Large S.T.A.L.K.E.R. inspired Island "NOVA ZONA"

I dont know what say))) dude you are the Best!when i saw this images about underground structure it was like (S.T.A.L.K.E.R) atmosphere damn! That awesome man! And about village you just suprise me))) you make real scary atmosphere))) and about (EMPTY REFUGE) the storage building looks like a train garage.

---------- Post added at 05:47 ---------- Previous post was at 05:44 ----------

And by the way look (http://urban3p.ru/object17214/) i found a website about some guys are visiting old underground bunkers,tunels,Bomb shelters in Russia you should look maybe you find something usefull to your project bye. (by the way the website on russian language)

Edited September 1, 2014 by mi24

Hi chaps..! :)

Good to be back, even if it's only from my iPad..!

@ AngelWingGamingJacob- NOVA ZONA is indeed an abandoned island mate...

The story behind it revolves around the total damage wrought by mans desire to harness and expand upon natures unknown aspects, and also scientific experimentation on an unsuspecting populous (and the resulting consequences).

@ -Ghost TF-- Cheers dude, I will try mate.

@ MysteriousStranger- Thanks man, appreciated.

@ RiskPickles- I'm probably the most impatient of all..!

I like that you see a desolate side to the structures up to now as that's one of my intentions with this. This theme will be pushed further as the island develops.

@ LinuxMaster9/MikeTim/serjames- serjames is correct lads, the actual new Terrain itself is someway off as I am methodically creating all the assets I'll need to populate this island with first.

Only when I have at least 75% of those will I consider starting work on the Terrain itself.

@ Handicap- Hey, thanks for the video mate and I've already seen that one and more like it! :)

I am adding a hugely affected environment to NOVA ZONA, so sounds and atmospherics (like in the video) will play a large part.

@ LinuxMaster9- Cheers dude, I just hope the wait doesn't bore you too much as it's gonna be awhile yet..!

@ mi24- Thanks for your comments and that link. Aye, I've seen many Urban Exploration sites now and have an extensive library of reference but it all helps- even if I only use one photo from a whole site so cheers..!

I am happy you're picking up on an atmosphere just from the pictures- that will only get stronger when you're actually hiding inside one of the places with rain hammering on the rooftops..! ;)

Alright Stalkers, I hope that answers your questions and comments for now. Again, I'm sorry I'm not as active as normal right now but I'm confined to my little iPad..!

It's always a fantastic boost to see your thoughts and comments and it helps massively to keep me in The Zone and walking the line... so thanks. :)

Totally unrelated, but

I've JUST got back from a great familly break in Guernsey, so will try to reply to all the questions and comments posted recently when I get time, probably tomorrow...

What's your thoughts on an Island like that for ArmA? I've been looking at doing Jersey, mostly because I'm scared of all the Guersney cliffs, plus the way buildings are spread out over the island seems a bit better. I've been at neither, but just wanted to make something Western-Europe'ish and islands have my preference.

Anyway great to see you're still going at the buildings. Can't imagine the amount of work that has gone into those, especially seeing BIS buildings still fuck up every now and then (Balconies in the A3 buildings lol). As far as effect on Nova Zona, will there we a lot of stuff "hardcoded" if something like that is even possible or will you create a suggested preset, but with different weather presets it'll still be a nice sunny day?

Hi Adanteh,

Guernsey is an absolutely beautiful island to visit mate- it's an extremely picturesque cross between English meadows, tranquil little country lanes and almost Mediterranean coastlines and is WELL worth a visit if you want a relaxed holiday camping somewhere (I prefer to stay in a tent most places I go as it's great to be outside most of the time!).

There's a very varied landscape to it too, so in that regard it'd certainly be a challenge but you may have to use a smaller tighter res size for you actual Terrain mesh as there's a lot of little hills and dips you'd have to capture if it was truly to be like Guernsey I think.

Hope that answers your question mate, and for the record I MIGHT be going with either Anglesey or a part of the Kola Peninsula for my basic starting point for NOVA ZONA- I still haven't decided but will do some more research as the time nears for that side of development.

