Schmalfelden, Germany Map

[max power 21]

If you continue to optimize the forest, perhaps you can afford to put undergrowth on the edges of the forests.

[Stewy 1]

Thanks so much for all of your hard work on this, Nick.

Sorry, just back from my last silly question - is the region in Bavaria or Baden-Wurtemburg? Keen to get my state flags right

Cheers

Stew

[Nicholas Bell 0]

Quote[/b] ]I take it by update you mean a new version of the map?

Yes, but much of the work is in the way of fixing bad intersections and other minor problems which may not be noticed. Most of my time is spent redoing the forests, which involves deleting portions and then placing the trees manually. If I had a bit more knowledge and sense I would not have so heavily saturated the forests with objects using the random object placement script. This is more than doubling the work - I sure hope it's worth it to others and helps everyone get decent frame rates.

I've also been adding traffic road signs (not town names...yet) and other objects. The "town square" in Schmaldfelden has benches and such.

Unless someone tells me otherwise, I'll continue to release the updated map weekly. It is a beta - very much a work in progress for me, although playable.

Quote[/b] ]If you continue to optimize the forest, perhaps you can afford to put undergrowth on the edges of the forests.

Oh yes, I will do that after I first thin out all the forests and get this up to version 1.0. Now that I can see how much improvement thinning the trees has done for my frame rates, I want to put in the bushes, even if there is a FPS hit. Want to keep in manageable though, and not go overboard this time. There will then be 2 versions - one with undergrowth and one without. (and probably 2 versions with autumn trees)

Quote[/b] ]is the region in Bavaria or Baden-Wurtemburg?

Stewy, it's BW. Google Maps or Google Earth "Schmalfelden Schrozberg, Schwäbisch Hall, BW, Germany".

[malick 0]

Thanks for the upcoming update ! I guess you don't plan extending it to other areas, like suggested in my previous post ?

Would be nice to have a river, even fictional. Perfect WW3 setting !

Malick

[Nicholas Bell 0]

Quote[/b] ]I guess you don't plan extending it to other areas, like suggested in my previous post ? Would be nice to have a river, even fictional. Perfect WW3 setting !

I'm not sure of the technical feasibility of expanding the map, even if I was so inclined. It's not possible to simply increase the map size like one can increase the "canvas size" in a graphics editor. One could create a new map and import the height map, mask and satellite images, but importing all the objects and getting their position exactly would be the problem. Visitor allows for copying objects into the same position from island to island, but if the size of the island is different, the reference would be wrong. Probably more info than you want

A map with a real river would make for some interesting scenarios. I would rather create a real one from scratch - the topography around rivers is totally different than the undulating ridges in the Schmalfelden map. I've got a lot of ideas for new maps, but hardly enough time. I'm three months plus and running on Schmalfelden, during which time I've not really "played" ArmA or anything else (am also a flight sim and wargame nut). So a break may be in order, during which time I will think about what is next. Guess that discussion belongs elsewhere

[ravendk 25]

Keep up the good work Nicholas!

Alltho i have never been in Schmallfelden i live abt 692km NNW of it, in a area the looks very much like it and i must say its a joy to be driveing arround in a place that close to home. Very nice work.

[icebreakr 3120]

Nicholas: please leave some empty spots in the forest so we can have an LZ there or maybe even set up a rebel/OPFOR camp there that we must take out... this small areas shouldn't be even visible from air, 15-30meters.

[Nicholas Bell 0]

Glad you are enjoying the map, RavenDK. I enjoy driving around myself (most of the time looking for misplaced objects). Funny, even though I know the 2D map like the back of my hand, I often get mis orientated while driving around (ie lost) Got to figure out how to modify the location signs.

Icebreakr - you want clearings 15-30 meters in rough diameter? I can do that. In fact, there are a few there already. I guess the cleared areas with stumps and logs do not work? What about bushes - do they interfere with helicopter landings?

A question for our German friends. I recall that most (but not all) telephone and power lines were buried in the ground where I lived near Wuerzburg. Would this be true in this very rural area? I don't want to add telephone/power poles if they should not be there. Regarding street lights, I recall that only the intersections of roads would be illuminated in small towns. Is my memory correct?

Thanks for your help!

[MEDICUS 0]

A question for our German friends. I recall that most (but not all) telephone and power lines were buried in the ground where I lived near Wuerzburg. Would this be true in this very rural area? I don't want to add telephone/power poles if they should not be there.

Yes, there still are some. Especially on the countryside. But they are replaced step by step.

MfG, Medicus

[ravendk 25]

Nicholas: please leave some empty spots in the forest so we can have an LZ there or maybe even set up a rebel/OPFOR camp there that we must take out... this small areas shouldn't be even visible from air, 15-30meters.

There are some here and there.. but LZ usualy are created using explosives .. But try looking in AC39 AE48 and CA/AB 03/04 (large area)

Rebel/OPFOR Camps would be consealed under the trees so they are harder to find. Look in history ei the Bielski brothers during WW2 they hid out in forests and survived cos they were hidden in the dense forest in Belarus (not too far away).

[mr burns 131]

A question for our German friends. I recall that most (but not all) telephone and power lines were buried in the ground where I lived near Wuerzburg. Would this be true in this very rural area? I don't want to add telephone/power poles if they should not be there.

Today most of the telephone stuff should be underground since most of the germans have zhe fast internet (cable) available -

in fact i have not seen any telephone poles since 15 years, at least not outside of bavaria.

