Berlin CMRT Map

[NPye]

More from Normandy...

[RockinHarry]

On 9/18/2022 at 5:06 AM, Lucky_Strike said:

There are ways and means to get quite a lot more objects, the biggest problem is making them and getting them to work. There's quite a lot of empty 'slots' in the Flavor Objects palettes in the Editor, not sure if there's a limit to the total number of different objects the game engine can handle. @RockinHarry (you out there sir?) did some experiments with the Flavor Object palette and figured out that by reducing the size of the selection button we could get even more objects; I've yet to try this out but it does present the possibility of even more objects.

The modelling side is quite taxing, can be very hit and miss, but there are some great mods already made. I hope that when BN hits Steam we will get a new injection of modders and enthusiasm, especially wrt the 3D side.

Anyway, I'll get this one wrapped up as soon as I can, as a version 1 for Mr Pye's Berlin mod pack, then we'll try to get something out that will work for all the games.

Lovely works L-S! Almost missed it! Would be perfect reason getting me back on some serious CMRT scenario making again. Here´s what I found re flavor object palette. A download link is further below that thread. Edit: Same link as in quote above.

 

https://community.battlefront.com/topic/135555-flavor-objects-wont-stay-in-the-location-placed/?do=findComment&comment=1800632

Edited October 1, 2022 by RockinHarry

[Lucky_Strike]

10 hours ago, RockinHarry said:

Lovely works L-S! Almost missed it! Would be perfect reason getting me back on some serious CMRT scenario making again. Here´s what I found re flavor object palette. A download link is further below that thread. Edit: Same link as in quote above.

 

https://community.battlefront.com/topic/135555-flavor-objects-wont-stay-in-the-location-placed/?do=findComment&comment=1800632

Hey Harry, thanks and good to hear from you.

NPye's Berlin mod is out, as I'm sure you figured, lots of potential in that alone for new scenarios, could easily be used to create a battle in one of the late war festung cities - Breslau, Königsberg, Poznań ...

I've yet to release my mod for burnt ground, need to refine a couple of things and then I'll put something out into the wild.

Saw your musings on Flavor objects, great find and incredibly useful. I do wonder what other hidden capabilities, accidental or intentional are still undiscovered.

If you do feel inclined to make a scenario or two I'm sure @kohlenklau would welcome a contribution to his Christmas Challenge, as we all would!

[RockinHarry]

On 2/25/2022 at 2:55 PM, NPye said:

No the game engine has been built like that, if one window on each facing the troops can fire from any where on that facing...haven't you noticed they fire through walls etc when in a building that has all the windows?????

I as well noticed that while messing around in Blender long time ago. Visible windows and actual 3D apertures used for the Pixeltroopers different purposes (spotting, shooting, getting shot) do not coincide for modular buildings. While they overlap, the actual apertures are much wider usually (2 to 3 times). Guess BFC created it this way to help AI pathfinding and make "best" use of a buildings doors and windows. I personally don´t like this way simulating building properties, but if there´s no other way making them usable in the game... oh well.

  

On 10/2/2022 at 4:33 AM, Lucky_Strike said:

Hey Harry, thanks and good to hear from you.

NPye's Berlin mod is out, as I'm sure you figured, lots of potential in that alone for new scenarios, could easily be used to create a battle in one of the late war festung cities - Breslau, Königsberg, Poznań ...

I've yet to release my mod for burnt ground, need to refine a couple of things and then I'll put something out into the wild.

Saw your musings on Flavor objects, great find and incredibly useful. I do wonder what other hidden capabilities, accidental or intentional are still undiscovered.

If you do feel inclined to make a scenario or two I'm sure @kohlenklau would welcome a contribution to his Christmas Challenge, as we all would!

 

Thanks LS! Got to find NPye´s mod download yet, then I´ll give it a try. "Fortress" Breslau sounds interesting as half my family came from there in 1944 or 45 (at least escaped to the west before russians surrounded it). Considered it already some time ago, but never got the drive launching up the editor for at least 2 years now. Maybe good time and opportunity to relearn a thing or two. And looking forward to what you´ll come up with mod wise!

Edit: found https://www.thefewgoodmen.com/cm-mod-warehouse/category/combat-mission-red-thunder/cmrt-scenery/

Edited October 6, 2022 by RockinHarry

[Lucky_Strike]

15 minutes ago, RockinHarry said:

I as well noticed that while messing around in Blender long time ago. ....

I personally don´t like this way simulating building properties, but if there´s no other way making them usable in the game... oh well.

Got to admit I haven't looked, being lazy here, are the buildings models available to look at in Blender? I must go and have a look. I do agree though, it's not the best feature of the games. It's quite frustrating for some folks but I suspect that BF were thinking about the impact on gameplayability and what hardware could support when they first released CMx2. I wonder whether they'll introduce rooms and a more realistic approach to house to house fighting in the next iteration of CM ...

