North & South: American Civil War 2.0 New Maps, New Units, Bug Fixes, and MORE!!!!

[Slyk]

Some screenshots from testing "South Mountain: Fox & Turner's Gap" Historical Scenario. Some tweaking to be done but nearly there...

[pappagoat]

Let us know if you guys need any help or input from the ETW ACW mod content.

[Slyk]

Pappagoat: THANKS! What I have always needed was proper stone wall models. But there is no way I am doing the spline thing. Right now I need most of all things a GOOD texture artist to clean up my Atlas files and masks. They're a bit messy. If you have any guys that can do that, I'll forward the files. Thanks for the offer!

[Slyk]

Updated the main page/first post with map and Historical Scenario information. Still have a couple more scenarios to do but nearly done there. Majority of the work at this point will be turning toward cleaning up some graphical stuff/dds files and working on sound changes.

STILL needing help with LUA. If you can help do Interface/UI programming with LUA, please contact me ASAP.

STILL needing help with .dds files and transparency/atlas issues. Currently the normal.atlas is NOT functioning as it does not apply the proper normal.dds mapping coordinates to the texture/uniform. I have this file deactivated currently.

MORE to come.......

[Gen. Ulysses S. Grant]

Nice work keep it up (i wish i could help but idk how to mod at all)

[Slyk]

FREDERICKSBURG.... Screenshots and current updates:


- I have completed the initial XML for the Historical Scenario for "Fredericksburg - Reynolds Attack" which takes place on the Union left flank. This scenario involves units from primarily the Union I and III Corps against Jackson's II Corps Divisions of A.P. Hill, D.H. Hill and Early. Right now you will see that there is a unit count of about 25,000 total troops with the Union at 13,459 and the Confederates at 11,473. To place all of the Confederate regiments under D.H. Hill, I think the balance will never allow a Union victory. As well, I have held out some of the Union's brigades under Doubleday. Plus, at 25,000 men, the engine starts to struggle and I'm running an AMD R5 1600x at 3.7 with 16 Gigs of RAM. Granted my GTX770 is aging, but the damn code is single-threaded... that's a huge issue with all decent sized scenarios.

Anyway, those are the most recent updates. I would like to work in Marye's Heights as well but I've held off on that map for technical reasons. Terrain sucks. I am also putting a ton of time into figuring out how to make .dds files from scratch/modding L3D outputs to NOT have to use the Lordz Height Map Tool as it does a flip/mirror thing to fill out the far/distant maps. These give you the depth of field off into the distance. When you have rivers near the edges, you get all sorts of dumba** features like big looping rivers making islands and other assorted stupidity. So, making some progress there but it is slow. In the end, it will make better looking maps. If anyone has ideas or has done this and happens to read this post... I would love input.

The last two images show the terrain issues with the flip/mirror functions and one of how I have modified the "height_map_1" to adjust the river etc. Others from play testing balance.

Thanks!

More to come!

[Slyk]

UPDATED Army and Troop Counts for each scenario of "Fredericksburg".......

[rhettvito]

This mod is looking amazing keep it up I have a lot of faith in you!

[Slyk]

Thanks, rhettvito.

Currently working on two major areas:
- maps that have rivers, "Fredericksburg" and "Fisher's Hill" where the rivers do stupid loops etc. due to using the Lordz Heightmap Tool which does a flip/mirror thing with the base 0 heightmap. Painful process trying to make an extended, non-mirrored terrain.
- Sounds. Trying to figure out how to eliminate the stupid "Revolutionary Guard" sound when you click on regular units. I have Elite, Militia, Skirmishers and Light Infantry working but the standard units yell "Revolutionary Guard" more than anything. AAAAGGGGHHH!!!!!! ;p

A few other minor clean-up areas such as tweaking the transparency on the uniforms, still a pain in the a$$ right now.

[rhettvito]

Thanks, rhettvito.

Currently working on two major areas:
- maps that have rivers, "Fredericksburg" and "Fisher's Hill" where the rivers do stupid loops etc. due to using the Lordz Heightmap Tool which does a flip/mirror thing with the base 0 heightmap. Painful process trying to make an extended, non-mirrored terrain.
- Sounds. Trying to figure out how to eliminate the stupid "Revolutionary Guard" sound when you click on regular units. I have Elite, Militia, Skirmishers and Light Infantry working but the standard units yell "Revolutionary Guard" more than anything. AAAAGGGGHHH!!!!!! ;p

A few other minor clean-up areas such as tweaking the transparency on the uniforms, still a pain in the a$$ right now.

I'm sorry that it's being a pain in the ass right now with the game I can only imagine how frustrating it has to be.....
what are you needing help on I wish I could do something anything really. I'm open eyes and ears to learn.

I'm actually playing the version 1.0 right now can't get over how awesome this is version 2.0 is going to be even more amazing!

[Slyk]

UPDATE: 10/31/2017

Just completing three new maps. A "What if" Scenario/map set. July, 1863. Lee pushes his army beyond Chambersburg and Carlisle, Pennsylvania, pursing his initial intention of capturing the state capital, Harrisburg. Having done so on July 2nd, Lee turns the Third Corps southeast toward Lancaster. Ewell's Second Corps moves east toward Lebanon, then diverts southeast as Hill's Corps opens battle near Elizabethtown, a small town on the main Harrisburg/Lancaster Turnpike and vital rail lines.

The battle takes place along the Conewago Creek as the Union forces occupy the ridge line and hills to the southeast of the creek. Hill leads the attack, marching astride the turnpike striking the Union center. Ewell's Corps arrives late in the first day, attacking the Union right flank. On the second day, Longstreet attacks the Union left.

