pzgndr
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Posts posted by pzgndr
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Should every country try to invest in IT and PT? Or should some countries not invest during certain years (or ever) because there is some scripted increase?
All countries should try to invest in IT and PT. I've kept all those increases the same, 5%, with some countries like Germany which had 50% growth rate being able to go to L5 and Italy which had 20% only being able to go to L2. It's not perfect but maintains the old sense of growth rates as best as possible. USSR and USA get some additional scripted economic growth, gaining new resources on certain later years.
The reason I did this was to ensure relatively historical Allied economic growth without relying too much on the randomness of IT and PT research with larger increases, like up to 25%. If the Allies got these tech advances too fast or too slow, it really skewed the game. Now the research provides modest variation without the adverse effects. You'll still notice some Allied advantage if they get rapid advances and vice versa, so games will remain interesting and unpredictable.
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What is the difference between a 1-3 and 3-3 German unit and others similar units differences?
All of this is actually explained in quite some detail in the 15-page pdf "A3R Design Notes" included in the download(s). Basically the original unit factors are used where a 1-3 infantry with combat factor "1" and movement factor "3" has attack/defense factors of "1" and AP of "3". The 3-3 infantry has attack/defense of "3", thus relatively more effective than the 1-3. The visuals help show the strong units versus weak units, adjusted by the strength value of course. Ah, nostalgia!
I notice in the Repository that this game has like 4-5 different versions from a 1939 download a 1940 download and so on.These are four separate campaigns, starting in 1939, 1941, 1942 and 1944. All based on the four original board game scenarios. I know many players don't bother with anything but the whole shebang, but sometimes the later year historical situations offer their own challenges. I previously had only the 39 and 41 campaigns for the PDE version, but once I got everything up to speed in this GC version it wasn't difficult to add the other two.
So, Bill, are you going to attempt to make A World At War-in other words expand the A3R motif to encompass the Empire of the Rising Sun as well?Sorry no. Frankly I prefer the ETO and I'm just not into the PTO and global campaigns. Others are welcome to take up the torch and create a Rising Sun adaptation. I would actually like to spend some more time playing my mod rather than making it. That was my whole selfish motivation all these years; I'm just sharing my toy with y'all for free!
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OK all the campaigns seem to be available now in the Battlefront Repository. I'll monitor here for comments and suggestions. DesertDave and I are into a pbem game to have some fun and assess the head-to-head play balance. Other game reports are welcome. I'll probably make an update in several weeks as necessary depending on how things go and other feedback. Enjoy!
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do they have an AI player?
The screenshots I provided were from a hands-off AI-vs-AI game, meaning Axis AI versus Allied AI from 1939 to 1945. That's not to show how brilliant the AI is, but it is fully capable and will provide challenging gameplay for both sides throughout the war. As shown in the example game, the default results were fairly historical.
On higher difficulty settings the AI is tougher and may pursue alternative strategies: Sealion, Spain, Turkey, 1943 D-Day, etc. Let me just say that even though I scripted this myself and generally "know" what to expect, the game still surprises me every time and I cannot afford to be complacent.
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I've uploaded the 1939 campaign and it's pending Battlefront review. Once it's official and I verify it's working OK, I'll then upload the other three campaigns.
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Combat Target Values (Data), all the individual combat and movement data for each unit type and each country. This is a PITA to redo.
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Conversion from PDE to GC takes some effort but is certainly doable. From my A3R version notes:
DATA CHANGES- updated localization.txt and revised Country IDs
- updated activation_sprites, flags, and military_flag_sprites bitmaps
- revised CTVs (you cannot export/import - you need to redo the CTVs!)
SCRIPT CHANGES
- added new #DATE and #FAILSAFE_DATE lines in unit events
- added new #FLAG_ID lines in supply events
- added new #VARIABLE_CONDITION lines in resource events
- added new #MPP_UPDOWN, #MPP_TURNS, #MPP_TEXT, and #FRIENDLY_POSITION lines in decision events
- added new #DESTINATION_RESOURCE lines in purchase scripts
- changed activation events to new mobilization events and added new belligerence events
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Looks like Moon opened a Global Conflict section in the repository yesterday so I'll upload my A3R campaigns later today. Patience fellas! Enjoy Global Conflict in the meantime.
