Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => Aces High General Discussion => Topic started by: Eagler on October 27, 2021, 08:17:06 AM

Title: Why are all the maps spring or summer
Post by: Eagler on October 27, 2021, 08:17:06 AM
Where are the snow covered ones?

How about a desert without trees?

Eagler
Title: Re: Why are all the maps spring or summer
Post by: oboe on October 27, 2021, 08:21:23 AM
Yes, and an autumn-themed map would be cool too.  Crystal clear blue skies, tan/brown grasses and colorful trees with oranges, reds, yellows, and browns. 

I wonder if leaf-colors is a setting on Speed Trees, rather than controllable by the terrain builder?
Title: Re: Why are all the maps spring or summer
Post by: The Fugitive on October 27, 2021, 08:40:35 AM
i believe its because all of the terrain tiles would have to be rebuilt for each "season", and they no longer have an art team at HTC.
Title: Re: Why are all the maps spring or summer
Post by: RotBaron on October 27, 2021, 04:48:22 PM
Fall/autumnal terrain I don’t know about.

However, about winter terrains I’ve played in, GVs standout like a sore thumb and they’re already pretty easy to find and bomb as it is.

Title: Re: Why are all the maps spring or summer
Post by: SPKmes on October 27, 2021, 04:54:10 PM
do you really want shorter days           








 :banana: :banana: :banana: :lol :evil:
Title: Re: Why are all the maps spring or summer
Post by: Marco on October 27, 2021, 05:11:35 PM
Where are the snow covered ones?

How about a desert without trees?

Eagler

There were snow maps back in the day, weren't there? Or am I mistaken?  :headscratch:
Title: Re: Why are all the maps spring or summer
Post by: SIK1 on October 27, 2021, 07:26:41 PM
There were snow maps back in the day, weren't there? Or am I mistaken?  :headscratch:

There are Special Events winter maps. You could come fly on one this Saturday (3 pm edt) in frame 1 of the "Cherkassy Pocket" scenario.

http://www.ahevents.net/index.php/events/scenarios/current-or-next-scenario

I can't remember if there ever was a winter map in regular rotation.

 :salute
Sik
Title: Re: Why are all the maps spring or summer
Post by: Mongoose on October 27, 2021, 09:05:36 PM
  You would need two or three versions of each map, one for each season.

  Spring or summer is best flying season.
Title: Re: Why are all the maps spring or summer
Post by: Eagler on October 28, 2021, 06:49:22 AM
Just flight in the other sims is enhanced with different seasons

Yep it would make spotting much easier which is one of the reasons I would like to see it.

Sik can I pop in anytime in the 3 hr window or do I need to join at the start?

Eagler

Title: Re: Why are all the maps spring or summer
Post by: SmokinLoon on October 28, 2021, 08:18:27 AM
I really liked playing on winter maps for the different scenarios "back in the day".

Greebo went and did snow camo skins for a lot of the gv's and it is a shame we can't use them.
Title: Re: Why are all the maps spring or summer
Post by: SIK1 on October 28, 2021, 10:00:04 AM
Just flight in the other sims is enhanced with different seasons

Yep it would make spotting much easier which is one of the reasons I would like to see it.

Sik can I pop in anytime in the 3 hr window or do I need to join at the start?

Eagler

Eagler, according to the rules write up the arena will be locked after the start time.

"Please show up at or before the given time in Special Events 2 arena -- the arena will lock after that.  End of frame will be nominally at 6:30 pm US Eastern time."

 :salute

Title: Re: Why are all the maps spring or summer
Post by: Puma44 on October 28, 2021, 10:05:47 AM
I really liked playing on winter maps for the different scenarios "back in the day".

Greebo went and did snow camo skins for a lot of the gv's and it is a shame we can't use them.

Come try Thursday Night Tank Nights when the winter terrain is used.  Great fun with the winter camp tanks.
Title: Re: Why are all the maps spring or summer
Post by: Greebo on October 28, 2021, 10:59:16 AM
When the AH3 winter tile set was introduced I considered using it to make a winter MA terrain. I figured it would be something a bit different and it would get my winter skins some MA use. However when I thought about it a bit more I decided against doing it.

