Edwin P.

The above quote mentions production delays for BBs and CVs. Are the designers considering production delays for any other type of units? Another item to consider is allowing each nation the option to select a production policy that reduces the production time for one type of unit but increases it for others. For example - a nation that favors surface warfare might select a Surface Warfare Production policy that reduces the time to produce batteships and cruisers but increases the time to produce carriers and subs as the most skilled machinists and personnel are diverted to work on the production of surface warfare ships. A nation that favors submarine warfare might select a policy that speeds the production of subs at the cost of lengthening the production time (or increasing the cost) for other naval ships. Example: Carriers Standard: Carriers 18 Months, Battleships 12 months, Cruisers 8 months, sub 6 months Carriers Focus: Carriers 12 months, Battleships 16 months, Cruisers 12 months, Subs 8 Months Sub Focus: Carriers 22 months, Battleships 16 months, Cruisers 12 months, Subs 3 months Battleship Focus: Carriers 22 months, Battleships 8 months, Cruisers 12 months, Subs 8 Months Cruiser Focus: Carriers 22 Months, Battleships 18 months, Cruisers 6 Months, Subs 8 Months Thus a german player wanting to focus on subs might select a Submarine Production focus strategy to reduce the time for production from 6 to 3 months at the cost of increasing the proudction time for other naval units. Naturally the cost to change your production policy late in the game would be rather expensive, say 500MPPs, due to the disruption it would cause. [ September 05, 2004, 04:39 PM: Message edited by: Edwin P. ]

I agree and I like your idea for: You may even add an order called - CAP. Friendly units within 2 tiles of an airfleet flying CAP have a 20% to be spotted by enemy air while friendly air fleets not on CAP can shelter only units within 1 title and the enemy can spot them 50% of the time. Another idea is to have the chance to spot a unit adjusted by the air unit's strength. Ie Str 4 = 40% to spot, Str 8 = 80% to spot, Str 10 = 100% to spot. Why? Fewer Planes = Reduced chance to spot. So: Str 8 fleet (80%) trying to spot a unit next to an enemy air fleet (50%) has a 40% (80% x 50% = 40%) to do so, while a strength 4 airfleet would have only a 20% to do so, and a Strength 14 airfleet would have a 70% (1.4 x 50%) to do so. ---- Enemy Next to Enemy Air Fleet Spotting by Str 15 Air Fleet = 75% (150% x 50%) Spotting by Str 10 Air Fleet = 50% (100% x 50%) Spotting by Str 5 Air Fleet = 25% (50% x 50%) Spotting by Str 1 Air Fleet = 5% (10% x 50%) ---- Enemy Not Adjacent to Enemy Air Fleet Spotting by Str 10 Air Fleet = 100% Spotting by Str 5 Air Fleet = 50% Spotting by Str 1 Air Fleet = 10% Personally, I have no problem with AF locations being identified, if they can hide the existence of Land and naval units. [ September 05, 2004, 12:36 PM: Message edited by: Edwin P. ]

Thanks for the update. Much appreciated. From the previous posts, I also assume that air spotting ranges will be affected by weather. One question - will friendly air units have any effect on spotting by enemy air units? ie Can my air unit prevent spotting by enemy air of friendly land and HQ units in the tiles immediately surrounding the air unit (perhaps only if the air unit has not moved or attacked that turn)? I ask this as one of the issues in WWII was enemy air preventing aerial recon by friendly air units and in SC you can spot land units even if they are behind 3 enemy air fleets. [ September 05, 2004, 09:01 AM: Message edited by: Edwin P. ]

With the SC editor give Spainv & Portugal to Italy and ally Turkey with Germany. Oh, yes and give both of these neutrals and Germany a strategic bomber. [ September 04, 2004, 06:02 PM: Message edited by: Edwin P. ]