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The AI-vs-AI feature has been around since Patton Drives East. At the initial Main Menu screen before selecting New Game, you can use the F-keys:
F1 - DEBUGSAVE, to save every game turn for later review
F2 - DEBUGLOGS, to generate log files for decisions, diplomacy, planning, research, and weather for review
F3 - DEBUGANIMATION, to skip over the animated movements
F4 - DEBUGAI, to substitute the AI for the human player
There is a also new F5 key in Global Conflict for generating a summary log file of activity. For example, in the playtest game I ran:
09/01/1939 (LOSSES)
Poland: Lodz Infantry Corps Destroyed
Poland: 1st Polish Fighters Destroyed
Poland: 2nd Polish Tactical Bombers Destroyed
Poland: Krakow Corps Destroyed
Poland: Poznan Infantry Corps Destroyed
09/01/1939 (ACTIVITY)
Poland: Germany Declared War On Poland
France: France Prepares For War
UK: Historical Event - Cyprus Becomes A British Crown Colony
Egypt: Mediterranean/Far East Convoys To The UK Begin
Sweden: Swedish Iron Ore Shipments To Germany Begin
09/01/1939 (RESEARCH)
09/29/1939 (LOSSES)
09/29/1939 (ACTIVITY)
Canada: Canada Declares War On Germany
Canada: Canadian Supply Convoys To The UK Begin
Germany: U-Boat I (72,22) Disrupted Egypt -> UK Convoys. UK Lost 15 MPP
09/29/1939 (RESEARCH)
09/29/1939 (LOSSES)
Poland: Warsaw Damaged From Bombing
Poland: Wyszkow Corps Destroyed
Poland: Karpaty Corps Destroyed
Poland: Pomorze Infantry Corps Destroyed
09/29/1939 (ACTIVITY)
09/29/1939 (RESEARCH)
10/27/1939 (LOSSES)
10/27/1939 (ACTIVITY)
France: France Joins The Allies
France: France Enters War Against Germany
Germany: U-Boat I (72,22) Disrupted Egypt -> UK Convoys. UK Lost 14 MPP
10/27/1939 (RESEARCH)
10/27/1939 (LOSSES)
Poland: Radom Corps Destroyed
Poland: Prusy Corps Destroyed
Poland: Narew Corps Destroyed
10/27/1939 (ACTIVITY)
Poland: Poland Surrendered
Germany: Germany Occupies Western Poland
USSR: USSR Occupies Eastern Poland
10/27/1939 (RESEARCH)
I just cannot say enough how useful these features are for running games over and over to help find and fix issues. Despite the hundreds of games I've run in AI-versus-AI mode or the many games I've played myself against the computer opponent, I make no guarantee that I have found and fixed everything! LOL.
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For those who are interested, here are the complete Version Notes:
=================================================================Advanced Third Reich for SC-WWII Global Conflict v1.00
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DATA CHANGES
- updated localization.txt and revised Country IDs
- updated activation_sprites and military_flag_sprites bitmaps
- revised force pools and CTVs to use the anti-tank unit slot for Italian and Russian 2-3 infantry, British 2-5 armor (WDF), and some new variant units (NOTE: infantry and anti-tank research is now disabled for Italy and USSR)
- updated unit_sprites_military bitmap counters with classic Third Reich AF-MF for better visuals
- updated unit_sprites_3d bitmaps for the revised force pools
- updated the campaign file for CUSTOM_SOUND and changed anti_tank_attack to a battle sound
- updated flags bitmaps
- map changes:
-- deleted Florence to reduce Italy production by about 10 MPPs and revised affected scripts
-- deleted Vichy, changed capital to Lyons, and revised affected scripts
-- moved Kharkov 1 tile to northeast and revised affected scripts
-- reduced Astrakhan and Chelyabinsk to minor city (reducing USSR production by about 20 MPPs)
-- changed Munich from alternate capital to industrial center
-- deleted port Al Kuwait and revised affected transport_minor scripts (NOTE: these do not work for Allied AI)
-- deleted Narva River north of Lake Peipus
-- updated map cities to AWAW (Cologne, Kiev, Sevastopol and Ankara now red objective cities)
-- fixed Qattara Depression spelling
- Combat Target Data changes:
-- eliminated artillery DRM modifier +1 for UK/USA/USSR/Ger and revised bitmaps
-- reduced Partisan defensive values and Partisans naval spotting range to 1
-- reduced all soft and tank air/naval defense values to 1 and 2, respectively
-- gave motorization bonus to USA and UK artillery (now 1-4) and revised bitmaps
-- reduced air DRMs by 1, reduced default RA to 3 modified by DRM
-- reduced default Tactical Bomber attack values from 3 to 2
-- increased TAC demoralization by 10%
-- reduced default Strategic Bomber range from 16 to 12 (UK/France/Canada still at 16, USA at 18)
