Desert Dave
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Posts posted by Desert Dave
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Have downloaded and am looking forward to trying them out. :cool:
It literally astonishes me what some of you can do with the computer graphics!
Since I didn't learn to utilize the computer until later in life -- my son had to tutor me, and still does, I compliment those of you who can really turn the screen into an attractive and compelling art, and I do believe it is -- a true Art.
Thanks again!
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I would agree -- there isn't sufficient reason to bother with it right now, until the rest of the more important areas are solved, so how about providing a true rationale?As originally posted by arby:People have talked about including the Pacific theatre next time. How about including the Mediterranean theatre instead? Expand the map by a row at the bottom and allow England (and the other countries, for that matter) to operate units into the Med. That should allow something to get going.
Adding Suez City, perhaps value 5, and allowing around the horn movement, with appropriate delay, would give the Italians GREAT incentive to take Egypt (... get those hulking BBs out into Atlantic) AND, make the Allies WANT to defend it. You might then add counter-balancing game length MPPs to the Axis in some way.
I too am very satisfied with the game :cool: , and am commenting because I would like to bring the entire map into play... as for only one hex row in North Afrika, I have an idea:
How about taking a hex-row from Turkey? After all, some of the other countries are a little mis-shapen, and someone commented about how much BIGGER Russia actually is compared to the alloted size. Any chance?
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Droll comment made to the grizzled old sea captain, upon first seeing The Great White Shark, in the movie Jaws:
"... we're gonna need a bigger boat."
All right, at the risk of sounding precocious -- though, I surely believe that many others out there have also found this to be true -- I have played consecutive games as Axis at Expert +2, using FOW (with ALL options favoring the Allies) and have defeated them both times by July of '45 (average score 181). Every country on the board defeated. So.
What to do?
I suppose there could be personal House Rules, or fiddle with the starting MPPs, or edit the starting countries.
The trouble with that is -- you can only edit Britain, France or Germany in the '39 Campaign game. And you don't really want to do too much of that for fear of throwing the whole historical starting forces out of whack.
1) Editor: Since you don't wish to activate Russia, USA, and Italy in Fall of '39, I would suggest changing this in a patch to allow editing of ANY country, minors included, with a choice for the political option -- "remains neutral."
2) Research: Germany is the only country that can afford to invest in a lot of research for the first few years. They can reach 5-level Industrial Tech in no time. I like those ideas that have research on a gradually decreasing effectiveness, say -- 5-4-3-3-2%.
3) Experience Levels: May need a reduction to the MPPs gained in plunder. This would require shifting the current set-up, or simply adding another level.
I wouldn't mess with the Experience, by making a +3 possible, because it is already strange to see a piddling corps destroying half or more! :eek: of a tank detachment in one attack.
The problem is not France anyway, as that still takes 3-6 months to conquer (... no blitz). If the plunder was reduced another notch, that might prove effective.
And you don't really wish to make Britain a Leviathan, or reduce Germany to a level where they can't hardly blitz Poland.
Anyone else have some thoughts on this need for -- a slightly bigger boat?
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No, a few malcontents, instead = immense upset to the status quo, resulting, often, in new ways to apprehend the ever-elusive Gestalt.As originally posted by Husky65:Clamor for? a few malcontents does not = a clamor...
I favor Para, and at times am malcontent. Yet, this does not have anything to do with whether there should be an aesthetic approach to a game. Let's have them landing all over the hex-based lot!
Besides, a few malcontents, oh, 300-odd years ago NOW = City of Angels, and Chi Town, and N'Awlins, and Scarborough Fair and NY
NY, etc, yes? (oh sure... shimmering seaport of Sydney ,in New South Wales, as well... ) -
jmb,
I trust you will send these to Otto' site, else this thread is going to eventually number in the hundreds & hundreds, yes? ( :eek: )
You have other icons to make, and I don't want you distracted -- BTW, great artistic achievement!
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... and what is the upshot? Eyestrain, lower back ache, electrical activity in the brain patterned after a new-born Super Nova... but, I do believe it's worth it.
The Demo just didn't provide the tremendous scope of this gargantuan conflict. :cool:
Have finally gotten to Expert +2 while playing the Axis, though with a few historical touches that I prefer.
Britain: delete one carrier (... the subs still don't have much chance until a higher tech level can be obtained... ), add a cruiser to the Med -- AI just WILL NOT reinforce the naval effort there, even if being decimated.
France: delete one corps and army, and add full strength Tank unit.
Germany: delete one corps and add a Strategic Bomber, representing those weirdly! whistling Stukas. I make the tanks 11-strength, since the blitz technique, as perfected by Guderian, is otherwise hard to replicate in the pre-Russian invasion years.
