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[SAS~Bombsaway]

I started this project after helping SAS~Vampire_Pilot with some airfield fixes for the Iwo maps and B-29 Alley. This map struck my interest as it's a very nice map. I started this out only as an airfield fix for adding blank plates but then wanted to have a decent looking Mt Fuji. One that looked close to the real thing as we can have it in IL2.  Well then it turned into re texturing as I couldn't stand the agriculture texture up the side of mountains. 
So this has now turned into a full blown re texture, airfield fix, fixing height of areas on the map  and a whole lot more little headaches.  But, I am enjoying it so here a few pics of the progress.






















This was made using BAT and it will be in the next BAT update but I will also release it in PTO Maps for those who dont use BAT but I wont be able to help find missing objects from installs other than BAT if there are any.

[mandrill]

Wow! That's gorgeous!

How are you going to do those bid Japanese cities?

[SAS~Bombsaway]

I'm not repopulating them that's for sure.  I'd never get done. I am changing a few buildings and hangers though. I mixed the original " city " texture that is a " factory " texture with a rural town texture for the outskirts of the big cities. 

[CzechTexan]

Excellent!  I've been waiting for this improvement.  The new textures are impressive but I'm also glad to hear improvements of the airfields.  This is great news!  ...as I've been researching more of the Navy attacks on Japan and have just got a copy of the book Setting the Rising Sun.

[SAS~Bombsaway]

Thanks. The airfields are a mess. The ground is so un level that runway textures wont show on the ground correctly. Some areas are high and others too low. It's nightmare trying to fix but I'm removing runway textures where I can and just texturing the ground and adding blank plates.

[mandrill]

Thanks. The airfields are a mess. The ground is so un level that runway textures wont show on the ground correctly. Some areas are high and others too low. It's nightmare trying to fix but I'm removing runway textures where I can and just texturing the ground and adding blank plates.

Why don't you flatten the ground by working on the map_h?

[SAS~Bombsaway]

I've done a lot of work with map_c before but never map_h. I have always used the unlocked FMB tool for height and it's always done well but this map has a lot of areas in need of help.

Are there any tutorials or tools for working on map_h?

[mandrill]

Here is what I do.

When you are working on the unlocked FMB, mark the area around each uneven airfield with a series of small, but deep depressions.

Then look closely at the map_h. You will see that the airfield is now surrounded with a circle of small black dots. Colour sample the surrounding area. Paint the airfield in that exact shade of grey - including of course over painting the little black dots. You now have a flat airfield.

Blur a little around the edges to avoid any abrupt "cliffs" between the airfield and the surrounding terrain. Save.

Et voila!!!

[mandrill]

I'm not repopulating them that's for sure.  I'd never get done. I am changing a few buildings and hangers though. I mixed the original " city " texture that is a " factory " texture with a rural town texture for the outskirts of the big cities. 

Mega cities are a challenge. Ordinary cities can be scaled down a little and populated. I'm messing around with a North Germany map and Hamburg, Bremen and Cologne can be scaled down a little and populated. Even the Ruhr can be broken up with green space into individual small cities and populated.

But MASSIVE cities like Berlin and London are impossible to scale down and I hesitate to populate them because of loading time and frame rate issues. Tokyo is the same, I guess.

The other thing is that most air combat would be at B-29 height, far above the altitude at which you could see individual buildings.

[Vampire_pilot]

I'm happy we talked about this Iwo thing, Bombs, this is turning out a really impressive result overall
Many thanks!

[CzechTexan]

I wish I had time to populate this map with more airfields like what I did with Kyushu.  The U.S. Navy and FAA attacked many airfields all over Japan.  I'm sure there are airfield photos online.

[SAS~Bombsaway]

I would welcome a joint project if you like. If you would like to add some historical airfields and if Mandrill would help with leveling the map h, this could be a very great update.