[Fly!]

more pics:

[Duc]

I would not assume a 1945 color photo has correct color balance. That said, the screen shots above due seem perhaps over desaturated. If there were more green and yellow in the vegetation, it would seem more natural.

This is true, I would leave it to redko to be able to judge this and adjust appropriately. These images were more for reference rather than for exact copying of the colors. Cheers :wink:

[Juri_JS]

I agree with PhilK, definitely it's my idea... again, a mixture of shrubs, black sand and white ashes would be perfect. I HIGHLY recommend PhilK Iwo campaign, but I'll wait to re-play it again once redko has finished what it will be an outstanding work, I'm sure.

Regarding pre-invasion campaigns, to fly some japanese defenders, correct me if I'm wrong but if we like to be historically correct, the air defender activity was minimum as the americans destroyed all the airplanes and airstrips in the very first raids. Obviously this is only a game so it means that we don't need to be 100% historically correct, it's just an observation

Supposedly two zeros took off from the island to do Kamikaze attacks during the landings. I suppose there could be a mission like that.

It's true mate! I've remembered an interesting fact about the Iwo Jima air defenders: I read some time ago a book about Kamikazes (very interesting book, french 'L'Epopee Kamikaze' by Bernard Millot) and I've run to check it: the first true kamikaze (or jibaku attack) was launched from Iwo Jima after the 3rd raid the 4th of July of 1944. There were left only 8 Jills and 9 Zeros operative, and they were launched against the american fleet in a suicidal attack, but they were repelled by more than 60 Hellcats and the 5 survivors, 4 Zeros and one Jill, took refuge in the clouds (those were the proportions in the Iwo Jima battles, I guess that in IL2 that would mean a very difficult mission, also because planes can 'see' through the clouds
Finally the survivors returned to Iwo Jima but apparently they were completely destroyed the day after when the american fleet came near the island and pounded it. This was much time before the invasion that happened in 1945, so apparently between july 1944 and february 1945, the japanese, without any more operative planes, dedicated themselves to a passive defence to fortify the island. So I don't know about those 2 zeros you mention, maybe you refer to the attack above?

Here some more information on the air defence of Iwo Jima in 1944. In June 1944 80 Zeros of
the Yokosuka Kokutai and the 301st and 252nd Kokutai were stationed at Iwo Jima. Most Japanese planes were destroyed by US Navy aircraft during the battles in June and July. After that the few surviving pilots of the Yokosuka and 301st Kokutai were tranfered to Japan (one of them was Saburo Sakai). Only the 252nd Kokutai stayed at Iwo Jima and opposed the B-24s that constantly bombed the island between August 1944 and February 1945. They only had a small number of Zero fighters and few intercept missions were flown. After B-29s started to fly missions from the Marianas Iwo Jima was used as a base for sporadic strikes against their airfields.

My sources are:
Samurai by Saburo Sakai
Imperial Japanese Navy Aces 1937-45 by Henry Sakaida
Iwo Jima - Portrait of a battle by Eric M. Hammel
The US Navy WW2 communiques - http://www.ibiblio.org/pha/comms/

[WhiteCat]

Yes, I think that more or less the stories are compatible. I have to read these books specially the one by Saburo Sakai, it must be really interesting.

Thx for the information, it seems that someone will have to create a short campaign of defence of Iwo after all don't look at me, I'm awful with FMB... I preferred to retexture but now with the arrival of redko I'm jobless :wink:

Cheers mate.

[redko]

4 me it's jet OK- as it is now in this yours last screenshots redko, just some more textures "yellow-sand/desert terrain" needed .. however still great work!!

hum ok will see that point.

[redko]

I would not assume a 1945 color photo has correct color balance. That said, the screen shots above due seem perhaps over desaturated. If there were more green and yellow in the vegetation, it would seem more natural.

But i like vintage colour pics....ok so we want realistic rendering or vintage ??

It's great beacause i never suspected that by posting this topic it will produce a so interresting debate. I like this :wink: :wink:.

I will have a free day after tomorrow....i hope to work hard for Iwo and Kyushu which is pratically finished

[Juri_JS]

Yes, I think that more or less the stories are compatible. I have to read these books specially the one by Saburo Sakai, it must be really interesting.

Thx for the information, it seems that someone will have to create a short campaign of defence of Iwo after all don't look at me, I'm awful with FMB... I preferred to retexture but now with the arrival of redko I'm jobless :wink:

Cheers mate.

The static Japanese campaign "Glowing Glory" that came with Il-2 1946 deals with the fighting at Iwo Jima in 1944. It's one of my favorite campaigns and I can hardly await to play it with the new textures.

[WhiteCat]

Yes, I think that more or less the stories are compatible. I have to read these books specially the one by Saburo Sakai, it must be really interesting.

Thx for the information, it seems that someone will have to create a short campaign of defence of Iwo after all don't look at me, I'm awful with FMB... I preferred to retexture but now with the arrival of redko I'm jobless :wink:

Cheers mate.

The static Japanese campaign "Glowing Glory" that came with Il-2 1946 deals with the fighting at Iwo Jima in 1944. It's one of my favorite campaigns and I can hardly await to play it with the new textures.

