[MOD] Rheinland Scenery Pack: Hürtgen Forest

[AEthelraedUnraed]

Hello fellow pilots,

 

Today, 76 years since the American retreat from the village of Kommerscheidt, I present to you this scenery pack. Since images are worth a 1000 words, I start with a 5000-word introduction

 

 

Ever since its release, people have been complaining that the Rheinland map feels too empty. And yes, besides large cities there's little else filling the map. Luckily, the Devs have given us all the tools we need to fix that. This scenery pack is meant as sort of a proof of concept, and adds map objects around the Hürtgen forest. Why Hürtgen? Because it was one of the longest and bloodiest battles on the Western front, because both sides used aircraft in CAS roles and because of its beautiful hilly scenery.

 

This scenery pack features over 120 hand-placed villages including such iconic locations as Kesternich, Hürtgen and Schmidt. Many other landmarks such as the Rur dam, Merode castle, Mariawald Abbey and Hill 400 are also included. Most named towns, villages and hamlets in the rectangle Düren - Eschweiler - Monschau - Kall are there, roughly spanning map quadrants 2319 to 2521.

Also included is a semi-historical mission to have a nice look at all the new objects. Actually, I should say "Mission Pack" as although it's a single mission, it has a *very* high degree of randomisation and hence should have a large replayability value. Mission objectives and even the front line can change between playthroughs.

 

Mods On is not required per se, but *very* highly recommended as the ground textures won't work with Mods Off. Also, the objects don't show in quick missions or campaign (yet). You will have to create a mission using the mission builder and import the villages_huertgen.group file for the objects to show. The ground textures will work regardless. Naturally, if you install this mod, any similar map modifications are overwritten.

 

The Scenery Pack can be downloaded here: EDIT: removed link. With the release of my Hürtgenwald campaign comes hugely updated and improved scenery. If you're interested, you can download my campaign and extract the scenery files from it.

- BUT -
I need *you* to expand this scenery pack. As I said above, this is a proof of concept, which I think it does nicely. I think it would be fantastic to have a large portion of the map in a similar quality. However, that is way too much to do on my own. Therefore, I ask of you to help the community by doing a small portion of the work. What I need of you:

- *Very* basic skills with the Mission Editor (moving, rotating and grouping objects). I'll provide a few basic assets so that placing a new village is basically drag 'n drop.
- Time. It took me ~20 hours to make this scenery pack (and then some hours to make the mission), although a lot of time was spent in the beginning exploring all the options and different textures; things you should be able to just copy-past from the template. Nevertheless, expect to spend a similar amount of time. This can be spread over weeks or months, if necessary.

 

As filling the entire map is a slightly too humongous job, even for a group of people, and would also likely lead to performance issues, I suggest focusing on some important battlefields, including:
- Hürtgen Forest (DONE)
- Ardennes Forest
- Arnhem
- Ruhr area
- Scheldt
- Overloon
- Eindhoven
- [fill in yourself]

If you'd like to help out, post here or send me a PM with which part of the map you'd like to help with, and I'll provide you with some sort of a template and a couple of basic instructions.

 

Huertgen_Forest_Scenery.zip

Edited March 1, 2022 by AEthelraedUnraed

[DN308]

Very nice idea.

Eindhoven is already done by @Hamaha15. As well as the moehne dam and a lot of landmarks. You should talk to him.

 

I started to fill some part of the map with some missing airfields and industrial areas (Amsterdam, Ijmuiden) and I still have to design Flushing and I suppose moreover.

 

I’m interested in your project and I will have a close look in your file. If I can learn how to design some files that could be used in the map whatever the season etc.

My map’s part, if I have to choose one, should be the Dutch’s coast

Edited November 8, 2020 by DN308

[blue_max]

Wow, this is amazing! I'd be super happy if someone does the Dutch coast in a bit more detail

[sevenless]

Great idea. If you could make it work like Maybugs green Moscow, that would be perfect. And if you could manage to get fir trees into Rheinland that would be an extra plus.

 

 

[RNAF_RiderOfTheStorm]

how do your create custom buildings? ,
i would love to create  some custom buildings like vogelsang,  and some bunkers on the dutch cost,  maybe some custom buildings for rotterdam

[DN308]

I don’t know, sorry. I guess that would be possible but I don’t know how to do that.

Some particular buildings are missing, you are right and the ones in the ME don’t always can pretend to be.

