Heaven & Earth: Project discussion thread

[Lucky_Strike]

5 minutes ago, Sgt.Squarehead said:

Call it sea-weed!   

We can probably make that, but might look odd in a forest!

The ideal would be a heavy forest without brush option.

But then again you'd have nothing to do on a Sunday afternoon if it were so easy!

[Sgt.Squarehead]

I'm happy with it as is.....The tile at the end of the bridge isn't very visible.

[Sgt.Squarehead]

On 3/22/2021 at 5:01 AM, HowMuchForYou? said:

Question: I feel like I read up on this awhile ago but I don’t remember. Is it possible to make a second copy of SF2 and have it solely devoted to your mod? Going back and forth between your mod and it’s pack and the modern SF2 mods becomes a pain.

Don't know if you ever found an answer to this for yourself, but the answer is yes.....It's definitely the way forward for CM:H&E. 

Here's how to do it:

Navigate to the location where your other CM installs reside (ideally a folder that is excluded from the prying eyes of your AV), then create a sub-folder there called something like 'Full Mod Install Heaven & Earth'.

Then run the CM:SF2 installer and direct it to install the game to that folder (tell it not to create desktop icons etc.).

Once the game is installed, navigate to the folder you made and create a z folder in the Data directory.  Extract all the H&E Mods to this folder.  (Scenarios/Maps/Campaigns etc. go to the now shared folder in Documents as usual, these will be visible in your stock CM:SF2 install, but they are clearly marked as H&E content, so that you don't try to play them in the wrong game).

With this done, navigate back to the folder you created and installed the game to and right click on 'CM Shock Force 2.exe', select create shortcut.  Rename the Shortcut to 'CM Heaven & Earth', move it to your desktp (or wherever you normally start your CM games from) and double click on it.....You should be in 'Heaven & Earth'.

For this to work properly it is best not to have any mods installed in the folder in Documents.  Mods that you wish to use only for CM:SF2 itself must be located in a z folder in the Data directory of that game.  Mods that you are happy for both games to share could be moved to the folder in Documents at your discretion.

Edited August 24, 2021 by Sgt.Squarehead

[Sgt.Squarehead]

[Sgt.Squarehead]

Bzzzzz! 

https://i.imgur.com/UEQE7T5.jpg

Edited September 8, 2021 by BFCElvis

[Erwin]

I see 25 H&E scenarios and 5 H&E campaigns in my folders.  But, I do not see some of those in the above screenshot.  How many scenarios and campaigns are there?

[Sgt.Squarehead]

Those are all scenarios/experiments at various stages.....As I said before, we're making this up as we go along, so some ideas turn out better than others.  None of it is quick to do, or not for me at least.

With 'Summer Wasps' finished (it'll be in the next 'Peoples' Update') I'm back to working a five(ish) episode mini-campaign that follows 'Houses Of The Holy' (which was the original test scenario to see if we could get the 'Not-Syria' feel we were after).

All the maps are made, but I had really lost my mojo with AI scripting, so on the advice of @37mm &  @Combatintman I made 'Summer Wasps', which is incredibly simple, utterly tiny & extremely vicious, to see if I could get it back.

As for the current project, scenarios 2, 3 & 4 all share the same map and a number of other features, so they are all essentially on my desk at once.  These scenarios were influenced by our discussions about having the option to perform recon before launching a planned assault, which is precisely what you get to do.

Scenario 5 is actually slightly further developed as I had used the map for some learning experiments with triggers, which eventually became the basis for a scenario concept.  Sadly one of the things that I learned was that the map was too small so it got extended, twice (TBH this has happed with all the maps except the first one which I have kept as close to the original state as possible, because it's where this all started for me. 

There is a possible) extra scenario, but it would require me to finish off another fairly big map, this one an urbanised derivation of 'The Delta'.....Given how long it takes me to make my maps, especially urban ones, I doubt I can get it finished before the next H&E update.

There is also a seperate Epilogue Scenario for the mini-campaign, set a few years later, but that one's little more than a glimmer on a very distant horizon.

PS - I have a seperate CM:H&E install, but the scenarios folder is shared, so you are seeing some regular CM:SF2 stuff there too.

Edited August 28, 2021 by Sgt.Squarehead

[Sgt.Squarehead]

Here's a quick preview of what I hope are the final iterations of the two main maps for the meat of my mini-campaign.

