Maps, maps and more maps.

[cbelva]

The different between the maps in FPRS and Panzer Korps is that in Panzer Korps you are limited to one kind of map. FPRS was designed with the modeler in mind. You can make your maps to be anything. You can draw a map on a piece and paper, scan it and then use it as your map in FPRS. You can take a map, scan it an use it. You can take screen shots from Google Earth. In fact the first scenario I played on FPRS was from Google Earth. You can design your own tiles and totally change the look of the game. Granted, Panzer Korps map editor is extremely easy to use, however, you are limited to what the game gives you.

I am not saying that FPRS' editor is better than Panzer Korps'. There is a lot to be said for "easy" in a scenario editor. But Rob wanted to give the scenario designers a lot of options, and I think people are going to agree. Especially when they realize teh flexibity and adaptablity in the editor.

[MikeAP]

ORIGINAL: Capn Darwin

MikeAP, Maps are build using a set of custom artwork in a third party software called Hexdraw. A nice shareware program for making hex maps. Once the map is made you export it to a graphics file. That image is what the game displays and is used for adding map values in the in-game map values editor. A number of comments have been made about colors and such and we are saying you can go in and hand edit the map in a paint program if you want.

Ok, so we just need to provide the graphic (map) with hexes drawn and you have an in-game editor that will let us paint-by-numbers per terrain values. Hate 3rd party software, but ok.

What if we don't want to use hexes? If I just want to make a map in photoshop, per say?

Never played PK. Only so many hours in a day.

The bane of a game developer. You should try to play games you're competing against.

[MikeAP]

ORIGINAL: cbelva
In Panzer Korps you are limited to one kind of map. FPRS was designed with the modeler in mind. You can make your maps to be anything. You can draw a map on a piece and paper, scan it and then use it as your map in FPRS.

Thanks. I can see it has benefits. I have a bunch of scenarios from the Army Captain's course that I'd like to input. I have the digital maps and all. Should be interesting to see how it plays out in FPRS

ALSO - I can still use the PZK editor to create maps and just import them to FPRS

[MikeAP]

And I just purchased HexDraw anyway...it looked very nice and I can use this for some of the other games I play as well as some stuff at work. Nice program.

[CapnDarwin]

The basic trick is to get the scale right. FPC is using hexes at 500m. The maps are scaled at 64 pixels tall per hex/500m. As long as your map/drawing/google earth images is at that scale you can bring it in and then add in the various values for each "hex" of terrain space.

[MikeAP]

Delete

[CapnDarwin]

Location for user generated are in discussions right now and we will let folks know once there is a solution. Right now, until we release the game and the modkit, I would use this forum for Q&A and information. [8D]

[MikeAP]

Delete

[MikeAP]

Delete

[MikeAP]

ORIGINAL: Capn Darwin

FPC is using hexes at 500m. The maps are scaled at 64 pixels tall per hex/500m.

Hmm. Thats a little weird. 64 px = 169mm. HexDraw only goes up to 100mm/hex.

How do we properly scale it then?

[CapnDarwin]

Mike,

In HexDraw we have a template map that is 48 hex columns by 31 hex rows with a hex size of 18.00mm. We export the image then scale to fit the pixel size. We will have a fairly well details modders guide for the game when it ships that covers these processes and details. If you search Mad Russians posts here and in the old FPG forum where it was talking Red Storm he goes through a summary of the map making process he uses.

[MikeAP]

Ok. I'll just make a Hex overlay in Photoshop that measures at 64pixels. HexDraw just can't get me what I want.

[CapnDarwin]

HexDraw just gets us a well formatted hex map. The scaling magic is all post hexdraw in the paint program.

[MikeAP]

Delete

[Mad Russian]

ORIGINAL: MikeAP

The bane of a game developer. You should try to play games you're competing against.

Great idea. After I get some playing time in with this game I'll think about playing some of our competitors games. After I play some of the games I'd like to play for fun.

Good Hunting.

MR

[Mad Russian]

The way the FPC:RS maps work is the more blocking terrain in the hex the more obstruction you get to both movement, observation of units in the hex and LOS through the hex.

Good Hunting.

MR

[Mad Russian]

This could very well be the deadliest piece of ground in FPC:RS.

When you get there you'll know it.

Good Hunting.

MR

[Mad Russian]

Final count of maps included in the game will be 26. A vast improvement over the 4 of FPG.

A very large difference in maps of FPC vs those in FPG is playable area. The battles in FPG were much smaller than those depicted in FPC:RS. So, the maps have a much larger percentage of their playing area used in each battle.

Good Hunting.

MR

[jnpoint]

I'm not trying to be rude, but just curious. Why did you change the map graphics? I think it was beautiful in the first game 'Flashpoint Germany'.

[CapnDarwin]

A couple reasons.
1. The FPG maps were pretty, but hard to get relevant information off of like LOS and cover conditions.
2. We would be packaging 3 or 4 maps not 25+. The cost to have maps like that made would have negated the number we could have produced.
3. We had moved away from those style of maps in the engine 6+ years ago in favor of a system where the map was constructed of elements with values known that could be read and combined to get the hex values.
4. We wanted a system that folks could edit and do easier.

I'm sure the other guys will jump in on this too. At the end of the day the new map system offered too many positive factors. There is nothing stopping players from making more graphically detailed maps (pretty) and using them in game. The final "map" is nothing more then a large png file.