New map(s)

[Rocky]

Looking good Zeko.

[Zeko]

Thx for the kind words MrMoon and Rocky  

MrMoon, yes you can retexture it,np. Maybe I'll release all source files so anyone interested can tear it up  

That truck is there just for scale reference and eye candy. Will get removed  

Expanded scene a bit more. Will add more security elements and than off to make a terrain.

 

 

Edited December 5, 2015 by Zeko

[MrMoon]

Loving the additions mate keep up the good work

[Zeko]

Hey guys,

small update, haven't quit on project (yet ) but work was killlliiiing me  .

Started on vegetation and i'm not too keen on tree. Tree is not finished yet because I was testing texture. The plan is mixed forest, 2-3 types of broadleaf trees, fir and some pine tree, 2 types of bushes and some small grown stuff like fern and similar.

The other day I made some example for a fellow forum member here, how easy is to make palm tree. And I instantly started to picture in my head how this map would look in a jungle type environment. Still deciding...

I'll post both renders and would like to hear some opinions about environment switch idea.

Thank You for watching  

[wombat50]

Good work on both but the palm trees are my favorite.

[KRP 56]

Good work on both but the palm trees are my favorite.

I'll second that. 

[Rocky]

Oh boy, those screenies have got me all impatient now!

[Zeko]

Ok so the voting is closed  2:0 for palm version. So let's make jungle then...

Rocky, you will have to wait a bit more m8, but I promise it will get done till 15th GR anniversary  

In the meantime, here's some jungle start render....

 

[wombat50]

Every aspect is awesome!

[Zeko]

Thank you wombat.

Started on generator room. It's halfway down the road. Needs a little more details and off to next room. Haven't decided yet how many rooms will there be. Texturing all this will sure be fun 

 

[TJbrena]

Who will the default opposing force be, if you've thought that far ahead?

Jungle makes me think Cubans could be used and the map is either in Cuba or set in another Latin American country. If the map is less "modern", then it fits as a Cold War relic being used by the rebels in Island Thunder. If it's more modern, then it doesn't exactly fit any Latin American government.

Brazil hasn't had a nuclear weapons program since the early 1990s. Myanmar is a jungle-y place, and they may or may not have a nuclear weapons program, according to some defectors and opposition politicians. It's not likely though. Similar claims about a chemical weapons program exist. China has nukes, and they have tropical territories, some of them disputed. 

Hidden command bunkers usually make my mind jump to either nuclear weapons or secretive/paranoid organizations, potentially non-state actors. Though a military junta - like Thailand has right now - seems like the kind of entity that'd have a secret, well-guarded command bunker or two.

In any case, figuring out the nature of this facility would certainly help inform the design and details of it, OPFOR or not.

[Zeko]

Hmmm to tell you the truth, I haven't thought about it. I was never good at story telling, making scenarios or missions. I'm somehow decent at making maps but thats it.

You on the other hand, have very strong military and history knowledge so tell me what do you suggest? It's not that far in making so I can change a lot of things. I would stuck though with tunnel leading to underground research lab/control facility/nuclear silo etc. idea but thats it. Everything else can be re-done  

[TJbrena]

Love the tunnel/bunker setup, absolutely keep that. I also like the jungle setting a lot. It adds to the concealment of the facility, especially if there's a lot of foliage on top of the bunker itself.

I imagine the bunker be the kind of place that looks like a small outpost from a satellite view, with maybe a helipad and some guard posts visible. The roads would be obscured from aerial view by trees. IMINT would lead one to believe it was just a listening post or refueling station of some sort.

I'd like to know how extensive the jungle beyond the base is. Is the base multi-level, and how much horizontal space does it take up on the map? And how big is the map itself?

Assuming the facility is dated the existence of something so vulnerable as a tunnel suggests that that facility was built to last, in which case it's likely a Soviet-built facility built to endure a few megatons of punishment. But Cuba is one of the only places that works, and in that case it's at least 20 years old by the time of Island Thunder (2010). This would allow the use of more vanilla assets, including the opposing force.

