V7 of Project Albus has been released:

• After playtesting the map, some mexes have been added, others removed, still others moved to new locations to better balance the slots.

• Reclaim has been slightly rebalanced.

• The blinking 'beacon' type building was removed from the civilian bases, because it was very distracting.

• Some changes to decals and texturing should make the terrain, including the mountain passes, easier to read.

• Project Albus has been submitted for review for the matchmaker pool.

God, these maps all look amazing.
Can't wait to play them! Maybe i'll even become a mapper myself; seeing this sure does motivate me.

Hi Index, I wanted to give Gaea a test run to export one of my height maps and tweak the terrain a bit then import it back into the Map Editor. Problem I ran into is, I was able to create different nodes in GAEA and got my heightmap looking the way I wanted it with 3 different nodes, but when I tried to mark for export and Build them, nothing appears in the folder I created to export them....what could I be doing wrong? a quick window pops up that looks like a DOS screen when I hit the build button, but nothing gets created in the folder I created to Build it/Export it to

ok got it working now to save the nodes to files...however now when I try to import new GAEA modified heightmap back into a my Map editor its says wrong file size

ok i think i got it....when you build the nodes you have to select the proper resolution of the map size +1 for it to import properly as a height map in the editor.....thanks for your help

@oncehandsome Yea, you got to mark a node for export, and then set the filetype and resolution that you need. I'll see if I can make sure that information is clearly explained in the tutorials.

I don't consistently keep an eye on the forum, so if you have questions for me or need help w/ Gaea your best bet is to send me a message on discord.

@Inspexor Glad you like 'em! Definitely give mapping a try. We've got loads of resources to help you get started, and a decently sized group of people who are more than willing to give you a hand. Add me on discord if you wanna have a chat about Gaea or have questions etc.

This once lush and verdant garden world hosted a classified UEF research facility, researching the first components of the Black Sun doomsday device. We do not know what happened, but all that is left now is a crater and the scattered remnants of the research complex, the planet razed to the ground. // CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. AI compatible.

For the 'Brigadier Fletcher' tournament I submit Project Vortex. The map was designed as a all-out navy brawl: every bit of terrain gained will come with another mex for you to claim. Small islands, many with mexes and/or chunks of reclaim are scattered across the map. Most of these islands are low enough that frigates will be able to shoot over them, although some larger ones have some cliffs and mountains.

The spawns are located on the top left and bottom right corners, with two players starting in the water. To start off, these water spawns get two hydros, but will then have to find dry land to expand their powergrid and build non-navy factories. The remaining corners provide some more reclaim, as well as larger islands that allow for some very aggressive forward factories.

Thematically, this map shows the result of a scientific disaster: all that remains of the research facility that was once present on this planet is a large crater in the center. What survived of the buildings from the research complex was blasted outwards, and later moved around by the water that ended up filling the crater. The effects on the region as a whole was disastrous: no life remains. Only the charred husks of what were once large forests teeming with life provide an indication that this was once a verdant garden world. Across the map you'll find many buildings that have since gotten stuck or washed ashore of the many islands. Some newer structures include UEF cranes and a civilian base, indicating that the UEF has started salvaging efforts.

The center of the crater remains a danger to this day, and it is not recommended that commanders are dropped into the deep.

Something that might feature in a future map... ALIEN EGG.

Does it hatch?

@indexlibrorum said in Index Librorum's Maps, assorted projects, and Gaea tutorials:

The center of the crater remains a danger to this day, and it is not recommended that commanders are dropped into the deep.

...what happens if you do??

@deletethis

...what happens if you do??

I will leave figuring that out as an exercise to the reader
Alternatively, a relevant quote from one of my favorite books:

“And so the First Under the Night came across a portal where great danger might lurk, and upon witnessing it halted and sought the council of Sve Noc. ‘O Night,’ said the First, ‘what wisdom do you offer?’ And so the Young Night answered thus: ‘Try a foot first.'”
– Extract from the ‘Parables of the Lost and Found’, disputed Firstborn religious text

@Reckless_Charger

Does it hatch?

Just a terrain piece! Be glad for it, I doubt whatever would be in an egg like that would be friendly.

Several interesting updates!

Project Mesa HD

Project Mesa was the first map I ever made. It was also the first project I made in Gaea. Consequently, on both the map-making side and the Gaea side there was a lot of room for improvement.

So improvements were made! Released under the new name 'Project Mesa HD', the new map features several fixes to the terrain (which mostly focus on flattening and scaling the map to solve height-related issues), some changes to the mex layout, better reclaim, and much improved use of decals. Pictures at the end of the post.

I have one or two areas left that I can work on to further improve the visuals of this map and may update again in the future, but for now you can find Project Mesa HD in the mapping vault and in this month's 4v4 matchmaking queue.

A github repository for project Mesa assets and project files

I have released a github repository which contains a growing set of decals and textures related to the Project Mesa HD map. The textures and decals will soon become part of the main FAF repository, and thus become available for everyone to use through the FAF editor.

Along with these new mapping assets, I have included the Gaea project files that were used to create the map and assets. If you're interested in working with Gaea, you may want to have a look at how I've created this map and the decals.