[Off_Winters]

On 11/17/2020 at 6:45 AM, RNAF_SkekTek said:

how do your create custom buildings? ,
i would love to create  some custom buildings like vogelsang,  and some bunkers on the dutch cost,  maybe some custom buildings for rotterdam

Hi SkekTek

If we had the model format .MGM export plugin for Max or Gmax etc it would be easily done. but until that is released its pretty much impossible to import new buildings (or any other model for that matter) into the game.

regards Rob.

[Jason_Williams]

1 minute ago, Off_Winters said:

Hi SkekTek

If we had the model format .MGM export plugin for Max or Gmax etc it would be easily done. but until that is released its pretty much impossible to import new buildings (or any other model for that matter) into the game.

regards Rob.

 

It only works with 3DSMax 12 which no one really has.

 

Jason

[blue_max]

The modding scene could really take off if somehow we could use blender...

[RNAF_RiderOfTheStorm]

Cant wait to get my hands on recreating buildings  but for now i have the basic idea of the vogelsang site, It gives at least the idea of the size of the nazi site and surely a mark point in the Hürtgen Forest. 

Next up , lets see if i can recreate the rotterdam area (with and without the bombed heart of the city).
@AEthelraedUnraed lets see if i can help out

Edited November 18, 2020 by RNAF_SkekTek

[AEthelraedUnraed]

On 11/18/2020 at 6:54 AM, Jason_Williams said:

 

It only works with 3DSMax 12 which no one really has.

 

Jason

There's a model exporter for 3DSMax 8 somewhere on the RoF forums, and with a LOT of searching you can find a trial version of 3DSMax 8 online (which crashes half the time under Win10). I successfully exported a test object (read: cube) to an .mgm file once, but apparently the RoF format is not entirely compatible with the IL2 format as the object failed to show

[Hamaha15]

Hi,

 

very useful individual buildings are available for CloD, although most of them designed in British style they may be found on the continent as well. They can be combined to larger complexes like hospitals or barracks. The CloD object library also provides components from Dover Castle that allow for building custom made castles. I'm thinking of adding such typical landmarks to the Rhinevalley for example. If only Il-2 could carry these models over like they did with the Black Sea freight ships and the Opel Blitz fuel bowser probably of the same origin...

 

Examples: St George's Hospital, adjacent to RAF Hornchurch and Hastings Castle

 

 

WIP from the Rheinland map: Hanau city in the Rhine-Main area East of Frankfurt with the crescent shaped Pioneer-Barracks (used by the US Army later on). I'm really reluctant to share the work at the moment because the railway station buildings filling the gap to represent the barrack's main buildings simply don't appear credible to me - even seen from a distance in the air.

 

 

Cheers

 

[DN308]

Could be a nice bomber’s objective 

[Hamaha15]

Yes indeed, Hanau (Square 3038.9) was heavily bombed for its industry and military installations.

Only a couple of weeks ago the area around the Pioneer-Barracks has been evacuated and all railway and road traffic suspended because of a dud WW II bomb that had been excavated there.

 

 

 

[DN308]

@Hamaha15, all these railways and industrial buildings make my bombers hungry.....

A little too far away for a medium bomber from England indeed.

 

 If the same has would been done in Holland or Belgium, it would be perfect

[Hamaha15]

Technically speaking, Hanau lays within the reach of twin-engined bombers e.g. Wellingtons or Blenheims which took part in raids on the Frankfurt-Mannheim area at night in the early years.

From late 1944 on daylight attacks by B-25 Mitchells are a credible scenario. Bostons may be scheduled to fly intruder missions.

Let's wait for the Mosquitoes.

 

[DN308]

Yep

[jollyjack]

On 11/22/2020 at 1:58 PM, AEthelraedUnraed said:

There's a model exporter for 3DSMax 8 somewhere on the RoF forums, and with a LOT of searching you can find a trial version of 3DSMax 8 online (which crashes half the time under Win10). I successfully exported a test object (read: cube) to an .mgm file once, but apparently the RoF format is not entirely compatible with the IL2 format as the object failed to show

 

Do you use a 4k monitor? i use a windows scaling manifest (see the mission editor folder) for oft crashing older applications on windows 10.

Seems to help, at least with the ME it does. Also Photoshop CS6 is better for it's fonts, not that small any more ..

Edited December 1, 2021 by jollyjack

[sevenless]

On 11/22/2020 at 9:59 PM, Hamaha15 said:

Yes indeed, Hanau (Square 3038.9) was heavily bombed for its industry and military installations.

Only a couple of weeks ago the area around the Pioneer-Barracks has been evacuated and all railway and road traffic suspended because of a dud WW II bomb that had been excavated there.

 

 

 

 

I hope one day they decide to include this incredible work into the vanilla map. Great job!

