[CMFB (Unofficial) Screenshot Thread]

1 hour ago, NamEndedAllen said:

ArmA3 is quite strict in enforcing this. In our weekly co-op sessions, courageous attempts to heal a fallen comrade before taking out the threats 

Yep, in coop many the things are doable in realistic ways. Also depends on what mods/modules are to be used generally. Similar for single play.

Buddy aid system in CM is a really dumb one. Only consideration for getting it started is when an enemy bullet didn´t pass by in a given amount of time. The game engine does not consider that the shooting can start any second again. Also revealing the whole of a team´s/squads´s position when the medic starts popping up unasked for.

Sometimes I want shooting that medic myself if he starts doing it. Say... you got your team/squad on "hide" while beeing in a position you don´t want change for the moment. But you´ve a wounded in same or adjacent AS. Now a heroic buddy aidee starts doing his own thing, also waving his hands for a "Here we still are! Shoot at us (again)".  Not that this guy will mostly be the first who got a bullet in his head, everything that comes in then also might kill more of the same team/squad. Colateral buddy aid damage. Haha. That was the hide command then.

So I keep sticking with my mod. Can´t change the hero´s attitude but at least he keeps his dumb head down below.

 

[Question about infantry animation files]

8 hours ago, JoMac said:

@RockinHarry...Yes, and I still use your 'Realism Mod'. However, I stopped using the 'MG Stance' (think it's called) and maybe one other because crew in SP Vehicles tend to go prone (instead of sitting).

I also use the 'No Tracer' mod (part of the 'Realism Mod')...Now, if BF just made Small Arms Tracer fire for MG's only, then that would be nice.

Joe

Thanks for feedback Joe! Yep, I´m actually doing the same if there´s OT vehicles in any the forces. IIRC it´s unarmed idle kneel something and its ani gets shared among various pixeltrooper stances/crew positions unfortunately. If BFC seperates these, ani´s could be fine tuned better as well. Seems their animation specialist ain´t on board anymore.

Yep, same for tracers. Can´t be that hard to code that in. Maybe more a matter of will and less of the aptitude.

[Berlin CMRT Map]

6 hours ago, Lucky_Strike said:

I don't mind this. QBs are great for a bit of fun, but IMHO prepared scenarios offer much better experience.

7 hours ago, Lucky_Strike said:

I guess the ideal would be to have both types, let the scenario designer or players decide how fortifications should appear and be used. As you say, easier said ...

Yep, although one can surely enjoy total freedom of choices at times. Main weakness of QB is their rather generic and inflexible AIP setup and scripting. A scenario designer can do much better all the times.

Re tweaked shelters and trenches I could imagine a QB map beeing better prepared for them. Means offering a good amount of ditch locked terrain tiles at reasonable places. Not all got to be used and the suspicious looking AS´s can add to FOW if many are just fake positions. Keep the opponent guessing. You can rarely buy enough Arty to hammer them all.

7 hours ago, Lucky_Strike said:

Hah, we just plough on ...

Yeah, getting over the initial shock of Blender is part of the battle if one has never used 3D apps before. None of us is expert so sharing knowledge and ideas on here is essential.

Re Blender I just know enough to import, edit few selected things and then export for CM again. Beside that I´m still a noob. Anyone can catch up in little time. Key is sharing knowledge and not cooking its own fire in secret chambers.

7 hours ago, Lucky_Strike said:

Yes there does at least seem to be a pattern with what needs to be done with most models to get them out of Blender and into the game. I'm going to look at the models I already have working to I can check that the metadata copy/paste thing is applied. I know there were some where metadata export just refused to work.

Yeah, let us know please. Would be cool if we could figure out a Blender procedure that enables us dealing with the mentioned material/texture issues in least of time. That would save us the time better spent for more in game testing of our lil edits.

[Berlin CMRT Map]

5 hours ago, quakerparrot67 said:

interesting reading the older thread and seeing how the map developed.   i really like the sunken trenches a lot better than the stock game, tho i do understand the f.o.w. problems.    gorgeous map and setup, the dragon's teeth just complete it.

