Take part in one of the most ferocious days of combat during the siege for the city of Stalingrad. On October 13th, 1942 the German 6th Army had launched a the last great offensive of the campaign to seize the northern factory district with the massive tractor factory as the first objective with the intent of severing the Russian lines and reaching the Volga, splitting the 62rd Army in two. The battle begins here, at 0600 hours on Monday, October 14th. . .
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README
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January 25, 2007
RO-TractorWork_beta3
Map Name: RO-TractorWorks
Beta Number: Beta 3
Bot Support: Yes
Description of map: Combined Arms with infantry focus.
D/L size: ~56 megs
Download links (.zip files)
Map: http://www.after-hourz.com/misc/slyk/ro/RO-TractorWorks_beta3.zip
45mm AT Gun: http://www.after-hourz.com/misc/slyk/ro/AHz_45mm_beta1.zip
Trolley Static: http://www.after-hourz.com/misc/slyk/ro/ahz_trolley.zip
SERVER-SIDE FRIENDLY FILES:
You can find all the files you need in nice neat folder structures along with compressed files here
DOWNLOAD INSTRUCTIONS:
* Download the files to a hard-drive location.
* Open each zip with Winzip or other compression program.
* EXTRACT each file in EACH zip file to the appropriate file directory as displayed in the zip program. Each file is required for the map to run on a server or locally in practice mode.
* I do not have the files compressed into a server-side/friendly format at this time. I hope that those files can be provided very soon to ease installation for server admins.
* I did not want to loose more weekend time waiting for those 'extra' file downloads, so I have posted them in .zip format.
* No part of this project may be used in any way or for any purpose in a submission to Tripwire Interactive for the phase two mapping contest with a deadline of January 31, 2007 (Excluding custom textures). Exceptions will be noted to Tripwire Interactive by the creators only.
* Permission to use the M1937 45mm Anti-tank gun is withheld until February 1st, 2007; use in above mentioned mapping contest is prohibited.
* Anyone wishing to use the M1937 in future releases should contact: [email protected] for more information or visit the RO forums for a specific information thread.
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RO-TractorWorks_beta3 Notes:
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- I would like to thank Russ Schulke for his gracious contributions of source photos. Without his help, I would have not been able to recreate a number of components within the map. There are still a number of architectural changes I wish to make but in the interest of time, they will have to wait until a future update of the project. Thank you, Russ, for your time and interest in this project. Please visit Russ's Stalingrad site: www.fireonthevolga.com.
- I wish to thank 'Lex' and 'Teuflehund' for their dedication and extremely long hours of production time, learning nearly everything through their own persistence. Both have been a great resource in many ways and their contributions to models, code, and map design have been great contributions.
- I would like to acknowledge 'Nestor' for his time and interest in this project and his contribution of custom terrain textures. Although I did not make use of more than a few of his offering, they are quality textures which have improved this project. Thank you, Nestor.
- I wish to thank 'Jakl', admin at After-Hourz.com for his work with the graphics, release posting, server help, and general contributions over the last few months. I want to thank 'Innocent Bystander' also for coming into the fray and offering and encouraging a dramatic shift in the map layout which I believe adds a quality dimension (he cost me a good 10 hours+ of 'out of scope' work though. In addition, the entire AHz community of RO players has been a great help in the many alpha and beta stages. Thanks to all of you for your continued support!
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RO-TractorWorks_beta3 Change Log:
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** ONE 45MM AT GUN at the Southwest Apartments will NOT allow you to detach. This is due to the structural brushwork around it. I perfer the location of function over detachment.
- Added a number of M1937 45mm AT guns. All but one gun will randomly spawn. "Random spawn" means each gun set to this parameter has a 50% chance of spawning on each map load/restart.
- Changed the initial start point for the German team. They now attack from the southwest corner of the map.
- Added one new objective in the southwest corner. Opened 'Southwest Apartment' building for initial Russian spawns and capzone.
- Changed the terrain textures. THANK YOU to Nestor for his contributions and efforts to assist in this project!
- 'Shallowed' out most shell holes to be more vehicle friendly. Users are advised to be careful nonetheless.
- Added ambient sound loops.
- Added random artillery strikes in map edge areas throughout round duration.
- Expanded artillery strike at start of map round.
- Expanded 'Overlook Apartment' cap zone to encompass the entire third floor (five rooms and hall).
