Has the french countryside been improved

[twistking]

Hello,

when i tested the map with the free trial last year, i liked it quite a lot, but also found some shortcomings.

 

My main gripe with the map was the french side of the channel especially towards the dunkirk area. Frankly i found it to look quite weak. I know that this type of flat landscape is more difficult to make look good (the normandy map also suffers a little bit from it), but i still think that one could improve on what was there. I found the textures to look too flat and found the landscape missing defining details. Also there were remote industrial sites that looked as they were randomly plopped in the fields without any infrastructure other than the occasional dirt-road...

 

I heard that critique come up in some initial reviews, but it never really came trough in the discussions here.

 

Anyway, i was just wondering if there has been improvment to the french countryside lately? the patchnotes had quite a lot for the channel map, but it wasn't clear if the general look and feel have been improved also, or if it was mainly about adding more landmarks...

 

Also i'm wondering if the size has been increased, as that was my second concern with the map: On the english side it was quite easy to accidentally run into the harsh reality of map limits...

 

thanks

Edited April 24, 2021 by twistking

[swartbyron]

I can’t tell you what’s changed but everything seems more blended and refined since 2.7 on both sides of the channel.

To me The Channel map is the most immersive map ED has ever made and the most realistic representation of colour tones and shading of the area it represents.
It looks just magnificent in 2.7!

While it’s meant to be out of early access now I doubt they are done with it yet.
While Normandy is a fantastic map it now looks cartoonish especially in colouring of the terrain to me and I’ve not flown it since.

The Channel map just makes me believe I’m really there.

 
 

Edited April 24, 2021 by swartbyron

[twistking]

14 minutes ago, swartbyron said:

I can’t tell you what’s changed but everything seems more blended and refined since 2.7 on both sides of the channel.

To me The Channel map is the most immersive map ED has ever made and the most realistic representation of colour tones and shading of the area it represents.
It looks just magnificent in 2.7!

[...]

Thanks for the reply. I will not argue that it's ED's most immersive map... well for the english side at least.

 

Everything looking more "blended" with 2.7 is good news. For me it was hard to put the finger on what was actually "wrong" with the estern parts of the french side; the area just did not really come alive for me, i guess.

 

I hope some youtuber will do a channel map tour with the 2.7 update....

[StevanJ]

On 4/24/2021 at 5:20 PM, twistking said:

Thanks for the reply. I will not argue that it's ED's most immersive map... well for the english side at least.

 

Everything looking more "blended" with 2.7 is good news. For me it was hard to put the finger on what was actually "wrong" with the estern parts of the french side; the area just did not really come alive for me, i guess.

 

I hope some youtuber will do a channel map tour with the 2.7 update....

Im its number one fan, and also its number one critique.

Its still missing 'soul'..

Its FAR better than Normandy. So new players should definitely buy it over that one, but people like myself who feel like standards should be improving (as proven by Ugra and Syria right now) cant help but feel like its still missing ALOT.

Posts like this are still coming up.
 

We shouldnt have any issues like that in a map developed by ED. Its their game!

With Ugra developing Syria to the standards that theyve set. I cant help but feel like the principals that own this game should be 'showing them how to do it', but we're now approaching a standard, where the 3rd parties are waiting for ED to catch up, and with standards that have been set so high by Ugra I cant help but feel that ED now have their work cut out..

ED still have the bar with regards to modules (especially the FA18 and hopefully the F16). But i feel with the extra work thats gone into Syria, the Channel would have seen an extension too.
And yet we're still waiting.
The first thing you do is fly over London.. and see there isnt much to look at there. Then you fly over France, and its the same thing there.
So you make a few missions, have a little fun.. And thats it..
Nothing else.

But im crossing my fingers that one day there will be. And im hoping that with a few new assets and modern buildings being updated in the core, ill be able to build a campaign around the Harrier too. But only the DCS fairy can grant me a wish like that.

There is no player base for it online. And as everyone still keeps buying Normandy- Im worried, itll be 'the forgotten map' because were due the marianas any month now.
I hope im wrong, for my own sake, and id hope that a few changes are made to a number of things, to help warbirds corner a part of the market it so deserves, but im not going to hold my breath.

If people ask me 'should they buy it?' the answer is arguable right now. Maybe see where ED go with it.

[Northstar98]

I mean for me, I find the map to be pretty good (though it far outpaces my system making it more or less unusable), my main gripe is the lack of major V-weapon sites, which were a major target for Operation Crossbow - which is perfect for this map.

Things like the Siracourt V-1 bunker, La Coupole, the Blockhaus d'Éperlecques and the Fortress of Mimoyecques. Also I'm kinda confused about the V-1 sites that were in the patch notes - I can't see anything at there locations, apart from mostly flat terrain.

As far as London goes the area is basically right on the edge of the detailed area (which wasn't big to begin with), the Chain Home TX towers are still missing their curtain antennae, and the CHL sites are currently using regular CH RX towers instead of what they should have (which is a tower with a rotating antenna.

One thing that excited me about this map is that the CH system was to be made functional, but that idea seems to have evaporated.

Edited January 11, 2022 by Northstar98
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[REDEYE_CVW-66]

You are correct in that there are problems. The main one being the colour toning and the lack of structures that the real countryside in France has. It is to bright, to green, to monotone and to clean cut.

 

As a comparison, the Normandy map has very similiar problems, but is actually a little bit better in some respects- but if you look at the Normandy retexture by Barthek, then it makes sense. That one has much, much more natural tunes, producing a way more believable European countryside.

 

Have a look to see my point;

The Channel map has a lot going for it in terms of detail, towns, cliffs and shorelines, landmarks and especially airfields (All of them look glorious). They should have worked on top of satelite field imagery, like they have with NTTR, PG, Syria and (it looks like) the upcoming Marianas.

Edited April 27, 2021 by REDEYE_CVW-66

[Flanker35M]

S!

 

 I find Normandy being like drawn with a liner. All those sharp edges and unnatural shapes of beaches and forests. Not to mention elevation data making rivers go uphill etc. Marianas also suffers from these straight lined areas beneath tree areas etc. Does not look like a smooth transition. Updating the maps would be most welcome as those issues really stick in the eye when flying. With clouds covering terrain it is less pronounced ;)