Hi guys,

1) MODDING THE MAP

I'm working a bit on RoF map (well actually, on RoF "maps"). The mods are done in French, but some of you might be interested to give it a try.

I've extracted the dds files related to the map in order to add locations. This means, the new locations are on the map only, not on the landscape (maybe one day, who knows?). AFAIK, RoF uses three levels for "zooming" on the map, each one corresponding to map files of a different resolution. RoF doesn't use a single huge map, but plenty of pieces indeed (sector maps). This is probably a way to reduce memory load. So, I've started to work on files which are used for zoom levels that could be roughly called 50% and 100%.

Althought the original map is quite well done, the front line isn't perfectly set: just an example from the screen below, the village of Bétheny -immediate north of Reims- was crossed by the trenches. However, I've added several places that were in the front (farms for example)


Screenies





To install these modded sector maps:

- Download this .zip (Updated on: 12/16; approx. modded area: front from Albert to St-Mihiel)
- respecting the zip arborescence, put the dds files consequently in order to get one folder called rof\data\swf\map\map1\04\ and another called rof\data\swf\map\map1\02\

These files will be used over the original ones but the game won't be affected. I mean, if you want to switch back to the original map, just delete the modded files.

Points to note:

Batt: Batterie (Fortifications of General Séré de Rivières' system) which was roughly an archie bunker.
Fe: Ferme (Farm)
Ft: Fort (Fortifications of General Séré de Rivières' system)
Mt: Mont (Mount)
Oge: Ouvrage (Fortifications of General Séré de Rivières' system) which was roughly a bunker.

2) MODDING THE FRONT LINES

As I previously wrote, the front lines aren't perfectly located (no matter the period), this could be seen as a minor matter, but I feel quite concerned. I've been into WW1 history for almost 20 years and perhaps I can contribute to this.

Here are the progresses for the front moves

- Entire RoF landscape
-|- Late 1915 50% DONE

- Verdun 1916
-|- 21 Febuary FINISHED
-|- 24 Febuary FINISHED
-|- 28 Febuary FINISHED
-|- 9 April FINISHED
-|- 8 August FINISHED
-|- 15 December FINISHED

- Somme 1916
-|- 5 September 95% DONE
-|- 11 September 95% DONE
-|- 13 September 95% DONE
-|- 30 November 95% DONE

- Hindenburg line 1917
-|- 21 March 5% DONE
-|- 15 April 60% DONE

- Champagne 1917 (E of Reims)
-|- 30 April FINISHED

- Chemin des Dames 1917 (NW of Reims)
-|- 5 May FINISHED
-|- 23 October FINISHED
-|- 26 October FINISHED
-|- 2 November FINISHED

Of course I'll try to work on every significant move until the end of the war.

Here's what I'm able to do:

- Removing no man's land aspect
- Adding new no man's land aspect
- Adding slight no man's land effects: for example front lines were usually grey as well and I'm adding this color to, at least I hope so, improving accuracy.
- Removing the trenches
- Removing forest/wood areas
- Adding forest/wood areas

Here's what I'm not able to do at the moment:

- Adding trenches (no man's land design isn't linked to trench locations)
- Recode the trenches & front line locations: this alters woods if I put some over an original front line area, even if I've removed it first. Anyway, grass and fields aren't altered. Moreover, without the proper coding, I can't put broken woods over a newly set no man's land.

In fact, I got the point about how the coordinates for the trenches (roads as well) location coding are computed, but it looks pretty hard to use them the way they are actually stored. I guess they haven't been hand-written...

Now, here's a screenshot of the Verdun area at the end of 1916.



A close up over Fort Douaumont (NE of Verdun) supposed location:







Well, not perfect but not too bad...

To install these modded lanscape parts:

- Download this .zip (Updated on: 12/23; approx. modded area: front from Fort de la Malmaison -NE of Soissons- to St-Mihiel for about 1916 to 1917)
- put the global_forest.bmp into rof\data\graphics\landscape\mask\ and the mask_ folders images in chronological order into rof\data\graphics\landscape\mask\ folder (replace them if necessary): this means copy and paste the files gathered into mask_1915 folder (into the .zip) first, and then continue until reaching the date you want.