[jollyjack]

On 11/22/2020 at 7:42 PM, DN308 said:

Could be a nice bomber’s objective 

 

To clear the area for Hamaha15 Construction Company LTD?   CO2 friendly wooden buildings please. no cement allowed.

[Hamaha15]

?

 

Sustainable civil engineering....

 

Promised

Edited December 2, 2021 by Hamaha15

[blue_max]

I love this mod!

[Billsponge1972]

Just discovered this mod! The one mission that comes with it is a real doozy! Great mission! Great mod!

[Stonehouse]

Just looking around, there are several mods that at the user end load a specific surface.dat and surface.txt 

 

eg:

Autobahn & Rijksweg – adding the most modern road design to the Rheinland map - Mods - IL-2 Sturmovik Forum (il2sturmovik.com)

https://forum.il2sturmovik.com/topic/14803-the-groups-sharing-corner/?do=findComment&comment=1143975

and this one in this thread. Quite likely there are more.

 

Is there any way to merge it all together easily for an end user?

 

I'm guessing probably not but it leaves the problem that at the moment loading any one of these overwrites the others.

 

Could someone who knows what they are doing merge them?

 

If that isn't feasible, is it possible that the people interested in modding this sort of thing in future share a common version of whatever the input is so we end up with a single version of these two files incorporating all the tweaks please?

 

That way each time there is an improvement it adds to the overall one. 

 

Thank you to all of you creating these, I just wish it was possible to have all of them active at once.

[354thFG_Drewm3i-VR]

3 hours ago, Stonehouse said:

Just looking around, there are several mods that at the user end load a specific surface.dat and surface.txt 

 

eg:

Autobahn & Rijksweg – adding the most modern road design to the Rheinland map - Mods - IL-2 Sturmovik Forum (il2sturmovik.com)

https://forum.il2sturmovik.com/topic/14803-the-groups-sharing-corner/?do=findComment&comment=1143975

and this one in this thread. Quite likely there are more.

 

Is there any way to merge it all together easily for an end user?

 

I'm guessing probably not but it leaves the problem that at the moment loading any one of these overwrites the others.

 

Could someone who knows what they are doing merge them?

 

If that isn't feasible, is it possible that the people interested in modding this sort of thing in future share a common version of whatever the input is so we end up with a single version of these two files incorporating all the tweaks please?

 

That way each time there is an improvement it adds to the overall one. 

 

Thank you to all of you creating these, I just wish it was possible to have all of them active at once.

This, I'd also love for a combined version to put in my modpack!

[Hamaha15]

Hello,

 

I wanted to reply yesterday evening that we members working on Rhineland map improvements have made agreements to combine our efforts in order to avoid double investment in time and resources in front of the size of the task. For example the merging of the winterly Huerthgenwald and Bastogne scenery was imminent. It needs to be said that a merger of detail work from all over the map will not be possible due to the sheer amount of elements that will increase loading time notably and at the end may affect the game performance, however, updates within confined sectors are possible as the present work has proven. The results would have been shared as map mods or as mission-specific maps. Unless the devs would have taken over...

 

For several reasons I needed to postpone writing the answer and with the game update of today it would have become obsolete: the surface editing tool has been removed from the Mission Editor. No clue whether this was done on purpose or happened by accident.

 

The scenery updates and their merging can only resume if the surface editor is back as a tool.

Edited December 9, 2021 by Hamaha15

[jollyjack]

I am sad, really sad; it's a shame and IMO a real downgrade of this game. I spent a great amount of time to get used to the Surface Edit routines, all for nothing.

Game version 4.701 sucks there.

 

Yes, the clouds and new BoN assets are great, but they forgot that for some the editor's extended functions are just as important to make IL2 a worthwhile investment. 

Awell, there's DCS and even MS flightsim ..... The only thing making IL2 the better choice for probably a clown like me is  the ME and it's surface editor. It sucks.

 

BTW your edits were great so far, and your Schelde_Dordrecht area you spent so much time on, and i was allowed to test, looked very promising.

No more empty areas, as being provided by IL2's Ugly Maps producers. Was just planning on a Battle of the Scheldt mission using it around Walcheren. 

[Thad]

Salutations,

 

I wouldn't be so quick to give up on the IL2 developers and their plans. The Surface Edit section of the editor has been removed before and placed back to now missing again. Things can change.

 

I just did quick exploration of the editor. Check out the Blocks and Blocks Detail sections. There are a LOT of new village, town and city blocks now available. How useful they will actually be, I'm not sure but I don't think we will be left out in the cold by the developers. I think they know that if given the graphic tools, we mission builders can and will create some great areas for missions in their simulation.