 

cheers,

rob

 

Thanks Rob. It was quite an interesting build up process, trying numerous things on a limited size map and force. Think most of them haven´t even been discovered yet. Btw... did you try a playtrough yet? cheers

[CMRT MINOR NATIONS MODS AVAILABLE...ALSO BARBAROSSA]

6 hours ago, Artkin said:

Ah Phil's bastard T-26. 

I know of some cool ARMA3 BT- and T-early war AFV mods. Would be cool if one could bring them in for some decent Barbarossa. Considering the BT- and T-26 were the most numerous in 1941.

[Berlin CMRT Map]

5 hours ago, NPye said:

Midnight Blues...lol I love messin with PS LUT files. It's great to get cinema type look...

Think I also saw some related FX in ReShade, but haven´t tried these out yet. Lots of cool (or hot) looking stuff indeed.

[Berlin CMRT Map]

5 hours ago, Lucky_Strike said:

I did buildings are about as much as I can get my head around at the moment. Even then there's so much to know about them/their models that I could easily get very distracted.

Yep, don´t get distracted (too much) ATM. I just keep doing my loud thinking sort of if I find or found something that might be for good, future use.

5 hours ago, Lucky_Strike said:

I'm actually thinking it's just easier to forget the levels in this than try to make them work since I don't really know much about the workings of the buildings. There are quite a few models that I came across that perhaps could make better OP platforms than a tall industrial chimney. I'd be interested to know if there are any other tall structures (7 or 8 levels) that could be modelled to fully exploit this better. With the Brandenburg Gate there is also the potential to create a pretty tall OP.

Yes, levels is the next league for when figuring out all these inner workings, in case it´s doable at all. Poking in the fog can also be a big time waster if one is not quite so successful. So better focus on those things that at least seem doable ATM. Just place any the indi builds in 2D editor so you can see what height they are actually. I still lack an overview ATM. Didn´t even know until yesterday that we have this factory w chimneys in RT-FR. 

5 hours ago, Lucky_Strike said:

Yes if we are concerned about absolute playability, less so if it's just for eye candy. The bunkers, trenches and foxholes are already so extrapolated from reality that I feel trying out experiments with them to improve how they can look and maybe function is all we can hope for. Their mechanics are just not good. I'm personally prepared to suffer some oddness with their outer structure if they can just look a bit better in a scenario. Sort of like your wormhole bunker sitting more comfortably in the ground, it just improves how I feel about them when I see them in game. Ultimately I know they still don't do what I really want, but they probably never will. 

Exactly, yes. While I´m at the wooden shelter I also keep doing some experiments with FH/trenches and let you all know about any findings. I still see some potential to make these look and maybe also working "better". One caveat likely will be that it´s then almost all scenario/map maker assets and not usable in QB or missions/maps made earlier. But I just keep seeing benefits.

5 hours ago, Lucky_Strike said:

9 hours ago, RockinHarry said:

Outside "extras" (like terrain blending envelope and flavors/doodads) should be less of an issue, maybe depending who´s the parent and what to put in META (or leave it all at zero). 

And this is where I think I can bring something to the table. I'm happy to try and make them look better, whilst I hope your experiments will give us better playability, or to at least see the limits of what's possible.

Yep, think all our combined efforts should give us anything playable, whether be mere eye candy or yielding functionality as well. Another thanks to @sbobovyc and @Aquila-SmartWargames (and those I miss mentioning) for making this possible.

5 hours ago, Lucky_Strike said:

Until I made that chimney I had no idea that the bunkers were static vehicles ... why!!!?

Can only make my guess about that. Beeing in fortification category and purchasable it got to be be a playable unit type category and so it was an obvious choice not making it a neutral terrain object instead..I guess. But that´s a very limiting approach, entirely neglecting that forts in fact can change ownership repeatedly. Also terrain objects do not apply to FOW and there´s likely no data or programming concepts that could change that easily. But I´m not a programmer. So likely all easier said than done.

5 hours ago, Lucky_Strike said:

8 hours ago, RockinHarry said:

maybe one could offset the 45 degree rotation but preserve overall size in Blender?

Definitely doable in Blender, but not sure what would happen regarding pixeltruppen occupying it. Again can someone please explain why ... this and some of the other indi buildings are only peaceable at an angle!? Sure it must have been discussed / griped about many times ...