Aye, I still whittle away at the structures when I can and it is a hell of a lot of work but not too difficult as it's my job anyway but it's just fairly time consuming.

Also bear in mind all the structures you've seen so far also haven't been lodded up yet (lower poly versions of which I plan to make 5 levels of each as I want it to be as smooth as a freshly buttered bannister) so there's another 2-3 days each if done correctly and precisely.

The actual creating LODs like Collision/Shadows etc is simple geometry wise but again just takes time and there are constraints in the way you can make them so that's why maybe some of BIs models still have a few little glitches.

I've found some and then tried to replicate the same glitch in a similar model I've made and the glitch replicates too! There's nothing to be done for it sadly- like being able to "step over" against a solid wall and you can momentarily see outside the wall which is damn annoying, even after making the Geolod 50cms thick!

As far as "effects" go, I'm toying with the idea of having two versions of NOVA ZONA- one (the main one) with all Anomalies and such ACTIVE, and a NOVA ZONA "lite" where it's got none of the strange and weird effects so in effect is a "normal" island, albeit a freaky looking place anyway!

I'm completely in the blind as to how possible it will be for me to create these two variants but look forwards to seeing if any seasoned vets here could shed some light on this idea? :)

As far as the weather goes, it'll be in a very similar vein to the STALKER series type of weather with everything from sun to storms, but will be "biased" to around 60/70% grim weather as the norm...

Anyway man, thanks for your comments! :)

Edited September 5, 2014 by meshcarver

Hi guys and girls,

Just to let you know, I'm now tweeting from a hidden location in NOVA ZONA with the name:

@meshcarver

About the weather effects, can you make it so that when a hurricane blows through, the trees and so on are really moving with the wind? Like REALLY strong , Gale force winds? That, and the wind will change direction like normally happens in a storm. One thing I hope BI changes is the river reeds you see in ArmA 3. The tall grass things. They are not individual blades that move apart when you pass through them. It is like passing through a 2D image. I hope they fix them to be realistic and immersing.

@LinuxMaster9- hey man..! :)

Well, if it can be done then I'll certainly try my damnedest to make it happen as the natural environment is one of the main aspects of importance when it comes to creating an immersive atmosphere on NOVA ZONA. Seeing trees seemingly reacting to the ferocity of a storm or gently swaying in a light breeze would be fantastic- I'd assume it's a simple matter of having a few more animation states linked to the current weather factor?

All that is in the future though mate- but yeah, if it can be done then I'll try to implement it.

Also, yes, I'll be giving the classic STALKER reeds some extra love so you'll be seeing more fidelity close up when you're walking through a patch in a swamp.

Edited September 16, 2014 by meshcarver

I've gotta say, this looks like an absolutely brilliant map, and I've got to admit I'm pretty partial to maps with a certain degree of isolation and overall creepy vibe. Is there or will there be a story behind this Island, and how it became the way it is, or will that be left to the player's imagination?

Meshcarver - I had a small request. My knowledge on the subject is rather limited but I was hoping there might be a way to tone down the amount of ambient wildlife/insects. Atm it seems to be a case of all or nothing. If you could tone it down by around 50%-75% not only would it help performance I think it will help things feel a little more real. I'm not sure if it is possible at a map making level but if you could that would be great.

@ScienceGuy44- hey man, thanks for dropping by! :)

Yes, there is a very strong story and series of events responsible for the creation of NOVA ZONA- and I'm actually refining some specific notes right now(!) about a certain period of time in the islands history.

I'm taking this aspect of development very seriously as I believe it'll have a direct influence on the appearance of NOVA ZONA as you will experience it- and it will also help me to give an actual meaningful form to the geography too.

It is a layered story comprised of tragic events over many years, one after the other until the island itself cannot contain the accumulated effects and so a NOVA ZONA is declared and (eventually) abandoned.

I'll leave it at that for now as the story is still in flux, but that is the general gist of it- I hope that answers your question mate. :)

@TokyoIndia- hi man!