These files will be used over the original ones but the game won't be affected. I mean, if you want to switch back to the original landscape, just delete the modded files.

Merry Christmas!

Xav.

You have done such a great job xjouve, I have already commented in RoF Forums and will do that again here.
I hope your work will be noticed by the developers and be incorporated in game officially!

Amazing work

Very nice. I personally am not bothered by any potential errors in the front lines' locations, because they changed so much and I know so little about the locations. But I'm quite picky in some other areas, so I understand how this can be an issue for some. It's good that someone's put in a lot of work to fix it for those who are bothered by it.

The problem I have with no mans land is it's to much of a severe change from fields to craters...people presume no mans land was like the photo's they see which are mainly from Passhendaele...infact alot of grass in the summer grew and it wasn't a mass of muddy craters all the way down through the whole of the war....even during the begining of the Somme there was a problem with grass and fields of fire...I'd prefer it if no mnas land differed over the war and even at it's worse there was a more gradual increase in craters etc....

Oh also not keen on the trench's. The communication trench's are wrong they should be winding without the traverses...also the communication trench should stretch back a lot further from the front line traverse firing trench's.

If the whole look of the trenchescan be improved this way, it will be fabulous. And a perfect mod that can hopefully become official. They don't need to be totally accurately placed, but a much more realistic general look will be most welcome.

The potential in this is amazing. I wonder if there is any hope that the Devs make this another 'community project' to help implement a moving frontline system.

Thanks guys!

Here's a screenshot to show the look of the modded no man's land.

This is a very nice mod if any of you missed it. I'm bumping the thread hoping that there may be an update.

Moderators, any chance of making a RoF 'sticky' folder for mods like this??? Otherwise they get buried and lost...

Not sure how to install....do I have to make a mask folder? Then what do I do...do I have to choose which map somehow before booting up? Or does it pick the right year automatically?

Do I have to copy paste all the contents of all the folders or just the year i will use?

My No mans land still looks the same...nothing like the screenshot above.

I hear you, the instructs are a little muddled but basically put the 02 and 04 map folders (from the zip) into your Rise of Flight folder as such:
...\data\swf\map\map1\ The game will do the rest, and depending on where you fly the new maps will be used. On the maps look for a better font and more place names.

The no mans land mod I think is a work in progress judging by the OP (my front looks the same as well in the time periods I fly), which is why I hope for an update or more info.
Perhaps there is more on the official forum, but I can't locate anything over there, even if I've found a thread before I can never relocate it again...

http://riseofflight.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=15202

Hope this is what you mean.

glad there's still movement there :-)

Would love to see the whole map done in that way.

Thanks for link; apparently no update since the December files provided here.

After re-reading the thread and how xjouve was altering not only the maps and front but also correcting forests as well, I was struck by how I noticed since I installed the mod that some forests do not "fill up" the dark green forest area/texture patch with trees like they used to before. In fact some treed areas have squared margins, which looks very unnatural. I'm wondering if this is the mod, because I cannot say for sure. I will locate one of these forests, disable the mod, and report...

Think I've done it right but I can't see any No mans Land like the screenshot on page 1. It looks alot better on the screenshot as it seems to have a patchy effect.

I wonder if these map are smaller then original big map? Cause i think original large map has big impact in gameplay expecially online ( lower fps, stutters, lags) even if there is only usable about 1/6 of map area.

I think smaller maps would be better ( about 1/2 original large one) with better then original no man land textures.

@ Xjouve

I finally figured out where to install your great Map Mod in my ROF file structure. The in-game map now shines! Do you intend on completing the detailed village coverage area all the way from the Lille area in the North to past Toul in the South?

OlPaint

Those are files which change the the original RoF map.
I am also for cutting the map into 2-3 parts, like Flanders, Marne and Verdun/Metz regions. That would speed the loading process, improve online gameplay and would help the devs with the offline career mode (they could focus on the operations on the one part of the front, and later expand it by adding te squadrons from the other front locations/maps). However I am aware that probably many more users would love to see Channel Map more rather than rewoked original one.

Lucas