Major Spinello

Well, in any case I do not even have anything against patching SC1 a bit further except that I rather would like the time needed for that go into faster patches for SC2. However, Paradox, for example, still patched EU1 (a bit) even while EU2 was already out, and Matrixgames also had some patches for UV despite WITP. There are always people preferring the older versions for one reason or other (for example, I prefer UV to WITP) However, I do not think that the AI or anything else for that matter is better in SC1 than in SC2 for the time being ... so I do not really understand the request. You even can disable things like diplomacy in SC2 if you don´t like them.

Look, Rambo, if you think that the Allies, especially the US, are underpowered in SC2, then just fire up the editor and change that. Hell, even I could do this, and I know nothing about the greater mysteries of modding!

I did not know that silent mode doesn´t work at all ... is that really true? Anyway, I´m one of those players who does not even WANT to know the *exact* inner workings of the mechanics. I like to get a "feel" for what is important and when by experience, but otherwise things should stay a bit "fuzzy". Real life and real combat is fuzzy, too, and not nicely calculated through equations.

Yes, I too find the Axis a bit more difficult to play, even as a typical Single Player. There´s always something on the agenda, never a moment of quiet. However, I always switch sides after each game - makes for more variance.

dispalor: these are some very good suggestions. And by the way, despite Dave´s very kind remark, I´m not a modder at all!

Normal Dude: That sounds like a lot of work! I wish I could help somehow. That non-city tiles can be used as invasion targets is something that should go on the wish-list.

- Reval=Talinn. Vilnius was situated in Eastern Poland at the time, so Kaunas was the capital of Lithuania.

Yup, what SeaMonkey said. Actually, the system does not even have to be changed in this regard as it already works like this. Once you have surprise contact, you do not move any further and also cannot undo the move.

What Blashy said. New York Times do their own research and articles (well, at least partly) and they always seemed rather unbiased to me.

When I was still living in Cal, I was at times desperate because of all those ****ty US news formats on TV - well, at least the print media with San Francisco Chronicle and New York Times were up to world standard. Oh, and I had to watch Mexican channells to see some decent soccer matches too ...

Dave, some things I noticed: - Dobrudja to Bulgaria was missing when the Vienna Conference triggered, instead it seems that Transsylvania to Hungary was announced twice (?!) - It seems to me that the Pocketbattleship Graf Spee should have Gun Laying Radar 1 because it had the most advanced targeting system back then. Maybe subtract another strength point to compensate. - It seems you found new country slots? For we should somehow do a little something about the Baltic States (Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia). Given the overall level of detail of your scenario, they are a bit too abstracted now. At the very least, the other capitals, Reval and Kaunas should be on the map as minor cities too. By the way: I´m having a blast playing now!

Retributar, the "secret weapons" topic is indeed really fascinating, especially as not all of these were nothing but design concepts. Some of those planes etc were already built as prototypes or in small numbers. And I always get a slight shiver if I come across the Virus House project ...

Dave, I somehow thought that your map already uses the maximum number of tiles in both dimensions. If not, then going further East would be great of course! O how I long for a map including SE-Asia, China and Japan! The thing with Africa is that a comparably big space is "wasted" because of the unaccessible tiles of the interior. This considered, I find the solution to have a more abstract geographical approach in the South a good compromise.

Normal Dude: I will begin testing your AI scripts extensively once the first adaptation to Dave´s custom scenario is available. This way I can test the scripts plus the scenario both at the same time. Thing is that I have only limited time to actually play and therefore have to organize everything in an economic way (i.e. I cannot afford to both have games running with Dave´s and the standard scenario).

wolflars: the AI is atm not really bright, but I think the scripts will help bigtime. Dave: I forgot to mention something I already found weeks ago, namely that Graziani has a rating of 10 in your mod!!!

Playing the new version right now. - The feel of accuracy of the map and the political events is already astounding! - Also the OOB looks convincing. - Is there a reason behind finding me having the bomb (as Germany/Italy) researched right from the start? - Does Guderian really deserve only a 5-rating?

Yes, slots for custom units would be a killer!

I understand nothing of this, but I think you should be able to script stuff like: - If country X is liberated by Axis/Allies, then all units with property Y become X-units. - Country X gets tech-level m of tech n. - If country X is Axis(Allies) and country Y is occupied by Axis(Allies), then X annexes the former territory of Y. This should handle inheritance of Free-French units from UK if France is liberated as well as annexation of Vichy-territory by France once Vichy is defeated.

Italian surrender already when the mainland is invaded? With no fight? Please, please, please no! Look guys: in one game, I took Rome in 41 and they surrendered even though they had a tankgroup, an army, an AF and a HQ in direct vicinity. They should at least have TRIED to take Rome back! Anyway, even if you may be right regarding lacking motivation on the side of the Italians historically, my view on this issue has rather to do with gameplay. One of the major issues is that if you time your invasion of Italy to be shortly after Barbarossa, you can screw up the AI´s Russian invasion majorly because the Italian troops in Russia (and the AI seems to employ alot of them) just disolve into thin air.

Rolend, I only want Italy to change capital if Rome is taken early - say before 43.

Actually such decisions are often made because Christmas is around the corner or money is running out. I suspect there were factors like this involved in the decision to suddenly rush the release of SC2. Sometimes (like with Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II) doing that leads to a total desaster. If an Adventure or RPG is unfinished because the story-line is not fully implemented, then no patch will ever save it. It´s different with wargames, though. I know, I know: we are customers in the first place, and NOT a second wave of beta-testers. Still, if the company is dedicated (like Paradox or Battlefront and Matrixgames), then a somewhat "raw" release can evolve to greatness much faster than if the game would have stayed within the confines of a small group of beta-testers for another six months. That´s fine with me, and over the years I came to expect and accept that.

I always wait until they start Barbarossa. I´m looking forward to see how Normal Dude´s scripts help the Axis to kick my ass next time I´ll try that, though.

I really hope that Hubert implements an AI vs AI option for the next patch so that you can test and balance the /Allies script-batches against each other. There´s nothing like the possibility to do "hands off"-games for that!

Actually, after I´ve read about the imminent release of SC2 and also knew that the AI was *just* implemented, I worried immensely. Compared to this, I was rather surprised, when I got the game, to find that the AI worked the modest way it did at all! Anyway, we were told that the thing is that the AI is something of an open project. And as long as this promise is kept I´m happy. If HC keeps on working on improving the AIs basic features, and if he also continues to export pertinent variables for our AI-modders to do some nifty scripting with, then I am actually confident that the AI will eventually act and react in a reasonable way in most scenarios and will - in this respect - leave other AIs (like from "World at War" or HOI) far behind.

(continuation) ... and once I get that city, I op-move an Airfleet to Italy, but I doubt I really need it.