Historical Flags Mod

[Philippeatbay]

You may not be using version 1.3b, or at least I hope you aren't.

I just checked the source files and unzipped the files that were uploaded, and everything looks fine.

It was such a minor change (one tiny part of one texture) that I didn't feel it deserved a whole new version number when I corrected it a few days ago.

That'll teach me for not making a post about it.

Sorry for the confusion.

[PHalen]

Ah! Thanks!
Your're right! I hadn't noticed the 1.3b version and was still on 1.3.
My zoomed out Finnish HQ's are all sorted now with version 1.3b.

[crispy131313]

Could you possibly add Portugal to the Unit Flag list if there is a future update? Specifically for HQ.

[Philippeatbay]

You mean for 3-D HQ bases? I think Portugal is already there for everything else.

I didn't make a flag base for Portugal because it didn't seem like there was any way anyone could buy a Portuguese HQ. But adding one should be simple enough. I'm pretty sure it's already there for the flags for the 2-D Nato symbol units.

Are there any other flags that seem to be missing?

[crispy131313]

Thanks for opting to add Portugal to the 3-D HQ Base. It is for personal use [:D] as there is the option to obtain a Portuguese HQ in the scenario I play.

[Philippeatbay]

The mod has been updated to version 1.3c and can be downloaded from the links in the first post of this thread.

The only difference between 1.3b and 1.3c is that 1.3c has Portugese 3-D HQ flag bases that won't appear in the unmodded game.

You only need this version if you have version 1.3 or lower, or if you use mods that give you Portugese HQ's.

[crispy131313]

[&o] Thank you for the mini-update!

[Philippeatbay]

I've just taken another look at the mod to make sure that the latest patch didn't change anything.

The good news is that the patch doesn't disrupt anything.

The bad news is that I've just noticed something about the 3-D HQ flag bases that I wouldn't normally be aware of because I prefer to play with the 2-D Nato counters.

The long and the short of it is that I'm going to have to redo all of the 3-D bases because of the way the shadows from the 3-D units are falling. (Deep breath)

The silver lining in that particular cloud is that while I'm redoing all the bases, if exhaustion doesn't set in I'll be able to add a few more minor nation headquarters that don't currently appear in the game.

So while I'm girding my loins to redo the flag bases, this would be a great time to mention any neglected favorites like Slovakia, Croatia, or Persia.

[PJL1973]

Wikipedia has a nice section on the historical flags of Persia here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Iran

[Philippeatbay]

Wiki tends not to be a great source on flags, though that Persian flag article is pretty good.

The relevant issue, though, is that I need a valid reason to expend the effort to make extra flags.

From past experience I know that when I've finished re-making the set I have now my brains will be leaking out of my ears: there are a lot of individual steps involved in making a 3-D flag base. One flag more or less may not seem like a big deal when you start the series, but when you get towards the end of it an extra flag or two makes a difference. If somebody tells me that there's a mod that makes it possible to purchase an HQ from a certain country that's fine and reason enough to include something, but I'm not going to start cranking out flags just because I can. I need to draw the line somewhere, and something not showing up in the game or a mod seems like a pretty good place for a line.


So I really need to hear if I've missed something from the vanilla game, or if a mod does something that makes it need a flag that isn't already in the mix.

[Philippeatbay]

The mod has been upgraded to version 1.4 and the links in the first post have all been updated.

Emerson's hobgoblin should now be appeased: the light source for the 3-D bases is now the upper left-hand corner and not the upper right-hand corner.

(The shadows from the figures are slanting down to the right diagonally, so the light has to be coming from the upper left).

More minor nations now have 3-D HQ bases, like Persia, Czechoslovakia, Australia, and New Zealand. You won't see these in the regular game, they're just there to accomodate future mods.

I haven't done 3-D HQ bases Brazil or Ireland, but that can be done later if there's a need.

India now uses the Red Ensign with Star of India for 2-D and 3-D HQ's, but the keeps the Union flag for everything else.

I originally used the Red Ensign for everything, but then noticed that the India roundel acts as a stand-in for Commonwealth maritime traffic. So with much regret I switched the non-HQ symbols back to the Union flag.
(I've used the Blue Ensign for things like this in the past, but didn't want to use it and then find out that it was showing up in the wrong places six months later).

I also made some corrections to the Slovak 2-D zoomed out HQ flag (which no one will notice because it probably doesn't get used).

[Philippeatbay]

The mod has been upgraded to version 1.5 and the links in the first post have been updated.

The only change to the existing part of the mod is that I have provisionally rolled back the Japanese flag/roundel
to what was used pre-mod because I think the slightly incorrect rising sun roundel is easier to read.

