xwormwood

Amen, Brother!

I would suggest to think about some kind of amphib tech to buy. While at level 1, you can only transport a certain number of cashvalue (100 or 200 max.), per turn, maybe just enought to conduct "Weseruebung". To achieve lv 2, pay a certain amount of credits, while only one update should be allowed per year. And make each update expensive enough, to slow the axis interest in gaining this tech. let germany start with level 0, and the us with a lvl. high enough for conducting Torch. could be something like amphib transport capacity per turn lvl 0 = 100 credits (=1 corps or several damaged units etc.) lvl 1 = 200 credits lvl 2 = 400 credits lvl 3 = 800 credits lvl 4 = 1000 credits lvl 5 = 2000 credits update 0 -> 1 = 350 credits 1 -> 2 = 500 credits 2 -> 3 = 750 credits 3 -> 4 = 1000 credits 4 -> 5 = 350 credits (just as an example to have some numbers, and last update cheap enough that the us-player can afford it if he really wants to). Starting 1939 germany lvl 0 italy lvl 1 uk lvl 1 us lvl 0 ussr lvl 0 axis minor: lvl 0 allied minor lvl 1 and than maybe 4 already paid upgrades for the us (bringing them automatic to lvl 4 in 1943) and one paid upgrade for the uk (lvl 2 in 1940) A similar solution (with of course completly different numbers!) worked quite good in SSI's "Storm accross Europe", if someone else remembers this jewel.

yeah, this is one of some other stories i got in mind when i started this topic...

I would be glad if there could be a little change regarding the equipment for minor countries. These countries don't have the ability to invest in better tech and can't participate from the achievements of the major countries of their alliance. But just like in history it would be nice, if the axis or the allies would be able to give these countries parts of their (older) own equipment. -mabye after upgrading 4 or 5 units with level 3 spare parts there should be enough material to equip a minor unit whith the obsolete remainders of these units, bringing maybe one unit up to level 1? -or simply producing a unit and after it enters the map one could grant it to a minor country of your own side? -or granting neutral countries one of you own units (giving them this way better and or / more equipment), maybe even bring this country a bit more toward your own alliance? This could probably produce a nice surprise & shock if your opponent declares war against some "weak" neutral bonanza...

I would like to hear some other opinions about the airspace of neutral countries. I am pretty sure that most of the neutral countries in WW2 at least tried to prevent that fighting countries used there airspace (forcing enemy planes to land and be interned afterward). In SC 1 & 2 we fly laughing & unharmed over switzerland & co. Shouldn't there be a penalty (political?) when the souvereign airspace of a neutral country gets violated? Maybe it should be possible to set waypoints for air-attacks?

In a game against the ai (1939, Ai plays axis) i declared in my first turn war against norway, sweden, denmark and finland. Just to give the ai a little resource-help. some turns later i send my russian cruisers on a cruise through the baltic (what could possobly happen after all the scandinavians are already on the axis side). The ai felt free to attack my russian cruisers (russian war status: about 30 %) with german & finish air units. This is a bug, because russia was still not at war, and russia wasn't able to attack the axis anywhere (neither land, sea or air). another strange thing happened several game turns later, when the axis got kicked out of russia and italy lost its african colonies to the uk. to get some spice back into the game i declared war (after the us entry in mid-42) against every remaining neutral country (portugal, turkey, switzerland, vichy [all of them], ireland and greece. Spain joined after this on it's own the axis). From now on the ai needed several minutes to think about it's turns (i got time to watch soccer, drink tea, learn patience), and after two more turns the game didn't came back, so i finaly used the whip, ending this game by force (task-manager). My pc shouldn't be the problem (3 GHz CPU, 2 GB Ram, 256MB ati graphic-card, lots of free harddrive-space & new drivers everywhere installed. There is unfortunatly no error log entry, but my experience is, that the game can't handle the activation of all possible coountries to well.

Would be nice if there could be some relation to the frontline. the nearer the enemy HQ, the more people could be willing to join the revolution ("the chickens get restless"). Warsaw riot startet when the red army was only some kilometers away. While there is no near front there should be a great chance that nearly no one dares to disturb this above mentioned "colonial rule".