[AEthelraedUnraed]

3 minutes ago, Thad said:

Check out the Blocks and Blocks Detail sections. There are a LOT of new village, town and city blocks now available.

I don't see any new objects in the Blocks-Detail section. What is it you see there?

[Thad]

6 minutes ago, AEthelraedUnraed said:

I don't see any new objects in the Blocks-Detail section. What is it you see there?

 

European farmsteads “town_eu_small”;
English city blocks "town_gb_block";
Temporary Mulberry harbor objects "mlbr_bridge", "mlbr_pierhead", "mlbr_phoenix", "mlbr_phoenix";
Radar stations Chain Home Low, Chain Home RX, Chain Home TX, FuMG-401 Freya LZ-A, FuMG 41/42 Mammut;
V-1 launch site structures (the missile itself is still in development);
A short section ramps for railway and road bridges "br_rw_ramphish_dn" and "br_rd_ramphish_dn";
A reverse arch for the automobile bridges "br_rw_invarch";
Pier object “port_n_walkingpier”;
Hangars, barracks and shelters “arf_n_hangarb1”, “arf_n_hangarblister”, “arf_n_hangart2” (open and closed), “arf_n_nissenhut” (in blocks one, two and three barracks), “arf_n_hangarb1”;
Coastal barriers ("hedgehogs", etc.) "bf_n_barrageat", "bf_n_barragebg", "bf_n_barragelog";
Defenses “bf_n_mgpos”, “bf_n_aaposmid”, “bf_n_aaposheavy”, “bf_n_artpos”, “bf_n_comandpost”, “bf_n_pbunker” (as well as static artillery of the German coastline defense):
Unique landmarks: Ardennes Abbey, Caen Castle, Falaise Castle, Evreux Cathedral, Cherbourg Fort, Moncton Fort, Portsmouth Hospital, Stonehenge, Winchester Prison;
German long-range artillery concrete positions R669 (155 mm) and R683 (210 mm);
British armored car Humber Mk.IV;

 

Regardless, a LOT of new objects.

Edited December 9, 2021 by Thad

[354thFG_Drewm3i-VR]

Now if all of these great objects, including the farmsteads can be placed on the base Rheinland map...

[Thad]

I know of no reason why they could not.

[Jason_Williams]

Guys,

 

First of all, the Surface Editing tool was never meant to be a public tool. It is a developer tool (much like our ME actually is) that once it got left in previously some of you started playing with it. We have no "plans" for it or any such evil plot to deny it to you. It has been added and removed in the past purely as oversights. I know some of you enjoy playing with it and it was removed this time not realizing some of you use it. The team is not always aware of what third parties are doing. I have told the team to add it back in, but I don't know what kind of push back they will give me on it yet. So please stop the hysterics and the threats and just be patient while I investigate this issue.

 

Jason

[jollyjack]

30 minutes ago, -332FG-drewm3i-VR said:

Now if all of these great objects, including the farmsteads can be placed on the base Rheinland map...

 

Yeah, without a proper surface editor there's no places but in the existing fields ...

[Hamaha15]

Thanks for the clarification.

Edited December 9, 2021 by Hamaha15

[jollyjack]

1 minute ago, Jason_Williams said:

Guys,

 

First of all, the Surface Editing tool was never meant to be a public tool. It is a developer tool (much like our ME actually is) that once it got left in previously some of you started playing with it. We have no "plans" for it or any such evil plot to deny it to you. It has been added and removed in the past purely as oversights. I know some of you enjoy playing with it and it was removed this time not realizing some of you use it. The team is not always aware of what third parties are doing. I have told the team to add it back in, but I don't know what kind of push back they will give me on it yet. So please stop the hysterics and the threats and just be patient while I investigate this issue.

 

Jason

 

OK, deal, i'll buy the churchill and more straight away out of sheer support when it does tohelp your pushing efforts.

[354thFG_Drewm3i-VR]

1 hour ago, Jason_Williams said:

Guys,

 

First of all, the Surface Editing tool was never meant to be a public tool. It is a developer tool (much like our ME actually is) that once it got left in previously some of you started playing with it. We have no "plans" for it or any such evil plot to deny it to you. It has been added and removed in the past purely as oversights. I know some of you enjoy playing with it and it was removed this time not realizing some of you use it. The team is not always aware of what third parties are doing. I have told the team to add it back in, but I don't know what kind of push back they will give me on it yet. So please stop the hysterics and the threats and just be patient while I investigate this issue.

