Edwin P.

Would August 29, 1949, the date the USSR exploded its own A-Bomb mark a natural end to this scenario? with a negotiated peace and Europe divided into East and West and victory determined on the basis of territory controlled? If the allies did not agree to peace would Stalin have used the A-Bomb in Europe? - Ie Allies can accept peace, if not then the USSR is free to use A-Bombs on European cities. [ January 31, 2004, 06:58 PM: Message edited by: Edwin P. ]

Normally all options except for War in Siberia are turned on and the entry of all countries is set to Random. Turning War on Siberia On is unfair to the Russians as they will not receive the Siberian Transfer if Axis troops approach Moscow. Why? They are busy fighting the Japanese in Siberia.

I agree and SC2 could duplicate this by limiting the supply capability of Germany's cities - devasted by war, Soviet looting, and allied strategic bombing. I wonder what HC and the rest of the forum thinks about this thread. Also, I agree with your comments on the Tech level of Weapons in the period to 1950 being limited to L3-4-5, although I would probably give each side Allies and Soviet a free chit in Rockets reflecting the abduction and use of Germany rocket scientists by each side. (and encourage use of this rarely used weapon) As for the American A bomb I would limit its use to Russia territory and require that it can only be used before the date when Russia tested its own A-Bomb. After this date the US would have been too afraid of a Russian Nuclear counter attack. [ January 31, 2004, 06:48 PM: Message edited by: Edwin P. ]

Taking this futher for those who play against the AI; IN Human vs Axis AI play (and the Allies win) If the Player decided to use this POST WWII EAST VS WEST option after Italy and Germany have surrendered the AI would select its role (USSR or ALLIES) based on which was stronger. If the Russian forces were stronger the AI would assume the role of the USSR. If the Allies were stronger it would assume the role of the Allies in this post WWII conflict. Perhaps a pop-up box would appear at the end of the Allied victory drum roll asking if you want to continue with the Post WWII East vs West Scenario. [ January 31, 2004, 03:04 PM: Message edited by: Edwin P. ]

Probably just the usual, but if its a definite no-no then probably :mad: or to show that it is outside the scope of his project or to show been there, done that, its in SC2 :cool: . [ January 31, 2004, 12:52 PM: Message edited by: Edwin P. ]

It would be interesting, if at the end of WWII the system had the option for Russia to DOW the Allies. Thus setting up the stage for a what if with the USSR taking on the UK, US, and France after the fall of the Axis. Would it be balanced? I think so. Would the Russian AI always select this option, no. The Allies would probably control the UK, US, France, Low Countries, Italy, Norway, Greece, Spain, Portugal, North Africa and Western Germany. The combined production of these nations would roughly equal the production of the USSR with eastern Germany, and the Minor Axis countries. Turkey would probably remain neutral or join the Allies depending on the Actions of the USSR. If Fascist Spain and Portugual is neutral they may join the Allies or not. Supplying units during such a war would be extremely difficult as the Post WWII Cities of Berlin, and Warsaw should be limited to a maximum rating of 4 - due to the heavy destruction which those cities faced in the final months of WWII. This would also prevent the USSR and the Allies from building new units in these cities. In fact for play balance the system could make minor adjustments to each side. If the Allies are substantially weaker than Russia then Spain and Portugal would have a greater chance to join the Allies. If the Allies are too strong then Sweden might return to Neutrality. Etc. [ January 31, 2004, 12:41 PM: Message edited by: Edwin P. ]

I would also like to see the game reflect the actions of pro-axis, pro-allied sympathizers in neutral countries. For example, if a British fleet is off the Irish shore their should be a chance for it to be spotted by the Axis - reflecting a news report in the press or radio.

Excellent point Jersey John, If the UK did invade Dublin and then withdrew (in SC terms Disbanded) their forces it would be realisitc to think that the Irish would revolt. This would best be indicated not with a partisan unit appearing but with a simple change of control for all Irish hexes including the city hex. When this change should occur based on how long the British forces had been withdrawn from the Island - ie Turn 1(1%), Turn 2 (2%), Turn 3 (3%), etc.