Options: FOW is on, otherwise the naval war is not ANY fun. USA entry is historical. IMO, they would not have gone to war over Sweden or Iraq or any other European minor.
No Free French. I do not recall them making an impact in naval or air forces until much later, and even that was token and symbolic. Siberian transfer OK. All partisans allowed. Scorched earth -- have to have it.
General Observations:
A) France is impossible to blitz (in 6 weeks) at this level, since they buy a HQ and use their Air Fleet, Tanks, and BB to great effect. I usually lose 2-4 ground units, have my Air almost decimated and it usually takes 4-7 months, depending on dice-rolls, to take Paris. The difficulty here -- it is hard to build up experience points when so many reinforcements water-down the hard-gained level.
The AI tactic of invading Brest piecemeal should be changed in a patch, else the Allies are rarely, if ever, going to challenge in the West. And what happened to invasion of North Africa? I have never seen it happen.C) Russia is very very tough, and you have to plan and think and keep your forces nearly up to full strength or you will lose just enough to be eventually engulfed by the raging Red beserkers.
Overall, I haven't succumbed to that "one more turn" syndrome to this extent since Civilization II first came out. This game is far, far superior to COS or HC or any other WWII GS game you care to name.
There can be some minor alterations that will make it brilliant and unchallenged for a long long time.
But, I am thrilled to have it as it is.
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And now, in sun-filled New Mexico too!
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How about us starving SC relatives out here in The Land of Enchantment?
Where the wolves will howl a hundred yards from your front stoop, then the moon is full and oddly yellow.
... is this why my mail is so awful erratic?
... oh, so that's what the leather satchel was, that I found last year beneath the tumbleweeds over in the arroyo... :eek:
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Since this is an area that very much interests me -- I do suspect that successful research will "drive" strategic decisions, even if sub-consciously, I want to keep tabs on this as well, especially since my 3 or 4 post-patch games had similar results, that is -- a lot of research with only one or two advances.As originally posted by Bill Macon:Hmmm. In a recent post-patch game, I had Germany up to 6 points by end of August spread out in different areas. By end of demo Germany only got 1 advance, which was on the low side.
Seems as though we should've had roughly 3 or 4 advances in that 20-turn sequence. Of course, if I recall my old Stat class correctly, you CAN flip the penny and get 100 straight heads/tails. And, the sample size IS still very small.
But the scattershot diagram should have mostly clusters along that defining-line drawn through the X-Y graph, with a few lone anomalies floating here and there, etc. Are the three of us who report this merely the few who have noticed, and the rest are getting appropriate results, and therefore not concerned enough to wonder?
Also -- and this may betray my shallow understanding of software, but could one PBEM person be playing the CD that DOESN'T include the "release patch?"
So they would derive the exaggerated benefits of the Rare Seed Bug, and another PBEM player would have incorporated the patch, and so, their research chances are therefore much diminished? Or, will the computer know which version your opponent is using, and tell you?
If this could happen... I guess the other player would begin to suspect when all those 14 & 15-sized panzers and jet aircraft began showing up in 1942, yes?
(... or, was that just the peculiar instance of the penny coming up heads 20 times in a row? Several games in a row?) :eek:
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If you have to cross the waters anyway, why not take both of them while your at it? Saves on transport costs -- over & back, over & back, yes?As originally posted by Camicie Nere:They can wait, in my opinion, until the Axis has consolidated its position in the West.
You are drooling for Sweden, so take it -- you will need 4 or 5 units, maybe to include a HQ, and then you pause a turn -- repair, shine the boots, and then knock off Norway -- who could deny you?
Before Britain could stir and mount any challenge, you already have Bergen.
(... BTW, perhaps you know, being closer to the action and all -- what in devil is wrong with my beloved Cleveland Indians? Does Mark Shapiro know hardball , or what?... ) :confused:
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Into the Storming Sea -- with the barracudas and greatest of the white sharks and the Giant Squid and the Deranged Pikemen from Atlantis, is where! :eek:As originally posted by The Charmed One:If envy is one of the Deadly Sins where does gloating fall?
(... but, I WON'T be envious, I just won't... )
[ August 01, 2002, 04:18 PM: Message edited by: Immer Etwas ]
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Envy is one of the 7 Deadly Sins, and so, I won't be envious.
I won't.
I just won't.
Not at ANY time over the next few days it takes for my copy to arrive out here in the desert, I just won't.
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Ah, and now (... yet again) the Apocalypse. As the one and only Shadow Man said -- this is -- The End, my friend...As originally posted by Archibald:I've actually invaded the USA several times. It can be done against the AI, as it tends not to commit the Royal Navy to the defence of it's former colonies. I'm not sure it would work against a competent human opponent, but it'll be fun trying at least once.
