Sgt Schultz Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 My latest humble offering is finally done, and up at the Mod Warehouse. GAJ gets it first for a week or so. Let us get the acronyms out of the way shall we? CMBN, CW, HTH, ME, PBEM, Ohh Youu Sss Eeee It is an attempt to create a running battle with the objectives to the front, and the enemy on the flank. Situated in my standard district of Outer Whatifia in mid '45(somewhere between France and Germany), there is a sprinkling of varied units caused by the jumble of TOEs during a long campaign. More green, less veteran. I tried to improve on the granular feel of the forces from my previous offerings. Previews .... This is from just in front of the Allied setup zone looking towards the objectives... Here is the German's view... From the East looking back towards the setup zones... ------ While the map began as The Valley of The Shadow, it has had quite a few changes and upgrades. The river shoreline has much less of that 8-bit look that diagonal water can experience. Vinyards and fields have been ripped out and replaced by orchards for more concealing terrain. Stronger structures and more devious keyholes of ungodly distance. And I discovered how to make me a tiny crick ... -------- -------- Old hat to some designers I'm sure, but now that I found it... there are flooded roads in your futures... -------- I hope you all can enjoy this with a friend. Any feedback is always welcome. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sublime Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 I played this with schultz a few times. its a fantastic H2H battle. it has a little bit of everything and gets rough really quickly... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Canadian Cat Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 And I discovered how to make me a tiny crick Those creek photos look *awesome*. Please, tell us how that was made. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt Schultz Posted October 30, 2012 Author Share Posted October 30, 2012 Those creek photos look *awesome*. Please, tell us how that was made. I am always a little conflicted when I see that. I want to say "I could tell you, but then I would have to kill you". Or I could say "Download it and slap it in the editor silly". But since I like to prattle on about my own little personal discoveries, you get a blog on stream building. You can thank our resident brain in a jar for inserting the neat little physical property that water will always seek its own level. Water does not need a water tile to exist on a tile. It just needs the proper elevation and proximity TO a water tile. Water can be constrained by adjoining locked elevations. The elevation difference between the locked stream tile and the gully tiles determines the width of the stream. ---------------------- ---------------------- ---------------------- If you will notice that the water tiles are all at elevation 13. By making adjoining land tiles 11, the water will flow downhill into the adjoining tile. By making the majority of my river shoreline 12, I get a much smoother look and nice water grasses. --------------------- I did something similar on my very first map with a small swamp, but never thought of it in terms of constrained watercourses. The adjoining stream tiles is a new personal discovery as well. These are things that I have no doubt are in a lot of designers' toolboxes, but it is always fun to find a neat trick on your own as well. There are a lot of nice options for flooded roads etc in my head now. It will be a dark and stormy night next battle. - 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broadsword56 Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 Thanks so much for the tutorial on this technique. I've saved it to my "mapping tricks and tips file," and it will come in very handy for gullies and drainage ditches at places like Holland, Salerno, etc. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Canadian Cat Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 Or I could say "Download it and slap it in the editor silly". Thanks for not going there. I *will* be firing up the editor and trying this out but your explanation will make that more meaningful. I also like your idea of handling the shoreline differently too. Interesting. Are those ford tiles next to your water tiles? This will be an interesting evening of playing around. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broadsword56 Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 Post something to share if you make any further discoveries please, Ian! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt Schultz Posted October 30, 2012 Author Share Posted October 30, 2012 Yes, all my rivers have Shallow Ford shores. Using these tiles creates a much smoother land/water interface. It is possible to walk or drive a good ways out into one of my rivers, but the phrase "fish in a barrel" comes to mind. The stream is made up of Shallow Ford tiles as well. By dropping most(not all or you're right back to looking artificial) of your shore tiles one level below water, you can get rid of that nasty stair step pattern when you run a watercourse diagonally. By alternating even, and one lower, on your straight stretches in little runs... you can add some character to an otherwise ruler-straight river. This also widens your rivers a bit, as they flow into the shore tiles a few meters. Four tile river becomes a five tile river by taking up half a tile on either shore. Go walk the shores on my battle map. If you feel like stopping to fish, I did my job right. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Canadian Cat Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 Ok, I finally spent a bit of time trying out @Srg Schultz's techniques. I did it in CMFI so the full thread is posted in FI's maps and modes forum: http://www.battlefront.com/community/showthread.php?t=107261 To me it looked like to get flooding and the stream look I had to use more of an elevation difference between the water and the flooded tiles. Here is a teaser screen shot - see the other thread for the full package. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt Schultz Posted November 23, 2012 Author Share Posted November 23, 2012 Did you try alternating elevations along the jagged shoreline? That can help occasionally, but roads have their own rules. The hill along the road is affecting things as well I am sure. Looks great! