Due to the limitations and "UGH"-ness of Zero Editor's terrain and texture editor and the look of its output, I would like to model my own terrain/environments; I already know how to model using XSI. Is there anything I should know before attempting this, and is there anybody else who has done or tried this before? Also, how would I go about placing paths?

Do you mean making a model of the actual ground?

Yes I believe you can, there is no real trick to it. One thing only:

In ZE if you place a building halfway under ground then you can walk in the door and fall a couple feet and land on the floor of the building a couple of feet below ground level.

In XSI if you place a building halfway under ground then the ground will stick up along the walls halfway up the building.

Basically all that means is that you will have to be a little more strategic.
Honestly though, maps made mostly in XSI are easier in alot of cases.

CalvaryCptMike wrote:Yes I believe you can, there is no real trick to it. One thing only:

In ZE if you place a building halfway under ground then you can walk in the door and fall a couple feet and land on the floor of the building a couple of feet below ground level.

In XSI if you place a building halfway under ground then the ground will stick up along the walls halfway up the building.

Basically all that means is that you will have to be a little more strategic.
Honestly though, maps made mostly in XSI are easier in alot of cases.

Do you know of any maps that were made mostly in XSI?

Marth8880 wrote:Do you know of any maps that were made mostly in XSI?

Bespin: Platforms
Nar Shadda: (I forget, but its in DT2)
Training Installation

No one has made a map with just modeled terrain afaik.

Squipple's Nelvaan Village does I believe:

http://starwarsbattlefront.filefront.co ... lage;75126

Edit: Release thread http://www.gametoast.com/forums/viewtop ... =35&t=6788

Still in DTII, Balmorra: Outpost (mostly kitbashed).
EDIT: and also Rainbow Road 64 beta by Redline.

It is totally possible.

I recommend that you create the whole thing and then split it into more managable chunks using extract polygons so you aren't limited by filesize. The hardest part with this method is texturing effectively, since you don't have the ability to blend pretty much at all.

Good luck :)

making a whole terrain out of models will be really hard to handle for battlefront. you sould really only do this if you have an artificial terrain which cant be made with the normal terraintools and doesnt need textureblending.

Exactly. It will work for Tantive IV for but not for Kashyyyk.

ZE terrain is made of polygons, too, so as long as you dont spam polies it shouldnt be too hard on the engine. And I, too, ...

Snork wrote:...recommend that you create the whole thing and then split it into more managable chunks using extract polygons so you aren't limited by filesize. The hardest part with this method is texturing effectively, since you don't have the ability to blend pretty much at all.

I imagine chunks being better for your collision, too.

ANDEWEGET wrote:ZE terrain is made of polygons, too, so as long as you dont spam polies it shouldnt be too hard on the engine.

That's irrelevant. ZE terrain also is optimized so that it shows levels of detail based on the user's graphic settings and engine limitations. Terrain modeled in XSI can't do that without its own LOD models, and even then will be far less efficient. For small spaces it won't matter, but large scale maps will suffer greatly using modeled terrain.

split it into more managable chunks

If you do this, I recommend using portals and sectors.

CressAlbane wrote:If you do this, I recommend using portals and sectors.

I agree with this, but of course the way portals and sectors work you need to design your map in a certain way, i.e. you can't have a place where you could see across the map or you might see where objects are being obscured. To understand what I mean, try freecamming around the Death Star or Tantive IV and notice how spots disappear depending on which direction you're facing.