Airfields and Cities on Arras Map

[SeaW0lf]

Does anyone know if the map can still be changed as it was done in ROF, with modders creating new maps, cities, airfields, etc? The reason is to give the community the opportunity to improve the map with airfields and cities made in a historic way.

 

For example, Cappy airfield was completely different in real life. Much bigger, with two sectors, six Jastas, and there was the city of Cappy, the factory and the chateau that could be placed.

 

It would be nice for these things to be changed. It makes the difference and it wouldn't cost anything to the studio, just the time to implement the changes over the years if anyone comes with a project. For example, squadrons could have a chance to research their local airfields and create them. Cappy could also get more ground to the south (I know) so that the most popular feature of the map, the Somme River, with the airport from which Richthofen took off to win his last victories and consequently be shot down, could get a proper mission without the warning “you are leaving the map area”, which was unexpected.

 

Anyways, I was just thinking. When I was researching about the map and the airfields back in 2017, it came to me that these things could be sorted out with the help of the community and some airfields be made resembling the real ones.

Edited March 2, 2020 by SeaW0lf

[1PL-Husar-1Esk]

For sure they're the tools for that , some new maps were made by community and  incorporated into il2 GB. Modifying existing one is other thing but might be possible but there need to be will from developer to put their time , so some kind of project with right ppl , not just random however brilliant stuff .

 

BTW they once rejected the new Arras , I think because third part company was paid for doing the map.

Edited March 2, 2020 by 1PL-Husar-1Esk

[SeaW0lf]

How did people do in ROF? It might be possible. I remember an Arras map (I think it was Arras) with new craters around no man's land, factories on the mud and several other features. It ran on a server with mods on for a while. I even played a mission or two on it.

 

I might get back to my research, even look for an aerial reconnaissance photo of Cappy (there are some sites about it), but I have the book "In the Footsteps of the Red Baron" and there is a nice diagram of the Cappy airfield and the jastas position.

[CB77Don246]

I sure hope something can be done to add to the map in FC it very much looks like FC is now the one at the bottom of the pack when it comes to updating, I no longer fly in FC and use ROF for me it has so much more in the way of content I know this topic has been round for sometime but like my beloved wife if we do not keep on and on then nothing will happen.

Now were did I put my paint brushes coming love.

 

[murkz]

I love Rise of Flight and bought Flying Circus for the VR, I wish Rise of Flight had VR as I would play that more I feel.

[1PL-Husar-1Esk]

Only FC has active multiplayer scene.

[JG1_Butzzell]

S!

 

Have posted about this several times:

An Arras summer map with no soggy ground.

The soggy ground prevents mission builders from adding airfields on level ground. It also prevents missions that require planes to land in open country behind enemy lines. An Arras summer map with no soggy ground gives mission designers the option to use it or not.

 

 

 

Airfields missing from the Arras map:

Bailleul  0105.3
Lomme Lille 0207.1
La Gorgue 0305.8
Hesdigneul 0404.5
Faucaucourt en Santerre  1206.4

Warfusee       1204.9

Without these fields The norther half of the map is very limited which is why you do not see it being used for MP missions. Arras is a beautiful map but only half of it is able to be used.

 

 

Airfield under attack feature: This may work for WW II and arcade style missions but does not work for WW I  Expert missions.  The graphic destroys the fog of war and because the airfields are closer it does not give useful information.  The diameter or range of this feature needs to be added to the airfield properties box so it can be used, not used or adjusted by the mission creator.

 

Balloons: Adjust properties so that Balloons can flare.

 

Influence area:   Should show on in game GUI map as a colored area as in RoF. Would be nice to see nationality symbol as well.

 

[WIS-Redcoat]

Really great posts guys, I was just thinking the Arras map could use a slight treatment similar to the "Rheinland Map" tweaks.  Its a great great map and it wouldn't take a ton to make it much better.

[1PL-Lucas-1Esk]

Some additions/tweaks can be done by the community and played in Mods ON mode:

 

- moving the mud textures in the desired location

- (not sure about that) adding vector drawn data such as roads and trench lines

- adding a background for the airfields (we miss Boistrancourt as well!) and placing hangars

- changing the in-game (key "o") map  according to the newly created front lines - but that would require lots of work and creating/painting map from the scratch

- not sure about the soaked ground. Perhaps "unGTP-ing" the stuff and checking it out could point what needs to be changed

 

In RoF during several Bloody April campaigns hosted by the Jasta 5, we were using a mod which was changing the front line to the 04.1917. There were some bugs (vector drawn trenches were causing drop to desktop), but the project was spectacular. Also, many airfields were upgraded.

 

As for the airfields in the FC: The devs made a research and tried to reproduce the look of the airfields. Each one is different and is basing on the original layout (better or worse). Anyways, we do not have two similar airfields. In RoF we had actually 4x layouts: Entente regular, Entente big, CP regular, CP big. That's all.

[J2_Trupobaw]

There are several maps made by community / trusted partners. Vielkie Luki and the ohter one that came between BoS and BoM were made by third party and added for free to the base game. 

I think best people to convince 1CGS to let them fiddle with he map making tools are agglomeration of Syndicate (already trusted partners) and Jasta 5 (authors of RoF Arras map).

