MEA File / Ground Movement

[Phoenix711]

I'm in the process of detailed work for the Aegean theater. The goal is to create a fluent campaign. From what I know since now, the F4 campaign engine concentrates the aerial battle near flot. So, if you have a narrow flot, you're in trouble. (Like the Turkish - Aegean border. So, I decided to be friends with the Greece for the campaign and choosing Iran as a enemy. Fafa permitted me to use his Iranian skin pack (great work).

Experiment 1: Pathmaker cannot create my MEA file correctly. I've written a tool to read and show the MEA file values, Korean seems correct (I'm checking with terrainview). Mine, is just showing strange numbers. If I create it using 4 byte L2, there are mostly negative numbers and zeros, for 2 byte L2, almost all 16000 like numbers. (But pathmakers new version is able to read 2 and 4 byte AFAIK? )

So now I've written a tool to create the MEA file from the 4byte L2 file and it is a success. Tried it on the Korean l2 file, and I've not only managed to create almost the same mea file, but I did find the heights changed but mea not updated for some zones (little differences tho).

So, I created my mea with this tool and checked with some helicopter missions. Since, F4 engine cannot handle steep climbs etc, (even Korea is the same), the mea file works and helis are flying well for not so steep terrain.

Experiment 2: Altough you said roads are not so important for ground movement, my all TE objectives are connected with links, but my ground units are not seem to go from one to another.

But, I ve managed to run my ground units in two big islands without problems (except passing bridges). For this, I've first created a good road network and noted the points where roads split. Then, I've put either the nearest objective there (village, factory etc) or put a JUNCTION type objective if nothing is near. First, it didn't worked. After creating the mea file it did... So I guess, the mea file is important even for ground unit movement. Anyone to confirm?

My next goal is to create my THR file correctly, since pathmaker don't create it correctly.

I'm highly suspecting my L2 or O2 file, or both about this. I'm not telling that pathmaker is working wrong. It is possibly my own tools that porked the L2 / O2 file. So pathmaker cannot read it correctly. But I'm having no problems with terrainview.

Now, I've all the info I need about the L2 and O2 file (file design, shared segments etc). I'm going further with THR file and I hope to create a good one so my campaign works well.

Cheers.

[Snake Man]

From what I know since now, the F4 campaign engine concentrates the aerial battle near flot.

Well yes and no. Yes its true the fight is on the FLOT, but it isn't anyway specificly concentrating the war there. The campaign engine tasks flights to long behind enemy lines for strike missions and so on.

So, if you have a narrow flot, you're in trouble.

Trouble, how?

I don't see why FLOT's lenght would be much of a problem.

But pathmakers new version is able to read 2 and 4 byte AFAIK?

I just tried it out, PathMaker reads 2 byte and 4 byte theater.L2 files... HOWEVER does it understand what it read... is another question

Altough you said roads are not so important for ground movement

Okay I might have to re-read what I said, but I believe that is wrong. I never said roads aren't important, you definitely need roads but I think the ground units might move short distances without roads too.

In short; roads are necessary for ground unit movement.

I've put either the nearest objective there (village, factory etc) or put a JUNCTION type objective if nothing is near.

Or add something which can be used in the war effort, like factory, SAM site, etc.

[Phoenix711]

Don't get me wrong. I think you said Codec told you that even without roads, the ground units can move using the links between objects.

[Snake Man]

Yes that's what I meant... Codec told me that, but I never seen them moving without roads as far as I can recall. So yeah, I guess I could leave out the fine print and just say that: No, ground units only using roads.

[derStef]

Yes that's what I meant... Codec told me that, but I never seen them moving without roads as far as I can recall. So yeah, I guess I could leave out the fine print and just say that: No, ground units only using roads.

Major issue in my Taiwan mod....

[Phoenix711]

Load your thr file as the Relief map in TacEdit and check if it is normal.

For example, mine is not good, because, My new tiles are not evaluated normally like the originals. If you've changed the texture.bin, especially added tiles, you're in trouble.

In my relief map, areas tiled with the new tiles just seem like sea.