Creating big (4k x 4k) map

[herr_oberst]

I'm working on creating a map for use in CM. No it isn't in Italy, but is in the Ukraine, near the Mius river. Been re-reading "Decision in the Ukraine" by Nipe, and working on a map from those battles. I think it would be cool to "see" the terrain being fought over, and perhaps create a campaign using the map. We'll see about that later.

Right now just working on terrain contours using an overlay from a 1943 Truppenausgabe photocopy from the Library of Congress in DC.

I'll see if I can post some screenshots along the way if anyone is interested. Right now I basically have a 4kx4k pool table with some swales in it, so not much interesting yet. The eastern portion of the map should be fun to work on and interesting to view due to the terrain (over where Regiment Eicke did some of its fighting).

More later.

[herr_oberst]

4km x 4km seems too big for my current setup. The contour levels were all done save for some tweaking. So I tried adding the roads, and after that, was unable to get cleanly into the 3d view. Multiple crashes. Deleted the roads, and could get back into the 3d view again.

So I'm backing off to 3k x 4k map and changing the area selected to see how that goes.

[Broadsword56]

Just a tip -- in case you didn't know this:

When you draw contours, do not draw them as lines on your map. That is unnecessary, produces way too many "hard" elevation points and strains the system. Place your elevations as dotted lines, with the elevation dots as far apart as possible. You place a dot only where a contour line would change direction. Also, place one or two dots for your lowest point and one or two dot for your highest point.

[herr_oberst]

Just a tip -- in case you didn't know this:

When you draw contours, do not draw them as lines on your map. That is unnecessary, produces way too many "hard" elevation points and strains the system.

No, I didn't know that fact. Interesting. I had been drawing contour lines. But I'll try swapping over to "inflection points" to see if that helps. I had wondered if it would be easier on the engine to actually map out every point as a hard elevation.

Theoretically, there's nothing left for the engine to do if you've spec'ed every action square (insanity, I know). I imagine that the map file size would be big, but no larger than the engine has to render in memory?

Place your elevations as dotted lines, with the elevation dots as far apart as possible. You place a dot only where a contour line would change direction. Also, place one or two dots for your lowest point and one or two dot for your highest point.

I did start putting 2-3 points in depressions or 'peaks' to keep from getting pool tables when there wasn't anything above that elevation (I could cheat and look at the terrain that was outside the bounds of the map to infer a height).

I'll make a copy of the map, and start eliminating points to see if that improves things in the 4x4 map.

Thanks for the tips. Always welcome.

[MikeyD]

For the most part extra large maps means spending a large proportion of gameplay walking your infantry and simply looking for someone to fight. Or if you're on the defensive just sitting turn after turn waiting. I've tried maneuvering infantry on a mere 1.5km map and found 2/3rds of my scenario time was eaten up before first contact and not enough time remaining to take my objective.