War in the Pacific - Admiral's Edition: Updated Extended Map

This is an updated version of my 'extended' map that includes a few additions and changes compared to the official game map.

The main changes/additions that make the extended map different to the official map are:

• Aden and Abadan off-map areas are now separated - they are now no longer connected off-map, and connect separately to the main map;

• The addition of a small part of the Arabian peninsula (separating Aden and Abadan);

• The addition of a small part of Baluchistan and the North West Frontier areas in North West India (at the top edge of the game map); and

• A more extensive depiction of the effects of the flooding caused by the diversion of the Yellow River in China.

Note: This map is NOT compatible with the official scenarios. Also, if playing vs. another player, both players must use the same map and map data to avoid in-game anomalies.

Map Changes

This map has a significant change compared to my previous ‘extended’ map – the flooding caused by the diversion of the Yellow River in China is more extensive, and cuts most of the road and rail links in the area.

These maps show the extent of the flooding (taken from the Yellow River flood, 1938-47 web page, which also describes the scale of the human disaster this event triggered).

Changes from the previous version of the Extended map:

This version of my extended map includes the following fixes and additions to the map art and map data:

• • The flooding that resulted from the diversion of the Yellow River (Huang He) is now represented by the following changes:

    • • The following hexes are now swamp hexes: 89,44, 88,45, 89,46, 88,47, 89,47, 89,48, 90,48, 89,49, 90,49, 91,49, 92,50.

      • The railway line and road between hexes 88, 43 and 88,44 (Chengchow) are both cut

      • The railway line between hexes 88,43 and 89,44 (Kaifeng) is cut

      • The railway line between hexes 90,49 and 90,50 is cut

      • The road between hexes 90,46 and 89,48 is cut, and the remainder downgraded from primary to secondary road

      • Cut rail lines retain their ‘track’ status for non-rail transport

  • The destruction of the Peiping-Hankow railway bridge across the Yellow River is now represented as a break in that railway NE of Chengchow.

  • All road and railway bridges across the Yangzte River between Hankow (85,50) and the coast have been removed.

  • Some new atolls – all very small in size – have been added in the Caroline Islands:

    • • Puluwat (hex 108,107)

      • Namonuito (hex 110,105)

      • Hall Islands (hex 113,106)

  • Scawfell Island (small island) added in hex 95,148 (just off the coast of Queensland, Australia).

  • The island of Rendova (large island) in the Solomons now gets its own hex (110,135). It was formerly on the border between that hex and hex 111,134 (part of New Georgia).

  • The Paracel islands, a very small atoll, has been added in hex 71,67.

  • The island of Pulo Condore (medium island) has been added in hex 59,75.

  • The ‘Adams Bridge’ stretching between India and Ceylon now includes an island (medium sized) in hex 31,44 (Pamban Island) and the railway that connected it to the Indian mainland.

  • A minor railway line has been added in Burma from Lashio (hex 62,46) to the adjacent hex 61,45. The latter is the location of the Bawdwin mine, which was a significant source of metals. To make use of this addition a scenario will need to include a base in hex 61,45.

  • Most of the road between Shwebo (hex 59,45) and Myitkyina (hex 64,42) has been downgraded from a secondary road to a track (coincident with the railway between the towns)

  • A portion of the Ledo Road has been removed between Bhamo (hex 63,44) and Myitkyina (hex 64,42). The Ledo Road was not completed until late 1944.

  • A missing railway line has been added in Malaya between Kualar Lumpur (hex 49,79) and the adjacent hex 48,79. To make use of the railway line a scenario will need to include a base in hex 48,79 (Port Swettenham).

  • Several minor inconsistencies between map art and map data for railway lines in China have been corrected, by changing the map data to match the map art. These are mainly railway ‘stubs’ that have been cleaned up.

  • The map text for the base ‘Manado’ changed to ‘Menado’.

  • The map text for the following Soviet bases have been corrected:

    • • Kysyl to Kyzyl

      • Choybalsan to Choibalsan

  • The terrain art in hexes 80,13, 81,14 and 81,15 changed from Clear to Forest+Rough so that the map art matches the existing map data.

