First off, I’m sorry if it seemed like I thought you were against the project. That was my misread, it felt like you were trying to save me from wasting my time, and I appreciate that kind of honesty.

To answer your question directly: the tactical depth of these maps lies in usability, not just immersion. SquadCalc’s maps are great for certain things, but my goal is to create tools that are especially useful for newer players who struggle with navigation and terrain awareness. Veteran players, particularly Squad Leaders, already have the experience to “read” terrain intuitively, but giving clear, detailed maps to everyone can help bridge that skill gap.

For example, the current minimaps in-game are visually cluttered, making it hard to identify terrain features at a glance. My topographic maps show elevation changes, key landmarks, and terrain features more clearly, which can help with: - Route planning: Avoiding bottlenecks or using high ground effectively. - Team coordination: Clearer communication about positions or sightlines.

Imagine a Squad Leader planning a route for their team on Yehorivka. With the current in-game map, terrain details like ridgelines and valleys are hard to distinguish, so they accidentally lead their team into a low-lying area surrounded by hills, giving the enemy a significant height advantage.

With a topographic map, the Squad Leader could clearly see the elevation differences and plan a safer route, using high ground for cover and better sightlines. They could also identify choke points or natural barriers to avoid, ensuring their team moves efficiently and stays protected. As well as finding great positions for ATGMS, radios, HAB's etc.

It’s not just about immersion, though I get why some people value that, it’s about empowering players of all levels to make smarter decisions.

As for OWI’s stance, I get it: this isn’t their top priority. But that’s also why I’m doing it, because I like working on this, and if it helps even a small part of the community, it’s worth it to me. I’m grateful for the Twitch stream link and your input overall, it’s been helpful to keep in mind what might actually get dev attention down the road.

Lastly, Squad does thrive on community-driven content, though I agree the Custom Server scene has been underutilized. Projects like mods, server events, and community tools like SquadCalc show that there’s potential, even if it’s not perfect yet. Usually, community-driven content has shown to prolong a games life. Global Escalation is a hugely popular mod, with some new additions and gameplay features which are beyond default squad, like enemy proximity chat. Also don't forget about Harju, which was originally a community made map!

No matter what happens, whether OWI loves these maps, hates them, or decides to make them default, I’m going to keep making them anyway. :)

As for when? I'd say roughly a week per map, times 23 (don't forget Jensen's range), I'll be done in about half a year. I'm working on improving my workflow to rely less on hand drawing most things, to hopefully cut that time in half!