The OPFOR in this case would be die-hard commies still loyal to the defunct (in the video game Clancyverse) Castro regime, its ideals and fond of shouting "Viva la Revolucion!". They probably holed up in this forgotten facility, and are working on a chemical weapons program in secret, hoping to inspire a resurgence of Communism. Chemical weapons being as easy to make as they are (only somewhat harder than explosives or guns, all of which can be made by anybody with an internet connection and access to a hardware store and/or chemistry hobbyists shop), these Soldiers of World Socialism (or SWS, I guess that could be their name) chose them as their ultimate weapon.

So the SWS are working on finding that sweet spot between easy and (relatively) safe production methods by like-minded groups and lethality. Not a hard one to find, honestly. Sarin (GB) gas can be made fairly easily (the 1995 Tokyo subway attacks used Sarin), the SWS would probably just be working on making sure the stuff is fairly safe to make, as long as basic safety procedures are followed. I doubt they'd want their comrades gassing themselves by accident. Plus, Sarin isn't persistent within the environment, so any areas they "liberate" with it aren't going to be poisonous if someone touches a wall.

This emphasis on safety by the OPFOR means that the Ghosts wouldn't have much to worry about if a shot missed; the weapons are in an airtight vault not even a contortionist could hide in, and the chemicals outside them are just precursors. No need for the Ghosts to wear anything more than a gas mask, and even that would be optional. 

As far as level design, this means a research section, a lab, barracks and security checkpoints and a command center for coordination of the SWS and its allies. Leading other revolutionary groups would likely come later, when the SWS proved themselves as having something to offer. 

The command center would be an eclectic mix of old and new as it's being modernized. The lab would have a lot of chemical tanks, beakers and stuff. Maybe the more specialized stuff (potential custom assets) is stored in boxes when not in use to save them from clumsy guards (saves effort). Security checkpoints would just be guard posts, maybe with metal detectors. Barracks for guards and scientists need propaganda and security cameras. Research stations would have computers, but need extra security and propaganda to ensure that scientists aren't doing anything out of line with the SWS' goals, or communicating with capitalists.

To preserve the secrecy, there'd have to be mechanisms dedicated to making sure things stay secret. That means propaganda, threats, and surveillance. At least one interrogation room, lots of security cameras, plenty of propaganda posters, the works. 

I'd imagine most of the propaganda in the facility would be demonizing the US, and idolizing Marx, Lenin, and Castro. You can Google "Cuban Propaganda" and get some good stuff.

For example, here's some IRL Cuban propaganda intended for domestic consumption, from Cuba's Museum of the Revolution. From left to right, caricatures of Batista, Reagan, Bush (41), and Bush (43).

I can't emphasize the security, paranoia and inclusion of propaganda enough. it really sells the idea of these guys being Communist holdouts that are as afraid of the outside world as much as they're afraid of traitors inside their ideological safe zone.

Edited January 13, 2016 by TJbrena

[Zeko]

Wow what a post TJ! Really impressive! Thank you for that. I like the whole Cuba idea with chemical lab setup. I'll try to incorporate as much of this info as possible. I would like to see if you could be a beta tester if you don't mind when things will be that far.

Map size? I'll probably use all of 400x400 meters play area which is limit in GR for a working command map. So with borders will extend to 500x500 meters approximately. I made a rough layout sketch how it will look. The size of lab under hill is yet unknown but it will be fairly big.

Pardon my crappy sketching skills  

 

[Zeko]

Started on barracks and I'm not sure how big it should be. Also what are the most common buildings that goes with it? Some cantina, armory, comms building and some storage building. Anything else? I don't want it to be too big.

Comments are welcome for layout, otherwise I'll just use imagination   

[TJbrena]

Comms for sure. Communications are key for any organized group, armed or not. There should be at least one room dedicated to communications equipment, and it should be connected to some antennae. Definitely a mess hall. Some bathrooms and/or latrines, in both the camp and the facility. Armory should be near the barracks. Storage building should be relatively close to both the mess hall and barracks. Small generators for each building. There also should be a checkpoint as the road approaches the outer edge of the camp. 

Also, I'd enjoy being a beta tester when things get farther along.

[ApexMods]

Bumping for Zeko to magically reappear and finish this. Ghost Recon needs more maps. 🙂