  • Some of the terrain in Northern Australia has been changed to increase map accuracy and reduce the large expanses of clear terrain:

    • • Hexes 72,127 and 72,128 changed to rough

      • Hexes 73,127 and 74,127 changed to rough

      • Hex 70,129 changed to rough

      • Hexes 77,127, 77,128 and 78,128 changed to rough

      • Hexes 78,127, 79,127, 79,128 and 81,128 changed to jungle+rough

      • Hexes 81,135, 81,136, 82,136 and 81,137 changed to rough

      • Hexes 83,141, 83,142 and 83,143 changed to rough

      • Hex 76,128 (Katherine) changed to cultivated

      • Hex 86,147 (Winton) changed to cultivated

      • Hexes 91,146 and 91,149 changed to cultivated

  • The map text for the base ‘Anking’ shifted a little so that the road underneath it is not obscured.

  • The map data for the Skeene River between Prince Rupert and Terrace now matches the map art.

  • The one hex long stub of road leading north from Fort St. John in Canada (hex 203,34) has been removed. This was part of the ALCAN Highway which was not constructed until after the start of the Pacific War.

  • Most of the roads between Edmonton (hex 210,35) and Fort St. John (hex 203,34) have been downgraded from Primary to Secondary roads.

  • The roads to the hex locations of the Canadian towns of Hay River (hex 201,24) and Yellowknife (hex 199,21) have been removed. Apparently these were ‘winter roads’ and construction of proper roads only started at the end of WW2.

  • The hexsides of hex 211,22 have been modified to match the map art (changed W and SW hexsides to Land).

  • The Richardson Highway between Valdez and Fairbanks in Alaska has been downgraded from a Main to a Secondary road.

  • The one-hex long portion of the Glenn Highway that existed between Anchorage and Palmer (hex 181,35) at the start of the Pacific war has been added as a Secondary road.

  • Several minor fixes to railway map data in China to ensure map data matches map art.

  • The island of Kalao in the DEI (66,110) has had its map data corrected so that amphibious assaults of the hex are now allowed.

  • Hex 84,110 has been changed from a land hex to a coastal hex to match the map art.

  • The rail line on Shikoku Japan, between Takamatsu (hex 107,59) and hex 107,60 has been removed.

  • A minor railway line has been added connecting the railway in hex 106,59 and Kochi (hex 106,60).

  • The data for the secondary road between Takamatsu (hex 107,59) and Kochi (hex 106,60) has been corrected.

  • A phantom river has been removed from the hexside between hexes 75,128 and hex 74,127 in Australia.

  • A phantom river has been removed from the hexside between hexes 211,26 and hex 210,27 in Canada.

  • River hexside data added for the river hexside between hexes 90,114 and 89,113 in Dutch New Guinea.

  • Mildura (hex 80,164) is now connected by railway to hex 79,165.

  • Canberra (hex 87,169) is now connected by railway to hex 88,168.

  • The map data for the road leading west from Kendari has been added in hex 70,106 to match the map art.

  • Phantom river hexsides removed from the E and SE sides of hex 62,55 (near Luangprabang).

Note: Many of the changes are in Canada and are most unlikely to affect play in any way whatsoever. I came across most of those corrections while working on an alternative ‘extended’ map variant that includes the ALCAN Highway, and is intended to be used from late 1942 onwards.

Additional Base Locations

To make full use of the added locations on this map, the following bases should be added to extended map scenarios (assuming a 1941 start):

Thanks to the following Matrix Games forum members for pointing out some of these fixes/changes:

• Kull

• DesertWolf101

• Dutch_slith

• GetAssista

• Wirraway_Ace

• HansBolter

Particular thanks to LargeSlowTarget, who has made a map mod including the Yellow River flooding, several new islands, the Adams Bridge, and the railway to Bawdwin. I have used his modified map as a source for these ideas.

See the Map_Install_Readme.txt file included in the zip file for instructions for installing this map update.

Extended Map Data File with Stacking Limits

The alternative extended map data file with stacking limits includes stacking limits for all land and coastal hexes. These are in addition to the built-in stacking limits that apply to the small islands in the game.

This is an optional map data file for the extended map.

The stacking limits used for this version of the map data files are the ones that were developed for the map by the 'Da Babes' scenario team.

To use this map data file:

1. Download one of the two versions of the updated official map using the links above.

2. Install the updated map using the instructions included in the Map_Install_Readme.txt file.

3. Download the map data file with stacking limits.

4. Copy the map data file with stacking limits into the main AE game folder, overwriting the map data file already there (pwhexe.dat).

5. Restart the game to have it pick up the new map data.