Modifications to MWiF Scandinavia Map portion

[Shannon V. OKeets]

ORIGINAL: Jeff Gilbert

I am continually amazed at the quality work being done on the maps for MWiF.
They are looking so good I will buy the game just for the maps!
Of course, the game would be a nice add on. [:D]

That's almost all Patrice's work with advice and comments from many forum members. Rob Armstrong will be doing the final bitmap versions based on Patrice's 'drafts'.

[Shannon V. OKeets]

I finally got around to updating the European map colors for the rivers and lake outlines to match those for the Scandinanvian map. Here is half of the overlap portion between the two maps - the half that is correct. The overlap from Turku and points west still need to be fixed.

[CBoehm]

NICE [;)]

[Shannon V. OKeets]

Here are the latest mods to the Scandinavian coastal and river/lake bitmaps.

This is where the most changes have been made: the western join between the Scandinavian map and the European map. They include revisions to the European map from WIF FE, which were only made after a lot of discussion in the forum, voting, and solid consensus (perhaps not unanimous).

Patrice, the hex east of Gehtenburg is coastal - it shouldn't be. The hex NE of Gothenburg needs a RLS entry. The name Vanern should be lowered a tad.

I think the river SE of Stockholm has to be made thicker to make it more apparent.

And let me brag a little here - I really like the way the automation of the rail lines enables them to skirt the wet spots. None of that is hard coded; the program figures it out using logic based on the presence of all sea and lake hexsides.

[Shannon V. OKeets]

The eastern continuation of the join. Nothing has changed here except aruond Turku.

[Shannon V. OKeets]

Rob redid the lakes in the SW corner of this screen shot so it would be clearer which hexsides they were blocking. he also modded the river around Petsamo so it wouldn't get lost in the country boundary.

[Shannon V. OKeets]

Spitzbergen now has some Ice terrain, instead of all Tundra.

[Shannon V. OKeets]

An overview of Scandinavia at zoom 3.

To make it all visible on my screen I would have to go to zoom 2. Ok, I'll do that in the next post.

[Shannon V. OKeets]

6th and last in the series.

As I always say, "You put in a thousand hours of work, and you can made something that's not half bad." In this case, several hundred hours, in aggregate, by dozens of people.

[Incy]

Nice.

With a overview like this two possible improvements strike me:
-the boundary between Arctic ocean and Norwegian sea should go through (some of) lofoten islands rather than pass by to their north. Looks better, and would be a lot more realistic militarily. Also more consistent with seasone placement elsewhere.
There was some limited action in Lofoten that reinforces it as a likely landing spot, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Anklet

-For historical (and infrastructure) reasons, the boundary between Norwegian sea and north sea might be better placed one hex further south. This hex (actually only the small island in the northwest part of the hex) is the site of the "Måløy raidet" aka "Operation archery"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Archery
Måløy is a good, well sheltered (but small) port with major fish processing industry. It handles more fish than any other norwegian port (= infrastructure + proximity to the sea = of military value). But there is no airfield (to many fjords & mountains), and the port is probaly to small for capital ships, so no port symbol. But bordering two seasones is justified.

[Peter Stauffenberg]

ORIGINAL: Shannon V. OKeets

Here are the latest mods to the Scandinavian coastal and river/lake bitmaps.

I just noticed that the SW corner of lake Vänern is missing the lake coast lines. Scandinavia looks great now.

[Toed]

ORIGINAL: Shannon V. OKeets

Here are the latest mods to the Scandinavian coastal and river/lake bitmaps.

This is where the most changes have been made: the western join between the Scandinavian map and the European map. They include revisions to the European map from WIF FE, which were only made after a lot of discussion in the forum, voting, and solid consensus (perhaps not unanimous).

Patrice, the hex east of Gehtenburg is coastal - it shouldn't be. The hex NE of Gothenburg needs a RLS entry. The name Vanern should be lowered a tad.

I think the river SE of Stockholm has to be made thicker to make it more apparent.

And let me brag a little here - I really like the way the automation of the rail lines enables them to skirt the wet spots. None of that is hard coded; the program figures it out using logic based on the presence of all sea and lake hexsides.

Looking very good indeed now. I agree that the river SE of Stockholm could stand out more. Other than 3 small items the Swedish part of the map seems as good as we can get it to be (considering scale, hexes and overall 'WiFness'). [:)]

1 & 2 are the south tips of Vänern and Vättern. Vänern seems to be missing a part in the hex NE of Gothenburg and the 'tail' of Vänern doesn't match up completely with the eastern shoreline.
3 is the placement of Luleå wich in my view should be moved west so it is on the coastline adjacent to Luleälven.

[ahlner]

Looks very nice!

I really like that the Finnish port Hanko is now part of the Finnish Borderlands as it was historically. The correct Finnish spelling is Hanko (not the Norwegian letter Ø).

Here are some suggestions for a couple of small changes:

Borders
- The Finnish part of the Rybachi peninsula (the hex NE of Petsamo) should be part of the Finnish Borderland.

