[canonuk]

I'm glad (nearly) everyone is pleased with the approach to the cities. When Compans first suggested it I had my reservations, but as soon as I tried his textures I knew it was the right option. The airfields are fully and accurately populated so ground attacks etc there are fully immersive. There'll also be limited port facilities (i.e. breakwaters).

reflected - yes, all textures have 3d tree lines. None of the screenshots are low enough to really show them

Fabianfred - the load.ini is completely packed to make room for all these excellent textures. Anything made for the beta will be completely incompatible with this map - nothing is in the same place. The new map covers a larger area, and at a larger scale.

Joe

[kapteeni]

This is really gonna be something different.

[reflected]

I'm glad (nearly) everyone is pleased with the approach to the cities. When Compans first suggested it I had my reservations, but as soon as I tried his textures I knew it was the right option. The airfields are fully and accurately populated so ground attacks etc there are fully immersive. There'll also be limited port facilities (i.e. breakwaters).

reflected - yes, all textures have 3d tree lines. None of the screenshots are low enough to really show them

Fabianfred - the load.ini is completely packed to make room for all these excellent textures. Anything made for the beta will be completely incompatible with this map - nothing is in the same place. The new map covers a larger area, and at a larger scale.

Joe

Great news! It seems there will be a perfect balance between eye candy and fps then.

[Metatron]

The screenshots are out of this world. The 2d approach is an interesting one, though I would include a couple of prominent landmarks in 3d too...

Edit: I also really liked certain objects in the original map, like some windmills and farms here and there, I hope they aren't all gone.

[Username]

I think the textured approach to the urban centres is the best possible compromise for the IL2 game engine as it stands today. On top of that... convincingly populating a city such as london with actual objects would not only tax the computer of the average user but also be more than a full time job for canonuk. Compans is right... if you're flying at operational altitudes the only thing you'll see is an impressive cityscape beneath you.

I agree. The trompe l'oeil effect is quite sensational and an artistic triumph - you've got to admire the skill that has gone into this. These cityscapes will spice up all the IL2 maps eventually.

We should all bear in mind that wartime London was twice the size of Berlin and three times the size of Moscow. The only way it will ever be convincingly represented in IL2 is by using textures to fool the eye.

[Avatar]

Comps, gorgeous work there mate! Up to your usual standards. I also like some of those skins I see there... You gents have out done yourselves!! Thanks again for your dedication and fine work.

[Lejo]

From a high altitude it looks amazing but what happens if you fly just a hundred meters above the ground for strafing a tankcolumn? In that case the city turns to be completely flat. Just like Google Earth when you zoom in at a city from a shallow angle.
Sorry to say but to me it is disappointing those city images.

Another thing I noticed: the representation of Holland/the Low Countries is historically incorrect. Those straight and large organized fields are definately post WWII. Before and during the war there were much more farmhouses with less area for agriculture per farmer and from above it looked like a patchwork of smaller fields. Right after WWII Dutch Government decided-for economical progression- to increase agricultural production by mechanisation and therefore it was much more efficient to have those straight rectangular fields which are much easier accessible for those big machines.

Just take a look at this 1943 RAF photo from the Netherlands:

[CUJO_1970]

The approach taken with the 2D blend is superb. It is really the only way to get an immersive experience over large cities and towns without destroying frame rate. And objects can always be added to maps in FMB to suit the users liking.

Where you really get up close and personal with ground objects is at the airfields. Those will be populated, but again - the end user can work in FMB to add what they want.

It looks as if this will be the most immersive map released to date. The diverse textures used over different countries reflect the unique landscapes you would see from the air as you flew a mission from one region to the next. Great work guys, looking forward to it!

[Compans]

Another thing I noticed: the representation of Holland/the Low Countries is historically incorrect. Those straight and large organized fields are definately post WWII. Before and during the war there were much more farmhouses with less area for agriculture per farmer and from above it looked like a patchwork of smaller fields. Right after WWII Dutch Government decided-for economical progression- to increase agricultural production by mechanisation and therefore it was much more efficient to have those straight rectangular fields which are much easier accessible for those big machines.

Just take a look at this 1943 RAF photo from the Netherlands:

I disagree. Have a look at this:



RAF operational bombing altitude was around 23,000ft. Not sure about those Forts but if it's similar those strip fields are very long. They're cut out of shot lower left but I'm assuming the damaged areas lower right are fields which give an idea of scale.


I should have posted this earlier but here's my inland Dutch texture (similar to your b + w shot). The strip farming seems to happen closer to the coast.




I should also mention that my shots are NOT Cannon's new map. They're generally one texture tiled to show the effect of that texture. This includes London etc....I've not seen Cannon's new map either!







S! Comp

[fabianfred]

@Lejo I don't think straffing a tank column is quite what this map is designed for .... Ash's map is probably more suited to that task....

@Reflected I'm not sure how well the random trees will fit in with these textures...scale wise...... perhaps a few is OK, but they would make the fields seem tiny i should imagine, considering that this map was originally 1:2 scale anyway......

even if this map has changed so that missions for the Beta will not work.... at least with the FMB+ we have the ability to select and move things as a group....so it shouldn't be too hard to convert missions for this map

[6S.Maraz]

Great job with these textures and the map!
Thanks
Maraz

[Handy]

whattttt! :OO :OO :OO

[Trooper117]

Absolutely fantastic you chaps, so very well done..
Can't understand the negative comments at all, this is a huge jump forward..

[Handy]

i agree. i was looking forward to black shark the most recently but... now its this!

[canonuk]

@Reflected I'm not sure how well the random trees will fit in with these textures...scale wise...... perhaps a few is OK, but they would make the fields seem tiny i should imagine, considering that this map was originally 1:2 scale anyway......

There's not millions of random trees. I haven't used them for hedgsrows but I have used them for dense hedges or small copses etc. They don't look out of place.

I don't have a precise figure to hand regarding scale, but it's about 2/3 full scale.