A New Take on ETO

[MarkEzra]

I have played the ETO Mod since it came out and just love it. I got to thinking of how I might be able to use all the hardware CMAK has to offer in a strictly ETO setting. That is all units, all buildings and all years available and ALL looking like they belong in Normandy...not Tobruk! The modder's solved nearly all the graphics and I can now play a QB with an accurate date of 1940. Because I now have two sets of buidings (NA and Italy) I now fight in cities, towns farms and Factory's. All the NA large buildings have been converted into CMBB factory bmps. The NA church/mosque is now a large factory with smoke stack! The flat roof shacks now resemble small industrial shops, barracks, or workers living quarters.

If I knew how to include screen shots to this post I could show you how it looks. So if someboy does...just email me (mark.ezra@hughes.net) and I'll send some pics.

[junk2drive]

First you need to have the pics on a website. Then you ckick the "full reply form" button at the bottom of the "quick reply" box. In the full reply form will be a image button. That will give a popup box for the url of the pic.

[MarkEzra]

Thanks for the tip J2D...no web site handy

[junk2drive]

imageshack seems to be the popular free site.

[MarkEzra]

OK Let's see if I can get this factory conversion pic working http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/5650/facmosquepicyw6.th.jpg' alt='facmosquepicyw6.th.jpg'>

[David I]

MarkEzra,

Now that is interesting.

DavidI

[painfbat]

The pics DavidI....................

or the girls on top of the page. I go for Dana, she lives nearby

MarkEzra, like David, very interesting.

[MarkEzra]

Is that very intersting in a Hogan's Hero's sort of way?.....But seriously folks: The idea behind this conversion is to get as much varity out of the game as possible. Since we have two sets buildings it allows us to stretch into things like our little factory gimmick. I am also using different mods for both summer and winter in the late war to reflect France and metropolitan Europe (summer/fall) and Belgium (winter/Bulge).

[MikeyD]

I think a LOT of the N.A. tan German vehicles will accept CMBB Panzer Grey skins - at least I'm sure of the PzIIIs and PzIVs.

There was a project some time ago to create an 'Operation Sealion' England Invasion supermod with ETO green Brit early vehicle skins. I don't know how much of that supermod ever saw the light of day.

By the way, that mosque/factory conversion's fantastic!

[MarkEzra]

It's been done and you did most of it! Obviously there was some to renumber but all the DAK was Panzer grey in BB. The only major exception was the early Marder family (hint, hint). I have done my best but I'm no MikeyD.. You actually solved the allied forces biggest headache for me--the early Stuart. Your re-do with out camo allowed me to recast the color in a pretty exceptable drab.

[MarkEzra]

Here's a pic of the May 1943 line up:

http://img321.imageshack.us/img321/3783/nafinallineupcb6.th.jpg' alt='nafinallineupcb6.th.jpg'>

[MarkEzra]

And this is July 1943 (Sicily)

http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/6493/july1943lineupxd3.th.jpg' alt='july1943lineupxd3.th.jpg'>

[RockinHarry]

Now that is cool! :cool: I love to play with David´s ETO mod enabled and did a little bit of my own modding stuff for a particular western front project of mine (hurtgen forest camapaign) some time ago. Converting African Desert for something completely different is quite an excellent idea, as I rarely play this theather (no interest in that particular topic) unless a PBEM opponent sends me a particular desert scenario setup. Looking forward to try out your finished works, Mark!

Just some food for thought: I modded the CMAK rough terrain tile to look like shattered trees, added few broken trees to the common pine tree assortment and made the sandbag thing to look like something as a roofless pillbox. Other thing that I tried out but did not have released yet is the vineyard terrain to look like a tree plantation/nursery, another common terrain feature in western europe.

[David I]

Harry,

I'd like to see your vinyard/tree plantation mod.

Your shattered pine trees and rough terrain absolutely rock!

DavidI

[MarkEzra]

I looked at your excellent work and really liked the look. I am hard at work on completing the task. Here's a couple of the pics:

[MarkEzra]

I meant to post this pick of the french 75. This particular mod is shared with Italy and Germany. I had to fiddle the color to meet all the color of the three. Green won out over some murkey yellow and the very fine black mod that ETO uses.

[MarkEzra]

A word on the Beach pic: What you see there is the new sand mod in action. The lowest three levels are sand. The remaining 17 levels are green set in reverse order. The lighter are at the bottom, darker as you climb the hill... Here's another shot;

http://img387.imageshack.us/img387/8396/shermanbeachpic1hh4.th.jpg' alt='shermanbeachpic1hh4.th.jpg'>

[MarkEzra]

I have completed this conversion and am in testing I will call it CM West. I'll start a new thread in the next couple of days as an official anouncement.