Thanks for the flowers. making them two: Song for america (bottom of the page, "click to play") (only for you, mr. jjr america)

I don't believe that there should arab partisans in egypt / the near east fighting fighting against the axis player. After all these people favored the germans (both hated the jews). as far as i know alexandria whould have celebrated axis troops if monty would have lost at El Alamein. maybe i am wrong, but i think arab nationalist should only fight axis instalations in a ww1 scenario or after '45, but when if appearin in 1939-1945 they should sabotage both sides (allies / axis) or maybe even only the allied side. Does anybody know some more or better historical details?

"When you get sin out of your country, positive things are done." But while sin is everywhere around you as well, a larger population, more industry and the atlantic & pacific <s>as natural anti-tank moats</s> oceans to protect your native farmer come in handy as well, eh?

Allright, maybe coastal defenses were not a decisive factor, but they were still a factor to consider in WW2. Singapore "Since the Japanese attack on Singapore, a myth has developed and has been kept alive by those who really do not know the truth. This myth is that the Singapore guns faced the wrong way, i.e. South. This is incorrect, the guns did not face the wrong way. With the exception of the Buona Vista Fifteen-inch Battery and the southern-most 15 Inch gun of the Johore Battery at Changi, all the guns were capable of all-round or near all-round traverse. The guns were wrongly placed for an attack from the north, but as coastal artillery, which they were designed for, they were ideally situated. To make things worse, for an attack from land, the guns did not have a lot of high-explosive (HE) ammunition. For the big guns, there was apparently only one fifteen-inch HE shell on Singapore Island. Being coastal artillery, all of the guns had plenty of armour-piercing (AP) ammunition 9.2 Inch Shellwhich, as the name implies is designed to burst through armour plate before exploding inside a warship where it would do most damage. HE ammunition has a relatively thin casing, and explodes on or near the surface at the point of impact and the shrapnel from the de fragmenting shell causes tremendous damage to nearby troops and equipment. AP shells have a thick casing for penetrating armour plate. Used against land targets such as troops or artillery, AP shells bury themselves deep in the ground before exploding, and do not fragment like HE shells, therefore are not suitable for counter battery or anti-personnel use. Despite this, when the Japanese attacked, all the guns that could, fired on them using what HE shells they had followed by AP. The photograph shows a 9.2 Inch shell fired from Fort Connaught in February 1942 on the advancing Japanese. The shell was recovered from the Pasir Panjang area. It shows how little fragmentation there could be from an AP shell. Two of the 15 Inch Guns of the Johore battery at Changi actually fired across the island on Japanese forces at Tengah during the battle for Singapore. Having adequate stocks of HE shells may not have stopped the Japanese taking Singapore, the battle had been lost many years before it started, but Japanese casualties would have been much higher. The battle may have lasted longer and eased the pressure on Burma. All three batteries on Blakang Mati saw action during the Japanese attack on Singapore in February 1942. The Siloso guns engaging targets on land and sea. Tragedy struck on 10th February when the guns at Siloso opened fire on small boats approaching from the west. These boats contained gunners escaping from the gun battery at Pasir Laba which had been over-run by the Japanese. On the night of 13/14 February 1942, a ship was detected outside the minefields protecting the approach to Keppel Harbour. Information about this ship, stating that no British ship was in the area, was signalled from Fort Canning to C.C.M. Macleod-Carey, Second-in-Command of 7 Coast Artillery Regiment, who was in his Command Post on Mount Faber. Macleod-Carey ordered the