[God Game] Dynamic Terrain/Mesh+NavMesh manipulation

Development Programming & Scripting C++
1

i wanna make an updated UE4 version of Populous: The New Beginning.

First things first: The World. I need to be able to create a globe or simulate a globe-like terrain (ie go west too long and you’ll end up east and same with north and south) which unreal can do already. issue is, you cant manipulate the terrain in runtime nor have i found any way to set ‘height’ variables that could be changed in game by ‘spells’ (Ie use volcano: raise all vertices in circle around target point to # height, change terrain to ‘fire’ texture, make ‘damaging: high’, implement algorithm to spread out in ‘tendrils’ and create lava flows that damage for a few clicks, change to damaged terrain, leave new height variable; use landbridge: select all vertices along path between cast source and cast target and raise all vertices in between to values steadily between the two (ie 13,14,14,15,15,16,16,17,17,18))

So my question is: is there a way to use C++ within Unreal, AT ALL (i know it’ll be hard, if at all possible), to make a mesh that has vertices with a height variable that can be referenced and changed in runtime with the use of events within unreal play. My idea was to forget landscapes and just use a isosphere and do something akin to super mario galaxy and give the orb ‘gravity’ and change the triangles of the isosphere to the desired effect (raise, lower, bridge, etc)

after that i can worry about anything else. first thing: runtime dynamic mesh: can it be done?

1 Like
2

Anything can be done! The question is: How.

Manipulating terrain - Look for a Voxel tutorial (below is just an example of what you want)Voxel Plugin for UE4 - YouTube
Damaged terrain - Snow footprints. Of course, this could be changed to burn marks, tendrils, etc.Unreal Engine 4 Tutorial - Reactive Snow/Mud - YouTube
As for actually taking damage from these burn areas, you won’t be able to do that with the snow render targets. You may have to get creative by spawning damage boxes. Maybe you can do something with voxel however.

3

im wondering if i could get what i want by using a world map that is basically a crapload of vertical bones that stretch the mesh by ‘animating’ the ‘ground’ ‘monster’ adn then put the navmesh on it.
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