Queipo de Llano

This is a very good idea. Another real-life example was Spain's allowing of German U-Boat crews to refit and repair and for replacement crews to transit across Spanish territory to the vessels. This actually played a very large role in the early stages of the Battle of the Atlantic before the Germans had fully established their U-Boat bases in occupied France. And the disposition of vessels after a surrender rings true as well. I am particularly reminded of 1918, when some Russian vessels in British ports were scuttled by their sailors but others were appropriated by the RN, becoming "British." (and ironically enough used against other former Imperial Navy ships in the hands of the "Bolos" during the Allied intervention 1n 1919.)

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I definitely will support HC and buy the product. However, I do hope some changes to the basic engine will incorporate an improvement in the AI. SC1 is best experienced as a multi-player game. This is perfectly fine, but I am sure there are others such as myself who for whatever reason are best able to play the game in a single-player context. I am not sure I have seen a definitive answer from "on high" as to whether the AI engine will be overhauled in any kind of substantive manner. I apologise if this has been covered (and I am sure it has.)

I would not use the 1940 campaign in and of itself as conclusive evidence of German superiority. As in any military campaign, a large number of factors came together to bring about the eventual outcome. It even has been argued that if the French had better units along the Meuse than their 55th division and a Colonial unit or if even these units had refrained from basically fleeing upon first contact then perhaps the Allies could have reacted in sufficient time to prevent the breakthrough. I will certainly agree that the Germans were ahead of the Allies in a number of respects in 1940. As well as all the factors we are all familiar with, often overlooked is the fact they had actual combat EXPERIENCE gained versus the Poles going in their favor. In my opinion, a better case can be made for German tactical superiority vis-a-vis the Allies in WW ONE than in the sequel. But that is perhaps a topic better addressed when someone gets a quality WWI Mod up and running.

Hey, just looking at some of those sites I can tell you that the flag site alone has just probably saved me a day's worth of work. Thanks again!

Retributar - many many thanks for all the good stuff on my two favorite military eras after WWII. I am already working up the skeleton of "SC Napoleona" and the Spanish Civil War is something that absolutely cries out for a detailed treatment of its own. Especially if someone can possibly model the effect of that original right-wing talk radio host par excellence - Queipo de Llano.

If anyone has a website on the Revolutionary/Napoleonic Wars then by all means link to it here. That has always been a favorite area of study for me but seems a bit underrepresented on the WWW. Regardless, I absolutely plan on making an SC2 mod for this era. It sounds as if the diplomatic models will be versatile enough to simulate the greater fluidity of political alliances during the period.

Interesting aside with respect to Hubert's post early in this thread, the US also captured some Koreans in Wehrmacht uniform during the Normandy campaign. Said Koreans had been conscripted into the Japanese army originally, captured by the Soviets at Nomonhan, forced into service with the Red Army, captured by the Wehrmacht in '41, and subsequently impressed into the German service. Although history is silent on the issue, one hopes the Americans did not subsequently force these poor well-travelled chaps into the US Army.

C3I was a monumentally important aspect of all WWII combat operations. Another idea for implementing it would have the tech enable an increase in spotting range for one's units to simulate the interception of opposing signals traffic.

Spain: Queipo de Llano - 9: competent administrator, ruler of semi-autonomous feif, afficionado of wine and women, hombre with major cojones (reference actions of 17 July 1936), and internationally-famous radio personality to boot. But seriously, give Franco a 5 for being able to successfully manage a methodical war of attrition under less than ideal circumstances.

Perhaps air units can be implemented so that they damage strength AND readiness but are constrained by a "floor" strength value below which they cannot take a ground unit - i.e. air can reduce the ground unit to strength of 3 but after that only detract from the ground unit's readiness. This would reflect the principle of diminishing returns as well as the fact that at no time in history can one find examples of ground units being completely obliterated by airpower alone. (It always seemed gamey to me when I could queue up all those level 5 jets and blast gaping holes in the lines of the approaching Marxist rabble.)

Hey, I resoundingly second Magpie's suggestion. In a previous incarnation I myself had a host of "surrendering French" all ready to go when I finally received SC1 in the mail.

One tiny bit to add about Italo Balbo - he was a close personal friend of Il Duce. So I for one have no problem picturing him as an army group commander in the fictional SC universes we create.

Back during the run-up to the original SC the developers offered up what I felt to be a lame rationale for the lack of a player's ability to influence neutrals with MPPS (something along the lines that this would encourage players to cheat. Uh, okay...) If it truly will be possible to expend resources for political purposes in SC2, I feel that would be a valuable addition to the gameplay as well as one with abundant historical justification - in WWII and just about everywhere else one looks. PLUS, when I use the editor to make a "Napoleonic Wars" mod it really would help to be able to model the actions of "Albion Perfide" in bankrolling successive coalitions against the French!