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Special Events Forums => Scenario General => Topic started by: Ghostbuster on December 31, 2009, 08:43:46 AM

Title: Next scenario
Post by: Ghostbuster on December 31, 2009, 08:43:46 AM
I was looking around for the next scenario.
I found out it will be over the North Sea but it was in "whats next" section of the last scenario (Krupp Steel)
and it was locked.

So any progress yet?
Title: Re: Next scenario
Post by: K-KEN on January 03, 2010, 12:56:04 PM
I suspect that the delay, as with many, is terrain and would it be ready. Especially since all the new water and graphics changes of late have stalled many plans. Even re-running one might require some changes. RSKS used an old terrain and it worked but was problematic for some. I have been waiting for Pearl for a while!   :) I am not getting any younger either!!  :old:
Title: Re: Next scenario
Post by: Strip on January 03, 2010, 03:53:47 PM
Keep waiting on Pearl, the terrain team has nothing planned for minimum 6 months and most likely more beyond that.

I have kicked it around but don't wish to hold anyone back so for now its just a back burner deal.

Strip
Title: Re: Next scenario
Post by: Easyscor on January 03, 2010, 05:15:27 PM
... the terrain team has nothing planned for minimum 6 months and most likely more beyond that.

Strip

Really? Where do you come up with this stuff?
Title: Re: Next scenario
Post by: Brooke on January 03, 2010, 06:11:32 PM
Latest details are here:

http://ahevents.org/pacific-theatre/current-or-next-scenario.html
Title: Re: Next scenario
Post by: fudgums on January 03, 2010, 06:13:54 PM
Any word on COs yet brooke?
Title: Re: Next scenario
Post by: oneway on January 03, 2010, 08:09:30 PM
Latest details are here:

http://ahevents.org/pacific-theatre/current-or-next-scenario.html

Any subtle nuances in the anticipated rules beyond the standard or norm would be greatly appreciated....

 :aok
Title: Re: Next scenario
Post by: Strip on January 03, 2010, 09:41:07 PM
Really? Where do you come up with this stuff?

At this juncture there are no concrete plans for the production of Pearl Harbor (Hawaii) terrain for events within the next 6 month time period.

Just in case there is a bit of confusion I meant nothing specifically planned for a Hawaii terrain, the Terrain Team has quite a bit coming online in the near future.

Strip
Title: Re: Next scenario
Post by: oneway on January 04, 2010, 03:27:32 PM
This would use the North Sea Terrain Correct?
Title: Re: Next scenario
Post by: Brooke on January 04, 2010, 04:35:18 PM
This would use the North Sea Terrain Correct?

Yep.
Title: Re: Next scenario
Post by: oneway on January 04, 2010, 06:44:01 PM
Here is a little map pack...

Includes a 1024 pristine clean sharp map with no icons, no map detail whatsoever...gif and bmp true color... (these are the maps my program uses)

As well as a whopping 2060x2060 gif of in game maps stitched together with base ID and icons only...

Useful for discussion, rules...future planning....

Oneway

3MB download...zip file

http://www.cadframers.com/ah/ns/maps/maps.zip (http://www.cadframers.com/ah/ns/maps/maps.zip)
Title: Re: Next scenario
Post by: Fencer51 on January 06, 2010, 10:27:31 AM
Oneway, would you be ok if I used those in the write up?
Title: Re: Next scenario
Post by: oneway on January 06, 2010, 09:25:08 PM
Oneway, would you be ok if I used those in the write up?

Of course...that's why I posted them...

Let me know if you need any other style or type of map...describe what you need...I can make it...

In particular...instead of just scaling the maps in the pack for your write up...tell me exactly what size map you want...

I will handle the touch up at the size you need...to preserve maximum clarity...

Anything you guys need in terms of maps...just let me know...

Oneway
Title: Re: Next scenario
Post by: Kermit de frog on January 06, 2010, 10:20:56 PM
Please avoid using bmp format for pictures.  JPG can be just fine.  PNG is much better than bmp if you must achieve maximum clarity.
Title: Re: Next scenario
Post by: Fencer51 on January 06, 2010, 10:21:23 PM
I believe that we want 1024 as the widest, height doesn't matter.

Thanks
Title: Re: Next scenario
Post by: oneway on January 06, 2010, 10:58:16 PM
Please avoid using bmp format for pictures.  JPG can be just fine.  PNG is much better than bmp if you must achieve maximum clarity.

The jpg's I end up with are less than resolute...in fact I find the gifs post back in Firefox with more clarity than the jpg's...

I only produce the bmp's for the end user to manipulate...as the bmp file format is the native image format for the windows operating system...

