Kursk 1943 WIP

[+Baltika 85]

I was trying to be good, and keep kinda quiet about this one, but it's starting to come together and I couldn't resist:-

 

 

Still a ways to go, obviously, but a flyable beta should be along within the proverbial "two weeks," if there's any interest

 

Should give those with an interest time (and an excuse, as if one is required ) to put together that dedicated Ostfront install. Just make sure all your Soviet armour is set to NationName=WWII SOVIET in the data.ini. If it's set to just "Soviet," as many of the stock downloads are, then it will show up on the German side. Was scratching my head over that one for a while

 

Like I said somewhere round here, TE can get quite addictive once you get going. Although I suspect I am going start wishing TK had implemented that greyed out "Edit RiverList" feature pretty darn soon.

 

Also, can anyone point me to a good source for the names of WW2 airfields in the region? Or were they just named Kursk 1, Kursk 2 etc?

 

Cheers all,

 

Baltika

[+allenjb42 4,234]

Great stuff. Really looking forward to this one.

 

Check your pms.

[+Stary 2,427]

Hell yes there is definitely interest!!!

 

You're da man Baltika!

 

And yes, TE is very, very addictive...

 

If only I had more spare time

[dsawan 624]

You bet there is interest. Looking forward to adding to east front install. Are you using Edward's east front scenery he was working on a while back or is this totally new? thx.

[+Baltika 85]

Hi dsawan,

 

This is a completely new terrain build which I am working up from scratch. At the moment it is designed for use with stock WoE textures, so any of the WoE repaints should work fine with this. As Operation Zitadel took place in July-August, I don't think there is any need to use a winter tileset.

 

I have been slightly distracted by a modern Northern European scenario of late, but I will still be taking this forward to release. Timescale is tricky to estimate, but I have learned a lot about TE since I first battered out that Iceland 2015 beta.

 

I am working up a Zitadel campaign to go with this, which actually now needs a terrain to take it to the next stage, so hopefully that will spur me on. I'm starting to think I am trying to juggle too many projects at once here

[Wrench 9,851]

I take it you're also looking for something like this.....

 

 

16 GIAP, circa April 43

 

Wrench

kevin stein

[+Stary 2,427]

I take it you're also looking for something like this.....

 

16 GIAP, circa April 43

 

Wrench

kevin stein

 

Wrench, what tileset is that? Looks nice.

[+Baltika 85]

Wrench,

 

You bet

 

That is one great skin

[Wrench 9,851]

since I don't have an Eastrn Front map (yet!), that's Edwards EAW Euro (ETO WW2) map in my STOWL install. Again, I think it's converted from EAW, as the tiles all have the BN name.

 

As to the 'cobra, it's modded from (obviously) Wolf's stock P-39D; using the Hurri pit (like my P-400) cause it has the reflector gunsight. Nation specific to "WW2 Soviet". Still trying to figure out the font for the bort numbers; but I think that may be solved by a psd I have that has La-5 numbers The tail has standard US serials in yellow. I really don't know enough about Russian Airacobras, although I've got a wealth of profiles and such.

 

Here's the one I used, from Osprey's "P-39 Airacobra Aces"

 

 

Wrench

kevin stein

[+Baltika 85]

Progress. . .

 

 

Have also got the Front Line, some ground attack and truck routes defined in the movement.ini.

 

Next up, airfield placement (other than my two test airfields).

 

(Waggles fingers) Getting late for now, but we are inching towards a beta release.

 

Cheers all.

[dsawan 624]

Thx for reply, Balitka. Looks good. Tjx, Kevin for the p-39 skins. i was tryn to figure out how to add the Russian star insignia to existing skins for lend-lease planes we already have but those p-39 skins above look good. they were useful for ground attack the p-39 and 400. I hope you can do some p-51 a,bc and d russian skins also in adition to the b-25.

[Wrench 9,851]

Russians never got Mustangs....that I've ever heard of. Now Hurricanes...that's another story. From what I've read, the Yak-3 was just as good as our 'stangs, only minus the range.

 

I'll have to "create" a new template for the 25 (for whatever version they used), we don't have a P-40K/N (square back windows), Bostons/Havoc won't be a problem, as are the Luftwaffe birds (got all the templates for the 109 and 190s). 110s will need a template made... I think Allen has some Heinkel 111s already done up???

 

And don't forget my Pu-2 "Little Stinker" stand-in for Po-2...that'll be easy to rebadge.

 

btw, those blue/red stars are availabe over at simmerspaintshop in their downloads section. I think they're originally for IL-2, but a psd is a psd is a psd...it don't know where it's going!

 

Wrench

kevin stein

[dsawan 624]

have to differ with you as they got 10 of them and repaired several from shuttle missions. See the wiki link and scroll down. Never used for front-line service. probably testing and evaluation. Makes for a good what if, he he.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P-51

[+allenjb42 4,234]

Got some He-111s out already and more in the works. (Ostfront, but also more ETO and MTO skins too).

