Hi back KB, thanks, good to hear you got 1.6 working, welcome to the Dark (Blue) Side.
Took a while to get the DCG files sorted out with all the unexpected weapons entries problems, and quite a few screw-ups on my part, but somebody has to do it, so… Seems to be just about OK now but there will probably be another loadout option for some plane somewhere that turns out to have an underscore, or not actually exist, but DBW 1.7 will hopefully simplify this with the reduced plane set, and maybe even an accurate weapons file, but will change loadouts and probably be just the first step in consolidation, so the story isn't over yet. On top come accurate details for all the jet era planes, and optional data sets for the DBW add-on packages to come, and any new planes, so there’s still lots of potential/work. (but do update that campaign, and the jet era plane data for DCG too if you like, I’m no jetman! Well, actually CirX did make me fly around as jetman for a while as punishment for being such a know-it-all, but then I found Angelina also with a pack strapped on her back and haven’t looked down since...).
I looked at your project at M4T (very belatedly now), and had similar problems initially with the CC map, but as the only 1:1 map available it was also the only option. This actually caused a great deal of unnecessary effort unless you count all that as learning mapping, as there was so much to be corrected it was a real learning exercise. Initially tried to get the airfields working, turned out some were even doubled as if pasted twice, are extremely object heavy, over complex, late war oriented and many are copies, then the map-h, which is to be honest a mess, coming out more like the Death Star trenches, and all for a few cliffs to crash into, but replacing it is problematic as the projection they used in Microdem is unknown and the whole thing may have been post processed so getting a matching shot from a DEM is practically impossible, but basically it just looks nothing like Blighty.
At the time I just wanted a combination with Cannon’s map with more of France, but then more kept coming with BOF, Biscay, Northsea, SND, Holland, Westfront; all covering parts of the same area and partially overlapping, but none compatible with another, which is fine, the more the merrier, but does seem to be a bit of multiplication of effort, so why not all in one? So to prevent having to do multiple road/sea networks in DCG, or just AA/target layouts in mis files, it seemed to make more sense to have one large map covering the entire area which could be added to over time but forms a playable base for any campaign with specific actors/ini files for the area concerned, over progressive periods, either thin or detailed according to the size of the area of action for the campaign. Once the base map exists anyone can build their own scenario on it with dedicated actors/ini files or even textures; also needs a darkened night version. The biggest problem is indeed texturing, as getting a characteristic look for each country/area without repetitive tiling is always going to have to be a compromise, but still looks better than the CloD map! I’ll make some screenies, but it’s still just a (working) draft, but should perhaps go a bit further north and east to include Newcastle and Hamburg for those long bombing missions. Come to think of it the new big Med theatre map follows a similar principle, ideally you would never see the edges, but someone will always want to fly over anyway.
Extending this you then get a set of 6-12 big maps (clean they run as fast as any other, like online maps, it’s only the total number and variety of objects that make a difference) which with some overlapping (texturing limitations?) would cover the whole European area. Extending that to DCG the rds files would also be made to allow overlap and continuation from one to the next (using nodes as origins from the overlapping sections), so eventually the whole set up already exists and making campaigns is all about game play and not slogging through all the background work.
I also had a thought about making the map (ini) a timetable function, so theoretically there could be a different map with textures/actors and specific conditions, pressure, temp, etc, for each day of a campaign if anyone wanted to take it that far. This is all in my DCG doc draft along with many more ideas/suggestions, I’ll have to clean up the draft and post it to see what people think, before scaring the crap out of Paul. This also has suggestions for dealing with transit times, interceptions, night fighting, scripting, campaign management, gui, etc.
Airfields; on the CC map these are full of problems, missing h flattening, AI confusing paths, and the friction areas may be misplaced too. With these set in the map.ini file there’s no problem for DCG (and which in the above would also allow sticky airfields in wet weather...), but if there’s a mismatch you get an edge effect and a distinctive bump as planes cross it, possibly even nose overs. Flattening is another point here, I wanted to use the original heights averaged in Microdem with friction values, so the Bump can actually be bumpy, but buildings end up half sunken, planes on slopes slide all over the place, and concrete plates disappear halfway into the ground so it's probably unavoidable despite being difficult to blend in properly, but it really requires map-h editing as doing it manually in FMB never seems to avoid slight edge mismatching, blend instead of peak can be better, same smoothing effect as using averaging in Microdem for map-h. However I did have all the CC fields working eventually, and added new ones, but with all the effort going into a basically flawed map it seemed better to just use that as a test bed and start afresh, as I wanted more than just South East England anyway, from the premise of making a minimal “online” base which could be extended at will, but trying to do Berlin density on a map this size is obviously pointless, so photo-realistic ground textures with objects only where they are relevant is the key, as the idea is to fly and fight, not sight seeing, although a tour through a populated London in a jeep would also be possible but only London, not the whole map or it would never load, but if someone wants to why not, just don’t try combat operations with the same actors file. This is actually the entire point, it’s possible to have as many ini files as you like, one a day even as above, so the options are endless and we only really need a single large base map for continuity/compatibility, and all the effort of building road networks etc need only be done once. One map.ini a day in all.ini is however a bit much for the standard DBW game, as with a lot of other things in this mod/campaign, which is why it’s a dedicated add-on so as not to overload basic DBW and allow almost complete flexibility.