What's new is that I have included a unit activation icon that is harmonized with the current state of the mod.
My unit activation icon is a bit of a work in progress while I figure out how to beat my antiquated copy of Photoshop into submission.
For the moment the 'new' icons are mostly relocations of existing symbols, but that will eventually change.
But my big concern, when looking at unit activation icons, has been to keep all the icons about the same size,
even if that means using an icon that I don't otherwise care for (e.g. Bulgaria).

Things to be aware of when looking at the activation symbols:

Algerian and Tunisian troops both use French activation icons. This is deliberate.

I've kept the vanilla game's Yugoslav icon for the Kingdom of Yugoslavia even though it's only appropriate for Tito.
Kingdom of Yugoslavia troops only make a brief appearance, and Tito's partisans are around for several years.
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia needs to be fully added to the game engine's country list before
giving it a special roundel really makes sense: The Kingdom usually only has troops on the map for one or two turns.

Croatian troops use an activation icon based on the Croatian and former Yugoslav national flags that looks similar to the UK activation icon,
highlighting the ongoing civil war in Yugoslavia.

I'm currently using an activation icon for the Palestine garrison with the blue and white colors of the Jewish Brigade's shoulder patch.
This could change if I eventually decide that I've gone overboard.

I'm also using Sipres' US activation icon because he's a good artist and his icon looks much better than the original texture.

[Philippeatbay]

I've had a change of heart about the Algerian roundel.
So based on what goes on in these two posters and especially in the 'Emprunt Africain' poster I've added a star and crescent symbol to French Algeria.
That should make it distinct from France and Vichy France.

So the Historical Flags mod has been updated to 1.6 and the links in the first post of this thread will take you to the new version.

[Cataphract88]

Thank you for your continued work on this great mod. [:)]

[Philippeatbay]

I recently dicovered to my horror that new installations of the Historical Flags mod weren't working because I had merged it with the Historical Flags mod for WAW.

Sorting this out was a bit like going down the rabbit hole.

Historical Flags WIE version 1.8 has been uploaded and more or less restores the mod to its original functionality.

I've also started using the excellent mod folder system that's been in place for Strategic Command for some time. It really does make mods easier to install and uninstall.

The link in the first post in this thread will take you to version 1.8, which you shouldn't have any difficulty installing.

I've found that the mod is not entirely compatible with other graphics mods, so be aware that the mod, as designed and presented, works best when it is the only graphics mod in play.

I was very impressed with the Blue Max mod, so to give the modded Strategic Command in the European theater some graphic continuity I've put together a mod that harmonizes the Knights Cross mod and my original Historical Flags mod. That mod is already essentially finished and tested, and I will be posting it very soon.

In the meantime, the first post of this thread has been adjusted to reflect the new version of the mod, and the link should take you to the latest version.

[Philippeatbay]

As I mentioned in a post in the Knight's Cross thread a few days ago, I've put together a combined Historical Flags and Knight's Cross mod.

The links (there are three of them) are at the end of the first post in this thread.

This mod is a combination of IronX's Knight's Cross 1.2 mod and my Historical Flag WIE 1.8 mod.

If you see anything you like it's probably his, and if you see anything that looks awful it's probably mine.

Most of the time the Knight's Cross and Historical Flags mod cover different material, but in a few cases they don't, and sometimes they conflict.

Whenever that happened I usually tried to go with IronX's way of doing things, so this mod will look and feel like the Knight's Cross mod.

I had to redraw a few of his symbols to keep the flags consistent, and there were one or two instances where I departed from his format (the War and fortification symbols).

But for all intents and purposes this is his mod, only with my flags.

I'm not really working on these mods at the moment, but I will eventually address how to reflect updates in his mod as well as my own.

(I think he has already made changes to his base, and I know of a few things I want to adjust in the future -- and that's without addressing the question of what to do about WAW, which is also on the table).

I'm not entirely comfortable with proceeding this way, but without adjustments the two mods are not compatible.

The important thing to remember is that if you install and activate the combined mod, it won't work as it should if there are any other Knight's Cross or Historical Flags mods activated.

[Philippeatbay]

Because of the JTS Software summer sale there's been a run on downloading my mods and my box account has burned through all of its bandwidth for the month of July.

It's not a major issue for my Tiller mods because most of the links are mirrored on Dropbox, so for the rest of July you can still download my Napoleonic mods from the Dropbox links.

But so far I haven't needed to set up mirror links for my other mods, particularly my mods for Strategic Command and Decisive Campaigns.

If you want to download one of my mods and don't feel like waiting until early August, send me a PM and tell me which mod you want to download and I'll look into setting something up on Dropbox.