Geezer

Thanks. Personally, I can't wait to see what the FE map guys do with this stuff - they requested most of it. Got more in the pipeline: industrial objects, harbor objects, and town/city objects - all European. Eventually, I would like to make some Mediterranean/desert equivalents - probably later next year. Given enough time, I may even make some Asian equivalents for PTO and Viet Nam. Test shot below gives you an idea of what might be possible when combining harbor and town/city objects.

Double-checked my numbers, and shot above was too optimistic. Shots below show a 1024 JPEG applied to an FE 500m terrain tile. Still, not too bad, and we might get lucky with JPEGs which could mean larger ground art without impacting frame rates too much.

Another concept layout. I realize this may be overkill, but it does suggest what MIGHT be possible if we get lucky with JPEGs, fanatical map makers, etc. The trucks are 1930s models, but could be WW1 or Cold War trucks. All ground objects are 512 art or - in a few cases - 256 art. The only large art is 1024 art applied to two FE-size 500m ground tiles. Gentlemen, warm up your bomb sights! Better still, drop down and strafe!

Quick and dirty concept layout shows the method to the madness.

Thanks. The FE map guys sorta/kinda started this effort, but then Wrench pointed out that most of the objects could also be used in WW2 and the Cold War. The FE perspective also explains the interest in hi-res ground textures. Current sizes are probably OK at 20,000+ feet, but biplane/early monoplane operations occurred much lower. Many early WW2 bomb runs occurred at around 5,000 feet, to improve accuracy. It remains to be seen if the game engine can handle hi-res ground tile art, even in JPEG format. Maybe there is a trade-off in making slightly smaller maps to compensate for the larger ground tile art? Dunno - we'll have to test some prototypes and find out. Oops! Thanks for that correction, and my apologies to Gerwin.

The map guys have asked for some better industrial objects - progress shots below. I've finished the really big fabrication/assembly halls - intended for shipyards and large industrial areas such as the Ruhr. Now, the selection of smaller factories and warehouses - shown in the foreground - is being expanded. These are more appropriate for most locations, and the map guys say they can be placed more easily on existing maps. There will also be a refinery and coal yard to cover WW1, WW2, and the Cold War. The terrain tile is SF 1000m with 2048 art - the large size may now be realistic with Gerwin's addition of JPEG format to his TFD tool. None of the industrial objects shown uses art larger than 512x512 - a few use 256x256.

Yep. Both Ford and General Motors established factories in Europe long before WW2. Opel was General Motors, Taunus was Ford, and their automotive platforms often used standard GM or Ford drive trains. So....the Chevrolet straight six and Ford flat head V-8 were used by both sides during WW2.

Good suggestion. There's another possibility that might interest the Maestro Of Mountain Mapology. The 1940 desert stuff could also be used for a 1941 Greek-Italian war, along the Albanian border.

More historical background that helps define the unusual character of the 1940 desert war. The truck in the background looks like it was either a Chevrolet or Dodge commercial truck. Because Britain could spare no production for Egypt, the Brits bought hundreds of commercial American trucks from the Chevrolet, Dodge, and Ford dealers in Cairo. Second shot shows a Dodge commercial truck used by the British army in Egypt/Libya. Among the commercial American truck types used by the Brits was the Ford G917T, shown in the third shot. This was a standard Ford truck platform that was also built by the Ford factory in Europe. So, when the Afrika Korps showed up in the spring of 1941, they were operating the...um...er...Ford G917T (see fourth shot). Oh well, at least it simplifies model making if this concept ever expands to phase 2 - the later 1941-42 period that is better known by gamers.

Most everyone loves a good yarn, so here is a fascinating little tidbit of aviation history. The Ro.37 was an obsolete army cooperation biplane still used by the Regia Aeronautica in 1940. First shot shows the initial production version, which was later improved with a more powerful radial engine. The Kingdom of Afghanistan bought a small quantity of R0.37s in the 1930s, the remains of which were discovered by coalition forces in a scrapyard outside of Kabul. The best example was shipped to Italy, lovingly restored, and is now on display at the Italian aerospace museum. Eventually, gamers will be able to fly and fight in an Ro.37. Hey, against Gladiators, you will have a sporting chance.