I´ll try doing some testing. Now that I know how to get these exported successfully some new info should pop up soon.

Guess to allow for some variety for when there´s lots of the 45 degree diagonal roads on a map. Some are just variations while some others seem unique. Though diagonal indi builds are somewhat tricky, game play wise (ptroopers path finding and placement/LOS/LOF). Also they got to fit into the 8x8m AS concept. We know one can place any builds at an offset (half slicing a neighboring AS) as well. All might play a role in here.

5 hours ago, Lucky_Strike said:

Yeah odd there is no normal maps for a potential game asset. Middle section friezes would definitely benefit from normal maps, just well made textures at present.

The wings should be reasonably straightforward, but the middle section may need to be treated as a skinned flavour object, though a bridge would be better I really don't want to get into that whole other world of pain. We'll see ...

Yep, all seems doable. But who´s the time for all this ATM? lol

So would be cool if we could draw more wannabe Blender artist into all of this. Required info is on the table and keeps beeing maintained, here and at other forum places.

5 hours ago, Lucky_Strike said:

You're right this is one possibility. As I found to my cost a black object can have several reasons. Alpha channel madness, is it 8-bit or 1-bit? (Who uses 1-bit? even back in 2010 this was old). Missing links in Blender - but I thought the script didn't let us export without textures he says to himself, not quite, it doesn't always know if a texture is there really. Blender can sometimes trick us that the texture is still connected to the material even when it's not and a different material might actually be in use. Blender is not always WYSIWYG! It can trick us. The script also doesn't care if a texture is a bmp or a jpeg or whatever, there's no check. It'll keep catching me out I'm sure 

Just noticed I used wrong terms. It´s actually 2 colors (plain black or white) or 256 grey scale tones needed.

Yep, Blender scripts are imperfect. As said wanted to bring that to sbobovyc´s attention, just when he vanished and got busy elsewhere. But material name (not texture name) is key and that is what got stored in MDR files. One can work around this, but still got to dig some more into Blender 2.79 peculiarities for better understanding. That for more precise preparation so exports will always be successful.

[Custom 3D Models and Mods Compilation]

5 hours ago, Lucky_Strike said:

Well would say I'm envious. Most I've ever dug up is a bit of clay pipe, some bottles and old coins, plastic toys and occasional flint napped flakes. I do occasionally follow a couple of the metal detectorists on YT, always amazed at what they turn up.

Most the time it´s not about finding something actually, yet it´s a bonus. I enjoy beeing out for some fresh air, moving my lazy *** and visit interesting history related locations. So whatever one finds and could connect to known historic actions is a great feel. Also one bits of walk in the shoes of those who were there like i.e at the battlefields of Op Veritable, hurtgen forest or my former home area, the Ruhrkessel.

[Berlin CMRT Map]

5 hours ago, quakerparrot67 said:

working beautifully in 'you enter  germany', seeing that 'crab' rolling through was really cool! thanks, harry.

 

cheers,

rob

 

Great you got it working Rob! If you like do some related commenting on it feel free to post in thread below. There´s also bits of background info to be found.

 

5 hours ago, quakerparrot67 said:

thank you, l.s., i have it working in the y.e.g. scenario, really cool.

does the 'trouble with siegfried' scenario if cmfb use hedgehogs?  seems like these would be a natural for this mod.  can't wait to see the final set!

I´d a look and it does not. In case you haven´t yet, you can copy over your newly created dragon teeth CMBN mod folder over to CMFB (and the other WW2 titles) data/z as well. Have fun and thanks!

[Custom 3D Models and Mods Compilation]

2 hours ago, Lucky_Strike said:

Great stuff. Do you keep it, sell it or what?

No doubt the Beaute weapons were nearly all they could find in the warehouses at this stage. I've even seen SS units with similar, and plenty of WW1 stuff got issued as well. So long as it had ammo and could shoot straight-ish it was good to go. 

I keep the better preserved stuff like those in my pics. Anything explosive will be reported to local EOD and anything illegal either reburied or given to someone who can make these "legal". So is german laws. I´d never sold any my finds.

