Official SEOW

http://rptools.net/doku.php

Try out the map tool! This is a really really nice product. Its free, and you can pretty much import any image as a map. Then you can add a bunch of tokens or markers at will. I'd think this could potentially help overall planning if more then one commander wanted to post an image as a background map, and move tokens around to plan attacks.

It offers full internet client support. Each person can move the tokens around the back ground map. Heck, you could play checkers online with someone, or any other board game you can think up. This is a really professional job they've done with these tools. And well documented, which is always a plus.

Regards,
Murdock

See this image:



Above what I've done with their MapTool, is you map an image directory on your local system. Then it automatically brings those images into its little solution explorer thingy on the left. Then you just select the background map image, right click, and click "New Bounded Map". This will force the image as a background in the main client viewing screen. Then, whats REALLY cool, is you can for example just go to a website, and drag and drop images to the map as new icons to move around. The cool thing is, everyone in your squadron will see that movement. This is potentially a very powerful mission planning tool. This is similar to what 61GiAP were making ; but perhaps it will save them considerable coding time to just get the images made, then use this tool as a client / server app to use for planning missions all in the same chat client.

Again, the key here, is that this is also a chat and view client / server app! So, all the person has to do, is go to that web site in my first post, run the java web start file for Map Tool, then connect to your IP on the default port, VOILA, a mission planning client/server app. And free...

Regards,
Murdock

If you look at this image:



Look at bottom right hand corner of the image with that red/white outlined map inset. Right below it, is the other map which I show in my last post. How COOL is that. YOu can keep multiple (many in fact) maps at your fingertips, ready to brief your pilots.

This has limitless potential... really cool stuff..

Very nice Murdock. Will definately give this a try. Thank you.

http://forums.rptools.net/viewtopic.php?t=1714

Nice videos of its potential. Again, this was designed for RPG pen and paper roleplaying, but the potential is endless as far as adding a wargame aspect on top of seow, on top of flying, hell anything. I'm even tempted to make a d20 compliant role-playing game based upon IL2. I've been tempted to do that for years. It would mesh very well with SEOW I'd think, considering its obvious capability set. Modern d20 open gaming rules are described here:
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=d20/article/msrd
This could add an element to sim life that has never been accomplished before. A pipe-dream, but a dream.. lol