Sneak Peeks, Coming Attractions, Works-In-Progress

[berto]

Some recent posts at the Dev Forum...

ORIGINAL: berto

I have the mock-up, placeholder Ditch and Ridge 2D graphics done. Next is the coding.

ORIGINAL: berto

I'm now working on the main.pdt and movement.pdt edits. Tricky stuff. Lots of CSlint work, and special Perl scripting.

ORIGINAL: berto

ORIGINAL: Warhorse

Like this?

On second look, that is too reddish.

In any case, I'm sure that Petri will need to desaturate and tone down the RedDirt 2D as shown here:



More important than absolute "accuracy", it's got to look good!

[Note: The MinorCanal's will be narrower than depicted.]

ORIGINAL: berto

Behold!



It displays properly when flipped, too.

Not quite done yet. There are a very few strange intersection glitches, but absent my perfecting the code, any glitches are easily worked around by judicious use of the WaterBlockSide and compromises here and there.

I still need to work on intersecting MinorRiver's and Stream's with the new waterway types, also to full Water & Shallow hexes.

But, imagine the possibilities.

It's going to look even more awesome once Petri implements the proper wavy MajorRiver* and River* graphics. (The above is a combination of Canal* and River* types, with -- for now -- the latter looking exactly like the former.) And after Petri thins the non-Major types.

[Some of the waterway intersections in the previous screenshot were subsequently cleaned up by judicious application of the WaterBlockSide.)

ORIGINAL: Jason Petho

Now that is magnificent!!

ORIGINAL: berto

With the new waterway types, the forthcoming, new-and-improved Campaign Series: It's a Whole New World!

ORIGINAL: Crossroads

Holy cr@p [&o]

ORIGINAL: Warhorse

Yeah, baby!![:D]

ORIGINAL: berto

I will be posting follow-up instructions and explanations in the days ahead.

To get the ball rolling (and after you download, install, etc; else wait for Jason's next full install), in ME, you might load up the sample map file NewTerrainsTest2.map:



The new terrains are:

[*]WaterBlockSide (blue circles).

Using the NewTerrainsTest2.map as your test bed, else creating your own new test map, try creating your own Water World, with an assortment of Water, Shallow & MajorCanal hexes. Paying special attention to hex and waterway intersections, try applying the WaterBlock hexside as indicated by some of the examples. (I didn't blue circle all uses of the WaterBlockSide. Just enough examples to give you the idea.) Try this, try that. Remember to Undo (Ctrl-U) and retry as necessary.

With enough practice, you will get the hang of it.

Not all of the waterway intersections are perfect; not all of them are aesthetically pleasing. This is where Petri takes over.

Try Rotating the map. Try the different Zoom modes.

Note that in 3D, the MajorCanal hexes still display as full Water hexes. This is where Paul takes over. We will need to work with Paul, and Paul and Petri will have to work together, to coordinate the 2D & 3D waterway depictions. Our aim should be to have them, in their own fashion, look as much alike as possible. We are under tight time constraint. Improving the 2D should be possible, but perfecting the 3D, and perfectly coordinating 2D & 3D, might be beyond our capabilities in the near term...

[*]RidgeSide (magenta circles & ellipses).

For now, Ridges display as Dunes. You will note the new graphics files

...

Those are merely copies of their Dunes counterparts, appropriately renamed. The code references those *Ridge* named files. But Paul (and ?) will need to redo the graphics.

In the screenshot, you see the 2D Ridge graphics. Those are mock-ups. I merely stole the existing Dunes 2D graphics. I'm sure that Petri can do better. (And Petri, you will want to improve the Ridge toolbar icon (circled in magenta) to something prettier, and better matching. I will supply you the latest toolbar*.bmp files in due course.)

Try the different 3D Zoom modes to see how Ridges currently display as Dunes. We will want them to look more like actual hard ridges of course. To be worked out.

[*]DitchSide (green circles & ellipses).

For now, Ditches display in 2D as blackened MinorRiver's. You will note the new graphics files

...

Those new 3D files are merely copies of their Gullies counterparts, appropriately renamed. The code references those *Ditches* named files. But Paul (and ?) will need to redo the graphics.

In the screenshot, you see the 2D Ditch graphics. Those are mock-ups. I merely stole the existing MinorRiver 2D graphics, and darkened them. I'm sure that Petri can do better. (And Petri, you will want to improve the Ditch toolbar icon (circled in green) to something prettier, and better matching. I will supply you the latest toolbar*.bmp files in due course.)

Try the different 3D Zoom modes to see how Ditches currently display as Gullies. We will want them to look more like actual ditches of course. To be worked out.

...

ORIGINAL: berto

ORIGINAL: berto

Campaign Series: Vietnam Extras 20160311 released.

In support of the new terrain types, new data ...

These data are still works-in-progress all, all still subject to tweaking and change. In the graphics threads and elsewhere, I will be posting follow-up instructions and explanations in the days ahead.

This post will inaugurate a discussion of the new main.pdt & movement.pdt values, then a discussion of recent coding changes. Please refrain from comments until I can finish my series of posts.

For both ME & VN, the new terrain types are

[*]MajorCanalHex [new to VN, already in ME 1.01 & before]
[*]MajorCanalShallowHex
[*]CanalHex [new to VN, already in ME 1.01 & before]
[*]CanalShallowHex
[*]MajorRiverHex [new to VN, already in ME 1.01 & before]
[*]MajorRiverShallowHex
[*]RiverHex [new to VN, already in ME 1.01 & before]
[*]RiverShallowHex
[*]RedDirtHex

And the new hexsides are

[*]DitchSide [new to both ME & VN]
[*]RidgeSide [new to both ME & VN]
[*]WaterBlockSide [new to both ME & VN]

In general, as a starting point, I have values, and the effects of

[*]the new waterway non-Shallow types equivalent to WaterHex
[*]the new waterway Shallow types equivalent to ShallowHex
[*]RedDirtHex equivalent to SoftSandHex

and

[*]DitchSide equivalent to GullySide
[*]RidgeSide equivalent to DuneSide
[*]WaterBlockSide with no real equivalent (new special case)

We can tweak the new terrain & hexside values, and special code, to further differentiate the new types. But the above equivalances form an initial basis.