Among my rifle finds were K98k (80-90%), old Gewehr 98 (WW1), Lebel, some scandinavian stuff (Springfield or derivate), Mosin Nagant (!), Lee Enfield and then single parts of MP40, MG34/42, Stg44 and lots of odd foreign stuff. I´ve none of these anymore and gifted to a friend collector who can legalize these. Just kept single legal parts like bolts, empty magazines and such.

Most our foreign weapon finds could fairly safely beeing associated to either Volkssturm or Luftwaffe.  Mostly by accompanying finds. There was no W-SS in Ruhrkessel but a corps HQ commanding regular Wehrmacht troops. So finds associated to these are extremely rare, in this area at least.

[Berlin CMRT Map]

1 hour ago, Lucky_Strike said:

JM that's not got anything to do with how your file is constructed, nor how the game handles your textures. Those settings are for how Blender displays and renders stuff (use tooltips to help understand what stuff i, I know they're not great and often obscure, but those items are clearly labelled rendering - we don't need to render anything). I have even less than you in that palette, definitely no textured solid. I think you need to focus on getting your textures right before you import them into Blender. If you're using external models then convert all textures to bmp and use those to replace the existing dds (what are these files!!!) or whatever. Practice on something simple first to understand the process. You need to look at these palettes as I've said before:

And only watch training videos that are pertinent to 2.79 or earlier, the method is completely different in later Blender versions and will just confuse (tick as appropriate) annoy and confuse again.

BABY STEPS!!!!!

Yep, we just need 24Bit standard BMP and the exotic 32Bit alpha layer ones. The 32 Bit files alpha layer IIRC can be of the 2 or 256 bit types. Depends on what model needs them. If your model turns all black (or washy) in game, then it´s likely the wrong type (2 or 256Bit exclusively) or file is 24Bit, missing the layer entirely. That´s from my understanding ATM.

[Berlin CMRT Map]

6 minutes ago, quakerparrot67 said:

 a little confused... being a westwall scenario, is this for rt or fb or perhaps bn?   sorry if being dense,  the mod looks good in your pics, cant wait to see it in action!

 

cheers,

rob

it´s universal object. It´s the same for at least all the WW2 titles. Grab Lucky´s file, then unzip everything BUT the *.btt file into a seperate mod folder in your games data/z location. You then can place hedgehog/dragon teeth yourself when in unit editor select from "fortification" types. As said CMBN, CMFB, CMRT and likely CMFI (untested) .

If you like playing the CMBN (requirement) battle as well you´ll find it here: https://www.thefewgoodmen.com/tsd3/combat-mission-battle-for-normandy/cm-battles-for-normandy/cmbn-v4-mg-vp-you-enter-germany-introduction/

It plays well with or without new hedgehog mod.

[Berlin CMRT Map]

2 hours ago, Lucky_Strike said:

This is the free model I've found:

It's quite well done, has good use of flat textures, nothing odd or procedural to convert. It opens in our version of Blender. The wireframe is nice and clean:

At the moment it's a bit too complex nearly 400,000 faces/ 200,000 triangles. However over 100K of those are just for the bronze statue on top. Applying a quick and dirty decimator modifier to the mesh gave me about 30,000 triangles - which is I think quite good - I've had trees with more!

You can see the model is starting to break down - some of the textures are stretching badly (notice on the columns) but not the worst I've seen, even compared to some BF stock models!

If I can break it down into component parts then the decimate process will give a better result. I doubt I can do much about stuff like pixeltruppen walking through walls or pillars but perhaps the side temples will operate if they are barns. Use ground textures to make a lot of it off limits and it might just work. It's gonna have to be a compromise at the end of the day, but as a backdrop it should work. And if folks don't like that fact that it's not useable well they are welcome to replace it with something else or talk to the 

Gorgeous model! Don´t forget we can use normal maps for smaller detail things so don´t need actual geometry for everything.

If exported in parts or a whole, one could try flavor objects and then see further. See Aquila´s ruin model for enveloping with visible or invisible working in game objects.

[Berlin CMRT Map]

1 hour ago, quakerparrot67 said:

can't remember if it was in this thread, but were the dragon's teeth mod ever released for rh's yeg scenario?  i realize it's a cmbn scenario, but i seem to recall it being discussed along with all the blenderizing and mod wizardry here...

cheers,

rob

 

@Lucky_Strike ?