-- increased Strategic Bomber spotting ranges from 4 to 6
-- restricted Carriers to one strike
-- increased transport and operational movement costs from 10% to 15%
-- set Raid Multiplier to 5 for German Battleships and Cruisers
-- eliminated naval DRM modifiers for ASW
-- increased CD for subs to 1 and German subs initial dive % to 30%
-- reduced land unit bombardment values to 1 for Battleships and 0 for other naval units
-- reduced naval DRMs by 1, reduced naval bombardment effectiveness
-- reduced ASW UA/UD to 3, increased subs ND to 3, and increased German U-boat raid multiplier from 10 to 14
-- increased naval movements about 25%
-- increased sub attack/defense evasion to 10%
- changes to force pools, unit names, and scenario setups:
-- revised max HQ attachments and range to 5 for all major and minor HQs (Finland, Romania, Spain)
-- restricted rebuilds to only infantry and armor combat unit-types (NOTE: this limits generic AI rebuilds, allows more MPPs for combat units, and provides better control for other AI builds via purchase scripts)
-- increased 1939 at-start unit strengths for majors to 10 (Germany bomber, UK units in Egypt)
-- deleted Iceland Arctic Bomber
-- changed France setup to have 1-3 garrisons in North Africa and 2-3 garrison in Syria
-- deleted one Italian FTR and UK TAC at start, added UK Bomber at start, and added Belgium FTR to force pool
-- reduced Russian and Italian SOF units to 1-3
-- deleted USA and USSR research chits in PT and IT at start due to reduced costs
- changes to costs and production:
-- restored production delays for French and Russian units to normal (ie, corps 3, infantry corps 4, and armor 6)
-- reduced minor/major Diplomacy influence costs to 50/100 MPP and increased minor influence bonus to 25-40%
-- increased reinforcement costs from 7% to 8%
-- revised air unit costs (Fighters 125 MPPs and Tactical Bombers 100 MPPs, 45 Mpps for minors)
-- reduced naval unit costs by 50 MPPs
-- reduced research costs by 50 MPPs
- implemented scorched earth for Axis minors (Bulgaria, Finland, Hungary, Romania) and Egypt
- changed Scorched Earth from Full back to On Invasion for Germany and USSR
- increased terrain movement costs to +1 for swamps and mountains
- reduced Hidden Attacker Readiness Bonus to 20%
- revised Europe and Russia weather zone data for spring and fall to allow more clear weather and lengthen summer campaign season
- reset Naval Damage At Sea values to new Global Conflict defaults
- reduced max entrenchment values by 1
- increased attack victory from 0.3 to 0.4
- reduced combat losses variability back to +/-1
SCRIPT CHANGES
- added new #DATE and #FAILSAFE_DATE lines in unit events (now some Third Reich variants that were not applicable in 1939 are now delayed until 1942 or 1943; eg, British commandos and German rockets)
- added new #FLAG_ID lines in supply events
- added new #VARIABLE_CONDITION lines in resource events
- added new #MPP_UPDOWN, #MPP_TURNS, #MPP_TEXT, and #FRIENDLY_POSITION lines in decision events
- added new #DESTINATION_RESOURCE lines in purchase scripts
- changed activation events to new mobilization events and added new belligerence events
- increased chance of national strategy GVs from 10% to 20%; ie, generally 20% land strategy, 20% air strategy, 20% naval strategy, and 40% default strategy
- generally reduced war_entry variants from 10% to 5%, and French colony pro-Allied variants from 25% to 10%
- revised pro-Allied and pro-Axis coup war_entry events, slightly favoring historical pro-Axis coup in Norway and pro-Allied coup in Yugoslavia
- revised AI convoy scripts to slightly reduce USA->UK Lend Lease and increase UK->USSR Murmansk Convoys
- added garrison scripts and AI land loop events for UK and USA to reinforce Iraq if Egypt surrenders (NOTE: this is a workaround for a bug with the transport_minor scripts not triggering with the naval loop to Iraq)
- reduced Russian Winter effects to about [1,3] and [0,2] strength reductions
- revised Urals Industry Transfer resource event to slightly delay the effect
- revised Malta Effect supply event to trigger after Jan 1941 with increased frequency and slightly reduced effect for greater Axis supply uncertainty
- revised Severe Axis Supply Shortage in North Africa event to be slightly less damaging and added another 1943 event
- updated surrender_1 scripts for UK Assumes Control of Palestine and Trans-Jordan when Egypt surrenders
- added surrender_1 script for Germany to assume control of Rome if Italy surrenders (NOTE: This prevents Axis liberation of Italy, but allows Italian free_unit event to trigger)
