4X Maps

[redglasses]

I cant quite remember clearly but I remember having a conversation with a couple people on here about 4x maps.
I cant remember if a 4x map is 4kmX4km or if it is 8kmX8km because I know a normal map is 2kmX2km.
So is a 4X map 4kmX4km?

[BostonJohnny1226]

I would say 4x4. Youre supposed to be able to fit 4 standard maps into a 4x

[TobiHH]

If a standard map is 2x2 (no idea if that is true), a 4x map must be 4x4. that´s simple math. An 8x8 map would be a 16x map, because you can put 16x 2x2 maps in it.

[RODHA]

What I was able to gather from that same conversation was It is 8x8km. 2x is used to define a 2x2km map but 4x is used to define 4 times a standard map which is 2x2km. So 4x map is an 8x8km map.

If anyone from the PC world could give us a SS showing the grid numbers at one of the corners of a 4x map it would be clear as crystal.

[this_is_gav]

A standard map is 2km wide by 2km high. A "4x" map is 4km wide by 4km high. It's called 4x because you can fit four 2km original maps into a 4x4km square.



When making a map everything for a 4x map has to be double the size of the standard map to create 4 times the area. For example all the foliage layers for standard maps is 1024x1024, but for a 4x map that foliage layer must be 2048x2048.

This will be the real reason why console users won't be able to play on map bigger than 2x anytime soon - it's not about the map size or FPS as such, but about the engine having to calculate the growth for foliage for such a large area - on a PC if you fast-forward too much on a large map you can actually see the waves of growth cycles flow down the PDA from north to south, and growth cycles can be missed completely if you go really fast.

[RODHA]

Well, thats a better explanation for it it is kinda like 4K.

[masterplan]

...on a PC if you fast-forward too much on a large map you can actually see the waves of growth cycles flow down the PDA from north to south...

You can see that on PS4 every single time, even with time 1x.

[redglasses]

A standard map is 2km wide by 2km high. A "4x" map is 4km wide by 4km high. It's called 4x because you can fit four 2km original maps into a 4x4km square.



When making a map everything for a 4x map has to be double the size of the standard map to create 4 times the area. For example all the foliage layers for standard maps is 1024x1024, but for a 4x map that foliage layer must be 2048x2048.

This will be the real reason why console users won't be able to play on map bigger than 2x anytime soon - it's not about the map size or FPS as such, but about the engine having to calculate the growth for foliage for such a large area - on a PC if you fast-forward too much on a large map you can actually see the waves of growth cycles flow down the PDA from north to south, and growth cycles can be missed completely if you go really fast.

Thanks for the picture, it make sense now

[canadafarms]

The meaning of 4x is that the map is 4 times the size of a standard map. It has nothing to do with the size in meters or KM. It just happens to be coincidence that Giants made the maps 2048 meters x 2048 meters or roughly but not exactly 2km x 2km. Thats where using the term 2x is actually incorrect because x refers to a multiple of 1 and not the size of the actual map. For example, if Giants had made the standard maps 3500 meters by 3500 meters, or 3.5km x3.5 km, would you then refer to it as a 3.5x map? This would also dismiss the theory that it is called a 4x map because it just happens to be 4km x 4km, a 4x map would actually then be 7km x 7km. So then would you call it a 7x map? The answer would be no, it is still a 4x map. X is just short for times 1 or multiplied by 1, it’s a mathematical term and has nothing to do with the actual size in meters or Km. A 4x means 4x1 and a 16x means 16x1. 2x really means 2x1 or x2 really means 1x2, people use these terms in this forum to describe a standard map but really the correct mathematical term for a standard map would be 1x or 1x1=1

You could also think of it in terms of your in game time settings....when you want to play in real time do you set the time on 1x or 2x? Standard time is 1x, just like a standard map size is 1x, then when you speed up to 5x its 5 times faster or 15x is 15 times faster and so on. The same applies to maps as well, a 4x map is 4 times larger and a 16x map is 16 times larger. Not a big deal, call it what you like but that is really what the terms mean.

[maxkiba]

Ok so everyone is saying a 4x map is 4 by 4 km. Thats not completely precise, is it ?

A 4x map is supposed to be 2048 x 2048 pixels. The scale is: 1 pixel equals 2m.

So a 4x map should be 4096m x 4096m which would be an offset of about 100m (actually a lot if you want to work precisely).

Or am I completely wrong ?

[Drmattymd]

A 4x map is not called 4x because its 4x4km, its 4 x the size of a standard map. If a standard map is 2x2km equaling 4 sq km, then a 4x map would be 4x4km = 16 sq km. Honestly I dont know if the 2x2 and 4x4 is exactly those measurements or if they just say its close enough.