I have "plans" for the flora and fauna of NOVA ZONA so hold that thought..! Lets just say that this won't be your typical natural environment...

@TokyoIndia- hi man!

I have "plans" for the flora and fauna of NOVA ZONA so hold that thought..! Lets just say that this won't be your typical natural environment...

Car trees?

Lol... XD

Well, I will always accommodate ideas mate... ;)

UPDATE: I have decided not to go ahead with this Patreon Account idea, but will leave this post here for the record as is:

Hi guys,

This is a very difficult post for me to write, and I'm not comfortable with the subject at all so I think it best to jump straight in with it.

As some of you will have already read, my circumstances regarding development of NOVA ZONA are less ideal than they could be- I am not able to devote anywhere near as much time as I would like to developing this Island and making it as high quality as I think it should be both for this community and myself.

By far the biggest stumbling block I have is simply time. Yes, there are enough hours in the day, but they are by necessity taken up with RL work to pay the bills like anyone else.

I have been getting hampered and tired out by having to grab 3 or 4 hours whenever I can which is normally late in the evening after an already full day working flat out in front of my computer on RL working commitments.

An immediate effect of this is because development time on NZ is so fragmented and sparse, continuity and quality suffer, as well as the main knock- progress not made through simple lack of time.

In light of this, I would like to take this opportunity just to ask for your thoughts and feelings on an idea I am carefully considering and I will listen very carefully to your replies and act upon them.

Over the past six months I have asked a lot of my friends and colleagues about this issue and sought out their advice and ideas.

In doing so, I have finally reached an admittedly less than ideal conclusion that in able to free up more time and ultimately get it into your hands a lot quicker, I simply need to have an alternative source of funds.

So, at this point I would like to ask you what you would think if I started a Patreon Account in the hopes of getting funding for the development of NOVA ZONA.

I have to make it absolutely clear I have not yet made up my mind about this- that is the reason why I think it best for everyone if I merely put the idea out to you guys first and foremost.

Equally as important is to let you know this would not be for profit or to "make a quick buck" as money for its own sake has always meant nothing to me.

And, if you don't like the idea or think it dubious please let me know. At this point I am simply trying to gauge your thoughts about it- good or bad.

The main point is that if I could displace the need for RL work commitments by seeing if I could raise enough funds to enable me to work full time on NOVA ZONA, then I would be in a position where I could think about going ahead with creating a Patreon Account.

Conversely, if I found that I couldn't cover those funds- then there would be simply no point in making a Patreon Account as I would still have to commit to RL work anyway and in effect there would be no difference from my current situation of trying to grab a few hours late at night- and in that case development would continue in exactly the same state it is now and everything stays the same, no harm done.

Additionally, I am acutely aware that up to now, I have not released a single Addon/Mod to the community, and so to suggest I'm thinking about starting a Patreon Account seems like it will attract hostility for multiple reasons which I fully understand and am prepared for, but again- that's why I'm merely asking about this right now and not just going ahead with it. Hopefully, you can see the sincerity in that approach.

I think hostility would be increased by the very nature of this project, as it'd be quite a long time before you will get the completed NOVA ZONA in your hands to do with it what you wish.

I realise I am asking to see if I could get funding for something that won't materialise in its entirety for a long time guys.

In an effort to counter this, I would make full use of the Patreon rewards model and would think up and welcome suggestions you guys would have about how I could continually reward funding milestones and give something back to the community in return - the most obvious one would be releasing some individual buildings/structures/assets as and when they're complete or on a timely basis- and I would even consider taking direct requests for building designs and tutorial requests etc which will increase the input from the community at large and would have a direct effect on the development of NOVA ZONA without me having to compromise my vision for it.

Other ideas about rewards are being drawn up in the unlikely event I don't get absolutely burned down here.

Ok, I will take a step back now and I genuinely look forwards to hearing what you guys have to say- but please try to keep it civil gents, it's taken me a month to actually summon the courage to post this here and it's not something I do lightly.

