Step Farming

I've had CC+ (no add-on) for only a few days, but I am adapting well. This is also my fist post, so hi all. As the post title suggests, I am wanting to create a map of a local area that contains step farming. Any suggestions on how to do this would be greatly appreciated. For those who are unfamiliar to what step farming is here is a link to a Google image search: https://www.google.com/search?q=step+farming&oq=step+far&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0l3.6346j0j4&client=tablet-android-google&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8

Thanks for any help.

Comments

  • I would try the following:

    Sheet: BORDER_A
    Sheet: CROPS_A
    Sheet: BORDER_B
    Sheet: CROPS_B
    Sheet: BORDER_C
    Sheet: CROPS_C

    order them so the crop-sheets are above the border-sheet.
    Then give the border some bevel-effect as intensive as you like and paint with dirt-like textures on them.
    The crops should have some irregular border, try using fractal-polygons and paint them ontop the border-sheets.
    Because they are on another sheet, you can add other effects for them.

    Using different colours of green/brown getting lighter to the top might also increase the feeling of hills.

    Just some ideas :)
  • If you download our free Vintyri Cartographic Collection, it also will give you several additional agricultural fill styles (raster graphic) that probably can help you.
  • Thanks all, I will give these a try this weekend.
  • seycyrusseycyrus Traveler
    edited February 2016
    @Bunny, please post your results.

    This is a type of effect that lots of people try to get, and what the pros make look simple.

    In addition to what others have mentioned, I think that "Edge Fade Inner" is also useful. So is "Glow". The question often is, does one put the glow on the Inside or the Outside? And does one make the glow slightly darker, or slightly lighter in shade than the background. Or maybe one tries to match the color of the level below (or above)?

    I'll sometimes be working on what I consider a series of bluffs, and my wife comes in and says "Oh, nice valley!"

    Please post your work, maybe we can all learn together!
  • DogtagDogtag Moderator, Betatester Traveler
    edited February 2016
    This got me curious and, since I'd rather do anything other than work while at work, I tried a quick test. I added several new sheets, each with the same effects. Then I created a drawing tool, based on the default farming terrain.

    Below is the result.
    image

    The effects need tweaking, but I think it might be a step in the right direction (no pun intended). Thoughts?

    Cheers,
    ~Dogtag
  • WarEagleWarEagle Newcomer
    edited February 2016
    Hi Dogtag,
    the problem without the border-sheets is, there is no border (sounds stupid i know).
    Terrace farming works, because the water sinks layer by layer through the terraces, without the border it would simply flow directly to the next layer and would wash away all the soil.

    For me adding the border-sheet gives it a bit more depth.

    This is an example:

    image


    Using for border:
    bevel, lighted with
    1, 1, 50, 10, 1, 0, mapunits

    and crops:
    edge fade, inner:
    1, 100% 0%, map units
    and
    adjust hue/saturation:
    0, 0, -25
    0, 0, 0
    0, 0, 25
    depending on the level of the crop to give it a hight-light-changing effect
  • Thank you Dogtag, that was were I was headed. Wow, WarEagle, that is awesome. I will post as soon as I get a chance to try out the things you suggested.
  • If you can get the bevel more natural, please drop us the settings. I'm always struggeling with that damn settings of the bevel, lighted.
  • DogtagDogtag Moderator, Betatester Traveler
    edited February 2016
    That makes sense, but do you really need a separate sheet for that? Couldn't each terrace sheet just have slightly different settings? Would an inner glow provide the proper illusion of a border?

    I guess it would also depend on the scale, right? At some point, I'm guessing the border would seem to blend with the rest of the land at each level, wouldn't it?
  • Hey :)
    inner glow could work, but it only works with colors, not with textures so wou would have a brown "blob" at the border, but not dirt. Yes, depending on the scale, this might be enough.
  • What map dimensions are you two using? Not sure if it matters?
  • DogtagDogtag Moderator, Betatester Traveler
    Posted By: Bunny of DoomWhat map dimensions are you two using? Not sure if it matters?
    I didn't pay attention, sorry. I just used the default for a new map. I was just testing a proof of concept.

