31st Normandy mod for ArmA2: WW2

[T_Roc 0]

The M10 are not to far off.

[Soldat-Hans 0]

Nice news T Roc!!

One question: will there be tarngrey Wehrmachtinfantry in the release? Or can you add a list of units??

[Darkhorse 1-6 16]

Here is a freeware model I found of a heavy gun. Maybe you'll find it useful.

http://artist-3d.com/free_3d_models/dnm/model_disp.php?uid=351&ad=08military_weapons.php&count=count

[rip31st 98]

Just putting the last touch ups on the map. Infantry are nearly ready. Waiting on the M10 from troc with the tank crew. Then it's off to multiplayer testing the new game mode...then release.

So very close...

[thedudeabides 40]

I hope this mod is as epic as it sounds. Some WWII combat will be a nice addition and give the spice some of us need! Thanks for this mod, and I can't wait to hit the beaches and fight in the hedgerows.

[GqchatarN 10]

Think it'll be as epic as it sounds!:D

[krazikilla 5]

lookin soo forward to this mod.

finally wanna start my savin' private ryan kampagne :)

hope you guys have a detailed omaha(charlie) beach in your map?

if not i hope its possible to get the omahabeach map from Beton over to arma2.

http://www.armaholic.com/page.php?id=4938

Its pretty detailed also with the town vierville sur mer, churchtower etc.

goin to try it right now with CAA1.

[beton 2]

hope you guys have a detailed omaha(charlie) beach in your map?

if not i hope its possible to get the omahabeach map from Beton over to arma2.

I will try to port it over very soon... what is missing most at the moment is the summervegetation...I still have no idea how do that...

[Soldat-Hans 0]

My campaign is named: Hürtgenwald! You see the sight of a german soldier who has to fight! wont be historically correct! Its the continue of a Campain I started in OFP! Never continued on Arma 1 because of AI problems on most self created maps! In Arma 2 its history, so GO ON! :bounce3::D:cool:

[rip31st 98]

I put a bunch of stuff on Omaha Beach from Beton's addons. The problem with obstacles is AI don't like them. It's not a final placement either. The beaches all won't be done until phase 3. I mentioned for phase 1 I wasn't doing anything with the beaches...so there it is.

[trickster1982 10]

Nice screenshot! I can imagine the AI doesnt like it as you say though, I have horrible visions of AI tanks trying to get through that lot unless you can meticulously script them to stick to a set path until they are clear of the obstacles?

[GqchatarN 10]

Nice screen:) But i dont care about the beaches though, cause i wanna go behind enemy lines as a Paratrooper!:D And i dont think my computer could run such a large-scale battle as the ones fought on Omaha beach.

[rip31st 98]

Yeah I don't plan on scripting ai right now to go around stuff. If you just send them from a landing craft to the top of the hill, they go down the beach a ways to where there are no obstacles and go up the hill.

[GqchatarN 10]

But it would be nice just walking around and checking the beach, the map looks beautiful.

Good Work!

[dax01 10]

I am absolutely fascinated by how far this mod has gone. I have been patiently following it for a while and have become more and more amazed by how far this has come. It is just so geniously constructed. Not only do the character, weapon, and tank models look fantastic, but I am absolutely awed by how you guys have managed to piece together an accurate map of a huge chunk of Europe. Only WWII Online: Battleground Europe has accomplished something similar, but the terrain is no where near as detailed as this (in fact, everything about their "innovated" graphics is still quite cheesey looking). I just have to ask you how a mod team could outdue people who get paid to do this kind of thing. Did you perhaps use a high-resolution bump map for the terrain?

Keep up the great work! Can't wait to try this one out myself

[Aqu 0]

... Did you perhaps use a high-resolution bump map for the terrain? ...

There are normal maps in different terrain type textures. If you mean the terrain elevation, then yes and no. There are freely available 90m and 30m elevation raster data. In such a big map as this the terrain grid is quite low detail (i.e. the square size is big), so 90m is accurate enough. In effect this is like a bump map and if you load it into some program it looks like it too

[rip31st 98]

I used 1 degree tiles of NASA SRTM 90 meter digital elevation data to put together this map. It took 4 tiles that cover the area of this map. Approx. 153,600 meters by 153,600 meters. Roughly 95 by 95 miles or half scale of real life. The map is roughly 8 months or so in the works. I had to start over not to long ago due to a hard disk failure. The terrain is far from accurate since it uses a 75 meter terrain grid. 1 pixel from the Satellite mask on the map covers twice that. When you deal with such a large terrain grid to achieve a large scale theater, one can imagine it's without much detail. Moving any piece of the terrain involves large areas around it unintentionally. The towns on the map share those of their real world names, however they do not respresent anything close to what they looked like during World War two. Rather they are configured for multiplayer action and somewhat AI friendly.

The goal obviously isn't historical accuracy or detail, but a large multiplayer theater that gives players time and distance to plan and carry out missions or set up defenses and have some fun. It gives players room they need to do things like put together bombing runs, large tank columns, para drops or fire off a rocket attack. The WW2 Game mode we talk of will take team effort to pull off a win. This map will give them the tools available to do so.

As far as the notion of outdoing people that get paid to do something like this is very flattering. However you have to remember those people most likely have other full time jobs and they do these things because they like to do them with the limited time they get to do it. And as far as I'm aware, they don't get paid much to do it. I don't consider the work we've done to out perform my friends at Cornered Rat Software. They've put a lot of time and effort into their game engine since 2001. Yes their game looks quiet cheesy looking, but so does our mod...but it will be fun for those whom aren't consumed by they way rust looks on a rivet or the color of a german uniform.

Were just lucky we have an open developement environment BIS has provided us to do what we can do with a game engine that is very versatile.

[dax01 10]

I re-read my last post. I didn't mean for it to sound like I was bashing on Cornered Rat Software. They have put in a lot of work since their first public release of the game--especially for the fact that they had to take the time to create the realistic physics, audio simulation, spot-collision simulation, etc. Graphics aren't everything when you have excellent gameplay like so. In fact, the graphics are quite impressive for a large-scale online game, thanks to their dedicated server. We are just fortunate to have the Arma engine to be so mod-friendly. Especially for its artificial intelligence. But you guys do a good job.

and once again, good job on te terrain!

[GqchatarN 10]

Have you began the multiplayer testing yet? :)

[rip31st 98]

The Game Mode is being setup.

[GqchatarN 10]

Cool, so the rest is all done? the map,the units etc..?

[kidnapster 10]

can. not. wait.!! Im also very appreciative about how polite and helpful Rip has been with the community. really involved and putting up with all of our questions and our anxiousness haha

[rip31st 98]

The rest is pretty much done...Just waiting on a few outstanding items and working on some missions.

[archsceptic. 10]

Sounds excellent, I knew you would "Never Let Me Down Again".

;)

[FKPLACE 10]

Suggest you just leave the missions away for the first release.