Each map is a source map of accurate topography of 3km square, scaled to the 2.5km scale of the NTW maps. The three maps cover an almost continuous line of 9km from left to right. I went to college in Elizabethtown, lived there for nearly 20 years, and now live a few miles west of there and know this ground well. It would have been the first and best line of defense between Harrisburg and Lancaster. Only one other topographical point offered any defense potential on the east side of the Susquehanna River, and that would have been just miles to the northwest of Lancaster and a last ditch stand for the Union.

I will be creating actual 'Historical Scenarios' for these maps in addition to the custom battle option as with all my maps. Adding these brings the map content to 43 Battle Maps.

A few screenshots from each map, 2 from the 'East' and 'West' maps and three from the 'Center' map.

[Slyk]

Let us know if you guys need any help or input from the ETW ACW mod content.

Did you guys ever figure out how to make a bridge usable in any custom maps? I am having the worst time getting units to cross them.

[Gen. Ulysses S. Grant]

Question/Suggestion: do you plan to do more then just union & confederates like in ETW’s ACW they have british, french, etc. Like a foreign Intervention or will you just keep it Confederates & union?

[Slyk]

There is no campaign at this point, so no other forces. I'd have to make uniforms, weapons and do far too much more work.

[28thAlabamaInf]

Slyk as someone who played 1.0 extensively, I just wanted to say thank you and tell you that this one looks to be better! Keep up the good work and know that there are a lot of people who very much appreciate the work and effort you put into this.

I have a question as for the historical scenarios, and this may be a ignorant question so excuse me if you've already answered this in this thread, but; Are the historical scenarios designed to be for offline play vs AI?

[Slyk]

I have a question as for the historical scenarios, and this may be a ignorant question so excuse me if you've already answered this in this thread, but; Are the historical scenarios designed to be for offline play vs AI?

Yes, the scenarios are the same as in version 1.0. You access them via "Multiplayer" > "Local Network" > "Historical Scenarios". You can play any of the combos, 1v1, 2v2, or 3v3 that may be available. The list is on page 1 of the thread, including the new 'What if" battles using the Gettysburg OOBs. And I just finished the 'West' map's first run through with the pseudo-Round Tops setup and WOW. ;p

So yes, you can play the scenarios as before versus just the AI or any combination of Humans and AI. Once this releases, I suppose you can call in sick on a Friday and play through till Monday morning. There is THAT much new content in maps and scenarios.

Closer. Always. But still little things to clean up. Right now I need to draw lines and stop development and polish this thing. Future map packs are likely.

Thanks for hanging in there.

[28thAlabamaInf]

Yes, the scenarios are the same as in version 1.0. You access them via "Multiplayer" > "Local Network" > "Historical Scenarios". You can play any of the combos, 1v1, 2v2, or 3v3 that may be available. The list is on page 1 of the thread, including the new 'What if" battles using the Gettysburg OOBs. And I just finished the 'West' map's first run through with the pseudo-Round Tops setup and WOW. ;p

So yes, you can play the scenarios as before versus just the AI or any combination of Humans and AI. Once this releases, I suppose you can call in sick on a Friday and play through till Monday morning. There is THAT much new content in maps and scenarios.

Closer. Always. But still little things to clean up. Right now I need to draw lines and stop development and polish this thing. Future map packs are likely.

Thanks for hanging in there.

Sounds awesome man, can't wait to play it!

[Slyk]

Here's an update on my current work efforts. I am redoing all of the uniform textures from minor clean-up/tweaking to adding more variations. I have split the Union and Confederate graphics into two separate .dds files/atlas packages instead of having had them mixed and sharing some assets. This allows me to do more diversity per unit... in some cases.

I have run into very odd issues where I cannot add Corporals or Sergeants to line units by mixing in various textures with the standard Union Sack Coats. Freaking strange issues which I hope to figure out. I have also figured out how to make new "Normal" dds files so that has vastly improved the looks of the units.

Anyway....

Some things you might notice:
- Varied Generals/General staff from Lt. Colonel to Major General. Mostly you will see specific General Rank designated in the Scenarios instead of all Generals have a "Brigadier" star.
- Artillery battery Captain
- Artillery forage caps
- Artillery officer red-stripe pants
- Artillery Sergeant shell jacket
- Infantry Sergeant sack coat
- Infantry Skirmisher unit Captain
- Infantry Colonel should bar corrected
- Berdan's Sharpshooter Captain added

I still have space for give more hats or 1 pant and 3 hats.

I will be working on the Confederate uniforms next and will have a bit more room to add new variants on that set.

Maps:
- I would like to add two more maps to the current 43 for the next release and then plan a map pack for a few months later. Those I hope to add to this release...
-- Horseshoe Ridge, Day two of the Battle of Chickamauga
-- Missionary Ridge


MUCH closer!!!

[rhettvito]

More knapsacks and bed rolls for the Union and Confederate forces please Also if you're able to maybe some haversacks ​and some canteens

[Slyk]

More knapsacks and bed rolls for the Union and Confederate forces please Also if you're able to maybe some haversacks ​and some canteens

I agree. However, sadly, at this point I have spent a couple days and easily 20 hours fighting Pack File Manger trying to finish the uniform .dds split. PFM is mucking with me and apparently corrupting variantmodel entities all over the place. Extremely frustrating. I have tried various versions from 1.5.9 to 5x and all of them are as big a mess as the next.

SO... adding more basics like belts and accoutrements is going to go no where with PFM being a pain in the....

If I can get things going again.. which as of November 20th, they were fine... I'll tweak that stuff.