Matrix Games Forums

Hey take your time. I can wait. I'm doing battle on two of your maps now: the desert map and Pultulsk.

ok then, Welcome to This Jungle.

Designed with the wet, muddy, rough jungle terrain of the infamous Kokoda Trail of New Guinea in mind...this map is another that just isn't tank country!
For anyone who wants to get a taste of the unforgiving conditions that very brave men ( whether they be Australian/US/Japanese) had to endure while fighting in the Owen Stanley Range...try this one out.

Two mountain ridges, capped with ragged peaks run on either side of a river valley. The river runs fast and deep, but it does have many rock filled fords that will allow movement across it at several points.

There is dense jungle canopy towering over the tall jungle grass that cover the slopes...and swamp and mud areas created by the seemingly never-ending rains. And there is only one trail...you'll have to look hard for it , but its there...that crosses the map. Just like the Kokoda Trail itself, it's barely anything more than a foot trail but it will definitely help or hinder movement.

Ok, that is jungle #1. Number two is about 1/3 finished and will be an island affair...just incase there are people out there looking for a good storming the beaches fight!

Hi Orzel, When you get done with those other maps I'd like to put in an order for a few large western front winter maps ie Belgim (sp) in the winter for some Battle of the Bulge based battles.

Could one map be mostly "rural counrtyside" with a few isolated roads going through wooded terrain and maybe a few logging trails.

The other could be the typical "crossroads" town that were fought over during that battle.

I think you get the idea....

Thanks in advance

Could I ask for a nice overly populated large map?

If not, I guess I'll have to get off my lazy arse and make it myself.

I just wanted a nice predominantly flat map to use for PBEM play that was a large, or at least good sized portion covered by City.

is being built. Nice wooded area with a couple roads and villages and several wooded pathes.

G_X....a city map can be created...but it will definitely take a bit longer than my other creations. Are you talking a city map that would be something like a Stalingrad setting?

One of the guys was working on a Berlin Map but I don't know if that will happen . We definitely need Berlin for that last great battle.

Berlin, Stalingrad, a Fictional City...

Yes Orzel, I know it would take a long time, especially for a large map with lots of details...

I'm not saying it has to be historically accurate, but I'd love to have a 80% or more city map for PBEM. I know there are a couple, but these end up mostly as cities with large open areas in them, rather unlike most cities I've seen. Yes, there are large areas in Cities, but I've seen Berlin, and most of the large open areas were out near the edge of the city, except for the shopping areas and such. Maybe I just didn't see enough of the city.

But when I think of a city fight I think of having basically streets, squares maybe 2 or 3 hexes wide, and buildings, lots of buildings for the infantry to fight each other at 0 to 1 hex range and such.

I know it may not be historically accurate, but it's more of a fun-factor thing for me I suppose, and It would be nice to have an almost-all city map for PBEM made by you Orzel, from the way your others look I think it'd be great. Yes, I do understand it'd take a while, and I'm not begging for it, so feel free to go on making other maps, they're great! I feel so cliche now...anyways.

Orzel, I am not sure if that was the actual name for the place. But, could you make a map of the resort area that Hitler had built up. It supposedly was going to be where the most fanatical SS troops were to stage their last stand.

I think it is in the Bavarian Alps on the border with Austria. Very mountainous with lots of the Ultra Rich Resort Hotels and private residences.

Have you seen Redleg's scenario "Hell's Commando's"? He used something called the "Mountainiser" to create 6 levels of mountain instead of where the game usually stops at 3. It was a challenging map to fight up against entrenched German Emplacements.

Have you ever used this mountainiser tool?

are flooding in....I LOVE IT!

G_X I can probably get a 80% city map churned out...but right now I have two projects in the works..."Winter Ardennes" and "Berlin 45' ". As soon as I finish them up, I'll get started on your request.

TimeTanker, I have read up on the mountainiser tool but have yet to use it. The area you are referring to is Berchtesgaden...where Hitler had his famous mountain retreat. I would have to download the tool and play with it a bit, but that's not a problem to me....I like challenges.

So the list grows!

Originally posted by Commander Klank
Hi Orzel, When you get done with those other maps I'd like to put in an order for a few large western front winter maps ie Belgim (sp) in the winter for some Battle of the Bulge based battles.

