Sd.Kfz. 9
 

A little project that started on a whim and a photo and spun a bit out of control. It has limited use in the game beyond a curiosity and decoration in a scenario. But I did learn a couple of new techniques I can apply elsewhere. I MIGHT add a couple to the game but not 32 (!)....but they did build 2500 of them. Thinking more and more I may use these for the "barge carrier".

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/attac...1&d=1524347709

The Churchill is there as a size comparison. The FAMO is a big vehicle 8.32 metres long

These are 200% of normal so if anyone wants to add one to a personal SHP file they need to be pixel resized to 50% then converted to BMP format

Re: Sd.Kfz. 9
 

no picture?

Re: Sd.Kfz. 9
 

I see it OK.....this is the same thing that happened when I posted the patch info.... I will fix this now.......


..Are they OK for you now ?

Re: Sd.Kfz. 9
 

Yes thanks - see them now

To add:
Look great! could add as Heavy Transport :P - a great deal of the photos I have seen of the "famo" show it towing / recovering tanks and other heavy vehicles (even when it took 2 to pull a tiger!).

Re: Sd.Kfz. 9
 

We have other plans for that unitclass

Re: Sd.Kfz. 9
 

These were built "just for fun".....

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/attac...1&d=1524368205

Re: Sd.Kfz. 9
 

WW1 Mark V tanks??? Really?

Warhero

Re: Sd.Kfz. 9
 

I was just " doodling" over morning coffee one day and that's what resulted. I'm slowly building a Vimy Ridge map from Venola Contours so I was in a "WW1" frame of mind.

There's a story that the last known use of Mk Vs were former Estonian Composites dug in along the Pirita River by the Russians in August 1941 as stationary gun platforms. The problem is the game is not set up to handle sponson guns so even if I did add it to the files ( which I might "just for fun..." )...it would have to be a kludge as it;s neither turreted as the game understands turreted and it's not really an SP gun as the game understand SP guns so however it was put in would not be a satisfactory solution and we are not writing new code to make a single Icon that has no serious place in the game work. The "best" idea I've had for it would be as an invisible turret Icon but no matter how it's put in something ends up being at odds with reality

Re: Sd.Kfz. 9
 

Those look great Don. I like the supplies added to the beds.

If you are interested in the Sd.Kfz. Half-tracks, I have a bunch in my German Half-tracks file already posted on here. Save you some time possibly.

Re: Sd.Kfz. 9
 

Thanks for the offer Joe but your 7's are a bit too small
http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/attac...1&d=1524496860

6.85 x 2.35 m = 45x15 pixels not 40x15

That example is enlarged 300% ..

Re: Sd.Kfz. 9
 

Must be a source issue?

Re: Sd.Kfz. 9
 

Could be, but I have not seen a source that makes the Sd.Kfz.7 6.1 m long.

Wiki says 6.85 as does tanks-encyclopedia and World War II Database but as I have stated many times.... you will still see stated variances in the L x W for Tiger tanks so variances in source data for something like this is not a surprise.

**it happens...... my 6's are a bit too long ( but corrected now ) I've added over 120 Icons to the game since the patch was released..... "springs" been a bit slow this year so I got a head start on next.

Re: Sd.Kfz. 9
 

Agreed

Re: Sd.Kfz. 9
 

Sometimes these dimensions just don't "add up" even though other sources agree on what they are. The scale being worked at one pixel more or less for width (especially) or length one way or the other can change how it looks, sometimes dramatically. It can be very frustrating at times building something that is correct by the dimensions but the WxL ratio of the Icon doesn't agree with the line drawings even though they do with the WxL source data. I have found many times to get something looking right a pixel of more or less width can make all the difference even though doing that puts the Icon outside the given WxL

Re: Sd.Kfz. 9
 

I don't know anything about SP icon creation, but just a food for thought: pixel doesn't always come in perfect square ratio (1:1). There's what we call "Pixel Aspect Ratio".

In Photoshop you can define this using the new file dialogue:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/CK...d=w599-h498-no

Re: Sd.Kfz. 9
 

Yes but the ones I use are ( albeit 10x normal for this example )

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/attac...1&d=1524543458

Re: Sd.Kfz. 9
 

I just add something about WWI vehicles still used in 30's.