Marc

Edited September 22, 2014 by meshcarver

hey man, sorry to hear what your going through, i would be glad to help out with the patreon, but me, like others im sure, would like to see some kind of "buisiness model" or structure on what your plans are for the mod, but im looking very forward to playing on this awesome map and hopefully mod! i played a mod recently that i think nails what your going for, its called "the day after", its a unique style apocalypse mod with refugee camps and whatnots

Hi MC,

I wanted to post and ask a few q's anyway but in response to your recent predicament, I'd say go for it. If people can spare a few bucks, then why not get something out of it for your hard work? I've recently left my job and am looking around for work, so my situation is different in that I have all the time in the world to do modding, but no money rolling in!

Also, I wanted to say NZ looks really good - very atmospheric and brooding. :)

Lastly, assuming you go ahead with it, how are you putting it together behind the scenes. Are you setting up your own config branches, or inherit from BIS classes? Also, are you keeping their nomenclature for map objects (b_ for bushes t_ for trees, r_for rocks etc). I ask as I'm putting together a big MP mission but it's all based on BIS naming systems. Just putting out the feelers to guage how easy/difficult it would be to port over to NZ.

Good luck with your project :)

My advice if you want to go that way would be to start creating the terrain, in its entirety to a very basic level (just a nude terrain mesh without even clutter) and then pick an area and start detailing outwards from there adding vegetation and your new assets. This would give people a taste of the final vision and both you and they a sense of tangible progress (and also reinforce your credentials).

before you try this you should get rid of your "i work alone"-mentality and try to find dedicated people willing to help you.

no need for a big team ... you should be the lead of the project's team to retain YOUR vision.

Personally, I don't ask ppl for coin despite putting in tens of thousands of hours over 10 years of modding. It's something I enjoy doing.

Go for it if you want to but I don't think you'll get more than a few bucks becoz there are 100s of great modders in here who also work for free.

---------- Post added at 05:42 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:41 PM ----------

I also note that this thread is almost 2 years old and there's nothing tangible yet.

---------- Post added at 05:45 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:42 PM ----------

Ok tens of thousands would be an exaggeration when I think about it. At least 2000 though.

Hi guys,

Please keep it coming- I'll wait until I get more thoughts on this and when there's a sizable amount I'll reply to each one in turn, otherwise it might get messy and disjointed.

I appreciate the feedback, good or bad.

There was a thread from kju on a similar discussion, I want to say AiA thread and his conclusion is that the amount of donations itself was never significant...at least not enough to not have to work another job. A quick search may turn it up.

I understand each situation is different. Good luck with your decision.

Alright guys,

I'll try to address these 5 responses as best I can.

@All3n- Well that's very kind and up front of you man, so thanks. :)

I really hope I didn't come across as whiney or a special case here- I am very aware of the sacrifices modders make to get their work out so it's not like I'm going through anything unique with this mate-I just cannot find time to carry on with it is all, hence the wall of text post.

As far as laying out a detailed (to your satisfaction) business model at this early stage, I've not got that far because at this point, I'm simply putting the feelers out to see how the idea of a Patreon Account would be received as is.

However, to try to explain a VERY rough description, my intention with NOVA ZONA is first and foremost to create a 90-100% custom map. I will be using as few of BIs assets as humanly possible- none ideally.

In addition to this, I will create a selection of modules specific to NOVA ZONA (for things like Anomalies, minefields, transmissions, wildlife etc) for you to place in the editor and tailor your own missions. So hopefully you can see this project goes a little way beyond just making a map- there will also be individual entities that come along with the package.

I plan to release two final versions of the map- the main one with all Anomalies and wildlife already populating the island so it's "alive", and another "lite" version with no such modules placed, a sort of "normal real world map" if you will.

Well All3n, I hope I've answered your query sufficiently- and if not let me know or we can even Skype about it if you want as it's a valid point.

@Das Attorney- hey man..!

