DCS: Normandy 2.0 update

[MAESTR0]

Hi!

We continue working on Normandy 2.0. The main goal of the current update is optimization. Adhering to the strategy "Never stop improving" along with optimization, we made local improvements to objects and something new. We added three airfields: Eastchurch, Headcorn and Hawkinge. And three original objects: Basilica of the Sacre Coeur, Palace of Versailles and Hampton Court Palace. Now there will be places where you can start your career in the training center or complete a mission as part of a squadron.

Fly, explore and conquer

List of changes in Normandy:
- Optimization of building and structure models.
- Optimization of scenes.
- Improved scene of the bridge near the Palace of Westminster.
- Improved model of Notre-Dame de Paris.
- Added airfields Eastchurch, Headcorn and Hawkinge.
- Added three original objects: Basilica Sacré Coeur, Palace of Versailles and Hampton Court Palace.
- Added tall flags at forts and major cities.
- Fixed errors in airfields with the same callsign.
- Fixed errors in terrain, vectordata and scenes.

Headcorn

Hawkinge

Palace of Versailles

Hampton Court Palace

 

Edited October 19, 2024 by MAESTR0

[ThorBrasil]

Thank You!

[Gierasimov]

WOW - stunning update- thank you!

[MAXsenna]

Thank you!

Sent from my SM-A536B using Tapatalk

[Retnek]

Thanks for the update, really! But could you please use the chance to naturalise that striking GREEN of the Normandy-map? This flashy 150%-spring neon-green imho kills immersion.

[YSIAD_RIP]

@Retnek I agree. I can only assume the developers have their own artistic reasons for the green saturation.

You may already be aware but there are a couple of mods out there that solve the problem.

1. Darker Normandy - Simple Gama Changes to the shaderOptions.lua
2. VIVID NORMANDY- Many changes to vfstextures and some to shaderOptions.lua 

or 

 

[Bucic]

@YSIAD_RIP

Yeah, it seems sim devs are universally good at everything BUT colors. So many issues and a universal Settlers IV color skew.

[N0XID]

Wow very very nice!

 

[Beirut]

What a delicious map! 

[MAXsenna]

Just now, Beirut said:

What a delicious map! 

Quite edible I must say!

[Slippa]

Yum yum.

Cheers Maestro. 

[SteelPig]

Sorry for the off-topic, but that's one reason more why I wish so hard that you guys would do a "South-West USA Map", with integrating the NTTR like you did with Normandy 2.0. 

Cause for me, you are the top map-makers for DCS at the moment. 

[DD_Fenrir]

@MAESTR0

Regarding the palaces, thank you and the team for their inclusion and the clearly meticulous attention to detail to model them so comprehensively.

However…

Yet again and somehow incomprehensibly the airfields - those areas of the terrain any player will spend most of their time in sim closest to - do not share this same level of attention.

There are multiple issues with both the airbases shown, issues I find frankly incomprehensible, since clearly some level of research has been done to determine a reasonably accurate layout. Yet, as before and as has been pointed out by me repeatedly on numerous other airfields, some fundamental errors repeatedly appear because someone either hasn’t gone far enough with their research, or simply can’t be bothered and has made up something that they think will look cool.

This, despite exhaustive research by members of the community, who have spent many many hours finding, collating and presenting evidence here in efforts to assist your team in getting it right.

And that is all we want; an WW2 environment that is as dedicated to authenticity as the aircraft we fly in it. And it should not be that hard. You have most of the assets required to get the majority of the airfields to a reasonably accurate standard of representation. What befuddles me is that someone spends time hand placing and inventing all these building arrangements when that same amount of time (or even less) could be used to place accurate buildings in authentic locations.

I have offered you and your team my time and expertise to consult on this matter of airfield authenticity - completely free of charge I might add - and indeed have presented my findings with potential issues countless times and am repeatedly ignored. 

As it stands this map is a cartoon, a pastiche of history, which is a pity, because it could be a viable attempt at historical simulation.

 

Edited October 20, 2024 by DD_Fenrir

[Retnek]

16 hours ago, YSIAD_RIP said:

@Retnek I agree. I can only assume the developers have their own artistic reasons for the green saturation.

You may already be aware but there are a couple of mods out there that solve the problem.

