Where are the new maps?

[IceFire]

Originally Posted by Juri_JS

I think the best area for a map would be the regions of Hunan and Hubei, maybe between Wuhan and Changsha. It could be used both for battles early in the war (Battle of Wuhan) and for later operations (Battles of Changsha, Operation Ichi Go).

That could work.

I've read some basic tutorials on how to set up a map in IL-2. I'm not exactly sure where I get the game related tools to do it.

It sounds like a China map would be challenging... I can probably handle the technical if I can get some support on the history side of things because this theatre I have a bit of a blind spot in. I still think it'd be interesting and something not covered yet.

Hong Kong area would potentially be useful as well.

[Baddington_VA]

If it came to the wishlist, I would say Kuban winter campaign map.


A China map should have a lot of potential for historical mission builders.

You've got Flying Tigers for one and the Nationalist forces were eventually flying B25s
and the industry moved just like in Russia, with Japanese bombers in pursuit.
Even after Japan surrendered the Russians just kept on moving in the north.
There's the Burma -China road.
I'm not absolutely sure, but B29s may have been based in China for a time.

Map building itself is still a mystery to me. I have looked it up, but never found out much at all.
That it could be accepted in the stock version, if it were 100% original, makes it even more interesting a subject.

[Juri_JS]

Originally Posted by IceFire

I've read some basic tutorials on how to set up a map in IL-2. I'm not exactly sure where I get the game related tools to do it.

I once talked with EJGr.Ost_Caspar about map making in Il-2. Maybe he can give you some good advice how to start such a project.

[Plane-Eater]

Originally Posted by Baddington_VA

If it came to the wishlist, I would say Kuban winter campaign map.


A China map should have a lot of potential for historical mission builders.

You've got Flying Tigers for one and the Nationalist forces were eventually flying B25s
and the industry moved just like in Russia, with Japanese bombers in pursuit.
Even after Japan surrendered the Russians just kept on moving in the north.
There's the Burma -China road.
I'm not absolutely sure, but B29s may have been based in China for a time.

Map building itself is still a mystery to me. I have looked it up, but never found out much at all.
That it could be accepted in the stock version, if it were 100% original, makes it even more interesting a subject.

The China Air Task Force and the 14th AF were flying B-24s and I think later on B-29s against Japan. There was a LOT of guerrilla air combat in the CBI, it's been horribly neglected.

[ECV56_Guevara]

If someone is starting a new project, these are DT rules for Map Making (posted in SAS)Please any DT member confirm.







- map MUST NOT contain any mistakes, all roads and railroads MUST be passable
- rivers MUST have height of 0 (tarns are an exception)
- all bridges MUST be correctly placed and passable
- objects stitched together from other objects (franken objects) MUST NOT be present
- objects MUST be thematically correct (no churches from Slovakia in Africa)
- new 3D models MUST be in low-polygon standard with correct damage model. Summer AND winter textures MUST be included, even if map is a only summer one.
- new 3D models SHOULD be provided with 3DS Max source file and PSD/CDR textures
- new 3D models SHOULD be exported to msh (they may be exported by DT if creator does not have the tools to do so himself)
Only outputs from 3DS Max9 Maraz IL2 plugin version 0.6 OR Fatduck exporter script 2.52 are supported.
- 3D models provided in binary msh SHALL NOT be accepted.
- map MUST NOT use fototextures or anything under copyright.
- airfields MUST be fully functional without obstructions
- forests and trees MUST NOT intersect with roads or railroads
- FPS MUST be equal or higher as on Slovakia or Crimea
- map SHOULD be created by creator from start and MUST NOT be under any copyright
- creation of special objects as dams MUST be consulted with DT first
- map SHOULD be set in 1939-1945(46) on some WWII battlefield of interest

By the way, as there is a moddelling bible, it will be very usefull a similar guide to making a map. There are a lot of questions that I have regarding map making and how you solved them, especially in the Slovakia Map.
Who is the guy that can answer these questions?

[Treetop64]

Surprised by the display of familiarity of wartime Chinese geography. Refreshing.