Thus...when I crank maps for others to use...I do it in the rawest sense...they can turn them into anything they want...and when it comes to converting from one image format to another...in the win OS...the best format to start with is the native format...BMP

As you are well aware...every time an image is converted its suffers..

I will leave the conversions to others...for images transfered and not posted on BBS...I will always include the raw BMP...at its highest clarity

In Fencers case he is embedding the images in an html output...It is up to him what format he chooses...

I never post bmp to the BBS unless its a clipboard map: 8 x 512x512

Oneway
Title: Re: Next scenario
Post by: oneway on January 06, 2010, 11:05:48 PM
whoops
Title: Re: Next scenario
Post by: oneway on January 06, 2010, 11:07:55 PM
.
Title: Re: Next scenario
Post by: Have on January 07, 2010, 03:18:21 AM
As you are well aware...every time an image is converted its suffers..

Actually images do not suffer from conversion if one does not limit the amount of bits available for colors and does not use image formats with lossy compression. For example PNG is a very good format featuring lossless compression. So by using that the image will not loose any of its clarity, but it is in a much smaller size than in BMP format for example.
Title: Re: Next scenario
Post by: Strip on January 07, 2010, 08:19:16 AM
Actually images do not suffer from conversion if one does not limit the amount of bits available for colors and does not use image formats with lossy compression. For example PNG is a very good format featuring lossless compression. So by using that the image will not loose any of its clarity, but it is in a much smaller size than in BMP format for example.

To add to Have...

If you are using a software like Ultimate Paint or GIMP (both free btw) they have a slider for compression, thus allowing you to save and convert an image many times without losing clarity. When dealing with terrain files I often will use JPG for the 16384 pixel water images, using the smaller size is easier, and then convert it back to BMP in the final stages.

Strip
Title: Re: Next scenario
Post by: oneway on January 07, 2010, 04:39:12 PM
Actually images do not suffer from conversion if one does not limit the amount of bits available for colors and does not use image formats with lossy compression. For example PNG is a very good format featuring lossless compression. So by using that the image will not loose any of its clarity, but it is in a much smaller size than in BMP format for example.

Huh?

Convert the same file back and forth between two different formats...n times...it will most certainly degrade on each iteration...as the underlying converter is forced to make "assumptions" when translating...

This is the equivalent of making a photocopy of a photocopy n times for n-1...

If as you say PNG is a lossless format...then what better to start with when ConvertingTo.SomeOtherFormat than a 32b System.Drawing.Bitmap, the native format of the Win OS?

I will leave the conversion to others to suit their needs...and I don't post BMP's to the BBS because of their size and bandwidth issues...that's a no brainier...

However in the future...I will try the PNG's for BBS images, instead of my typical gif....as long as the file size is less than a gif size, and the quality is as good or better.


Oneway
Title: Re: Next scenario
Post by: Strip on January 07, 2010, 04:42:08 PM
Oneway,

The simple act of conversion should not degrade the quality in terms of normal daily use, its when compression (.jpg is famous for this) takes place that you lose detail.

Strip
Title: Re: Next scenario
Post by: oneway on January 07, 2010, 06:28:40 PM
Oneway,

The simple act of conversion should not degrade the quality in terms of normal daily use, its when compression (.jpg is famous for this) takes place that you lose detail.

Strip

Hmmm...

Ahhh...so its about compression not conversion...

I still think that converting back and forth chews away at the quality...

As far as the Bitmap goes...its as pure as it gets...it is just what it name implies: A Map...

It consists of extents x and y...(a grid system of pixels)...with a color value associated with each x,y coordinate..

It doesn't get any simpler than that...and in fact, is the corner stone of all imaging in the Win OS...

Pixel pixel =  bmp[x,y];
DrawPixel(pixel.x, pixel.y, pixel.color);

(that is shorthand for what is actually going on...like really short hand ...  :rofl)

 :salute

Title: Re: Next scenario
Post by: Have on January 08, 2010, 01:54:21 AM
This is the equivalent of making a photocopy of a photocopy n times for n-1...

You're thinking analog here, not digital. The images will not loose anything if you are using lossless image formats and do not limit the amount of bits available for colors.

An example of limiting the colors could be if you are using BMPs with color depth of 32 bits per pixel for your work and then for some reason save them to GIFs. In this situation there is a high chance that you will loose some colors from the original image, because the GIF format supports only 8 bits - eg. maximum of 256 different colors. The final result depends how much you are using of the available 32 bits in the BMP. If there are more than 256 different colors in the original, data will be lost in the BMP-to-GIF conversion because the GIF has the 256 color palette limitation. In this situation the image processing software usually try to approximate the colors so that the resulting image is as close to the original as possible.