searchlights at Labrador, Siloso and Serapong to sweep the area for the ship. A vessel of some 8,000 tons was quickly illuminated by the searchlights. It was then challenged by means of an Aldis lamp, but failed to respond with the correct identification signals. A naval rating, using a copy of ‘Jane's Fighting Ships’, identified the vessel as being a Japanese landing craft carrier, and the 6 Inch batteries at Labrador, Siloso and Serapong were ordered to open fire. Hits were registered almost immediately on the ship and it sank within a few minutes. This was what the guns had been designed for, and they performed exactly as required. MacLeod-Carey's version of events has been criticised for being incorrect, and it has been stated that no large ship was sunk, only a Tongkang (wooden trading vessel)." from: http://www.fortsiloso.com/history/1919.htm Oslofjord "During the invasion of Norway, operation Weserübung, the heavy cruiser Blücher sailed together with the other German cruisers Emden and Lutzow and several support and escorting ships in the so-called Kampfgruppe V, which included the destroyer Albatros who also was lost the day after Blücher. The task force were supposed to occupy Oslo and capture King Haakon VII and his family. The German plans for the operation were destroyed by the Norwegian fortress Oscarsborg who opened fire on the German task force in the Oslofjord. Blücher was rapidly hit by gun shells and torpedoes and sunk just north of Oscarsborg close to Askholmene. During the operation the German battle group sunk the Norwegian ship Sørland which were so unlucky to be in the same area as the Germans, and several private civilian houses were hit in the small city of Drøbak. Some six hundred German soldiers lost their lives in all the fires and the cold water when Blücher went down! Blücher lies today with her keel up in deep waters down to a depth of sixty five to ninety meters...") from: http://www.skovheim.org/located/akershus/blucher/blucher.htm D-Day ("WORLD WAR 2,by AL HUGHES, TM/2C, USS SHUBRICK (DD 639), 1944-1945, Part 1: Year 1944 >>Normandy Invasion and Southern FranceOne shore battery fired 68 rounds, (75 or 88 mm) at us. Thirty before we knew he was firing at us. He finally got our range, and the last 4 shells landed about 25 yd. off our port stern. We lifted anchor and started doing figure 8's firing at the battery which seemed to be near a church steeple in a village on the beach. No more shells came from this battery. Meanwhile, Destroyer Corry was sunk by shell fire to our right, (lost some men). We fired about 1,000 rounds of 5 in. shells during the initial landing. Rocket barges, (LCR's) went in and released their rockets. A small landing craft brought 7 wounded soldiers aboard for our doctor to treat. They had been aboard an LCT which had hit a mine on the beach. Only one was not wounded, and only the seven survived the explosion which blew up the LCT. Two of the seven died on our way back to England that evening when we went back for fuel and ammunition. An English war correspondent was aboard taking pictures of the invasion. We were relieved by the Butler that afternoon, and we returned to Portland England. June 7-We were back off the coast of France bombarding shore batteries. We were anchored in an unswept mine field. Every now and then a mine would go off after the sweepers started to sweep the area. Some went off too close for comfort. Watched a flight of B-26's just about wipe out a village on the beach still held by the Germans. Fifteen amphibious ducks were headed over toward German held territory on the end of the peninsula. We watched them through glasses on the bridge. A shore battery started firing at them. Later that evening only 3 ducks came along side and said they were lost. They were the only ones left out of the 15. The shore battery had just about wiped them out. The Destroyer Glennon hit a mine to our right, and her stern from the No. 4 gun aft was blown away. Heard they had about 35 casualties. She stayed afloat a couple of days, and then German shore batteries sank her."<<) from: http://www.ussshubrick.com/hughes.htm

