Falcon 4 Korea Terrain

[+gerwin 450]

Falcon 4 (1998) also has a tile based terrain. Like Strike Fighters 1/2, also like European Air War (EAW) and the old Novalogic flight 'simulations' Raptor/F-16 MRF/MiG-29.

I had a look at the files a long while ago. But could not recognize the essential bits. Essential bits being:

- The tile textures. These images are easy to find

- The tile-map. In hindsight, this is interwoven in a big L2 file, together with other data.

- The tile texture files to tile index numbers table. Which needs to be translated to _Data.ini syntax.

- The height-map for elevation.

But this week I tried again, and got it to work. See screenshots.

This Korea terrain has 1024x1024 tile positions on the map. There is only 1 height value per tile, also 1024x1024. Each tile represents 1km. Each tile bitmap image is 128x128 pixels. There are 1109 tile images, 1051 of which are actually used. These 1998 original ones don't have alpha channels for the marking of water. None of the tiles are placed on the map with a rotation (nor mirroring like Novalogic did)

To compare: Stock Strike Fighters terrains are 500x500 tiles. Each tile represents 2km. Each tile bitmap is 256x256 pixels. Each 2km is spanned by 4 height-map points. Tiles can be rotated 0/90/180/270 degrees. So different in all ways. I had to adjust some settings in the terrain _Data.ini to make this Falcon 4 terrain work better, as to prevent "terrain mesh build-up gaps", visible on the horizon. Preliminary values being:

[TerrainMesh]
TextureThreshold=0.90
LowDetailMeshThreshold=0.75
MedDetailMeshThreshold=0.50
TileToHeightGridRatio=1

Fred Balding's Falcon tools were a must. As hosted here https://www.pmctactical.org/f4/downloads.php . His Terrainviewer 1.55 has the texture files to tile index table. It can display the list without copy-paste option. To prevent hours of typing, I ripped it from hex data in the Terrainviewer executable. TheaterMaker-03 has a tool Pathmaker that can export a matrix from the Falcon L2 file. (Basically a photoshop interleaved raw file, with 7 channels and 7 byte header, with the tile-map in Red and Green channel.) As explained in this old forum post. https://www.pmctactical.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=21366  

Since the terrain has this huge amount of 1000+ tile textures, I automated handling of everything involved here. By photoshop batch scripts, or by programming quick temporary conversion tools. Don't want to do such manually, 1000+ times.

Soon, I will host a copy of the SF2 terrain conversion on my website, when I get it finished up a bit better. Don't feel like manually doing to loads of water alpha channels and targeting area work. So I will leave that be.

Edited February 23 by gerwin

[+EricJ 3,944]

Impressive to say the least. It looks cool at least, but I hope it's not the 60% compression that SF2 terrains go through.

[+gerwin 450]

26 minutes ago, EricJ said:

Impressive to say the least. It looks cool at least, but I hope it's not the 60% compression that SF2 terrains go through.

I just did a quick comparison. Using an image with a range bar. Copied the 100km range bar at the bottom. It seems to span the Falcon 4 terrain 9 times: 900km. So the Falcon 4 terrain is certainly not below 100%. Maybe slightly above. Then again in the lambert projection below, North to south is larger. So that is the other way around.

[+EricJ 3,944]

Well if I read that right then I'll need drop tanks for sure, depends on how much I fly it I suppose.

[+gerwin 450]

Just keep the fun and games close the Demilitarized Zone?

 

I am considering adding an amount of dummy tiles around the terrain, or just south+east. Because the way it is now, Korea's southern part is near, or in, the game's inaccessible wall zone.

[Wrench 9,475]

All I gotta say is

WOW!!!!

[+EricJ 3,944]

Well honestly I don't fly combat missions anymore, I just free fly around and such. I mean combat is fun, but when you're outshooting the enemy, it's a bit boring too.

[+Menrva 4,003]

@gerwin Outstanding work! I can't thank you enough for all the improvements made to TFDtool over the years and for the conversion of NovaLogic's terrains. This is another fantastic addition!

I wonder if the same conversion process could be applied to Falcon 4 Allied Force's Balkans terrain. Given that F4 terrains are pretty much in Real World size and that SF2 does not support in-flight refueling, the 60% or so sized terrains we made can co-exist just fine.

[+EricJ 3,944]

I'm all for big terrains, but the targets have to support it. I know it's harder due to the large size to fully populate it, but the gameplay value is worth it if done right.

[+Gepard 10,268]

If you want a 100% scale Korea terrain try this:

 

It would only need a new tileset.

[+EricJ 3,944]

Yeah will I able to change the date range though and it still be viable?

[+Gepard 10,268]

3 minutes ago, EricJ said:

Yeah will I able to change the date range though and it still be viable?

You can change the date without big problems. The only problem would be, that in MiG-Alley terrain are no SAM. Its designed for Korea War. Simply add some SAM sites and thats it.

[+EricJ 3,944]

Okay, I'll have to shake off the rust with that then, thanks!

[+daddyairplanes 8,696]

1 hour ago, EricJ said:

I know it's harder due to the large size to fully populate it, but the gameplay value is worth it if done right.

so you want call of duty, not motor pool monday

for the older, pre Hornet/Viper era birds, theres a certain quality with big terrrains of just not getting lost or flying into the ground (shush about following the way points)

 

[+EricJ 3,944]

Just now, daddyairplanes said:

so you want call of duty, not motor pool monday

for the older, pre Hornet/Viper era birds, theres a certain quality with big terrrains of just not getting lost or flying into the ground (shush about following the way points)

 

I always hated Motor Pool Mondays when I was Heavy. Tore up my shined boots, and liked when I went Light and had a Hummer to worry about.

