runway length questions

[tmetal]

This comes from a thread on the wishlist (i think) about extending runway length for the B29, and it gave me the idea of placing 2 airfields so that a corner to corner runway on each met at one end to create a double length runway. So the questions are - is it possible to place airbases that close together? would each base still need its own town or could one town act at the capture point for both airbases? Would it just be too complicated/ridiculous for smooth game play? Has anyone tried this before now?

It was just an idea I had and I thought I would come here to see if it was possible or just plain goofy.

[Easyscor]

A custom airfield is the better answer, but all MA terrains must use default fields etc., so that isn't an option until htc adds a larger (two part) field for the MA. All MA fields require bases no closer then 3/4 sector and each field has it's own tower, hangers etc and, requires it's own town with a maproom. Your suggestion would trigger or stumble over all this.

I'm sure this isn't what you wanted to hear, sorry.

[mrmidi]

You could place the large runway object next to your airfield and set it's properties to runway.

That would give you just the runway's and taxi ways without all the hangers and tower objects.

The East and West runways should line up perfectly and give you around a 10,000ft runway.

Edit: you will have about a 100ft patch of grass between them but I just tried it in the TE and every thing worked fine.

 
midi

[tmetal]

Easyscor - No need to be sorry, All I wanted was answers to the questions (good or bad) and you did that. Thanks for the honest reply. 

mrmidi - Thanks for the info midi, now I see why people have such high respect for your map building skills.

[mrmidi]

No Problem tmetal.  I can not say that Dale would allow it in an MA terrain but that is a way around the runway length problem.

And thanks for the compliment, I just try to help the community as much as I can.

 
midi

[tmetal]

In the other forum, Imadot posted a picture of two airfields set corner to corner to help illustrate what it would look like. After looking at the picture I noticed that the airbase object (object? or would tile be more accurate?) takes up an entire grid space. This to me suggests that in order to make the existing airbases have longer runways the map grid work would have to be modified first to accept a larger airbase object/tile. If that is the case, it seems to me that allowing a few airbases towards the rear of a country to be set up with the runway object extention method you suggested earlier midi would be a simpler way to solve the issue without changing any game coding.

[ghostdancer]

This to me suggests that in order to make the existing airbases have longer runways the map grid work would have to be modified first to accept a larger airbase object/tile.

The only problem with this is that HTC would have to modify the code of the TE and possibly the game itself. So that approach would be a question of IF and then WHEN. Sort of more of a wish list thing than a workable solution with the current code of the TE and Game.

[Easyscor]

I post this to illustrate what's possible with the current terrain engine and Cell (grid/tile) size of 1 mile x 1 mile.

The terrain was tabled when it was discovered that it was scaled at 1/3 rd actual size, however it shows a working runway that spans 3 terrain cells. The point is that there is much a terrain builder can do, including building airfields that span multiple cells when it's appropriate to his terrain and the targeted arena. The MA requires strict guidelines to insure stability, and when you start using mult-celled objects, you have the potential for problems, but maybe htc will allow it for the MA sometime in the future.

[tmetal]

The only problem with this is that HTC would have to modify the code of the TE and possibly the game itself. So that approach would be a question of IF and then WHEN. Sort of more of a wish list thing than a workable solution with the current code of the TE and Game.

yeah ghostdancer, that is what I figured it would mean.

Easyscor's post shows that objects can reside in multiple grid cells, but I think he is right that single objects placed so that they cross grid lines could be problematic. So it seems that Midi's suggestion of placing an airstip object without the buildings at the end of one of the airstips on an airbase object would be the best solution with the current tools available. The only hang up would be getting Dale to approve a new MA map building rule to allow for a few "b29 long fields" to be included in maps made for the LW main arenas.

I really appreciate you terrain gurus answering my questions and just generally putting up with me even though I don't contribute anything to the terrain building for AH, except the previous walls of text and a goofball idea about runway length.

[Easyscor]

This is what you'd have if you placed the large field runway object next to a field (right) or tack on the single runway object (left).



Neither are very satisfactory as there is a gap between the real field in the center, and the auxiliary parts on either side. Each part must be aligned exactly of course but what makes this unworkable is that they have built in spawn points that you must over-ride by declaring them anything but runways. If you use these, and leave them at their default runway settings, then you have multiple spawn points in the same directions and that will give unpredictable results when you spawn your aircraft or GV. When you declare them as not runways, then spawn points are no longer an issue but those parts won't provide you with a successful landing when you tower out.

Who knows, maybe htc will provide multi-celled fields in the next patch.

[tmetal]

I hadn't even considered the effect it would have on spawn points.  And if you declare the the airstrip as not a runway then all it is at that point is for visual effect. Its not hard to land a formation of B29s within the current runway length but why place a runway object if you can't set it's properties to act like a runway right?

Unless some one in here has a clever way around the spawn point problem that would be created I guess I am going to have to wave the white flag of surrender on this idea. And just when I was really starting to enjoy my time here! 

[Easyscor]

I hope you understand that it's available for other arenas, only that for the MA, htc must provide it and that won't happen unless they think it would be executed properly by the terrain builders.

[tmetal]

No worries easy, I understand. I have seen terrain in the AVA and in TDIH events that wouldn't be allowed in the MAs (all though I have never seen any terrains where 2 airbases where set up so the runways where aligned with each other).  This was just an idea that I had when reading a wishlist request about runway lengths. I do appreciate you guys taking the time to actually discuss it in detail with me rather than just telling me "not possible for MA use" and moving on, had I tried to have this discussion in the wishlist or the general discussion forums I probably would have been ignored or told to use the search button.