23 minutes ago, RockinHarry said:

Thanks LS! Got to find NPye´s mod download yet, then I´ll give it a try. "Fortress" Breslau sounds interesting as half my family came from there in 1944 or 45 (at least escaped to the west before russians surrounded it). Considered it already some time ago, but never got the drive launching up the editor for at least 2 years now. Maybe good time and opportunity to relearn a thing or two. And looking forward to what you´ll come up with mod wise!

I think the mod is somewhere at the top of the thread, I'm sure mr Pye will be along to point you in the right direction if you can't find it.

I visited Breslau (Wrocław) many moons ago on a trip around western Poland (in late October - so cold   but nothing a drop of the local vodka couldn't remedy). Lovely city centre, scars from the siege were still all over the place. Your family were very lucky to get out before the Russians arrived and the ensuing battle destroyed the place. I believe it was the only one of the so called Festung cities that pretty much lasted out the conflict until the last days. There must have been some very desperate battles there. I'll have to go and dig out the book I have about it ...

 

[RockinHarry]

12 hours ago, Lucky_Strike said:

Got to admit I haven't looked, being lazy here, are the buildings models available to look at in Blender? I must go and have a look. I do agree though, it's not the best feature of the games. It's quite frustrating for some folks but I suspect that BF were thinking about the impact on gameplayability and what hardware could support when they first released CMx2. I wonder whether they'll introduce rooms and a more realistic approach to house to house fighting in the next iteration of CM ...

I think the mod is somewhere at the top of the thread, I'm sure mr Pye will be along to point you in the right direction if you can't find it.

I visited Breslau (Wrocław) many moons ago on a trip around western Poland (in late October - so cold   but nothing a drop of the local vodka couldn't remedy). Lovely city centre, scars from the siege were still all over the place. Your family were very lucky to get out before the Russians arrived and the ensuing battle destroyed the place. I believe it was the only one of the so called Festung cities that pretty much lasted out the conflict until the last days. There must have been some very desperate battles there. I'll have to go and dig out the book I have about it ...

 

Speaking of modular buildings you can import its single components in Blender only. Import load some with name "wall" in it. That´s what I remember ATM. You can see the "apertures" then. Think their geometry is also stored in *.mdr files in multiple ways, like is for independent buildings and pillboxes. So IMO this is what actually defines what goes into and out of these structures/objects re LOF and LOS. Though have no proof for that and it´s just from observation and making my mind about that.

Re Breslau my mom visited it 2 or 3 times since the iron curtain lifted. I was never there. I´m a born "RhineIander" and feeling as such. I remember she told they (part of my family, incl. my grandpa which was a heavily wounded yet convalescent "Gefreiter" from 96th ID) were moved out by means of a "Panzer", but considering at that time she was a 6 year old I´d guess it was just any sort of a tracked vehicle. Got to ask her again, if she likes talking about it. This topic was never popular (to say it mildly) in my family, but I´ll see. She celebrates her 85th very soon.

Btw. beside some other goodies I found and downloaded NPye´s Berlin mod already and install it all later today.

[NPye]

Thanks for downloading bud, hope you enjoy and some feedback would be awesome plus a new 3d build of the Brandenburg gate, etc... lol

[RockinHarry]

2 hours ago, NPye said:

Thanks for downloading bud, hope you enjoy and some feedback would be awesome plus a new 3d build of the Brandenburg gate, etc... lol

lol....Brandenburg Gate would be way beyond my current Blender abilities. But one could dream.

Sooo, got it all installed and running. Though fairly slow (FPS) going as could be expected with urban maps of size like these (Moltke and Chancellory). Suffice to tell it´s the best and most detailed devastated urban maps I´ve seen yet. Haven´t even looked at all details and flavor objects but overall impression is simply gorgeous! (maybe wrong term considering current ongoing catastrophes...but oh well. Apologies.)

Some first and more detailed feedback, as I´ve worked on similar stuff some time ago.

1. Looks like most ground textures are based on post war Berlin where there was better and dryer weather and ground conditions. Bits of looks like Baghdad or Mosul grounds, paired with european buildings and stuff. I´ve test inserted my own rubble mod (ground rocky red, ground heavy rocks and heavy rocks rubble) and found it looks more consistent with some other ground textures also blending better with related flavor objects (junk types). https://www.thefewgoodmen.com/cm-mod-warehouse/combat-mission-battle-for-normandy/cmbn-scenery/rhz-cmbn-rubble/

 

But these as well lack some certain detail which we sadly see in current UKR war footage or Florida. It´s the lack of crushed furnitures and stuff one expects to fall from recently destroyed homes. So I´d imagine creating some new ground textures (rocks, rubble or other suitable ones) that adds to this impression. Maybe some mix of rubble and this one (who´s author btw?) https://www.thefewgoodmen.com/cm-mod-warehouse/combat-mission-shock-force-2/cmsf2-scenery/cmsf2-street-scene-rubbish-brown-stream-amended-rubble-and-rural-wall-and-wooden-48m-bridge/

 

 

Some adaptions to other ground textures might be necessary so that all blend better overally. I could well imagine we can achieve environmental quality similar to ARMA3 maybe. Also thinkable would be 2 alternative sets with one beeing the dry postwar looks and another a gritty bad weather one like mentioned above?

