Radar Range Mod for Defcon

This little mod changes the map graphics files so that the following ranges are visible: The maximal ranges of stationary radars, the suicide mission range of fighters from airfields (or the range a carrier has to be in to be at least a bit able to scout with fighters), the MRBM attack range of submarines (luckily identical to the fighter range) and the SRBM launch range of bombers. All ranges are approximations done by automatic processing of the territory graphics and may be a bit off at places, the gimp script doing the processing is included.

Limitations: works in default world scale only.

Version 0.3

New in this version: The resolution of the graphics has been blown up by a factor of four for additional sharpness, and a Bering Strait naviagion help line has been added. The brightness of the various ranges has been adjusted so that the most important one, the radar range, is visible even in the confusion that is Central Europe.

Instructions: download, unzip into the appropriate place (the installation folder in Windows, the libs subdirectory of the installation directory in Linux, ~/Library/Application Support/DEFCON/ on the Mac), activate in defcon modlist. If you have other visual mods or custom styles active, make sure the terrain color is not completely black, and move this mod to the top of the modlist.

Download version 0.3 here; the source images are quite big and have been extracted into this separate download.

Beating the CPU with only Radars, Silos and Subs. Click for larger version.
Screenshot of possible application: know exactly where to place your subs so the enemy does not spot them immediately when they surface. The inner step in the brightness is the radar range, the next (very faint) step nearby is the bomber range, and the outer step is the sub and fighter range. A bit confusing, but it also looks neat.

Version 0.2

Instructions: Identical to version 0.3.

Download version 0.2 here. Screenshot:
self nuking

Silent update to version 0.2: a separate style mod was added to the archive which makes reduces the brightness of the water color. Here's how the world map looks with both mods enabled:
self nuking

Version 0.1

In this old Version, only the radar ranges are visible as hand drawn curves on the water. Instructions: As for version 0.2, but you also need to activate water rendering in the graphics options. If you have other visual mods or custom styles active, make sure the water color is not completely black, and move this mod to the top of the modlist.
To switch on and off on the fly (without loading/unloading it), just flip the water rendering in the graphics options, and the water color needs to be non-black.
The mods/radar/data/graphics folder also contains the gimp image with the pure radar range outlines on separate layers.
Download version 0.1 here.


self nuking
Screenshot of Version 0.1.