Well, to put it simply at this point I don't know yet! I do know I'd like NOVA ZONA to be as independent as it can be whilst being as compatible as possible in all regards. I have no plans to make it a tricky beast to utilise in any fashion so it shouldn't be a problem to use it how you'd like to- I'd love it not to have any dependancies at all.

I'm glad you like how it looks at this stage, as I've got some big plans for it to enhance the atmospheric vibe too... ;)

Does that answer your question man? If not, let me know!

@Defunkt- firstly, your Avatar is top notch, cracks me up every time I see it lol.

I know exactly what you're getting at man, and it's something I considered at a very early stage of development as it happens- to create the assets and terrain in parallel with one another.

The main reason I didn't go down that route was incase I ended up with too many loose ends as I went along- I like to keep things nice and neat; mesh flows, UVs, development plans too!

I was concerned that if I bit off too much from the off then I'd have all these half finished structures randomly placed on a badly thought out terrain.

But, as what you're saying differs slightly in that NOW might be a good time to start then yes, I do see the positive in that. My concern would still hold as I like to tick things off as I do them, but it would show more visual progress, agreed.

And on top of that, I'd have my own terrain to test structures on too... No more Altis with full on bad weather lol. ;)

I'll give it a lot of thought, and thanks for your input man.

@goutofashion- hi dude, and thanks for you suggestion.

Changing this project from solo to team based has come up before- in these forums, in PMs and also in emails sent from all over the place- all of which come with offers of help and wanting to be "on the team".

There are a LOT of keen and kind people out there it seems which is nice to know.

Here's the "but"..! But, this initially started as my own project a few years back, and was something I had always wanted to do for myself as I've spent 16 years in the games industry doing exactly what I was told- so this is like a very strong catharsis for me personally. It's also one of the main motivators- "my own project" at LAST!

So, coming from that angle, I've got a very parental attachment to this project (which I wasn't even going to make public initially!) as it is also a means for me to do something entirely as an individual for just once.

In short- I've spent the best part of 16 years working on a team with all the benefits and problems it brings, and I just wouldn't be genuinely happy having to share this project out amongst a team, awful as that sounds!

Another reason would be the "diluting" factor if you like.

Everyone has their own visions and ideas about what makes something cool or unique, and it'd be a huge concern for me to have to reel peoples minds in if they wanted to implement their own takes on what I needed doing, almost like mission creep I suppose.

I've been a lead artist before and I'm not comfortable telling people what to do, let alone having to criticise them! (And lets not even get into that "thing" were your junior artist is light years ahead of the lead and everyone is fully aware lol..! XD)

I appreciate you putting the idea out mate, but to put it into practice would defeat my reasons for starting in the first place.

I hope I've explained it well enough, but if not, PM me up or reply here and I can try to elaborate. :)

@Lightspeed_aust- hi man, cheers for your comments.

Aye, "ask ppl for coin" is not something I do lightly, as I hope you realise from reading my initial wall of text.

I really hope I made it clear enough that at this point I am merely putting the idea out there so you guys can let me know how you would feel about it if I finally did go with that route- if I didn't make that clear then I apologise.

For the record, I really can't see this being a workable option either, but as that wall of text was sitting in a .txt file on my desktop for a month, I thought I'd finally bite the bullet, post it, and then see what transpires.

Ref your quote: "I also note that this thread is almost two years old and there's nothing tangible yet."- EXACTLY..!

That's because I can't find the time to work on this project to anything remotely like even 15 hours per week. Which in turn is the reason for my posting the wall of text- to put feelers out to see if the idea could attract interest.

If I had been working on NOVA ZONA 9-5 for the past two years then you'd arguably have it installed on your machine right now in some working form mate and both you and me would be happy. (Hopefully!)

I also pointed out that I haven't put anything tangible out yet in any case and suggested plans in how I could remedy this.

I enjoy doing this immensely, but would like to be enabled to put more than a few hours in at the end of each night ideally so as to ultimately get it into your hands a lot quicker.

Anyway, I hope that's addressed your comments and thanks for taking the time to post here, it's appreciated.