The main problem is there are plenty of players who will go to any length to gain an advantage in the game. Remember in AH2 when GVers would turn off every type of ground clutter making the game look like crap just so they could see enemy tanks easier? In a winter terrain what would happen is many players would pick a winter skin for their own tank and then click the "turn off other players' skins" button so the opposition tanks showed only the default skin to him no matter what they selected themselves. As a skinner I don't want to encourage players to use that button as them might not turn "other players skins" back on later. Although it is possible for a terrain designer to replace the original default skins with winter ones in a special events terrain this is not permitted for an MA terrain.

As I recall there were also some visual limitations to the winter tile set which killed off any remaining enthusiasm I had for the idea. The airfields, vehicle fields and strats in the winter tile set are the same as the summer ETO tile set, so they stand out as big green squares against the white terrain and there's no snow on top of buildings and other objects. Again while its possible to get round this for a special events terrain, these work rounds are not allowed for an MA terrain.
Title: Re: Why are all the maps spring or summer
Post by: Spikes on October 28, 2021, 11:11:15 AM
FWIW, I think the bases are/can be fixed on the winter sets, I know some of our event terrains, especially the newer ones, have white bases now.
Title: Re: Why are all the maps spring or summer
Post by: Greebo on October 28, 2021, 12:24:39 PM
My recollection is that changing base, clutter or object textures is not allowed for an MA terrain. I think the reason is to avoid any possibility of introducing a bug in the terrain that might crash the MA. Its bad enough that might happen during a scenario but a lot worse in the MA where Hitech might not be around to fix it.

Title: Re: Why are all the maps spring or summer
Post by: Eagler on October 28, 2021, 12:49:30 PM
Sounds like the issue is the gv battles would be affected as a player could just say no skins and boom there it is...

Sorry but some of us like to think its a flight sim first...

Not like we are asking for a snow storm just something other than always green...

Eagler
Title: Re: Why are all the maps spring or summer
Post by: Greebo on October 29, 2021, 04:14:11 AM
The skins thing is an issue for me personally but other map makers may not care about it. The main problem is likely to be the summer base terrain, object and clutter textures sticking out like sore thumbs in the snowy winter terrain. This is a total immersion killer whether you are sitting in a GV or an aircraft, basically it looks crap. Map makers are not allowed to replace these in an MA terrain like they can in a special events map and I think that is the main reason no one has done a winter MA map.
Title: Re: Why are all the maps spring or summer
Post by: captain1ma on November 01, 2021, 12:02:17 PM
the AVA has ETOW which is a winter wonderland. it even has winter skins for the tanks, which makes them very hard to spot.

but i think this terrain is the exception, not the rule.
Title: Re: Why are all the maps spring or summer
Post by: Eagler on November 01, 2021, 01:26:10 PM
Will that work for MNM?

Eagler
Title: Re: Why are all the maps spring or summer
Post by: TheBug on November 05, 2021, 02:20:06 PM
Moving Asian Email List to the Bottom.
Title: Re: Why are all the maps spring or summer
Post by: DREDIOCK on November 06, 2021, 01:57:31 PM
I'd be happy with shades of green that actually exist in nature in extended areas of landmass. The pastel paste green is as smurfy now as it was 6 years ago.
I think is was Fester that used to make gorgeous maps. There was a tropical terrain in particular that you actually felt tropical.
Title: Re: Why are all the maps spring or summer
Post by: mERv on November 06, 2021, 03:54:21 PM
Creativity was squelched long ago in AH unfortunately. Great question none the less :aok
Title: Re: Why are all the maps spring or summer
Post by: Brooke on November 07, 2021, 05:37:42 PM
Eastern Front winter forests are the solution!

I invite you to fly in the "Cherkassy Pocket" scenario, running Saturdays at 3 pm Eastern in Special Events 2!  :aok

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/jfc5Mai4tQT1_m3fZJUwzbNfkVIZ8d2-G071z3MauiBKA52lNWPqhA-Q2sVKOLlB9MpAO7WPyyj6Tc9Ztrg8lwDQcUgL4gtDd1mHqLSZUg0qcHaNGpqlwT_6Jqsuus7v4o5_irih)