H-Hour

Kilrogg, do you have any more details about the billboard? Do you want a border or anything? Will it be metal, wood, lighted... Could you provide a screenshot of the locations of the billboard? Is there anything else in the map we could "fit in" with?

These pictures are nice, but it actually needs some "texture" to it to look good in-game. One thing I do, Kilrogg, to make a nice easy texture, is to get a flat texture of something that matches (without graphics on it, like just wood or just metal). Then do a Color Select, so that you're only grabbing tiny, semi-transparent dots throughout the picture. Then simply paste that over the top of your image. You can increase/decrease opacity and do a color overlay to help it blend in. I'll see what I have lying around for examples.

Trooper

attention to details, i like it H-hour, cant wait to see what you come up with

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that sounds like a good idea trooper.
-Vulcan

H-Hour

Kilrog, I've thown together several different textures for you to use on your billboard. Not the billboard itself, just something you can lay over the top of any image to give it a worn look.

Download this file: sample_billboard.zip < 3 MB

Unzip it and open the PSD. You should see two layer groups. Open the Textures group. All the texture levels are currently hidden. Just view one at a time. Mess around with them, change the opacity. One thing I find myself doing a lot is increasing the contrast. You'll find that the actual kind of texture doesn't matter that much. Things like concrete give it a nice weathered look, even though a concrete billboard is absurd.

I'm going to dig around and see if I have anything I can easily sample to create rain weather, the dark spots the examples have around the edges. It really helps to accentuate the edges, because in real life we have an infinite 3D detail. Accentuating the edges helps disguise our limited 3D detail.

Kilrogg

Awesome stuff man. If you want an idea of the setting for the billboards, here's a pic with 2 of them http://img141.imagevenue.com/img.php..._screen055.jpg . If you're feeling particularly creative you can do something that involves both . Rest of the screenshots of the map are here if you want more of the setting. It's a rural China type of map.

DrunkenSoul

I would be great if you could get some rain effects



Killrog here is one that would fit your new map:



I used H-Hour templates. Thanks a lot!!

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UnDeaD77

added a layer to it.

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H-Hour

Allright, here's an updated file. I've added some rain damage (bleh! I'll explain below) and several different examples you can use to give it different "spots" of wear and tear.

Under the layer group "Spots", there are several different examples of spots. I made each one of these by pulling a small portion of the layer "spots-original" and then messing with the blending options. Take a look at the blending options on each one to see which options were used to create which effect.

Under the layer group "Misc", there is just a long line you can include somewhere. I thought there would be more random stuff, but that's all I made. I just started with a wide texture. Cut out a wierd shape the height I want and MUCH MUCH wider than I want. Then I scaled it down, added some noise, blurred some, etc. It's not that good.

Ok, now about the rain damage. You will probably want to redo the rain damage in this file, since it kind of sucks. It's copy/pasted with just little changes here and there to disguise it. But you can see more about the way I made it in the layer group "Trim - original". First, work off of a pre-existing texture. This will help give it a little bit of bump that just helps. Paste that texture across the bottom of the image, with a decent height to it as well (you'll be scaling this thing all over the place, so just make sure you've got some meat to work with). Then set a high feather setting (10px) and cut out some broad, smooth patterns. In the "Trim - original" group, this is how I created the layer "broad" layer.

Next, place the same texture across the bottom again, but cut out longer, thinner strips, with a little feather, like 2 or 3. The layer "thin" is what I did with this. That layer's not too good, because I just copy/pasted a lot of what I'd done. When you get it similar to the thin/broad layers, merge the layers and scale it's width way down. You can also scale the height up or down if you'd like. In the end you want it to look like the layer group "Trim - scrunched".

Anyway, I explain because I think the trim I did doesn't look all that great, but I don't want to spend a lot more time. You should be able to experiment with that technique to get it looking just right. The other option is to just find a texture you like that does it, and try to pull out the same patterns with color selection. Also, I think you'll want to figure out some sort of trim for the left/right/bottom borders. Experimenting with the rain damage technique, using different shapes, could get you some good results I think.

wushuhero

nice files H-Hour, also the actual texture for the billboard is-
C:\program files\EA Games\Battfield 2\mods\bf2\objects_client.zip\staticobjects\_middl e-east\city\textures\mecity_01_c.dds

I cant seem to locate the chinese billboards though

in that file you will see the billboard in the middle surrounded by a bunch of other wierd looking textures, just paint over the billboard, nothing else, than when your done just save as mecity_01_c.dds and package up you objects client

remember to back up your original file first



Kilrogg, in order for others to see you map you will need to package up the original BF2 with your file, so unless you want to send everyone your billboard texture, than have them repackage there BF2 I dont think you will be able to include different billboard textures in you map without a seperate mod, Your best bet, If you want seperate billboard textures is to include this map in the Tacmod

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H-Hour

A little graphic, perhaps, but here's an entry. Not sure how the cream color will work in-game.


Border just added for display in forums. I can give you a better file if it's selected.

WhiskeySix

feel free to play around with it... don't think i like the bullet holes now that I look at it again

http://www.tacticalsites.com/~whiske..._billboard.psd [8.3MB]

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Acid

Thats pretty awsome Whiskey!

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DrunkenSoul

what areas do u think need to be fixed?

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|TG-1stMIP|DrunknSoul
1st Mechanized Infantry Platoon (C-Team)


[medic][conduct][combat][defense]
[tog-c1][ma-c1][tpf-c1][ma-c2]

Acid

We have to do a teabagging one.....

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RocketPunch

Here is it. Hope you like it. I created one with a PLA theme for your board.

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Kilrogg

Damnit this is hard, I gotta pick 3 out of all of these tonight so the map can be played sunday in TacMod

I've been reading tutorials and I figured out how to put custom textures in the map, it won't be long at all but I really really want to have the map played Sunday because it's the only way I'll see how it plays with a lot of people. For this though, I need to finish up a final version tonight for Asch (unless he tells me otherwise). And there's a ton of good stuff coming out of this thread....argh .

I'll wait until 11pm EST, it's now 8:45pm. Then I'll pick the best 3 and keep the rest for my next map. Thanks a lot guys, tons of good stuff here.

Also, although the "serious" billboards are great, I'd prefer putting funny/inside joke stuff on the billboards as it's mostly going to be played by TG people and I think it'd be funny to most TG players. The Bommando's school of medics is great . I hope he doesn't see this thread, I wanna hear his reaction when he sees that Sunday (if we play it).