If defending Ireland, most Axis players withdraw the Irish Corps from the city to limit the experience the allies gain from attacking it.

Last night finished a game vs the Axis AI. In the 1939 Scenario gave the Axis AI 8 Unused Tech chits, 5 Rockets, 3 bombers and 3 extra subs (Tech Level 2) along with Norway (and an Army, 2 corps, a bomber and a HQ to guard Norway) The result, By Barbarossa Germany had Level 5 Anti-Tank and Level 2 Armor :mad: and I learned that 3 Experienced Bombers attacking a unit can destroy it at long range. :eek: It made for a most interesting game.

Did Turkey or Spain have an Air Force of comparable size to Sweden's?

Interesting effects - interesting consequences If Germany conquers attacks Sweden there is a chance that Finland will join the Allies - thus freeing Russia to shift 2 Armies from the Finnish Front. If Germany attacks Spain there is a chance that Turkey will annex Syria and Iraq and begin mobilizing troops (with Syria and Iraq its production will exceed that of Italy) in preparation for entering the war at the opportune time as an AI controlled nation (with the goal of conquering Bulgaria, Romania, Albania and Greece - Russian Troops can not enter countries that have surrendered to Turkey unless Russia declares war on Turkey -and Turkish AI controlled troops can not enter Germany or Move north of Hex XXXX) or an ally of the Allies. Perhaps a 5% cumualtive chance per unit built that it enters the war - say 5% at 1 unit , 10% at second unit, 15% at 3rd unit. Naturally there should be a chance that an AI Controlled Turkey returns to its Neutral Status - say 20% afer conquering Bulgaria, 40% after conquering Bulgaria and Romania, 80% after conquering Bulgarian, Romania and Greece and 100% after conquering Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, and Albania ( and that it continues to build its army while Neutral . If the allies attack Neutral Spain then perhaps Turkey annexes Syria and Iraq to finance the mobilization of an AI controlled Army that will restore Egypt to Turkish control, attack Southern Russia when it is ungarded,ie Russia south of Stalingrad, attack Greece or grant Axis ships and transports passage through the Turkish straits. ie: Allies Attack Neutral Spain > Turkey Annexes Syra and Iraq > Turkey Builds an Army and: 25% Grants passage to Axis ships and Transports or 25% Prepares to conquer Egypt or 25% Invades the Caucaus Mountain region of Russia when the Region is undefended. or 25% Does Nothing An Independent AI controlled Turkey could really make a game interesting and rather unpredictable. Especially, if the Turks occassionaly switched sides or returned to Neutrality at the most in-opportune time. Example: Russia is at the walls of Warsaw and the allies have landed in France when all of a sudden Turkey decides to enter into a peace agreement with Germany and launch an attack into the Caucaus Mountains of Russia ( in exchange for Bulgaria, Romania and Albania and the Russia south of Stalingrad.) Germany is at the gates to the Kremlin when Turkey decides to DOW Germany not wanting to see Germany get too powerful. It makes the end-game more interesting , of course this would have to be a player selectable option - Turkey AI [Y/N] [ January 29, 2004, 02:39 PM: Message edited by: Edwin P. ]

Any new ideas?