Wikipedia has (as usual) a good article about lossy compressions: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lossy_data_compression (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lossy_data_compression)
Those indeed do work more or less like in your photocopy example, because the compression algorithm is executed each time when the image is being saved to a format with lossy compression. A JPG/JPEG is a good example of this.

Bitmaps are used by computer software internally for rapid access, but usually the images are stored in some compressed format because the raw bitmaps use so much space.

Keep up with the good work oneway with your maps and scenario software, this image format "debate" is just for general advice  :aok

And that is enough from me to this completely off topic subject :)
Title: Re: Next scenario
Post by: oneway on January 08, 2010, 04:16:00 PM
 :aok

Title: Re: Next scenario
Post by: Husky01 on January 13, 2010, 10:09:45 PM
 :t 4440
Title: Re: Next scenario
Post by: 4440 on January 14, 2010, 10:36:15 AM
:t 4440


Oh pray tell, what is that supposed to mean :angel:
Title: Re: Next scenario
Post by: Husky01 on January 14, 2010, 02:04:55 PM
Noothingggg  :D
Title: Re: Next scenario
Post by: oneway on January 14, 2010, 03:54:29 PM

Oh pray tell, what is that supposed to mean :angel:

I would be very careful....

He has the new add-on installed called the Husky Highlighter...

And your in his database...

 :rofl

Oneway

(http://www.cadframers.com/ah/husky_highlighter.gif)

Title: Re: Next scenario
Post by: 4440 on January 14, 2010, 04:18:58 PM
I would be very careful....

He has the new add-on installed called the Husky Highlighter...

And your in his database...

 :rofl

Oneway

(http://www.cadframers.com/ah/husky_highlighter.gif)



That wouldn't surprise me.  BK known to do underhanded things.
Title: Re: Next scenario
Post by: Kermit de frog on January 14, 2010, 05:11:23 PM
Link is to a 4 min WWII cartoon:
Goldy the Goldbrick (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCMVpFUWXq4)
Who's words are you really seeing?
 :old:
Title: Re: Next scenario
Post by: Brooke on January 16, 2010, 02:58:53 PM
The CO's for the next scenario are . . . [trumpets and drumroll] . . . BearKats (Husky01) and 4440.

Congratulations, gentlemen.  You will lead your sides in The Final Battle!  :salute  :aok
Title: Re: Next scenario
Post by: oneway on January 16, 2010, 05:08:41 PM
...

Congrats guys...

Let the games begin...

 :salute

Oneway

...
Title: Re: Next scenario
Post by: 4440 on January 16, 2010, 08:03:22 PM
Thank You brooke  :salute


As far I understand, since I deferred the side selection to BK, I will be leading the remants of the German forces for this. I welcome this challenge whole heartedly as it give me an opportunity to lead the forces to a possible outcome in history.

For those who decide to take on this challenge, it is my full intention to provide you 4 frames of intense enjoyment.

Again, thank you for the opportunity
Title: Re: Next scenario
Post by: Husky01 on January 17, 2010, 12:27:18 AM
Gonna be a fun one!

 :salute Numbers guy
Title: Re: Next scenario
Post by: USRanger on January 17, 2010, 01:11:09 AM
Looking forward to it! :aok


(and for hire :noid)
Title: Re: Next scenario
Post by: oneway on January 18, 2010, 03:52:04 PM
Looking back over Brooke's write ups on prior events...

Has the northsea been used Scenario before?

Oneway
Title: Re: Next scenario
Post by: Brooke on January 18, 2010, 03:58:32 PM
Not since I started playing in scenarios in Aces High.

It probably has been used in FSO's or Snapshots or both.
Title: Re: Next scenario
Post by: fudgums on January 18, 2010, 04:02:50 PM
When can we expect the rules writeup to come out?
Title: Re: Next scenario
Post by: Brooke on January 18, 2010, 04:34:51 PM
We don't have an exact date for that, but best guess is Feb 1.
Title: Re: Next scenario
Post by: dhyran on January 20, 2010, 08:12:49 AM
We don't have an exact date for that, but best guess is Feb 1.

Great!

and do you best and get awarded here:

http://www.scenario-aces.org/?page_id=14

<S>

dhyran
Title: Re: Next scenario
Post by: 4440 on January 20, 2010, 09:32:58 AM
Great!

and do you best and get awarded here:

http://www.scenario-aces.org/?page_id=14

<S>

dhyran

Nice looking site  :aok