Where are the new maps?

[Juri_JS]

As much as I like to have new maps in the game, but maybe TD should first concentrate on adding new textures for the old maps. The textures of the Pacific maps are the worst in my opinion, some of them have completely wrong textures, like Chichi Jima or Okinawa.

New textures can make an enormous difference, just look at the retextures Cyberolas has done for the stock maps.

Map retextures can also be an opportunity to add winter versions of existing maps (Norway, Berlin, Kuban, etc.)

[IceFire]

Originally Posted by CzechTexan

I have a WIP map of the Kweilin-Changsha region of China on SAS.
TD has strict requirements for maps and that's why it's harder to do them for TD. Example is all rivers at zero altitude is very difficult to do in mountainous maps where elevation is significant from one side of the map to the other.

Also, not getting textures from Google earth (or other places) puts a damper on map building for TD.... how else can good decent real-life looking textures be made??

Glad to have you here CzechTexan. I've seen some of your stuff and it looks good!

Google Earth is of course copyrighted. We may be able to make use of government aerial photo archives that are in the public domain to help in making new textures. Some photoshop work to make them more than just a black and white overview could be used to make some great stuff.

Here's where it would be useful to have some teamwork. I know there are artists who are very good at making repeating textures. If we can combine their efforts with map makers then we can really get something going here.

The river thing is a pain. You can see why it doesn't work quite properly on maps like Slovakia and Burma... engine limitation and a usability issue when you're flying near such water. I'm wondering if TD would be amenable to exceptions in certain circumstances.

[Cloyd]

Originally Posted by IceFire

Glad to have you here CzechTexan. I've seen some of your stuff and it looks good!

Google Earth is of course copyrighted. We may be able to make use of government aerial photo archives that are in the public domain to help in making new textures. <snip>

Massachusetts, where I live, provides its aerial photography for free for anyone to download. Not surprisingly, Google uses this imagery (that my state taxes helped pay for) for Maps and Earth. Doesn't stop Google from slapping their copyright on the imagery that they didn't produce or pay for. No slam on Google necessarily, I love Google Maps and Earth, I use them all the time for work. But, I think it's a bit of a stretch that they get to claim rights to my screengrab from their free viewer programs of imagery that they do not own or produce. F'n lawyers!

Cloyd

[Pursuivant]

Originally Posted by Cloyd

Massachusetts, where I live, provides its aerial photography for free for anyone to download. Not surprisingly, Google uses this imagery (that my state taxes helped pay for) for Maps and Earth. Doesn't stop Google from slapping their copyright on the imagery that they didn't produce or pay for.

So, this means that we just need to find the materials that Google Maps has ripped off.

Paradoxically, a Google Search on "Copyright free Satellite Images" pays good dividends, at least if you're willing to dig. Look for images taken by government-owned satellites such as Landsat or IKONOS.

Here's one decent source that I found.

http://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/

Even better, this site lets you search images by year (good for getting older maps which show certain parts of the world before massive development) and even by month!

Here's another royalty free source, with open license:

http://www.openstreetmap.org/

And another:

http://landsatlook.usgs.gov/

There are probably others.

[CzechTexan]

Two mods maps that really look like Stock maps are Donbass and BOM (Battle of Moscow) found at SAS1946.com

[IceFire]

Originally Posted by CzechTexan

Two mods maps that really look like Stock maps are Donbass and BOM (Battle of Moscow) found at SAS1946.com

Donbass and Battle of Moscow both look fantastic. I think there are some custom objects there that need some looking into... I think AviaSkins has done stuff with Team Daidalos before. Anyone connect with them regularly?

[CzechTexan]

Originally Posted by Juri_JS

As much as I like to have new maps in the game, but maybe TD should first concentrate on adding new textures for the old maps. The textures of the Pacific maps are the worst in my opinion, some of them have completely wrong textures, like Chichi Jima or Okinawa.

New textures can make an enormous difference, just look at the retextures Cyberolas has done for the stock maps.

Map retextures can also be an opportunity to add winter versions of existing maps (Norway, Berlin, Kuban, etc.)

I agree. If it's possible to get the new B.O.Moscow and Donbass maps with their textures into IL2 then I'd like to also see those textures replace the ancient stock textures. At least then all the east front maps would look similar.

Actually, the biggest eyesore, in my opinion, is the old city textures...I can live with the other fields textures. Stock Cities need to be replaced with B.O.Moscow and Donbass city textures. That is not a hard thing to do and they are actually very similar in layout.'

MIXX's Khalkin Gol and ZaPolare' (Murmansk) maps are also very good maps. I'm not sure if they meet requirements but they are much better than the stock maps of those regions. I have never made missions for the stock Khalking Gol map but I would love to use Mixx's map.

[KU_Rigamortis]

The right area of this map would be a very nice addition. I've seen a similar version in HSFX modded squad events. Perhaps a banned subject of conversation like the Channel map, sorry if that is the case.




Also, I wish the Truk Lagoon (LS) map in HSFX would be added. That map is a great template for some very fun battles that don't involve flying 50 minutes to reach a target.

[Pursuivant]

Originally Posted by KU_Rigamortis

The right area of this map would be a very nice addition.

+1

Maps of most parts of North Africa are perfect for IL2, since they have relatively small cities, low population density between towns and lots of empty open spaces.

They're also somewhat "realistic" because if you fly south off the map, you end up over barren desert, and if you fly north off the map, you end up over trackless ocean.

The only problem is that even a small part of the map you've scanned would require a massive number of maps. Even a map of the coast from Alexandria to Tobruk would be a huge undertaking unless it was very narrow and just took in the terrain from coastal waters to the beginning of the escarpment. It would be more reasonable to have a map which covered the area from west of El Alamein to Alexandria, then another map from El Alamein to Tobruk, then another from Tobruk to Benghazi.

But, that said, Agracier has done a number of nice looking maps of the areas you're asking for, although I'm not sure if anyone has done maps of the areas I've mentioned.

Originally Posted by KU_Rigamortis

I've seen a similar version in HSFX modded squad events. Perhaps a banned subject of conversation like the Channel map, sorry if that is the case.

Since CloD is dead, I don't see any reason for the ban on previously embargoed material. I'm assuming that the appearance of the Wellington, as well as the presence of "Middle Eastern" and Mediterranean objects in 4.13 is an indication that this is indeed the case.

Originally Posted by KU_Rigamortis

Also, I wish the Truk Lagoon (LS) map in HSFX would be added. That map is a great template for some very fun battles that don't involve flying 50 minutes to reach a target.

Truk is a fun map and a historically quite useful one (as is Rabaul), but I'm not sure who originally developed them. There have been multiple people making improvements on the map over the years, which complicates things considerably.