Sharing My Heightmaps

[Acala]

Hi everyone!

First of all, please excuse any grammatical or orthographic mistakes I make – I'm not a native speaker, unfortunately. Furthermore, I'm a long-time lurker and first-time poster on these forums, so I sincerely hope I'm doing everything right.

With that out of the way, I'd like to get to the point: I read about some people having problems with the new heightmap feature and so I thought: 'Hey, maybe I should share my heightmaps for other people to use!' I prepared a ton of different heightmaps and will add more in the next few days / weeks / months if people would like me to. So, please let me know what you think!

The following link will take you to a google drive folder with my current heightmaps: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1SEG2xqFXM29KScpYm0iX7_C--hsM6ba3?usp=sharing

The heightmaps are organized within subfolders, each of which containing an overview image depicting what the heightmaps look like in-game.

Additionally, I wrote a README with instructions on how to use these heightmaps and a troubleshooting section.

Here are a few close-ups of what some of the heightmaps look like in-game.

If you need any tips on how to make your own heightmaps, let me know. I'll try to help as best as I can!

Edit: Updated the post to reflect what I changed within the google drive folder.

 

[Tally]

These look great! Do you use photoshop to make these?

 

[Acala]

Thank you very much! Yes, I'm using Photoshop Having Photoshop is, however, by no means obligatory to make these heightmaps. There are several free programs with which you can achieve the same results. I'd warmly recommend taking a look at GIMP or (a personal favorite of mine) Krita as alternatives to Photoshop.

 

[XT]

Thank you so much! I decided that ... I'm going to use maps other folks share, learning the height map stuff is too much on top of everythign else about the game for me.

 

[Acala]

Hi everyone! I'd like to let you know that I added several new heightmaps to the google drive folder. I created some heightmaps with caldera-esque features, lakes, crevasses and islands. You'll have to fill in the water that you can see in the preview screenshots manually, though. At this point, I should probably be playing the game already, but messing around with the heightmap feature is way too much fun

Thank you so much! I decided that ... I'm going to use maps other folks share, learning the height map stuff is too much on top of everythign else about the game for me.

You're welcome! I agree that creating heightmaps can seem to be a bit tricky and... intimidating, perhaps? It also depends on your background, I think. I'm a hobbyist digital artist and hence use Photoshop as well as other such programs regularly. So of course, what might seem simple and self-explanatory to me, does not necessarily do so to others. The least I can do is to share what little I know and to give access to the stuff I create

I also find creating heightmaps to be a balancing act between what looks good and what is actually playable. I mean, you can create really amazing terrain with the heightmap feature. It is relatively easy to implement real-world heightmaps into the game – like so:

If anyone is interested, the above heightmap was created using the following tool: https://cs.heightmap.skydark.pl/ (To avoid getting weird edges around the border of the map, you'll have to adjust the color levels and smooth the edges of the heightmap in Photoshop or another comparable program of your choice.)

Looks amazing to me, but I wouldn't have any clue as to how to actually build a feasible zoo in this terrain Personally, I prefer terrain that is not 'over the top' or too 'rough', so to speak. Thus, I try to create heightmaps that give you landmarks as a backdrop but still leave enough space to build in and around the terrain.

If anyone has a specific wish regarding terrain he / she would like to see, I'll try to make it happen!

Have a nice day, everyone

 

[PeppyPepp]

Did you also post on the subreddit? Because I think I already downloaded your maps and I want to give you a big thank you for making these maps for us! I really appreciate it!

 

[Swjosdotschka]

I'm the "only flat map" person, but anyway, thanks for sharing your heightmaps! It's incredible helpful for people who can't even come up with a good heightmap, like me. Very generous to give it out to other players.

 

[Acala]

Did you also post on the subreddit? Because I think I already downloaded your maps and I want to give you a big thank you for making these maps for us! I really appreciate it!

