Post-Divorce Divorced Dude's Efforts

[kohlenklau]

Oh wow. I feel like I am on another planet. The O2 is insufficient.

Fuser. MJKerner. JonS. SBurke. Several others. You guys need to meet me for a major party. Booze and munchies on me. I can't tell you how much your support has meant to me...

Right now, I am working on a scenario with Soviet Infantry attacking a German trench position. I named it "Garden of the Iron Cross".

I have been testing it for a few weeks.

Anybody want to test it?

[mjkerner]

Send it, Phil. I've been wondering how you've been doing, and whether you had RT.

Someone's already done snow terrain and uniforms btw. They look great!

[sburke]

I've always wanted to check out Austin City limits.... Thanks to them I can at least catch Stevie Ray on video.

Sure PM me.

Glad to hear you're hanging in there. Spring is here - step out, grab a beer and watch the world spin by. As Frank Zappa once said "If you don't think it is f**kin great to be alive, you better leave now as this show is gonna bring you down".

[JonS]

Love to I think you have me email already?

[Fuser]

Nice to see you back dude, my time is limited but sure I am glad to see you around once again. Hope you solved your real life issues satisfactorily.

[kohlenklau]

Thanks guys. I don't need 4 testers so let me just send it to JonS and I know I will get "tough love" on his critique.

I am trying to harness the power of the new order and objective type triggers.

I better polish it up before I send it to the Professor.

[kohlenklau]

I am inspired. I am trying something new with trenches. Well, at least the stock scenarios don't seem to use it. I put my trenches down lower.

Still working it a bit before it goes to JonS for testing.

[Oddball_E8]

I am inspired. I am trying something new with trenches. Well, at least the stock scenarios don't seem to use it. I put my trenches down lower.

Still working it a bit before it goes to JonS for testing.

Isn't that what they did in this video?

I think they used the ditch lock feature tho.

[kohlenklau]

That is "Bunkers Burning" and I opened it in the editor. He did use ditch lock and did tuck them down slightly but not to the degree I am trying. I am tired of a soldier standing up in a trench and it is like he is standing up in the middle of a field with no cover and goes down right away.

It is hard to do the elevation changes without something to guide you, so I used dirt roads but then will experiment to not have such a wide effect like the above screenshot. I will try dirt path or just dirt.

We'll see. It is a lot of fun.

One issue I am having is that I tried to have AI engineers clear the mines and/or wire obstacles but it hasn't yet happened with my current AI coding. I will experiment some more. I wanted AI engineers to clear the mines/wire and then advance onward to trigger AI follow on infantry forces or armor to also proceed through the cleared path.

[mjkerner]

Phil, I did the same thing for a huge scenario I built with Germans defending a large village...nearly 5 Soviet battalions plus armor attacking a battalion(+) of dug-in Germans. Lots of trenches and sand bag walls, etc.

I think, though, that too deep doesn't look quite right, and of course troops in them have a very limited LOS. I used the ditch-lock feature for placing most of the trenches, as well as using it for simple slit trenches.

[mjkerner]

PS, I think dirt path might work.

I didn't take any shots with troops in these trenches, but in most of them, they pretty much are covered to ground level when they are fighhting.

[Fizou]

@mjkerner,

Looks like a great map. Did you ever release it?

[mjkerner]

Thanks Fizou. No, not yet. It's a cut-down from the Radzymin (sp?) master map, but I did make many, many major changes to it, in addition to the trenching stuff. I'm on turn 54 of my first playtest on the scenario, and it is working out surprising well. The battle ebbs and flows through the village and the flanking small hamlet (not shown in the pics) and "The Factory".

I need to rework some of the map, though, since the Factory on the left flank is too far away with little more than a few gullies to withdraw through to reach the main town. I lost every single man that started there--2 complete platoons, and more than a half dozens teams (MG's and snipers, etc.)--they just couldn't withdraw in any semblance of order with no real cover. They stayed and died instead.

I'll release the map when I have made the changes, even before I finish the scenario.

Btw, anyone interested in testing it?

[Broadsword56]

How deep do you sink the ditchlock tiles to get trenches lying flush to the ground, or bunkers with just the firing slits above ground?

[PanzerMike]

That is "Bunkers Burning" and I opened it in the editor. He did use ditch lock and did tuck them down slightly but not to the degree I am trying.

Yeah, I lowered the trenches just one level with ditch lock. This was a compromise between form and function. Trenches just don't look very good when not sunken in the ground . They are abstracted of course but still. Sinking them in means no FOW of course, but this is not too bad when dealing with extensive fortified lines I suppose.

My attempt was to recreate as faithfully as possible a real MLR, within the constraints (and there are many) of what the has to game offer. If I succeeded or not is up to the players to determine.

Ow, and I have always felt that the protection offered by trenches is too little. But that is just me, others may think differently.