I'd like to see a Hankow/Wuchang/Changsha scenario, but am a bit wary of it being the basis of a map in IL-2 since those cities were quite large and very heavily urbanized (by Chinese mid-20th century standards), though not so much for Wuchang, which was pretty much just a cross-river extension of Hankow. Could wreak havoc on frame rates.

[Treetop64]

Originally Posted by ECV56_Guevara

If someone is starting a new project, these are DT rules for Map Making (posted in SAS)Please any DT member confirm.







- map MUST NOT contain any mistakes, all roads and railroads MUST be passable
- rivers MUST have height of 0 (tarns are an exception)
- all bridges MUST be correctly placed and passable
- objects stitched together from other objects (franken objects) MUST NOT be present
- objects MUST be thematically correct (no churches from Slovakia in Africa)
- new 3D models MUST be in low-polygon standard with correct damage model. Summer AND winter textures MUST be included, even if map is a only summer one.
- new 3D models SHOULD be provided with 3DS Max source file and PSD/CDR textures
- new 3D models SHOULD be exported to msh (they may be exported by DT if creator does not have the tools to do so himself)
Only outputs from 3DS Max9 Maraz IL2 plugin version 0.6 OR Fatduck exporter script 2.52 are supported.
- 3D models provided in binary msh SHALL NOT be accepted.
- map MUST NOT use fototextures or anything under copyright.
- airfields MUST be fully functional without obstructions
- forests and trees MUST NOT intersect with roads or railroads
- FPS MUST be equal or higher as on Slovakia or Crimea
- map SHOULD be created by creator from start and MUST NOT be under any copyright
- creation of special objects as dams MUST be consulted with DT first
- map SHOULD be set in 1939-1945(46) on some WWII battlefield of interest

Lol, no kidding.

The Curland Penninsula map is nearly riddled with mistakes, from missing bridges to parking nodes on the taxiways at some airfields. Still, it's one of the best maps in the game, and one of the few in the whole game that is truly at a 1:1 ratio.

[Pursuivant]

Originally Posted by Baddington_VA

A China map should have a lot of potential for historical mission builders.

Just remember that there's a massive amount of China and that most of the bits that were fought over were densely populated. That means either small maps if you want to include every village or the need to selectively "depopulate" the map if you want to cover a larger area.

Additionally, many China missions covered long distances, and IL2 doesn't do "strategic" maps very well.

Originally Posted by Baddington_VA

You've got Flying Tigers for one and the Nationalist forces were eventually flying B25s

Lots of action with the CAMCO and later the Chinese-American Composite Wing and the 14th Air Force. Add to that RAF and Commonwealth (RCAF, RIAF, RAAF, RNZAF) actions during the Japanese invasion of British territories in 1941-42 (Hong Kong and Burma).

Originally Posted by Baddington_VA

Even after Japan surrendered the Russians just kept on moving in the north.

Actually, this wasn't a Soviet invasions so much as the continuance (or rather, the end game) of the Chinese Civil War which led to victory by the Communists under Mao Zedong. There was a certain amount of aerial action during the post-WW2 conflict which doesn't get a whole lot of attention in the West. Sadly, this conflict probably officially off-limits for a number of reasons.

Originally Posted by Baddington_VA

I'm not absolutely sure, but B29s may have been based in China for a time.

The 20th Air Force was briefly based in China and flew the first B-29 raids from Chinese bases. But, due to logistics they didn't fly too many raids from there before they transferred to the Marianas in 1945.[/QUOTE]

[IceFire]

Originally Posted by Juri_JS

I once talked with EJGr.Ost_Caspar about map making in Il-2. Maybe he can give you some good advice how to start such a project.

I'll definitely get in touch with him. Thanks!

Wondering if I might start really small first and then try something more ambitious after.

[Baddington_VA]

The Russian moves in the north that I referred to were the ones made for several days after Japan had formally surrendered.
I don't know what was behind that, if they were just on a roll or never were told it was over.

But it's a matter of pick your battles and map that region.
Very much what IL2 maps are now.
The original IL2 did come with a warning not to use the Berlin map online
because of the high number of buildings.
I know of one server that went down the moment the first bombs were dropped on Berlin.