I agree with Les, Let SC be remain a game of grand strategy without the hyper detail. Tiger 1 vs Tiger 4 in SC its just Armor Tech Level 1 vs Armor Tech Level 5. I do want more detail in the game, but detail that is of a strategic nature and offers players more choices with a minimum of complexity. Example - Secretary of the Navy For this war should I pick a Secretary that favors large battleships or one that favors carriers or one that favors submarine warfare or one that hails from the Marines and favors amphibious warfare. Each one offering specific bonuses and disadavantages to play as they allocate funds and promote officers according to their priorities. Favors Battleships - Battleships cost 10% less, other naval units 10% more. The interface is simple - a screen with a columns for the Army, Navy and Airforce. Selecting the general or admiral in each area brings up their portrait. Changing a General or Admiral costs 250MPP due to the temporary disruptive effects of changing your warfighting strategy during a war. Now for the Airforce, do I select a general that favors Air to Air Combat, Strategic Bombing or Air Defense or Recon. Strategic Bombing - 10% Readines bonus for Bombers Air to Air Combat - 10% Readiness bonus when air fleet unit is set to intercept only. Air Defense - +1 Level Anti-Air for cities and resource hexes. Aerial Recon - +1 Spotting Range for Air Units For the Army, Favors Trench Warfare - Armies cost 5% less, Armor and Corps 5% more. Favors Mobile Warfare - Armor units cost 10% less, Armies and corps 10% more. Favors Fortifications - Engineers cost 50% less, Armor, Corps and Armies cost 5% more. [ September 04, 2004, 12:48 PM: Message edited by: Edwin P. ]

1. Expert Level At expert level I propose that the Human player face a chance of experiencing one one of the following events, each of which will surely make the game tougher to win and more interesting, especially as they will be unpredictable. a. If Allied Human Player is winning then chance (10% - 1 in 10 games) that USA does not enter the war against the Axis, but continues to provide lend lease supplies. b. If Allied player is human then chance (10%) that Turkey joins the Axis at a most in-opportune time. c. If Axis player is human then chance (10%) that Turkey joins the Allies at a most in-opportune time. d. If Axis player is human and winning then chance (10%) that Italy declares peace and withdraws from the war. [ September 03, 2004, 06:38 AM: Message edited by: Edwin P. ]

Excellent points Retributor and I agree with them all. The key issue with the SC AI, as you pointed out is its "predictability". It will never invade Egypt, never send the Italian Navy to Cairo, never wage a war in the Atlantic, never take the Nordic countries, never mass its entire air fleet on one front, etc. This gives the the human player an unbeatable edge. As for variations of AI strategies, the inclusion of them in the game is a design choice that only HC can make. All that I am attempting to do here is to give HC food for thought and perhaps, just perhaps, among them is an idea that he will find worthy of including in his game. [ September 02, 2004, 02:55 PM: Message edited by: Edwin P. ]

Why did Germany Lose the War? Simply put its leaders did not know when to halt their aggression or feel the need to negotiate a peace when you are winning the battle. They were unwilling to give up some of what they gained in order to secure peace.

Source: Edwin Of these 4, strategies 1, 2, and 3 should be relatively easy to incorporated into the software and strategy 2 would make for a much more exciting game, if it is not used all the time. Strategy 1: Simple, move all naval units to the Atlantic. Strategy 2: Simple, move all French Naval units to the Central Med and most UK Naval Units to the Central Med Strategy 3: Just needs to be fine tuned - ie perhaps move only Carrier to the Atlantic and hide other ships in the Red Sea. Strategy 4: Perhaps the hardest for the AI to execute well. Strategy 5: Moderate, taking Tobruk in North Africa, would make any Axis conquest of the Middle East more difficult but is harder for the AI to execute well than routines 1,2, or 3. Strategy 6: Simple, send an extra 1 to 3 warships to the Eastern Med to aid in the defense of Egypt and operate a bomber to the hex east of Cairo so that approaching Axis transports can be spotted for Naval interception. Novice AI - Access to Strategy 3 Beginner AI - Access to Strategies 1,3 Intermediate AI - Acces to Strategies 1,2,3,6 Expert AI - Access to All Strategies 1,2,3,4,5,6 [ September 02, 2004, 09:55 AM: Message edited by: Edwin P. ]

Source: Condor Unless the SC2's much improved AI incorporates a library of strategies such as these. [ August 31, 2004, 12:32 PM: Message edited by: Edwin P. ]

