Modules for ABattlemap

[jeffdestroyer]

@jeffdestroyer:
@HolKann:

After messing up the map and the uploads, I’ll simply devote a little thread to the AA50 modules for ABattlemap. The goal is to keep the most up to date version in this post, and any bugs or changes that might be good can be reported here. I’ll try to look into them as soon as I have time.

Latest version (26th of November): http://www.mediafire.com/file/nmhzm1t2iqm/AA50 modules.zip

Currently working on:
-fixing the SZ 38 naming error

Have fun! :)

sz 7 does not connect to NWE on the AA50 Battlemap file.

[madquest8]

@Mr:

Any chance of posting these using the site based uploader…

I have problems with filesharing sites at work… (I’m not online at home…)

Can anybody help ?   :-D

Free league points are at stake LOL !

:cry:  won’t anybody help me ?

[jeffdestroyer]

Here are the two game files.  Can not upload the other files here. 
Give me an e-mail address and I can send it to you

AA_41_.AAM
AA_42_.AAM

[HolKann]

@jeffdestroyer:

sz 7 does not connect to NWE on the Battlemap file.

Fixed :)

@Mr:

Any chance of posting these using the site based uploader…

No, they get screwed up all of the time because the forum doesn’t allow “.rar”-files to be attached. PM me with your e-mail address, and I’ll send them to you…

[RisingDragon]

not sure if u got this one yet, but Saigon victory city in FIC should be Shanghai in Kiangsu.  Also, placements were off in the original map file for 1942, I’ve included corrected placements below in case it’s helpful…cheers and thanks for doing this!

1942.AAM

[HolKann]

Didn’t update the link :oops:. I did now (and doublechecked ;) ): Shanghai, 1942 setup, connection to Nwe from SZ7,… are correct.

[jeffdestroyer]

@HolKann:

Didn’t update the link :oops:. I did now (and doublechecked ;) ): Shanghai, 1942 setup, connection to Nwe from SZ7,… are correct.

thanks for the correction

[HolKann]

Posted a final version of the map, without naming errors and some optimized territory shapes (nothing major, just made some connections between seazones or land territories a bit more clear), + fixed the placement of some NO IPC-values on the map.

Also, +1 to the first forummer who knows the names of the six people pictured on the map… 8-)

[DarthMaximus]

Stickied the thread.

[soldat]

How do I use this map?

[a44bigdog]

If you will look in the Axis & Allies Revised section of the forum there is a stickied thread about battlemap.

[General_D.Fox]

Is there anything by way of a new “map” for Triple A for AA50? I haven’t bought the actual game yet, and thought taking a look the virtual way might be nice. Also, where can I find the rules book? Do I have to go through the errata first?  :-P

[TimTheEnchanter]

Hey, it looks like they used some of my images as the basis for the new toolpieces.bmp.  Cool!!  You can almost tell the pieces apart!

@DJ: The official rules are posted on the Wizards of the Coast site.  (And of course, there’s already an Errata page to go with it.  :roll:  :lol:)  Good luck trying to print them. I had to print it a page at a time on my work printer because the graphics make the printout so big.  I’m not even going to try it on my home/inkjet printer.

[jeffdestroyer]

@The:

Is there anything by way of a new “map” for Triple A for AA50? I haven’t bought the actual game yet, and thought taking a look the virtual way might be nice. Also, where can I find the rules book? Do I have to go through the errata first?  :-P

Triplea does have an AA50 map.
Rules and FAQ at http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=ah/prod/axisanniv

[HolKann]

@TimTheEnchanter:

Hey, it looks like they used some of my images as the basis for the new toolpieces.bmp.   Cool!!  You can almost tell the pieces apart!

Yes, I did :D I mentioned this the first time I posted the modules somewhere, but forgot it in this thread. And it’s true, DD, Cru, BB are very hard to make distinguishable with the toolpieces, tried my best… And since we’re giving credit: the general shape and colors of the map are the work of Atilla at Flames Of Europe (who is also the creator of the whole ABattlemap program).

