Grand Weather Matrix Thread

[mike1962]

What`s the verdict on Mikes _unoffical_ weather patch upthread ?

Is it a useable option in a Campaign Game re-start in anyones opinion?

Is Stonewall`s still in progress ? Nothing on that in 3 weeks.

IMO, the default Weather routine breaks the Game. Especially in the West.

Thanks

Black Cat, I still use the files that I posted. They are much better than the default weather files. You can install them at any point, it will not mess with anything else. If you install a new patch you will have to reinstall the files though. I have been waiting on Stonewall's "Areas and Weather Mod", so we can test it. Rumor has it he was captured by the Yanks while out berry pickin' down around Winchester. PBBoeye, check out Jabberwock's areas file, if you are modding the areas, good stuff there.

[PBBoeye]

Hey Mike,

Yeah, I really like his groupings. The issue that arises is that there are many more areas to define weather patterns for, and that requires knowledge. I and PBDubya can do the Southeast thing fairly well (I went to a military college in AL), but the West, TransMiss, and Northeast (although I could do that OK) need some input.

It's one thing to have an idea about weather patterns - it's another completely to know when the weather strikes and what tangents storm systems take.

At the very least, we could use the current files you have created, alter them slightly by making the NC to PA areas more accurate (and any of the West that Blackcat feels is appropriate) and roll with that.

At least that would be a solid step in the right direction.

[Pocus]

Any schedule for the final version, we would like to incorporate the changes officially if possible.

[gbs]

Any schedule for the final version, we would like to incorporate the changes officially if possible.

This would be GREAT!

[PBBoeye]

Any schedule for the final version, we would like to incorporate the changes officially if possible.

OK, I'll work on it over the weekend. Pretty tedious in that I have to check back and forth through the files to make sure region names aren't skipped and aren't doubled. Teeeedious.

My goal right now is to get Jabberwock's Maryland, Virginia and Mid-Atlantic regroupings done. After that I'll start working on the next most important battle zones for weather, whatever people feel they are.

[PBBoeye]

Jabberwock,

What were your original thoughts on the section you named 'Dismal Croatan'? From what I recall there seems to be more rain there than here in Richmond, but less snow possibilities.

[Jabberwock]

Jabberwock,

What were your original thoughts on the section you named 'Dismal Croatan'? From what I recall there seems to be more rain there than here in Richmond, but less snow possibilities.

Exactly. The winter weather is milder than Virginia, but harsher than central / southern NC. Weather is also moderated by proximity to the ocean, plus bays and sounds full of warm Gulf Stream water. Generally, it snows about twice a year, but freezing rain is much more common. The locals consider more than than one foot of snow a blizzard, and it will stay in the popular memory for many years after, even if it melts off within a two or three days. This is modern weather. Historically it may have been slightly colder, but the Gulf Stream and the Jet Stream were still in place.

In summer weather is like southern Virginia, but more so. It is flat, no natural elevation more than 11' above sea level till you get west of the Weldon railroad, lots of swamps and pocosins, therefore very humid.

It straddles the storm probabilities line I mentioned earlier. Instead of saying this region is on one side of the line, this is on the other, I wanted to create an intermediate area. The line shifts by about one or two regions from year to year.

[PBBoeye]

'Dismal Croatan' is a perfect name.

Based on all that, which is pretty much what I expected as regards your thoughts, I would suggest we lump the eastern shore of MD and Delaware into these areas.

Those are indeed some 'dismal' areas. Fits the weather pattern perfectly, and since heavy heat isn't reflected in the game (!), then it comes down to rain and snow, and I think they jibe with the southern areas well. Flat, flat, flat.

So I'm going to add 'Dismal Croatan' to the other three areas I mentioned as being incorporated in the first version (for the next patch). As well, I might have to do the rivers separation.

[PBBoeye]

Jabberwock,

I noticed a repeat of Atlantic City, NJ and Salem, NJ in both your [color="Blue"]Mid-Atlantic[/color] and [color="Red"]Maryland[/color] weather groups.

Since the rest of the NJ regions are in your Mid-Atlantic group, I am going to assume you meant for them to be there, as opposed to MD. If I have that backwards, please inform me.

Boy, this is fun.. leure:

[Stonewall]

I'm so sorry I have been AWOL. Got deluged under a series of fairly serious trials. My DUI/Manslaughter was a not guilty and my death penalty case pled to life, so I spent an entire two weeks working on the mitigation report. Long story short, I'm back.