Could one map be mostly "rural counrtyside" with a few isolated roads going through wooded terrain and maybe a few logging trails.

The other could be the typical "crossroads" town that were fought over during that battle.

I think you get the idea....

Thanks in advance

Did you already try this map for Battle of the Bulge PBEM??? Includes special shape graphics for winter buildings, a winterized church and PantherG with winter camo.

Have fun

________-
Harry

Originally posted by TimeTanker
Have you seen Redleg's scenario "Hell's Commando's"? He used something called the "Mountainiser" to create 6 levels of mountain instead of where the game usually stops at 3. It was a challenging map to fight up against entrenched German Emplacements.

Have you ever used this mountainiser tool?

If you want to see some maps/scenarios that were made by use of "Mountanizer" check "ARDENNES44" (posting above) and "After Cassino44" (see below)!

If you´re interested in "Mountanizer", get it here:

http://www.ectopia.net/~ectizen/

...want to know how it works? Get the Map Edit Doc file from my signature below.

Have fun

__________
Harry

Originally posted by Orzel Bialy
are flooding in....I LOVE IT!

G_X I can probably get a 80% city map churned out...but right now I have two projects in the works..."Winter Ardennes" and "Berlin 45' ". As soon as I finish them up, I'll get started on your request.

TimeTanker, I have read up on the mountainiser tool but have yet to use it. The area you are referring to is Berchtesgaden...where Hitler had his famous mountain retreat. I would have to download the tool and play with it a bit, but that's not a problem to me....I like challenges.

So the list grows!

Great! Thanks Orzel, you're the best...heh.

I wanna know where you get the time to do all this for us...And the motivation!

Don't worry, I can wait a while, just do a good job with it like all the rest have been.

The time to complete a given map is very little when all things are considered. Most of my "custom" maps take about four to five hours to finish...which only comes out to an hour and a half or so over the range of maybe three days.

The historical maps take a bit more time ( the D-day map I worked on for M4 Jess's upcoming D-day scenario took about double the typical amount of time ) because you have to do research, find suitable reference maps and what not.

The motivation is easy really....I just enjoy seeing them get downloaded and hear about how much they are enjoyed. Crazy isn't it?

Oh yeah....it helps to be either single or married to a very understanding person. Luckily, I have the blessing of having a wife who is tolerant as all Hell. lol.

I hope, if I ever get married, the situation is bleak at the moment, that I marry someone who understands that I'm a geek and prefer the computer over almost all human association, of course, she probably won't have to worry, I'm usually not the type to disobey a woman for long, lol.

Just to let anyone who is interested know: "Country Villages" which is more of Tank Country...as it has wide open fields cut here and there by stands of trees...and four small farm villages to battle over....has been posted at OKW-73's website.

I will continue to take requests here at this thread...but OKW has been kind enough to offer the finished maps a permament home. I will answer any inquiries here...and then post "alerts" when a new map has been shipped to OKW for downloading.

Thanks again OKW.

Orzel - you design very excellent maps

As for Historical maps - these take the longest to make. I remade the Baraque de Fraiture map (Parker's Crossroads) using Air photographs of the Battle site to spwaw scale and it took about 5 hours for a medium size map. Many detials of this area were incorpriated from these photos that other maps of same area lacked.

With the new map features and editors out there - maps can be made more detailed than before. So many maps - so little time:eek:

Orzel, I may use some of your maps for a few scenarios and your name will be on the scenario maps too

Well done!!

Originally posted by Orzel Bialy

Thanks again OKW.

No problem mate

Two requests for when you have nothing else on the plate.

#1:

I'd like to see a western european river valley. something that conjures up the feeling of the german bridgehead @ sedan in 1940. Not too wide a river, but one that is not fordable along (most of) its length, with 2-3 bridges to be fought over. Maybe some farm and village terrain along the river, with highway system and the hills rising on either side of the river valley.

#2:

A map of the bocage that would involve seizing crossings on one or more of the small rivers behind Utah beach. Not that it would have to be historical geography, but would rather make one imagine the airborne troops seizing bridgeheads. Perhaps some flooded fields in the low ground, and a village or villages on the high ground.