No, that wasn't me. The only place I posted my maps is here on the Planet Zoo forum. Nevertheless, it is good to hear that other people also choose to share their creations!

I'm the "only flat map" person, but anyway, thanks for sharing your heightmaps! It's incredible helpful for people who can't even come up with a good heightmap, like me. Very generous to give it out to other players.

You're welcome! Everyone has different tastes and I'm very grateful to Frontier for coming up with a method that enables people to build their zoo in a terrain they want – be it flat, mountainous, full of lakes or whatever you like

 

[KellyL]

Acala, thank you for this fine work, very nice of you to help others like myself!

 

[Francesca Falcini]

These look great, and it's so kind of you to share!

 

[ItsWolfeh]

Thank you so much! I hate flat maps but I don't have the artistic ability to make a good height map, I will thoroughly enjoy these!

 

[Dukemon]

I have tried to use height maps from other games, especially from Sims 3 that is working as well with height maps. That problem is that these tools have another gray scaling. And different resolutions. So you have to bring the height maps into the PZ resolution and changing the gray scaling. The result looks not like wished. There is no flat plain. It is not the map in small.
Do you have any idea to fix that with Photoshop?

 

[Acala]

I have tried to use height maps from other games, especially from Sims 3 that is working as well with height maps. That problem is that these tools have another gray scaling. And different resolutions. So you have to bring the height maps into the PZ resolution and changing the gray scaling. The result looks not like wished. There is no flat plain. It is not the map in small.
Do you have any idea to fix that with Photoshop?

Hi there!

Without taking a look at the actual heightmap you're trying to use, I'll have to speculate a bit. Would it be possible for you to upload the heightmap you're trying to use as well as an in-game screenshot of what it looks like in Planet Zoo? Then I could give more qualified advice, I hope.

First off, I made a tutorial on how to create heightmaps in another thread. With luck, some of your questions might be answered there: https://forums.frontier.co.uk/threads/a-visual-guide-to-the-creation-of-heightmaps.591302/

In case that didn't help, I'll give a written explanation as well: From what you describe, I'd wager that you'd have to change the size of your Sims 3 heightmap. For Planet Zoo, the heightmaps ought to have a size of 1024x1024 pixels. Depending on the size of the Sims 3 heighmap, you'd have to either enlarge or downsize the map. To do this in Photoshop, please navigate to Image > Image size, set the unit of measurement to pixels and type 1024 for both the width and the height of the image.

After that, you'll have to adjust the color values. In order to do that, navigate to Image > Adjustments > Levels. Take a look at the greyscale bar with 'Output Levels' written above it. The small arrows on the left and right hand side under the greyscale bar determine at which value pure black (RGB 0) and pure white (RGB 255) will be put. Now, the following bit is important: The base level of the Planet Zoo heightmaps has the value RGB 128. In other words, everything that is painted in RGB 128 will be on the same height as the outer border of the map and will thus be flush with the entrance building. So, you'd have to raise the value for the arrow on the left from 0 to 128. This makes it so that everything that was painted pure black on your Sims 3 heightmap before will now be painted in RGB 128 and will thus be risen up in elevation so that it is on the base level in Planet Zoo.

Did that help in any way?

Edit: Fixed a typo.

 

[Dienstbier]

Hi, thanks for the great maps, but is there any way to create such maps without those hideous steps?

 

[yoav_r]

Hi everyone!

First of all, please excuse any grammatical or orthographic mistakes I make – I'm not a native speaker, unfortunately. Furthermore, I'm a long-time lurker and first-time poster on these forums, so I sincerely hope I'm doing everything right.

With that out of the way, I'd like to get to the point: I read about some people having problems with the new heightmap feature and so I thought: 'Hey, maybe I should share my heightmaps for other people to use!' I prepared five different heightmaps and will add more in the next few days / weeks / months if people would like me to. So, please let me know what you think!

