BattleGroup42 mod for Battlefield 1942

Since last September or so they had a statement on the official webpage (which has been down for a few weeks now) saying a release was planned for this winter. So there's roughly 2 weeks left to deliver the release without delay.

It's sad that the site doesn't work. I hope everything will be fine. Do you know if they have any other contacts on the network?

They've got a facebook page, no news there either.

Final RC4 files first (Installer + 4 bin files).
After Final RC4 installation you can install the Final RC4 patch.

Hi!

Yeah, I noticed that too. And by the way, what are the bugs that you found? I will post it there on your behalf as I'm registered in the forum...

Thanks al13326, don't know whether you got my PM with bugs, reposting here.
General map things:

- France / Vichy France / Free France distinction is wrong/inconsistent for several maps in terms of flags used (loading screen, in-game control point flags, minimap GUI flags, minimap base flags). Use of Free France markings on vehicles is correct I think.

- Is there a technical reason for the reworked original game maps not having the YYMM prefix? Makes the maps appear a bit out of place.

- If I recall correctly, not all no-parachute maps show the icon on the loading screen or have it mentioned in the desription so you've got to learn it the hard way. All maps without aircraft generally can have chutes disabled in order to prevent para-jumping.

- On many maps bots guard uncapturable bases or spawn points outside of the range of a control point flag.

Specific map issues (mostly bot issues, the easiest way to fix is disabling bot support on those maps)

- 3806-After the Flood
Passive+defenceless bots on both sides

- 4005-Montherme
German bots get stuck between two bunkers on the way up to the castle and wait to be shot down. Bots on both sides are slow on reoccupying lost control points. Wide parts of the are empty, could use more "out of map" area if not too annoying for aerial warfare.

- 4006-Ligne Alpine
(Bots crash the Italian Stuka into (ironically) the decorative Stuka wreck at the end of the airstrip.) FIXED by al13326's patch. French artillery on the hilltop is not too useful. You can't hit targets any closer than the Italian main base. Maybe guns could be relocated or be replaced by (direct-fire) guns which can aim lower.

- 4011-Battle of Pindus
When the Italians take the southernmost Greek control point their bots will camp at the spawn point on the western street.

- 4103-Primavera
Bots on both sides don't advance out of their bases, only make use of aircraft and stationary weapons.

- 4104-Battle of Keren
Aircraft placement is akward here. In Co-Op the British Gladiator launches right into buildings, in Conquest it launches right into the SW map corner. In both modes you have swerve so as not to crash before takeoff, in Conquest it's almost impossible to get back on active map area before taking damage. The Italian Storch also launches right out of the map (NE corner), heading into hilly terrain. Solution for the Storch: it can be placed on the other (northern) side of the railroad, right behind/in front of the czech hedgehogs, heading into roughly opposite direction (roughly W, out of the village). The UK Glad can take off from the hill plateau NW of the UK main base flag, heading NW. Also accessible for reammu if implemented. Catch: easy target for Italian artillery and MGs. Another suitable airstrip spot is the plateau SW of the UK base with the Gladiator heading SE. Inaccessible and undesigned area though.

- 4106-Halfaya Pass
Could use "outside map" area at the W map border for blocking off the sharp land- water transition.

- 4112-Flying Tigers
The wiki description says ".. should one get shot down and bail out, he should use the seaplane to fly back to the airfield for a new plane." However parachutes are disabled. Either this refers to (crash) landings on the river banks or the description is outdated or parachutes aren't intended to be disabled.

- 4203-Battle of Java
Harsh sea-land border at N map edge due to the mirroring of the southern land edge. Some "outside map" area could be placed at the northern strip of the map or a land-water transition could be introduced at the southern map edge which already has a "outside map" area.

- 4207-Kokoda Path
Harsh water-land border at map edges. Could use "outside map" area in the corners.

- 4208-Operation Herkules
Fence + trees are placed at the end of the Gladiator airstrip. Without swerving you can't lift off before crashing into these so bots won't make it. al13326's patch does not help much here. Fence + trees should just be removed if only to feel like a real-life airstrip. The map cries for an anti-sub Swordfish or a torpedo Beaufort, AFAIK they had those on Malta.

- 4209-Bloody Ridge
Typo in loading screen text: serveral instead of several

- 4302-Heavy Water
As soon as you take the island control point bots will start to spawn and get stuck there. As time goes by more and more bots will be on the island finding no way to get off. 4409-Dukla Pass has a similar control point but the bots just swim.

- 4312-Commandos
German bots spawned at the campfire spawnpoint at the castle base passively wait to be shot. Brit bots advance into the castle half-heartedly, if at all.

- 4401-Operation Shingle
German bots tend to gather on the village square.

- 4404-Galicia Campaign
Mismatching terrain patches in the SW corner. "outside map" area can be extended towards the center.

