How is a larger map like Fallout's generally made and maintained?

allengingrich

I've created many good looking smaller maps in World Machine, but I have a hard time envisioning the workflow for a larger map like Fallout's. Here's my guess -- does the following process sound somewhat correct?

1. Export geographical heightmap of Boston using real data
2. Import into WM and render as mesh
3. Export mesh, import into ZBrush, then add custom landscape features needed for gameplay
4. Export new heightmap out of ZBrush into WM
5. Run erosion filters, etc for minuscule detail
6. Export heightmap, colormap, etc
7. Import into game engine

And if I wanted to make changes that I only discovered after building on the map, would I just keep iterating on the above then? Export out of game engine as heightmap, back into ZBrush or WM to add custom geo, etc? How do I avoid disturbing terrain I like, only adding new additions?

Anything you can add would be great. Thanks!

StormyBA

http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/JoelBurgess/20130501/191514/Skyrims_Modular_Approach_to_Level_Design.php

allengingrich

StormyBA said:

http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/JoelBurgess/20130501/191514/Skyrims_Modular_Approach_to_Level_Design.php

Thanks! I guess I should have clarified -- I'm talking moreso the landscape than the dungeons/buildings.

Panupat

Landscape usually use combination of many smaller sized repeatable texture and material layering on top of each other. Depends on the engine but at the very basic you'll be able to paint mask/vertex where you want each map/material to appear, along with other conditional control such as have cliff tex/mat appearing at steep slope.

ZacD

Seems like no one is really reading the question. OP is asking how a studio would iterate on a large world without screwing anything up.

It probably really depends on the game and engine. You could work on a grid, and not allow people to make changes to the edges of the grid, so it still lines up, but you can completely change what is going on in the middle of a grid section. You could also do a lot of procedural asset placement stuff, so iteration just means you have to regenerate the procedurally placed content, which would work well enough early on in a project, but you would want to start nailing things down more as you go. 

Spiffy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlgvfEicdwU

Not a perfect example but just imagine they first import a height map and then start working out pathways and such.
I'm sure Bethesda have similar inhouse tools that do most of what you can see here.
Yes the main height map is most likely generated and sculpted but after it goes in engine things like path ways are inserted by modifying the terrain and texture painting in engine. 

Materials are automatic based on Height, and surface normal as well as manual texture panting to give surface and small scale definition and a basic imported colour/normal map controls the very large scale details.
They want to automate this process as much as possible so In some cases they may even import other maps to define where trees or rocks are placed automatically. Maybe a texture map that defines biomes. They can do some pretty amazing things when working with tech artists and programmers.

throttlekitty

Yes, they start with a heightmap, or at least in the past they have, I'm not certain about FO4. But yeah that outline in the OP would pretty much be the starting workflow minus the Zbrush part. Their editor breaks the heightmap down into smaller quad cells and level artists sculpt and repaint the land as needed. This data goes straight into the level data; the heightmap would just be the starting data. Once they're all done, LOD meshes for each cell are generated.

The landscape is just a giant quad mesh, and each vert stores height, color and texture ID #s. And faces have some data for cutting in holes for caves, I think I saw splits in-game. I'm sure there are video tutorials for skyrim/f3/oblivion out there on youtube if you want a quick look.