I agree. Spain and Turkey Should respond more forcefully to an attack on the other. 1. Spain and Turkey both should start to accumulate and build additional units based on their MPP if the other is attacked. Spain should start mobilizing units if Vichy France, Sweden or Switzerland is attacked or transports are sighted off the coast of Spain or a long line of Axis units builds up along the border with France, while Vichy France is still Neutral. Perhaps allow the Spain to become a pro-allied neutral and the Allies to finance the purchase of additional Spainish units while Spain is still Neutral. 2. Turkey IF Spain is attacked Turkey should annex Iraq and Syria. This would give it a MPP & production base equal to or superior to that of Italy (and plunder with which to purchase a HQ) and prevent the Axis from attacking Russia from the south. It would also allow Turkey to ramp up production of units in preparation for joining the allies or taking action on its own ( ) - Perhaps the Turkish AI decides to move against an Axis occupied Egypt or Libya, or launch an attack into Southeastern Europe - Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, Yugoslavia and Give the Allies Access through the Turkish Straits Naturally the timing of the Turkish AI's action should be guided by the deployment of enemy forces and its relative strength. I.E. With each unit Turkey builds the chance for military action by the Turkish AI should increase, this is especially true if southern Europe or a conquered Egypt is lightly guarded. With Turkey controlling Syria and Iraq it should be able to produce 1 corps every 4 turns or 1 army unit every 8 turns. Each unit it builds gives it a 5% cumlative chance to enter the war as an independent AI or to join the Allies (but only if the Allies agree to give it something - ie Egypt or Bulgaria,Albania and Romania, so if Russia conquers Romania it becomes Turkish controlled territory, unless Russia DOW Turkey). Thus build 1 unit 5% to take action, build 2 units 10% chance, 3 units 15%, 4 units 20%, etc. 3. You should have a chance for Spanish/Turkish partisans after Germany Attacks Russia - thus removing the arguement that this will only serve to give the Axis valuable combat training. [ January 28, 2004, 02:32 PM: Message edited by: Edwin P. ]

Excellent idea - Fortresses +1 ND (Naval Defense).

I second Liam's motion for assigning lower ranking generals to individual units - with a bonus/penalty based on the leader's strengths and weaknesses - ie +1 Medal on the Defense, +1 AP, etc.

The answer to preventing the minor rush or making it more costly is to allow Spain to use the MPPS they generate to produce more troops while they are neutral if the Axis attacked Norway or Sweden. and Sweden/Norway to enter into a defense pact if the Axis attacks Vichy or Spain prior to attacking the Nordic countries while also allowing Sweden to produce more units once Norway has been attacked. Perhaps an early attack on Spain or Sweden should have a chance to cause Norway to join the Allies, thus allowing the UK to transport in reinforcing air and land units. [ January 27, 2004, 04:01 PM: Message edited by: Edwin P. ]

Though SC is a great game the Axis AI does not rack up the same production base that a human player does. To compensate for this one could create a new level called Genius where the following events occur if the Axis is AI controlled: 1. After Denmark surrenders and if no allied ships are in the Danish Straits then Axis coup occurs in Norway. Norway surrenders to Germany, Germany gains plunder, two corps and one army in Norway. 2. If Norway has surrendered to Germany (Event 1) then there is a 75% that Sweden surrenders to Germany 5 turns later. Germany gains plunder and one corps in Swedish capital. These two events would duplicate the standard Nordic Conquest that most players follow and give the Axis AI a boost in MPP from Production and Plunder without requiring a new AI routine for an invasion of Norway and Sweden and transporting the invading troops back to Germany for the coming war with Russia. 3. German Axis AI starts the game with 2 unused Tech chits at Genius level to duplicate Germany's strong investment in Weapons R&D. This bonus compensate's for the Axis AI's tendency to waste MPPs thru excessive operation movement of units before the war with Russia begins. 4. In 1943, 1944, 1945 and 1946 Germany receives +1 Tech level in Industrial Production to reflect the historical, but late total mobilization of the German economy for war. 5. Turkey has a 1% per turn to join the Axis if Iraq surrendered to the Allies and Warsaw and Paris and Rome andBerlin is Axis controlled. This event compensates for a rather weak Axis AI in the Mediterrean and the tendency of human allied players to operate UK air units to Russia via a conquered Iraq. Together these five relatively simple changes would make for a more interesting and tougher game vs the Axis AI at a new Genius level AI. [ January 26, 2004, 07:43 PM: Message edited by: Edwin P. ]

Denmark had a bigger impact on the the war than many people think. Why? Allied intelligence agents frequently traveled between Denmark and Sweden.

