About Map 505

This map is a 12 x 13 km. map featuring a gently sloping northern coastline with winter terrain conditions.  Terrain is somewhat variable in movement cost due to the variations in the depth of the snow.

Most of the snow-covered terrain is a random mix of Rough 1 and Rough 2 intermingled together (about two-thirds Rough 1 and one-third Rough 2) to create a resultant movement cost that is somewhere between the two over distance.  This is meant to represent the variation in the depth of the snow.  There is a higher concentration of Rough 2 around the northern side of the base of each hill, where it is assumed that the snow has been driven by wind and built up into deep drifts.

Snow covered hills are coded as Rough 3 along the incline of each hill, representing the poorer traction during the ascent and the need for caution on slippery slopes during the descent.

Roads are of two types: a plowed coastal road and various interior dirt roads.  The coastal road is considered to be plowed but its surface varies between dirt, slush, packed snow and ice.  To model this, the road's coding alternates between Road, Clear and Rough 1.  (The coastal road is still the fastest way to get around the map.)  Dirt roads alternate between clear terrain and Rough 1, with a bit more Rough 1 cells -- especially where the road looks poorly plowed (more white than brown road showing) and where there are hills or bends in the road.  Most of the roads on this map are unplowed dirt roads.

Rivers are generally not fordable, though there are many places where they are narrow enough that they can be crossed very easily.  This is particularly true as you move away from the ocean where the streams appear more narrow and shallow-looking.   (Use the LOS tool to explore where the fordable locations are.)  The point where the dirt road crosses the river is a ford, with a movement cost of Rough 2.  

The turquoise and gold perimeter around the land is considered the surf line, which will be coded as Rough 1, Rough 2 and water, representing different types of shoreline terrain.  These variations will require thorough familiarity of the map in order to know  the location of the easiest access routes from the sea (an umpire can control this by not announcing or distributing the map to the "foreign" team until shortly before the battle).  The piers in the towns are coded as "clear."

The air base structures are supposed to represent hangars (large gray structures), control tower & radar complex (dark gray and white buildings nearest the air field), fuel storage (round structures), a barracks (rows of small buildings) and a mess hall/rec area (L-shaped building).  The long row of large structures near the barracks is the vehicle storage area.  The barbed-wire fence (barely visible in the snow) is coded as Rough 3, except for the two gates which are coded as clear terrain.  Like the other dirt roads, the roads at the base are a mix of Clear and Rough 1 terrain.

I hope you enjoy the map.  Please send comments or bug reports to:

RikkiTikki@openwarsim.net

Thanks.