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenAsJade Posted November 25, 2012 Share Posted November 25, 2012 Just started this scenario. Outstanding map, briefing, and scenario concept. Looking forwards to the battle! GaJ 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt Schultz Posted November 26, 2012 Author Share Posted November 26, 2012 Thanks for the input GaJ. Hope you enjoy it. I feel that my briefings are my weakest point, as I have less than no knowledge of how to use Photoshop or those doodads that everyone else uses for their briefing maps. Would welcome assistance from anyone who would wish to help out. I just capture screenshots and use Paint to crop and text over. My briefing text backround is just an overhead shot of the map edge grass from level 9, that has been cropped to size. ---- The time I do not spend on briefings is countered by the agonizing weeks I spend on the maps. Never seems "done"... but sometimes I just have to let it go. ---------- I would like some feedback from a playthrough or two from others before I put up a final version in the repository. I always worry that my built-in bias towards the Wehrmacht, and their cool toys, will unbalance things no matter how fair I try to be. If it does turn out weighted towards the Heer a bit, I suppose you could put the "stronger" player on the Ami side. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Canadian Cat Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 Did you try alternating elevations along the jagged shoreline? That can help occasionally, but roads have their own rules. The hill along the road is affecting things as well I am sure. Looks great! Thanks for the tip. I will try that. We are already playing on the map as is. My initial experiments showed that the flooded road seems to be treated like a ford. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenAsJade Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 It's continuing as an awesome scenario. It is so _difficult_, I have to put it aside each time after I watch the movie just to think for a while about what to do next, each turn. It's a blockbuster. The only thing I would say is that so far my reinforcements have come rather sooner than I'm ready or needing them.... GaJ 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt Schultz Posted December 30, 2012 Author Share Posted December 30, 2012 Thanks for the input GaJ! I have been comtemplating reinforcement timing for a while. I tend to test so much that timings get compressed, as I already know the routes/etc that I wish to take. I will re-visit this and possibly give it one last tweak. I am very glad that you are enjoying it. It can turn into a real head-scratcher as it progresses. A plethora of ways to buy the farm await. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weapon2010 Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 Sgt Schultz I must compliment you on this map.It shows what can be done with the powerful map maker when someone takes the time and enjoys doing it.BF should hire you just to make maps and scenarios. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sublime Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 This is one of schultz's greats. Though they're all good. we pbemed it until I think i'll vomit if I see the map. I must say that the better player should get Allies, just because Allied armor's mobility and ability to maneuver is compromised by the map, and the German positions, especially where they begin, play to the strengths of the cats. You have a really hard choice, the run to get over that hump on the allied side and out of the german's spawn point is a long one to not get hit. I've tried it both ways. It can be done, I figured that out by luck, unfortunately my luck was with things like stuarts and greyhounds, not my better armor =( both times Ive engaged in idiotic duels to the German armor, despite even schultz telling me I was dumb and trying to explain through my stoned haze about the angles I was shooting at making the german armor even tougher. Even in a later iteration of this with CW armor I got my ass handed to me. However we only ran that one through once and I think luck played a factor(more than it always does) that being said, I remember a tiger he had killed literally about 9 or 10 tanks of mine, I finally got him with a 105mm heat round through either his turret or upper hull front (forget which) the firing Priest went to meet his boss next turn.I must have pinged literally 50 AP rounds, at the very least, off that damned tiger. awful exchange rate but god I was gratified 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt Schultz Posted December 31, 2012 Author Share Posted December 31, 2012 Weapon, thanks for the kudos. I probably have more fun in the map editor than in any other area of the game, including playing. My productivity would improve if I would finish maps before starting another. I have like a half-dozen that are not "ready", and a wad of other people's maps that I have tweaked for QBs. Thanks for the props Sublime, ya' rabid horde-meister. I couldn't ask for a better "stress-tester" for my designs. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sburke Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 crap this looks like I am going to have to have still another game running, but it is at least not a commitment to another human. Schultz you might want to talk with Mord. I don't have a clue on the briefings, but with the icons he put on the repository I assume he does. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sburke Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 So excited I duplicated. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt Schultz Posted December 31, 2012 Author Share Posted December 31, 2012 sburke, this is a H2H only battle, so it is a commitment. Sorry, but I didn't have 16 groups when I made this, and there was no way 8 was going to make it. Once I get my map backlog under some kind of control I plan on re-visiting all three of my previously released battles to find a way to make them playable solo. -- 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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