Seven Deadly Sins of Map Making

[Berlichtingen]

Ok, this is the first draft. Comments?

<UL TYPE=SQUARE><LI>Auto Generate... There is nothing more frustrating than starting up a scenario and the map looks like a quick battle. There really isn't anything wrong with auto generating a map, so long as the end result doesn't look like one. Auto generating can be great for hills and even woods (if you don't have a plan for them already), but villages, water, fields, fences, hedges, etc should be erased

<LI>Same Terrain... Large areas covered with the same terrain tile look unnatural. Woods can be broken up with clearings brush and scattered trees (while you are at it, add scattered trees and brush around the edges). Open ground or fields can be broken up with patches of brush or trees. These are just some examples of what can be used to break up solid blokes of terrain.

<LI>Plain Roads... Use tree lined roads in abundance. They should be the norm and not the exception. Not only do trees make the roads look more realistic, they also provide the cover that road side ditches would provide.

Open Villages & Towns... CM does not allow for realistic urban terrain (its too open). There is no reason to allow this to limit you. Line the roads with scattered trees (even woods at times). Cram the buildings in as close as you can and fill all the open areas with fences, hedges and scattered trees. This will give you the cover inherent in built up areas and allow for a better 'city fight' experience.

<LI>20m Wide Rivers... Ok, they existed, but don't call a 20m wide river the Rhein. If its supposed to be a major river, then make it a major river. Also, many major rivers have rather steep banks with the surrounding elevations being higher than the 'standard' 2 levels. Another varient is to have a level area next to the river (with a road) and then the steep bank)

<LI>Grids... Whether you are building bocage, fields or city blocks, avoid grids. Europe isn't that 'planned'. Let your mind wander and the 'lines' of your design wander with it. There are exceptions, but if you don't have a map showing the exceptions avoid building grids.

<LI>Base Maps On Real Maps... This isn't to say don't use maps. What I am saying, is don't base your map solely on it. Maps do not show all the detail that is there. When it comes down to it, there aren't that many 20m x 20m squares of land that don't have something in them. After you have reproduced what the map has, fill in the blanks. Photos of the actual area are great for this, but if you can't find that, find photos of a similar area.

[Leta]

Agreed!, specially with the rivers and cities.

When I sent my Remagen scenario to Tom (TCMHQ) I received am e-mail from him saying "At least somebody understand that the Rhine is a major river, not a 20m wide stream!". Unfortunately it's true. I'm tired to see the Waal, Rhine or Sena reduced to a pathetic one-tile wide stream.

And the cities ... well, I'm european and I know that our cities, specially the rural ones, are chaotic. In a small rural village you can see fences, walls and even crops between houses. Streets rarely are straight

and the size of the houses are not regular (large buildings attached to small ones, etc.). Even in the major cities you can found trees, no-exit streets, parks and pools. With all this elements in a city map not only the city appears more "realistic", the city fighting is much more fun too.

And I see another sin. In many maps I can see roads like switchbacks. Even in a mountainous terrain an engineer try to maintain his road as flat as possible, excavating, levelling terrain, etc. Please, no more up-down-up-down roads ...

[Kingfish]

Fields lined with Bocage must have a break for vehicle access (pg.125 of the manual).

[ 10-14-2001: Message edited by: Kingfish ]

[Andreas]

Uh - yes. What Berli said. It is really extremely important that fields are broken up by little copses, hedges run irregularly, stonewalls criss-cross the countryside, roads turn and bend, orchards are surrounded by hedges/walls, wheat fields intersect with meadows, and what have you.

I will post some pictures from Cornwall here later that give you a good impression as to what this looks like.

Really, Europe has grown over 2,000 years. Cities are chaotic (with few exceptions, e.g. Mannheim), fields are not linear, everything is crooked. Avoid straight lines and vast open spaces, and you are alright.

And Berli is spot on with the comment about 1:25,000 maps. By all means use them to do the elevations and place the copses/woods/villages/roads, but please please please use your imagination for everything else.

If I see a scenario where 'historical' is a straight lift from a 1:25,000 map, it is a huge turn-off.

BTW - the word historical is far overused when it comes to scenarios. I have had a look at a few now, and sometimes you really have to wonder...

Remember, you are not in Kansas anymore.

[Clubfoot]

Hey! A kansas crack? Why I oughtta (mumble, mumble)...

[Berlichtingen]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Germanboy:

Remember, you are not in Kansas anymore.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thank God!

Even Kansas doesn't have that much 'open ground'.

[Pzman]

Think about this...we can never make a truly Historical battle. I have two...ok three points. 1) You can't recreate the feeling of the men on the battle field.2) Nor can you recreate there level of ether cowardice or fanaticism.3) You can't be there, and the chances that it will happen like it history...are about one in million.

[ 10-14-2001: Message edited by: Panzerman ]

[Andreas]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Clubfoot:

Hey! A kansas crack? Why I oughtta (mumble, mumble)...<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yeah I know, scraping the bottom of the barrel here, having to make cracks about Kansas...

