How to make maps for Il2 from Google Earth/ Maps?
#1

Hi all,

If i make a map by using http://srtm.csi.cgiar.org/SELECTION/inputCoord.asp and i create it in Microdem, in most cases i'am not satisfied by the results.
Is there a way to use maps from Google? If it is possible, how?

Many thanks in advance!... 8)
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#2

Please describe why you are not satisfied with the results. We have used SRTM data on The Slot and NGNB, and have had excellent results, as long as you accept the fact that shorelines have to be manually refined using satellite imagery, and mountain tops have to be smoothed with Gaussian blur.
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#3

One of the problems is indeed the shoreline. How do you solve this?

Also when i make map_C, there seems to be a lot of black pixels all over the place. Rivers are not always 'connected' to lake's and/ or sea as they should be.
And i can not always find the right 'maps' at srtm.csi.cgiar.org. For instance, not all of scandinavia (Norway in my case ) is covered.

I know there is NASA, but then i don't know how to pinpoint the coordinates.
So if there are any other sources available which cover the whole planet Earth, please let me know.

Thanks in advance! 8)

Ps,
The Slot is a true masterpiece!
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#4

modman Wrote:One of the problems is indeed the shoreline. How do you solve this?

Also when i make map_C, there seems to be a lot of black pixels all over the place. Rivers are not always 'connected' to lake's and/ or sea as they should be.
And i can not always find the right 'maps' at srtm.csi.cgiar.org. For instance, not all of scandinavia (Norway in my case ) is covered.

I know there is NASA, but then i don't know how to pinpoint the coordinates.
So if there are any other sources available which cover the whole planet Earth, please let me know.

Thanks in advance! 8)

Ps,
The Slot is a true masterpiece!

Thrud did the work on our NGNB coastlines, which really look awesome. I think he used a composite satellite image, which he correctly scaled to the map_c. He then went around all the coastlines and manually corrected them, using the satellite image as a guide. I'll let him and others chime in on the best way to solve the rest of your issues.

My experience has been that a great deal of research, manual labor, custom texture creation, and hard work are what it takes to make a decent, historically accurate map for this sim. Even if you do it "right" you will have to make compromises, if you want players to actually use it.

A good example is the issue of 1:1 maps, versus 3:4 scale/1:2 scale etc. We built The Slot to 1:1 and it looks great, but many say it's just to big. NGNB is 3:4 scale and we have a rather vocal chap, who feels compelled to post in our thread, who thinks anything other than 1:1 is historically inaccurate and refuses to fly anything else because IL-2 FB-PF is a sim, and should be treated as such...go figure. In the end, we will do what we think is right, make compromises as necessary, and get on with it...good luck Smile
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#5

Thanks for the replies FA_Cheech,

I'am glad you and your team made the Slot 1:1.
Now i'am even more impressed about the Slot after reading your post. That must have been a hell of a job to to correct all coastlines manually! Confusedhock:

I planned to do Norway, but, as i said before, i can't find a decent map to get started. Norway got a HUGE coastline. Well, that's a challenge! :wink:

Thanks again! And i wish you and your team all the best off luck in your (future ) projects!
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