Increase Chernarus size with the new engine.

[TiredMiner 21]

-- As a disclaimer, I've been away from the forums, visiting the DayZ Reddit for quite a few months now. Sorry if this has been answered before, as the 'similar topics' listed are 'Do you want pooping in the game?' As Hicks has mentioned that he encourages activity on the forums, I will post as thus.

 

I have heard many times that the size of Chernarus (255 sq km) would not be increased as a result of some engine limitations. Yet, I don't recall that question being asked after the announcement of the entire engine overhaul. So, I ask now on whether this would be possible with the new upcoming engine, which is bound to bring huge improvements in streaming data and optimization(DX11). It is a little jarring that over a hill, near Novodmitrovsk, you immediately stumble upon debug land; and would be truly nice if the new engine were able to efficiently provide further terrain, possibly mountainous and not entirely barren.

 

Developer input welcome, as well as any community ideas of various uses should BI decide to further the playable Chernarus world. Can't wait for DayZ to enter next(current) gen!

 

 

Edited October 3, 2014 by TiredMiner

[preacherlr 614]

Most them map isn't used as it is.. Making it bigger will just result in less activity in the already dying areas..

I'd rather them spend more time on the existing towns instead of making new areas in the map, then making new towns..

[ld-airgrafix 403]

I wouldn't mind some different environments, maybe even a large city, lake etc, but it's something that can be added once game is in beta stage.

[grindstone50k 208]

Most them map isn't used as it is.. Making it bigger will just result in less activity in the already dying areas..

I'd rather them spend more time on the existing towns instead of making new areas in the map, then making new towns..

Server sizes will be increased. They're already testing 50 player servers on Experimental right now.

[TiredMiner 21]

Most them map isn't used as it is.. Making it bigger will just result in less activity in the already dying areas..

I'd rather them spend more time on the existing towns instead of making new areas in the map, then making new towns..

 

I was thinking more along the lines of creating more explorable background scenery(mountains, lakes), as well as more space for things like construction(when implemented) and hiding tents. Whatever space people used to hide Tents in the mod is now being used as a construction ground for huge cities and militarized areas. 

 

Where are 100 people on a single server going to hide their tent, or barricade? heh.

[soulfirez 901]

Huh when did they say it was engine limitations for the reason for not expanding the map ??I ask because i dont see it being an engine limitation as there are plenty of fan made much larger maps running on arma 2. Its more likely the fact it would be an enormous amount of work to extend the map and that as it is now so little of the map is used any way.

 

Dont get me wrong id love them to tack on another 2km north and 2km west but the only expansion they have spoken of doing to the map is adding a large island in the ocean to the south. But hey you can dream as much as you want...

[Red_Ensign 990]

I'd LOVE a much much larger map, with lots of varying terrain to explore.  most of the man-made resources could still be concentrated in towns and cities and on the coast and very very rare in the deep wilderness areas, forcing people to hunt or pack food to get to the middle of nowhere where the tent/base is hidden.  I'd like it to take perhaps days to cross the map on foot, making tents actually useful and practical and making bad planning dangerous.  I take full advantage of being able to sprint for hours without any ill effects, but I can't wait til that ability's gone.  I want scale.  I want journeys to be journeys.  I want the woods to be so vast that trading for meat is a thing in parts of the map.  I want a map big enough that everyone can't hear me chew, for fuck's sake. :-p

[sinkatze 52]

They are in a way increasing the size already, not actual map size, but gameplay boundaries.
Look at the current map and you will see how the North is being completely populated, in the mod all that was just dead forest. Now people actually go up there, hence making the map bigger. And there still is lots to go.

I do agree with you on the Mountains, I would always love some mountains in DayZ and have a completely different environment up there, I'm hoping the far NW edge of the map gets some mountains as that is the highest peak of Chernarus.

I think I was the only person that used to play way up North before as I used to horde choppers up there, but now I feel like a forest animal getting their trees cut down hahah. I've been all around the map comparing the places from the mod and how they are now and its the difference is huge.
So maps ARE getting bigger I would say.

Edited October 3, 2014 by Sinkatze

[TiredMiner 21]

Huh when did they say it was engine limitations for the reason for not expanding the map ??I ask because i dont see it being an engine limitation as there are plenty of fan made much larger maps running on arma 2. Its more likely the fact it would be an enormous amount of work to extend the map and that as it is now so little of the map is used any way.