@The:

Is there anything by way of a new “map” for Triple A for AA50? I haven’t bought the actual game yet, and thought taking a look the virtual way might be nice. Also, where can I find the rules book? Do I have to go through the errata first?  :-P

Try pm’ing Imperious Leader, or just browse around a bit in this forum, Imperious Leader has got different maps uploaded at mediafire which are a decent representation of the actual map, and he distributes links to them every now and then.

[a44bigdog]

Only one thing is missing now from the Battlemap modules and that is a tech chart to keep track of who has what.

[TimTheEnchanter]

I’ve updated the toolpieces to be even more to my liking.  Among the changes I’ve made:

• Cleaned up several of the flags.  Some nations just don’t lend themselves well to tiny little circular tokens so a few just use full replica flags.

• Put in more differentiation/details in the ships.  Destroyers are smaller, Cruisers face right and are medium sized, BBs face left and are much larger.

• Removed unnecessary chinese units

• Put in a special “damaged IC” in place of the Chinese IC.  In our game, Funcioneta and I decided the best choice for damage would be chinese ICs - so this just makes it look more like damage.

Feel free to use these.  Just rename them to just toolpieces.bmp and put them in the AA50.GIM ('41) and AA51.GIM ('42) folders.

Whether you decide to use them or not, please let me know what you think of them.

Mediafire folder
http://www.mediafire.com/file/0zqh1qnymzu/ToolPieces_41.bmp
http://www.mediafire.com/file/odm3gngyodq/ToolPieces_42.bmp

[jeffdestroyer]

I like the damaged factory vs using flags

The bombers and a few other pcs look to modern and not WWII
I also like the pcs of nations to be different when possible

[HolKann]

Two great ideas + a little better unit pics = I’ll look into it when I have the time -> january exams are comin’ up.

BTW, the Chi IC is indeed the best one, had already made some kind of burned down building for it, but it was quite ugly, so tnx for posting yours…

Edit: simply added your unit pics to the file for now 8)

@Jeffdestroyer: try bigpieces, those have got some different units pics, or feel free to draw some yourself, it’s not that hard and it never hurts having some extra nice figurines :)

[TimTheEnchanter]

@jeffdestroyer:

I like the damaged factory vs using flags

The bombers and a few other pcs look to modern and not WWII
I also like the pcs of nations to be different when possible

The problem is trying to make any real differentiation in such a tiny space.  the pieces themselves are only 10 x 15 pixels, and 2 rows and 2 columns are used up putting in the shading to make them look beveled/raised. (Actually I cheated and use a little of this border space for the ends of the BB and CV so they can be a little longer.) That leaves a space of only 8 x13 pixels to work with.

The driving force behind these images was that many of the default pieces that came with battlemap when I started playing AAR were completely indistinguishable.  I could never tell a bomber from a fighter or a destroyer from a battleship and in general the pieces were very hard to identify.  Therefore I played around with them until I developed images that were at least a little more life-like, distinguishable from each other, and would be immediately recognizable to me.  It appears HolKann used those as the basis for AAR and I’ve just put a little more of my personal flavor into these files.

Historical accuracy was definitely secondary to “usability” of the image, although I did try to get some general ideas for the shapes of the respective boats and planes.  the fighter is roughly shaped like an overhead view of a Zero or even some of the other figs of the time.  It’s pretty generic.  You could definitely look at the bomber design and think it implies a more modern design (the wings are too angled), although you could say it’s got touches of a B29, but the most important factor in the way I drew it was that it had to look completely different from the fighter so I could tell them apart.

For me, I am not that “in to” the hardware of the war, and playability was my biggest concern, so making all units look the same across nations is actually a plus.  As far as the game mechanics are concerned, a fig is a fig and the easier they are to spot both on my side and the other side, the easier it is for me to play.

If someone else can design better pieces that are more realistic, but still recognizable, then more power to you.  I’d be interested in seeing them and potentially using them.  In the mean time, I just find them to be a slight improvement over what was provided and thought I’d share with others around here.