Enjoy it while you can, the human opponent may well be surprised :eek: but likely could rally enough Brit support to hold onto The Puritan Wilderness Vision, yes? We'll see...
... oh, did they make you a Major yet? Or, are you still admiring the pretty pyrotechnics somewhere in the approximate vicinity of Kurtz City?
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As I am very ignorant on how the software process works in your industry, I have a question:As originally posted by Hubert Cater:I am pleased to announce an update to the Gold Demo that now includes DirectX support.
Will the final edition game that we are to receive within the next week or so, also have the fixes that you announced on July 29, such as eliminating the rare Seed Bug, and disbanding naval ships and all the others?
Or, will we have to download a patch to have these included in the game? :confused:
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I really like this idea, but now I am liking so many different things thus far not included that I can't remember them all...As originally posted by Bill Macon:Considering all of the generals on both sides who were replaced during the course of the war for one reason or another, shouldn't some sort of random HQ reorganization be considered...
I would guess that 3% or so sounds about right, so that would mean hometown disgrace for some incompetent or just unlucky general -- how often?
Let's see, full game there are roughly 160 turns (27 per year Xs 6 yrs) for Germany and Britain anyway, so that would be... about 5 sackings... too many?
All right, 1 or 2% is non-intrusive, providing some (could be VERY critical, particularly if it occurs while a desperate offensive is ongoing) interesting variability in game play, and I am usually all in favor of that. :cool:
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As I am fairly new at this electronic communication as well, I also worry (well, not a whole lot) about how technology changes so rapidly. Future shock, every several seconds.As originally posted by Sgt Recon:Kinda funny having a relationship with tecnology!
When my father was a youth on the farm in Ohio, for awhile they didn't even have telephones... this I must have heard a hundred times! when I was a teenager.
And so lately, they (... "Them" again... ) are trying out a new fingerprint scanner in stores such as Kroger and Walmart, and you merely touch the surface for an instant and your account is credited -- no credit cards or checks necessary, etc. I don't know, maybe they'll still take cash?
:eek:
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We do it at home.As originally posted by Sgt Recon:I keep seeing posts at all times of the day from some members. Are they always on the forum?
We do it at work.
We do it while changing the usual costume
In a telephone booth,
And always, always -- carry gladly the flaming banner -- SC Forsooth!
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... but, a brave old soldier, now firm in the common memory and perhaps -- one bright and glorious day,As originally posted by CvM:Schools out for summer. But in 3 weeks when school starts ill slowly fade away........
even... invited to address a joint session of Congress, and there! in those hallowed halls, my friend, you'll have your final say... :eek:
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I agree, and had campaigned for Hurryin' Heinz Guderian's inclusion some time ago, only to be reminded that he never did have a command at the Army level.As originally posted by TrionDelta:I was looking through the list of german Generals. And to my dismay i didnt find the one german General who deserved to be there the most... Heinz Guderian.
I didn't think then, and don't think now that this criterion should exclude -- the one man MOST responsible for the Blitzkreig , since he actively promoted the new and terrific tank tactics all during the 30s. Without his efforts there may well have been no eventual lightning-strike triumph in France.
Sometimes you might include -- a more symbolic representative of a Gestalt-like war philosophy, without compromising a full-faith to game-scale, yes?
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Now we're heading down the homestretch, perhaps a brief review of some of those fixes that have been made since the first Demo...
I appreciate the addition of a Scorecard to keep track of played games. Of course it will be easy to tell if we are doing well or not by sheer survival, or monthly dates for victory/defeat, but this should provide a barometer for all those very closely played games. I'm not clear on how detailed each report will be, but it is a welcome addition.
The naval war is VERY much better, and now that I have played a bit more, I have noticed that Britain's RN is better able to survive even a fierce and determined U-boat onslaught.
Many times I have limped home with subs at 3-5 strength, which then allows choices -- how much to spend for repair, if any, when there are bedraggled Armies in the East just begging for relief?
And, this makes the tech development even more important -- to gamble for that slight Xtra edge that will mean -- Victory at Sea! or alas... the long cold goodbye, deep down in Davy Jones' locker, etc.
Any other comments on any of the fixes? And thanks again Hubert for your patience and due consideration of all of our seemingly endless requests! :cool:
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There is no historical precedent for establishing just how tough a nut it was, is there?As originally posted by Ancient One:There doesn't need to be any "special/exceptional" rules. Nobody's saying that it should be impossible to conquer Sweden, but I'm saying that it should be a tough nut to crack and that it should not be so valuable.
