HPS Gettysburg The map

FM WarB

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I've been getting into Gettysburg and researching it after a long hiatus. I feel that the HPS game system, with optional rules has potential for realistic Civil War gaming.

I've played the good ole SPI TSS and TS Gettysburg. The HPS Gettysburg map appears to be too bland, and this is not just a graphics comment, comparing it to the beautiful TS map.

I've walked the battlefield twice, in summer.

Is The Wheatfield of Sickle's Salient fame really the only field on the battlefield? Certainly not! Where are the fences and stone walls I read about in battle accounts?
 

rebel15nc

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I agree with you. The game is great but the map could use some updating to make it more appealing to the eye. Also I wish JTS would go back to the old games like Gettysburg and import the weather effects so that when you download a patch, the weather would be included.
Since I am wishing, I wish we would soon get a new game in this series. It seems like a long time since the last one was released.
 

trauth116

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Rebel- the weather effects are coded into the PDT files -so that what you are asking for is for someone to go back in and create alternate versions of the scenarios that use the weather pdt effects (the ability to use them should be in the update -although I don't have the time to check) -and will note that if someone at the company were to do that, it would likely be someone directly involved in the series -which would make your last wish sort of clash in terms of manpower assignments. I suppose the short answer is that someone might have to edit it in there, outside of the company if it is ever to get done.

But, I also want to assure you, I am into details like that as well ... although I doubt I have the time to work on that (so am not in a position to promise it would even make my backburner list).

FM- to be fair, of course you did a painstaking analysis of every TSS board hex and came up with what conclusions? Just out of interest, and because the versions of TSS/3Dog are basically the same map scale.
 
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Generally, those sorts of updates are done by whoever the scenario designer was on that game. I honestly don't recall if the Gettysburg guy ever did anything else for John. Also, remember that G'burg has an insane number of scenarios buried in the campaigns, so that's a massive level of work.

Weather was added in Gettysburg 1.02, so there's certainly room for someone to go in and do modded scenarios with weather.

It wouldn't be all that hard to do.

1) Spawn a copy of the scenario you want to edit with a different name
2) Open the .pdt file in a text editor
3) Save a copy of that .pdt as a separate file -- VERY important. If you mess with the standard pdt. you'll mess with the original scenarios.
4) Add the weather you want to the new pdt.
5) Open the new scenario in a text editor
6) Change the name of the pdt to your new one.
7) Save
8) Test.

I've never poked in the ACW to see how the entries for weather are done, so I can't give you that code off the top of my head.
 

digglyda

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Now I raised almost this exact same point on the forum at the ACWGC a while back. The map does look overly bland to me too but I was assured it is actually correct. Fields at the time of year of thr battle would not effect visibility or movement so their inclusion would be only as "eye candy". The fences and walls should be present in large numbers but to such an extent that nearly every Hex could have one or the other, seriously effecting the movements of either player. Arguable for the sake of realism but the generic nature of the HPS map system means the one we have is necessarily simple?

However, as far as the Weather feature goes, a member of our Old Banshee team did create Weather versions of ALL the HPS Gettysburg Scenarios and these are available as a download from the Old Banshee site: http://old-banshee.yolasite.com/

They do not effect any of your standard scenarios so download and install!
 
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