Baltika

You're welcome Any problems with set up, just give me a shout. There are quite a few WW2 campaigns available here, covering ETO, MTO and PTO, with several more in the pipeline. Enjoy!

And, whilst I'm shamelesly plugging away here, make sure and get my WW2 RAF speechpack whilst you're at it: http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?autoc...p;showfile=5533

Hi aisling, Welcome aboard. This will give you a baseline WW2 ETO install without too much hassle: http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?autoc...p;showfile=5246 The installation instructions will set you up, although where it says "install latest weapons pack," now all you need is Wrench's WW2 wep pack, available here at CA. http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?autoc...p;showfile=8495 Tally-ho! Baltika

Great 109 skins, Thanks ndicki

Hi there, Glad you like the terrain. As to the issue you describe, this is a known problem if you are running this terrain on SFP1/SFG. The UK terrain is set up to use airfield_data.ini files which are found in the Germany_CE.CAT and do not appear in the desert.CAT. As I set this up to run on WoE, and did not test this terrain on other platforms, I was not aware of it until after release. There will be updates to this terrain which will fix this issue, but there is no ETA as yet. Meantime, select start "in air" as a workaround. To fix it yourself, look in the UK_targets.ini and compare the airfield_data.ini= entry with entries for each type of runway with the corresponding entries in your desert_targets.ini, and swap the entries over. To explain: In UK_targets.ini you will see this: [TargetArea118] Name=RAF Waddington Position=1100000.000000,486000.000000 Radius=11313.708984 ActiveYear=0 Location=12 Alignment=ENEMY AirfieldDataFile=german_airbase3.ini <----- This line causes the problem in SFP1/SFG NumSquadrons=12 Target[001].Type=Runway4 Target[001].Offset=0.00,0.00 Target[001].Heading=20.0 etc, etc, for each runway. Look in desert_targets.ini and find an entry for Runway4, eg: [TargetArea053] Name=D2 Airfield Position=251000.00,761000.00 Radius=6000 ActiveYear=0 Location=1 Alignment=FRIENDLY AirfieldDataFile=desert_airfield4.ini <---- See the difference? NumSquadrons=6 Target[001].Type=Runway4 Target[001].Offset=0.00,0.00 Target[001].Heading=30 So, when Runway4 is called out in the UK_targets.ini, replace AirfieldDataFile=german_airbase3.ini with this: AirfieldDataFile=desert_airfield4.ini Each runway type has a different airfield data file, so you will need to check each one individually. Any questions, fire away. Cheers, Baltika

OK, I have dug into the .ini files a bit more and sussed out what is going on. Scouserlad13, the reason you are getting planes blowing up on the runway is because UK beta .04 calls out airfield data files which only exist in the WoE Germany_CE.cat file, not in SFP1/SFG. I know I said in the readme the terrain would work in those other games (which it will) but I also said it wasn't tested there, which it wasn't. Sorry about that, to everyone running SFP1/SFG (and I d/k about WoV or WoI) who has d/led the beat and had this trouble. The reason is, the UK_TARGETS.INI file calls out runways as follows: [TargetArea041] Name=RAF Leuchars Position=869000.000000,772000.000000 Radius=8485.281250 ActiveYear=0 Location=1 Alignment=FRIENDLY AirfieldDataFile=german_airbase3.ini NumSquadrons=12 Target[001].Type=Runway4 Target[001].Offset=0.00,0.00 Target[001].Heading=90.0 etc etc, and various variations on that theme. The problematic entry is the AirFieldDataFile= line. The various German and Soviet airbases called out do not exist in the stock desert.CAT file you get with SFP1/SFG. So, all the a/c in your flight end up siiting on top of one another on the end of the runway, and blow up. This can be fixed by changing the AirfieldDataFile= entry to match one which exists in SFP1, and corresponds to the type of runway you are sitting on. Now that I am aware of the issue, I can fix it for the next version update. Unfortunately, that is a fair bit of work given the number and different types of runways featured in this terrain. But it will get fixed. Meantime, the beta will work fine in SFP1/SFG so long as you do not select runway takeoffs. Cpt.Cosmos, no need to buy WoE to run this terrain (allowing for the above problem) but don't let me put you off the purchase. It's well worth it. Cheers all, Baltika