Really? mmm... I believe I haven't never played that. For work reasons I have a very good rig so I can afford campaigns with lots of 'mayhem' like PhilK called it... fire, objects, etc. and the original campaigns, I respect them but they were pretty basic in objects, I guess to cover all ranges of rigs. So after a while one of the things I did in bespeaking my IL2 folder was to eliminate those (but adding and re-structuring other community-made campaigns). Maybe too impulsive, I'll try to recover that one.

[Duc]

I would not assume a 1945 color photo has correct color balance. That said, the screen shots above due seem perhaps over desaturated. If there were more green and yellow in the vegetation, it would seem more natural.

But i like vintage colour pics....ok so we want realistic rendering or vintage ??

It's great beacause i never suspected that by posting this topic it will produce a so interresting debate. I like this :wink: :wink:.

I will have a free day after tomorrow....i hope to work hard for Iwo and Kyushu which is pratically finished

Great redko! I look forward to them both

[redko]

Ok.

Some pics of The ARMADA.

This is JUST to see if the "thing works" and fit with what we all consider to be "IWO JIMA". Don't take too much in consideration the land textures, because this is still "beta" version and final ones will come very soon...it's just a kind of sketch here, it's just to have a global idea. So do we prefer this dark Iwo Jima ?

Am i in the good way guys ?? :roll: UPDATE, final beaches textures in the last part of this page

1.


2.


3


4.


5.


6.


7.


8.


9.


10.


11.


12.


13.


14.


15.


16. Landing ships here................going to duty..........................tragical moment :roll:


17.


18.

[-)-MAILMAN-]

My father was given a duplicate set of prints of pictures taken during the invasion. He was a Coast Guard Motor Machinist aboard the LST 764. This LST had embarked parts of a Marine Artillery Division and had two LCVP's. He was part of the LCVP crew and his job was to run the engine. The pictures he has show IWO as little more than moonscape including the area where there is a picture of the original flag that was put on top of Suribachi. My father said that the beaches were black ash and lacked all vegetation as far as the eye can see.

By the way did he take pics ?

No my father did not take the pictures, but a shipmate from his LST 764 was a photographer and took the pictures.

My father had two additional relatives take part in this invasion. His brother, 5 years younger than he, was a USN quartermaster aboard the Destroyer Escort, USS Greenwood. Their first cousin was a crew member of a USN manned LST (never learned the hull number) and also was part of the amphibious force at Iwo. Over the years all three spoke of how the island looked like the surface of the moon from their vantage point prior to the invasion bombardment and looked even worse after the bombardment when the smoke cleared. All three could see the original flag on top of Suribachi and could attest to the fleet's whistles being sounded as it was raised. They took no notice of the second/replacement flag going up that was made famous by Rosenthal's photograph.

[Goblin]

"beatiful" ..if only this was not sad History.. but for game is very OK!!.

[redko]

My father was given a duplicate set of prints of pictures taken during the invasion. He was a Coast Guard Motor Machinist aboard the LST 764. This LST had embarked parts of a Marine Artillery Division and had two LCVP's. He was part of the LCVP crew and his job was to run the engine. The pictures he has show IWO as little more than moonscape including the area where there is a picture of the original flag that was put on top of Suribachi. My father said that the beaches were black ash and lacked all vegetation as far as the eye can see.

By the way did he take pics ?

No my father did not take the pictures, but a shipmate from his LST 764 was a photographer and took the pictures.

My father had two additional relatives take part in this invasion. His brother, 5 years younger than he, was a USN quartermaster aboard the Destroyer Escort, USS Greenwood. Their first cousin was a crew member of a USN manned LST (never learned the hull number) and also was part of the amphibious force at Iwo. Over the years all three spoke of how the island looked like the surface of the moon from their vantage point prior to the invasion bombardment and looked even worse after the bombardment when the smoke cleared. All three could see the original flag on top of Suribachi and could attest to the fleet's whistles being sounded as it was raised. They took no notice of the second/replacement flag going up that was made famous by Rosenthal's photograph.

Ok thanks for the information. :wink:

Yes Goblin it's a sad history and the whole place is full of pain. Hope this map will show this aspect in memory of all those who died there from both sides....

I'm finishing this so release is coming soon.

[Guest]

Those pics are amazing! hock: I really am stunned

[redko]

Hi guys.

After many efforts i bring to you the last set of pics before the releasing of Iwo Jima V1 :wink:

I worked very hard taking carefully attention to your suggestions and trying to understand what kind of result you were waiting for. Thanks to all!

This is far away to be perfect, but i think we have now something we can consider as a V1 finished version of this map. It tried to make it as dark as possible.

Improvements will come later of course as i learn each day here :wink: .

The THING is that with a so little map/surface it's difficult to have a nice rendering with detailed textures.

So......ENJOY THIS. Download for this WEEK END :wink:

1. Suribachi will appear a little too clear in these pics (depends of the hour)....it will be darker this week end for the release


2.


3. The FLEET and the movement of the landing ships going to the beaches


4. Final textures for beaches here.


5.


6.


7.


8.


9.


10. No mans lands


11.


12. I kept the airfields as requested.


13.


14.


15. "DARK" is the word here.....:wink:


16.


17. Not so bad close to the ground right ?


18.


19.


21.


So...see you this week end for download :wink: