Yahoshua Posted August 21, 2006 Share Posted August 21, 2006 A question(s) here. What about squad/group reactions? A soldier in the company fires his rifle without alerting anyone and either everyone starts firing/takes cover/looks around for the enemy/ or stands there looking stupid. Is this going to be modeled as a random reaction that will become more or less common throughout the war/dependent on veteran status and experience either indivdually within a unit or as a unit group? Do you have these sort of group mentality reactions in the game? And along those lines, will you have other units attracted to the noise caused by the enemy or upon hearing sounds of combat, move or request to move toward that area? Will we be able to control individual units and squads? Will we be able to tie a squad to a single commander so we can simply tell the commader to do so-and-such a thing here and there instead of the click/drag move here? And can we specify what formation we want them to use while moving? Can we tell them to take left echelon, right echelon, block, staggered, column etc? Or do they do this on their own? Can we command snipers as individual units or paired teams or will they be integrated as a squad unit? Can we hot-bind units or individuals?(ie. #1-0) Are we able to "customize" indivuals within a unit ie. so-and-so has an mg but I think he'd be better with a sniper rifle and I'll give the mg to.....etc.(I already read about crew individ. swapping but I wasn't sure about this). Are arty pieces individually commanded/placed or are they used as a group? Or is arty an off-map support like Air support? Will forward observers play a role in this as well, or recon aircraft? Likewise, how flexible is air-support? Can you request a strike, and also request for fighter cover like have a fighter patrol over the battle field to fend-off enemy bombers/fighters? (Do the fighter types change throughout the war? As does the varying experience among pilots?) I always found this part to be a useful idea in where AA vehicles may either be unavailable and emplaced AA pieces are immobile or destroyed. It'd be nice to have fighter cover over the battlefield for about 20 mins. or however long the fuel will last for those aircraft. (I'm anxious to get rid of that disgusting thing that Atari calls a game..."Axis & Allies.") I know I'm asking alot all at once, but pls bear with me. (And I know I'm asking this one a bit early, but do you have a Pacific expansion for this in the works as well?) [ August 20, 2006, 09:32 PM: Message edited by: Yahoshua ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moon Posted August 21, 2006 Share Posted August 21, 2006 - What about squad/group reactions? All units (soldiers, tanks, guns) fire at targets within their line of sight only, so if only 2 or 3 of your squad members engage a target while the others don't see it, they will hold fire. Sometimes they get proactive though and decide to get into a better position to fire themselves. Where group reactions come into play in the game strongly though is with regards to morale. Panicking soldiers can create a mass rout of your other squad members. - And along those lines, will you have other units attracted to the noise caused by the enemy or upon hearing sounds of combat, move or request to move toward that area? Yes, units with no orders will sometimes move towards trouble and engage targets on their own. - Will we be able to control individual units and squads? Will we be able to tie a squad to a single commander so we can simply tell the commader to do so-and-such a thing here and there instead of the click/drag move here? The smalles "unit" in the game is the individual soldier. You can give each soldier commands one by one (including where to move and how e.g. crawl, kneel, run; or what weapon to use on what target, including the ability to target just the track of an enemy tank, or the turret...) or you can group soldiers into squads or groups and give them combined commands (including which formation to use for example, or what targets to engage). Squads and groups can be assigned as you wish to any commander or even without a commander, and they will try to execute your orders as best as they can. If the order is to engage and destroy, say, an enemy gun, then your selected soldiers will approach, fire, and even pursue the enemy if need be to carry out their objective. Various commands allow you to finetune the AI behaviour (e.g. assault vs advance) - And can we specify what formation we want them to use while moving? Can we tell them to take left echelon, right echelon, block, staggered, column etc? Or do they do this on their own? When you give a movement order, you may specify a formation. You can choose from line, column, wedge, you can direct your soldiers/units to disperse or close up, or you can also create your own formation by moving each unit into a specific spot and then order your units to keep that formation. Units will not take a formation on their own but will keep the one you ordered. - Can we command snipers as individual units or paired teams or will they be integrated as a squad unit? The game allows you to command each individual soldier, so if you want to take a good shot and a guard with some MP and use them as snipers/scouts, go ahead. You can likewise make a tank commander dismount, scout out some enemy positons and hop back into the tank if you like. - Can we hot-bind units or individuals?(ie. #1-0) If I understand correctly what you mean, then yes. You can create groups and assign them a hotkey. - Are we able to "customize" indivuals within a unit ie. so-and-so has an mg but I think he'd be better with a sniper rifle and I'll give the mg to.....etc.(I already read about crew individ. swapping but I wasn't sure about this). Hmmm... good question, I haven't tried swapping infantry equipment before a mission, but I'll try. Once the mission starts you can pick up weapons from the battlefield. -Are arty pieces individually commanded/placed or are they used as a group? Or is arty an off-map support like Air support? Artillery is off-map like air support. - Will forward observers play a role in this as well, or recon aircraft? No forward observers. Air does report spotted enemy units so you will see them pop up on the map when one of your planes does a flyover. - Likewise, how flexible is air-support? You cannot request for fighter cover, but you might get it by the mission designer. I have had my bombers shot down occasionally by an enemy fighter jumping them right before they were able to delivery their load. I don't think that pilot experience is tracked. And yes, the plane types change during the war. (And I know I'm asking this one a bit early, but do you have a Pacific expansion for this in the works as well?) No, not in the works, but it's certainly possible if the game is successful. 1C does have firm plans for an expansion already, though, just not the Pacific. Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yahoshua Posted August 21, 2006 Author Share Posted August 21, 2006 Thankyou for taking the time to answer my questions (I just had alot to ask all at once). Who is the mission designer for ToW? And should I PM him with this idea or can you pass this along to him? Will there be a mission in where a paratrooper drop is involved? (Something akin to Crete? The aircraft drops the troopers and once they hit the ground the user will take command of the troops?). What about re-supply lines. If my tanks and men run out of ammunition, where do I take them to get more of it? Will there be convoys of trucks delivering ammunition to the lines? And in regards to aircraft, will there be the different types of bombers ie. Stukas, Heinkel, etc. And will there be fighter/bombers, with fighters either being able to carry out a bombing mission or do a strafing run? Will there be any easter eggs? (I always had the thought that soldiers attacking eachother with pointy sticks and rocks was an amusing thought, but anyway....). [ August 21, 2006, 06:40 AM: Message edited by: Yahoshua ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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