Shermanlevels

[GRT 0]

Im making a map and i think im almost done with it,the only think really now is to set up the sherman levels.I need help to know how to name each one.Now my question is how would i name these levels

The red lines shows each level.

Heres some pics to show you my map

[H-Hour 0]

It's hard to say exactly without seeing all of your geometry, but the most logical thing to me would be to make it like this:

Your ground would be level one, with that first level of the building. Also, I would suggest making the stairs a part of level 2.

Also, I'm still working out the details on sherman levels, so I could be totally wrong. But I think that's the basic way it should be set up.

[lexsis 0]

H-hour

I have a question., you have the image shown with leves 1-3. I thought you can only have 2 sherman levels?

if you can only have 2 shermans, how do you get buildings that have 3 floors (4 if you include the roof-top)

thnx.

[GRT 0]

hey hhour what about the sewer part.i was thinking of doing that sherman1.0 the ground plane/first floor of houses as 2.0.The second floor has 3.0 and the roof has 4.0.

also lexsis a map can have any number but the command map only goes the 2 floors.

Edited January 26, 2004 by IF_GRT

[shiver 0]

I would do the whole ground level including the sewer part as shermanlevelheight1.0.

AI will only work on levels 1 and 2.

You should have the ground level be level 1 and I think u could have

the roof level be shermanlevelheight2.0.

I think u could use a shermantransition for the actual 2nd floor in buildings

that have them.

I dug way into the platoon archives to show you this thread.

The images have been removed though.. but mike schell does a pretty

good job of explaining things.

sherman level how to's

Edited January 26, 2004 by shiver

[H-Hour 0]

Listen to Shiver. He knows what he's talking about. I'm still figuring it all out.

Shiver, I like that idea about making one of the levels a transition. Would that work by putting the 1.25 and 1.75 at each staircase and then making the floor area 1.5?

[shiver 0]

1st off, I have no experience w/ doing shermanlevels or transitions,

but when I read about them in the pdf or mike schells thread, they

seem pretty straight forward. If I feel like I don't understand part of it,

I just read it again, and again and again, until it makes sense.

I was thinking that the stairs leading to the roof could also be tagged

the same as the 2nd floor, ie 1.5.. but u have to try it and see if it works.

If not, then try breaking it up more like what you suggested Hhour.

Edit: I forgot about the bridge. Ai can't cross it because it's on the same shermanlevelheight as the ground below it in the drain.

Options:

1.) Have the floor of the drain be shermanlevelheight1.0 as GRT suggested earlier. Have the roof level be shermanlevelheight2.0 and everything inbetween is some kind of transition between the 2 levels.

2.) Have the ground level be shermanlevelheight1.0 including the drain.

Move the bridge higher, get it off shermanlevelheight1.0. Maybe it

can be tagged as a transition also.

3.) Select the polys below the bridge and remove the floor tagging so that

aren't traversable. Don't think that's a good option because it takes

away from the map.

I need to look at the pdf again and refresh my memory.

Edited January 26, 2004 by shiver

[sleeper 0]

AI will only work on levels 1 and 2.

-shiver

Not true, AI will work no matter how numerous the levels are. It's the command map itself that only supports 2 levels properly although it can actually support more for most uses.

if you can only have 2 shermans, how do you get buildings that have 3 floors (4 if you include the roof-top)

-lexsis

Easy answer here, you model them. They work just fine for player controlled characters, its the command map as it relates to AI and AI pathing that is the only true things affected.

[shiver 0]

AI will only work on levels 1 and 2.

-shiver

Not true, AI will work no matter how numerous the levels are. It's the command map itself that only supports 2 levels properly although it can actually support more for most uses.

if you can only have 2 shermans, how do you get buildings that have 3 floors (4 if you include the roof-top)

-lexsis

Easy answer here, you model them. They work just fine for player controlled characters, its the command map as it relates to AI and AI pathing that is the only true things affected.

thanks sleeper,

my response was aimed at both sp and mp.

I thought you couldn't script a mission w/ enemies beyond shermanlevelheight2.0... do shermanlevelheights beyond 2.0 show

up in igor and allow the placement of enemies?

I didn't mean to imply that the players ai couldn't follow beyond shermanlevelheight2.0 but I did speak in very general terms.

[sleeper 0]

Shiver, no problem man, you know your stuff. Theres just a lot of misunderstanding about shermanlevels/map levels still circulating around and I am by far not an expert myself. We've got people around here getting stuck because they think they need to make extra shermanlevels in their maps because they put hills in.

Take a look at The Ship (fr02_icebreaker) from Frostbite. It uses 5 map levels and they all show up in IGOR via the + and - keys and have been used in the mission for enemy scripting. This should answer all questions as to what is possible and how well it works.

The real drawback is in the players command map while in game. You can only add one overlay .rsb to your command map (ex. m03_RRBridge). This limits the assigning of waypoints to player backup AI to just 2 levels. (Unless these levels dont overlap in the z axis, but if they didnt, you wouldnt really need the multiple map levels to begin with.)

Hope that clarifies it.

[H-Hour 0]

Ah! I did not know that sleeper. Thanks for the clarification.

[shiver 0]

wow.. thanks again sleeper,

definitely clears things up.