1. Darker Normandy - Simple Gama Changes to the shaderOptions.lua
2. VIVID NORMANDY- Many changes to vfstextures and some to shaderOptions.lua

 

Thanks for pointing on those mods. I know & use them, but both are a stop-gap solutions

1) it's a mod of core-files and will fail at servers with strict script-enforcement. Not a big problem right now, but ...  A modification by the gamma-table alone gets rid of that GREEN. I gladly pay that price on Normandy 2, but it still results in a somewhat strange colour composition. Anyhow, it's my day-by-day option and I'm glad we have it.

2) Barteks Vivid Normandy changed the gamma and according to that a lot of textures. Sadly a core-mod, too, with a much more convincing result imho. Sadly modified textures are excluded on many / most servers. So only single-player only for this mod at the moment. First choice when playing solo-campaigns.
But only thanks to fine add-ons by Morpheus Bartek's mod remained usable after the last map-update. Now another change is coming up -  good news and very welcome. Now again Bartek and / or Morpheus have  to cure that GREEN ...

I prefer a permanent solution by Ugra. Looking at that GREEN while developing must hurt them, too.

[352ndDeacon]

When will this update be available for download?

[aceviper]

Hawkinge airfield texture looks much better in the channel map.

Looks like summer grass.

They nailed the tone perfectly to me.

Edited October 22, 2024 by aceviper
*

[Bucic]

3 hours ago, aceviper said:

Hawkinge airfield texture looks much better in the channel map.

Looks like summer grass.

They nailed the tone perfectly to me.

 

That's why I bought the Channel Map, despite much higher risk of not getting any updates.

[Slippa]

I spent forever on the Channel Map. I wish whoever did it would extend it North and Eastward. Still looks great, just not enough of it.

Nice as it is to have N2s bits and bobs it’s frustrating in a lot of ways. People offer up all the research and more so we could have things more historically accurate. Why wouldn’t map makers make use of it? Some of the choices of airfields baffle me, or choices of landmarks. We can’t have it all I s’pose.

I dunno, I’d have thought WWII could’ve been started in ‘39 as opposed to ‘44 as well though, what do I know.

[Red_Dragon]

In addition, Bartek used a darker bottom for woodlands, which gave density to the forest, just as ED did in the Channel Map.

Why is Ugra Media not doing this?

Is the authentic color of the grass more important to them than the naturalness of the forest?

[Rene Coulon]

Fantastic, Thank you

[Reflected]

@MAESTR0 beautiful update, thank you! Can you please confirm if any of the parking spots changed at any of the existing airfields? Placement or numbering, anything. Such changes can potentially break missions and campaigns and it would be nice to know if I need to check/test anything. Thanks!

[DD_Fenrir]

@MAESTR0 Headcorn airfield is incorrectly named - the airfield you have shown has the layout and positioning of the Advanced Landing Ground known during WW2 as RAF Lashenden.

It is in the modern day known as Headcorn airfield, however, during WW2 RAF Headcorn was actually some 3 miles to Northeast:

Edited October 26, 2024 by DD_Fenrir

[Slippa]

The Headcorn/Lashenden thing still causes the same sort of confusion and is enjoyed by those on the field (Lashenden, Headcorn) today. 

Edit: There are regular flights of MkIX Spits, Harvards and Tiger Moths from the airfield these days too.

Edited October 26, 2024 by Slippa

[Holbeach]

On 10/26/2024 at 6:18 PM, Slippa said:

The Headcorn/Lashenden thing still causes the same sort of confusion and is enjoyed by those on the field (Lashenden, Headcorn) today. 

Edit: There are regular flights of MkIX Spits, Harvards and Tiger Moths from the airfield these days too.

 

Headcorn, C/S Headcorn, as we know it today, formerly known as Headcorn Aerodrome before the war.

Changed to RAF Lashenden during the war, the Headcorn name now given to the ALG NE of Headcorn.

I flew into this field with Rollason Condors, during the 90's, when it was called, "Lashendon (Headcorn)" C/S Lashendon Radio, noted in Pooleys, but we always called it Headcorn locally.

The old RAF Headcorn perimeter, can still be seen on Google maps.

On todays Skyvector maps, Headcorn is named "Lashenden Headcorn", C/S Headcorn..

In Normandy 2, it should be called, RAF Lashenden.

..

Edited October 28, 2024 by Holbeach
Clarity.

[Slippa]

Egerton .

I flew from Headcorn in a Cessna to get a look at the old fields and I still had a job seeing some of it. Flew over the Memorial at Capel and back. There weren’t any Spits at Headcorn then. Now it’s one of their regular routes in a choice of three T9s. Nice if you’ve £3k to spare for 20 minutes.