Coastal boards (latest map added 2020-09-28)

[Simon Landmine]

Put together another board this evening, I'm afraid. This one is a small coastal town, and I should probably apologise to my parents every time it gets destroyed, as it draws a bunch of elements from where they live on the English channel coast South of London (rotated through ninety degrees).

Notable features include ...
- a main North-South road that pretty much bypasses the town to the West, and crosses local roads on bridges.
- assorted sea-front properties, including a couple of medium-size blocks of flats.
- a lengthy sea-front promenade (the 'fortified' hexes represent sheltered seating to enable the residents to shelter from the weather, but they would also serve to shelter infantry)
- two small open areas of green space in the middle of the town, one including a small ornamental lake and another area of sheltered seating.
- towards the North of the town there is an office building next to the bypass, and a small light industrial firm with warehouses slightly further North.
- at the North end of the promenade is a large sturdy public building, containing theatre and gallery space, with an open area and more shelters overlooking the sea.

Potentially a location to stop an advance heading along the coast, or a low-lying potential beach-head for an amphibious strike to come ashore, possibly encountering a valiant militia force.

(And now I'm having some ideas for a bit more coastline on either side, and maybe some more territory inland with a potential objective, although that might result in a pretty vast map. I should stop thinking, and get some sleep.)

32x34 CoastalProm.board

.board file is attached, as is an updated .zip file with all of my maps to date in it.

(I know that having roads on pavement is functionally redundant, but it just looked nicer to my eyes from an aesthetic viewpoint.)

[Daryk]

Looking good, but by all means get some sleep before making more...  :thumbsup:

[servo01]

Ooooh... Shiny.

I particularly like the bridged overpasses for the main road. Such a small detail, but one that I can't remember ever seeing mapped out before. Looks like the perfect setting to cut loose an Urbie and a few light tanks and see if my convention infantry units can't point-blank ambush shoot/landmine their way into a longshot victory.

Brilliant work!

[Simon Landmine]

Ooooh... Shiny.
I particularly like the bridged overpasses for the main road. Such a small detail, but one that I can't remember ever seeing mapped out before. Looks like the perfect setting to cut loose an Urbie and a few light tanks and see if my convention infantry units can't point-blank ambush shoot/landmine their way into a longshot victory.
Brilliant work!

Cheers. I can't really claim any credit for the overpasses - they're another feature 'borrowed' from the real-world inspiration!

Good luck in your battle, and let me know how much of a mess you make of the town!

(Currently planning another map that will fit to the west of this, with a nice military target that explains why attackers might wade out of the sea through this quiet little seaside community in a surprise attack, to the dismay of any defenders. Might also require the attackers to decide between swift-but-fragile hovers and WiGEs that could sweep through the town, and heavier but slower units to take on the base defenders, but which might bet bogged down in the town.)

[Deadborder]

These are fantastic. Thank you so much for sharing your amazing work here

[Simon Landmine]

And now, two for the price (?) of one ... I had a couple of ideas about what might be inland from the seaside town that might encourage attackers to use it as a shortcut. So I made both of them. Either will fit on the 'west' (inland) side of the 32x34 CoastalProm board, and should look fairly natural doing so.

The first represents a military objective - possibly some kind of intelligence-gathering centre, perhaps the mounting for some Air-Defence Arrow launchers, or maybe the location of some high-value prisoners in need of rescue. Something that would be a good target for an attack, but that might be too well protected against an air strike, thus justifying a land attack. The surrounding area has been mostly kept clear, although contours can still be a problem, and the wall top has been configured with improved positions for infantry, while the multiple gun emplacements may be able to support the defenders.

32x34 CoastalInshoreFort

(Click to embiggen)

The second is less specifically military (it would be kept in better nick if it were!), although there are still gun towers left behind from the original construction, and to ensure security against unwelcome airborne visitors. It's not specifically intended for regular DropShip usage, although it is technically rated for their use, and there was that Union that landed the other year, the scars from which still haven't left the area. It's used a lot more by private VSTOLs these days, but aerospace fighters might also find it useful - as might invading forces securing an LZ.
(Elements from this one were inspired by secondary RAF airfields in WWII.)

32x34 CoastalInshoreRunway

(Click to embiggen)

These mate up to the existing 32x34 CoastalProm roughly like this ...

     

Next plans are to extend the coastline by one or two boards¹ then add some more inshore to go behind those, to be able to create a properly hefty map for amphibious assault.

And I've added these two to the attached updated .zip file.

¹ I've got some ideas about providing opportunities for a limited flanking attack on the defenders, without making the town a less useful landing site.

[Daryk]

Beautiful work!  Both leverage the existing road network, though I think the "secondary" airfield works better.  The fort would seem to have drawn a more concentrated buildup along the coast...

[Simon Landmine]

Beautiful work!  Both leverage the existing road network, though I think the "secondary" airfield works better.  The fort would seem to have drawn a more concentrated buildup along the coast...

Cheers! And yes, fair point. I can halfway justify it by thinking that the fort was from quite some time ago, possibly before the settlement grew, and had been using isolation as its defence, but has now had to be pressed back into service due to the front line hitting this system again. Or something. You're right though ...

[Daryk]

Heh... that's just an excuse to make a denser coastal board to mate up with the fort...  ^-^

[Simon Landmine]

Heh... that's just an excuse to make a denser coastal board to mate up with the fort...  ^-^

Damnit!

Although that now gives me an idea for a fourth coastal board. I ... may be here some time. Still, it'll be a huge map if they are all slotted together. And I might as well put together some bluewater boards (which will be considerably easier!) so that there can be some offshore naval engagements, for those who really want to do a full combined-arms attack. [grin]

(Which would still justify attacking through my parents' home, as it would be less heavily defended.)