Hi scouserlad13, From your PM it sounds like there is a mismatch with one of these terrain_Target.ini entries: AirfieldDataFile=german_airbase3.ini which call out how things like taxiing and parking are controlled on each runway, or one of the airfield entries in the terrain_Targets.ini is missing such an entry. I am running this terrain on WoE patched to Oct '08, with my collisions set to hard, and I have been unable to re-create the planes exploding on the runway. Can you tell me which version of the game you are running UK beta on, which airbase(s) you get the problem on, and what planes you see it with. Sorry if I have asked you this already, I have over-enthusiastically cleared out my CA mailbox Ndicki reported a similar problem but he has fixed it by checking he copied over all the terrain files properly. Cheers, Baltika

Hi Viper, Specific, step-by-step instructions at post #2 in this thread: http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?showt...&hl=baltika For side by side Red and Blue Force flyable campaigns for comparison purposes, I will make a shameless plug here and recommend you take a look at the files in my SoCal '84 Red Dawn and Red Force campaign d/l. Keep those Red-side flyable campaigns coming :yes:

Thanks for the headsup re Biggin Hill, snakeman Runways were flattened and placed from TE and I have not had time to test fly them all, but it is easy enough for me to fix a problem like the one you describe if someone brings it to my attention. Working on a 0.5 update hotfix to sort out a few things like that, plus some gross sea mountain effects round the coast of Ireland, plus some major improvements to target areas south of the border. Anyone else spot any strangeness, feel free to post it here and I will try to sort it out. Cheers all, Baltika

I have had a PM about a problem someone is having with their planes exploding on the runway whilst running UK terrain beta 0.4. I have been unable to re-create this issue on my set up, which is WoE patched to Oct 08 standard. Is anyone else who has d/l this terrain having this problem? Thanks for the feedback, Cheers, Baltika

Very simple. Install your WOx. Patch to latest version. Zip entire install folder somewhere safe. Unzip to your desired location under whatever folder name you care to choose. Make shortcut to the WOx .exe in your unzipped install folder. Drop the shortcut on your desktop. Mod the unzipped install in as many crazy ways you can find. Repeat unzip process for as many multiple installs as you need/want/can fit on every hard drive you can jam into your box Or, just copy and paste your entire install folder somewhere else, and make a new shortcut. It gets addictive very quick. . .

Hi shinobi, As I say a couple of posts above, the huge Baltic Sea terrain is still a WIP. There is a long way to go with that one - we are talking months. So, just the UK for now. Have fun Cheers, Baltika

Just a question of dropping capun an email and waiting for authorisation. May take a couple of days, but it is worth it.