    ~Dogtag
  • IMO I would look to make the steps closer together, and not use the fill. Because the fill already has borders (hedges?) between areas, this is redundant IMO with the steps you are making. I would suggest trying a fill that just has planted rows, and then you can change the orientation between step areas.
  • @LordEntrails, could you post an example? I'm new to this and exact visuals, settings, and explanations are greatly appreciated.
  • @ Bunny, I don't have an example :( I've never done it, I was just looking at some of the images from your search results, such as; example and I thought that using the default fill which already has hedges or divisions between irrigation sections along with the terrace sections was too much.

    Here are some ideas of a texture that I would be looking for. But, these won't work for fills (sorry, I've never created one);
    example 1
    or ( example 2

    Hope that helps and just isn't more confusing
  • GatharGathar Traveler
    edited February 2016
    @ LordEntrails

    While I think that those textures are fine by themselves, I'm afraid that they would not be very suitable as a fill texture in that case: The lines in the texture should follow the curve given by the elevation, and not remain straight. I'm not sure if CC can do it.
    Therefore, I think a texture without a privileged direction would be a better choice.
  • DogtagDogtag Moderator, Betatester Traveler
    edited February 2016
    Posted By: GatharThe lines in the texture should follow the curve given by the elevation, and not remain straight. I'm not sure if CC can do it.
    This might lend itself to the new CC3+ effect of Edge Striping, if you're using CC3+. There was a very short discussion of it here and another here. I don't know if it would do the trick but it may be worth looking into.

    I think it would present additional challenges, such as maybe using different PNGs on adjacent terrace levels and ensuring a clear border for each level in order to prevent it from looking too mathematically similar level to level, and to help distinguish between levels. That said, the same would likely be true for any repeated fill pattern.

    Cheers,
    ~Dogtag
  • I'm a newbie to cc3+( still working through the tutorials) so my idea may not have merit...but my relatives are farmers, and some have step farms. You mentioned the run off problem and that got me thinking, about breakwalls. Aren't there wall symbols in one of the symbol catalogues? Could you maybe use them with a glow or inner edge fading to simulate height differences? Granted, I have no idea how to accomplish this yet, but if I could figure out how to work it, that's what I would do...
  • Hey LadieStorm,
    this would work, but it would be a huge effort. Could be worth to use this to achive a better look. The problem I see, there aren't that many usable symbols, so it would repeat immediately and going to look ugly. The stone-texture-fill wouldn't work either, because this cannot be rotated and so it wouldn't follow the stairs.


    @LordEntrails your remark according to the hedges in the fill is absolutely correct, I didn't have any other crop-like fill at hand when creating the screenshot.
  • I am still working on this, but not having any luck with my edges yet. Will post if I get anything of worth. Thank you all for the help and advice.
  • DogtagDogtag Moderator, Betatester Traveler
    I think that looks good. Maybe consider making the shadow more opaque?

    Cheers,
    ~Dogtag
  • Is there a reason why you did one sheet for the crops and not multiple? You end up with this unbroken pattern of the hedges. If you are using different sheets or different polygons, those patterns are broken and the stairs look more different.
    You also could add a "edge fade, inner"-effect to the crops and increase the space to the border, so it doesn't look so even.
  • @WarEagle, I had not got that far on this yet. I scrapped what I was doing when I had the line effect idea. I will be messing with this some more as soon as I get a chance. I agree, one sheet for the crop is not pleasing to the eye at all.

    I do have an inquiry, the Land Sheet has an edge, it is a blue uneven edge that makes the land stand out against the ocean/sea, is it possible to add something similar to say a farmland layer?

    I'm using CC+ no add-on's with the Mike S. template.

    Thanks again all, will post any updates when I get there.
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