Modern UK terrain?

[mppd 16]

Just rambling here, but has anyone created a modern UK terrain? WOE is really a German/Central Europe terrain. I was sort of thinking about modding a WWII terrain just to be able to fly my own USAFE Phantoms and such around bases in the UK.

 

Thanks,

Mike D.

[+Jimbib 677]

I would be all for that, I have diagrams of big RAF bases up north to make some decent homes for aircraft based here too...

[Wrench 9,417]

It's theoretically possible to convert the WW2 Euro terrain for modern usage....just not sure about the airfield locations (which would be pretty easy to find)

 

It would probably need retiling to create new airfield exclusion zones, given the fact the most of the WW2 airfields would be gone, and the newer 1950s and up bases take their place. On both sides. The scale is about right, too. Looks like it covers

East Germany, parts of Poland, Czechoslovakia, and points in between. Aviono is even listed.

 

Wrench

kevin stein

[+allenjb42 4,114]

Kevin, hasn't this already been done, although it doesn't cover the north of the UK or Ireland.

 

http://www.simwarrior.com/sfp1/terrain.html

[Kirsten 0]

Would be great if it would include Scotland too (number of bases and intruding Badgers, Bears, Blinders and

Backfires or whatever....) Fantastic landscape too !!

 

Aju,

 

Derk

[+Baltika 84]

Something like this

 

 

Full-scale terrain based on Gepard's TE tutorials, as posted right here in the KB?

 

Now, I have far too many terrain/campaign/skinning projects on the go to do anything with this in the foreseeable future, and I will nail my colours to the mast and say I cranked this out purely to have fun flying over Scotland, so development of bases/cities/rivers etc south of the border will have to be taken up by those with an interest in that.

 

All it has is a few working airfields - in the general vicinity of RAF Leuchars, and at Edinburgh & Dublin, and a couple at Scatsta and Torshavn for the bad guys (yes the UK is being invaded by those pesky Faroe Islanders )

 

And the major Scottish towns & cities, hand-tiled as I can't get TE to autotexture the things properly, which is part of the reason I haven't taken it any further.

 

 

My point is probably this:

 

The TE used to be a bit of shot in the dark, as only a few who had spent a lot of time working it out really knew how to put things together. Now, thanks to Gepard's tutorials, really anybody can set up a terrain to fly over relatively quickly. Target placement is a whole other issue, fair enough, and very time consuming.

 

I must admit I am a bit embarrassed about my Iceland 2015 beta, as it really is in very early stages of development, and perhaps shouldn't have been released at all in the state it is in. I have been surprised by the level of interest in terms of d/ls. But, if there is an interest in a similarly underdeveloped UK beta, I can knock this into shape for release and post it here, with all the .ini files (CityList mainly) needed to take it further for those who are keen to do so.

 

Cheers all,

 

Baltika.

 

 

PS, I know people get fed up hearing it, but the KB really is your friend

Edited August 29, 2008 by Baltika

[+Stary 2,426]

Baltika, are you going to cover whole globe by the end of the month?

 

TK, we need targets placement tools badly!

[mppd 16]

Thanks for the EAW terrain link. I seem to have missed this somehow. Yes, I would rather see the entire UK but this is a better start than what I would have come up with. I hate to admit it, but I have spent way too much time flying this sim simply from base to base - without any intent of releasing ordnance...! I was a bit of a USAFE historian in the 70s-80s, mostly F-4s again.

 

I'll try to talk Baltika out of a copy of his UK terrain and perhaps we can make it into something with all of the RAF and USAFE bases of the 70s for everyone. I need to figure out how to work the flattening tool to place bases though.

 

Thanks again,

Mike D.

[lazboy 0]

. But, if there is an interest in a similarly underdeveloped UK beta, I can knock this into shape for release and post it here, with all the .ini files (CityList mainly) needed to take it further for those who are keen to do so.

 

Cheers all,

 

Baltika.

 

I would certainly be interested in a UK beta terrain as I suspect would a number of other UK based members, I have always wanted to be able to recreate the interceptions over the North Sea of Soviet aircraft by the venerable Lightning so time and Real Life allowing go for it, it would be much appreciated.

 

Lazboy

[+Baltika 84]

Rgr that,

 

Will knock it into shape (it needs a movement .ini, planning maps, existing airbases flattened, a proper _targets.ini, etc etc) and post it up here.

 

It's more like an alpha v0.00001,

 

so be warned

[Wrench 9,417]

allen: oh, dopey me!!! If I'd looked into the "full all is everything" install, instead of my SWOTL install, I'd have seen it. Had it since it first came out. I'd totally forgotten about it!!

 

I think a more expansive map would be great! Covering more of the northern regions and North Sea.

 

Wrench

kevin stein

[+Baltika 84]

Wrench makes a good point - perhaps a more extensive map would be better before a lot of time is spent on placing bases, target areas etc

 

What sort of region are we talking about? Suggestions?

 

Part of the problem with covering a very large area heading towards the north pole is that distances in the longitude plane get "stretched" when you place them on a 2D map which is, by definition, not spherical in shape. My early experiments with a Scandinavia terrain ran into this problem, distances were distorted the further north you go.

 

I hit on this as a reasonable compromise between overall area covered and keeping the distances relatively 'even' or constant over the whole map (thinking about EF2000 obviously ) but looking at it again now, it seems a bit "cramped" at the edges. Again, it's not gone further than a couple of airbases, because those fjords are hell to tile properly (sure are fun to fly down though ):-

 

Edited August 29, 2008 by Baltika

[lazboy 0]

Wrench makes a good point - perhaps a more extensive map would be better before a lot of time is spent on placing bases, target areas etc

 

What sort of region are we talking about? Suggestions?

