Description:
This contains the MCAGCC 29 Palms island and buildings.
This terrain is based on the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center base
in California. I have been working on this terrain/buildings since 2007
(on and off as the demands of being a responsible adult are often at
odds with desires to build addons for a game).
Please note that this is not a 1-to-1 direct translation of real world
to game. There are differences. The overall "feel” is representative of
the real base but I’ve taken creative license and added and removed some
things to either improve gameplay or keep me from going insane. For
example, I have created a lot of custom buildings but I have not created
(or even attempted to create) every type of building found on the base
or in the nearby civilian areas. You will also quickly note that the
buildings are not the most detailed or prettiest buildings around. This
was done intentionally to keep the poly count low so you can increase
the number of buildings and the draw distance without a drop in frame
rates.
If you’ve had the pleasure (and I use that term very loosely) of
spending time at the Stumps, you will notice a number of differences.
Some of these differences are obviously beyond the scope of the game
(e.g. the wonderful, late afternoon odor of Lake Bandini, the dry,
scorching (or freezing) air and the omnipresent sand and dust). Other
things, like the natural wonder that is Camp Wilson is modeled but will
likely not be how you remembered it. You should, however, hopefully be
reminded of many of the things you loved about that place.
Features:
The island is generally comprised of several areas:
towns and residential areas
- about half of the developed areas are based on real locations and aligned with satellite imagery - the other half is fictional but also based on real town layouts
- there is also a large "desert” residential area in the southwest area of the map based on real data
military training areas
- includes realistic buildings and layouts (MOUT) - firing ranges
airfields (ranging from very large and well developed to simple, single strips)
mountains and hills
flat areas
Again, my overall goal is to provide players with a lot of space that
can be used for combined arms combat. I am hopeful that with all the
amazing mission makers and dedicated teams, people will be able to have
some truly awesome experiences on the terrain. With the low poly
buildings and incredible view distances, I am hoping that truly unique
missions are even more possible than with most/many other islands
available (there’s nothing like calling in CAS that is flying at 1 mile
up that can see the same target you see).
Installation:
As we always recommend use modfolders to seperate the custom content from the official game content to prevent problems.
For different ways to set up your modfolders and use them please visit our FAQ.
When you are using the Steam version you can find a Steam mod installation and activation FAQ here.
Included .pbos:
wgl_objects.pbo
wgl_palms.pbo
Usage:
Mission: Airport Template 1 is available from here.
Download this file only if you plan on needing airfields with lighting
for your missions – by default there are no lights on any of the
airfields.
Known issues:
Please, please, please, keep in mind that this is a BETA – I know it is
not complete. There are still known issues with the terrain and the
buildings (such as bushes on roads, an occasional telephone pole
sticking through a building, the damage values and rates of building
destruction (they currently just disappear from existence when
destroyed) and the AI not taxiing properly at the main airfield.)
Additionally, most of the buildings are not as complete as I would
prefer. Some of the buildings are still very basic.
Author notes:
I have two main goals for this Beta:
- First, I would like for people to play and provide feedback (positive
as well as negative). This feedback can come in several forms:
Case 1 – you just complain about the … (fill in the blank). If that’s the case, I will smile, nod my head and move on.
Case 2 – you complain but make general recommendations on improvement.
In this case, I will smile, nod my head, make a general note somewhere
and may, one day, actually get around to improving things in a general
way.
Case 3 – you point out things you like and a few that you don’t, along
with specific recommendations on how to improve things. In this
instance, I will note what you say, open the terrain or the building
models/config and see if I can immediately fix things.
Case 4 – you clearly state a specific issue, with specific steps to
correct or improve. This case makes me happy. I will certainly look at
your recommendations and will likely implement the recommendations right
away.
Case 5 – (this one is my favorite) – you see something that you can fix,
you fix it, send me the fix and show me where I went wrong. I will
update whatever needs updated, credit you and send out the improved
results.
The best place for your feedback (at least for now) is right here in this thread.
- Second, I would love for some volunteers to step forward and help
polish things so that it can be released in a non-Beta version.
I am hoping that people see it as a quality map and can create a lot of
missions to utilize the space. There is a tremendous amount of superb
custom missions out there and I would love to see some of those
converted to 29 Palms as well as a whole slew of new missions that
really take advantage of the terrain and large draw distances.
As for the island and buildings, I specifically chose 29 Palms as I
believe it has a lot of "playable” space, has diverse topography and
will provide players with terrain which is unlike most/many of islands
available for download and play (even though it is a desert landscape,
of which there are many).
In keeping with my WGL/ACE/ACE 2 roots starting with OFP in 2001, I have
designed the terrain and buildings to be playable at large viewing
distances with minimal impact to frame rates. Additionally, I have put
in a lot time to make the island/buildings as AI friendly as possible
but my main focus was to get people on there. For example, there are a
lot of roads and sometimes the AI doesn’t handle that very well.
If you’re interested in helping to finish up the buildings, please just
let me know. Most needed are people to help finish the actual models.
Secondary would be help with improving the textures. All help is
appreciated.
Notes:
- Feedback is welcome and greatly appreciated!
- In the coming weeks, I will upload the working files for anyone that wants to see what I've done "behind the scenes."
- If you enjoy the terrain and would like to donate in recognition of
that appreciation, please feel free to send me a donation at
semperteacher @ yahoo.com through PayPal (this is a donation and is, in
no way, required to download and/or play the terrain or buildings).
Credits & Thanks:
Thanks to everyone that has helped me with the private Beta and with mirroring/hosting the files for this general release.