I've been working little by little on the project, even though I have not been posting much. I've gotten some good results. I'll get up to speed with the work you folks have done and what is going on. I'll upload my weather stuff with a link and we can compare where my work has gone and where teh efforts of various others has taken them and see if it can't be merged.

Thanks for understanding.

[PBBoeye]

Man, so glad to see you back here. I was looking over Jabberwock's areas and have a few alterations to the VA stuff that I'd like to make. Not sure what database you're working with, so I'll wait to hear from you on what you're doing and how you're proceeding.

[Jabberwock]

As well, I might have to do the rivers separation.

You might consider separating out the southern ones by water level. I think filling some of the shallower ones with mud during the spring and summer occasionally would add something to the game. I know the Red, Tennessee, Atchafalaya, and upper Yazoo all historically caused supply or transport problems due to low water levels. Even the mouth of The Mississipi could be considered, due to sandbars.

I don't think we have a way to model flooded rivers.

[mike1962]

Welcome back Stonewall, thought you were captured by the Yanks, or worse yet, got in the way of one of them North Carolina regiments!

[Stonewall]

Man, so glad to see you back here. I was looking over Jabberwock's areas and have a few alterations to the VA stuff that I'd like to make. Not sure what database you're working with, so I'll wait to hear from you on what you're doing and how you're proceeding.

I'm going to have to compare the 1.6c database with the 1.5? database I had based my changes on. I don't expect there to be any differences, but you never know.

With regard to Jabberwock, and the other contributors, could someone please give me an executive summary on what they have been up to? I'm having a hard time figuring everything about solely from the posts here.

[Jabberwock]

I have been drawing pictures of generals, and restricting myself to giving other people ideas about the weather since I first posted the Areas.txt file. I hope (and expect from reading posts) they have made good use of it.

Welcome back!

[Jagger]

You might consider separating out the southern ones by water level. I think filling some of the shallower ones with mud during the spring and summer occasionally would add something to the game. I know the Red, Tennessee, Atchafalaya, and upper Yazoo all historically caused supply or transport problems due to low water levels. Even the mouth of The Mississipi could be considered, due to sandbars.

I don't think we have a way to model flooded rivers.

Actually mud conditions occur during heavy rain months. So mud would reflect high water rather than low water. It is low water or dry conditions which can't be reflected.

[Jabberwock]

Actually mud conditions occur during heavy rain months. So mud would reflect high water rather than low water. It is low water or dry conditions which can't be reflected.

I wasn't too clear in my thoughts, or in expressing what I meant. Long day.

The effects of mud in the game, making movement slow and difficult, adequately (if not completely) reflect what happened to river ships during low water. (Getting stuck in the mud of the river bottom.)

As far as high water, I was thinking of its effects on land units trying to get across rivers. You are correct, I was wrong. Mud in the river region plus adjoining land regions does reflect these conditons.

[PBBoeye]

Let me just interject that I think your proposal to classify rivers as groups of regions, as opposed to inserting them into regions by themselves, is a superior idea.

Stonewall, do you have a copy of the Areas.txt that Jabberwock proposed some time ago? Just wondering how this jibes with the regions that you've set up. Mike1962 made some percentage changes that work with the default region area groups. It is a workable crutch for right now (current games).

[Pocus]

welcome back Stonewall. 1.06c is still working on an old DB, but PhilThib should export it again at the end of the week possibly.

[PBBoeye]

Just curious, as I see the weather for the first turn of each scenario is set in the scenario files (it is not random). So I am wondering if the snow in Texas in early April of the 1961 Grand Campaign is historical?

[PhilThib]

Wheather on the first turn of each scenario is determined randomly. Nothing historical here.

[PBBoeye]

Hmmmm. Then do you have any idea what the last section in the SCN files is? For example, in the April '61 Campaign game, the section looks like this:

{Weather Patterns}
0Rensselaer, NY = 4
1Columbia, NY = 4
2Putnam, NY = 2
3Berkshire, CT = 4
4Westchester, CT = 4
.
.
.
.
. (and so on)
{/Weather Patterns}

Seems to me when I open up the April campaign game, these weather patterns continue to occur for each first turn (Blizzard in Rensselaer, etc).

[Pocus]

It is determined randomly upon scenario generation, but once the scn is done, it is fixed, this is why you see the weather type as you list them.

[mike1962]

The 1.07 release contains revised weather patterns that hopefully make the game play much better for everyone. However, only the weather patterns have been changed, not the area files. A lot of good ideas and work are in various member posts above. I am in the process of mapping out the areas and related weather now. Lets use this thread to post anything that needs changed as of the 1.07 release(anything wrong with current conditions, area changes, etc.) Mike