths is another amazing example; it quite possibly has the best visuals out of all maps out there.

Basically said, my idea is to use environmental effects like in Manaan and Aquarias but only in a localized area - out the windows of the fake underwater tunnel.
Localized means it limits you to local effects and not level effects unless you use a giant rain-shadow region to block them everywhere else IIRC.

Ace_Azzameen_5 wrote:So, feel free to point out the glaring error in my concept if there is one. I'll tell you its just a minor set-back.

More of an alternate option than an error, but one could simply not use real water at all. Create a large, flat object for the water's surface (give it an animated texture for best effect, and no collision) then set up all the normal underwater effects and use a rainshadow region to prevent them from showing up above the "water." Poke a couple holes in the "water" for your tunnels and you're all set.

No need for teleporters, so you'd have a seamless transition this way.

Xavious wrote:

Ace_Azzameen_5 wrote:So, feel free to point out the glaring error in my concept if there is one. I'll tell you its just a minor set-back.

More of an alternate option than an error, but one could simply not use real water at all. Create a large, flat object for the water's surface (give it an animated texture for best effect, and no collision) then set up all the normal underwater effects and use a rainshadow region to prevent them from showing up above the "water." Poke a couple holes in the "water" for your tunnels and you're all set.

No need for teleporters, so you'd have a seamless transition this way.

flat water object thats animated, sounds alot like kamino's water at the bottom of the stock map.

Dakota wrote:

Xavious wrote:

Ace_Azzameen_5 wrote:So, feel free to point out the glaring error in my concept if there is one. I'll tell you its just a minor set-back.

More of an alternate option than an error, but one could simply not use real water at all. Create a large, flat object for the water's surface (give it an animated texture for best effect, and no collision) then set up all the normal underwater effects and use a rainshadow region to prevent them from showing up above the "water." Poke a couple holes in the "water" for your tunnels and you're all set.

No need for teleporters, so you'd have a seamless transition this way.

flat water object thats animated, sounds alot like kamino's water at the bottom of the stock map.

Kamino's water isn't flat, and if I remember correctly, it is actual water rather than an object.