- 4405-Myitkyina
US Bots take long time to get started

- 4405-Raid on Drvar
The paradrop is shown as flag on the minimap which doesn't exist in the game and can't be taken. In addition to German bots camping and defencelessly waiting to be shot around the graveyard control point bots on both sides are sluggish all around. The most awesome part of the map is the Yogoslav HQ which isn't ever contested. So maybe it could be rendered capturable? NW and SE corners are quite empty, "out of map" area could be extended there.

- 4406-Defense of Hengyang
When the Japanese capture the easternmost control point some bots will head southwards and run into the big fence.

- 4406-Merderet Bridge
Passive, defenceless bots on both sides and spots where they get stuck (running into walls or obstacles)

- 4406-Pointe du Hoc
Mismatching terrain at the Western map border. Western and northern parts of the map could be "outsided" anyway.

- 4407-Battle of Ihantala
Soviet bots fail to properly advance out of their base. The narrow bridges are a bottleneck. Maybe not fixable with the AI engine, might need an additional western bridge for relief.

- 4408-Mont St Michel
Could use "outside map" in the southern part so you don't see the Atlantic mirrored.

- 4408-Race to Lyon
Typo in loading screen text: Besancan instead of Besançon

- 4409-Dukla Pass
Maybe the island control point should get a spawn point at the Hs 129.

- 4411-Operation Infatuate
Harsh terrain transitions (land-water) at map edges due to mirroring. Could be mitigated at least for the NW corner by some "outside map" area.

- 4411-The Roer Plains
US bots advance sluggishly.

- 4501-New Years Day
There is not much for the bombers to throw bombs at apart from the bases. So maybe there could be some AA guns spread around the map or ground vehicles with AA weapons.

- 4503-Alps
US bots are slow to start. They don't seem to be good Harley riders.

- 4503-Operation Varsity
Empty SW and NE corners could be made "outside map".

- 4504-Volkssturm
Empty outlying areas should be made "outside map" area.

- 4508-August Storm
Typo in loading screen text: to weeks instead of two weeks

- Iwo Jima
Sluggish Japanese bots.

Vehicle issues (points further down the list definitely are now bugs and out of scope for what's left for BG42)

- Ju 87G
No cockpit graphics for the tail gunner view. Could use the Ju87 Stuka one.

- North Carolina class battleship
You can't launch from the left (portside) catapult before having launched from the right catapult at least once it seems. The aircraft will just stick to the catapult rail after triggering.

- Seaplanes can head-on dive into the sea without taking damage.

- Lancaster (underbelly), Boomerang and B-17 textures are too dark. Especially on 4501-New Years Day lighting seems off.

- Lancaster and P.108 sound a bit flimsy. They should rather use the Ju 52/B-25/Betty/Beaufort/He 111 sound.

- The Horsa glider makes no sound at all. The Me 262 idle sound sounds like a match for the aerodynamic hiss of a glider.

- On ground the Horsa glider is too dark, lighting looks off.

- Fairey Swordfish: missing animation and sounds for the depth charges. Disappering from the wings and falling down invisibly, no impact (when thrown on ground). Flies a bit too fast.

- Decorative paradrop transporters ("moving props") can be shot "down". This doesn't look too good because the wreck stops and stays airborne. Maybe they could just explode "into thin air"?

- The Fi 156 Storch is too fast. It should be by far the slowest non-helicopter aircraft in the game.

- The Caudron Simoun is a bit too fast as well. (Could it have additional passenger seats added?)

- The Mitsubishi G4M2 feels slightly too slow. Interior graphics are very low-quality.

- (Bug already present in the original game) The mod features several aircraft well suited for near vertical dive attacks.Ironically the Ju 87 Stuka isn't one of them because it simply can't climb high enough. If the map isn't completely flat you'll often hit the ground before you can pull up out of the dive. Even if this is meant to reflect scaled in-real-life service ceiling it doesn't makes sence when compared to other types in the game.

- The V1 should be stronger for realism (more explosive mass than SC 1000) and given how easily the ramps are destroyed. It takes 30+ V1 hits to sink the battleship on 4407-Operation Crossbow (2 to 3 tallboys, 18 88mm gun hits), it has almost no splash damage so it isn't really useful vs infantry, it takes 3 hits to destroy a Lanc and it can take more than 1 hit do destroy a landing craft.
I know the V1 wasn't used like that but then again it wasn't guided and couldn't be used like in the game anyway.

- The V1 should be much louder. For the sake of realism and in order to hear it approaching.

- Aircraft (most of all), cannon beats and explosions should be much louder (relative to other sounds).

- (Bug already present in the original game) Don't know if fixable, some aircraft aren't properly trimmed, even when playing with joystick and at full thrust you have to pull up to maintain altitude.

- Furutaka class
Could it get a door like the Pensacola class or something to make it obvious where to enter the catapult station?

- Might even require reverse engineering:
Right now you can only control aircraft thrust when playing with joystick.
With keyboard you've only got the choice between full throttle and idle (well you can pulse the thrust key). How about introducing thrust control the way dive depth is handled for submarines? Is it remotely possible?