- added surrender_2 scripts for Germany to surrender to either USSR or USA
- revised territory scripts to delay USSR economic increases to 1943/44
- removed Warsaw from victory script conditions
- reduced Siberian Transfer to single unit event of 1 armor and 3 infantry only
- revised Allied AI unit event for placement of USA air units in Algeria
- added Allied variant unit events for Free French (1-3 in Egypt, 1-3 in Syria, and 3-4 in Algeria) with variable entry after USA enters war
- added British variant unit event for 3-4 Polish volunteers
- added German variant unit events for 2-6 armor and Ukraine Vlasov troops
- revised the DeGaulle unit event to trigger after 1943 and after Allies occupy Lorient
- added French 3-3 infantry variant unit event
- added unit events for Army Group variants (O'Conner, Billotte, Clark, Kuznetsov, Guderian, Balbo)
- revised unit events, research and production scripts for force pool changes involving Italian and Russian 2-3 infantry
- revised diplomacy scripts to generally increase chance of events by +5%
- revised amphibious and transport scripts for UK and USA in Med to better support invasion of Italy, allow greater possibility for British invasion of Greece, and retain some British leadership in Middle East if Axis controls Turkey
- revised Allied 1943 French raid amphibious_minor scripts to be a one-time check
- added continuous D-Day amphibious_minor scripts for Lorient
- added USA fleet scripts to reinforce Med if Axis control Gibraltar
- revised Russian fortification scripting and Moscow defensive line garrison scripts
- revised purchase scripts to slightly reduced British production chance of Tactical Bombers in 39-40 and add scripts for Greece
- revised research scripts to reprioritize and slightly reduce overall spending
- revised research scripts to reduce chances of optional technologies by about 40%
- added transport_minor scripts for withdrawal of British units from Norway
- deleted unnecessary #FRIENDLY_POSITION lines in transport scripts to prevent some odd looping behavior (eg, Allied units embarking in Italy to reinforce Italy)
- revised transport_minor scripts for reduced chance of British belligerent intervention and reinforcement of Norway
- added transport_minor scripts for additional USA reinforcements to support invasions of Sicily and Italy
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Spring, 1945. Gotterdammerung for the Third Reich. Allies are closing in on Berlin from both directions. Germany continues to hold Budapest and southern Germany. Germany will surrender unconditionally to the Allies in Jul 45, when Red Army troops finally take Berlin.
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Summer, 1944. The Red Army summer offensive of 1944 is in full swing, pushing the Germans back. USSR has retaken Smolensk, triggering a reduction in Lend Lease and Murmansk Convoy economic aid. The western Allies will now retain more of their MPPs to continue their own offensives into Germany.
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Summer, 1944. Allies launch D-Day invasion of France in Jun, 44. Paris will be liberated in Aug 44 and Vichy France will surrender.
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Summer, 1943. USA has invaded Sicily and is preparing to invade Italy. Italy will surrender unconditionally to the Allies in Aug 43 once USA has units on the mainland within range of Rome. Germany already has garrisons in northern Italy and is prepared to occupy Rome and Albania.
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Summer, 1943. Despite the lackluster summer offensive of 1942, Germany held the initiative and has managed to push deep into the Caucasus up to the gates of Grozny and Astrakhan. USSR prepares to turn the tide.
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Winter, 1942. In the south, USSR continues to hold Kharkov and Rostov against the Axis summer offensives of 1942. In North Africa, Axis fails to make much headway against Egypt and the Middle East. UK has managed to push back and take Tobruk.
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Winter, 1942. Germany's 1942 Fall Blau offensive in Russia seems to have been focused in the north and towards Moscow.
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Winter, 1941. Fairly balanced situation in Egypt. Germany has committed some combat power to North Africa but Rommel did not deploy. Usually a German Army Group HQ is sent to Libya, but sometimes not.
