Historical Harbor Fortifications for Port Battles- Maps

[Æthlstan]

When the new port battle system is made, it would be very cool, as a low priority feature, if the harbors in the port battles matched the actual historic harbors (for those harbors that had fortifications in real life). Player built upgrades could reflect progressively stronger fortifications as built over time. Since generally, capitals and regional capitals had much better fortifications in real life, modeling actual harbor fortifications will create natural difficulty levels according to the importance and usefulness of a port.

Use this thread to post any maps, pictures, drawings, etc, of historical fortifications so that perhaps some day, they could be coded into the game.

Attached are several historical maps of Charleston, SC, USA

 

Edited June 25, 2016 by Æthlstan

[Æthlstan]

No one likes this?

[The Spud]

I think the easiest way for the devs to make a bug proof "land in" port battle, is to create several port battle maps that each have different type of landmass in it to represent the various situations for "land in" port battle. Like, flat coast line, cove, shallow water, narrow entrance to harbour, harbour at the tip of the coast, maybe some cliffs. So they dedicate a map to each port, depending on what map geography is most comparable to that port. I don't realy see how they could effectively implement player created defence systems on generated maps. This might give the opportunity to create some port specific maps for famous ports, like OP mentioned.

 

The system above might give some nice variation in architecture of the defence structures, as I think generated defence systems will look prety much all the same in terms of lay out, mayb only a difference between,shallow, medium and regional capitals.

 

But I know nothing about programming, but I would find this to be more immersive then some accurately recreated terrain but where every port looks the same. I think the port battle overhaul, the way they explained it with the victory points etc. Will realy bring back allot of players, no matter how it is implemented. I'm looking forward to this patch and the war patch.

[Mirones]

[Æthlstan]

Which port is that?

[TommyShelby]

Castillo San Felipe del Morro! 

 

Or, the shorter version: El Morro

[Æthlstan]

Several pictures of Castle Pinckney (1808) taken from around the web, including maps. 

 

Charleston, SC

Edited July 3, 2016 by Æthlstan

[Æthlstan]

Fort Moulrie 1 (1775)

 

http://www.ccpl.org/content.asp?id=15742&catID=6047&action=detail

Interesting PDF document describing the construction of the first 2 Moultries and other Charleston fortifications as well as encounters with the british during and after the war. (1775-1804)

 

https://www.nps.gov/fosu/learn/historyculture/upload/392-D170---Scanned%20Images-53651-2.pdf

 

Unfortunately I can't find any sketches or engineering diagrams of Fort Moultrie II(1798) as it was destroyed by a hurricane in 1804.

 

Edited June 25, 2016 by Æthlstan

[Æthlstan]

Fort Moultrie III

 

Edited June 25, 2016 by Æthlstan

[Æthlstan]

Fort Johnston

 

I was not able to find any sketches from the period. The best I could do was some photos from the civil war that show the brickwork and embrasures that was there during our historical window, with 1860s cannon. 

 

 

[Æthlstan]

 

This map is of the Fort Sumter bombardment, but, aside from Fort Sumter, it shows where terrain was good enough for batteries to be sighted. While many of those batteries were not there during this time period, there COULD be batteries placed in these locations by players.

[Mirones]

a shout out to steelsandvich for giving one of these plans a try even trough most are not really usefull but are giving enough reference material

 

huzzah

[Æthlstan]

Yeah, I really wish there were better plans available. I wonder if I could find anythin in the national archives...

[Æthlstan]

So, I've done some preliminary digging, searching the National Archives for plans to the forts. It seems like there is a chance that they have them but they haven't been digitalized. Any tips on how to progress?

[Mirones]

go there and take photos

[SteelSandwich]

Just go to the archives?

 

Nearly on a monthly basis i try to be in a new and different archive digging up stuff.

 

Fort Amsterdam in Willemstad,curacao, 1748:

 

 

Fort Amsterdam, St. Maarten:

 

 

City vieuw Maracaibo, 1660+-:

[SteelSandwich]

progress^^

 

 

[Domox]

I live in Saint Augustine, FL and have access to two spanish fortifications as well as a civil war era one. Let me know if you guys need any photos/info as I have lots of both.

 

- Castillo de San Marcos (https://www.nps.gov/casa/index.htm)

- Fort Matanzas (https://www.nps.gov/foma/index.htm)

Edited July 9, 2016 by Domox

[Paint]

I think the easiest way for the devs to make a bug proof "land in" port battle, is to create several port battle maps that each have different type of landmass in it to represent the various situations for "land in" port battle. Like, flat coast line, cove, shallow water, narrow entrance to harbour, harbour at the tip of the coast, maybe some cliffs. So they dedicate a map to each port, depending on what map geography is most comparable to that port. I don't realy see how they could effectively implement player created defence systems on generated maps. This might give the opportunity to create some port specific maps for famous ports, like OP mentioned.

 

The system above might give some nice variation in architecture of the defence structures, as I think generated defence systems will look prety much all the same in terms of lay out, mayb only a difference between,shallow, medium and regional capitals.

 

But I know nothing about programming, but I would find this to be more immersive then some accurately recreated terrain but where every port looks the same. I think the port battle overhaul, the way they explained it with the victory points etc. Will realy bring back allot of players, no matter how it is implemented. I'm looking forward to this patch and the war patch.

Yeah. Afterwards when release is they can introduce individual port maps and so on. Would like that. 

[Æthlstan]

I live in Saint Augustine, FL and have access to two spanish fortifications as well as a civil war era one. Let me know if you guys need any photos/info as I have lots of both.

 

- Castillo de San Marcos (https://www.nps.gov/casa/index.htm)

- Fort Matanzas (https://www.nps.gov/foma/index.htm)

 

Photos are always welcome, it you can, ask the rangers if they have detailed plans they can provide

 

 

As for me personally going to the archives, I dont live near any, unfortunately

[Æthlstan]

Since this is turning into a kind of modeler's challenge, should this thread be moved to shipyard? Harbors and forts aren't ships tho...

[SteelSandwich]

What you are seeing below in my attempt to recreate the Fort Amsterdam in 3D, enjoy. (sketchfab link below)

 

 

 

 

Sketchfab link:

https://skfb.ly/QVGN