 

Also, I've been having a play with the Ju-52 and Hs-123, so who knows?

 

They'll have to wait for my home computer to come back from repairs though.

[+Baltika 85]

Further progress. . .

 

 

Turns out airfield placement is going to be a combination of verified research, guesswork, compromise (given that some units were stationed off-map) and blatant copying of IL-2 maps. But it is now underway.

 

I have been chuckling at pfunk's excellent article on the pains of working with TE, and I reckon that the beta release of Kursk '43 is going to come without roads and rivers for the simple reasons that:-

 

(1) I have a wife and daughter who like to see me occasionally;

(2) Sometimes I actually have to do some paying work; and

(3) Like pfunk, I want to retain my eyesight.

 

I will include all the files needed to take this map further for those who have time to burn.

 

 

Something else I found out whilst "testing" ie flying missions as opposed to placing yet more cities:

 

Set the "GroundObjectRole=" flag of your armour units to TRANSPORT and you will get nice armoured columns to blow to smithereens on Armed Recon missions as well as the usual trucks. If you set Geo's Sdkfz251Flak German halftrack to this role, you will get an armoured column that will shred your flight before you get anywhere near to a mission complete. Scary

 

Of course, you will also want those units to show up for Ground support missions. So, copy the unit folder to your desktop, rename the unit folder and the unit.ini file to something like Sdkfz251Flak_T, make the edit to the "GroundObjectRole=" flag described above, and copy the edited folder back to the game Object/GroundObject folder.

 

That way you get your armour showing up on both Armed recon and Ground support missions. Just adds a bit of variety, but is significant for a Kursk '43 scenario as both sides made merry hell with armoured columns when their respective opponent got their air cover wrong, as happened on each side on more than one occasion.

 

@ Wrench & allenjb42, looking forward to those Ostfront birds/skins, great stuff

 

Cheers all,

 

Baltika

[Wrench 9,851]

Set the "GroundObjectRole=" flag of your armour units to TRANSPORT and you will get nice armoured columns to blow to smithereens on Armed Recon missions as well as the usual trucks. If you set Geo's Sdkfz251Flak German halftrack to this role, you will get an armoured column that will shred your flight before you get anywhere near to a mission complete. Scary

 

 

Been there, done that. You'll see it when DS finally get released (SCUD TELs set as "TRANSPORT" for AR missions). I was keeping it a secret, for a surprise.

 

Easy to do, just as you outlined above! Quite fun, and VERY dangerous with AFVs/APCs

 

Wrench

kevin stein

[+Baltika 85]

Early WIP Mainscreen:

 

 

Still have to get the "highlighted" buttons working properly, and I haven't looked at the rest of the menus, but, it will happen eventually

Edited September 16, 2008 by Baltika

[thebeast0449 1]

thread must live

[+Baltika 85]

Ostfront is not dead

 

But, anyone got a good source for Red Air OOB? My research has turned up a good unit-level breakdown, but without specifics of which unit flew what, from where. My Luftwaffe OOB is extremely detailed, no probs there.

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Cheers,

 

Baltika

[+allenjb42 4,234]

Any progress on this one? only asking because there'll be a natural home for it once the A-Team release the Wings Over Russia mod and we all set up our Ostfront installs (well I've got one in SFG at the moment but I'll change over to WOE).

[+Baltika 85]

Any progress on this one? only asking because there'll be a natural home for it once the A-Team release the Wings Over Russia mod and we all set up our Ostfront installs (well I've got one in SFG at the moment but I'll change over to WOE).

 

Agreed, the DAT's Ostfront will give this little map a proper home.

 

Truth is, I was full speed ahead with this terrain when the Oct 08 patches came out . . .

 

And after a burst of enthusiasm for the new AI and various enhancements, the fact that it hosed a lot of the WW2 prop FMs kind of discouraged me, and so I haven't done much work on this map since then.

 

So, I got distracted into other things, mainly terrain development for Cold War and modern settings, culminating in my recent Kamchatka release. There are quite a few terrain wips more advanced than this one (North Cape & NZ at the top of the pile, Japan/Kuril Islands close behind). And Iceland - always Iceland.

 

Of course, things are looking up on the TW WW2 front, what with the avhistory guys working up their excellent FMS, and now the DAT Ostfront, which I understand will bring all the included WW2 FMs up to Oct 08 patch levels. So, yes, I am getting excited about this theatre, and all of the WW2 stuff, once again.

 

Personal wish: SF2 level FMs for the BoB planeset - that old campaign really needs updating.

 

So, I am awaiting DAT Ostfront with bated breath. Once it's out, you bet I will be working on a little "Expansion Pack."

 

Good to hear from you,

 

Cheers,

 

Baltika

Edited March 23, 2010 by Baltika