Idea for Urban Terrain

hueglin

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As it stands right now in ATF/AATF, urban terrain provides concealment but does not provide cover. You can create structures that will provide cover, however the engine cannot handle, nor would it be practical, to model every individual structure within a battlegroup area.

I do feel that urban areas should provide cover as well as concealment, and am therefore considering the following idea. When modelling an urban area I would break the area into a number of similar sized blocks (probably based on the road network as boundaries). I would then create a single structure for each urban block and allow vehicles and dismounts to enter.

How much protection the block provides would actually depend on the type of buildings in the block.

Any thoughts on how this may or may not work?
 

TDR

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As it stands right now in ATF/AATF, urban terrain provides concealment but does not provide cover. You can create structures that will provide cover, however the engine cannot handle, nor would it be practical, to model every individual structure within a battlegroup area.

I do feel that urban areas should provide cover as well as concealment, and am therefore considering the following idea. When modelling an urban area I would break the area into a number of similar sized blocks (probably based on the road network as boundaries). I would then create a single structure for each urban block and allow vehicles and dismounts to enter.

How much protection the block provides would actually depend on the type of buildings in the block.

Any thoughts on how this may or may not work?
In essence you are describing structures as an urban terrain.

How you as a scenario builder tend to have the terrain is up to you and once build it needs to be tested. One thing though is not to modify existing terrain databases in situ. This would have problems with other scenarios built on the original terrain database.

Note also that the terrain databases and the allowed attributes vary depending on game engine. Thus certain terrains defined under TSATC/AATF will not function properly or at all as intended with the engine that comes with the original ATF game as an example.
 

Pat Proctor

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Actually, while there are terrain databases that can be exchanged from map to map, the terrain objects and types save with the map. You can't "screw up" ATF/AATF maps by messing with the database.
 

hueglin

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Thanks Pat and Nick,

I will start to do some testing of the concept. One thing that I am not clear on from reading the TSATC game info is how movement within a structure works. The info talks about the movement modifier being used for elements that cannot enter the structure.

"Move Reduction. This is the degree to which the building slows movement for units moving through it that are not specified as units capable of occupying the building."

For an element that can enter a structure, does it move within the structure, or does it just enter, then exit?

Also, can elements from both sides occupy the same structure at the same time?
 
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Pat Proctor

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The documentation is correct. Normally, if you want the structure to block movement for units that can't enter, the modifier woudl be 0.0. But I wanted to leave this open to the map-maker.

Units that can enter do enter and can be stopped inside the structure. While inside the structure, they receive the elevation modifier for the structure.

Multiple units can occupy the same structure, even if from opposing or allied sides.
 
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