January News Update
Welcome to the third monthly NorOps news update - the first for the year of 2007.
This has been the slowest month yet for NorOps. I've had the visitation service course, school exams and catch-up work due to excessive absence (I have an excuse) to worry about, and at least one particularly nasty LND entry that causes CTDs (and when you have an LND layer file with 286 cities, finding the one or two causing the CTD is a grudging process of erasing first big chunks to figure out roughly where the culprit resides, for then to gradually erase chunks of the chunks... It's a monotonous task akin to ransacking a haystack for an elusive needle). I have however, gotten something done.
Said "something" is my hometown of Bergen, known by some as the u-boat city. Norway's second largest city, she's been mentioned in an earlier update, but up to now I've only focused on labelling cities, towns, etc. near her and re-creating the many forts surrounding her (a task which is still far from complete - I am only one person, after all). Now, however, I decided to give the harbour area itself a go.
Bergen, a 244 000-people city (2005 est.), was founded in 1070 and has since been named one of Europe's "14 secret capitals", had its Bryggen harbour named an UNESCO world heritage site, and been one of nine cities on the continent honoured by the title of European City of Culture in 2000. Its harbour area is by far Norway's largest, handling 50% of Norway's cargo annually. It is also the "gateway to the fjords of Norway", the site of the heliport that handles all traffic to and from the off-shore oil rigs, and the site of the Royal Norwegian Navy's key naval base (Haakonsvern).
Selected sources of income are the harbour, fishing industry, university, hotel industry, and oil industry.
When Operation Weserubung began, the city was among the first to be captured. Early in the morning of April 9th, a German task force fought its way past the shore battery of Kvarven fort and took the city with little resistance. The K Class cruiser Königsberg and the Artillery Training Ship Bremse were damaged in the battle and forced to stay in Bergen harbour, where British dive-bombers sunk her the next day.
From Bergen's capture to 1945, the Germans would expand the shore defenses greatly as part of their Atlantic Wall effort, and they would also, as early as April the same year, construct a submarine bunker at Laksevåg, south of downtown Bergen. This submarine bunker, named Bruno, was used from 1943 by German submarines of the 11th flotilla, and protected in part by two rings of anti-air guns surrounding the city. The defences were gradually increased in strenght, and by '45, Bergen was a fortress of artillery and anti-aircraft weaponry, most of which saw little action. Even the Königsberg was raised - fully uprighted, she served as a u-boat pier from 1934 to 1944, when she again sunk to the bottom (after the war, she was dismantled by the Norwegians).
Many of the bunkers and artillery placements remain to this day throughout the countryside, and even three of the pens of submarine bunker "Bruno" are not only intact, but still in use by the Royal Norwegian Navy.
In-game, the invasion of the city, as well as her extensive defences, will both be modelled, as will the harbour and the sub base at Laksevåg. Upon joining the 11th Flotilla, you'll launch from Laksevåg harbour south of the city, with the submarine bunker offering you extra protection if included.
The Bergen harbour model itself has been replaced by Wilhelmshaven's, as the latter is far more true to the real harbour. True to form, I'm filling it to the brink with ships, including the beautiful sailing vessels of Grey Wolves Expansion. I'm also adding some new city blocks to Bergen and the surrounding area.
In-game, this is Bergen city (I decided to be nice this time and post ImageShack pictures instead of the ones from the blog entry):
Bergen harbour:
The harbour, with Lakesvåg
in the background:
Sunrise in the harbour:
A German ship burns
after a British air raid:
Laksevåg under air attack
(yes, that u-boat sunk):
I'll see if I can't edit the terrain to fit the harbour a little better. It'd be nice if I could unblock the passage into Store Lungegårdsvannet, too (the lake just east of the city).
Additionally, I'm giving some buildings and/or docked boats to the other relatively densely populated areas near the city, such as Nesttun and Arna. I'm hoping to be able to use DivingDuck's marina for that purpose.
That's about it for this month, with hopes that the upcoming month will be more productive than December was. Wish me luck!
Other NorOps resources:
Poor ole Blücher... - Battle of Drobak Sound; Project Preview
"Look to Noh'vay - ve haff doggiez!" - Project Announcement
November News Update - Bergen area expanding, SH3 Commander news enhanced, new Type II and VII skins.
December News Update - Hagesund and Stavanger introduced.