 

Dont get me wrong id love them to tack on another 2km north and 2km west but the only expansion they have spoken of doing to the map is adding a large island in the ocean to the south. But hey you can dream as much as you want...

 

I see, understandable.

[soulfirez 901]

I see, understandable.

hey dont give up hope they said they werent going to go to dx11 but they are now ! Its not the first time they said they would or wouldnt do something and then changed there mind.

[RedGuard 40]

Mountains would be a great addition to the maps, unless the current slow-walk uphill is there to stay.  

off topic, does anyone know if uphill slow walk will be tweaked ?

 

Red

[CANUCKinNZ 108]

I have a theory that running will get slower and cars will be near the current running speed. Then the map is HUGE!

[gannon46 788]

I would love to see some snow areas like out of the movie the thing or a mountain that can be climbed though I figure i'll wait for namalsk which I hope gets a fresh look and redone as well I love that map.

[Briljin 102]

Until we get a feel for what a server would be like at full capacity, it is hard to determine if the map is too small or not.  This is my one concern about vehicles.

[TwinSpire 49]

I have a theory that running will get slower and cars will be near the current running speed. Then the map is HUGE!

 

Don't think running will be too much slower but I do see them adding exhaustion system where you can only run/sprint for very limited amounts of time and require rest between.

[stielhandgranate 480]

For those saying "hey they are going to use all that unused land nobody went to in the mod" you are dead wrong. The areas free of towns,bases,roads and land marks were where player bases were made. Once the player cap reaches 70 and there are vehicles, the map will feel very very small. where do you put your tent or truck when every area is near a town or a route to a point of interest? In order for the game to thrive with vehicles not being used to ferry freshly killed teammates to the NWAF to gear up in 15 minutes the map will need an expansion. In order for the map to support over 70 players without every grid square being occupied by several players we will need an Altis sized map. Breaking point for ArmA 3 was great in where even if your group was set up with a helicopter, getting a fallen comrade without risking your air asset at the fresh spawn area was risky and chances are recovering your teammate was going to take a few hours. Without transprt it might take half the day to make it to the east side of the map, let alone a point of interest. If we keep the Dayz map this size vehicles will become NWAF taxis and even without, getting your battle buddy will take 40 minutes tops.

[Jex 1104]

Most them map isn't used as it is.. Making it bigger will just result in less activity in the already dying areas..

I'd rather them spend more time on the existing towns instead of making new areas in the map, then making new towns..

 

Most of the map is used, 100% to be precise though wait......

 

 

I just walked outside and got in my space shuttle and I can tell you for a fact that most of the planet isn't used...oh wait, that's reality..... :huh:

[Jex 1104]

I was thinking more along the lines of creating more explorable background scenery(mountains, lakes), as well as more space for things like construction(when implemented) and hiding tents. Whatever space people used to hide Tents in the mod is now being used as a construction ground for huge cities and militarized areas. 

 

Where are 100 people on a single server going to hide their tent, or barricade? heh.

 

Some people would rather condense the map so they can pvp, forgetting this is a game about surviving a ZA, not another COD game,.

[Sammi79 4]

The actual ground topography map extends far out west, roughly double the size you can see on the DayZDb map, It also extends north at least a few km past the edge of the textured/environment model populated part.

 

I think it may well be possible to develop this empty area but would be a huge amount of work and will likely get left to mods if they feel like taking on such a gargantuan task.

Edited October 3, 2014 by Sammi79

[preacherlr 614]

Most of the map is used, 100% to be precise though wait......

 

 

I just walked outside and got in my space shuttle and I can tell you for a fact that most of the planet isn't used...oh wait, that's reality..... :huh:

That's exactly my point.. What is the point of adding more shit, when it's not going to get used?

And, How exactly is 100% of the map used? Been to Tulga lately? Msta? Staroye? Pulkovo? Myshinko ( pre-tents ) ? Might want to get back in that spaceship.

Sure everyone has been most places. That doesn't mean that they're actively used. I'm not endorsing condensing the map, Nor expanding it. I'm just saying it's better to work on what we already have.