@sttosib- hi man, and thanks for mentioning about kju's thread.

Could you possible PM a link as I've spent ages looking but cannot find it.

Yes, as I said above, I was not and am not holding out much hope that this could work in any meaningful way. Even if it did, there's a lot of responsibility that'd go with the territory too, and as I said, it's not something I'm entirely comfortable with but I am sort of getting a bit desperate here- I've just got a feeling NOVA ZONA is not going to happen at this sluggish rate.

Anyway, thanks very much sttosin..!

Ok guys, thanks again for taking the time to post here and feel free to add some more thoughts! :)

Edited September 19, 2014 by meshcarver

@goutofashion- hi dude, and thanks for you suggestion.

Changing this project from solo to team based has come up before- in these forums, in PMs and also in emails sent from all over the place- all of which come with offers of help and wanting to be "on the team".

There are a LOT of keen and kind people out there it seems which is nice to know.

Here's the "but"..! But, this initially started as my own project a few years back, and was something I had always wanted to do for myself as I've spent 16 years in the games industry doing exactly what I was told- so this is like a very strong catharsis for me personally. It's also one of the main motivators- "my own project" at LAST!

So, coming from that angle, I've got a very parental attachment to this project (which I wasn't even going to make public initially!) as it is also a means for me to do something entirely as an individual for just once.

In short- I've spent the best part of 16 years working on a team with all the benefits and problems it brings, and I just wouldn't be genuinely happy having to share this project out amongst a team, awful as that sounds!

Another reason would be the "diluting" factor if you like.

Everyone has their own visions and ideas about what makes something cool or unique, and it'd be a huge concern for me to have to reel peoples minds in if they wanted to implement their own takes on what I needed doing, almost like mission creep I suppose.

I've been a lead artist before and I'm not comfortable telling people what to do, let alone having to criticise them! (And lets not even get into that "thing" were your junior artist is light years ahead of the lead and everyone is fully aware lol..! XD)

I appreciate you putting the idea out mate, but to put it into practice would defeat my reasons for starting in the first place.

I hope I've explained it well enough, but if not, PM me up or reply here and I can try to elaborate. :)

yeah i'm one of these people.

i fully understand what you mean - i was working in several modding and indie game projects - and there were always people trying to bring in there visions/ideas which can lead to problems.

but we are talking about stalker and maybe about roadside picnic, it not some random-post-apocalyptic-scifi-theme where everything is possibly.

in my opinion the stalker universe is very unique - there a certain rules for the zone and therefor there is not much room for different visions.

so many projects working on a similar goal/identical goal but instead of working together many projects prefer to work on their own and in the end most of those projects die at some point.

in the case of nova zona i think it would be better to work together with others.

however i wish you good luck

Edited September 20, 2014 by goutofashion

Hi man,

Aye, I know what you're saying, but if something is going to kill off NOVA ZONA then it won't be motivation or boredom- it'll be a hugely stretched out dev cycle over many years I reckon.

Working in little snippets of time here and there is an atrociously difficult way to try to create something. You never feel like you're making huge gains and there's a feeling that runs parallel to it that you're somehow "falling behind" the curve.

The only benefit of working with others is speed- yes, it would be faster but that plus is negated by the compromises I'd have to make to accomodate taking a number of people onboard.

And, arugbly I'd spend most of my time trying to draw up concepts and descriptive briefs etc to get across my ideas and plans for them- leaving me LESS time myself to create the things I love- it'd turn into a "managing people" situation extremely rapidly I think.

I'd rather find another solution mate but I seriously appreciate your suggestions. :)

PS; I'll reply to your PM when I get a chance, cheers!

Edited September 20, 2014 by meshcarver

If for some reason nova zona somehow ends up dying or whatever, you should release the buildings and other stuff you made to be used by the community, so it doesn't go to waste.

Hi MikeTim,

I'm really determined to finish NOVA ZONA in its entirety, and once that's done and dusted I'll more than likely wrap all the structures up together in a big bundle and release them for you to use how you wish.