The big map (CoE or NWE or something) is still a rough draft, using standardised placeholder airfields (which do work however) as the point is to get the campaign running (and eventually actually released…) but both map and campaign can be continuously updated so we don’t all have to wait five years before the thing comes out with every garden shithouse in Europe correctly positioned for your frame rate displeasure… but updating any airfield, as long as it’s low on objects, can be done as an individual project and then added to the actors when it’s ready, so if we want accurate (time period too) airfields then it’s relatively easy to add them and build up seasonal sets year by year, but it’s not meant to be sight-seeing as I said, and no trees, I’m trying replacing the stock 3D RGB 24 trees with tiled and blended textures and .tree extensions for colour matching and reduced load, and no more losing half your squad to crashing into the bloody forests, makes the point of flying over England almost irrelevant for the RAF, and looks better too… waste of texture slots actually, if there was a way to improve/optimise/replace the stock 3D forests… Bridges are also an issue, need to be minimal to avoid having to drop down to sea level but required for the road/rail network, and I want to avoid bridge attacks in DCG, rail yards yes, but bridges are a total failing in IL2, along with the bloody ships dammit. Still setting locations in DCG for 200 or more airfields to get the campaign transferred over, then new sea routes and mission maps, but once done we’re back in the air.
However, this campaign is meant to be just the start, covering the BoB period for the same reasons as CloD probably, apart from my personal interests, but thanks to DCG is open to being extended forward or backwards using different actors/textures (new airfields etc.) along with new campaign sections in the grand campaign, all interlinked and continuous so you can start in 1939 and go all the way to 46, try surviving through that one. I could possibly spend the rest of my days extending it but I'm just laying the foundations, it’s meant to be open to the community to add on to, just keeping to the basic principles and continuing on from the existing files/set up, or pre-dating them, but all at half scale and historically based/researched (never ending) using the timetable as the primary tool, more on that in the DCG doc later, but also as a single unified campaign without needing separate campaigns for fighter, bomber, or whatever, everything runs from the same campaign, apart from the night fighting currently, but again there’s more on that in the DCG doc.
This thing is however so big and extensive, historically up to four sorties a day except in bad weather, and then sometimes, and the missions are by nature long, it’s not something for a quick spin like QMB, more a long hard graft under full real and mostly about surviving, as historically, so probably not for the faint hearted. This campaign should however also lend itself to co-ops, considering all the recent discussion, but that’s currently beyond my brief and makes more sense once the single player version is actually up and running, and I’m no co-op expert anyway, but maybe later, why not, the potential is there, but I never flew online myself.
There are many features and aspects people could help/get involved with, RDDR already started with MAT manager, (thanks mate!) it’s not actually meant to be a one man show. Historical data for squads & events, aces with pilot skins, airfield layouts, installations, targets, etc; for follow up campaigns not just this one, good skins for stand-in planes and squads generally (currently making a collection so squads and aces are all unique, but it’s a lot to download and would need to extend for different periods) currently using Martins’ textures but probably need to make new ones, need a full rail layout on the map first, and eventually road network, with corresponding DCG files, atmosphere and flavour, period music and briefing files, and the historical documentation which was the starting point of it all anyway.
Beyond the basic map/campaign though there would also need to be more campaign sections with detailed timetables to move into 41 onwards or back to France, Norway would need a different map, but once the basis is there it can be expanded at will, well almost. I won't be able to do the entire set of campaigns for the entire war period with what-ifs branching and corresponding load.inis ad infinitum single handed, unless everyone is prepared to wait several years probably, so I'm currently looking at going up to mid 41 where the campaign ends (from the German perspective) to include the possibility of a Sealion 41 too, but after that it's a different campaign really, but all that's required is a little coordination so people don't double up effort doing the same thing twice, really should be a community/team effort, I just want to get the ball rolling and then get to actually play the campaign myself eventually, but there’s loads to do, we still need the Do17, and a SU2/Defiant Franken hack, Ki21/Hudson, He115, or maybe just edited class files to change the labels on screen, though we shouldn’t be using them actually, with vectors and GCI/observers should really be icons off as pipsqueak was only for the radar, but I digress... but the changes I’m proposing in DCG would make an enormous difference so need to get on with that too, but not to forget thanks again to CY6 for the amazing C&C objects which allow things previously undreamed of and are basically a core component now.
So after the possibly longest post in SAS history, hope it clarifies and brings things a bit up to date, unless everyone has already fallen asleep of course, but thanks for the offers of help, any contributions are greatly appreciated, although I often don’t know what I’m doing next myself, trying to do it all simultaneously is just a bit demanding, and I'm a bit slow anyway, but I’ll try and get a test version together to show how it works and where the gaps are, but will take a while still.
However, I’ll get the DCG doc sorted out so you can see what I’m talking about, it’s not that much really, but some things would greatly expand campaign building possibilities, but it all needs prioritising as there’s no way it would all come at once, and would all depend on Paul himself of course, otherwise we just have to do our best with what we have.
Meanwhile, some very quick pics of a very rough WIP, all texturing is still very provisional;
Airfields so far, nevermind the google, it's just for placement...
Dover to be
Cliffs still to come
Welsh coast and valleys, somewhere there will be a little tent which is me out camping...
Lake district in the North
Ireland from the Scottish coast
Thames Estuary
Bomber Command airfield, can someone desaturate those sandbags?
Looking out from the Met office, how do they keep everything so bright and squeaky clean? Mixx has some better building textures. The noise.tga could do with a higher res too.
A generic place holder small grass airfield with roundabout taxiing and multiple take offs/landings, works too!
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Topic: Clash of Eagles, Dedicated Mod DCG BoB Campaign for SAS Dark Blue World (Read 42940 times)
