10 humble suggestions

[xwormwood]

I should add that all of these suggestions were only made because i already love playing this game the way it hit the market, not because i am unhappy, angry or loathing at or about anything.

1.) Garrison Value

Introduce a garrison value (not unit) for

cities.

ressources,

fortresses,

fortifications and

harbors.

This way you, me and the AI (i think the AI would need this most) wouldn't need to guard these place with combat-units.

On the other hand you could still move your combat unit into a garrisoned tile if you want to.

If i understood Bill101 right the AI tends to protect its bases even if they are not really in danger.

Give the AI cheap or plenty of free garrisons to let her roam the map with combat units.

2.) Enhanced Engineers

Let these units build streets. And if a street was build, let them build rails.

The building process should take its time in mountains and jungle, and should be done a bit quicker in plain tiles.

3.) No autorepair

City bombed to ashes, your mine stomped down, harbor destroyed?

Tough noogies, my friend. You want this mess cleared up, then pay for it.

Else live with the consequences.

4.) No long distance operational movement for fighters or dive bombers

Put these babies on a harbor, load them, transport them, unload them.

There is a reason why carriers were used to transport Wildcats to Wake, Midway or Australia. The reason is limited range and long distances in the pacific.

5.) More descisions for the japanese Player

example a)

Spend in 194X the amount of x Yen for german jet-tech, tank-tech, rocket-tech.

In (insert month and year) a german sub enters the eastern map.

If sub make its run towards the japanes homeland, japenes techs get improved by factor X.

If sub gets sunk, all is lost.

If sub doesn't make its arrival in time (Germany surrendered), the sub surrenders to the allies, giving them some more uranium, hastening up the A-Bomb production (or give one more A-Bomb attack).

example

Build a base (pay first amount X Yen) in Sumatra or Java for german naval units. Put one german sub in the production line, maybe one german raider (strength one) or a single CA as well.

example c)

Use POWs for slave work, build some rail tiles.

If Allied units reach these tiles the crime gets known, fastening the A-Bomb or some units in the production line

example d)

human treatment of the chinese population (lower income, less partisans)

It is nice to get so many descisions as the Allied Player, and somewhat sad to get only one as the Japanese Player (Shinano: CV or BB).

6.) Add more pictures and sounds

I always love (don't get me wrong, please) the radio message about the japanese attack on Pearl Harbour. Bring more of this.

And i love the few picture of the refloated battleship or Admiral Yamamoto.

Add for every ship, or better every unit a picture under properties.

Add more pictures to in-game messages.

Add more pictures to diplomacy menu etc etc.

7.) Give destroyers a +1 or +2 supply-zone of control

(already mentioned this elsewhere, sorry for being repetitive)

For starters it would introduce the Tokyo Express.

But more importantly: all those zero supply islands and places cout be used to fight, because a little supply run from a destroyer would keep units alive there, even if there wouldn't be a natural supply source on the island.

8.) Add more convoy lines

(already mentioned this elsewhere, sorry for being repetitive)

India-Australia

Australia-New Zealand

USA-New Zealand

USA-Australia

India-coastal lines

Australia-coastal lines

USA-coastal lines

9) Punish bad play

When the chinese get pushed back, they receive free reserve units.

If the British get pushed into India, they get free reserve units,

etc. etc.

As good as this is ,

give me some punishment as well after you granted me free units i would have never seen if i wouldn't had been pushed back.

Example:

- End of war in Germany not in May 1945, but later.

- Stall in the production line.

- Uprisings or panic, followed by lower supply or morale

- early indian independence

10.) allow AA-Units to enter ground combat

They can lower their guns, honestly!

[jon_j_rambo]

#3 is interesting

[arado234]

Seems xwormwood has some good ideas.

[scottsmm]

Sure does.

[carverrt]

Your sincerity is understood and appreciated!

Good list.

I’d like to chew on these for a little while and then send my thoughts.

Robert

[Happycat]

These do indeed seem like ideas worthy of consideration. Certainly wouldn't be any harm in trying them in a beta patch, would there?

In addition, consideration might be given to adding another SNLF or two---while this would be slightly ahistorical, I think it would allow a bit quicker expansion throughout Micronesia.

The CRT seems quite bloody; I have seen SNLF's lose 50% of their strength in landings on islands that would be unlikely to have any garrison.

[Retributar]

Me-Think's that most of these suggestion's are workable and employable in this game!. Im against instant repair or instantaneous transport of equipment!.

For Example...if your Aircraft-Factory is obliterated,...then the penalty should be ~6 Month's to repair it!. As far as the "Instantaneous-Relocation" [Operate] of Unit's goes,...that feature should be restricted to an actual historical minimum,...providing it could actually have been carried out!.

As alluded too!,...the JAPANESE had the real possibility of aquiring Physical-Jet-Technology...they already had the research well underway and were in the process of beginning to construct 2000-Jets of various types in preparation for the Allied-Invasion of Mainland Japan!. Those Jet's,...if ever constructed...could have destroyed the Allied Invasion Fleet as it approached Japan!.

The German's were also using long-range 'Condor-Bombers' to fly to the Middle-East,...and then to somewhere in the vicinity of the Japanese Air-Force area of operation's in order to meet and exchange technology!. As mentioned previously,..."Submarines" were also actively used for the same mission as well as for transporting disassembled Jet-Fighters and so on!.

Yes!!!...Yes!!!...Yes!!!,...it's time to make the game 'Much-More-Interesting!!!'.

[jon_j_rambo]

Could use some real Kamakazis

[arado234]

Retributar the Amis.were also testing and did fly two jets.One was the P80 and the other was the FR1 Fireball.They had problems at first as did all countries but they could produce atleast 10x what Japan could hope to build and they had ALOT more pilots and by 1945 way better pilots.