...

ORIGINAL: berto

ORIGINAL: berto

[To be continued. No comments yet, please, until I am finished with my series of posts.]

I am now done laying out the code & data in re the new terrain types.

You may now resume commenting, questioning, suggesting, etc.

Thank you for your patience!

Works-in-progress all, all still subject to change.

We've been busy!

[Crossroads]

Ridges and (Anti-tank) Ditches are a very welcome addition to our terrain tiles.

Also, now there should be an end to the age-old argument whether hex-side or in-hex rivers are the way to go. As the map designer can now have either, or both of them.

Graphics are still place-holders for most part. More to come!

[berto]

Not so much, or at all, in Middle East; but in Vietnam (and beyond), we can no longer limit ourselves to the legacy standard

[*]Water, Shallow hexes
[*]River (newly renamed MinorRiver), Stream hexsides

Especially for Vietnam, with all of its many canals & rivers, with widely varying widths, deep vs. shallow, etc., and all of its many riverine units.

We need them all, and we won't settle for less!

[berto]

This:

ORIGINAL: Crossroads

Also, now there should be an end to the age-old argument whether hex-side or in-hex rivers are the way to go. As the map designer can now have either, or both of them.

[K K Rossokolski]

Being now allowed to comment, I would like to see the canals a little narrower; the width of the unsealed road is good.

[Crossroads]

ORIGINAL: Crossroads

Ridges and (Anti-tank) Ditches are a very welcome addition to our terrain tiles.

Also, now there should be an end to the age-old argument whether hex-side or in-hex rivers are the way to go. As the map designer can now have either, or both of them.

Graphics are still place-holders for most part. More to come!

Now that we have Ridges, or Crests as we ended up naming them, I can finish up the Ode to Arab-Israeli Wars terrain mod with reddish Ridge/Crest markers. In the original game, Crests were dark brown while Ridges with a reddish hue similar to below, but here it is one color only. Seeing is believing, here they are, both Dunes and Ridges:



Meanwhile, Jason's been busy updating for instance the Golan maps with actual Anti-tank Ditches where a workaround was needed earlier.

[Crossroads]

ORIGINAL: Crossroads

Meanwhile, Jason's been busy updating for instance the Golan maps with actual Anti-tank Ditches where a workaround was needed earlier.

Something like this (work in progress as always):

[berto]

Such a nice addition to the CS map maker's toolkit!

[carll11]

Any word on 'hull down' options?

[berto]

The opening screenshot from Scenario #8 of 24 new scenarios in the Alan R. Arvold Ode To Arab-Israeli Wars mod -- available in the forthcoming ME 1.02 Open Beta UPDATE (and all future updates).



Nice. I think I have here a good scenario for my next A/I study. [8D]

[Jafele]

Certainly that´s a nice addition, Berto. Specially because they´re gonna be updated like the vanilla scenarios. [:)]

[berto]

For you fans of the original AH Arab-Israeli Wars, the forthcoming ME 1.02 Open Beta UPDATE (and all future updates) will also have a Ode to Arab-Israeli Wars Terrain Mod, which attempts to recreate the original game's classic board game look:



Compare with the original board game (see the A panel in the following image):



The AIW Terrain Mod only applies to 2D Zoom-In View (4), however. At the other 2D zooms, the AIW scenarios revert to the standard CSME look.

24 new Alan R. Arvold Ode To Arab-Israeli Wars scenarios -- coming soon to a ME 1.02 Open Beta UPDATE near you!

[Big Ivan]

Nice, Can't Wait![:)]

[berto]

More goodies. The forthcoming ME 1.02 Open Beta UPDATE (and all future updates) will also include an Alternate 3D Bases mod:



I don't know about you, but I like the crisp, clean look of those unit bases. [8D] Those will be my standard 3D bases of choice from now on.

[demyansk]

Those look good, more crispness

[Big Ivan]

Have to agree with you berto.

The more I looked at the screen shot the more those new bases seem to grow on me.

I thought I saw somewhere that there is a current mod for this using JSGME, I'll have to see if I can find that mod. I'm almost a 100% 3D guy when it comes to play.

These new bases are a step in the right direction. Crisp yet simple and appealing.

Thanks!

[berto]

With the bases less visually "busy", plainer bases help the unit graphics to stand out better.

Yes, there is this mod floating out there somewhere, but for the first time we are bundling it right there in the game. Easier to find, easier to apply.

[Crossroads]

ORIGINAL: berto


For you fans of the original AH Arab-Israeli Wars, the forthcoming ME 1.02 Open Beta UPDATE (and all future updates) will also have a Ode to Arab-Israeli Wars Terrain Mod, which attempts to recreate the original game's classic board game look:

[snip]

Having created the AIW mod myself, and never shying from a walk in the memory lane, the scenarios don't look half bad on our stock terrain either. Note the new lighlty modified Menubar icons for what we hope for a bit extra clarity.

[Jason Petho]

Here is an except from the 1.02 manual of the revisions/changes/additions

We plan on releasing the it as an open beta relatively shortly, and then officially releasing it in June.











Jason Petho

[demyansk]

Those mods look good and all the new scenarios, thatnks jason