Anyway, I mean I'm not expecting a full on targeted map, but it would be nice as I can maybe get back to flying missions again, rather than just fly around and such :)

[+daddyairplanes 8,696]

Just now, EricJ said:

I always hated Motor Pool Mondays when I was Heavy. Tore up my shined boots, and liked when I went Light and had a Hummer to worry about.

Anyway, I mean I'm not expecting a full on targeted map, but it would be nice as I can maybe get back to flying missions again, rather than just fly around and such :)

oh yeah, you was combat arms. the mechanics and us cooks were smart, and brought two pairs of boots: one for formation and one for working afterwards

and everyone has their own ways to enjoy it.  sometimes its fun to bounce an airfield, sometimes take on a motor rifle company engaging our folks, sometimes dropping supplies over a checkpoint while doing recon and avoiding MiGs

sometimes just running an intercept where maybe the bird intercepted doesnt try to shoot back can be nice too.

[+EricJ 3,944]

24 minutes ago, daddyairplanes said:

oh yeah, you was combat arms. the mechanics and us cooks were smart, and brought two pairs of boots: one for formation and one for working afterwards

and everyone has their own ways to enjoy it.  sometimes its fun to bounce an airfield, sometimes take on a motor rifle company engaging our folks, sometimes dropping supplies over a checkpoint while doing recon and avoiding MiGs

sometimes just running an intercept where maybe the bird intercepted doesnt try to shoot back can be nice too.

Well I could needless to say afford two pairs of boots, but I never bothered.

I could fly other missions too, but I tend to fly strike missions most of the time. I do carry air-to-air missiles as much as possible, so I'm not totally defenseless. And agreed bomber intercepts aren't bad either.

[+gerwin 450]

An alpha release of the Falcon 4 terrain is now available for download at my website http://www.gb-homepage.nl/index.htm

This evening I made the SF2NA Naval Map setting work. Added some more airfields. Made minimal working movement.ini routes. Removed unused textures.

What I want to to later is to auto-batch rotate any tiles that would benefit from less repetition. With some random rotation they will look better.

To open this in TFDtool, please download a new version v1.15 with tile limit raised to 1100.

 

@Menrva A lot of the conversion process does apply to Allied Force Balkans, but a lot will be different as well. There are even more tiles in that terrain. I also looked at the Falcon BMS 4.33 Korea terrain, and it has a different files structure, different tile index ID cross-referencing. For now I have my hands full with this Korea one.

[+Menrva 4,003]

8 hours ago, gerwin said:

@Menrva A lot of the conversion process does apply to Allied Force Balkans, but a lot will be different as well. There are even more tiles in that terrain. I also looked at the Falcon BMS 4.33 Korea terrain, and it has a different files structure, different tile index ID cross-referencing. For now I have my hands full with this Korea one.

That's understandable, the number of tiles and the size of the Korea terrain is already mind-blowing. 

The later we see Allied Force's Balkans terrain, the better for me. Otherwise it'd probably make my Balkans terrain the least preferable choice, and it took me years to develop it. For sure I'm not going to do something like that anymore, it got few downloads, it wasn't worth all the trouble of manually tiling all rivers and lakes; even in a scaled 60% terrain it was a crazy amount of time and work for details that pretty much no-one cares about.

Edited February 24 by Menrva

[Stratos 3,168]

Really amazing!!

[+gerwin 450]

Alpha version no.2 is now available for download. Together with TFDtool v1.16.

The water alphas are now there. 270 tiles have been converted into a .tga file with alpha channel holding the water area.

The farm tiles are now rotated randomly, to be less repetative.

(Could not do the same with roads, yet, as the roads are not drawn exactly in the middle of the tile...)

 

Looked at the Hi-Tiles Allied force set. But was not convinced of it being a good replacement for Korea.

Also tried some things with the BMS 4.33 tiles again. But the files with the same name are NOT a drop in replacement. Forests and hills match, but cities and farms and their transitions are not matching up. Also these tiles look less flexible in time periods, the urban areas obviously looking somewhat modern.

 

Edited February 24 by gerwin

[+EricJ 3,944]

I don;t know if it's the map, but with your latest version it hung at 80% and froze up with your new map. It could be the mission itself (I was going off a Naval formation) as I was going to make a short video of me flying around it for marketing sake (and I haven't flown in a long time). Just thought a heads up would suffice if it wasn't me and something that I didn't think of that caused it.

[+Gepard 10,268]

I got the F4 Korea terrain to run. There was no hang up at 80%. It was a F-104 recon mission and there were no problems.

Only the 128x128 pixel tiles are outdated in comparision with 256x256 pixel in TK stock terrains and the 512x512 or 1024x1024 pixel tiles which you find in some moders terrains.

[+EricJ 3,944]

Okay thanks Gepard, I'll try and figure out what the issue is then. Maybe a Naval Map issue (though I disabled it) with the carrier, I'll try and see if that's the problem.

[+EricJ 3,944]

Okay there's something up with the carriers and water as I started from a land base, and it worked fine more or less (Loaded fine, though it seemed to hang), but I didn't fly the mission because I wanted to see if I could load into the mission. So I can if I start from a land base. One thing I noted that the game for this terrain automatically places a CBG on the map, so you can take off from it. There's something going on with the water or something, because NAVALMAP=FALSE for my install. I mean I could have flown the mission starting from the base, but you havc to select a plane that automatically starts on a normal airbase, and not a carrier based plane.