Matrix Games Forums

Hi,

This is a special AAR of the making of my Dutch map.

This AAR is split within 2 parts, the first why and some background, the second how the map is created.

First will I explain why this map.

As a Dutch medic from the early 80’s stationary within Germany I was always curious what can happens when the balance between east and west wend out of control. That was the reason why I start with “Flashpoint Campaigns: Red Storm”, but there was a problem, no Dutch available.

This feels strange special with the campaign “Hell on wheels”. This is right within the “Forward Combat Zone” of the Dutch defense sector.

On this point there is a choice: complain of do something.

Complaining is not my style, but I am starting to find out how the game works.

Creating the OOB was to difficult at that moment, Modding guide 4 was not finish and there was a lot of missing information needed to create the data file and a proper campaign/scenario.

But there was a other thing what I could do. Making a map.

After a some experimental maps. “NL Utrecht NW” and “L2722 Sittensen”. I found on the website of PDOK a complete digital topografic download of Holland with a scale of 25k, 50k and 250k. Only the year was not right. But on the site watwaswaar.nl there is a lot of historical maps of Holland.

Next question: which part of the map, Holland is a small country but to big for a single FCRS map.

Looking at the past, Germany invaded Holland in 1940 and start this in the east and a major goal was the resident “Den Haag” and the harbor of “Rotterdam”. A map from "Arnhem" to the coast was not strange to me.

source:"Het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden in de Tweede Wereldoorlog", part II, page 317
http://www.niod.knaw.nl/nl/download

This part of Fall Gelb has a great adaption by VR Designs with his game “Decisive Campaigns: The Blitzkrieg from Warsaw to Paris”.

Only his hex resolution are differend.


source: Decisive Campaigns: The Blitzkrieg from Warsaw to Paris.
http://www.matrixgames.com/products/390 ... w.to.Paris.

If we take a closer look to this map above, we can see a small blue area above the light blue arrow. This is a special lowland (dutch) defense method called “Inundatie”. This mean that some part of the land is flooded to block enemy troops. Behind that defence line was a not (yet) active “New Hollandic Waterline”.

This can activated within the game.

When we take a closer look of that area we can see the next situation.

source:"Het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden in de Tweede Wereldoorlog", part III, page 202
http://www.niod.knaw.nl/nl/download

Surprisingly the Germans don’t use this strategy in 1944 as a defense of “Nijmegen” and “Arnhem”. But at the end of the WWII war Holland looks like a filled bathtub.

source:"Het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden in de Tweede Wereldoorlog", part X b 2e, page 1441
http://www.niod.knaw.nl/nl/download

After WWII the “New Hollandic Waterline” was replace by a new version called “IJssel Line”, but this was dismissed at the 60’s.



Information: http://www.ijssellinie.nl/ENGELS/index.html

And now back to the map.

I decide to start with a cross section of Holland. A total of 7 maps and each map was assembled from 9 (3x3) 25k maps and named with the center map (NL 37b 1985, NL 37f 1985 …… NL 40b 1985).



source: Publieke Dienstverlening Op de Kaart
https://www.pdok.nl/en/node
https://www.pdok.nl/nl/producten/pdok-d ... op25raster

But first take a look with some different views. From above (with the Lantsat satellite) its look like this.


source: Local generated image with SAS.Planet.
https://www.openhub.net/p/sasplanet

When we look at the heights we see the a great part of the west lay below the see level.


source: Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland
http://ahn.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappv ... e7cc106e88
Use filters:
AHN2 ruw - Blauw / Groen /Orange (Statische opmaak)
AGN2 ruw - Hillshade

But if we look whit’s part can be flooded its even worst. Not only from the see but also from the rivers.


source: "Ons water Overstroom ik?"
http://www.overstroomik.nl/hoe-hoog-kom ... ?postcode=

To protect Holland against the water it use dikes and there are “dijkringen”. Every “dijkring” have his own safety level.


source: "Overstromingsgevaar in Nederland"
http://www.floodsite.net/juniorfloodsit ... land1.html

The ground type give an other view. The purple areas are the worst and called “laag veen”.


source: Local generate map with "Grondsoortenkaart 2006 van Alterra" data.

A combination of all the things above have influence the making of the map.

But the making of will be describe with part 2.

outstanding work!
could you tell me where did you get these data of rivers?
I understand that Holland has a lot of data about that country, but maybe somewhere there is the global database?

Some reference are added, but prepare for a lot of dutch.