Quote:
Originally Posted by propbeanie
Wow fellers... We want this for SH4...  - Vielleicht ist gap Doktor Frankenstein? 
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I wish that could be possible, but I am afraid it won't happen without hacking SH4's code.
I explain: while the bulk of the SH5 terrain files are in common with SHIV - which means a grid resolution of 200 m between an elevation point and the next one and just 256 height levels between the highest and the lowest point (8,000m and -1,500m respectively) - SH5 gives us the possibility of patching map areas of special interest. Each 'patch' or height mask covers a surface of 25 (5x5) sq. km, with height data set 25 m apart (i.e. 8 times the resolution of regular height maps); moreover, data stored in those files is encoded as float rather than grayscale values, thus enabling a much smoother and accurate transition between an height level and the next ones. The only disadvantage of the said height masks, new to SH5, is that unlike the 'regular' ones, they can't be edited directly with a raster graphics editor but, following the tricky but effective method devised by me and Jeff, they require the conversion of real world height data into a 3D mesh, which, on turn, is converted in the float format accepted by the game using the OBJ to RAW converter by Jeff.
Conversely, what can be partly converted from SH5 to SHIV and SHIII, is terrain type settings which control the different tree types and terrain textures mapped on the SH globe, with a maximum number of unique combinations amounting to 256. In this respect, one advantage of SHIV and SHIII over SH5 is that they can use more than 8 tree types per terran type, and that their trees can be actual 3D objects rather than flat billboards. If anyone wants to port parts of this mod to any other game of the SH series, he has all my encouragement