Maps for HITS & Couriers Games

Here are some maps all of us can use for HITS & Couriers games. Several I must thank Kevin (Little_Billy) for and several are by ADukes on the NorbSoft forum, the rest are stock maps or from Garnier's mod. We should print these off and have them by our sides as we play to use for discussions between generals to decide where to deploy troops or order them to march to. The good thing about Little_Billy's maps is many have a lot of interactive locations on (accessible via the courier destinations screen in his "CourierMiniMapMod140.zip", which I think we should all install and use). Available here:

http://www.norbsoftdev.net/forum/modifications/23871-released-mod-threads

Under "Gameplay Enhancements".

1) Macpherson & Variant

http://www.atomic-album.com/showPic.php/22426/01_MacPherson.jpg

http://www.atomic-album.com/showPic.php/22426/01a_MacPherson_Variant.jpg

2) Culps Hill & Variant

http://www.atomic-album.com/showPic.php/22426/02_CulpsHill.jpg

http://www.atomic-album.com/showPic.php/22426/02a_CulpsHill_Variant.jpg

3) Pickett-Pettigrew-Trimble & Variant

http://www.atomic-album.com/showPic.php/22426/03_Pickett-Pettigrew-Trimble.jpg

http://www.atomic-album.com/showPic.php/22426/03a_Pickett-Pettigrew-Trimble_Variant.jpg

4) Devils Den & Round Tops & Variant

http://www.atomic-album.com/showPic.php/22426/04_DevilsDen-RoundTops.jpg

http://www.atomic-album.com/showPic.php/22426/04a_DevilsDen-RoundTops_Variant.jpg

5) Gettysburg & Variant

http://www.atomic-album.com/showPic.php/22426/05_Gettysburg.jpg

http://www.atomic-album.com/showPic.php/22426/05a_Gettysburg_Variant.jpg

6) East Cavalry Field & Variant

http://www.atomic-album.com/showPic.php/22426/06_EastCavalryField.jpg

http://www.atomic-album.com/showPic.php/22426/06a_EastCavalryField_Variant.jpg

7) Alpine & Variant

http://www.atomic-album.com/showPic.php/22426/07_Alpine.jpg

http://www.atomic-album.com/showPic.php/22426/07a_Alpine_Variant.jpg

8 ) Random Map 01 - Open, no Wheatfields

http://www.atomic-album.com/showPic.php/22426/08_RandomMap01.jpg

9) Random Map 02 - Open Centre, Wheatfields

http://www.atomic-album.com/showPic.php/22426/09_RandomMap02.jpg

10) Random Map 03 - Moderate Woods, no Wheatfields

http://www.atomic-album.com/showPic.php/22426/10_RandomMap03.jpg

11) Random Map 04 - Moderate Woods, Small Wheatfields

http://www.atomic-album.com/showPic.php/22426/11_RandomMap04.jpg

12) Random Map 05 - Light Woods, Large Fields

http://www.atomic-album.com/showPic.php/22426/12_RandomMap05.jpg

13) Random Map 06 - Dense Woods

http://www.atomic-album.com/showPic.php/22426/13_RandomMap06.jpg

14) Antietam & 14a Historical Variant

http://www.atomic-album.com/showPic.php/22426/14_Antietam.jpg

http://www.atomic-album.com/showPic.php/22426/14c_Antietam_Variant3.jpg

15) Fox's Gap

http://www.atomic-album.com/showPic.php/22426/15_Fox'sGap.jpg

15a) Turner's Gap-Fox's Gap-Crampton's Gap Historical Map (BIG!)

http://www.atomic-album.com/showPic.php/22426/15a_Turner's-Fox's-Crampton's_Variant.jpg

16) Crampton Gap

http://www.atomic-album.com/showPic.php/22426/16_CramptonGap.jpg

17) Pipe Creek 01 - Maybery & Taneytown Pike & Variant

http://www.atomic-album.com/showPic.php/22426/17_PipeCreek01_Mayberry.jpg

http://www.atomic-album.com/showPic.php/22426/17a_PipeCreek01_Mayberry_Variant.jpg

18) Pipe Creek 02 - Unions Mills & Littlestown Pike & Variant

http://www.atomic-album.com/showPic.php/22426/18_PipeCreek02_UnionMills.jpg

http://www.atomic-album.com/showPic.php/22426/18a_PipeCreek02_UnionMills_Variant.jpg

19) Pipe Creek 03 - Manchester & Hanover Pike & Variant

http://www.atomic-album.com/showPic.php/22426/19_PipeCreek03_Manchester.jpg

http://www.atomic-album.com/showPic.php/22426/19a_PipeCreek03_Manchester_Variant.jpg

20, 21, 22) Olustee, Valverde & Kansas

http://www.atomic-album.com/showPic.php/22426/20_Olustee.jpg

http://www.atomic-album.com/showPic.php/22426/21_Valverde.jpg

http://www.atomic-album.com/showPic.php/22426/22_Kansas.jpg

Thanks Digby!

Tip for others - if you log in these are links. Ifyou don't, they're not.

Thanks Digby & Kevin / Billy - and indeed Mr Dukes should he read this – these are very useful resources.