[Daryk]

LOL!  Glad I can spark some creative work on other people's part aside from my own for once...  ;D

[Simon Landmine]

I appear to have made another 'inshore' board - this one inspired by the salt marshes that are also a feature of that area of the coast. (Except that, if I were to do it to scale, you'd have some boards that were mostly just open marshland, dotted with the occasional tree, and a road running down the ridge of dry land before you get to the coast. And I'm not yet ready to make that!)

This one has a large area of salt marsh in a depression in the middle, which may slow down or (literally) bog down direct advances - although I can see high-jump units playing hopscotch with the dry parts.

32x34 CoastalInshoreMarsh

This one also mates up with the top and bottom edges of the other CoastalInshore... boards and the side of the CoastalProm board in geomorphic fashion (geomorphs are a lot easier at 32x34 than at 16x17!) . And I've got plans for (at least) one more 'inshore' board, and two more 'coastal' boards in this series, so when they're all plugged together, they'll make a 64x102 map (or 96x102, if the 'sea' boards are added), which should be able to keep a decent-sized force busy.

I'll update the .zip when I've done at least one more, possibly both. But I've got nothing else planned this evening, and a couple of new albums to listen to, so ...

EDIT I forgot to attach the .board file, didn't I. Forget my own head etc etc.

[Daryk]

NICE... I do believe an Eridani T-Bolt would LOVE that board...  :thumbsup:

[Simon Landmine]

It's possible that I got carried away. So here are two more boards in this series, with two more to come tomorrow. (Click images to enlarge.)

32x34 CoastalCliffs1

32x34 CoastalCliffs2

CoastalCliffs1 is a headland with some woods and houses, while CoastalCliffs2 features a sturdy structure that could be a lighthouse, a lookout, or a gun emplacement. They're mostly there to explain why an attack would go through the coast town, but could also be used on their own, if anyone fancies running a "No Retreat!" "Backs to the sea!" type of battle, where a unit has been pinned on the top of the bluff and needs to break out to survive.

And you might end up with a 3x1 coastal map something like this (which would work out at 32x102 hexes).

I'll upload the .zip tomorrow, with the next two 'inshore' boards (and a slight tweak to the 'CoastalProm' board, after I noticed something that irked me).

[Simon Landmine]

And here are two new 'inshore' scenery boards, for those who don't like swamps. I've also fixed a slight tesselation quirk that was annoying me, and have updated all of the maps in the attached .zip file, which can be used to replace the 'DFLM' folder in the 'boards' folder. One of the new boards is a couple of farms (one arable, one orchard), and the other is some rolling hills inland, with scattered woods, a small lake, and a corporate office. (Click to enlarge.)

32x34 CoastalInshoreFarms

32x34 CoastalInshoreHills

And here's a mocked-up example of what a 3x2 map could look like - but the 'inshore' boards can be swapped for each other, and ditto the 'coastal' boards ...

(If anyone else fights any battles on any of my boards, I'd love to see the AARs!)

[Daryk]

Fantastic!  Those look really good together!  :thumbsup:

[Yskonyn]

You are on a rol, sir!
Thanks very much for sharing your excellent work!

[Simon Landmine]

And another board for the 'Coastal' series, in this case a small sheltered cove between a couple of promontories, that might make for a sheltered place for a landing. This can replace the '32x34 CoastalProm' board between the '32x34 CoastalCliffs#' boards, for people who prefer to attack a less populated coast, although still one that includes a slipway. The actual layout of this one may have been slightly inspired by having watched too many Agatha Christie mysteries featuring houses on cliffs overlooking a bay.

32x34 CoastalBay.board
(click to enlarge)

(Because of slight variation in the north/south road connections, the 'Cliffs' maps are not interchangeable with the 'Prom' and 'Bay' maps, so they need to be alternated. The 'CoastalInshore' maps, however, match up with either, so those can be switched around at will. I've got a couple more ideas for 'Coastal' boards on the list, too.)

Also attached, as a couple of bonuses, the two 32x34 'Sea' boards (32x34 CoastalSea1.board and 32x34 CoastalSea2.board) as seen in the attached image, for those who would rather start a battle further offshore, or who like the idea of naval bombardment ...

Sample use of Coastal boards
(click to enlarge)

EDIT Temporarily removed the CoastalBay board file, as I spotted a glitch in the seabed (not visible unless you end up in the relevant hexes). Will be uploaded again later today.

[Simon Landmine]

Corrected version of 32x34 CoastalBay.board file attached.

[Simon Landmine]

Following a very specific request by someone on a Discord server, here's a modified version of the 32x34 CoastalBay board, with a shallow sandbar at the entrance to the bay, so that something with torso-mounted jump-jets can hopscotch across the mouth of the bay.

[Wrangler]

I hadn't seen this post before, it's really cool, Simon!

The bay looks like it was crater made from a WarShip bombardment.

[Simon Landmine]

Oh, look, it's yet another map in this series! Once again, this is a map for the gap between the cliffs, and has, like the 32x34 CoastalInshoreMarsh, been inspired by some of the salt marshes found on the South coast of England.

Also, as you may be able to tell, the image for this one has been taken on the latest development release of MegaMek (0.47.10), with the rather attractive 'incline' graphics for level changes - however, it does not use any of the TacOps terrain recently introduced in 0.47.10, so it is still backwards compatible with earlier releases.

As with the other coastal maps, there is a main road running along a ridge to the west of the map, with a variety of minor roads running between habitations. One of those roads runs closer to the beach, but that bridge isn't particularly strong (because it's a minor road), but it may allow for flanking actions.

32x34 CoastalSwamp.board
(click to enlarge)

Board is attached below.