MTMG - Binedit

Backdrops
(The Bin)

An introduction

Backdrops are a special case. Deciphering their oddities has been a challenge, and I'm sure there's a lot I still don't know or understand. Not difficult at all, really (once you know the stuff), but to deal adequately with all their quirks is too much for a single page. So, I've created a section just for backdrops, even if some of the pages seem short. Anyway, let's get on with it.

The Bin

Okay, let me say it straight out : for best results you should create your custom backdrop from a stock (or fixed) backdrop that's already in the mtm game.

Note 1 : Oliver Pieper's fixed backdrops were not created from scratch. They are stock backdrops adapted to solve the hall of mirrors effect. Fixed backdrops are still just stock backdrops.

Note 2 : I encourage experimentation. My statements here are to save you grief and aggravation. However, if you want to create a backdrop from scratch, then by all means, do it. And, please, share your experiences with the mtm community.

Note 3 : this restriction does not eliminate flexibility. Just look at Darkstar by Oliver Pieper or ZooN Kitchen or Godzilla vs Bigfoot and you soon realize that many many things are possible.

The bin itself is quite simple. It forms a circle and is made up of sixteen sides. Here are two pictures to give you the idea.

All backdrops in the game are made this way. Some are a bit wider and others a bit taller but the general structure is identical for all backdrops.

Regarding size, they are all around three hundred feet in diameter (that would be ten to twelve grid squares). This is not very large. That's about the same size as the small arena rumble. From this, and the way we view backdrops in the game, we can safely infer that the mtm2 game treats backdrops differently from other models: the backdrop bin is stretched to a huge but consistent size.

Note : resizing the backdrop model in BinEdit will have no substantial effect on it's appearance in the game. It seems that the game stretches the backdrop to the same working dimensions (more or less), regardless of the starting size.

And that's all I can say about the backdrop bin. It should be enough to get you started on your own custom backdrops. But, until I learn much more, anything I could say would just be guess work on my part - and I've probably done too much of that already.