So far so good. Just loaded (quick battle) maps and got my impressions there. Trying next is some battle and see how it performs with various force sizes and amount of given flavor objects and texture sizes. I tend to replace certain ground textures with 1k ones as I found it´s not always visually benefical to use 2k or above. But I´m running my game at 1920x1080 so I could gain a few FPS while not diminishing visual quality.

[Vacillator]

You two should get a room.  No really, I would happily adopt the offspring into my Z folder(s).

 

[NPye]

4 hours ago, RockinHarry said:

lol....Brandenburg Gate would be way beyond my current Blender abilities. But one could dream.

 

Cheers bud. I have a version 2 coming soon and nearly everything has changed, be great to get this up to Arma 3 level, shame no inside objects as you say but hopefully someone will make. If I bought a blender version of the Brandenburg gate could that be used in game???????? Cheers

[NPye]

New images from V2, coming soon.

Edited October 6, 2022 by NPye

[NPye]

Slideshow of the above with music. Cheers

 

[Lucky_Strike]

9 hours ago, RockinHarry said:

So IMO this is what actually defines what goes into and out of these structures/objects re LOF and LOS. Though have no proof for that and it´s just from observation and making my mind about that.

Interesting, I wonder if this can be altered in any way, another project for Blender to add to the list.

9 hours ago, RockinHarry said:

Re Breslau

I do like a bit of family history. Your Mum's panzer might have been a half-track, but yeah, my memories of when I was six are pretty sketchy to say the least and they're a bit more recent than your Mum's. Happy 85th Birthday to her!

[Lucky_Strike]

2 hours ago, NPye said:

If I bought a blender version of the Brandenburg gate could that be used in game????????

Very impressive v2 N, a real Eve lotion from first version.

Re a Brandenburg gate - probably as a flavor object, but as a building I haven't a clue. It would certainly transform the landscape. I would be cautious of spending any cash on that at first, let's try it with something free, there must be plenty of freebie Blender buildings out there to experiment with, something big, a skyscraper or stately home?

I they can be made to work then you could consider your Brandenburg gate (and don't forget a FlaK tower ).

[NPye]

2 minutes ago, Lucky_Strike said:

Very impressive v2 N, a real Eve lotion from first version.

 

Cheers bud, ya it's so much better in many ways, good idea with the buildings, id settle with a flavour object for Gate???? Can it be done????? I tried to make a flak tower but i didn't like it hard to the dimensions and scale correct as they were huge. 

[Lucky_Strike]

15 minutes ago, NPye said:

Cheers bud, ya it's so much better in many ways, good idea with the buildings, id settle with a flavour object for Gate???? Can it be done????? I tried to make a flak tower but i didn't like it hard to the dimensions and scale correct as they were huge. 

Don't see why not, others have made ships and even a giant alien spacecraft.

My Blender skills are a bit rusty at the moment but if I can find a big building I'll give it a go over the weekend.

[NPye]

29 minutes ago, Lucky_Strike said:

I do like a bit of family history. Your Mum's panzer might have been a half-track, but yeah, my memories of when I was six are pretty sketchy to say the least and they're a bit more recent than your Mum's. Happy 85th Birthday to her!

Me 2, my old dad was in 5th Para, served in North Africa, Italy and dropped in Normandy on June 6... injured and was posted to the secret SS POW camp in Scotland, where he fell asleep on duty and got a few weeks in the glasshouse peeling spuds...lol He would have been 100 in Feb but he died in 1970. I was only 5 when he died but I remember him showing me para photos.... been reading about the war ever since... 

[NPye]

1 minute ago, Lucky_Strike said:

Don't see why not, others have made ships and even a giant alien spacecraft.

 

LOL What?????? Mate if we could make city townhouse with steps etc now wouldn't that be cool, also iron gates, cities are full of iron gates fences etc... Steps would be awesome and cellars....lol i go on and on....