IIRC last published and working version was here otherwise:

 

[Berlin CMRT Map]

2 hours ago, quakerparrot67 said:

all the tech talk is waaaayyy over my pointy lil' head, but loving the results you guys are getting.  to be honest,  for me the game is largely about  (a) being able to better visualize and understand the wwii history that i read, and (b)  the screenshots- so the  mods you are coming up with , even the purely visual ones with no effect on game play, add immensely to my enjoyment of the game. anyone else's mileage may vary, of course.  

so,  thank you from a grateful  cm fan.

 

cheers,

rob

Feel free to tell of your own ideas and lil inspirations. Who knows... maybe they turn to something usable enhancing your and our personal game play. Or join the fun (and somewhat painful) Blender learning experience as we do now. The more brains that got involved with this, the better.

[Berlin CMRT Map]

1 hour ago, JM Stuff said:

ok I will check his thread about this but I want to show you something shortly I will delete the picture after !

do a google search on free (and legit) Photoshop CS2 (as of 2005). It works fine on Win10 and does the purpose on BMP 32Bit file type well!  I grabbed mine here (german language text only, but PS version is any language) https://www.chip.de/downloads/Photoshop-CS2-kostenlos-Vollversion_59762951.html

[Berlin CMRT Map]

3 hours ago, NPye said:

Yes for both but remember the Factory is defaulted to only being on a 45 degree angles X4...

maybe one could offset the 45 degree rotation but preserve overall size in Blender?

[Berlin CMRT Map]

4 hours ago, Lucky_Strike said:

Yes definitely a good addition to BN - goddamnit I wish we had proper slit trenches and foxholes, a few of these over a slit trench would really work a treat. 

CM trench and FH object types are really strange ones. They´re not "vehicle" like pillboxes but neither pure terrain object types. Odd mix of both but IMO largely non working bad compromise. Ah and yes.... these sandbagged wooden frame structures and mole hills look like crap as well. Whoever invented these doesn´t get a beer from me.

[Berlin CMRT Map]

5 hours ago, Lucky_Strike said:

But am very interested in the toy town factory. Not thinking the chimney needs to be anything more than a chimney ie doesn't need to be something that an FO can sit on top of, so the model I have would work quite well, scaled down a little. The main body of the factory looks a little small but I suppose it could be bolted to other industrial buildings to create a complex. Will need to go have a look at them on a map. Windmill's footprint is a bit too large for a chimney, though could integrate another structure (engine house) to fill out the footprint.

All good ideas! Yeah windmill footprint is too large at given size, yet I´s more thinking of a prototype and derive usefull stuff from it. I.e base shape, level construction (maybe "easier" to be figured out for indi builds first) and any META that might possibly help.

5 hours ago, Lucky_Strike said:

Yeah, as I said I'm not worried about it being multi-level. In RL one would have to scale it from the outside to get to the top as these things don't really have floors. It would be good if it could be occupied, though again it's not essential, rather if attached to a building then that building should work as normal. More important is to overcome the FOW issue.

I wouldn´t exclude working levels yet. One could possibly use max supported level structure and make the "roof" part extraordinarily "tall" maybe. It would still be a great vantage point at level 7 or 8 ( level x 2.5m = y). One could also place it on raised (ditch locked) terrain tile thus squeezing out couple more meters maybe. One could at least test if a confined space supports any ptrooper occupations at all. An inner space diameter of say 2-3m should be minimum, but who knows. Think FOW issues only apply to "vehicle" type classes, like pillboxes is. For building types it might be "just" some required META adaptions to be made (I hope).

5 hours ago, Lucky_Strike said:

I recall seeing this. I wonder now with the ability to easily copy metadata if a house to be given the donated metadata of a bunker ...? It should be fairly trivial to remodel the bunkers to look better, retaining their volume and other characteristics whilst giving them a new skin.

Could try but I believe it´s rather hard coded data and thus non available to our modding attempts. So pillbox vehicle class data to building terrain object class....

5 hours ago, Lucky_Strike said:

It should be fairly trivial to remodel the bunkers to look better, retaining their volume and other characteristics whilst giving them a new skin. I've been pondering making them into more embedded emplacements, so that they blend better with the landscape. Adding some external earthwork and covering their roofs with soil and vegetation. With ethe way they already work with a ditch it would certainly improve how they look. If you can resolve the wormhole effect with your metadata tweak they would look great.  

