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Hi fellow bzflag lovers,

I'm sure aerial combat maps aren't new, but I had a dream about BZ tanks flying through treetops like birds. Some trees had CTF bases. The dream had a fantastic CTF game going on. It was cool!

The map was large; you had to fly from tree to tree to cross the map.

The main problem/feature I see to making an actual map like this is while carrying a team flag, you can't fly. So the flag carrier would need cover from flying teammates to get the flag across the map. Imagine gangs of birds fighting over a nut or something; the nut carrier is at a big disadvantage, yet he fights for it just the same.

Dropping a flag at a certain point could bring a team flag up into the closest tree, or escalators could allow the tank to climb a tree.


Anything like this been done before?

Nice idea, are you planning on making this?

I'm hoping someone else will become inspired.

I'd imagine it's not that hard for someone who knows what they're doing: create a single tree and create multiple copies; add bases to select trees.
Maybe a few teleports to allow team-flag carriers to get up in trees.

Anyone want to give it a go?

I'll give it a shot. Nice idea! Though where do you get the trees form the data file? Or just make it in wings3D? I have never used wings3D this will give me a chance to! Thanks for the idea i'll try to make it for you and send you it.
It will take me a while though.
You have to give your email first.


Red Cobra

Thanks for offering to try this! I've seen other bzmaps with trees, but I have no idea if it's possible to easily extract one from a map.

See LouMan's "Island Hopping" map for some pine trees. It's on the public server list.

My email is brian DOT bonnlander AT cox DOT net.

Im also willing if Red isnt capable.. Think of me as a backup... Lets see random sized trees, some vines, some old bridges, some bases, bushes, and flowers....

More then likly this could become a group project if anyone is willing to help...

Count me in too, that is for a group project.

Count me in too! I dont really want the responsiblity on me so it'll be a group project.

Thanks to everyone for offering to help! Would anyone like to lead the effort or suggest a plan? If not, I'd be happy to post to this thread every 1-2 weeks to see what's happened.

Lets see random sized trees, some vines, some old bridges, some bases, bushes, and flowers....

Fantastic ideas ! The variation in shapes could be very cool. And of course the potential for eye candy is also high.

Then again, there's also the completely different question of the map's playability. How about creating a version 0.1 with whatever is easy? I'm just as interested in how well the map would play with, say, 20 players over a plain group of trees as anything. Does fighting over a highly prized but cumbersome object lead to some interesting game playing?

Just to clarify: I never have, nor will I probably ever, be making a bzmap. But I'd be happy to be project manager. Hah, I never thought I'd say that.

I know map-making is probably not hard, but I have too many responsibilities already, including breadwinner.

I'll make any object kind of stuff like flowers some bridges, and other stuff.
Another thing is Captain Crunch what is you email in email form? Like : example@comcast.net

I'll make any object kind of stuff like flowers some bridges, and other stuff.
Another thing is Captain Crunch what is you email in email form? Like : example@comcast.net

Red Cobra, Thanks. It sounds like you want to make new objects, or are you planning to insert one or multiple copies into a map?

Anyone know how to extract a tree from someone else's map? LouMan's "Island Hopping" map has pine trees we could use.

Red Cobra, just substitute a real '.' for the word DOT, and '@' for the word AT. Stick it all together and you'll have my address. I don't post it in a form that would be convenient for a web spider to grab and add to a spam list.

I already have a flower made (don't ask) I even have mushrooms ... Generally you would have to ask before using other mappers objects.. I could take a spin at a tree but I would go the easy way an ask louman for a copy of his.... Perferably BZW and OBJ formats

you could make a whole forest, like an amazon rainforest.
hmmm....

or mabe like an age of empires map...

ill take a shot at it with the group, im looking at loumans trees on mystic valley. are those the kind you want?

well this is a great idea, what exactely do you mean bases in the trees though?

Wow yes, the trees in Mystic Valley are great. He also has pine trees in his Island Hopping map, but I like the leafy trees a lot.

Anyone know LouMan well enough to ask if we can use his trees? It might shorten the time to a first map if he would agree.

Actually, the Mystic Valley map is not far off from what I was dreaming about. Here are the differences: the trees were larger (equivilantly, tanks were smaller), everyone could fly (WG flags heavily scattered across map), and CTF bases were in "nests" located in trees at opposite ends of the map. Like Mystic valley, there were several "understories" a tank could use to cross the map: treetops, shrubs, ground, etc. In my dream, a player who did not plan their route carefully might run out of flaps and be forced to land lower than they wanted to.

Anyone skilled enough to create a bird's nest with a CTF base in the bottom?

Anyone willing to commit to creating the first map version?


Thanks again for so many people expressing interest in this idea.

maybe we should throw in some hills of BIYA's hide 'n' seek map.

I reckon this should be a communal effort, and get as many mappers on the project all contributing some code, to make a kind of super map.....
Just make a bit, and put it in a group defenition, then the 'head mapper' can place it to best effect.

This has the potential to be totally awesome.

My mind is unravelling so soon

We need more mappers on the case!

oh boy, this exciting, dont expect much from me though, im not a very experienced mapper. well louman posted his mystic valley map for ppl to download....so im assuming we can use the trees?

Still need to ask and give him credit...

The only prob with use Louman's trees is that i dont know if he uploaded them as an image (I dont know if you can do this?) or made them. If he did an image file then we would have to make something in wings3D. I am willing to do anything you gyes want me to do. I think BIYA should be the organizer here. He has made multiple maps and is on all of the time. So BIYA assign stuff for us to do. For example: Red Cobra make trees, Inferno make bushes,eagle make the nests, BIYA make the bzedit map with the boxes like we discussed. I am not saying those are the assingments, I am just giving examples. We also need to make bridges.

Well first we need to move to the Works In Progress forum

Here's what Louman wrote in a message to me:

Anyone with a little knowledge of map making with bzflag should be able to extract my tree objects from the Mystic Valley map I posted in the Map Releases section. The pine trees are in the prefabs section.

I'm sorry I can't help more, but I'm swamped with personal obligations right now, and don't have a great deal of time for bzflag at the moment

So I'm guessing it's somehow obvious how to extract these things as objects and reuse them.

Exciting stuff.

I have bryce 3D here somewhere. that has a tree tool. i'll look into that