Vehicle Flavour Objects Add "Life" To an Urban Map

[LongLeftFlank]

From my Ramadi (Iraq) historical monster map, which is finally nearing completion (just have to eliminate all those extraneous building windows).

This is the gas station on MSR Michigan at the Cinema crossroads.

I get the notion of "abstraction", but if you're going to let us scatter even less relevant stuff like tires, park benches, ATMs et al., you might as well include civilian vehicles. I don't care whether they block AFVs and provide nominal cover or not (we can always stick a low wall segment under them to give some).

Using wrecked Uncon vehicle units as I've done here really slows gameplay. I'd sooner get lower res auto "objects".

[JonS]

Flavour objects *kill* game speeds.

[LongLeftFlank]

A map with a thousand odd buildings kills game speed pretty well too, even when the map is pooltable flat. But it's still quite playable, even on my relatively old weak PCs -- the camera is just a bit sluggish when pointing "downtown" is all.

[cabal23]

Yeah I brought this up ages ago. We have an air conditioner flavor object but no civilian vehicle. The fact that they hog memory is a moot point. One civilian vehicle would not have changed the scope of the game that much and would have enriched the game a lot.

[JonS]

Well, there are civvy vehs, but as stated you just have to buy the Unicorn ones. In some ways that's better, I think, because the are revealed as the game progresses, rather than all being on show right at the outset. They can also be used to confuse the pre-battle intel picture. You can also 'buy' both red and blue unicorn vehs, so that the above affects both sides, should you so wish. Also, unicorn vehicles can be targeted and made to burn if that is your wont as a player.

None of that is possible with a flavour object.

FWIW, I think the current approach works fine, and see little value in adding a veh flavour object.

[theFightingSeabee]

The value is in the atmosphere. These towns can seem a bit like ghost towns. I'd like to see more flavor as well.

[JonS]

The value is in the atmosphere. These towns can seem a bit like ghost towns.

Eh? You can add all the atmosphere you want with unicorn vehs, no?

[panzermartin]

Its not the same. I want a bus like this:

Can your uncon taxis do that? nope...

On a serious note, I'd like to see more flavour as well. At least in Normandy I expect tractors, vintage trucks and cars etc.

[Mord]

I am hoping beyond hope we'll get a few more objects before they close down the shop on CMSF. I'd really like to see a few more types of palm trees, the short barrel shaped kind and the palmetto type plants.

Put me down for some carts and vacant/burned out cars too.

As much as I love WWII, it's gonna be sad when CMSF gets cut from the apron string.

Mord.

[LongLeftFlank]

I find it hard to believe that wrecked Uncon vehicle units are a lesser drag on system resources than static flavour objects. The latter can be significantly lower res than the former.

Yes, I'd love to see a full-sized bus too, as well as a minibus (passenger van) and a small European style civilian lorry, in addition to object versions of the standard cars and pickups. And if possible, a standard shipping container -- those dang things are common as cheese all over the world.

Preferably in a couple of different colors, as well as in a "burnt out wreck" variant.

[LongLeftFlank]

Oh yeah, and I second Mord's request for barrel palms and banana trees. Those things block same level LOS like crazy. In irrigated farmland areas (there's plenty in Syria), you'll see thickets of this stuff as dense as tropical jungle.

[JonS]

I find it hard to believe that wrecked Uncon vehicle units are a lesser drag on system resources than static flavour objects. The latter can be significantly lower res than the former.

Yes, I'd love to see a full-sized bus too, as well as a minibus (passenger van) and a small European style civilian lorry, in addition to object versions of the standard cars and pickups. And if possible, a standard shipping container -- those dang things are common as cheese all over the world.

Preferably in a couple of different colors, as well as in a "burnt out wreck" variant.

... and a partridge in a pear tree.

[Malakie]

Add me to the list..

Someone commented on it killing frame rates... It only kills frame rates if you do not plan your scenarios, add way to much clutter and so forth. I want the OPTION of picking and choosing from as many items as I can to allow for MUCH more diversity in my scenarios.

Right now I am completing a full campaign I have been working on for months. The intended story is supposed to be a future conflict between China/Russia/Iran/N. Korea and Nato forces. However as you all know we are limited by what we have. So for now, it is U.S. against Syrian equipment. Perhaps someday in the future I will be able to do this campaign again as intended although I do think it is turning out decent using Syrian forces.

I do not have the British Forces module yet since I cannot afford it but perhaps someday I will. I do have the Marines module so that has helped somewhat. It is definitely a bit boring using the same enemy for everything over and over.

I would love to see much more land pattern diversity, vehicles (civilian and military static), more building types, PEOPLE, working lights!! (i.e. lightpoles, stop lights, buildings), and so forth. By having those available, we could create such diversified campaigns that CMSF would definitely remain the premier combat simulator well into the future.

One other change I would like to see is the added ability to make CMSF and the modules more MOD friendly and interchangeable. By doing so, it would allow the mod community to create many of these items in support of the sim. Battlefront could continue to release the major modules for all the differing countries adding military vehicles and othre items that are not part of the official module. Modders could enhance them adding equipment and vehicles not included in the base module like smaller countries and their items or perhaps variants of module based military units... I.E. the U.S. has the M1A2 or perhaps the M113 or the or perhaps adding the MRAPS vehicles and so forth. Modders could easily build and add things like this enhancing the game and modules even more. In fact, Battlefront could actually require modded add-ons be tied to a module so it would work thus insuring continued sales.

Two other things I would like to see added... 1) helicopter support for troop transport in game or direct ground support... of course you would need to add air defense units as well. Not only ground based (i.e. stinger hand held, hawk batteries, SA-10 batteries etc etc) but also you could add limited air combat aircraft to the support menu for air combat. I have no problem keeping ground support aircraft workable as they are now but would like to see Helo support changed and functionally usable by the player like all other vehicles.

and 2) recovery and repair and rearm vehicles and depots. I would love to be able to pull back a severely damaged unit and place it in a repair queue for an amount of time based on its amount of damage. It would also replace any killed crew members as well. For tanks and such that get bogged, immobilized or stuck, being able to replace a track or tow it back to solid ground would also be a nice touch.

Anyhow, that's my 2 cents worth.

Malakie