Contour Lines?

[Missouri_Rebel]

Sorry if I missed it, but can I turn on countour lines or elevation lines on the main map? I looked in the manual(s) and didn't see anything. Thanks in advance.

mo reb

[Crimguy]

ORIGINAL: Missouri_Rebel

Sorry if I missed it, but can I turn on countour lines or elevation lines on the main map? I looked in the manual(s) and didn't see anything. Thanks in advance.

mo reb

No contour lines. The colors on the map represent 100m increments I believe. Contour overlay option would be a nice touch as well.

[Missouri_Rebel]

Thanks. That is a real dissapointment though. As it is one cannot tell what the elevations are or how the 'lay of the land' is. The los tool is decent when spotting for an enemy it would seem but a huge pain for discerning favored positions.
 
I must admit that I am new to this kind of game and maybe I take things for granted, but it seems that it should have been a logical inclusion in the first release or the second at the latest.
 
Also, do those lines on the los tool represent a change in the elevation other than the colored line itself? i.e the longer the line the higher the elevation.
 
mo_reb

[pvthudson01]

ORIGINAL: Missouri_Rebel

Also, do those lines on the los tool represent a change in the elevation other than the colored line itself? i.e the longer the line the higher the elevation.

mo_reb

I was wondering about this also

[Grotius]

Yes, the lines that are generated by the LOS tool depict different elevations as you look across a particular vector. It's a great tool. It's described in more detail in the "getting started" (basic tutorial) manual, which is quite well-written.

Also, the colors on the main map do function as contour lines, and they double in frequency if you zoom in to a particular magnification. After a while you can tell at a glance where the high and low points are.

Finally, you should read the tutorial manual on the "area LOS" tool, which allows you to pick any spot on the map and see what can be seen from there. It's a powerful tool once you see how it works. In general, I really recommend the first tutorial manual; it's got new stuff even for veterans of HTTR.

[Missouri_Rebel]

well it seems as though the area los appears too heavily pixelated. Don't know if it is a hardware problem on my end or what. Either way, thanks for the answers.

mo_reb

[JudgeDredd]

The LOS tool (shaded (pixel) version) is very cpu intensive. You notice it when you have it switched on and try to move the map...however, it's a very good tool. I find it much easier to use than the LOS line tool.

[RayWolfe]

Hi Missouri_Rebel and welcome.
You have contour shading, you have a LOS tool that shows the lie of the land and you have a LOS tool that shows what area you can see from any point on the map. What more would any commander have? Are you asking for the game to tell you where to put your resources? Are you asking for a 3-d view?
You are currently getting more terrain information in this game than most if not all other 2-d games that I know.
Think like a commander, not like a gamer. [;)]
Ray

[RedDevil]

Hello,

I would also like to have contour lines displayed as an option. There are cases (e.g. at night) where the shading is not really helping and having to right click to display the Z value is a bit of a pain. Also, at night the LOS tool is not really useful because you have to guess what will happen to the visibility from a certain position when the sun comes out.

I would imagine that it is not that difficult to add them and it would make the maps even more RL-style.

One should be able to switch the contour lines on or off just like the 1Km grid.

Cheers,

RedDevil

[raydude]

Another vote for contour lines. This time speaking as one who is slightly color blind. I sometimes have a hard time distinguishing the different shades on the map, especially when the shades are very similar - unless I am zoomed in really close and look very closely for any differences. The other day I played "A Clean Break" and thought to myself that the forward area where the UK forces start seemed fairly flat. Until I zoomed in close and saw some shading differences.

The LOS tools are great, but contour lines would make a great thing even better.

[Real and Simulated Wars]

ORIGINAL: Missouri_Rebel
well it seems as though the area los appears too heavily pixelated. Don't know if it is a hardware problem on my end or what. Either way, thanks for the answers.
mo_reb

I think those pixels are the size of the building blocks on which the engine computes movement, fire, etc. I don't think is a hardware problem on your end.

[jhdeerslayer]

Contour lines would be nice as I also have some color issues with my eyes...

[Arjuna]

TT2953 - UI - Option to display Map Contour lines

[Missouri_Rebel]

ORIGINAL: Arjuna

TT2953 - UI - Option to display Map Contour lines

Sorry, but what does that mean? An inside joke or a wish list?

[Arjuna]

The TT#### is a reference to an item I have netered into our Task Tracker database, meaning that it's on the wish list and will be considered in due course - no promisses though. [:)]

[Plodder]

Just means he's officially added it to the list.

edit: lol,too slow...

[Crimguy]

And the fact that we're up to #2953 or so means there's lots of 'em ahead of that!

[henri511]

ORIGINAL: RayWolfe

Hi Missouri_Rebel and welcome.
You have contour shading, you have a LOS tool that shows the lie of the land and you have a LOS tool that shows what area you can see from any point on the map. What more would any commander have? Are you asking for the game to tell you where to put your resources? Are you asking for a 3-d view?
You are currently getting more terrain information in this game than most if not all other 2-d games that I know.
Think like a commander, not like a gamer. [;)]
Ray

I am not color blind, but I have difficulty in seeing the contours on my portable, which has the intensity either too high or too low. Having the option to turn on dark lines at the contours would make it easier to see them. The color differences between height levels are just on the edge of detectability for humans, and with differences in monitors, they can become almost undetectable.

I do agree that the LOS tool is very useful to get a quick visualization of the altitudes - I just choose a fixed point of interest, draw a line and rotate the tool around the region of interest to get the lay of the land from the dark altitude lines perpendicular to the line of sight. For example in the first tutorial, in a few seconds one can determine that one's starting forces are on a hill and that the terrain around the main bridge slopes up to the south and is rather flat to the North. Then one can check for example that if one stays far enough to the South of the town, one can shoot over the town with long-range weapons (not necessary or recommended for this scenario).

It took a while for me to understand the LOS area tool - I thought that it showed the line of sight. For example if I clicked on the bridge, I tought that the dark areas showed obstructions between a point of interest and the bridge (i.e. if there were no dark areas between a point and the bridge, then the bridge could be seen from that point), whereas the dark areas actually show places from where the bridge cannot be seen and the light areas show areas from where it can be seen (a better choice). This could be spelled out more clearly in the tutorial.

Henri

[wodin]

How about when you view the terrian info it also states the height?

[GoodGuy]

ORIGINAL: Missouri_Rebel

ORIGINAL: Arjuna

TT2953 - UI - Option to display Map Contour lines

Sorry, but what does that mean? An inside joke or a wish list?

lol......it's tempting to use that as running gag in the future, though. [:D]
Hey, maybe use it each time when a forum user starts to ask for additions that could only be implemented if 10 gHz 'puters would be available already, for example! Hehe...

TT9382 - U(ser)F(riendly)T(ool) - cam flight through 3D world (UFT-button) each time the user scratches his head, asking himself how landscapes would look like in real life.

TT9837 - UI - Option to minimize BFTB to avoid marital quarrel (hide game from wife --> in the tray bar - "wifey" button)