[Clubfoot]

Another one!?! I'm gonna have to (mutter, grumble)...

[Iskander]

You can buy crack in Kansas?

Anyway, after a year of playing the game I'm finally trying my hand at map design. Hell, if Joe Shaw can do it, I figure any monkey can.

Thanks for the tips, oh Evil One.

[Gen-x87H]

Plain Roads... Use tree lined roads in abundance. They should be the norm and not the exception. Not only do trees make the roads look more realistic, they also provide the cover that road side ditches would provide."

Why not elevate the roads? I have found that is you make the roads 1 elevation higher than the surrounding landscape it looks quite nice and makes it look like a ditch.

If you want a highway. Make two roads 1 tile away from each other in paralell and elevate the two roads 1 elevation higher. Then in between the two roads make the elevation the same as the sourrounding area. It will make a ditch inbetween the two roads.

Gen

[Andreas]

I know that everything is bigger in the US, but 20m wide roadside ditches :eek:

Really, in a lot of france to this day, and also in Germany, roads are alleys lined by trees. Also, most roads should not be metalled, but ordinary dirt roads.

[Gen-x87H]

I know that everything is bigger in the US, but 20m wide roadside ditches "

On a freeway that sounds about right.

As for a single road the elevated look feels more like what a real road would be like. At least around here.

Gen

[Berlichtingen]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Gen-x87H:

As for a single road the elevated look feels more like what a real road would be like. At least around here.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Where's here? I don't remember the last road I saw that was 2.5 or 5 meters above the surrounding ground However, elevating rail lines does seem correct

[edited 'cus it seems to annoy Germanboy]

[ 10-14-2001: Message edited by: Berlichtingen ]

[Gen-x87H]

Where's here? I don't remember the last road I saw that was 2.5 or 5 meters above the surrounding ground However, elevating rail lines does seem correct"

Well it is the closest thing you can do with the engine. If they allowed for shorter elevations then it would look more realistic. Besides this game is about abstraction I have never seen a road in the country or not in a city enviornment that is not raised a bit above the surrounding terrain. This is for ovcious reason like runoff.

Gen

[russellmz]

use someting else other than the straight, corner or simple fork roads!

the y shapes, the crosses, the diaganol direction ones, the straight with diaganol connection, the three way ones etc...

and the same for bocage and walls: you can make entrances BESIDES the one open tile one by getting the angled one and the straight one:

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use different levels in each platoon: at least ONE should be diffrent just for variety...

[Leta]

"If you want a highway. Make two roads 1 tile away from each other in paralell and elevate the two roads 1 elevation higher. Then in between the two roads make the elevation the same as the sourrounding area. It will make a ditch inbetween the two roads."

Oh, yes. It's right ... today. But we are talking about a game that recreate 1944-45 landscapes, 55 years ago. At this time, a multilane highway in Europe (specially in the CMBO theather) was very, very rare. A "highway" in this case is only a (little bit) wide paved road ...

[Andreas]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Leta:

Oh, yes. It's right ... today. But we are talking about a game that recreate 1944-45 landscapes, 55 years ago. At this time, a multilane highway in Europe (specially in the CMBO theather) was very, very rare. A "highway" in this case is only a (little bit) wide paved road ...<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

That's one point, the other is that because there is simply not enough space in Europe, even the Autobahn does not have more than 5m between the two lanes. Also, there were not a lot of paved roads around then.

[Keith]

Another very annoying thing is to have a map with roads continuously lined with dense woods, bocage, or buildings with vehicles stuck on the roads, incapable of maneuver. Mega annoying and makes for a very unintersting game.

[gredeker]

I'll add my $0.02...

Spend a lot of time "proofreading" your map down at level 1. Then go up to 3 or 4 and check lines of sight to see if they're what you intended. Then go back and add more stuff to add visual interest and break up lines of sight.

Go back to level 1 and make sure that your roads are engineered correctly, especially the paved and/or major ones. Try to think like a civil engineer and examine where you would do cut and fill to level out the road - it adds both visual interest and cover

[ 10-19-2001: Message edited by: redeker ]

[CMplayer]

I would just like to mention one playability issue with regards to built up urban terrain. While I agree that there should be plenty of trees, walls, elevation changes etc. in towns, I think it is a good idea to actually put the buildings a bit FARTHER apart than they would be in real life. This is because infantry units fire infrequently, and don't rush to fire in the few seconds when a unit is dashing between two patches of cover. This makes it a bit too easy to run across a street.

This might make the map look slightly less realistic, but in my experience the feel of the game changes immensely for the better with an xtra tiles space to run across, before getting to the next house.

[Conscript Bagger]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by russellmz:

and the same for bocage and walls: you can make entrances BESIDES the one open tile one by getting the angled one and the straight one:

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<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

And I'll add my favorite technique of using woods tiles that are one eleveation higher than the adjacent bocage. The woods provide cover, the elevation difference keeps LOS blocked between fields, and there is always a small gap between the bocage and woods where a vehicle can slip through (if not on one side, then the other).