Introducing Mega Surrounds

I've always wondered if I could somehow make my landscapes bigger, so they would offer a more immersive experience. Over the last year I've been experimenting with some really huge 2x2x2 km mega prims. The problem that I encountered, though, was that close to the sim the resolution of both the textures and the landscape shape was too low. To deal with that, I started to use the 2 km mega prims for the outer ring and the "ordinary" 1 km mega prims for the inner ring. After making them seamlessly fit together, this resulted in my new Mega Surrounds.



Incorporating the 2 km mega prims has several advantages. Mountain tops can be further away, and because of that they can be much higher, even without unnaturally steep slopes. This also gives room for a an inner ring with gentle slopes, rising to the foot of the mountains in the distance. The trees can be a bit further away (they look better that way), and it also makes it possible to create more open space in the middle for two, three or even four regions instead of just one.

Texturing

Not only did I use a different size of prims for the Mega Surrounds, but I also changed the way I texture them. The textures are baked in a different way, making them more natural. Also, instead of cour seasons you will have twelve seasonal textures at your disposal. In small steps you can let the snow melt in Spring until even the mountain tops are clear. Then after Summer you'll see the first fresh snow on the tops again, as the trees in the valley turn yellow and red... Visit the Alpine Ridge Mega Surround to see for yourself!



Starry Night

Last year I released the Starry Night system. The Starry Night was also made of the 2x2x2 km mega prims. I made sure the mountains of the new Mega Surround would fit just inside the stars, meteorites and planets, so they always stay behind them like you would expect them to.

Editions

The Alpine Ridge is the first Mega Surround that will be realeased. It will be available on May 1, 2021, and it will come in several layouts: for one region (with or without water next to the sim), for 2x2 regions, and in 1/4, 1/2 and 3/4 layouts. They're all made of the very big prims, so you can only use them when you have a complete sim or homestead. The land impact of the full mega surrounds is 120.



Plans for the future

It is my plan to release a new Mega Surround every 3-4 weeks for the next half year. Expect volcanoes, canyons, desert mountains... Please follow me on Flickr to see my work progress and some sneak previews!

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