Trespasser Maximum Terrain Size Test

[hppav]

The Maximum Level Terrain size is 4096 units X 4096 units*, I found this out while working on Jurassic Park Oblivion. So, just how big is this? Well, I did a test by doing a terrain for the area around Chernobyl, since this area was represented in the game S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Then I did a quick little model of the plant itself to make sure the scaling was correct, which it is.



And here's some images to prove scale (The NPP is only partially represented):




So if you are really smart about your texture pallets and use the largest possible SWP size you can have one truly massive level. I was actually genuinely surprised that the scale was just about perfect. And man, does it take FOREVER to walk around that plant.

*Thanks for pointing out my typo machf!

[machf]

4096, you mean...

[hppav]

Yeah, I just realized that when I stepped away from the computer

But still, 4096 Units... With each unit being about 3 feet, give or take... That's 12,288 feet wide, or about 2 1/3 miles by 2 1/3 miles. More than enough space to do something mega huge.

[awesome24712]

More than enough space to do something mega huge.

IIRC, That'd be big enough to recreate the entire island Isla Nublar.

[hppav]

Nublar was 3 miles by 8 miles in the book... The size isn't stated in the movie, though I did attempt to recreate Nublar in that space... I'd say that you could recreate Nublar to about half scale of what you see in the movie using the maximum level size.

[Dragonlord]

NIce find. Question is only what the limits are in terms of objects/textures (IDs). That's most probably going to spoil the plan.

[machf]

It's actually more like 2.5 miles (1 unit = 1m, 4096 units= 4096m, 1 mile = 1609m, 4096/1609=2.546).

I think the limit for objects is 65536...

BTW, have you taken into account terrain resolution? Because if its maximum is also 4096 subdivisions, that means the smallest terrain detail will have to be of 1m...

EDIT: well, according to the exporter script, terrain resolution can be as small as 1/4 m. Does that mean that you can have an array of 16384*16384 points, then? Or would that limit the terrain size to 1024m*1024m instead? Most likely the former, since Trespasser retail levels are 2048m*2048m across...

[hppav]

I was able to have rather detailed areas on my terrain in JPO. Though, admittedly I haven't spent a whole lot of time adding detail. This requires further investigation. Most levels have areas where the terrain is detailed and areas where the terrain is simple. I'm not recommending covering the entire level surface with a playable area either way

Does the object limit only count individual models or every instance of every model? Because if it's just the individual models then there wouldn't be too much of a problem.

And the retail levels only use about a quarter of their level size, utilizing the other 75 percent to represent distant terrain in most cases. This upper limit, in theory, would enable creating levels at least double the size of the retail games if you keep the gameplay area/out of bounds ratio the same.

[awesome24712]

Although a long island like Isla Nublar could probably go diagonally across, so it probably wouldn't need to be such of a size reduction.

This upper limit, in theory, would enable creating levels at least double the size of the retail games if you keep the gameplay area/out of bounds ratio the same.

Yes, IF. In other words, that's probably not going to happen.

[machf]

IMO, JPDS showed why it wasn't really a good idea to use a single huge terrain file with lots of detail everywhere for several levels instead of several smaller individual ones with detail only where needed (among other things).

[Dragonlord]

I think the limit for objects is 65536...

Ah, okay. Then it has the same restruction as the X-Ray Engine. In Stalker they ran into Out-Of-ID problems. But they had also tons of small objects and tons of stashes. Trespasser doesn't have that abundance of objects so I guess one could get around that limitation with careful limiting the objects. That said if every single plant counts against the ID limit on such a large terrain then good night.

[LtSten]

Possibly a stupid question, but I don't know.
Is this a maximum dimensional size, or by area? By that, I mean is the maximum for either length 4096, or does the area have to be <= 4096^2? (so would a size of 8192x2048 work?)

I'm guessing the former, but just wished to confirm this. Not like physical size has ever been a restriction in Tres, I'm sure you'd run into other problems before then.

[machf]

Trespasser terrains must be square. So, 4096*4096 works, but 8192*2048 doesn't.

[hppav]

IMO, JPDS showed why it wasn't really a good idea to use a single huge terrain file with lots of detail everywhere for several levels instead of several smaller individual ones with detail only where needed (among other things).

I never did play JPDS. Kinda hard to get your interest up to make such a big download decision on DSL when the one thing that the PR focused on (the Embryonics Administration) wasn't in the release and all the main areas were cut. Though I hear it's perfect if you like trees.

Though I never did finish adding detail to JPO's Nublar terrain, I have been toying with some ideas on how to do a Nublar themed project and hit all the important areas without it being an boring slog down long roads that seem to go on forever. Might as well do something with all those Nublar references I have...

[machf]

I never did play JPDS. Kinda hard to get your interest up to make such a big download decision on DSL when the one thing that the PR focused on (the Embryonics Administration) wasn't in the release and all the main areas were cut.

This reminds me that I never got to download some of the additional stuff that was released some time later due to lack of space...

Though I hear it's perfect if you like trees.

Soooo true...

Though I never did finish adding detail to JPO's Nublar terrain, I have been toying with some ideas on how to do a Nublar themed project and hit all the important areas without it being an boring slog down long roads that seem to go on forever. Might as well do something with all those Nublar references I have...

The key is to find stuff along the way... a corpse, an overturned vehicle, half-eaten dinosaur remains, guns, mysterious papers, ancient ruins, pirate treasure... anything to keep the player's interest up.