The game's landscape - what are the limits?

[eduzk]

I miss a miserable brown muddy autumn season, and brown wastelands in locations of prolonged fighting. Green grass and shiny white snow everywhere is a little too happy for my eastern front.

Originally Posted by Juri_JS

I would really appreciate it, if TD could devote more of their time on improving the old maps. As far as I know there are plans for better textures. I hope they will also look at the heightmaps. Some maps are obviously more flat than they should be, for example the Balaton map.

One reason for unrealistic heightmaps might be that all water is now on the same (sea) level in game, AFAIK. Don't know if it's easy to change.

[Juri_JS]

Originally Posted by eduzk

One reason for unrealistic heightmaps might be that all water is now on the same (sea) level in game, AFAIK. Don't know if it's easy to change.

The modded version of the game has a corrected heightmap for the Balaton map, where the Bakony mountainous region north of the lake looks much more realistic than in the stock game. I am not sure, but I think it was done by VPmedia. So I guess the heightmap issues on some maps shouldn't be too hard too fix.

[Lagarto]

Perhaps the original flatness of the terrain was a compromise, as the AI were very inapt in avoiding terrain obstacles (they still are, to some extent). When the New Guinea map was released, it was a disaster, the AI notoriously crashing head-on into Owen Stanley Range.
By the way, no one else minds the funny-looking zigzags of roads? Nearly 600 views and only two people had something to say?

[RPS69]

The map that need the most on the eastern front is prokhorovka, with a little rezise. Best conflict scenario, and also Moscow map with the Kremlin.
No good Night bombing missions over Moscow could be done with this game. Night interception with only lights as help is an incredible game experience.

[IceFire]

Originally Posted by Lagarto

Perhaps the original flatness of the terrain was a compromise, as the AI were very inapt in avoiding terrain obstacles (they still are, to some extent). When the New Guinea map was released, it was a disaster, the AI notoriously crashing head-on into Owen Stanley Range.
By the way, no one else minds the funny-looking zigzags of roads? Nearly 600 views and only two people had something to say?

Although the AI is somewhat bad at avoiding mountains I'd say that often many people online are as well. I've managed some fancy flying causing both AI and human alike to crash into mountainsides.

The Own Stanley range crashing issue was actually bad waypointing. If the AI is told to fly at 500 meters... they will do their absolute best to do so. If it just so happens that 500 meters is inside a mountain... well

Sometimes it's just bad mission design. Other times it's legitimately the AI being fairly stupid but computers do tend to do what they are told to do. At least in this context.

[Asheshouse]

By the way, no one else minds the funny-looking zigzags of roads? Nearly 600 views and only two people had something to say?

IMO the zigzag roads and railways are one of the last remaining immersion spoilers. In recent years some wonderful looking maps have been produced compared with the original ones but still the unrealistic road/rail remains.

I guess the way this is coded into the game would make it very hard to change, and even if it were possible, it would be necessary to retain compatibility with the original mapping system and vehicle/train AI etc.

Ashe

[Lagarto]

Originally Posted by Asheshouse

I guess the way this is coded into the game would make it very hard to change,

Wouldn't it be nice to get a straight answer, and just know it as a fact, without having to guess?