The difference about most the planet not being used vs a large chunk of a GAME map not being used.. Let's see.. WORLD Vs country side.. GAME vs Real life... What's the point in continually adding place in, if people have no incentive to visit it.

Get in your space shuttle and think about that. 

[Cap'n (DayZ) 1827]

Wrong. They can't expand it, because that's not how Visitor works. Even if they have a "new" engine (still RV, get over it), they're still using Visitor to edit terrains. If I remember correctly, after you choose the terrain border size (15x15 in SZ's case), you can't change that afterward.

 

Technically, it's impossible to expand the map itself. They can however, expand outwards towards areas that are covered in the AU. Miroslavl' is only 3-4km from Kamenka, and we even have a road sign for it already. Wouldn't hurt to start small, by expanding outside South Zagoria.

[Jex 1104]

That's exactly my point.. What is the point of adding more shit, when it's not going to get used?

And, How exactly is 100% of the map used? Been to Tulga lately? Msta? Staroye? Pulkovo? Myshinko ( pre-tents ) ? Might want to get back in that spaceship.

Sure everyone has been most places. That doesn't mean that they're actively used. I'm not endorsing condensing the map, Nor expanding it. I'm just saying it's better to work on what we already have.

The difference about most the planet not being used vs a large chunk of a GAME map not being used.. Let's see.. WORLD Vs country side.. GAME vs Real life... What's the point in continually adding place in, if people have no incentive to visit it.

Get in your space shuttle and think about that. 

 

No you missed the point, entirely.

 

Used for what exactly - go on, let's hear how you tell us the game should be tailored around you.

[stielhandgranate 480]

Some people would rather condense the map so they can pvp, forgetting this is a game about surviving a ZA, not another COD game,.

 

The casual COD immigrants could be the death of this game. I remember being told that one complaint of the last yearly COD rehash was the PVP maps were too large. There is zero faults of having a bigger map in dayz.

 

Takes longer to get to good loot? Good thing.

 

Ground vehicles can no longer take you anywhere on the map in 10 minutes?  Good thing.

 

More of a bother to reach your buddies or recover gear from your body after death? Good thing.

[stielhandgranate 480]

Wrong. They can't expand it, because that's not how Visitor works. Even if they have a "new" engine (still RV, get over it), they're still using Visitor to edit terrains. If I remember correctly, after you choose the terrain border size (15x15 in SZ's case), you can't change that afterward.

 

Technically, it's impossible to expand the map itself. They can however, expand outwards towards areas that are covered in the AU. Miroslavl' is only 3-4km from Kamenka, and we even have a road sign for it already. Wouldn't hurt to start small, by expanding outside South Zagoria.

 

Man this RV rebrand is pissing me off. Of course the Dev Defense Force are going to roll in and claim this "new" engine will do everything we wish but the reality is for all of the profit to input this project has they should really just license a professional engine like cryengine 3. RV and it's slightly tweaked variants are unfit for this type of game.   

[SmashT 10907]

From a technical point of view...

Chernarus is a 2048 x2048 map using a scale of 7,5. This gives us a playable map of 15360 x 15360 meters (225 km²). Everything that can be seen beyond this map ingame is so called outside terrain and is generated automatically by the game engine. This outside terrain can not be edited!!!

 

To extend the map you would have to enlarge the original heightmap, sat map and texture map. The next possible (highest possible) seize would be a 3072 x3072 map using of course the same scale of 7.5. The result would be a 23040 x23040 meters map (529 km²). BI editing software (visitor) allows also to generate 4096 x4096 maps but even they avoid this size because it tends to be unstable (beside other problems).

 

While it may be technically possible, it would involve a huge amount of work and would essentially require them to remake the map from scratch so it's not likely to happen. See SenChi's response from an interview below.

 

Q: Will the actual size of the map ever increase?

A: Unfortunately we are limited by the physical size of map that was set at the Chernarus for Arma 2 (15.360km x 15.360 km) long time ago, perhaps in the future we will find a way to extend the border, but right now talking about it too early.

http://forums.dayzgame.com/index.php?/topic/179674-interview-with-senchi-world-designer/

 

Rocket did throw around some ideas early on about how they could allow players to travel between maps in-game, maybe by boat for example where you would essentially load into another server/map, dunno if that's been discussed any further though.