The RHS Map Concept

[el cid again]

Cobra has posted the first version of the RHS map for testers. This is NOT yet suitable for use. However, it is time to explain what this map is, and what options are intended for it:

First, this map is based on a new map done by Andrew Brown - an updated version of his famous Andrew Brown's Extended Map. That new map also has not yet been released - and seems still also to be undergoing minor changes. But the RHS map is more pretty much the CHS map for the NEXT version of CHS - with a few revisions - listed below.

Second, it is the design intent that the RHS map can be used with ANY CHS scenario that also uses Andrew Brown's Extended Map. If you like some feature (say mountains in China - movement by ferries - whatever) of the RHS map but prefer to use it with CHS - that should work fine. You will simply install the pwhex file and the map art where normally you would have CHS material. [Or, if we get lucky, Andrew may create a special option in his utility for switching maps].

Third, IF you play an RHS scenario, you MUST use the RHS map, because some units appear at locations missing from the CHS map. At the moment this is restricted to the Indian Air Force (appearing at two locations in Pakistan) and to the Japanese (appearing in the hex of Kyushu that has no location in CHS or stock - by the famous Bungo Straits between Kyushu and Shikoku). There is also a new location in China that gets a Chinese War Area HQ (because this is the correct location).

Fourth, aside from the few locations described above, the biggest changes to the RHS map are terrain changes. In particular, addition of mountain terrain in China, Manchukuo, on the big Island of Hawaii, and on Hokkaido. There also are a few changes in communications art - that is the road on the Big Island of Hawaii is no longer a direct run across the gigantic crater, but a coastal route around it; some rail lines are degraded to minor rail lines (= roads in Andrew's system) - or vice versa (e.g. a minor coal railroad is upgraded to a road on West Sumatra for two hexes ) - a road on Borneo is reduced to a trail - A trail from Hanoi to Kungming is turned into a minor rail line/road - the rail spur and then trail from the Kra Isthmus to Victoria Point is added - stuff like that.

Fifth, aside from terrain changes, the RHS map changes the land-sea communication between land bodies at certain points. These are called "ferries" and come in two species:

Low Capacity Ferries (= trail movement)
High Capacity Ferries (= road movement)

Locations with ferries generally can pass ships between the points bridged by the ferries. The ferries can move supplies, resources or land units.

However, there are special cases:

Rivers: Sometimes there is a river between land bodies - ships then cannot pass - and there may or may not be a ferry (depending on the particular case) - but land units can cross even without a ferry just as they do any river.

River ferries: There is one case of an extended river ferry - the Amur River ferry - this is sort of an invisible trail following the river - and it permits slow movement of land units ( and movement of supplies and resources and oil ) - so the Soviet economy can function.

Coal Harbor [Port Alice]: There is one case of an inland waterway - Coal Harbor is supplied out of Vancouver - it is functionally identical to the Amur River ferry described above. This is mainly to fix the notorious Port Alice supply problem. Land units can use it - but they will take much more time than if you put them on ships.

We intend to be running complete RHS tests by the first of the month. We hape to have a debugged map by then. If the tests run well, we hope to be able to release RHS with CHS about the middle of the month. Working with the RHS map now - or the module tests in a couple of weeks - is only for those who are into testing - and not upset at bugs or the need to upgrade files. Once things are debugged, we will so advise.