Opium Farms:

Heroin Laboratory:

Mg Pyay Ag.....Your time is nigh! 

Edited September 7, 2021 by Sgt.Squarehead

[Sgt.Squarehead]

The final map, which I'd like to use, but probably won't get done in time, mostly looks like this:

But it is starting to come together, giving me the densely packed urban feel I'm after, while also managing not to look like another variant of Ramadi:

I'm also fairly pleased with the 'landmark buildings':

Here's one you've seen before, but now with some context (it was dropped from the original delta map), to give you an idea of the scale and some of the surrounding environment:

Sooooo many trees still to add!

Edited September 7, 2021 by Sgt.Squarehead

[Sgt.Squarehead]

And now for something completely different....The new mountains mod set has done wonders for an older map:

Edited September 7, 2021 by Sgt.Squarehead

[Sgt.Squarehead]

Smoke On The Water! 

Fire In The Sky? 

[Sgt.Squarehead]

n/t - Fekkit! 

Edited September 8, 2021 by Sgt.Squarehead

[Sgt.Squarehead]

Good news for those interested in our riverine concept (@General Jack Ripper).....'Wai-Bong Bay' will definitely work:

With some more tweaking you will soon be able to get your infantry to more or less anywhere on those islands, regardless of how steep they are! 

PS - Don't worry, that boat (BMP) still can't get out of the water.

Edited September 8, 2021 by Sgt.Squarehead

[Sgt.Squarehead]

[Sgt.Squarehead]

[Sgt.Squarehead]

[Sgt.Squarehead]

Sadly those were my units getting pulverised (by our most excellent A-1 Skyraiders), but on a brighter note, that's kind of what is supposed to be happening! 

Can you say bloodbath? 

[Sgt.Squarehead]

On a more tranquil note:

I'm finally almost convinced that I've finished my first three campaign maps to my satisfaction.....Next time I'll choose something with a bit less jungle (probably a city knowing me). 

[Sgt.Squarehead]

Somewhere in the remote uplands of central Bong-Hai, a group of disgruntled Wai-Bong villagers meet to plan their escape from the clutches of the notorious bandit and opium grower, Mg Pyay Ag:

Equipped with a handful of stolen weapons and some fertiliser based explosives, they plan their escape attempt for the stroke of midnight that very night. 

Will they make it? 

Find out for yourselves once I've finished writing/testing it! 

[Sgt.Squarehead]

So exactly how close can things get in our jungles at night?

How about this close:

That's a 5m Target Arc. 

Combat was not initiated! 

 

[Sgt.Squarehead]

@Aquila-SmartWargames.....It's coming:

Shouldn't be too much longer now. 

Scenarios 3 & 4 will follow fairly shortly (by my standards) as they share an awful lot with this one.....Scenario 5 is already on my desk. 

Linking 'em all together and getting the campaign script done & working properly will be the next major challenge.  There will be performance based branching in the finished product and the campaign core units file is double-sided, so guards etc. picked off in one scenario may well remain dead for the next (campaign script depending).....Nothing like making life difficult for yourself! 

 

Edited September 23, 2021 by Sgt.Squarehead

[Sgt.Squarehead]

All three buildings in this image are fully accessible to pixeltruppen, as are all the peaks (there's another taller one to the right that I'm still tweaking).

Islands are fun.....But it's not so fast to make them! 

@chuckdyke Still blurry?

Edited September 26, 2021 by Sgt.Squarehead

[chuckdyke]

1 minute ago, Sgt.Squarehead said:

Still blurry?

The lettering is sharp as they are originally Vector Graphics, the Bitmap Content comes always out blurry as it is intentional. I try to tone map my own posts to overcome it. I am sure it looks a lot better if you play the game. Hard to judge screenshots. Regards. 

[Sgt.Squarehead]

You are kinda missing the point.....See all that grey?  I didn't choose for that to be there. 

Meanwhile, back at the beach:

Apologies for the naked hills in the background.....I haven't even looked at looked at that area since this was sliced off 'The Delta', what seems like a very long time ago now.

[Sgt.Squarehead]

BTW - @chuckdyke  In relation to one of your previous comments.....These tenement buildings:

Have, IIRC, 35 individual rooms each.