Straha

Camicie! I did some homework. Japanese (just for kicks): http://tanks45.tripod.com/Jets45/Histories/Kikka/Kikka.htm Hungarian (just for kicks, too): http://tanks45.tripod.com/Jets45/Histories/Varga/Varga.htm Russian "hybrid" design: http://tanks45.tripod.com/Jets45/Histories/La126-138/La126-138.htm http://tanks45.tripod.com/Jets45/Histories/MiG-13/MiG-13.htm Russian jets: http://tanks45.tripod.com/Jets45/Histories/La-150/La-150.htm http://tanks45.tripod.com/Jets45/Histories/MiG-9/MiG-9.htm http://tanks45.tripod.com/Jets45/Histories/Su-9/Su-9.htm http://tanks45.tripod.com/Jets45/Histories/Yak-15/Jak-15.htm ITALIAN !!! jet design: http://tanks45.tripod.com/Jets45/Histories/Re2007/Re2007.htm http://tanks45.tripod.com/Jets45/Histories/CC-2/CC-2.htm Straha

... now THIS sounds like you've got the message (dreaded among betatesters worldwide and of all times): "If you guys do not find anything totally out of whack until tomorrow 10:15am, then this is the version which will go to the publisher"! Is it something like that? Straha

Sure I remember that one. The AI cheated like hell, and the interface was clumsy and unforgiving, but it nevertheless was fun back then in 1989 (my biggest gripe was that you could only play against the computer when you chose the German side). I remember that it already had the option of investing in research and that the atomic bomb could be researched, too. SAE is often labelled the "grandfather" of WW2 grand strategy computer games, and that is not totally off the mark in my book, even if there was at least also "The Big Three". Consider, though, that SAE was a province based game, whereas SC is hexbased. In the end, this alone makes it pretty incomparable to SC from a design and gameplay point of view (apart from the quite obvious differences in interface, sound and graphics, of course). Straha [ June 17, 2002, 07:28 PM: Message edited by: Straha ]

The only thing which would help me now would be another issue of SuperTeds AAR. Straha

O my god, what have you just done! Now I definitely WILL NOT SLEEP UNTIL WE KNOW MORE!!! :eek: Straha

Don't forget that people most often mean this as a praise. When I came upon this site for the first time, I thought "hey, the intelligence screens look exactly like those in COS, and the map layout is similar, too!" But instead of pissing me off, this made me want to have that game *at once*. Now, if you compare the SC map to the maps of other grand strategy games like HiCom, 3R and COS, you will indeed find evidence of COS being the most close one with respect to several features (e.g. the number and overall choice of cities). There's absolutely no need to deny this. For, like Hubert once put it: "the game has much more to offer than just a map". And then, in the meantime we all have seen that - despite all similarities - the map is much more beautiful than the COS map to boot. Straha

Here´s about Horton´s "Amerika Bomber": http://visi.net/~djohnson/horten/ho18a.html http://users.visi.net/~djohnson/horten/ho18b.html Here are some "model" drawings: http://visi.net/~djohnson/mmart/ho18bmm.html Does this thing remind you guys of a modern B2, too? Straha Edit: oops, when I was typing my post, Wolfpack´s was not there yet. Btw, here are nice "artist" renderings of all these aircrafts: http://visi.net/~djohnson/luftart.html The site is really cool! :cool: [ June 17, 2002, 04:41 AM: Message edited by: Straha ]

Yeah, and there are much more fotos around. Still, many people don´t know that this aircraft even existed! As far as I know there is only one *complete* Go229 in existence by now, and it is even disassembled and stacked away somewhere. I once saw a real Me262a and a Me163 comet, though, and even had the opportunity to sit in the cockpit of the former (not taking, off, mind you). It is fascinating how many other futuristic aircraft projects the German companies had in different stages of development/production late in the war. There was even an Arado jetbomber which actually was employed in the Ardennes offensive. There is some site (luft46.com, I think) out there on the net collecting all the plans and technical details. Straha

Fantastic! Straha

Wow, I'm looking forward to that mod! :cool: Hmm, may I suggest to maybe use the Gotha Go229 instead of the He162? I think the Italians would probably have taken over any German Jet design late in the war (if they still would have been in the position to do anything by that time. Even the far away Japanese based the "Shinden" prototype on the Me262.) The UK would have to get Gloster type jets, the Russians something like the Mig 15, and the Amerikans the P80 Shooting Star. It would maybe have been best to actually make only the last two levels "jet" levels in the game (we all have seen that jets tend to arrive early). But maybe this can be modded, too, provided the soundfiles are accessible? Anyway, great job! Straha [ June 15, 2002, 05:03 PM: Message edited by: Straha ]

Being able to mod additional stuff using notepad or excel would be fine with me. Straha

Guys, that sounds very good. One question, though (especially at Camicie): will your graphics keep the property of changing with major tech-advances like Hubert's original icons do? It seems from what you wrote about "German tanks all done" that the answer is "yes", but I wanna make sure... Straha [ June 15, 2002, 01:56 PM: Message edited by: Straha ]

