Originally posted by Lud von Pipper:
The point is that YOU KNOW how the real thing is (or should be), and you have the reference to back up your statements.
I'm not asking you to write a tutorial on how to build terrain, but to write for those already building terrain, where you could show them the historical side and give them hints based on your own experience.
Anyone can write a technical tutorial, but the goodnes of a terrain is limited to the sources it comes from
The screen you have posted above is exactly the kind of work you can do best!
LvP
Lud:
I'm not sure that a general tutorial on developing airbase terrain would be useful or necessary.
If a scenery designer knows the basic layout and dimensions of a base, including the arrangement of buildings, runways, taxiways, ramps, etc., that should be sufficient.
Except for hangers and other structures that are located on the flightline itself or along taxiways, there is no need to produce detailed models of any buildings. After all, they would never be seen by a pilot except from above and at a distance. Just the basic shapes and relative heights of most buildings would suffice.
As for the structures on the flightline, it would only be necessary to develop a few generic models in various sizes, since the same kinds of structures were common to all the bases.
The following photo of part of the Ubon flightline will illustrate my point:
The same kinds of hangers and maintenance structures could be found on the flightlines of every base. Only their positions relative to each other would differ.
Admittedly each base had a few buildings close to the flightline that were truly unique in appearance, such as Ubon's control tower:
The only way that a scenery designer could model structures like this would be to obtain photographs or sketches from people who actually served on the base.
Maybe it would be a good idea to create some kind of directory listing the names and contact data of individuals who can be consulted for detailed info about specific bases and their environs. For Ubon, Andy Bush and myself could serve that role. (Oops! I apologize for volunteering your services, Andy!)
One thing that terrain designers MUST keep in mind is that the bases in Thailand and South Vietnam were constantly changing and expanding. For example, Ubon was only a primitive airstrip in 1964, but by 1972 it had evolved into a huge aviation complex. My point is this: Since it would be impossible (or at least highly problematic)to create several different versions of each airbase to reflect how it changed over time, designers should choose a middle point, say 1967 or 1968, as I did when I created my overhead views of Ubon, NKP, and Khorat.
The only other thing that comes to mind right now is that it is also important to correctly model the area in the immediate vicinity of each base. For example, the city of Ubon Ratchathani adjoined the southern boundary of Ubon RTAFB. At Khorat, the proximity of Camp Friendship would have to be taken into account.
To literally illustrate my point, here's a photo that shows what the area to the southwest of Ubon looked like. (Please ignore the formation of five F-4's in the foreground. They have nothing to do with the the topic I'm discussing!)
In this photo, the base can be seen at the top, and the Mun River is at the bottom. Between them is the western part of the city of Ubon Ratchathani. The central business district of the city (including the Mun River bridge) is just off the right hand side of the photo. (Note: If the need should ever arise, I have a series of close-up views of central Ubon that were taken from the roof of the Ubon Hotel.)
The same design principle that I mentioned in relation to non-flightline structures also applies to the city of Ubon. Since the city would only be seen from above and at a distance, the buildings would not have to be modelled in detail. Basic shapes would be fine.
Again, I suggest that we create a resource directory so that scenery designers can contact veterans and others who have first-hand knowledge about the areas surrounding US airbases.
[This message has been edited by Sleuths7 (edited 06-10-2002).]