 

Part of the problem with covering a very large area heading towards the north pole is that distances in the longitude plane get "stretched" when you place them on a 2D map which is, by definition, not spherical in shape. My early experiments with a Scandinavia terrain ran into this problem, distances were distorted the further north you go.

 

I hit on this as a reasonable compromise between overall area covered and keeping the distances relatively 'even' or constant over the whole map (thinking about EF2000 obviously ) but looking at it again now, it seems a bit "cramped" at the edges. Again, it's not gone further than a couple of airbases, because those fjords are hell to tile properly (sure are fun to fly down though ):-

 

 

I was thinking along the lines of a map that is bordered on oneside by the east coast of Great Britain with the North Sea squarely in the middle and Norway and Scandinavia on the opposite side, see the attached map.

 

Lazboy

[Syrinx 13]

I'd go for that one Lazboy. Great idea.

 

Most of the important bases are Eastern, Northern England & Scotland anyway.

 

Be nice to take off from Marham or Lossiemouth, cross the North Sea then attack enemy occupying forces in Norway.

 

Be able to buzz my house too, wake the neighbours

[+Viggen 516]

Flying a Tornado F.3 from RAF Leuchars would be really cool.

[+allenjb42 4,114]

That map looks good Lazboy, but wouldn't it need to stretch a bit further north to include some Russian airbases, otherwise where are all the Bears and Backfires going to come from?

 

It's got definite possibilities for a Northern Front WarPac vs NATO campaign though, like in F-14 Fleet Defender, or a WW2 campaign flying Beaufighters on anti-shipping strikes against German forces in Norway. Or Mosquitos against a mountainside over a secret Nazi factory at the end of a fjord...

[+Jimbib 677]

I would vote for that type of map too, maybe increasing the range of the map a bit further to the north-east. Would make for great interceptions.

 

If it has the likes of Kinloss, Lossie, Conningsby, Cottesmore and Wittering I am completely sold.

[lazboy 0]

I would vote for that type of map too, maybe increasing the range of the map a bit further to the north-east. Would make for great interceptions.

 

If it has the likes of Kinloss, Lossie, Conningsby, Cottesmore and Wittering I am completely sold.

 

 

We are getting a bit of a consensus as to what we would like to see included on such a map and what kind of missions it would be possible to fly. I like the concept as it is an area in which so much has happened in the past from WW2 through the Cold War right up to modern times. On the plan I tried to include some of mainland Europe, particularly the low countries, Belguim, Holland and Denmark as that would give us even more possibilities and aircraft to fly. The map could be expanded to include artic Norway and Finland but I am not sure if it could stretch as far as Russian territory.

 

All we need now is someone to take our enthusiasum and create what has the protential to be a very playable map and incorporate on it NFG's house which I have no doubt will become one of the most visited spots on any map. LOL

 

Lazboy

[Wrench 9,417]

Been buzzing my house in SoCal map for a while!!!! Its fun!!

 

Shoot, I'll even whip out a sign to place my NFG's house!!

 

Wrench

kevin stein

[Syrinx 13]

Hey, you're all welcome.

 

But remember...you can buzz but don't bomb !

 

Seriously though, this is a great idea for a new map\theatre.

 

Hope it takes off (see what I did there, eh ! see it ! Hey Mike, come and have a look at this ! )

[mppd 16]

This forum is just too much - mention a wild idea and it takes on a life of its own! You guys (and gals) are the best. Time to dig up some USAFE units and bases from the 70s.

 

Mike D.

[kct 5]

Lakenheath comes to mind.

[mppd 16]

Alconbury, Lakenheath, Upper Heyford, Woodbridge, Bentwaters, Yeovilton, Leuchars, Coningsby, Wattisham, Boscombe Down come to mind for the F-4 in USAFE/RAF/RN service. Lots of German bases, so maybe the southern UK/central Europe area is not a bad idea. Torrejon if it's visible?

 

Mike

[+Jimbib 677]

Alconbury, Lakenheath, Upper Heyford, Woodbridge, Bentwaters, Yeovilton, Leuchars, Coningsby, Wattisham, Boscombe Down come to mind for the F-4 in USAFE/RAF/RN service. Lots of German bases, so maybe the southern UK/central Europe area is not a bad idea. Torrejon if it's visible?

 

Mike

 

These places sound good, the only issue with including more and more places that are further away would be that the work required to make the terrain increases exponentially. A terrain reaching from the GIUK gap all the way down to central Spain would be a collossal amount of work, baring in mind, you still need somewhere for the Russian bombers to originate from. Not trying to piss on your bonfire, but potential problems could escalate quickly.

 

Boscombe Down has always been a testing base by the way.

[lazboy 0]

A terrain reaching from the GIUK gap all the way down to central Spain would be a collossal amount of work, baring in mind, you still need somewhere for the Russian bombers to originate from. Not trying to piss on your bonfire, but potential problems could escalate quickly.

 

I agree with JimmyBib it would be a great deal of work to extend the map from the GUIP gap down to Spain but Spain, Portugal and France could justify its own map in due course once the Modern UK terrain is completed perhaps covering the area shown on the following map which also includes North Africa.

 

Having generated a great deal of positive interest in a modern UK terrain is there a terrain modeler available to create such a map on our behalf, from the previous replies there would be a great deal of practicable support with regards information on the location etc of airbases, towns etc?

 

Lazboy