Now I'm that I've finished d/ling the maps you've already made, I'm looking forward to taking a look at them

G_X,

It won't take you any time at all to have two very large, historically accurate city maps available to you today. Just go to Redleg's site and download my maps of Nijmegen and Arnhem.

Sorry to jump into your thread, Orzel, but it is very frustrating to me to read these threads from guys, who, through no fault of theirs, ask for maps of cities, as if nobody has ever done exactly what they are asking for. I've spent about the last year researching and creating these two maps, which are accurate down to the street names correctly spelled in Dutch. One can actually recognize the streets of these two maps from aerial recon photos taken before and during the Market-Garden campaign.

G_X, Nijmegen is nothing but city blocks, railroad yards, bridges and industrial areas. This map could represent any city. Arnhem densely packed city blocks as well as "suburban" neighborhoods and rural areas.

I let everyone know about them here in the forum, and Redleg mentioned them here and in his site as well. I make them available for everyone's enjoyment and use. The only thing that I ask is that if you download them, and you find them worth a ------, please let me know about it, and let others know that they are there. Because, at this point, I'm wondering why I bother. I read Redleg's guest book, which had three or four pages, I believe, and not one entry said, "Dave, thanks for the maps." Am I bitching, maybe.

I don't think that I would spend so much time and money on researching and creating these maps if it weren't for the fact that I have a "place to hang them", so to speak, where people can enjoy them and use them. If I didn't share them, they'd be sitting in my hard drive, not being used at all until I finish the maps for the whole Market Garden campaign. The fact that no one (other than me, which makes me look bad) jumps in and tells G_X that there are the kind of maps he is looking for already available is more than I could bear!

Now, to make this post worth Orzel's time, or space, or whatever, worthwhile...

Orzel, I think your maps are very good. I wanted to post earlier and tell you that, but I was jealous of all of the praise you were getting! I've talked up my maps for a long time in this forum, and haven't gotten as much credit as you have in this one post! **** right I'm jealous! But then I realized that I'd be hypocritical to not encourage you to continue with your work.

Your maps are better than the work of the vast majority of map makers whose work I've seen. And they aren't complicated. They just make sense. Anybody who has spent any time looking at topographic maps knows what I mean. I enjoy just browsing over them and noticing that there is a logical flow to your roads, streams wooded areas, fields, contour lines and building placement. So, whether people realize that or not, they have every reason to want you to make maps for them.

What "authority" do I have to be the judge of whether your work is good or bad? I guess you'll just have to look at my stuff and decide whether I have any at all. If you recognize good work, let me know. If you see what might be mistaken for a pile of ----, then ignore this whole post.....

Regards,

David Boutwell

"Out of ammunition. God save the King."

Originally posted by G_X
Berlin, Stalingrad, a Fictional City...

Yes Orzel, I know it would take a long time, especially for a large map with lots of details...

I'm not saying it has to be historically accurate, but I'd love to have a 80% or more city map for PBEM. I know there are a couple, but these end up mostly as cities with large open areas in them, rather unlike most cities I've seen. Yes, there are large areas in Cities, but I've seen Berlin, and most of the large open areas were out near the edge of the city, except for the shopping areas and such. Maybe I just didn't see enough of the city.

But when I think of a city fight I think of having basically streets, squares maybe 2 or 3 hexes wide, and buildings, lots of buildings for the infantry to fight each other at 0 to 1 hex range and such.

I know it may not be historically accurate, but it's more of a fun-factor thing for me I suppose, and It would be nice to have an almost-all city map for PBEM made by you Orzel, from the way your others look I think it'd be great. Yes, I do understand it'd take a while, and I'm not begging for it, so feel free to go on making other maps, they're great! I feel so cliche now...anyways.

See, I miss posts...


I appologize, I never meant to say that your maps weren't good enough.

In fact, I had actually never had the thought of getting maps from a site besides the forum. I'll get them tommorow (My ISP is acting up now...) and if they're half as good as you say I will be ECSTATIC.

I can't believe I was that dumb not to think to get maps off the 'net, well Orzel, less work for you, I'll now have two perfect city maps for my use.

Thanks David, and please forgive my horrible ignorance.