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TERRAIN

You probably found the last few pages boring and repetitive, but it is still important information. Now for the actual map making, where you can finally learn the secrets of making a good map. Remember my concept? Well now I have to mark out where the mountains are going to go, and to do that I just texture over where they should go. Because I want the map to be symmetrical, so it can be balanced easily, I use the co-ordinates at the bottom to make sure the texturing is done right down the middle, and I use the Lock Angle tool to make sure it is done in a straight line.



Using the Height Brush tool (the brush without a plus or minus sign. It changes the terrain to a specified height, rather than add or subtract height), I have a width of 20 plus a feather width of 10, then I add 100 feet to form the basis of the mountain, following the markings I just put down.



I then add a higher up area, 200 feet high which is the impassable area of the mountains. Always have two or three layers when making mountains or hills.



You can then remove the texture, by using the Eye Dropper, selecting the default texture and then using the fill bucket to fill in the guideline texture.



Using the Mesh Mould tool, I now smooth the sides of the mountains to form the basic shape. For the passable parts, you can either use the Ramp tool or, as I have done, add another step (50 foot) and smooth it down into a smooth ramp. Whilst smoothing the passable areas, press CTRL+I to check whether the result is passable.
And here we have the basic mountainous terrain:



At the moment, it doesn’t look very realistic, so we use the Add Terrain Tool (the brush with the plus sign) with the values shown in the screen to add realistic looking cliffs and mountains. Just quickly move it over the edges and sides of the mountain and watch the bumpy ground build up. (The example below isn't the best I've done, but heck, I did do this map last summer).



And for the whole map:



Note, I haven't added a river here, but for that, just lower the terrain for 0, smooth the sides then use the Add-Height brush to add bumpier areas to the river banks.

It is also a good idea to add gentle hills to your map, but note that in BFME II the build-everywhere needs flat land, so hills are best placed near the edges of maps or under forested areas.

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