All screen-shots depict a work-in-progress and are thus subject to change
This has been the slowest month yet for NorOps. I've had the visitation service course, school exams and catch-up work due to excessive absence (I have an excuse) to worry about, and at least one particularly nasty LND entry that causes CTDs (and when you have an LND layer file with 286 cities, finding the one or two causing the CTD is a grudging process of erasing first big chunks to figure out roughly where the culprit resides, for then to gradually erase chunks of the chunks... It's a monotonous task akin to ransacking a haystack for an elusive needle). I have however, gotten something done.
Said "something" is my hometown of Bergen, known by some as the u-boat city. Norway's second largest city, she's been mentioned in an earlier update, but up to now I've only focused on labelling cities, towns, etc. near her and re-creating the many forts surrounding her (a task which is still far from complete - I am only one person, after all). Now, however, I decided to give the harbour area itself a go.
Bergen, a 244 000-people city (2005 est.), was founded in 1070 and has since been named one of Europe's "14 secret capitals", had its Bryggen harbour named an UNESCO world heritage site, and been one of nine cities on the continent honoured by the title of European City of Culture in 2000. Its harbour area is by far Norway's largest, handling 50% of Norway's cargo annually. It is also the "gateway to the fjords of Norway", the site of the heliport that handles all traffic to and from the off-shore oil rigs, and the site of the Royal Norwegian Navy's key naval base (Haakonsvern).
Selected sources of income are the harbour, fishing industry, university, hotel industry, and oil industry.
When Operation Weserubung began, the city was among the first to be captured. Early in the morning of April 9th, a German task force fought its way past the shore battery of Kvarven fort and took the city with little resistance. The K Class cruiser Königsberg and the Artillery Training Ship Bremse were damaged in the battle and forced to stay in Bergen harbour, where British dive-bombers sunk her the next day.
From Bergen's capture to 1945, the Germans would expand the shore defenses greatly as part of their Atlantic Wall effort, and they would also, as early as April the same year, construct a submarine bunker at Laksevåg, south of downtown Bergen. This submarine bunker, named Bruno, was used from 1943 by German submarines of the 11th flotilla, and protected in part by two rings of anti-air guns surrounding the city. The defences were gradually increased in strenght, and by '45, Bergen was a fortress of artillery and anti-aircraft weaponry, most of which saw little action. Even the Königsberg was raised - fully uprighted, she served as a u-boat pier from 1934 to 1944, when she again sunk to the bottom (after the war, she was dismantled by the Norwegians).
Many of the bunkers and artillery placements remain to this day throughout the countryside, and even three of the pens of submarine bunker "Bruno" are not only intact, but still in use by the Royal Norwegian Navy.
In-game, the invasion of the city, as well as her extensive defences, will both be modelled, as will the harbour and the sub base at Laksevåg. Upon joining the 11th Flotilla, you'll launch from Laksevåg harbour south of the city, with the submarine bunker offering you extra protection if included.
The Bergen harbour model itself has been replaced by Wilhelmshaven's, as the latter is far more true to the real harbour. True to form, I'm filling it to the brink with ships, including the beautiful sailing vessels of Grey Wolves Expansion. I'm also adding some new city blocks to Bergen and the surrounding area.
In-game, this is Bergen city (I decided to be nice this time and post ImageShack pictures instead of the ones from the blog entry):
Bergen harbour:
The harbour, with Lakesvåg
in the background:
Sunrise in the harbour:
A German ship burns
after a British air raid:
Laksevåg under air attack
(yes, that u-boat sunk):
I'll see if I can't edit the terrain to fit the harbour a little better. It'd be nice if I could unblock the passage into Store Lungegårdsvannet, too (the lake just east of the city).
Additionally, I'm giving some buildings and/or docked boats to the other relatively densely populated areas near the city, such as Nesttun and Arna. I'm hoping to be able to use DivingDuck's marina for that purpose.
That's about it for this month, with hopes that the upcoming month will be more productive than December was. Wish me luck!
Other NorOps resources:
Poor ole Blücher... - Battle of Drobak Sound; Project Preview
"Look to Noh'vay - ve haff doggiez!" - Project Announcement
November News Update - Bergen area expanding, SH3 Commander news enhanced, new Type II and VII skins.
December News Update - Hagesund and Stavanger introduced.
All screen-shots depict a work-in-progress and are thus subject to change
posted by Øyvind @ 1:36 PM
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