I wonder whether it wouldn´t be a good idea to make some more parameters available to customizing. - Bill already mentioned the fact that we seem not to be able to do anything about the setup of countries not already at war at the start of the game. - I also would like to mention the possibility of letting us fool around with the attack/defense values of units in all categories (this was actually one of the few things I liked about Axis and Allies). Of course, this also makes me bring up the issue of the AI vs AI feature again. I really would like to have that for balance testing purposes in scenario making. Straha

Indeed it would make things much more aligned with reality if we only had the option to reinforce through the Suez (with a time delay penalty, and the transports actually having to go to the Southern tip of the Atlantic on the map to have at least some risk of being exposed to subs). I agree, though, that the Italian Navy was only inferior with respect to leadership. It is in fact amazing *how* bad they fared, given their pretty clear local superiority. And I´m also missing the Italian airfleet quite a bit ... how about adding it and giving the UK the mentioned port at the Suez as a compensation? Straha

Well ... no! Good point. Straha

In school (long, long ago ...) I was taught that the Lusitania incident beyond a shadow of doubt proves that Germany was the bad girl in WW1 - of course, the small issue with that contraband war materiel (of which the passengers had no clue about) was not mentioned (maybe it also was not known by teachers back then). Anyway: a lone torp CAN sink a troop transport, even ships with better armour than APs, but it depends on many things like where it impacts, whether it ignites outside the hull or when already penetrating, and how good the damage control mechanisms work. Its more or less the same with shells - remember the Hood. Straha

I also think that the best chance to pull it off against a human opponent is feigning a "major attack" somewhere while secretly fostering and preparing forces for the real thing. IF the diversion is fooling him, it may very well work. Straha

Playing again and again, I came to think that - all in all - there are really just a few things which need tweaking in the naval model. All of them were already mentioned by several posters: - the surprise effects generally are too strong (not only for subs, but there it is most obvious. The same goes for the tanks to a lesser degree). - the transports are too robust - the CVs should be much less vulnerable when attacking a unit which itself does not have the CV in attacking range. Straha

Preordering would be nice, but only if a) the final release date is already fixed the preordered games are really also those which are shipped first. OTOH, these things tend to become issues with preorders from retailers only, normally. Of course, when preordering I insist on getting a free SC coffee mug, a travel guide "Europe for 10MPPs a day", plus a t-shirt saying "I conquered Canada in 1940, but all I got from them was this lousy t-shirt!" Straha

One could attack Switzerland in COS, too. Anyway, I wouldn't do it for two reasons, the second of which was not mentioned yet: 1) It negatively influences the US and USSR. 2) When Im on the defense later (which surely can happen against a human player), Switzerland can provide a nice buffer shortening the front and limiting allied operations in France (where they can not "circumvent" the Rhine) and/or in Italy. Surely, he can DOW Switzerland himself, especially as the US and Russia are already in the war, but at least this gives me any swiss units. Straha [ June 10, 2002, 02:00 PM: Message edited by: Straha ]

Indeed, the "gambling approach" to tech development is something which routinely makes me curse in many games ("Storm across Europe" is another example) ... but that's just me, I'm simply jinxed in these things. Straha

- How are things with attacking into/defending on a riverhex? Is the defender weakened? Or is there really only a penalty with attacking from such a hex? (This would engender totally different strategies for a retreating defender.) - Do mountains give no immediate defense bonus (besides the possibility to entrench further, which needs some time)? Straha [ June 10, 2002, 01:41 PM: Message edited by: Straha ]

Am I the only one who would like to see a pure PTO sequel more than a world-spanning game? I somehow think that the "worldwide" game would engender problems with all those more or less inconsequential, but map space taking neutrals in Central and South Amerika and Central and Southern Afrika. (Aren´t there are already problems to implement two more hexrows?) Also, invasions in most of these regions seem a bit far fetched for me (Axis and Allies anyone? ). If the sequel concentrates on the Pazific, however, then this would have the advantage that the map could be more detailed, and there could be more specific units and rules fitting this particular type of war. It would nicely complement SC. Finally, such a game was not done yet either, for Gary Grigsby´s Pacific War is on the operational level with much more "downwards" detail, and the planned sequel will be like this, too (not that there´s anything wrong with that, but I think there´s still room for a more accessible and "lighthearted" game a la SC where a campaign can be played in just a few sessions). Of course, I also would love to just have a SC2 where we could (among other things) play PBEM with 5 players, and where Russia, the US and Italy would be playable nations seperately (Human or AI). Straha [ June 09, 2002, 03:46 AM: Message edited by: Straha ]

How did I manage to miss this issue?!? Great read, as always, SuperTed! :cool: Seems like your timing is always perfect - one enemy down, the next one enters the ring. I have to confess, I had hoped the Russians would declare war a bit earlier - just to provide for a little bit more nail-biting tension. I wonder what we will see from the US during the rest of the game, now that the UK is gone. But, of course, Zhukov is next. Straha

I, too, hope that this still undergoes a little bit of tweaking. The anti-air aspect against the attacking carrier a/c should e.g. never lead to the CV being sunk when it attacks more than one hex away and the attacked unit has a shorter range. Maybe, in this case there should be a limit to the effect that the carrier can not drop below half of its max points in *such* an encounter. Straha