Tsarist Russia was one of the biggest adopters of armoured cars in times of WWI this cars goes mostly in hands of White and Red's during civil war. Some of them were captured by Germans and newly created states on ashes of Rusian empire like Poland, Estonia or Latvia.

Garford-Putilov
Heavy armoured car soviet cars were used into late 20's and dismantled. But Latvia have three of them and were captured by soviet during annexation in 1940. They were used in 1941 probably around Riga. Poland also captured 2 of them during war with soviets in 1920. They were used until 1927 and finally dismantled in 1930.

Garford-Putilov google translated to english

Austin / Austin-Putilovets

Russian license build British Austin armoured cars. This vehicle is already in polish OOB available between 1930-1931. Both versions English imported Austin I until Austin III and Russian build Austin-Putilovets. All captured from Soviets during war in 1920.
Soviets have 73 of them until 1931 in regular army units, 40 of them English build versions. Like in Poland they remove them in 1931-1933 and relegate to second line units. They were in NKVD internal troops rebuild on new ZIS chasis and participated in fights in 1941. They were also some captured by Estonian during their war for independence and later recaptured again in 1940 by soviets.

Austin / Austin-Putilovets


Fiat-Izhorski
Existing also in polish OOB similar in aparence to Austin. Red army used them until end of 1930 and then were transferred to school units as a training cars. Soviets have 47 units. Poland captured on of them and after 1931 was on static display in Modlin as a monument there captured by Germans. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have also them and after incorporations of their states were back again in Red Army. There they were used during fights of 1941 and probably all lost.

Fiat-Izhorski


Austin-Kegresse
Vehicle with halftrack mechanism of French engineer who was chief of Tsar vehicles garage during WWI. They were produced and used by Red Army during Civil-war in 1919. Used until 1933 when last four vehicles where dismantled. Poland captured two examples and also used them quite long until 1931. One became a monument in Modlin fortress and was captured by Germans. This vehicle is also modeled in polish OOB.


Austin-Kegresse




And there is the link to page with describe what happens with this post civil-war MK.V captured in Russia. His fate during fights in Berlin.

http://beutepanzer.ru/Beutepanzer/uk/MK_V/Mk_V.htm
http://beutepanzer.ru/Beutepanzer/uk/MK_V/Mk_V-2.html

Re: Sd.Kfz. 9
 

According to Jentz & Doyle Encyclopedia Of German Tanks Of WWII, length of SdKfz 7/1 was 6.85 m, SdKfz 6/2 - 6.32m.

I admire your attention to icon proportions :)
I hope you look with benevolent eye if I point at better truck or gun icons ;)

Re: Sd.Kfz. 9
 

This info is sometimes repeated in the net, but I haven't found info on their service in 1941 in Russian printed sources so far. However, it's worth to copy them from Polish OOB to Soviet early inventory (one generic Austin with transverse turrets, Austin-Putilov with diagonal turrets and Austin-Kegresse should be enough).

Here's an old page on Austin variants and service: http://derela.republika.pl/austin.htm

Austins in foreign service weren't numerous, but some were used by Japan, reportedly by Manchukuo. They were also used for some time by the British (put on Peerless chassis eventually).

Re: Sd.Kfz. 9
 

You're too late, I've already done them all...... as well there are new AA gun Icons

Re: Sd.Kfz. 9
 

Coincidentally I had been working on a Ehrhardt E-V/4 and a Austin-Putilov today. I'm gradually working my way through all the old oddball AC's.Now I can pass on the Austin-Putilov. I had missed those in the Icon list. Romania has one

Re: Sd.Kfz. 9
 

I already built a Vimy map hex by hex bro, map 291 WW2, also Passchendale too.

Re: Sd.Kfz. 9
 

Ah ! so you did.