Powerlines are still in big use between power plant and the smaller towns transformer stations.

pics show the outskirts of a town near cologne

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd85/magicAAA/vochem_dawn.jpg

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums....ial.jpg

[Mr Sarkey 0]

Hmmm, running ArmA with 1.12 beta patch and HiFi sound mod it seems that I cant change the weather/ time of day.

[mrcash2009 0]

Hmmm, running ArmA with 1.12 beta patch and HiFi sound mod it seems that I cant change the weather/ time of day.

And this relates to this Germany map / this thread too ???

[Mr Sarkey 0]

..Yes...I cannot change weather/time on the Schmalfelden map with 1.12 and Hifi sound mod. Works fine on other maps.

[Serclaes 0]

A question for our German friends.  I recall that most (but not all) telephone and power lines were buried in the ground where I lived near Wuerzburg.  Would this be true in this very rural area?  I don't want to add telephone/power poles if they should not be there.  Regarding street lights, I recall that only the intersections of roads would be illuminated in small towns.  Is my memory correct?

As a more detailed answer, usually the small power lines are between the little towns and are buried when reaching the town. Usually they are connected to such a transformer:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/169/438446805_ac313b4ea8.jpg?v=0

If you look closely you can see the cables going in on the darker side of the tower. And then all houses are connected by subterranean lines to this transformer.

The pics Burns has shown refer to a more developped countryside (Rhein/Ruhr) and it looks like some big powerlines (the ones made of metal). Though the small villages are usually connected with wooden masts.

[ravendk 25]

that kind of transformer dates back from the old free and high powerlines (on poles) .. just a note

Moste places here 600km north of schmallfeldel dont have the powerlines in the air.

Allso from looking at google earth at the area it looks like the powerlines are in the ground.. I might be wrong but still..

[rowdied 44]

@ supershooter,

Running same mods and I can change weather and time no problem. You must have a mod conflict somewhere.

[Serclaes 0]

that kind of transformer dates back from the old free and high powerlines (on poles) .. just a note

Yea, those we're still in use until last year about 350km southeast of Schmalfelden

And exactly those are still in use in the most rural parts of germany.  

[Mr Sarkey 0]

@ supershooter,

Running same mods and I can change weather and time no problem. You must have a mod conflict somewhere.

I shuffled files around and it seems fixed

Great map btw

[ravendk 25]

that kind of transformer dates back from the old free and high powerlines (on poles) .. just a note

Yea, those we're still in use until last year about 350km southeast of Schmalfelden

And exactly those are still in use in the most rural parts of germany.

heh thats abt 300km closer

Fair enough.

Isnt there any one living somewhat closer to schmalfelden who can take some pic?

[Uziyahu--IDF 0]

Would all of those fields be separated by fences? That would probably be a good way to break the game, eh?

Does ArmA have the same problem that Elite had, where new joiners to a map see objects standing that were flattened before they joined?

The map reminds me of World War II Online/Battleground Europe, but more detailed.

[ravendk 25]

Would all of those fields be separated by fences? That would probably be a good way to break the game, eh?

Does ArmA have the same problem that Elite had, where new joiners to a map see objects standing that were flattened before they joined?

The map reminds me of World War II Online/Battleground Europe, but more detailed.

The fences at the fields dont only separate them but they allso offer a sertant degree of cover from the wind for the fields (from what my formor gunner used to say)

Allso they give more cover so you dont stand out in the open.

[Nicholas Bell 0]

Gentlemen, thank you for your responses regarding the power/telephone poles. I will not be putting any in, and there are no large power pylons on the map.

I noticed my map showed up in Mateck's M1A1 teaser video - that's quite a compliment. Actually, I really need folks to make more movies with the Schmalfelden map so I can enjoy it more I do than when I attempt to play I want to thank W0lle and Mr Burns for posting their missions. Oh man, do I stink at playing! This is what happens when you make maps I guess.

Regarding fence lines. The only fences I ever saw were for pasture land to keep the livestock contained, and there's not much in the Schmalfelden area. That's one thing I really loved about Germany when I was there - the ability to walk around on farm tracks without fences. Totally unlike here in the US where everything is fenced. I guess the German farmers trust folks not to damage their crops.

Once I complete reducing the tree quantity to a more manageable level I will add some brush lines between some of the fields where it is evident on the aerial photos. This is never going to be easy terrain for infantry to cross in the open, though. One reason of course for the plans for heavy use of artillery & rocket delivered smoke by the Warsaw Pact.

This there an artillery mod with working smoke shells? (another example of how far out of touch I am with playing ArmA I guess one could simulate a prepared assault smoke barrage by really lowering the fog range -which is what the Soviets intended to create to enable their forces to close with the NATO units without suffering from long range ATGM fire.

Posted another update on page one. More incremental improvements/fixes.

[mr burns 131]

Posted another update on page one. More incremental improvements/fixes.

No download link?

[Mr Sarkey 0]

Regarding fence lines. The only fences I ever saw were for pasture land to keep the livestock contained, and there's not much in the Schmalfelden area. That's one thing I really loved about Germany when I was there - the ability to walk around on farm tracks without fences. Totally unlike here in the US where everything is fenced. I guess the German farmers trust folks not to damage their crops.

Ha, try coming ot the UK, hedges and stone walls blocking your way. Nightmare

THis map is great so far.