In praise of Andrew Brown's mapmod v2

[bradfordkay]

Andrew, I want to thank you ever so much for the hard work you have done in creating a beautiful and believable map for WITP. While I was perfectly happy with the game, the game map had always disappointed me. I'm a guy who grew up pouring over maps and charts (early on my dad gave me his copies of the West Point Atlas of American Wars) and the inaccuracies of the original map continued to eat at me. Your mapmod has cured that.

I know that I had cast a crack earlier about the looks of it, but either you improved the graphics on the islands or I've just gotten accustomed to it. I think in v1 you never added the terrain texture to the small islands, but did so for v2? If that isn't the case, then it just grew on me.

I highly recommend Andrew's mapmod v2 to everyone. I can't picture playing the game any other way now.

[von Murrin]

Yep, it's one very sweet piece of work. I won't play without it now.

[Andrew Brown]

Thanks for the comments bradfordkay and von Murrin. Greatly appreciated. The game map was the biggest dissapointment for me as well (obviously!). Actually apart from the map there is little else to fault about the game - well, the odd annoying bug but they are working on those. WitP is one incredible game, that is for sure.

I didn't really change anything in the graphics between version 1 and 2. I like the look of the map but then again I am biased, and I played a lot of boardgames in the past, which is where my drawing style came from probably. I know some others don't like it but every one to their own. CobraAus has made some very good versions of the map art for my map, and there may be other versions in the future as well I hope. My mod is not about the look of the map anyway - it is about the base locations and the transport infrastructure etc. which makes it ironic that the artwork gets most of the attention.

Andrew

[von Murrin]

Your artwork gets attention because it's clear, elegant, and pointed, but not glaring.

You and CobraAus have each produced at least one version with a palette that is easy on the eyes. The only one I found better was that snippet of Subchaser's version that actually made my eyes feel better for looking at my damned monitor.[:D]

[Andrew Brown]

ORIGINAL: von Murrin
The only one I found better was that snippet of Subchaser's version that actually made my eyes feel better for looking at my damned monitor.[:D]

If Subchaser does produce a version of my map - something that he was thinking of doing - it would be brilliant.

[CobraAus]

has the cd set arrive in the post yet - sent last monday

Cobra aus

[Jaws_slith]

Due this post I installed the map (downloaded it since it came out) Great map, I really like the batch file and this is how all mods must be. Ragoon seems a little of the spot... maybe there are more little corrections needed. Are you planning updates??

Thanks

[CoolDog]

This sounds a must try .

As I tend to play exclusively as Allies vs AI I was wondering if the AI handles the new map ok or if there are any tips I should follow to give the AI a fair shot. ( Lets face it , it needs all the help it can get. )

[Distiller]

Second the praise for Andrew's map. The game has definitely gained by it. Great work for someone spending his spare time. Should become the official map.

[bradfordkay]

" As I tend to play exclusively as Allies vs AI I was wondering if the AI handles the new map ok or if there are any tips I should follow to give the AI a fair shot. ( Lets face it , it needs all the help it can get. )"

I am in the same boat, and am only a couple of weeks into scen 116. So far, the pace of operations seems fairly close to historical, and no seriously glaring ommissions in the way of invasions by the AI. I'll continue to monitor this and will report if it proves otherwise.

Andrew, it's the improved accuracy of your map that caused me to stick with it. I had to revise my comments on its looks, because I felt that my original ones were unfounded.

[Andrew Brown]

ORIGINAL: CoolDog

This sounds a must try .

As I tend to play exclusively as Allies vs AI I was wondering if the AI handles the new map ok or if there are any tips I should follow to give the AI a fair shot. ( Lets face it , it needs all the help it can get. )

There are a couple of minor problems with the way the AI handles the new map, but they can be handled by using house rules:

- Soviet activation is dependent on Japanese LCU moving into a hex in the Soviet Union, and this data is hard coded into the game (as far as I can tell). Because the Soviet border is different on my map, it is possible for the Japanese to attack some "Soviet" hexes along the border and not activate the Soviets. This can be prevented by using a house rule to attack a genuine Soviet hex at the start of any Japanese attack of the SU. The suggested Soviet hex is identified in the documentation (can't remember it right now, but it is near Vladivostock). This house rule should also be used in PBEM play.

- The AI does not use the new bases in certain ways. For example, I have never seen the Allied AI put any units in the Society Islands (Bora Bora and Papaete). Because of this "neglect", if you are playing as the Japanese against Allied AI, you could easily capture many of the newly added bases with token landing forces (say, transported by submarine). This can be alleviated by refraining form taking advantage of this problem as described here. This problem should not affect the Japanese AI as they do not have any extra bases. This house rule should not be necessary in PBEM play.

I have been running an AI vs Ai game for a while now to see how it behaves - so far it seems to be doing reasonable things, although I have never played an AI vs AI game on the normal map for this long, so I can't really compare it against anything. I am up to January 1945 now, and the Allies have liberated Malaya and Singapore, landed in Davao, and taken Guam, Saipan and Tinian, after a LONG campaign there. The Japanese launched an offensive in China in 44 and have forces in Kunming and Chunking, but there are a lot of other Chinese cities still under Chinese control and the advance Japanese forces are fatigued and low on supply.

I would like to test the map in PBEM play but I have not had the opportunity to do so yet. Soon, hopefully.

Andrew

[CoolDog]

Thanks , sounds good .

My next restart will be a Lemurs scenario on your map.

I suspect this game will still be giving good service many years from now , thanks in great part to people like you. [&o]