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Winter, 1941. Axis advance into Russia is proving sluggish. USSR continues to hold Smolensk in the north and Dnepropetrovsk in the south. Russian Winter and Siberian Transfer troops will help hold the line for a while.
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Spring, 1940. Same situation with the alternate 3D graphics now provided for players who prefer them.
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Spring, 1940. Situation following Fall Gelb invasion of the Low Countries in Spring 1940. Germans would occupy Paris in Aug 40 and France holds out until the following month.
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OK, I'm ready to open up about my latest A3R mod. Desert Dave has been very helpful with playtesting and fine-tuning this beast over the past few months. I believe the mod is playing very well now and should provide players with interesting and challenging games.
So, what's new in this Strategic Command - WWII Global Conflict version for Advanced Third Reich?
- Now includes all four scenarios (1939, 1941, 1942, and 1944)
- Updated military counters with classic Third Reich AF-MF for better visuals
- Updated 3D icons for players who prefer the 3D visuals
- Revised force pools to use the anti-tank slot for Italian and Russian 2-3 infantry, British 2-5 armor, and new variant units
- Adjustments to movement and combat parameters for improved game play
- Adjustments to economics to provide more Axis advantage in early years, with increasing Allied advantage in later years
- Reduced Diplomacy costs and generally reduced chances of variant events, making Diplomacy more interesting
- Revised AI scripting for generally improved computer opponent performance
- Added more variants such as French 3-3 infantry, Free French, German 2-6 armor, and new Army Group HQs
I'll provide some comments and screenshots for a playtest game completed last night. This was for a hands-off AI-vs-AI game on default difficulty settings, which actually played out pretty historically without any major surprises. (Don't be too disappointed; there ARE surprises in every game.) UK and Italy adopted naval strategies, USA adopted a land strategy. France entered the war over Poland, which held out until Oct 39. Denmark surrenders in Jan 40. Luxembourg and Netherlands in Apr 40, plus a pro-Axis coup in Norway. Belgium in May 40. Italy entered war in Jun 40. France held out until Sep 40. Yugoslavia in Apr 41. Germany launches Barbarossa in June 41. Greece in Nov 41. USA conquers Morocco and Algeria in Dec 42, Tunisia in May 43. Italy surrenders in Aug 43. Vichy France in Aug 44. Finland in Dec 44. Romania in Apr 45. Germany surrenders in Jul 45. In diplomacy, Turkey was up to 78% allied influence at game's end, almost close enough to enter the war against Axis. Some screenshots to follow.
I'll be wrapping up the scenario packages for posting at the Battlefront repository.
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Good ideas. I like the evasion percentages. For the intercepts, rather than code changes perhaps suface feet modes like subs have could be considered. Instead of Hunt/Silent they could be Combat/Cruise, with pros/cons. For the bloody engagements, I agree but these can also be offset with lower CTV values.
The fundamental challenge is the abstract nature of naval movements/combat, which many games resolve with sea zones or off-board boxes. Those can be more historically accurate in many ways but just don't provide an operational feel for moving and engaging individual ships. Having played both, I kinda prefer the SC2 hands-on feel.
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In the new Global Conflict game, the AI will have a spotting advantage at higher difficulty settings. That's not the case with WAW and other current games. There may also be Intelligence tech in play, providing the AI some additional spotting.
There is some AI logic in there to help sub hunting, and since PDE I believe all players see the sub raiding icons to know generally where subs are hitting. It does make for some exciting encounters.
As for scripted events, players can always open up these script files and review for themselves what the AI is likely to be doing. You could also try playing some AI-AI games with the "F" keys (PDE and later versions) to help review what happens during a game.
Advanced Third Reich Mod for Global Conflict
in Strategic Command - GLOBAL CONFLICT
Posted
Thanks hendriks65. Glad you're having fun.
I set France to have a 50-50 entry chance, since historically they hesitated over Poland if only a few days. I had not considered the England-only path to keep France neutral, so I could add some French mobilization scripting similar to USSR and USA increases if England is invaded. There are some interesting new strategies to consider if France remains neutral, but the jury's out on how effective they are?
Aircraft distances too much?? Same scale as the board game. Strategic bombers have some extra reach beyond escort range, as they should. So I don't understand the comment. For armor, sure you can max out and blitz early, but how far can you go without your infantry support?? Again, interesting strategy choices to consider!