Mine is looking a bit more "used"

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/attac...1&d=1525056175

I've only got as far as placing the location of the villages

Did you build that one by hand or use Venhola?......if totally by hand/eye the contours are impressive. That must have taken a lot of time

As daunting an achievement as taking that ridge was after getting a good look at the terrain I'm glad we didn't have to take it from the eastern side. While doing my initial research on it I found a lovely large copy of the barrage plan but it'sd too large to upload even when zipped and reducing it's size makes it unreadable

Re: Sd.Kfz. 9
 

All my maps are built by hand. I get a topographical map with ridge heights and import it into paint.net, then lay a hex pattern over top that fits into the 160x200 Sp editor, and then lay down the heights hex by hex. That is why Chosin (Chinese attack at Yudam-ni) took me over 3 weeks to build, going hex by hex, but all the hills and terrain are correct to within 50m.

I have never heard of Venhola before, I did a search last night when you mentioned it but it came up with other stuff.

I saw that barrage plan before, the numerous coloured lines and such are very confusing to me. No wonder each unit practiced for a month before the battle learning the system.

Re: Sd.Kfz. 9
 

It's a sticky thread at the top of both games maps subforms

http://www.venhola.com/maps/

Enter the coordinates then generate a map.......it will be generated as map 999 and when you load it, it will look flat but it's not.....flood fill the entire map with bare earth and the contours will pop

For Vimy enter
50.375
2.767

Re: Sd.Kfz. 9
 

HOLY F***ING COOL! Man I have been wasting so much time. I just did one for where I live and there you go...SWEET. I do have to admit though it does make Courtenay look awful hilly, but I think each terrain level is 10m.

Kind of feels like cheating after all the work I did going hex by hex but I will use it for the next scenarios I was planning on, Op Epsom.

Re: Sd.Kfz. 9
 

The contour elevation can be adjusted if you think the standard 10 m is too much....or adjust by hand. I tried one once for Villers Bocage that made the L'Oden look like the grand canyon .EDIT**For that 5 was a better setting**, is wrong... to reduce the number of elevations to "flatten" out the map a bit go higher than the normal 10... try 20....5 will exaggerate the contours more.:doh:

Yes, for map making The Venhola is Wunder Waffe. A number of changes made last couple of releases were made to use it better.....goto for one was "inspired" by the 999 maps but also because the number of maps and scenarios now has grown to the point we needed a way to get from one place to another quickly.. The spatter feature of the flood fill tool is another.

There are so many ways to find GPS coordinates you can pick an exact center for your map and Google maps lets you find your battle ground then click on "What's Here" and you get the exact coordinated you need to enter into Venhola

It saves HOURS of time. You still need to fill in the details but it's getting the contours right that was always the biggest chore and you can rotate the map if you need to and if you don't need a full 200x160 map it can be trimmed using the extended map editor. We are going to look into ( NO promises ) a way to allow streams to not cut to level -2 next year..it may.... or not be possible to do without causing undesirable knock off effects but the BIG problem is the game expects streams to be -2 for a lot of code

EDIT...... another far simpler way to "reveal" the contours on a freshly generated Vehola is to use the new "Strip map" feature of the extended map editor.....it reveals the contours with one control

Re: Sd.Kfz. 9
 

Snip



The thread topic has strayed a bit but while we are on this subject I just noticed that all those multi turreted AC's were added to a no turret file which means they only fire at what's in front of them. Because they are multi-turreted they should have been set up with "invisible" turrets and I have just change the game code for the ones like that so they now fire more correctly.


Don

Re: Sd.Kfz. 9
 

I've investigated Romania a bit last year and I'm not sure if Romania had Ehrhardt, which were rather not numerous vehicles at all. I've found a book "Trupele blindate din Armata Romana 1919-1947" in Romanian - early armoured vehicles aren't described in detail, but there's no mention on Ehrhardt at all. Earliest armoured cars were two Peugeot and two Renault in 1916 (there's a mention, that armament was 8mm MG, and there is one photo of Renault AM with MG in 1927). Effectively Renault and Peugeot were the same (photos of French ACs are here: http://www.chars-francais.net/2015/i...sk=view&id=685).
There is also a mention on Austin and Austin Putilov in service.

Re: Sd.Kfz. 9
 

Respect its surprising whatyou can produce given how few pixels you actualy have to play with