For the benefit of the many new forum users here, could I also put in a fresh plug for Richard’s equally useful resource, the RSS feed which produces an email digest when a new post is made on this forum:

1) Go to http://www.feedmyinbox.com/
2) Enter http://www.kriegsspiel.org.uk/rss.php as the website url.
3) and your email address.
4) Accept the confirmation and thats it.....

Mark might like to make this tip sticky at the top of the Introductions page too, which is where new users might logically go first? It ensures those attracted to the site will be guided back to it subsequent to the first visit, as well as being an excellent way to monitor announcements of game arrangements, etc.

Excellent stuff.

Martin

It looks like we need annotated Antietam & South Mountain maps asap...

Does anyone know how one could do this?

Blaugrana wrote:It looks like we need annotated Antietam & South Mountain maps asap...

Does anyone know how one could do this?

I have an Antietam and I think also the South Mtn. map annotated.

If they are just as hard copies for use on the desk beside you as we play, its easy, just add farm, hill and town names. I can start looking for period maps online to get some info.

For in-game files they need to be in dds format and the location data goes in the csv file I think - Kevin will know more, so that is more work but I am very willing to help out with such a project. Foxs Gap, Crampton Gap and Antietam should be our priorities. The farm names on Garniers random maps are the same as on East Cavalry Field of course but as these have become fictional maps we could add fictional names.

Pipe Creek perhaps the lower priority until more of us buy them, though its actually on these I have done most of my research, so I know several of the town/village and hill names already.

@ Uncle Billy - great news, that gives us a very good start.

Thank you much, I'm going to use these with the ALphaOmgega ini modifier over the next few days with my son and try out some Scourge of war moderated action...

BTW I have been told that Alphaomega=1 also works with the older "Take Command" series.

Los

Using the superb Old Maps Online resource http://www.oldmapsonline.org/#bbox=-110.001954,-51.984598,119.919921,71.999511&q=&datefrom=1000&dateto=2010

I have today added Map 15a. It is very big but perfectly clear, if players choose to copy and print it I think it needs cutting into two for the two parts but I decided to keep it whole for the stitching together and upload process simply because its a beautiful document in its own right. This has all the detail needed for a full in-game map mod I think

Mr. Digby wrote: .... its a beautiful document in its own right.

It's a beauty indeed. Thanks for this, Martin.

Added map 14a, Antietam (historical). I'll keep looking for a better one than this.

Uncle Billy wrote:I have an Antietam and I think also the South Mtn. map annotated.

Thanks for the South Mountain DDS map you e-mailed, Kevin. Have just installed - brilliant!

I have just replaced map 14a with a cleaned up version courtesy of Martin. This now needs names annotating and locations logging. Kevin... I would be happy to do the 'ground surveying' for any named places on this you wanted to have as locations, or add more.

BTW in our Crampton's Gap battle yesterday I did notice how much the in-game terrain is incorrect vs the historical map. Woods where they should not be, cornfields where there should be woods, etc. The roads and creeks seemed okay but the vegetation was off significantly. Should we annotate our maps to match the game reality or just go with this as 'unfortunate errors in local map surveying'?

Mr. Digby wrote:I have just replaced map 14a with a cleaned up version courtesy of Martin. This now needs names annotating and locations logging. Kevin... I would be happy to do the 'ground surveying' for any named places on this you wanted to have as locations, or add more.

That would be good. I would like to see us moving to using location rather than map point when sending text orders. Having better mini maps really helps.

Mr. Digby wrote:BTW in our Crampton's Gap battle yesterday I did notice how much the in-game terrain is incorrect vs the historical map. Woods where they should not be, cornfields where there should be woods, etc. The roads and creeks seemed okay but the vegetation was off significantly. Should we annotate our maps to match the game reality or just go with this as 'unfortunate errors in local map surveying'?

Yes I found the same thing when using the cleaned-up Antietam map in a game. It may be the Norbsoft map makers have better maps. The stock Antietam map appears to be of the period too, and it disagrees with the one I posted in terms of vegetation.

Certainly operating with inadequate maps is something the actual commanders would have faced. Some of my department were sent to Hereford for a few days once for a team-building session with some ex SAS people. One of the courses was on using maps and what you can & can't rely on. The message that came out was exactly as Digby describes. Roads & streams reliable. Vegetation not. This was broght home to us when they then sent us on a 'mission' into hostile country to rescue a downed pilot. All the woods were in the wrong place, which made navigation a challenge.

Martin

I am going to clean-up the broken road junctions on some of the Antietam maps. I think I can find them rather easily, but just in case, anyone who knows the location of a break, please email me with the location info.

I've also updated the Antietam and Crampton's Gap maps so they are functional for HITS play. Given all the changes, I'm going to release an updated version of the Courier & Maps mod that we all use, hopefully by the end of the week.

Though included mainly to decorate the Forum, this pretty map on Jack O'Neills site actually gives a great idea of the Gettysburg terrain and the 1863 troop positions.

Agreed. It would be nice to see the full map.

I find the k/spiel-style hatching for high ground gives a much better feel for the battlefield than modern maps with contours.

Martin

True, graphically its a very pleasing style. That map bears little relation to the SoW:GB terrain though. I understand the game terrain is taken from 3D elevation data so other than the exaggerated vertical axis it is accurate.