[RockinHarry]

9 hours ago, NPye said:

Cheers bud. I have a version 2 coming soon and nearly everything has changed, be great to get this up to Arma 3 level, shame no inside objects as you say but hopefully someone will make. If I bought a blender version of the Brandenburg gate could that be used in game???????? Cheers

Looking forward to V2 then. Re Blender I just can refer to sbobovyc´s and Aquila-SmartWargames main discoveries & works here:

and

There´s a couple other members who experimented and created related content but I lack overview of what happend since ~2020. I imported couple of CM objects and played around with some the Meta data, tried figuring out what they all do in the actual game, but had very limited success. Too much trial and error and then just got a basic idea of what limited parts of the data (buried in Meta section of *.mdr files) might do. Finally gave up on it again and just exported some objects I was most interested in. No unique content creation beside some experimental stuff related to pillboxes and foxholes.

 

Stunning. Will V2 incl. ground textures for differerent weather and ground conditions? Not just thinking of the actual battle for Berlin time frame (april 26th to may 2nd 1945) where weather and ground were mostly wet, but also if one likes creating non Berlin related map content (Breslau, Königsberg, etc.)

Edited October 7, 2022 by RockinHarry

[RockinHarry]

7 hours ago, NPye said:

LOL What?????? Mate if we could make city townhouse with steps etc now wouldn't that be cool, also iron gates, cities are full of iron gates fences etc... Steps would be awesome and cellars....lol i go on and on....

think it´s based on this technique. Whether it´s worth all the efforts I don´t know. I doubt it´ll all function properly and likely has numerous impacts like FPS hit, AI path finding (at least for an objects X-Y-Z origin which is mostly NoGo for the AI within the 8x8m grid, unless tank maybe and flavor object type) and other odd things.

 

[RockinHarry]

8 hours ago, Lucky_Strike said:

Interesting, I wonder if this can be altered in any way, another project for Blender to add to the list.

I do like a bit of family history. Your Mum's panzer might have been a half-track, but yeah, my memories of when I was six are pretty sketchy to say the least and they're a bit more recent than your Mum's. Happy 85th Birthday to her!

If someone decodes the META data block and adds an interface for changing data and then im- exporting the *.mdr files. It was @sbobovyc who did most (or all) the decoding and creating the Blender script files. No idea if he´s still active and around here.

Yep, thought of a halftrack as well, armored or rather unarmored type. I´ll try asking her in late november again. Think she should remember if it was something open top, spacy or other details that might narrow it down. My mom included it was 4 my family members then doing the ride. Maybe she could also remember weather and season as well. Breslau was surrounded at february 15th 1945, so it must be some time before that date. Hopefully she knows since she´s the last who could shed some light on this. I was very angry when one my uncles sold my grandpa´s military papers (and EK II) to a collector or something, not telling me of this intention beforehand.

[RockinHarry]

7 hours ago, NPye said:

Me 2, my old dad was in 5th Para, served in North Africa, Italy and dropped in Normandy on June 6... injured and was posted to the secret SS POW camp in Scotland, where he fell asleep on duty and got a few weeks in the glasshouse peeling spuds...lol He would have been 100 in Feb but he died in 1970. I was only 5 when he died but I remember him showing me para photos.... been reading about the war ever since... 

Glad he survived all this considering the time frame he served in the various theaters. All I know about my grandpa´s short career is he served with mentioned 96th ID, drafted late beeing an overage reservist at that time (Landesschütze) https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landesschützen_(Deutsches_Reich) He told of some actions near Leningrad, where he received iron cross 2nd class (some rear guard actions) and then was seriously wounded my some russian mortar shell. Then I think he just spent time convalescing in his home town Breslau, before taking his (my) family and escaping the russians. That´s the little I know. He died in 1984. I´d liked asking him more and he was quite interested to do so, but my grandma always intervened telling him to stop talking about the war. Understandable but so many veteran stories got lost for good I guess.

[NPye]

8 minutes ago, RockinHarry said:

so many veteran stories got lost for good I guess.

Ya i'm from Norfolk in the UK and 1 of the Norfolk battalions landing in Singapore just before the mass surrender, so many of my friends grandads were there, some were very strange, some very angry all the time, some had serious stomach complaints and some were really nice to us kids in the seventies whilst growing up. But as you say the stories died with them, nobody asked and most didn't want to bring it back up. Cheers

 

[Vacillator]

2 hours ago, NPye said:

Norfolk battalions landing in Singapore

Not quite the same but one of grandfathers was in the Royal Navy during the war.  He would get as far as saying he was in the Far East and then refuse to say any more.  I can only imagine.

My other grandfather had a better experience, he was in a protected occupation moving coal around by train.

[JM Stuff]

13 hours ago, NPye said:

Slideshow of the above with music. Cheers

 

Nice one like all the  others movies you have an eyes for all, but, because my FO's are not really a succes, I was hoping to see the FO's German ambulances in the movie, that I gave you...anyway, another FO's pack is on the way for almost all modules CM, this will cover  Christmas scenario that I don't did, like the unbeliever job research  that make always

Uncle Koh and Cie...

JM