Retributor, I agree. The AI should know if there are few or no enemy units in a zone, but not their location or composition. Thus the human could still surprise the AI, and the AI could better plan its actions. this is especially true in the Med when Axis agents (in Spain, Spanish Morrocco, Vichy France, Egypt) notified their superiors of any ships entering or leaving the Med via Gibraltar or the Suez Canal. For example: I would allow the AI to know the number of enemy naval units in the Meditterrean and the Atlantic (given that once you know the number in the Mediterrean you can then deduce the number remaining in the Atlantic) Then the AI could decide whether to maintain an aggressive posture in either area or a defensive one. Simply put: AI Italian Naval Forces in Med have 2:1 advantage over allied forces = Aggressive Posture (ie 5 ships vs 2 ships = hunt them down) AI Italian Naval Forces in Med have 1:2 disadvantage over Allied Forces = Defensive Posture (ie 5 ships vs 10 ships = withdraw to the Adriatic). Now the AI simply stays put and does not search for enemy naval units or engages the first enemy naval unit it sees, even if it is outnumbered. ---------------------------------------------- Personally, I would like to see the AI change its strategy depending on the current situation and the global strategy of the Axis player. Italian AI Naval Strategy 1 - Hide in the Adriatic Italiaqn AI Naval Strategy 2 - Search for the Enemy Fleet Italian AI Naval Strategy 3 - Spot the Enemy Fleet and Then Sink It Italian AI Naval Strategy 4 - Take Malta This rountine gives the AI a strategy with which to take Malta. Basically, all Italian Surface ships bombard the Island then then when their experience is up to about 3 the Axis sends in Air units to support them and finish off the defender. When should the AI adopt this strategy - when it has Naval superiority in the Med. Italian AI Naval Strategy 5 - Breakout to the Atlantic Italian AI Naval Strategy 6 - Defend the Western Med. In this strategy the AI attempts to surprise any allied ships that enter the Western Med. Most of the Italian Fleet, waits off the Spanish Coast, out of range of any aircraft in Gibraltar, ready to strike. A single transport or Sub sits off the Vichy Coast to alert the fleet to any UK ships entering the Med. A bomber sits in Vichy Algeria. Italian AI Naval Strategy 7 - Defend the Central Med When should the AI use each strategy? 1. No Allied Naval Ships in the Med - Defend the Western Atlantic - Take Malta - Breakout to the Atlantic - Conquer Vichy France - Conquer the Middle East - Defend Italy 2. Allied Naval Superiority in the Med (2:1) - Retreat to the Adriatic - Defend Italy [ August 31, 2004, 11:44 AM: Message edited by: Edwin P. ]

Source: Edwin [ August 30, 2004, 11:55 AM: Message edited by: Edwin P. ]

[ August 30, 2004, 10:13 AM: Message edited by: Edwin P. ]

Source: Edwin [ August 29, 2004, 08:21 PM: Message edited by: Edwin P. ]

[ August 28, 2004, 08:39 PM: Message edited by: Edwin P. ]

Source: Edwin

JerseyJohn, Thanks. Any contributions to this thread by one and all would be greatly appreciated.

Source: Edwin

Source: Edwin [ August 26, 2004, 07:40 PM: Message edited by: Edwin P. ]

Source: Lars

Source: EdwinP [ August 26, 2004, 08:40 AM: Message edited by: Edwin P. ]

Source: JerseyJohn

I agree that his company's size limitations affected the AI. Given that he chose, rightfully so, to concentrate on perfecting the AI for the most important theater of war - The War in Continental Europe. For as he said, its better for the AI to do a few things well than several things poorly. And I most whole heartedly agree that a game with an improved, less predictable and devious AI would be a "real treat".

JerseyJohn, most excellent ideas. You have my vote. Another problem is that the U.S. AI does not know how to deal with a German naval force in the Atlantic. It does not build new ships or bombers to clear a path for its transports and it always takes the direct and predictable route to England, often sailing directly into a German or Italian blockade. [ August 26, 2004, 05:55 AM: Message edited by: Edwin P. ]