SH3 & SH5 Self Made Contour Maps

[Jaystew]

I wanted to get some better maps of the contours of the oceans, depth maps specifically. Can't find anything of good quality online without being limited to small size. So I decided to start making maps for operational areas.

The work will be slow but I plan to knock out a few dozen.

No1 http://i.imgur.com/4qwnnAA.jpg
No2 http://i.imgur.com/eWvI9eS.jpg
No3 http://i.imgur.com/HifwSx6.jpg
No4 http://i.imgur.com/EXXWmvn.jpg
No5 http://i.imgur.com/4Ejpvx4.jpg

REVISED and FINAL RELEASE Group No1 - No5
http://imgur.com/a/ssMsk#0 Link to the album containing all the contour maps...

Let me know what you think. Feel free to use.

[Jaystew]

Actual maps...
http://i.imgur.com/4qwnnAA.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/eWvI9eS.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/HifwSx6.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/EXXWmvn.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/4Ejpvx4.jpg

[Jaystew]

RESV #2

[BigWalleye]

Nice work, Jaystew! Useful and flavorful too! Kudos! Bunches of kudos!

What tools are you using to make the maps? And what is your source material? Just curious, because I have searched for good hydro maps (good FREE hydro maps!) without success. And the graphics work is well done.


EDIT: Just put draggable versions onto my nav station. in SH3. Cool!

[Jaystew]

I have a post up in the SH5 forum with some more details but needless to say. I use Maxthon browser > Arcgis.com > several overlays countours and places > screen shots of these sections > Paint to intergrate the sections in larger map > Paint to add some decals n lat n longitude and places > Google Earth for place data > Pixlr for the tint and contrast filters and to various grit filters, then imgur to host the images.

About 3 hours of work per map. Can't find anything else like it online either which is why I decided to make my own. Glad you like. Cheers.

[RConch]

How closely do the depths in the game match what you have put together(which is really nice:salute:).

I do not want to take my boat down to 25m per the your map and smack the bottom cause the game says it is 15m. Any idea how they match up?

[Jaystew]

Well the in game depths are modeled on real world map data. They should be compatible. I cannot say for certain that if you dive to 25m at any place on the world in the game that you will not hit the bottom if it is close but the likelyhood is low. But that is true in life too. The lesson is, where the water is less than 25 meters, slow down, and use your depth sounder. Don't plow though an area has extreme shallow water at high speed unless you will maintain surfaced running.

I think if you look, most areas on the maps save the North Sea, show water hundreds or thousands of meters deep. For a WW2 sub what is important is the 100-200m water line. You need to get to deeper water if in danger faster. It is the only way to reduce destroyer attack effectiveness and escape. In shallow waters the maps help you find deeper areas or the shortest route though those depths. Now would I trust the maps to be accurate nearest meter no. But the nearest 10 meters yes.

Would I trust the game to be accurate. I do know of one discrepancy. In the area of Helgoland, SE if memory serves, there is a very large and steep trench which according to the real ocean does not exist but is in game. For what purpose I do not know. There you can dive to 200m or so but really you would only be able to dive 20-25m.

Given that you tell me if you think Ubisoft makes accuracy the highest business priority. LOL.

Cheers.

[maillemaker]

Very nice!

[sublynx]

Looks just astonishingly beautiful :up:

If you don't mind, I might add these maps to my Charts Addon mod at a later date?

(I've not had much time / interest for subsimming lately, but SH3 is such a great game, that I believe I'll get back to the game eventually)

[raymond6751]

A big well done to you, sir.

I,...we thank you.

[Jimbuna]

Very nice indeed http://s24.postimg.org/c148rgoj5/thumbsup_1.gif (http://postimage.org/)

[Sinkmore]

Damn, they're gorgeous. I hope the game is as accurate as I expect your maps are.

[Aras]

These looks so beautiful. Thanks for the hardwork. :yeah:

[BigWalleye]

Damn, they're gorgeous. I hope the game is as accurate as I expect your maps are.

I would trust the charts about as much as a real mariner would trust his real nev charts. Which is to say, trust them a lot, but don't bet the boat!

(And, yes, Steve, I'm with you on this one. Maps are what AAA gives you when you want to drive from Denver to Omaha. Charts are what mariners use for navigation. Even GPS receivers have e-charts.)

