Question from a Marine

[MCG 3dMarDiv]

I am trying to use TACOPS 3.02 as a simulator out here at EWTGLANT running in the background. I bought it a few years back while out at 3d Marine Division. Our scenario is Grenada. I downloaded Major H's mapmaking tool for TACOPS 3.0 or higher and it saves the maps as a .dat file. How do I convert that to a .map file which the game uses. Simply renaming it from .dat to .map does not work. Any ideas????--or could some motivator out there make me a Grenada map and email it to fearscm@ewtglant.navy.mil

Semper Fi

Major Fears

[MajorH TacOps Developer]

TacOps maps that end in ".map" are "Type1" maps. This was the one part map file format that was used in versions of TacOps prior to version 3.0.4 - if I remember the change history correctly. A second type of map format was added at some point after v3.0.2 to enable me to release a map tool that allowed users to create their own maps. - I think it was at TacOps v3.0.4 but it isn't clear from my old notes.

The TacOps map tool produces "Type2" maps which consist of two parts - a ".bmp" file which contains the map background artwork and a ".dat" file which contains the terrain data that is actually used by the game engine for its combat and movement calculations.

In order to use a "Type2" map you will need to move to a newer version of TacOps than v3.0.2.

v3 is obsolete but I can email a patch for v3 that will enable you to use Type2 maps with that version. I will need to know if you are using the Windows OS or the Macintosh OS.

However, it would be far better for you to purchase the v4 release of TacOps from www.battlefront.com. The game engine has been much improved in v4, particularly for training use, and the v4 CD includes 50+ extra Type2 maps. One of the included Type2 maps is of Camp Lejuene. There are no maps of Grenada but there are several Jamaican maps included with v4 that would be good substitutes. The map tool that is provided on the v4 CD is also superior to the old map tool for v3 and allows the use of some new types of terrain that are not supported by any version prior to 4.0.

The big boost for training use in v4 is the addition of a multiplayer mode that allows up to 20 workstations to participate in an umpired game session via a TCP/IP LAN and or Internet network (assuming that everyone in the game has purchased their own copy of TacOps). [The U.S. Army licensed version of TacOps v4 (i.e. TacOpsCav) allows more than 20.]

You can read about the v4 changes at

http://www.battlefront.com/products/tacops4/tacops4.html

You can also download the TacOps v4 user guide for a detailed review of the new features from

http://www.battlefront.com/downloads.html

>If you know anyone that can make me a Grenada map file for use with TACOPS

>3.02 I would be very appreciative.

All the guys that I know who might be interested have already moved on to v4.

Also I doubt that any of them would have access to a decent paper map of Grenada.

By the way, there has been some discussion of a USMC distribution license for the military version of TacOps v4 in 2003 but I would be surprised if it actually happens.

[MCG 3dMarDiv]

Yep, that worked. I got ver 3.1.1 and it loads dat maps too. You are probably right, ver 4 will be the way to go. Ive been working on a new Grenada map (NE portion of island). Ill send you a copy if I ever get it right.

Thanks for the help.

MCG 3dMarDiv

USMC

www.mcg-usmc.org

[minmax]

Okay this may be completely off base but I believe you can scan a map as a bitmap or .bmp and then use it as a type 2 map. Let me know if that worx.

Semper Fidelis.

[Jeff Gilbert]

Speaking of the new Map Making Tool. I was reading the Guide, specifically looking for the part on blocked or impassable terrain and how it works ...

I remember reading it elsewhere but now can't find my notes. Perhaps you could post it here?

Thanks in advance for your assistance.

[MajorH TacOps Developer]

Notes from the v4 change log.

020608 Mac & Win. Enhancement. Added game engine support for three levels of impassable terrain (if previously encoded into a Type2 map through use of the TacOps Map Tool v104). Unless a road is present, Level 1 can not be entered by wheeled vehicles. Level 2 can not be entered by tracked vehicles or wheeled vehicles. Level 3 can not be entered by dismounted infantry, tracked vehicles, or wheeled vehicles. The presence of a road negates any level of impassable terrain.

020608 Mac & Win. Enhancement. Revised the TacOps Map Tool to allow the encoding of three levels of impassable terrain in a Type2 map. Incremented the version number of the TacOps map Tool from v103 to v104. Use the Terrain Editing window in the TacOps Map Tool to encode a Type 2 map with impassable terrain.

020608 Mac & Win. Enhancement. Added the "Reports/Trafficability" menu item. When this menu item is selected, the battle map will be replaced with a trafficability overlay. Roads are painted white, clear and rough1 through rough4 terrain are painted with proportional shades from light gray to black, and water is painted with blue. Level 1 through level 3 impassable terrain is marked with a red and gray square containing a "1", "2", or "3".

020611 Mac & Win. Terrain Analysis report. Changed terrain cell symbols for impassible terrain from red frame with gray interior plus black numbers to black rectangle with white numbers. More consistent with shading of gray to black for rough terrain and brown high ground frames are much more distinct over the black than over the red.

020616 Mac & Win. Enhancement. Unit Orders window. When the user clicks on the "?" button so as to display waypoint times, the program will now display an "X" in a waypoint time label if that waypoint can not be reached due to intervening terrain that is impassable to that unit.

[Stoffel]

If you are on a pc than you should dl the 3,12 patch.

Excessive use of smoke can cause your pc to crash with lower versions

henk