- Added a long hallway in the northwest apartment building/large grey building west of the monument. Additional door to the building added. Opened two sets of windows on the 2nd floor. This will assist the Germans in dislocating/destroying any T34 which tries to 'camp' the northwest corner of the Monument Square.
- Modified the destroyable obstacles to have proper collision masks.
- Created multiple static mesh models: Monument base, commons walls/stairs.
- Elevated northern section of main/south commons. Added tram lines.
- Reduced size/area of the west lobby entry to the 'AdministrationBuilding'.
- Added additional basement area to 'Admin' with new entry under northeast wing.
- Additional stair from new basement to 1-North lobby.
- Additional stair from new basement to 1-Center area office. Connecting hall to north basement section.
- Added new sewer connection from 1-North basement to rail yard.
- Added three new man-hole access points to sewers. One entry to 'south basement' sewer and two for 'north basement'.
- Moved final Russian infantry spawns into rail yard near resupply point. Added cover items to west/southwest to offer protection.
- Renamed 'Director's Office' volume to '2-North'.
- Removed one building from factory area, north plaza. Added additional tree/curbing to factory main road.
- Increased German reinforcements to 550. Russian to 350.
- Set round time to 45 minutes.
- Added one more half-track to Germans forward spawn. Total of three.
- Corrected Russian Engineer class count and uniform.
- German and Russian sniper now have binoculars.
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M1937 45mm Anti-tank Gun Notes:
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- The M1937 is a beta1 release. There is an upgrade/enhancement plan. Through months of development and testing, the team has decided to release the single player version so the weapon can be available to the community sooner. The gun is being released as a single player weapon in beta1. Future updates will offer other enhancements as we can implement them. Any constructive feedback is welcome and anyone offering valid fixes will be credited/thanked as appropriate for their assistance.
- The Random Spawning code and instructions will be posted for Public use shortly.
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KNOWN ISSUES
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- As of January 25, 2007 these are "known" issue listed below:
1. The gun or player will not take satchel or grenade damage.
2. Gun Shield issues. If items a, b, and c sound related, it is because they are related. The whole collision box, VehHitPoints, etc is fairly complex to the untrained and it is taking time to learn how it works. The post is here if you can assist, http://www.redorchestragame.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16462
a. There is a small area in the upper left hand corner (from the user’s perspective) of the gun shield that will deflect tank rounds off without harm to the gun.
b. There is a small area in the upper left hand corner (from the user’s perspective) of the gun shield that will allow bullets to pass through and strike the gunner. In other words, you can shoot off the player from the front through the gun shield if you know where to aim.
c. The gunner can be shot off the gun. There is a volume for the player’s head and torso. The areas are not perfect, but it is very tedious to adjust. My advice is to aim for center of mass. Do not shot at the players legs. You can hit the player from the side, back, and front (see ‘b’ above).
d. There is a purposely placed area of gunner vulnerability to the gunner’s head from the front over the shield. It is very small, but it can be hit. This is designed for snipers. This is not an issue, but something we wanted to note in the event it is confused as an issue.
3. Bash damage to the player. The player will not take damage from a “bash” attack. The fix is in development, but will not be ready in time for the Beta 1 release.
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Historical Background:
The Dzerhezinsky Tractor Works, the northernmost of three giant factory complexes along the Volga, consisted of an extensive cluster of warehouses, office buildings and assembly halls. The factory district actually got off lightly during the initial fighting during September, with the Germans making only light efforts in the area until the 27th of that month. While sporadic fighting continued over the next few days, the Soviet 115th Special Brigade (workers) was soon receiving heavy reinforcement from the 37th Guards Rifle Division and elements of the 84th Tank Brigade.
On Monday, 14 October at 0600 hours. Massed artillery, more than 2,000 aircraft sorties, and a healthy mix of phosphorus shells ensured the battlefield would be smashed to ruins. What was once a bright, sunny day darkened as a pall hung over the battlefield.
Relatively unscathed by the pre-assault bombardment, the menacing structure which stood at the western edge of the Tractor Works was simply labeled the “Administration Building” on all of the German maps. It stood as a bulwark against the 389th Infantry’s first assault, with automatic weapons fire pouring from every window. The Germans threw armored support into the fray and Stukas rained down bombs, smashing into the buildings below. The fighting soon deteriorated into the usual room-by-room affair amid burning rubble. LI Crops artillery and the Luftwaffe helped the Wehrmacht push the 37th Division’s Guardsmen out of the AdministrationBuilding and back toward the heart of the factories.
(Source: Critical Hit website: www.criticalhit.com)
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