Quote:
Originally Posted by tater
That goes for modder built as well as the "official" player map making teams doing stuff like Burma/Slovakia/Bessarabia, etc. They are simply better in every way than the 1C/RRG maps. .../...
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And takes a lot of time to built.... except for "simple" terrain like for example PTO or desert.
Maps like Kurland, Norway, Burma, Bessarabia, etc.... took several hundreds of hours to be completed (not even counting testing and corrections). For Slovakia, we know it's a several thousands of hours.
Let's imagine M:1C would have decided to do all the map with the quality work of Slovakia. Because they're used to the tools and pro, it could have took them "only" a thousand of hours per map... with around 12 maps to start, that's around 6 years of man-work (so 3 peoples working full time during 2 years).
.... this in addition to all the rest (graphic engine, planes, FM, AI, etc, etc, etc...)
You must remember that M:1C is a very small team... and choices had to be done about priorities. Maps were probably not ultra-high on the priority scale... especially since they allready took a lot of time to choose the solution (those who have followed IL2 dev before the release remember that different options were envisaged for the map making... including the use of satellite image textures, who was abandonned because too ressource-heavy for the PC of that time), leaving a few time to developp the map tools and then the map themthelves.
After the release they where allways overloaded... that's why Oleg considered to give the map tools to some choosen external teams.
I have no doubt that now the code is cracked, external teams can do some excellent work with map making... especially in low-populated areas (PTO, desert, etc). But I doubt very much they will complete "slovakia-style" maps on european areas in less than 2/3 years (it took 3 years to a very dedicated team to do the Slovakia map).
... In any case, I wont fly with any of the mods... I'm now waiting for SoW and KotS.
Still, I agree that PF was released too early, with a work that was mostly unfinished and that the choice of maps was far to be perfect.