Bear in mind that making this map took a lot of optimalisation, and what we have is a balancing act (I was testing the early versions). So things like historical cities, big airfields etc can cause massive framerate drops.

The roads make very good emergency landing strips, I wonder if placing the new field over the road (if trees can be removed) would be feasible.

Airfield under attack feature: This may work for WW II and arcade style missions but does not work for WW I  Expert missions.  The graphic destroys the fog of war and because the airfields are closer it does not give useful information.  The diameter or range of this feature needs to be added to the airfield properties box so it can be used, not used or adjusted by the mission creator.

The main point of that feature is to let pilots know if it's safe to spawn on a field, and let repairing/rearming pilots know they should get out of cockpit. Directing planes to enemy planes from the ground was very much present in WW1. For pilots on the ground, they are completly historical. For pilots in the air, perhaps it should be limited by proximity to airfield (as far as you can see a flare).

Edited March 2, 2020 by J2_Trupobaw

[SeaW0lf]

The airfield radar does not bother me, although we should have a different solution. Back then they had an extensive chain of observers and telephone posts. In general you would take-off with info regarding you area or if there was a formation approaching (several miles away) or recons above. Stark's book I believe have these accounds of British rainds on German airfields. They would be advised way in advance when a formation was on route. Regarding the 'warning' for people to take-off, it does not help, since you don't know what's going on. The best would be to make a lobby area, sort of an spectator shed when you could look at the sky and see if there were two-seaters raiding the airfield or not. Right now you can login and be bombed out of the blue when you spawn.

 

I'm not sure if they did really do any research about the airfields. Perhaps just the locations? They might be different from one another, but not historically accurate. Cappy is just a few sheds in a V shape, while the real Cappy airfield was big, housing several Jastas. Villers Bretonneux was also south-east of the city in 1918, not northwest of the city. Prior it was just south of the city, adjacent to it.

 

I just did a quick research (a few minutes) and found some airfields in the Somme area. They could also have checked the ROF forum. There were posts regarding the map area, airfields, and perhaps a quick search on the forum could have saved Cappy, which I believe was one of the most popular choices back then, and it is now.

[JG1_Butzzell]

22 hours ago, J2_Trupobaw said:

Airfield under attack feature: This may work for WW II and arcade style missions but does not work for WW I  Expert missions.  The graphic destroys the fog of war and because the airfields are closer it does not give useful information.  The diameter or range of this feature needs to be added to the airfield properties box so it can be used, not used or adjusted by the mission creator.

The main point of that feature is to let pilots know if it's safe to spawn on a field, and let repairing/rearming pilots know they should get out of cockpit. Directing planes to enemy planes from the ground was very much present in WW1. For pilots on the ground, they are completly historical. For pilots in the air, perhaps it should be limited by proximity to airfield (as far as you can see a flare).

 

 

Yes, the prob;em is the size of the area. 10 k  radius is too large. It gives no specific information. 5 k or under would be Ok. Making it a drop down box on the airfield properties would be better. Make it adjustable from 0 to 10 k.

[1PL-Lucas-1Esk]

Quick and dirty: linking Spring Rheinland ground textures to the Arras map. As the Arras map is sharing ground textures with Rheinland, it is just an adjustment in one file. Mods on mode.

[JG1_Butzzell]

1 hour ago, 1PL-Lucas-1Esk said:

Quick and dirty: linking Spring Rheinland ground textures to the Arras map. As the Arras map is sharing ground textures with Rheinland, it is just an adjustment in one file. Mods on mode.

 

 

s!

 

yes, it can be done in MODS ON Mode.   I do not check mods on mode very much so I think most people do not. I could be wrong. Do people want to go to mods on?   

 

As it is an adjustment in just one file, why have the DEVs not put out a Summer Arras map with no soggy ground?

[SeaW0lf]

23 minutes ago, JG1_Butzzell said:

Do people want to go to mods on?

 

I think it only works for events or special maps. Mods on never worked in ROF in my time.

Edited March 3, 2020 by SeaW0lf

[JGr2/J5_Baeumer]

Pining for Boistrancourt.....I don't care if it's on the edge of the map near Awongt.  The Chateau, the beet factory, the experimental airplane sheds and observation tower.

[SeaW0lf]

I was just looking at Boistrancourt today.

[SYN_Vander]

The 3D map extends quite a bit further than the gui map suggests. And behind that there is a low res version that extends as far as England. In other words: It shouldn’t be a problem to takeoff and land from the edge of the map.

[1PL-Husar-1Esk]

13 hours ago, SeaW0lf said:

 

I think it only works for events or special maps. Mods on never worked in ROF in my time.

Because they yet again make it dead , I don't know why one would choose two times the same bad approach. I'm speaking about copying with no evolution based of past experience. Is that constructive criticism or I push too much?

[SeaW0lf]

From another post: "There is a mesh editing menu in the mission editor, but its greyed out so I dont think we have access to that functionality". 

 

I'm not sure if this is related. It is from a post of a guy asking if he could flatten some ground to place an airfield.

[SeaW0lf]

I'm finding some cool stuff.