 

Jason

Jason, thanks for the prompt response! Is there any hope that the Rheinland map could be updated with some of the additional custom objects made by Hamaha15 and others, that include the Autobahn, missing dams, military installations, missing landmarks, etc. 

 

Many of us have also noticed that farmsteads were added in the last update too. Can these possibly be added sporadically to the Rheinland Map as well? While the cities and landmarks that are included by the dev team are exceptionally well made and convincing, the map does feel a bit empty outside of the many large cities. Rowdyb00t is also revamping the map's trees, textures, and rivers and the results are very beautiful and while we can use them offline, it would be quite something to be able to use them on Combat Box or another server someday.

 

Keep up the good work! The new clouds and skydomes are wonderful and the p-51 tweaks were a welcome surprise.

 

 

Edited December 9, 2021 by -332FG-drewm3i-VR

[FTC_ChilliBalls]

It really is sad that you have to write: 

  

1 hour ago, Jason_Williams said:

Guys,

 

Please stop the hysterics and the threats.

 

Jason

at all on this forum.

 

Some people just have a completely overblown sense of entitlement. 

[AEthelraedUnraed]

6 hours ago, Jason_Williams said:

First of all, the Surface Editing tool was never meant to be a public tool. It is a developer tool (much like our ME actually is) that once it got left in previously some of you started playing with it. We have no "plans" for it or any such evil plot to deny it to you. It has been added and removed in the past purely as oversights. I know some of you enjoy playing with it and it was removed this time not realizing some of you use it. The team is not always aware of what third parties are doing. I have told the team to add it back in, but I don't know what kind of push back they will give me on it yet. So please stop the hysterics and the threats and just be patient while I investigate this issue.

I appreciate your response. Don't worry, I never sought any evil intentions behind it. I would sure appreciate it if you guys could re-enable it

 

6 hours ago, Thad said:

European farmsteads “town_eu_small”;
English city blocks "town_gb_block";
Temporary Mulberry harbor objects "mlbr_bridge", "mlbr_pierhead", "mlbr_phoenix", "mlbr_phoenix";
Radar stations Chain Home Low, Chain Home RX, Chain Home TX, FuMG-401 Freya LZ-A, FuMG 41/42 Mammut;
V-1 launch site structures (the missile itself is still in development);
A short section ramps for railway and road bridges "br_rw_ramphish_dn" and "br_rd_ramphish_dn";
A reverse arch for the automobile bridges "br_rw_invarch";
Pier object “port_n_walkingpier”;
Hangars, barracks and shelters “arf_n_hangarb1”, “arf_n_hangarblister”, “arf_n_hangart2” (open and closed), “arf_n_nissenhut” (in blocks one, two and three barracks), “arf_n_hangarb1”;
Coastal barriers ("hedgehogs", etc.) "bf_n_barrageat", "bf_n_barragebg", "bf_n_barragelog";
Defenses “bf_n_mgpos”, “bf_n_aaposmid”, “bf_n_aaposheavy”, “bf_n_artpos”, “bf_n_comandpost”, “bf_n_pbunker” (as well as static artillery of the German coastline defense):
Unique landmarks: Ardennes Abbey, Caen Castle, Falaise Castle, Evreux Cathedral, Cherbourg Fort, Moncton Fort, Portsmouth Hospital, Stonehenge, Winchester Prison;
German long-range artillery concrete positions R669 (155 mm) and R683 (210 mm);
British armored car Humber Mk.IV;

 

Regardless, a LOT of new objects.

Those are in the "Blocks" and "Buildings" sections, not "Blocks-Detail"   Blocks-Detail is only used for the very detailed Tank Crew buildings. For a minute there I thought that by some oversight on the Devs' part you had accidentally gotten hold of some new buildings from the Blocks-Detail section, thereby effectively confirming TC2: Battle of the Bocage

[DFLion]

8 hours ago, Jason_Williams said:

Guys,

 

First of all, the Surface Editing tool was never meant to be a public tool. It is a developer tool (much like our ME actually is) that once it got left in previously some of you started playing with it. We have no "plans" for it or any such evil plot to deny it to you. It has been added and removed in the past purely as oversights. I know some of you enjoy playing with it and it was removed this time not realizing some of you use it. The team is not always aware of what third parties are doing. I have told the team to add it back in, but I don't know what kind of push back they will give me on it yet. So please stop the hysterics and the threats and just be patient while I investigate this issue.

 

Jason

Thanks for this update Jason, I reported it yesterday to '-DED-Rapidus' as a possible bug. Anyway will look forward to see it return, I find the tool quite handy.

DFLion