[Jaystew]

Looks just astonishingly beautiful :up:

If you don't mind, I might add these maps to my Charts Addon mod at a later date?

(I've not had much time / interest for subsimming lately, but SH3 is such a great game, that I believe I'll get back to the game eventually)

Feel free to include them in any mod or work that benefits the community. Please include in a readme that they are the work of JSM Jaystew maps. And that they are free to share or use. In that readme please include a hyperlink back to this page for reference since new ones will come out. I also have a threat in the SH5 area.

I'm glad you like them. I will continue to make them for the foreseeable future while I also search for a better mapping tool to make more in depth maps.

[Jimbuna]

Feel free to include them in any mod or work that benefits the community. Please include in a readme that they are the work of JSM Jaystew maps. And that they are free to share or use. In that readme please include a hyperlink back to this page for reference since new ones will come out. I also have a threat in the SH5 area.

I'm glad you like them. I will continue to make them for the foreseeable future while I also search for a better mapping tool to make more in depth maps.

I do believe you mean 'thread' and not 'threat' :03:

[Jaystew]

LOL yep. going to leave that in there cuz its funny. No I have no threats detected in SH5 area just a thread. I didnt think to put actual pictures in that thread and this one is doing better so my own threat my be that my maps are more popular in SH3 but so what.

SH3 is a damn good sim. I wish it looked more like SH5 though :(

[BitznBites]

HOORAY!!:yeah: HUZZAHH!!:woot: HIP HIP:up: U DA MAN:rock:

EXACTLY what I was looking for a month or so ago. Excellent work.:salute:

Thanks.....:/\\k:

[BigWalleye]

LOL yep. going to leave that in there cuz its funny. No I have no threats detected in SH5 area just a thread. I didnt think to put actual pictures in that thread and this one is doing better so my own threat my be that my maps are more popular in SH3 but so what.

SH3 is a damn good sim. I wish it looked more like SH5 though :(

Or that SH5 played more like SH3!

[Jaystew]

Or that SH5 played more like SH3!

Truer words. It is getting better. With mods. But yeah the crew management aspect is way better in SH3.

[banryu79]

Kudos to you Jaystew! :yeah:
Any advice on how to print them? I'd like to have them ready (and litterally) at hand... Which format is best? I was thinking about an A3... Perephes is too small...

[Jaystew]

Never thought to print them but hey thats a good idea. You could take them to a local print shop or I hear the UPS store is a good place to get stuff printed now.

I checked out their site to see what they have to offer. It would appear they can do b/w for under $1 and color for around $1 for ledger sized 11x17. Now for posters...

For a few bucks more you can have it laminated and holy smokes. That would be pretty kool.

Cant seem to get details on their poster sizes but hey for $5 a full color laminated map is a pretty good deal I think. May want to get unlaminated so you can make notes on the map like real submariners. :) For the cost of an unlaminated map full color being a buck.

Why not get both? For $6 x the 5 maps I have already, you get 5 laminated maps that you could hang up, and 5 that you could note on as desired, all for $30.

A word before you go. Make sure you have the latest revision of the maps because I have been fixing some errors on them like no distance scale etc. So I'll have that all fixed up by the end of the week.

You could go do one map there and see how it turns out. Report back to us if you would with a photo and your satisfaction.

Edit....
Staples does a a color 18x24" for $10.
They also do a larger 24x36 for $15 which is a more attractive price in my mind. However 2 considerations. Value and Diminishing returns...

Value
$10 and $15 not a bad deal for your favorite map or if money is no object. When you compare that to getting 2 maps in color at 11x17 one laminated one not for $6 I would go with UPS store printing if the quality is equal between them.

Diminishing returns. I'm not a print expert but I know magazine quality stuff is 300dpi. The maps are 96dpi and though they should scale at the print shop they probably are not big enough to fill in 24x36 real well. I have attached the actual sizes which will remain unchanged for these map. The max size my filter program works with is about 4000x4000 so I will not be making any 8000x8000 maps but around 4kx4k. Best of luck. Please do though give us some idea what the printed maps look like and if they are any good on paper :) I would appreciate that as much or more as you appreciate the maps.

Cheers

http://i.imgur.com/U6S0HpD.png

[sublynx]

Feel free to include them in any mod or work that benefits the community. Please include in a readme that they are the work of JSM Jaystew maps. And that they are free to share or use. In that readme please include a hyperlink back to this page for reference since new ones will come out. I also have a threat in the SH5 area.

