Itd be almost game-changing if we could get the ability to make transparent textures for roadways. Currently, the transparent layer of textures gets filled in with black. This makes customization of roadways more painful in several ways in which I’ll be documenting below.
I have extensive experience in the placing of roadways and detailing of roadway networks using the unturned editor. That being said, there are also others who have expressed interest in having this as an option for map makers.
Currently:
- Roadways such as dirt trails require a separate terrain material to be made in order to blend the trail in with the environment. This takes up one of our limited 8 slots for terrain materials.
- Roadway detailing must be textured to fit the underlying roadway. Crosswalks for example must have the terrain color between crosswalk markings filled, which may not always match to the current roadway’s actual texture. It can be easier to make some of these details as roadway networks than decals, but we are then limited by the lack of a transparent layer.
- Networks such as railway tracks suffer heavily from the lack of transparency. We are currently forced to texture the ballast of railway networks, which (like trails) must then have a terrain material made in order to blend it with the terrain. Crossings and switches suffer the most of this. The above textures flickers from overlapping and detailing these areas becomes difficult.
- “Worn” roadways are not possible without heavy use of decals. Simply adding in a grass or dirt texture on the network wont always fit in with the surrounding terrain. This forces map devs to use materials for roadways, which then cannot be easily detailed like other networks.
Other:
-I’m well aware that transparent textures may look a tiny bit off, mainly that roadways may appear to be floating if too tall. That being said, this is heavily outweighed by the positives… and there are many ways to properly texture and configure the networks to make it fit in.
Here is just one example photo of how this would be beneficial to the look of roadway networks, the main being railways:
In conclusion, transparency for roadway networks would remove a lot of limitations that we currently have for texturing.
Roads are heavily underutilized and the detailing of networks can be really beneficial to a map. Below are some of my own road networks as an example of how they can improve map aesthetics.
Thanks 