The Amis.by the end of the war had produced(this includes the smaller escort Carriers)140 Carriers.

Majic and Ultra are in noway properly represented in this or anyother

[arado234]

Dont know what happened but as I was saying as far as Ultra and Majic go towards the end the Allies were reading Axis military traffic just as quick as the Axis combat commanders were.Its pretty hard to win when the enemy knows your moves before you even execute them.No hope of suprise in any Major attack(yes I know about the Ardennes offensvie).

Even if Japan had built these jets,where would they find the fuel to train the pilots and use them in combat?By 1945 even Canada was producing more crude than Japan.

If you allow the Atom bomb to be a allowable build(which would only be fair if you give Japan the jet upgrade possibility),all the Amis. have to do is go allout and just start dropping them on Japan.

By mid 1945 it was the little island of Japan vs prettymuch the whole world.Jets or no jets Japan had no hope.Plus the fact the Amis.were major pissed about Pearl Harbour and would stop at nothing untill Japan was wiped out.

The only hope the Axis had to win was to pick on one major power(Britain first)at a time and completely defeat them then move on to the next one.Even by doing this it would have been so hard for the Axis to actually win the war.

[carverrt]

Xwormwood,

I believe your comments will be taken as sincerely as they were meant.

Here are some of my thoughts:

1.) Garrison Value

Garrison values may interrupt the game flow as I see garrison formations as low quality and badly equipped, nothing that would interrupt the size of ground units and time scales currently in the game.

2.) Enhanced Engineers

I have though of these myself, but have not commented. Historically, this is right on target: the Ledo road and the Canadian-Alaska highway are two projects that come to mind. The nature of the Pacific Theater does necessitate a slight focus on logistics and communications.

3.) No autorepair

Interesting and may add a new dimension. Opportunities may exists to integrate enhanced engineers into this idea. But, too many logistic tasks may take the focus away from the flow of combat.

4.) No long distance operational movement for fighters or dive bombers

I am sense this is effecting game balance and the intent of the design. I am starting to read posts about players concentrating their air forces and then swiftly changing to another hot spot. Although a sound strategy, this may be taking away from game play. But, I am not an air expert and have limited knowledge of air ranges of the period and the abilities of air forces to move large groups of aircraft from one side of the globe to the other.

5.) More descisions for the japanese Player

Agreed - if it adds balance. I recommend a focus on political decisions that did or could have had significant impacts.

6.) Add more pictures and sounds

Always a plus, but must add color. A picture that may add the desired flavor may be problematic if copyrighted. But, this is the quickest way to add to the game.

7.) Give destroyers a +1 or +2 supply-zone of control

I think this might be an optional configuration for mini games. Maybe this does not work for the scale of the OpZ map.

8.) Add more convoy lines

The convoy lines you list might be another quick way to add something more to the game. The coastal lines, if I understand you correctly, might not fit the current game as the convoy lines are generally set up between different regions/counties.

9) Punish bad play

Good point. Maybe the AI needs the help, but the player should not get the reinforcements.

10.) allow AA-Units to enter ground combat

The whole concept of a separate AA unit for the OpZ scale seems odd to me. I think we’d be better off adding an AA rating to units on the map. In fact, AA continued improved aboard the IJN & USN ships throughout the war. But, AA units are good in some mini games. Again, it comes down to scale and scope.

[scottsmm]

9. Just great that means I'll have to deal with even more Chinese armies. I've already had to deal with a ton between all new unit scripts, US sending units there, communitist Chinese, etc. It's a good idea just please spear us from all these Chinese units which are already beginning to bog my advance down in Asia, add that to the USSR, British India, and that's simply unbearable for the Japanese player (nevermind the US). As it is Japan is already great overwhelmed in the Production queue. If you go through with this one just please think about play balance first. Everything else sounds great especially #10. Anyone remember what was the most feared weapon that allied soldiers experenced. Hint it had to do with AA guns. So if that goes through it should go through for every game from SC ET to SC PT.

[abukede]

I would like to see the introduction of brigades to the game. Very much like research but say each corps could accept a brigade and each army could accept two brigades. Brigades could be broken down as follows:

AAA

Anti-Tank/Inf

Tank

[scottsmm]

brigades would be a good idea for miny campagin's, but not sure about Operation Z.

[Blashy]

Op Z is strategic overall, brigade would bring in too much tactical and micromanaging.

The beauty of SC series is they are not about micromanaging. This is what keeps me coming back to this game.

[thetwo]

Amen Blashy. Hubert's ability to keep focused on what's important has keep the series going strong.

Of all the suggestions made, the garrison idea seems the one that might have the most staying power. If a garrison worked something like aircraft on an aircraft carrier. It could automatically build up over successive turns. One point per turn, using the existing code structure. Starting level of one on the turn of capture (subtracting one strength point from the capturing unit). Max level of 5. A city would then show two numbers e.g. 10/5 at full strength.

Garrisons could be placed for resources too.

The garrison would have strength 1 for infantry defense and 0 for all other ratings.

Possible combat scenarios:

Direct attack without another unit present - the garrison would defend and if defeated the city would fall.

Direct attack with another combat unit present - the regular combat unit takes over the defense of the city. Only its values would be used.

Ranged/strategic attack - either tie the garrison's losses directly to the strength of the city/resource, i.e each 2 points lost from the city reduces garrison by 1 or create a seperate attack against the garrison's resources.

Keeping garrisons from becoming a micromanage issue would be a highly desireable outcome. If it could be done in such a way that the AI would be freed from seeing rear area cities as vulnerable, then it might result in a most significant recasting of how solo play evolves.