I'm glad you like them. I will continue to make them for the foreseeable future while I also search for a better mapping tool to make more in depth maps.

Will do :salute: if and when I get around to it.

Thanks a lot :up:



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[banryu79]

A word before you go. Make sure you have the latest revision of the maps because I have been fixing some errors on them like no distance scale etc. So I'll have that all fixed up by the end of the week.

Well, really, I am not in a hurry :)
Only wondering if I could print them out 'cause that's the only way to use them while playing (don't want to ALT+TAB out of the game...)

I could also use them 'offline', I think they could be very useful at the start of a patrol, for a better plan of my patrols strategy and to mark/remember dangerous zone and/or safer zone I can escape into, and in general to find and pre-plot useful route/courses to be used in different situations/should the need arise.

Then I realized I usually do this "preliminary patrol study" with the in-game map screen while leaving port (I usually play leaving/arriving into port completly in realtime... I like it in this way). But the in-game map and tools cannot beat your beautiful an richer charts if I can print them out on paper... or something better... and keep them handy to look at them during a patrol.


You could go do one map there and see how it turns out. Report back to us if you would with a photo and your satisfaction.

Best of luck. Please do though give us some idea what the printed maps look like and if they are any good on paper :) I would appreciate that as much or more as you appreciate the maps.

As I said above, I'm not in a hurry. Also, I don't know much about printing stuff in general, so your advices and considerations are all welcome and I thank you for that (and your awsome work).

I need to think about the details better; if, at last, I shall give it a go and get some charts print down of course I'll report my feedback and impressions. :salute:

[BigWalleye]

Well, really, I am not in a hurry :)
Only wondering if I could print them out 'cause that's the only way to use them while playing (don't want to ALT+TAB out of the game...)

Not at all! I put the first three into SH3 as draggable charts on the Nav station screen. (I replaced the time-speed-distance charts and that awful convoy chart that tells me the war is going to end in 1945.) Took about 15 minutes. I only get a small window on-screen (could be 1024x768, but I do less.) and drag it around to the area I am interested in. I have found that, if I want to know details of the bottom contours, then I'm not interested in looking at a large area. For large areas, there's the in-game chart. Been using them already, and they are very helpful for planning ingress/egress to target areas.

[Jaystew]

I want this feature too. For SH5 but Szizzle said he cant make it work :(

I would really like to have the maps in game. But paper maps would be great too. He said they have to converted to dds and I dont know how to do that. I also do not know how he got his charts in the game but damnit if I dont want to learn cuz I think they would be of value.

Do they look pretty kool in game? I added the filters to try and make them what I would envision seeing them look like both as older pre-color WW2 type stuff but also B/W images with the dark vision of being inside a dimly lit sub.

Sorta worked I hope.

[BigWalleye]

I want this feature too. For SH5 but Szizzle said he cant make it work :(

I would really like to have the maps in game. But paper maps would be great too. He said they have to converted to dds and I dont know how to do that. I also do not know how he got his charts in the game but damnit if I dont want to learn cuz I think they would be of value.

Do they look pretty kool in game? I added the filters to try and make them what I would envision seeing them look like both as older pre-color WW2 type stuff but also B/W images with the dark vision of being inside a dimly lit sub.

Sorta worked I hope.

Converting .jpg to .dds is no problem. There are a couple of file converters that are available on a "free 30-day trial" basis that will do the trick. Or, if you have PShop CS, you can download a plug-in from Adobe which will read and write .dds. Free, IIRC.

Putting them into SH3 was jack. Just a couple of tweaks to menu_1024_768.ini. But SH5 doesn't even have a menu.ini. I don't know how the nav station page is built.

But ping them over in the SH3 forum. I'm sure you'll get the answers you need.

The charts do look excellent. Appropriate. I'd post some screenies, but my laptop won't do them, at least for SH3.:/\\!!

[banryu79]

Converting .jpg to .dds is no problem. There are a couple of file converters that are available on a "free 30-day trial" basis that will do the trick. Or, if you have PShop CS, you can download a plug-in from Adobe which will read and write .dds. Free, IIRC.
Even better (IMO) Paint.NET supports DDS.
I have just tryed to save a .jpg chart to .dds with it (it's my favourite image editing software from years) and it works like a charm :up:

[BigWalleye]

Even better (IMO) Paint.NET supports DDS.
I have just tryed to save a .jpg chart to .dds with it (it's my favourite image editing software from years) and it works like a charm :up:

Yes, you're right. I forgot about Paint.NET. It certainly does support .dds format.