You can merely go by the Army and Navy forces that were available and assume they would perform in a "typical" fashion, no matter how great or small their parade-ground reputation. As I understand it, Hubert has said that he has already gone beyond their actual capabilities.
Likewise the economic value. The iron ore was quite critical to the Germans. You cannot just pretend it had less import than it actually did, can you? Or that the Swedish cities would be of less value than other cities?
As for Norway having a small increased value, I can't say what the rationale is -- perhaps Hubert can comment?
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Weighed with a finer device than a semi-truck trailer scale.As originally posted by Bill Macon:... the extra MPPs needed to do all this needs to be weighed. It's still a fun idea.
I had a long, involved counter-argument all prepared, and then you fell back to this "fun idea" notion. Good that you did.
You have to take into account (... as with HQ to Sweden or not? Experience gained = amount of MPPs spent on transport/Ops?) the seriously limited budget of Italy, EVEN WITH some free gifts granted by Germany.
Italy enters the fray in summer of '41 -- how on earth can you go off on adventure in sunny Russia, AND provide this skeletal defense of Sicily, AND garrison that lengthy peninsula of mainland Italy AND still protect Libya, AND buy the HQ & Air Fleet AND purchase some Industrial Tech, AND...
You are spending MPPs all over the place as if an American Corporate Exec building expansive mansions in Malibu and Gold Coast, all the while his play-toy company is foundering in bankrupt court, yes?
[ July 30, 2002, 02:50 PM: Message edited by: Immer Etwas ]
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I would agree with Jollyguy's initial observation and go so far as saying this -- IMO, Germany not only COULD HAVE, but -- WOULD HAVE taken Sweden if the government of Sweden had not seen the eerily burning light :eek: and granted Hitler his precious iron-ore.
And, they probably did so to forestall any future invasion. After all, there were many other nations that would have liked to receive that supply of ore. By this time, Germany was a genuine belligerent Renegade, with plenty of method, means & opportunity.
Hubert has already said that he didn't want to clutter the game with a lot of "special/exceptional" rules. This one doesn't bother me very much, since it is not that far fetched to imagine this conquest taking place.
Maybe next edition, we'll see this iron-ore dilemma solved, along with The Winter War, and Lend Lease, and two of Straha's favorites -- Minor reparations & tribute (as with Vichy) and Suez City with an around-the-Horn transport possible.
If not, good enough. :cool:
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I don't usually go so far as -- "giving" them Yugoslavia, but Italy CAN conquer Greece in one turn, so that Xtra plunder helps to get a HQ or purchase Industrial Tech.As originally posted by Old Patch:The 250 odd MPP's they receive for conquering a minor will speed up their army builds and thus their Mediterranean Campaign. I always give them Yugoslavia, Greece if I get that far, and whatever bits of Vichy happen to fall into my hands. Yes, German MPP's are better but a stronger Italy is a much bigger asset than another 20 or 30 MPP's a turn in Berlin.
And very true that those apparently insignificant 20 or so MPPs can be far more effectively used in Italy than in Germany, though this does seem to be counter-intuitive.
One thing though -- in the Demo there is the tendency to strip forces from Libya and leave Sicily and the Italian mainland undefended in order to go marching over hill & dale.
This will not be possible in the campaign game as long as Britain maintains her fleet and a decent land force in Egypt -- invasion (or even, the threat of one) would seriously disrupt Italian plans and perhaps require German assistance. I just don't see a competent British player leaving ONLY the one corps in Egypt.
And I just can't see how Italy can even send an expeditionary force to fight in southern Russia (... other than against the fairly predictable, non-invading AI in the Demo), as some players have reported doing. They simply do not have enough MPPs to go around, and still defend the homeland.
They will also need some "gifts" in order to rebuld the fleet after the INEVITABLE naval war with Britain, and at least enough to invest in Industrial Tech.
Because their HQs are so weak, they will never be able to run riot on their own. But, potentially, with research, their fleet and an improved jet-air force could cause tremendous difficulty in the Med for the post '42 Allies.
I have said it before -- the Italians could very well be THE difference in Germany surviving to the end of '46.
For anyone to overlook the Med would be a grave mistake, a possibility especially likely since there aren't that many major resources to grab -- it is more a defensive, harassing stance, but, a critical one.
The AI tactic of invading Brest piecemeal should be changed in a patch, else the Allies are rarely, if ever, going to challenge in the West. And what happened to invasion of North Africa? I have never seen it happen.
Try Combining!
in Strategic Command 1
Posted
Aloid,
Could you give a brief tutorial on how to "mix & match" the unit counters? I have managed to get the mod downloads installed, but can't quite see how to have one person's planes and another's ships, etc. :confused:
If the process is too long and involved for a simple post, you could e-mail me when you have time. Thanks.