[WIP] Atolls & Allies

[Crannogman]

Originally Posted by Rockin Robbins

Oh my! It's the Happy Hunting Ground! The only problem is are we the hunter or the hunted there? Can't wait to see that fleshed out.

I have great memories of the place. It's where I first tested my Slightly Subnuclear Mark 14 mod and turned an Asashio into the Hindenburg.

Ha ha, remind me to stay away from Midway when you're in the area. Finished the Carolines. I note that Mios Woendi is atoll-like as well. More work to be done...

[Crannogman]

New Caledonia is proving a point I had long suspected - the game world is distorted towards the Poles. New Caledonia is only 20 degrees South of the equator, yet it is definitely stretched East-West. Lining it up with satellite images has been a real pain, especially since it spans multiple map tiles (each is 1 Deg x 1 Deg, and New Caledonia has required about 8). I apologize in advance for weird disconnects along lines of Longitude & Latitude, as I can't directly compare their placement

[Crannogman]

Just as I'm polishing up the Coral Sea, I "discover" a wealth of navigation hazards at the Eastern end of New Guinea, as well as stuff like the Paracels and Spratlys in the South China Sea that may have major repercussions for Jap shipping routes. That and some issues getting in modding time (what with the distractions of work and family) mean that the first edition will be out later than hoped.

Also I will need to "fix" the campaign layers (eg US Naval Bases) for Mios Woendi (at least) to account for the local geography. So far I have noticed that stock, RSRD, and NMMO all have placement issues in this regard; I expect SpyRon (which I have DL'd but not unpacked) does as well. If you enjoy a mod (RFB, TMO, etc) that I have not mentioned above that changes campaign files, please let me know so I can DL it and check what may needs fixin'. I suspect that the "definitive" Atolls & Allies will consist of the terrain files alone, with a comparability version for each mod.

Also, does anyone know how to change the various span locations for the campaign and missions? I'm afraid someone might spawn inside a reef and have an "unproductive" patrol.

[aanker]

Please don't mess with SpyRon. It has a license with terms - it should be left as it is please. It isn't 'freeware' and the mod creator doesn't want it hosted anywhere but subsowespac.org. Please respect his request.

Thanks,

Happy Hunting!

[Crannogman]

Originally Posted by aanker

Please don't mess with SpyRon. It has a license with terms - it should be left as it is please. It isn't 'freeware' and the mod creator doesn't want it hosted anywhere but subsowespac.org. Please respect his request.

Thanks,

Happy Hunting!

I guess if there appears to be a conflict, I'll send it to the SpyRon peeps and they can handle it as desired

[Crannogman]

Originally Posted by Rockin Robbins

I want to see Pearl Harbor like it deserves to be and my fondest wish is to see it under attack December 7, 1941.

I have made some small tweaks to Pearl, as you can see below


One limiting factor is that the 3D model for Ford Island appears to be a little bit large, and overdeveloped on the NW side. For the Sub base, I suppose I could try the "verysmall_harborI" model as is used at Pearl City, but I think this gets a better angle.

Onwards and upwards. I looked through the SpyRon files and they are nice. However, as with the rest of the mods, Spyron misplaces the Sub Tender etc on the North side of the Mios Woendi, when in fact the lagoon is on the Southeast side. The following picture was taken from almost due South:


Here is the satellite view; Mios Woendi is the little un-labelled island outlined in red near the middle:


Majuro has issues as well, Subic Bay is slightly misplaced, Guam and Saipan are quite sparsely populated, and Cavite is generally misrepresented. This is not to bag on SpyRon, but to demonstrate the (mild) inaccuracies that have accrued in all mods from using an incomplete map.

Edit: I should clarify that I am building this from stock files. I have been comparing with other mods to see how compatibility can be achieved with the lowest work for end-users. In most cases, it shouldn't be a problem to overlay the (few) new campaign files over your existing ones. The flotilla.upc files will probably require adjustment for sub spawn locations - the best way to fit this into existing mod environments will probably be to copy/paste the location data into the existing file, letting the other information about sub class and timing reamin true to your particular mod mix

[Crannogman]

Some of you may be aware that not all US sub tenders looked like the Fulton-class tender in the (stock game). USS Canopus and Holland, the primary tenders of the Asiatic Fleet, appear to have been modifications of old passenger ships, while the war-era Griffin-class was a modification of the standard C3-type cargo ship. Since the fast attack transports in game appear to be the Windsor-class (another C3 mod), I plan to use the American troop transport as a stand-in for the "alternative " sub tender classes.

Also moved several of the Australian ports to more accurate positions - eg Fremantle and Brisbane, both of which had their historical sub bases in rivers. It's complicated a little by the preponderance of jetties in the 3d location models - most of the riverine ports were wharf-based

[Crannogman]

Here are some screenshots of the Pearl Harbor Submarine Base in April '42. Fulton and Pelias are at the Base; Vestal stands next to the wreck of Arizona. For sake of simplicity, this is stock 1.5.

[Crannogman]

Some screens from Pearl Harbor...












This is near to the original as I can get with the ships in stock. Somebody mentioned doing the actual attack. It would be tough, what with all the ships getting underway (a dozen or more), some of them needing to move in reverse. Also, the stock plane behaviors are suboptimal. Still, I'll see what I can do 9some other time)

[Rockin Robbins]

I'm impressed! You have made the best of compromises and come out with something pretty breathtaking! I hope this comes out as compatible as possible with other mods, especially the supermods. Great work!

[Crannogman]

I installed a few mods and built a small (36-plane) Pearl Harbor attack. Lets see if you can spot the twist on history...

7:53AM


Battleship Row from Avocet


8 AM and the Jap survivors are boogy-ing Northward


I think the Kate's torpedoes all fell on Kuahua; as other AI units, they disregard the presence of land. I can probably reduce its width a little to give the fish more space, and maybe improve their approach a little.

Also, I just rediscovered that NBJackso (Thanks!) included a modified 3D location for the Pearl Sub Base in NMMO. I will see what I can move around to try it out and work it in if possible.



Mods:
Game Fixes Only Mod v1.1
Snorkel Name Change Fix
Nav Map Make-Over v2.1
NMMO Maps Add-on
NMMO Reverse Ocean Colors Add-on
NMMO v2.1 Patch 1 no AB
Optical Targeting Correction
Aspect Ratio 8 to 5
SMALLER SEABED ROCKS
sobers better rock Ver 2 mod
sobers better sand II
SS153 USS S-42 Fooskin Clean
SS172 USS Porpoise_Combo
SS184 USS Skipjack_Combo
SS210 USS Grenadier Tambor Fooskin HEAVY WTH HI-RES
SS228 USS Drum_Combo Gato Fooskin
SS285 USS Balao_Historical BALAO HI-RES Weathered

[Nbjackso]

Originally Posted by Crannogman

. . . Also, I just rediscovered that NBJackso (Thanks!) included a modified 3D location for the Pearl Sub Base in NMMO. I will see what I can move around to try it out and work it in if possible. . .

You give me WAY too much credit. I never considered myself a "modder" When I released the NMMO mod, I basically took parts from various mods I liked, and manipulated them into a single mod, (giving full credit to the original modders). However, I'm excited to see that you are further refining the maps and 3D worlds in SH4. I follow this thread closely, and I can't wait for the A&A mod to be released.