Hi Canadair, The custom tiles are a straightforward blend of some of Deuce's existing tiles. The texture names are as follows: Filename124=GERMANYRA25A.bmp Filename125=GERMANYRA50A.bmp Filename126=GERMANYRA75A.bmp Filename127=GERMANYA-JR.bmp Filename128=GERMANYA-RJ.bmp Filename129=GERMANYJ-AR.bmp Filename130=GERMANYJ-RA.bmp Filename131=GERMANYR-AJ.bmp Filename132=GERMANYR-JA.bmp This is lifted straight from my custom texturelist for UK terrain (based on the stock WoE texturelist) and the new tiles follow the naming convention of the existing WoE tileset. I did mean to include the custom texturelist as part of the download (as it is essential for modders to run the UK terrain through the TE) but I guess I forgot to include it. I also meant to include my custom tiles in a separate folder for ease of reference, sorry. Here's the texturelist I used to create UK terrain v0.4: UK_TextureList.txt D/L that file, and re-name it "UK_TextureList.ini" without the quotation marks. Drop it into the Terrain/UK/Tileset folder and you will be good to go in TE. Note that the Tileset folder is NOT included as part of the d/l, read Gepard's terrain tutorials on how to set this up properly - basically you just copy the terrain .bmp files, and the terrain .tga tiles converted to .bmp format, in 256x256 size for use in TE, into the Tileset folder. As to the question of the feel of the terrain, well, that is a matter of personal taste. I too am a big fan of Gepard's BoB terrain. It uses a relatively limited number of tiles (based on the original SFP1 desert terrain naming convention) to achieve the desired effect. In setting up UK terrain, I wanted to use one of the stock tilesets, as those texturelists are provided with TE. The choice between desert, Vietnam_SEA, Germany_CE and Isreal (WOI) made selecting the Germany tileset the obvious choice. It would be relatively simple to copy & rename Gepard's BoB tiles to match the WoE tileset naming convention, and drop them into the UK terrain folder, but I leave that to the individual to do if they so wish. As I said above, I am working on a completely new tileset for Iceland, from scratch, and that is pretty well advanced, but it has taken a long time already and has a while to go, so I am not starting any new tiling projects for now. As to a practice range style UK terrain, I'm not entirely sure how to go about this but what you suggest seems like a good start. If you look at the "range" terrains available here by Wrench (from MajorLee's work, or is it Deuces?) you should be able to set up a friendly-only UK terrain without too much trouble. What I can promise for UK terrain is periodic terrain targeting upgrades (I am working through London and the major English cities to give them a facelift, with many more landmarks, target zones and so on), fixes for the more glaring "sea mountains" and coastal tile issues as I come across them, and at least one more RAF vs Soviets campaign - probably late 90's, to use bobrock's superlative Tornado F3 and Harrier mods, and of course the Mirage Factory's excellent Mig-29. And yes, that campaign will be Red-flyable as stock. So watch this space. Slainte, Baltika

OK, this has taken much longer than expected, but for those who missed it, here is the beta UK terrain: http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?autoc...p;showfile=8548 The huge Baltic Sea terrain is still a WIP, but certainly is still being worked on. Meantime, you can go sightseeing round most of the UK RAF bases and fight off a Soviet invasion of England, if that tickles your fancy. Feedback most welcome. Slainte! Baltika

Glad you all like it, cheers Thanks for the kind words. As I say in the Read me, it is a beta, so there are issues to be ironed out. But if you spot any very weird stuff, let me know as this will be improved over time (maybe a long time, but hey ) Canadair, I agree, CA_stary's seasoned WoE tileset would go great with this. The UK terrain is based on the stock WoE tilset, so you can use any WoE tileset repaint. However, I have made a couple of custom transition tiles from Deuce's repaint, so any other WoE set would be missing those, which may look a bit odd. The stock WoE tileset has the bare minimum of transition tiles to make the stock Germany_CE work, which is fair enough, but for a terrain like the UK which is very hilly, mountainous, and with rugged coastlines, TE struggles to texture the thing properly without those additional transition tiles. Frankly, I would like more transition tiles, but after what has happened to my Iceland project I am not starting another full-blown tiling mod in a hurry. Also, as this is a beta (albeit much more advanced than my Iceland beta) I wanted to keep the d/l size to a minimum. Cheers all, Baltika