From my experience every model mesh changes need beeing adapted in META as well (bounding/hit boxes etc). So not quite so trivial as long as META keeps its secrets I guess.

Outside "extras" (like terrain blending envelope and flavors/doodads) should be less of an issue, maybe depending who´s the parent and what to put in META (or leave it all at zero). Can´t tell yet if there´s a solution for wormhole effect. Maybe I/we´ll find something, but could also be it remains an "either or". I personally can live with my "or" since it´s what I´s looking for and now know how to deal with the worms (shielding 0,0,0). Hopefully we get it all done before BFC strikes with a new game engine. lol

[Berlin CMRT Map]

9 hours ago, NPye said:

BTW utilised Aquilas tent, and made a Zeltbahn, added a Wehrmacht poncho texture (were they snack 4-5 together to make a tent), not sure for Berlin Mod but maybe good for Normandy????

 

Nice, but out of place for Berlin I´m afraid. I´d preserve some goodies once you´re finished with Berlin and hopefully you turn to something new again then maybe?

Btw... I´d use these for maybe camoflaging combat positions or making a curtain for pillbox doors and such.

[Custom 3D Models and Mods Compilation]

3 hours ago, Lucky_Strike said:

Cool finds! 

It´s part of a full Luftwaffe squad (Flak crew maybe) who deposited everything they carried but firearms, mess tins and canteen into a combat trench in "Ruhrkessel" sometime mid april 1945. Huge and rare find. Ammo pouches still had 8mm Lebel ammo in them and there were few seperated parts of a french FM24/29 lMG as well. So Luftwaffe were beeing equipped with french Beute weaponry there.

[Pacific War Project]

9 hours ago, 37mm said:

My suspicion is that it wasn't actually the hedges, more some weird aspect of working on & saving the map to a later version... indeed I just checked @Aquila-SmartWargames later conversion hex edits without any difficulty, Tall Bocage & all.

Finishing the conversion is taking a little longer than I'd hoped. On the Japanese side, I have to swap out all the British bunkers (at least the ones not burning) for Italian ones... I'm about halfway through that task.

On the American side, the converted forces were kinda screwy so I had to rebuild & replace a lot of them.

However the extra time has had some added benefits, for instance motivating me to work on the US uniforms which are now all HBT* (original mods by KilgoreT )...

As well as converting the LVT mod for M3a1 Half Tracks (I don't think there are M5a1's in FI)...

I've also broken up the "wave 3-5" reinforcement into its individual waves, just to make things a little less daunting for the player.

Here's an example of a screwy conversion artifact, a 3 man Sherman carrying Demo charges...

I've also added some force backgrounds, a rudimentary splash screen, some music & played around with the floating icons... oh & tidied up the tiny concept scenarios with some basic victory objectives & AI plans.

 

Better get back to swapping those bunkers!

 

*The late war Marines from the original Pacific mod are now activated by a [brown] tag.

Although I´m not overly interested in PT... but this I´d like trying out when it´s ready and when I´d ....CMFI (which I don´t ).  And I see many interesting little concepts  put to practice here! Inspiring.

[Custom 3D Models and Mods Compilation]

18 minutes ago, JM Stuff said:

Just what I Said archaeolog from modern time ...

JM

There´s no more modern than this maybe (1950-60ies NATO).

[Framerates lower than 25 makes shift+mouse clicks and mouse scroll almost unusable due to input lag/delay]

Wasn´t the VSync option = Off made to fight these issues? Not that it´ll help much on huge maps with lots of trees and buildings though.

[CMFB (Unofficial) Screenshot Thread]

39 minutes ago, chuckdyke said:

It goes straight against the training even for civilians. First make sure the area is safe before doing anything. Then aid in recovery and prevent further injuries. 

Yep agree. I´d recommend playing ARMA3 (and Iron Front AIO Mod for WW2 1944 eastern and western front) to see something like that happen. Can´t recall if even GT Mius has any such implementations, but it´s long time since I launched this game so IDK. It´s still beeing updated and improved til today and devs likely keep doing so.