new map: Braunschweig (Brunswick), 2013

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WildCatNL
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new map: Braunschweig (Brunswick), 2013

Post by WildCatNL »

Last edit: June 10, 2014 with screen shots reflecting the map's latest looks
--
Hi,

triggered by AndyF's Armageddon Song sketches, and for those who like to create scenarios in the Braunschweig (Brunswick) area, here is a brand new map.
Download: braunschweig_2013_map.zip (13MB).
The archive contains a .fp9 file, a summer and winter .png bitmap and a printer-friendly b&w .jpg bitmap.

If you create scenarios for this map, feel free to distribute the map with your scenario.

Overview:
Image

Detailed view:
Image

If someone can send a me a 1985-ish map of this area, I'd like to create a cold war era version of the map. With the car industry and aircraft industry booming in the last decennial, today's Braunschweig probably has a lot more urban and industrial areas and highways than the cold war Braunschweig.

About the rail roads: these are decorative (hex map visibility/mobility values are as if there were no rail road), except for the rail road bridge head hexes (manually tagged as road). Rail roads are only drawn where they don't run close to other key roads. I've added rail roads because it adds flavor to the map, and because rail road bridges traditionally have been significant. If it can hold a train, it will hold a tank!

Enjoy!

William
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jds1978
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RE: new map: Braunschweig (Brunswick), 2013

Post by jds1978 »

wOOt!!

First to DL.....Thank you so much [8D]
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RE: new map: Braunschweig (Brunswick), 2013

Post by CapnDarwin »

William,

How long did it take you to make the entire map with codes? Curious.
OTS is looking forward to Southern Storm getting released!

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RE: new map: Braunschweig (Brunswick), 2013

Post by WildCatNL »

ORIGINAL: Capn Darwin

William,

How long did it take you to make the entire map with codes? Curious.

16 hours, including a failed attempt going directly from a bitmap to the map values editor, including getting to grips with HexDraw and how to prepare its bitmap for the map values editor, and getting to grips with the map values editor (it has a few bugs/annoyances which I'll report separately).

I probably should be able to create a next map in 8-10hrs, with the final 1-2hrs of work (town labels, road labels, border annotations) after the map values are done.
In HexDraw, I'm not spending time making it pretty - I just need to put in the minimum for the map values to come out right, like this (the pink path became the rail-road):



William

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RE: new map: Braunschweig (Brunswick), 2013

Post by CapnDarwin »

Thanks for the info!
OTS is looking forward to Southern Storm getting released!

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Mad Russian
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RE: new map: Braunschweig (Brunswick), 2013

Post by Mad Russian »

Taking those sharp angles out of the streams and roads will add more hours of work to the process.

Good Hunting.

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RE: new map: Braunschweig (Brunswick), 2013

Post by CapnDarwin »

I think his program does most of that. Is that correct?
OTS is looking forward to Southern Storm getting released!

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RE: new map: Braunschweig (Brunswick), 2013

Post by WildCatNL »

ORIGINAL: Capn Darwin

I think his program does most of that. Is that correct?

Correct. My tool attempts to straighten/smoothen roads. See below: hexdraw input (overlayed) on final map graphics.
Nevertheless, what Mad Russian helped me realize is I'm not straightening the streams as much as I can. And especially for canals such as the Mittellandkanal, straight would look better. Thanks!

William

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RE: new map: Braunschweig (Brunswick), 2013

Post by Mad Russian »

How does your program handle water obstacles that are not on a hexside or roads that are?

Good Hunting.

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RE: new map: Braunschweig (Brunswick), 2013

Post by WildCatNL »

ORIGINAL: Mad Russian
How does your program handle water obstacles that are not on a hexside or roads that are?

Apologies for the long answer, because I'm not sure I understand what you are asking:
The program currently assumes water obstacles run between hexes (actually, between obstacle ids in hexes), and roads run across hexes.

What the program basically does, is look at the data in .fp9 file and render that data as a map. The .fp9 file contains everything that is important for the game (and game AI) to understand the terrain.
It renders using a theme file telling it which colors to use for elevation, for roads, the type of grid (1km squares or hexes), font sizes, shading, etc. As part of map rendering, it attempts to make things easier on the eye, by straightening roads, aligning buildings with nearby roads, cutting a clearing through the forest/town if a road passes through. To do this in HexDraw may be a hassle.

The program looks beyond the .fp9 data in two cases:
- it takes additional map specific hints, adding data not included in the .fp9 file. Think of road/town labels, and information about roads and obstacles running into the "half-hexes" at the map edge. It reads those from a text file.
- it takes a look at the original bitmap to figure out through which hex side the road connections run. The .fp9 file, as I understand it, does not describe how neighboring road hexes are connected (if at all). I recently added the ability to pick up 'pink' roads from my HexDraw bitmap in order to render a 'flavor' rail-road for my map.


The program generally is not capable of recognizing artistic flavor in the game map, beyond the basic .fp9 data. It doesn't look for road bends or stream positions. Then again, the .fp9 data indicates that these flavor details are not relevant to play the game/mission nor for interpreting the terrain correctly.
The program does render the maps without the restrictions imposed by the map values editor, since there is no need to interpret the rendered bitmap again.


I'm one of the persons who picked up the Flashpoint:Germany game because of the great looking maps. By creating a program to render maps based on the .fp9 data, I'm able to play the game with maps closer to the FG style. These maps make a few other people happy as well. And I'm able create my own maps, without having to patiently arrange forest and fields textures.

William
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zakblood
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RE: new map: Braunschweig (Brunswick), 2013

Post by zakblood »

thanks for the share, maps looks great, just downloaded and installed the lot :)

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RE: new map: Braunschweig (Brunswick), 2013

Post by O.Schmidt »

how I can Attachment a jpg file??
I still work on a copy form Braunschweig! (first map for me with hexdraw !)


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RE: new map: Braunschweig (Brunswick), 2013

Post by CapnDarwin »

You need 10 posts to be able to upload I believe. Also need to use Post reply and not Fast reply.
OTS is looking forward to Southern Storm getting released!

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RE: new map: Braunschweig (Brunswick), 2013

Post by O.Schmidt »

work now! look up!
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RE: new map: Braunschweig (Brunswick), 2013

Post by WildCatNL »

Otto, I'll be more than happy to share the original HexDraw file (~ 90MB) if that's any help to you (although your HexDraw file looks better than mine now, with your carefully placed buildings and fields). Leave me a message in case you are interested.

Question: do you happen to have 1980's detailed maps of the Braunschweig area? I'd love to adapt the map to the Cold War era.

Have fun,
William
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O.Schmidt
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RE: new map: Braunschweig (Brunswick), 2013

Post by O.Schmidt »

this is the original matrix HexDraw file! only the forest, roads (yellow, orange), ralrod and Extren slope is new!
This is only a copy from your map!
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RE: new map: Braunschweig (Brunswick), 2013

Post by O.Schmidt »

so better?

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RE: new map: Braunschweig (Brunswick), 2013

Post by Mad Russian »

The 3 colors of blue for the river are what?

Good Hunting.

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Founder of HSG scenario design group for Combat Mission.
Panzer Command Ostfront Development Team.
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RE: new map: Braunschweig (Brunswick), 2013

Post by O.Schmidt »

see below!
The color difference in the river is too big! I think??

this was just an experiment! To better represent 3D!


I can send you the hexdraw file Map!I just needed your email address!
the same for William (W1II14m) too!


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RE: new map: Braunschweig (Brunswick), 2013

Post by O.Schmidt »

Hi W1II14m
Is your email adress ok??
All mail i send to you is come back to me!!?
Ahoi Seemann
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