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[farang65]

Stumbled upon something just now 

I recently had a new win 7 put in my computer and my old version of Microdem that KevinP suggests in his tutorial was wiped clean 

I had a copy of the program folder of the Microdem that Kevin P uses however the Microdem exe would not load. 

I thought what the hey

I downloaded a latest version of Microdem

Installed the Microdem Program and installed the BDE Utility,  did not open up Microdem.

I then over wrote the Microdem folder file to the latest version which includes all the goodies for Il_2 maps.

Presto  The older version is up and running.

I guess it needed a working Microdem exe.

Download page for latest Microdem

http://www.usna.edu/Users/oceano/pguth/website/microdem/microdemdown.htm

Here is a mediafire link for the version of Microdem that Kevin P uses in his tutorial just the main program folder.

Overwrite this folder into the latest version Microdem folder   

https://www.mediafire.com/?kbm5i1f7oi59xj2

Start up Microdem and it is definitely the older version.   

I've seen the new version and I to can't make heads or tails of it

Kirby

[mandrill]

Muchas gracias, Kirby! I have been flummoxed by the latest version of microdem as well and it has really cut my enthusiasm for creating new maps. Maybe now I can get back my "old" microdem program as you suggest and start d/l-ing some new parts of the world.

[farang65]

Yes the folder of my old Microdem version has all the goodies for IL-2 maps already in it

2 height files for map_h placed in The Microdem folder one from Clockwatcher and one from KevinP

Also Clockwatcher's 16 rgb texture file for map_T placed in the Microdem folder

Kevin P made a 5 rgb texture file for Microdem which I don't think I have 

While the wife was away on Saturday I played with Microdem and made a 100 pixal scale map of Irian Jaya and some surrounding islands. I really wanted to see how the mountains looked initially.
I tried to get it lower then 100 pixals like 75 but after trying a number of times 100 pixals became the official scale.

The mountains turned out to look really cool (similar to my Northern Borneo map mountains but much larger)Northern Borneo was 100 pixals scale. Some major rivers turned out ok and I got multi levelling of some lakes within the landscape.

Overall The Land that Time Forget looks pretty cool 

I then found out that the East coast and surrounding islands area was a not so known area of operations.

Formerlly Dutch the US captured Hollandia which is on the map and pushed up the coast and surrounding islands capturing airfields and removin Japanese garrisons. This occured in 1943/44. Once the area was completely secured Macarthur used Hollandia as a staging area and HQ for the Leyte Gulf Invasion.

Just a map for fun now may well be a future project 

I also made some of Thailand, Laos,Cambodia and some of Vietnam in 75 pixals scale mainly thinking about Air America, Secret wars in Laos and Cambodia.

Microdem can be 50/50 with rivers sometimes it will do a good job on them other times not so good.
I was impressed with the MeKong river only some areas needed to be widen and joined up not bad for a major SEAsian river system.

Kirby

[Krazy_Tom]

...I then found out that the East coast and surrounding islands area was a not so known area of operations.

Formerlly Dutch the US captured Hollandia which is on the map and pushed up the coast and surrounding islands capturing airfields and removin Japanese garrisons. This occured in 1943/44. Once the area was completely secured Macarthur used Hollandia as a staging area and HQ for the Leyte Gulf Invasion.

Just a map for fun now may well be a future project 


Kirby

Yes indeed a lesser known map.  Probably the next big omission map of the game.  I've been working through KevinPs great tutorial on map-making.  I'm just a beginner and can't make a big map of this area and am having trouble such as Dems missing the Hollandia lakes.  Still, I enjoy the tutorial. Papua as a whole island is often nicknamed The Bird and particularly the area of West Papua from the McCluer Gulf eastwards because as a map it looks like a bird's head and beak,  A number of significant Japanese and Allied bases were established in this area.  Babo, Sawar, Biak (Owi US airfield), Ransiki, Wakde and Hollandia further down the coast to name just a few.  If you make the map big enough there is also Timor and eastern tips of now Indonesia.  Merauke RAAF base is on the southern coast in the area.  Such a map is beyond my skills.  I hope you turn it from a fun project and gain recognition as the maker and publisher of a significant map which few know it's strategic importance in McArthurs southern push toward Japan through the Phillipines. Before WW1 Germany had a mandate over the northern half of the eastern Papua lands while the British had the  southern sector.  The Dutch gained mandate over Western Papua from the northern coast to southern coast after WW1.  These mandates played a role in which countries became the antagonists over New Guinea.  McArthur was more interested in the Phillipines for the US and after the war Papua east became an Australian mandate until the move toward decolonisation saw Papua emerge out of the Austrlian mandate. From the distribution of Japanese bases throughout New Guinea it is clear the Japanese wanted the whole island.  There is even rumours of secret Japanese bases built on the northern Australian coastline fronting the Coral and Arafura Seas, both of which were constantly patrolled throughout the war.

[farang65]

hi There,

Have gone full steam ahead with this side project. 

Making a Japanese airfield/sea base generic version  15 strips and two sea bases so far  historically correct.  I am not putting owi island base on the map as was US.

You might want to do a US staging version? Also a lot of RAAF activity after the capture of Noemfoor Island Kittyhawks I believe.  Send me a pm and will show you the map area

Having two people working on the same area different time slots the better.

With my version the lakes are all ok they just need levelling off.

The more maps out there in IL-2 land the better. 

I slot two weeks at a time for four side projects.

Lae, Wewak, and Aitape also another area of interest
 

I love microdem. 

[Krazy_Tom]

That is great news 

Best of luck with it.  Will understand if it doesn't eventuate.

I'm sorry I can't assist with map-making yet.  Still learning in the time given. You may already have the following information but I wanted to include it in this post because of my respect for you taking on this map challenge.

Aitape was where the US and Allied troops landed to stage into Hollandia.  The US 5th Air Force and Allied only used Hollandia for a month or so then the front moved on.

Lae was the most heavily defended Japanese airbase in New Guinea, stacks of AAA everywhere.  Airmen would go around it if it was not targeted for a mission. It was described by Saburu Sakai as the worst airfield he'd ever been posted to.  It had one small shack for operations planning and the inland runway end was obstacled by mountains.

Wewak (including Boram) is further north of Lae and was where most Japanese air units staged into New Guinea using other bases as forward staging airfields such as Alexishafen and Finschafen.
 Wakde island  played a similar role and was further west of Hollandia.

Timor was an important Japanese staging base to the Australian mainland as was the Celebes.

The other great thing about this potential map is that the US used Wakde, Biak, Noemfoor and airfields further west to stage into the Japanese-held islands to the north of New Guinea besides staging into Borneo and the Phillipines etc from there.

This map operations area is out my league.  I don't know how it will be done in one map.  I hope you get interest from other more-skilled map-makers.