[Broadsword56]

I think if you've got a scenario map/situation where it's an assault on a fortified line, then the attacking side almost always would have done recon to know the line is there and where the fortifications are. This would be especially true in the June-July part of Bagration, where the Soviets had total air superiority as well. So losing FOW to sink fortifications into the ground is worth doing. The only place that FOW would be an issue is on QB maps or something that's more of a tournament style battle.

[mjkerner]

Same as PanzerMike for me, Broadsword...one level.

[kohlenklau]

Here is what I was thinking. Maybe I have seen too many WW1 movies or something?

Troops climb slightly up out of the trench to engage the enemy. If you head down into the trench, you can run along its length in that zig-zag manner to avoid getting just gunned down by one shell burst or sniper with LOS. Parallel to the front line you have the main forward trenches and reserve trenches. Perpendicular connecting them you get some communication trenches. Maybe the former should be wider than the latter but both should keep even the tallest soldier below LOS.

Now, that said. This is the long term well-prepared trenches. Slit trenches dug out by foot soldiers over a few hours are not sand-bagged and shallower. Like slits!

I think I will go for the style and look I envision and just let you all play it and see what you think. As I said, I am trying to experiment to get it looking nicer and not so wide looking.

Nice map Mark!

I am not trying to knock what you did Panzer Mike. I just want those guys down deeper in the trenches.

I am sober as a judge and have some hours of scenario writing planned tonight.

Tomorrow night is another matter. Need some vodka when I play RT!

[kohlenklau]

Mark,

Wow. 5 Battalions against 1 German battalion. I think my machine and brain would lag horribly. If I got a hold of the map I would make a small rag tag delaying force holding out against a Soviet Recon force. Kind of mixing bigger map with smaller forces. I am sure there are some guys who could handle playtesting it as you currently have it set up. Maybe make a new thread with those screenshots and they'll come a runnin'.

[PanzerMike]

Making the trenches deeper looks MUCH better, but your LOS starts to suffer. I just feel that the CM engine at this stage is too limited to truly represent elaborate fixed positions. It is just not where this game really shines IMHO.

[Wodin]

Would work if there was a firestep tile.

Here is what I was thinking. Maybe I have seen too many WW1 movies or something?

Troops climb slightly up out of the trench to engage the enemy. If you head down into the trench, you can run along its length in that zig-zag manner to avoid getting just gunned down by one shell burst or sniper with LOS. Parallel to the front line you have the main forward trenches and reserve trenches. Perpendicular connecting them you get some communication trenches. Maybe the former should be wider than the latter but both should keep even the tallest soldier below LOS.

Now, that said. This is the long term well-prepared trenches. Slit trenches dug out by foot soldiers over a few hours are not sand-bagged and shallower. Like slits!

I think I will go for the style and look I envision and just let you all play it and see what you think. As I said, I am trying to experiment to get it looking nicer and not so wide looking.

Nice map Mark!

I am not trying to knock what you did Panzer Mike. I just want those guys down deeper in the trenches.

I am sober as a judge and have some hours of scenario writing planned tonight.

Tomorrow night is another matter. Need some vodka when I play RT!

[kohlenklau]

Firestep tile?

Sounds like "CM Castle Wolfenstein" to me!

I will try to make a ramp up to the enemy side of the trench and a sandbag fighting position.

[sburke]

That is "Bunkers Burning" and I opened it in the editor. He did use ditch lock and did tuck them down slightly but not to the degree I am trying. I am tired of a soldier standing up in a trench and it is like he is standing up in the middle of a field with no cover and goes down right away.

It is hard to do the elevation changes without something to guide you, so I used dirt roads but then will experiment to not have such a wide effect like the above screenshot. I will try dirt path or just dirt.

We'll see. It is a lot of fun.

One issue I am having is that I tried to have AI engineers clear the mines and/or wire obstacles but it hasn't yet happened with my current AI coding. I will experiment some more. I wanted AI engineers to clear the mines/wire and then advance onward to trigger AI follow on infantry forces or armor to also proceed through the cleared path.

Well you efforts so far are awesome. I never had the opportunity to try the original Bunkers Burning scenario to compare, but I am 3 turns in on yours and having a glorious trench fight. Sinking them lower definitely gives an interesting feel as your guys are racing along the trench line well protected from enemy fire, then you suddenly run into the enemy at short range at intersections or attempting to come in over the top. Very cool.

[kohlenklau]

Thanks Steve for giving it a playtest. Shoot me any constructive criticisms as you think of them...

Anyone else who would like to playtest, just shoot me a PM and I can send it to you.

It has one AI plan now but later I will add more so you can still have some replayability later at the "final" version.

[kohlenklau]

I am waiting on a few folks who promised to play it.

Meanwhile I have been feverishly doing some tweaks based on initial feedback and would appreciate a couple more opinions.

I am having fun playing it. Gritty trench action. Sharpen up your shovels!

PM me if you'd like to give it a try.