Map project: Antietam

[Poudjik]

Hey everyone,

I've never mapped for etw but I'd like to give it a try. Antietam presents excellent landmark for a battle, below you'll find the portion I choose to represent given the 2km² limit for etw: north of Sharpsburg, including the Dunken Church, Sunken Road etc.


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As I said, this will be my first map for etw (I have profficient skills in mapping for the Source Engine, but as we all know fps are totally different); thus I cannot guarantee that the map will ever see the day, don't build up too much expectations.

Let's just see how far I can make it, any help is highly appreciated. I'm asking Flavious in particular who has alot of mapping experience if you have an IM we could start contacting.

[Britabroad]

Can´t help with the mapping Poudjik, but I wish you all the best of luck as another historical map would be brilliant.

[InFaMY]

agreed but I have stated before wish there was some 4v4 or 3v3 historical maps

[Poudjik]

if the map ever sees the day I would gladly make it for up to 4vs4.

Don't see the reason why we should impose limits on the player's gameplay experience.

[InFaMY]

I love you Poudjik I just fell in love with you xD

[Hinkel]

if the map ever sees the day I would gladly make it for up to 4vs4.

Don't see the reason why we should impose limits on the player's gameplay experience.

Such big maps cant handle 8 full armies in our mod. But with 3.0 the unit sizes will be lowered by 50% of some units, so 4vs4 maps could be possible then

[InFaMY]

i play 4v4 maps a lot no problems ><

[Potus]

i play 4v4 maps a lot no problems ><

really no lag at all? eveything runs smooth? what kind of system do you have? i will just buy the stuff you have cause my pc needs a good upgrade. bought a new gaphic card but still not everything runs smooth enough for me

[Shiloh]

Good luck Poudjik.

[Hazbones]

I wish it was possible to tweak the map just a bit to try getting Burnside's Bridge onto the map since it too is a famous spot on the battlefield. Bringing the area of the map down a bit would also include the area where Longstreet massed the 2nd largest artillery line (2nd only to the one at Gettysburg) to stop the union corps that broke through Burnside's Bridge and was threatening the CSA right wing.

But I guess due to the limitations you have all the other major sites covered. Looks like a good place to start.

[Hazbones]

I also recommend naming this project Antietam/Sharpsburg... just so both sides are appeased. ;-P

[Dynamo11]

It's a big project, I'd offer help but I know next to nothing about mapping. Best of luck!

[Flavious]

Good luck with Antietam! Feel free to PM me if you get stuck or have a question. My advice, take your time and enjoy the process. You'll learn so much in making your first map that you'll probably want to make more -- because it gets easier each time.
Your map boundaries look perfect -- really the whole area of the early day's battle. I know it's tempting to include B's bridge or the town, etc., but IMHO it's better to represent one portion of a battlefield accurately than to shrink it and try to fit it all into ETW format. Also, limiting a map to certain areas is a game-design choice so that the battle map "focuses" on particular objectives or features or phases of the action. So a mapper is not just a mapper, but is designing how the game will play out when the map is used.
Two reasons I've never tackled Antietam are (1) Lack of ability to have fences and walls -- which seem really important at that battle. (2) Lack of a house model for the Dunker Church -- maybe one of our skinners could help this map by taking one of the existing building models that most closely resembles Dunker Church, and painting it white, etc., to make it look right? The existing church model is totally wrong, and the house models aren't right either. But there's another one -- a barn, I think, that looks plain and rectangular enough to work.

[Primergy]

Lack of a house model for the Dunker Church -- maybe one of our skinners could help this map by taking one of the existing building models that most closely resembles Dunker Church, and painting it white, etc., to make it look right? The existing church model is totally wrong, and the house models aren't right either. But there's another one -- a barn, I think, that looks plain and rectangular enough to work.

I always wanted to create new custom models for maps, and the church looks easy to build and has a shape where i also should find a fitting collision model. I think i will give it a try.

Edit:

Flavious, the barn you mentioned fits perfect for the dunker church, so i started a model... I never added a building for empire, but it's time to try .

[Hazbones]

Is it possible to have Sharpsburg part I and part II maps?

You are right, the early part of the battle was on the cornfield and Dunker Church area. Where you have put the boundaries is perfect.

There is however, a good reason to do a part II map of the battle:
>>>First, the Union's struggle to get over Burnside's bridge was pretty hard fought. It was here that the first USA success occurred. Burnside not only got over the bridge but had enough troops on the other side that Lee had to bring troops from one side of his line to the right to keep the federals from flanking his whole line from the sunken road all the way over to Jackson on the far left.
>>>Second, it was near the northern outskirts of the town where Longstreet threw together the largest artillery line ever made (except for Gettysburg). It was this artillery that smashed the federals that tried to flank Lee's right.
>>>Later in the battle when the Confederates made the error that lost them the sunken road and thus let the yanks pour into the center of the rebel line, the whole army fell back toward the town to consolidate. It is here that the hypothetical "what if" scenario can play out if Burnside pushed Lee when he had them reforming he could have broke them right then and there.
>>>Finally, the whole end of the battle is pretty much left out with the current project being north and northeast of town... there was the whole part of the battle late in the day that took place east and southeast of town. The yanks were pressing the reb's right and Longstreet was trying to stop them with his artillery. It was at this critical point when the yanks were over the river in large numbers that D.H Hill's Corps arrived just in time to smack the assault to a halt. Hill's Corps contained Burnside and allowed the day to end with a draw.

[Hazbones]

Hey everyone,

I've never mapped for etw but I'd like to give it a try. Antietam presents excellent landmark for a battle, below you'll find the portion I choose to represent given the 2km² limit for etw: north of Sharpsburg, including the Dunken Church, Sunken Road etc.


Uploaded with ImageShack.us

As I said, this will be my first map for etw (I have profficient skills in mapping for the Source Engine, but as we all know fps are totally different); thus I cannot guarantee that the map will ever see the day, don't build up too much expectations.

Let's just see how far I can make it, any help is highly appreciated. I'm asking Flavious in particular who has alot of mapping experience if you have an IM we could start contacting.

I just wanted to point out that in your pic you have Jackson and AP Hill as the CSA commander's deployment zones. The commanders on this end of the field were Jackson and Longstreet, not AP Hill.

In fact, A.P is not in this battle at all. The general I think you are referring to is D.H Hill but his Corps won't arrive until the end of the battle and they arrive at the South and East of the town, not in this sector.

[Poudjik]

yep, good remark.

and excellent work to Primergy, let's hope this new Dunker Church can be implemented in the battlefield, I know just where to put it ^^.

[Primergy]

It can be definitly implemted, the easiest method would be to replace the original empire house (wich is a barn), then it would be also appear on the campaign battle maps, but since this one doesn't look too much like a chapel, this isn't a big deal.

[Dynamo11]

It can be definitly implemted, the easiest method would be to replace the original empire house (wich is a barn), then it would be also appear on the campaign battle maps, but since this one doesn't look too much like a chapel, this isn't a big deal.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Looking great Primergy!

[Ulster Confederate]

Is it possible to have Sharpsburg part I and part II maps?

Two maps for Sharpsburg/Antietam were made for Take Command 2nd Manassas as the area was so large, both are very detailed. One covers the Town and the other the area around the Dunker Church, Bloody lane, and the cornfield. If you have the game it may help to check it out.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: