Best approach for landscape and levels?

Grandma · February 2, 2015, 10:37am

Can’t find an answer to this (or I may search the wrong words).
I’m also in learning stage of UE4 so I don’t grasp all the magic or even vocabular just yet.

I’m about to start making the landscape for our project and would appreciate some advice, please.
The sketches and layout of it are done. It will be approx. 10 x 10 km in size.
Plan is the game will be released for PC first and later adjusted for mobile device. It will be a multiplayer but only about 10-15 players.

Questions:

In UE4, should I make the whole landscape in one level or divide it in smaller sections?
If I should use smaller sections do one somehow “cut” the whole landscape into smaller parts or do I need to create every section by itself?

Any advice from you pros will be much appreciated.

anonymous_user_923c79df · February 2, 2015, 10:49am

it depends on your game -> e.g how many bots, which kind of meshes,… You have to split it to get a better performance.
You could create the entire landscape - use the gizmo to select the part - export smaller parts as a heightmap

qdelpeche · February 2, 2015, 10:52am

I personally use the Professional Edition for World Machine … build my terrain in their and then use the tiled output (only available in professional) and import those in to UE4.

World Machine to UE4 using World Composition

There is however nothing stopping you from using a Graphics Package with a similar workflow: 1x Big Map - Cut it in to sizeable chunks - Import that as a heightmap … rinse and repeat. I have just found World Machine to be easier … although it has a hell of a steep learning curve.

You could also look at things like L3DT … but the choice is yours.

Xerithas · February 2, 2015, 10:53am

I’m certainly no pro, but I’d look into using World Browser.

You don’t want your landscape tiles to be too big or this will start to get slow/eat too much RAM.

Grandma · February 2, 2015, 11:18am

Aww guys, thanks so much for quick response and great advice!

I have Vue Infinite 2014 so will use that and export height maps. I already have the whole landscape made in Vue anyway, did it for the 2D version (rendered 3D images) of the game about 10 years ago, the game which is now being moved to UE4 instead.

Just to clarify, each part should have it’s own level then?

littleclaude · February 2, 2015, 12:51pm

I have been trying to get layered materials to work, no luck. I have tried lots off different ways and different versions of UE4 but still no luck.

There does not seem to be any colour coming through? not sure what I am missing?