The following link will take you to a google drive folder with my current heightmaps: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1rl_-WaDVd9AeC5OoGjC8qeo9FwSRKS0A?usp=sharing

Within the folder, you'll find the .tif files along with some screenshots that I added as a preview for the respective heightmap.

If you need any tips on how to make your own heightmap, let me know. I'll try to help as best as I can!

The messiah has risen!!

 

[Acala]

Hi, thanks for the great maps, but is there any way to create such maps without those hideous steps?

Sorry, dumb question incoming: Do you mean 'steps' as in the methods I use in photoshop to create those maps or 'steps' as in weird pixelated edges that you sometimes get in-game after importing a heightmap?

The messiah has risen!!

Nah, just a hobbyist digital artist with too much free time on her hands

Edit: Formatting.

 

[Dienstbier]

Sorry, dumb question incoming: Do you mean 'steps' as in the methods I use in photoshop to create those maps or 'steps' as in weird pixelated edges that you sometimes get in-game after importing a heightmap?


Nah, just a hobbyist digital artist with too much free time on her hands

Edit: Formatting.

I mean the steps in the terrain, unfortunately I do not know English and have to use a translator.

But attached is a picture.

I do not want to have to smooth the terrain afterwards first.


Because if there is a way, either I use it myself, or I beg you to give me a height map, the previous ones of you are unfortunately not suitable for me.

 

[Acala]

I mean the steps in the terrain, unfortunately I do not know English and have to use a translator.

But attached is a picture.

I do not want to have to smooth the terrain afterwards first.


Because if there is a way, either I use it myself, or I beg you to give me a height map, the previous ones of you are unfortunately not suitable for me.

View attachment 268693

Judging by your username: Are you German? If so, we could also write in German, if that's easier. I'm German, too

Okay, ich probier's mal: Kannst du mir vielleicht den Titel der heightmap nennen, die du da benutzt hast? Ich würde dann gerade nochmal in Photoshop drüberschauen und gucken, ob ich das beheben kann. Habe die Befürchtung, dass ich es da mit dem Blur-Tool ein bisschen zu gut gemeint habe.

For the English-speaking folks: I just asked Dienstbier to give me the name of the heightmap used so that I can fix it up in Photoshop.

 

[Dienstbier]

Highmap Cola




Chia is besser

 

[Acala]

So, for anyone interested in the long-winded (and I mean it!) technical details: As far as I can tell the 'terracing' is due to minimal differences in elevation. This happens if you choose only slight differences in color values, for instance a change from RGB 129 to RGB 130. It seems to work better with more abrupt changes in color. Let me give you some examples (beware: long post incoming).

This picture is from a heightmap created with real-world elevation data. There, the terracing happens as well.

If you leave a hand-drawn heightmap a bit 'rough', you get something like this, which will give you big 'terraces' instead of very small ones.

Now, if you use the Blur tool or a Blur filter in Photoshop, you get more mini 'terracing', like so:

To a certain degree, this 'terracing' also happens in the maps that Frontier provided. The following screenshot is taken from Frontier's heightmap number 4:

So, is there a way to fix this? As far as I can tell, there isn't, unfortunately. In order to avoid having those miniature 'terraces', you'd have to work with more crass changes in color value, like from RGB 128 to RGB 138 and not in increments of 1. Then you would get something akin to flat-summit mounts. If you apply a blur to your map, you get – in my opinion at least – more natural looking rows of mountains. However, due to the blur, differences in color values are smoothed out and thus you get miniature 'terraces'.

For science and for demonstration purposes, I prepared another heightmap. Both rectangles are done in increments of 10. The lower one, however, is blurred.

This is what it looks like in the game:

In the close-up you can see especially well that the blurred rectangle has those mini 'terraces':

So, in short: I don't think there is an easy way around this. Either you have ragged landscapes and only flat-summit mounts, or you have to deal with mini 'terraces'.

Edit: Fixed grammar and typos. At least I hope I made it better, not worse.