Now, how to get the .dds into SH5?

[banryu79]

Now, how to get the .dds into SH5?
Sorry but I have no idea about it. :shucks:


Not at all! I put the first three into SH3 as draggable charts on the Nav station screen. (I replaced the time-speed-distance charts and that awful convoy chart that tells me the war is going to end in 1945.) Took about 15 minutes. I only get a small window on-screen (could be 1024x768, but I do less.) and drag it around to the area I am interested in
I'd like to place a single chart in-game to see how it looks, I'd like to replace the convoy chart (The time-speed-distance chart is too useful for me to consider replacing, I use it a lot while planning my approaches and attack runs...).
And the question is: how can I do it? What are the changes to the menu_1024_768.ini file?

[BigWalleye]

Banryu79, Here’s how to put a single draggable chart onto the SH3 nav station page.

NOTE! I’ve done this for Jaystew’s North Sea chart. The numbers to enter in menu_1024_768.ini will only work for that chart, and only to replace the convoy chart. If you want to install a different chart, or replace another chart, post and I can give you the params or how to calculate them.

First, make a Targa (.tga) file from Jaystew’s North Sea chart. Name it NorthSea.tga.

Copy the file <gamefolder>/Data/Menu/ menu_1024-768.ini to your desktop and open it in Notepad. Search for ‘KonvoyMap.tga’. You should see

[G31 I21]
Name=Target;Neuer Eintrag für SH3 Konvoy Karte
Type=1031;Stat bmp array
ItemID=0x31000006
ParentID=0x31000000
Pos=-990,1781,1026,1026
Color=0xFFFFFFFF
Materials=1
Display=0;No stretch
Mat 0=data/Menu/Gui/Layout/KonvoyMap.tga

at the bottom of the displayed text. (There’s more to this entry, but we don’t need it.)

Add all the text shown in red:

;Name=Target;Neuer Eintrag für SH3 Konvoy Karte
Name=North Sea Chart
Type=1031;Stat bmp array
ItemID=0x31000006
ParentID=0x31000000
;Pos=-990,1781,1026,1026
Pos=-3030,4758,3066,4000
Color=0xFFFFFFFF
Materials=1
Display=0;No stretch
;Mat 0=data/Menu/Gui/Layout/KonvoyMap.tga
Mat 0=data/Menu/Gui/Layout/NorthSea.tga

Make sure you add the three semicolons! And notice that the first number in the Pos line is a minus 3030!

Save the changed file.

Create a folder on your desktop and name it ‘Jaystew’s North Sea Chart’. Make subfolders in it like this:

Jaystew’s North Sea Chart/Data/Menu/Gui/Layout

Drag and drop the file NorthSea.tga from wherever you made it to

Jaystew’s North Sea Chart/Data/Menu/Gui/Layout

Drag and drop the file menu_1024_768.ini from your desktop to

Jaystew’s North Sea Chart/Data/Menu/

Drag and drop the Jaystew’s North Sea Chart folder into the left panel of JSGME.

Activate Jaystew’s North Sea Chart with JSGME.

Start SH3. start the Navigation exercise, and see that your new chart is available.

Please post your results, success or failure. If you have trouble, we’ll sort it out.

Good luck and good hunting!

[Jaystew]

Working on No 6 this will be a doozy. Does anybody have any specific areas they'd like me to map while I'm doing this? I'm beginning to run out of patrol areas that require navigation and depth charting. Well not really running out of ideas, I guess I'm running out of places I want to go and have maps for.

So now is the time I'm looking for requests. Thanks.

[Jimbuna]

I have in my possession some admiralty minefield charts of the English Channel, it would be nice to be able to compare them with something of your making.

[Jaystew]

please share

[Jimbuna]

A couple of examples:

The Heligoland Bight
http://s28.postimg.org/v11t5a6x9/A1_Chart.jpg (http://postimg.org/image/agwz6sr61/full/)

St George Channel, 40-43
http://s30.postimg.org/4ewa6r741/St_George_Channel.jpg (http://postimg.org/image/424w0kou5/full/)