Great Hawk skin

OK, confession time, terrain targeting lost a couple of hours tonight - feature creep, aarrgghh But I think it will be beneficial in the long run. The UK terrain will now ship with a campaign featuring the RAF & USAF vs a Soviet invasion of the UK. It is a simple .ini edit of the stock WOE '68 campaign to use the UK terrain, with some more interesting RAF birds added. The good guys are the RAF (with some help from Uncle Sam, happily extending his WW2 lend-lease arrangements with Old Blighty, dont'cha just love the capitalists ) flying from the "Celtic" side of the border. The Soviets have occupied the whole of England and expect soon to crush the remaining British resistance with little difficulty. They got another thing coming. . . Cue Judas Priest power chords and RAF Lightnings out of Leuchars screaming overhead Both sides still hope to win the conflict by conventional means: The Americans seeking to avoid a MAD scenario which would result in an ICBM tennis match with no winners, just smoking ruins of American (and Russian) cities. The Soviets are confident enough in their massed tank armies to hold off on the nuclear option unless NATO pulls the trigger first. So - the stage is set for The Battle of Britain II: Soviet Invasion UK :yes: ndicki, this will give you a template, if you want to use it, for your Celtic Wars campaign. You will have to switch Red/Blue Force over, and the various Celtic nations will require a more complex campaign.ini file to select each of the featured nations' flyable squadrons, but it will give you a working baseline as a reference tool, if nothing more. Tally-ho, Baltika

Great looking insignia there Personally, I'd go for the lion rampant for Scotland, and the St. George Cross for England, but that's down to personal taste I suppose. Looking forward to seeing them on my wings :yes: Cheers, Baltika

Hi all, @ndicki, Great additions to the NATIONS.INI, looking forward to flying them As for campaigns, the easiest way is to mod a stock campaign. That's how I started out, making little changes here and there and eventually building up. If you have any specific questions, fire away. @PACMAN, Hell, yes :yes: Thanks to Wrench unlocking the Stadium model from the hidden depths of a CAT file somewhere, everyone can have their own favourite football ground in game. If you fly around Edinburgh, Dublin, London and Cardiff, you may spot a familiar landmark or two Speaking of which, here's a couple of "money shots" to give you a flavour: I was contemplating starting a competition to see who could guess the view - then realised the debug HUD kind of gives it away. Anyway, hats off to Wrench for all his targetising work. That is one slow process. If I am to get a beta out, I may have to leave the other national capitals for people with more local knowledge. But you get the general idea. Cheers for now, Baltika

Well, I realised that Wales was getting a bit of a rough deal, so, courtesy of those wonderful learning tools, wikipedia and Google Earth, I have added: RAF Mona MOD St. Athan Welshpool Aerodrome RAF Haverfordwest That should provide plenty of Welsh airbases to be going on with. Lovely country to fly over, just watch out for your height on some of those final approaches OK, back to some targetising, then a little flying around, and this should be all set for a beta release. Still on track for the weekend.

Hi ndicki, ATM Wales has RAF Valley in the north and Cardiff Aerodrome in the south. I am happy to take suggestions for any more you would like to see on the map, as things are not yet finalised for the initial release. Slainte! Baltika

OK, I am done creating target areas for this version of the terrain. I could spend hours just adding stuff in (and already have ) but given I may go over to a new atlas projection for the next build I have to draw the line somewhere. Forgive me if your home town isn't featured (yet). Here's where it's at: There will, no doubt, be other stuff added before it goes up, but this is the final planning map. "Targetisation" will be somewhat generic (i.e. copied out of GermanyCE_Targets.ini ) but there are some surprises in there too. Just don't expect it to be on The Wrench's level (Kevin, we are not worthy ) And thanks to ndicki for kicking this whole thing off. I have a stack of TE/campaign mods at various stages of development, creeping along, and this has been a blast of fresh air. So cheers for that @Kopis, no harm in filling in the background on the genealogy of the British Isles. As a true Scot myself, I nonetheless have a queasy feeling flying over a virtual London as an attacker in this scenario. I've obviously spent too long defending the bloomin' place in BoB So, this is all in fun. I look on it as an extension of the Six Nations tournament (rugby, for those out of the loop). Competitive, but not to be taken too seriously, have a good bit of banter with the opposition, and sometimes the small guy can win the Grand Slam. Well done Ireland. Hmm. . . Maybe I have to put Twickenham in so I can drop bombs on the darn place (j/k)

All airbases from allen's list now included, as well as a stack for Eire and Scotland, plus a few surprises On track for a release by the weekend. Meantime, this should help get you in the mood:- Och aye