Dev Blog
Hi, this is the Stranded III development blog (see also Forum Thread, Comment Thread).
Entry 3 - Unity & Map Editor - October 25, 2012
58 days without update 
- but don't worry, I'm still working on Stranded III. There was no update for such a long time because I checked Unity3D and I decided to switch. It will speed up the development of Stranded III and guarantees cross platform compatibility and massive scaling so Stranded III can probably run on low end and high end systems.
I'm currently just using the basic version but I'll switch to pro.
Currently working on the map editor. Here are some screenshots:
Height Map Importing
You can import heightmaps from grayscale images like in SII. The screen also shows the great file selection system I implemented yesterday and today. Heightmap import is already fully working.
Height Editing
Of course you can also edit the heightmap right in the editor using a brush to increase or decrease the size. This is working as well but still needs some tweaking.
Terrain Painting
Unity3D terrain uses so called splat maps. This means that you can use different textures on your terrain (not just a simple colormap like in SII). Terrain painting is not implemented yet.
Multiple Terrains
You can have more than one terrain on your Stranded III maps (theoretically even an unlimited terrain amount). You can freely position them and select different sizes. The maximum terrain size is much taller than the biggest terrain in SII! This all means that you will be able to create f*cking large maps.
Note about the interface
The editor uses the standard Unity3D GUI system. This makes the editor look neutral which is a good thing in my opinion because you will also use it to make maps for your mods (note that the Unity3D GUI can be modified and skinned anyway).
The in-game interface though will not use the Unity3D GUI. It will use my own GUI (which still has to be written) to make it look like Stranded (or like anything else because you'll be able to change it as well).
Next steps
Implement terrain painting
Implement loading of definitions and allow to place objects/units/items in the editor
Tweak and extend in-editor height editing
- but don't worry, I'm still working on Stranded III. There was no update for such a long time because I checked Unity3D and I decided to switch. It will speed up the development of Stranded III and guarantees cross platform compatibility and massive scaling so Stranded III can probably run on low end and high end systems.I'm currently just using the basic version but I'll switch to pro.
Currently working on the map editor. Here are some screenshots:
Height Map Importing
You can import heightmaps from grayscale images like in SII. The screen also shows the great file selection system I implemented yesterday and today. Heightmap import is already fully working.
Height Editing
Of course you can also edit the heightmap right in the editor using a brush to increase or decrease the size. This is working as well but still needs some tweaking.
Terrain Painting
Unity3D terrain uses so called splat maps. This means that you can use different textures on your terrain (not just a simple colormap like in SII). Terrain painting is not implemented yet.
Multiple Terrains
You can have more than one terrain on your Stranded III maps (theoretically even an unlimited terrain amount). You can freely position them and select different sizes. The maximum terrain size is much taller than the biggest terrain in SII! This all means that you will be able to create f*cking large maps.
Note about the interface
The editor uses the standard Unity3D GUI system. This makes the editor look neutral which is a good thing in my opinion because you will also use it to make maps for your mods (note that the Unity3D GUI can be modified and skinned anyway).
The in-game interface though will not use the Unity3D GUI. It will use my own GUI (which still has to be written) to make it look like Stranded (or like anything else because you'll be able to change it as well).
Next steps
Implement terrain painting Implement loading of definitions and allow to place objects/units/items in the editor Tweak and extend in-editor height editing