Spelling
- Finnish spelling of Vyborg is Viipuri (Vyborg is Russian spelling).
- ö in the Swedish port of Norrköping
- Ö in the island of Öland (Swe)
- ä in the Estonian port of Pärnu


As a Swede I think only one major flaw remains on the Scandinavian map; the Danish island of Bornholm. But it is in WiF FE and has been discussed in earlier posts... One suggestion is to completely leave out the island on the map.

[Incy]

Spelling
- Finnish spelling of Vyborg is Viipuri (Vyborg is Russian spelling).
- ö in the Swedish port of Norrköping
- Ö in the island of Öland (Swe)
- ä in the Estonian port of Pärnu

I think this might be overdue to get in place some naming conventions.
For countries, it's pretty consistant usage of english names.
For territories and island groups, it's mostly english but not always:
Why is it Åland, but Faeroes??
For cities, it's mostly local names, but sometimes english:
Why is it Mexico City and not Ciudad Mexico, and Copenhagen and not København? (maybe the standard is english names whenever available?)
Same for lakes and rivers:
Why is it "Lake lagoda" (and not the russian "Ladozhskoye Ozero")? Just to the west is "Vänaren" or "Mjøsa" which do get local names(maybe same reason, english names when available?)

[ahlner]

As I have understood the naming convention is English names when availaible (for example Gothenburg instead of Göteborg) and local names when no English names are available.

[Froonp]

- ö in the Swedish port of Norrköping
- Ö in the island of Öland (Swe)
- ä in the Estonian port of Pärnu

I've corrected that.

Borders
- The Finnish part of the Rybachi peninsula (the hex NE of Petsamo) should be part of the Finnish Borderland.

I've corrected that too.

For Viipuri, I'll leave Vyborg for the moment, as this is Vyborg that is written on the WiF FE map.

I think that the name for cities, is the most known name, English if available. Mexico is most known than Ciudad Mexico, not to speak of Copenhagen / København.

[Peter Stauffenberg]

ORIGINAL: ahlner
Borders
- The Finnish part of the Rybachi peninsula (the hex NE of Petsamo) should be part of the Finnish Borderland.

Look here for details about which Finnish regions were lost when:
http://www.tacitus.nu/historical-atlas/ ... inland.htm

You're right that the Fisher peninsula area was lost in 1940, but not the Petsamo area. It was lost in 1944.

[CBoehm]

Scandinavia looks great - just too bad the RAW rules dont support any (good) reason for GER to attack Norway ...ei. if GE attacks its vertually guaranteed that the CW will get a firm foothold in Narvik thereby preventing the transport of the swedish resources in winter not to mention giving the CW a butload of cp's and 2 TRNs ...

[ahlner]

Here is a map of the areas ceded by Finland in 1940 after the Winter War and which should be part of the Finnish Borderlands:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moscow_Peace_Treaty_(1940)

[FinnOlavFosse]

Just east of Kristiandsand (where the letters tiandsand are) a town called Arendal is located. On the 9th of Nowember 1935 the connection with the Sørlandsbanen (southernrailroad)was established and a railroad connection with standard rail (the same whidt as sørlandsbanen)made it possible too transport goods, passangers etc from arendal too the rest of the rail line connectiong Stavanger, Kristiandsand and oslo. The transit station Nelaug is roughly located in the middle of the green hex north of the hex in question. In 1939 Arendal had the 4th largest Tanker fleet only surpassed by Oslo(largest) Bergen (2nd) and Stavanger(3rd). If anyone wonder why the rail road is located inland it was for protection against ship shelling, and protection from enemy troop landings since the rail road was the primary means for troop and equipment movment. The reason I mention this is the fact that Arendal was 1 of the ports included in opperation Weserübung Nord(the codename for the german invasion of norway)Gruppe A had Arendal as target, gruppe B Bergen, gruppe E Egersund(south of stavanger) gruppe K Kristiandsand gruppe N Narvik gruppe O Oslo and gruppe T Trondheim. At abt 04:00 on the morning of April the 9th the Captain of the "Greif" gets the coded message too impliment opperation Altona the codename for the strategic supprice attack on Arendal. The attack was lead by elements of the 163 divison under General Engelbrecht. The main objectiv was too secure the city and harbour. According too the plan Greif should begin landing troops at 04:15 but fog, and the complex norwegian coastline with its many islands delayed the invasion. And the first german troops landed in Arendal at around 08:30. No hostility took place and Arendal was officialy a german stronghold with capability too bring in supplies and troops. Rittmester Smith Von Wesenthal and his second in command Leutnant Von Bredal simply marched into the town hall and informd that the city was occupied and that he would like too speak with the town officials.

Adding the port of Arendal would give the scandinavian map a level of historical detail overlooked by most games. And with the war dragging on Festung Norwegen (fortress Norway) could be another strategic consideration with intress for veterans of world in flames and a often overlooked but extremly strategic coastline. Just the fact that the german army had 400 thousand troops stationed in norway at a time is a interesting fact.

Hope this have been of some help, and thanks for making this game (I was afraid I had too decorate a wholde room too play the boardgame each summer when the old gang meet upp he he)