Get well soon, we need your input on an idea for Military Doctrines (Army/Navy/Air)

Military Doctrine is a good idea, but I would think that it might make more sense to purchase it rather than researching it with its effect taking place in x number of turns or perhaps the effect only applying to newly commissioned units and HQs. In HOI for ground units you have an Elastic Defense Doctrine, Static Defense Doctrine, Decisive Battle Doctrine, Armored Spearhead and a Guns & Butter Doctrine. Each of them have a benefit and sometimes a cost. For example, with Elastic Defense Doctrine Corps and Armored units would receive a bonus to defense and with a Static defense doctrince Army units receives a bonus to defense. Armored Spearhead gives you a bonus to attack and defense of armor units along with making Armies and Corps cost more. Incorporating this into SC the player would have to select a doctrine and then decide when/if to change doctrines knowing that such a change will cost MPP that could be applied to building units and the change will not occur for several months when the situation that sparked the change might not be in effect or your opponent might have adopted a doctrine that counters the one you selected. In essence a simplied game of Rock-Paper-Scissors that gives a small bonus to the winner's units or lowers/increases the production cost of certain unit types. Perhaps the cost for Germany to change its land doctrine might be 100MPP while Russia and Italy would have to pay 250MPP to change their doctrine. The difference in costs reflects the adaptability and professionalism of the officer corps in each nation. Or perhaps the Static Defense Doctrine might cost 50MPP for Russia while the Armored Spearhead Doctrine costs Russia 300MPP to adopt. [ January 19, 2004, 11:32 PM: Message edited by: Edwin P. ]

That's a new idea. When playing vs the Axis AI have a chance (5%) for Russia to sign a peace treaty with the Axis if it has liberated Warsaw and/or liberated Romania. Now the Allied player has lost a major ally and the war has suddenly gotten a lot more interesting. Naturally this should have a chance to occur only occur if Germany has Surrendered. If this event does occur then 1) Italy should change sides and join the Allies and 2) Russia should not be allowed to build new units in the conquered cities of Europe. 3) The Maximum level of German cities conquered by Russia should be reduced to 5 to reflect the devastation of house to house fighting in the final days of the German Reich. The Combined Production of Italy + US + UK = Russian Production A most interesting Game. [ January 19, 2004, 12:23 PM: Message edited by: Edwin P. ]

I just played a game against the AI (Expert Setting) where it reached Tech Level 5 (the first time I have ever seen this) before DOW Russia. It appeared as if it did not reclaim any tech chits once reaching this level. Does anyone know if the AI reclaims tech chits once it reaches level 5 in any tech area?

Don't forget a production/research limits editor so you can say that Italy can't produce Armor units or Germany can't have more than 10 Air Fleets or that Italy can't research Anti-Air or invest more than 2 chits in Anti-Tank research. PS: This editor would also allow players to fine tune the AI to a limited degree by restricting the AI's choice list for production and research. [ January 19, 2004, 11:59 AM: Message edited by: Edwin P. ]

Should the USA always enter the war if the Allied Forces UK & USSR are winning. Given the large peace movement in the US at the time I think that the US would have focused on the war in the Pacific if the Brits were winning the war, unless of course the Axis turned the tide. Such a variable entry for the US Forces, "sometimes" not entering if the Allies are winning the war, would make the game more interesting for an Allied player that manages to turn the tide on the Axis early in the game. How would I define winning the war? Allies are outproducing the Axis AND Control 2 French Cities AND Russia controls all Russian Cities AND Allies have more Air Units than Axis AND Allies have more units than Axis Powers. PS: Its also a great equalizer when a more experienced player controls the Allied Forces. [ January 19, 2004, 02:06 AM: Message edited by: Edwin P. ]