Sorry, but subs still dive if they don't feel like fighting the waves. it is a different story when the russians refuse to put some money into their navy. Pah! Ever heard of the flying dutchman? so many centuries at sea, and still seen here and there.

Zone of control for warships & airunits, forbidding amphibs to slip through (or at least slowing them donwn) should do the trick. The invader would be forced to fight a corridor with his own navy / airforce for his amphibius troops. Effect could be lost if naval/air-unit lost more than 50% or 75% of its full strength. SSI's Storm across Europe had a feature which prevented transports / amphib landings if the enemies naval & air forces where to strong. Another idea would be a random but significant loss of strenght points while moving amphib/transports next to enemy naval units or through waters with enemy controled air spaces. You want safe passages? Then fight your way through first.

I admit that the idea of these damages at sea is quite nice, but i can't believe that they really happened so often in WW2. And on the other hand subs should NEVER :mad: get any damages from bad weather, because these little friends got a little feature: they can simply DIVE when it gets uncomfortable, don't they?

I would like to see some kind of shore batteries tech as well. At least there should be a random chance that ships get hit by mines while sailing in enemy seas. Maybe some kind of homeguard tech, increasing the possibility for partisans, mines or devastated zones where the enemy needs more movement points because of disrupted streets, railway or bridges.

ok, first things first: sorry if anything here has been mentioned anywhere else before. lazy me. a) Romania lost territories to the USSR in 1940 just like finland. While we see the finish part, there is no romanian counterpart. :confused: would be nice if the USSR would get once in a while the ability to go to war against minor countries even while not at war with the axis c) players should get the choice if they want to conduct burnt earth or not. d) on the other hand in 1944-45 it should be possible for the retreating german player to conduct this barbaric practise everywhere (poland, france, germany etc.) e) diplomatic chits are a nice addition to the game. diplomatic pressure (clash of steel-like) should be an option as well (with chances that the pressure backfires...) f) invasions into occupied territory should be possible as well, just like in history g) why is there a limitation for anti-air? shouldn't it be possible to protect every land tile? h) any chance that we can get mullberries and / or dunkirk 1940-like retreats for units at coastlines even while there is no harbor to be used? i) it would be nice if subs would be allowed to dive every few turns (so that they would not be on the map for a turn. maybe combined with the ability to move one or two steps from their old position. could be lost if the enemy wins the race antisub/advanced-subs) j) victory message should be improved. this black screen is a bit shoking, and then boring. what about adding some 50 pics for each side, randomly presented if the game ends, maybe variations if marginal / major victory or stalemate k) some kind of score would be nice when you quit the game. at least some mocking from the ai about the players performance or somee kind of wing commander-remembrance like message a la "they'll be waiting while you sleep" while you save your game (save & quit).

After a completed game it would be very nice to see what has happend in the game. At least watching the fronts & colors shifting on the small strategic map would have been a nice feature. If anybody don't know what i ment: take a look on COS, where you could see (history) an entire replay of the game in single turns or as a small video. Any chance that this may come in a future update? The end of the game comes always so hard and surprising, i need more time to say goodbye... Another cool feature would be the ability to change sides in a game against the AI. We all win. But would we win if we were ordered to swap places with the ai, taking the hopeless situation of the loosing AI and giving the AI our good place? Again something what was possible in "Clash of Steel". Would give games against the AI a little bit more spice.

True in my case.

I ran into the same error. 1940 Weserübung scenario. I invade in the first turn norway and denmark, and when i tried to attack the benelux, the declare war button looked just the same as in the pic above. here the error log: [04/17/2006 8:05:17; 5.1.2600; 1600x1200x32(1); v1.00.00] FAILED(store): Invalid argument One day before the game halted out of the sudden when i clicked on an unit on the far right of the screen, maybe it was only with one half on the screen. probably this error log: [04/16/2006 8:51:43; 5.1.2600; 1600x1200x32(1); v1.00.00] FAILED(mouse_on_rect): Segmentation violation

i couldn't care less about the civil war, or even the PTO when playing the ETO. As i wrote before: d-day, all right, maybe two or three more operations in 43-45. But the AI uses bombardements even in 1940 while the german luftwaffe owns the skies. just because it is possible, not because there is some higher reason. why didn't this happen in 1940-41? because the coastlines were filled with minefields. considering this (and the nice "bad weather" enhancement) there should be at least the possibility to suffer slight damages from mines, coastal guns, forts or coastal vessles while you are patrolling or bombarding the enemy coastline

@StefMan allright, i promise to try But not today, after too much good wine and with already cold feet.

Thanks for the nice answer. seems like i really should learn how to use the editor (event though i don't like editors, always got the feeling like if i am cheating).

Thank you for the reply, Mr. Cater. Hopefully there is a short and easy way in the near future to exclude / include features in the game without learning to handle the editor. The power of editors is weak in this user, so i sit and wait till there are some more easy & ready to use options (yes / no, just like turning on black or red borderlines) or some folks who spare their lifetime in learning and creating the editor / edited scenarios. Stupid me is a silly, simple user, not an editor or creator. Sigh.

Amen, brothers!

yes, true of course. but i can't see why the CAs and BBs get this might, which should only be granted (if at all) to CVs.