Game options - suggestions

[gingerbread]

To enhance replay value vs. AI and to add handicap/what if, I'd like to suggest some configurable options

Weather bias - some percentage that would be in effect for, say first game year
Increased chance that German HQ convert rail
Increase/decrease US lend lease of trucks
Earlier German synthetic fuel capability (or simply more supply available)
Japan at war with USSR - no Sibirians, no LL through Pacific, possibly more LL via other routes.

Plenty of room for more suggestions...

Some simple interface needed or editable .txt file that can be loaded as a mod.

Feasible?

g

[jaw]

My replies are in red .

ORIGINAL: gingerbread

To enhance replay value vs. AI and to add handicap/what if, I'd like to suggest some configurable options

Weather bias - some percentage that would be in effect for, say first game year

No but that might be someone's mod

Increased chance that German HQ convert rail

No but again it might be a mod

Increase/decrease US lend lease of trucks

In an abstract way, yes

Earlier German synthetic fuel capability (or simply more supply available)

Yes

Japan at war with USSR - no Sibirians, no LL through Pacific, possibly more LL via other routes.

No but someone could do a custom scenario like that

Plenty of room for more suggestions...

Some simple interface needed or editable .txt file that can be loaded as a mod.

Feasible? Game will come with an editor

g

[Hard Sarge]

Increased chance that German HQ convert rail

No but again it might be a mod


don't forget, the HQ does not convert rails (as such), you have (as GE) 5 controllable repair units, and a stack full of AI controlled repair units

as the war goes on, the SU also gets controllable repair units

[Hard Sarge]

here is a screen shot of one of my repair units

[Hard Sarge]

and one of some the GE AI repair units, busy little buggers

[gingerbread]

Thanks for these screen shots, Hard Sarge!

Is there a requirement to convert from an already proper gauge hex or can you start anywhere?

g

[Hard Sarge]

overall, need to be next to already good rail line, so, no, you can't just rush out and start building anyplace, in my screenshot of my guy, I need him up north (already finished the line in this area) but to get there, I need to refix the line going there)

and just found out the Germans cut the line going into Stalingrad, these units are worth there weight in gold, at times, even more so them a Good Armored unit (well, PZ Divs are plain nasty, SU Tank Corps are more for exploting)

easier to fix tracks in Litho--------, then Russia

from the AARs, you may see, the Railheads are very importent

[FM WarB]

How intelligent are these PC rail repair units in choosing what lines to repair and can the player influence such choices?

Will the German player find it useful to have Rail Repair units prepared to repair redamaged rail hexes caused by partisans?

[Hard Sarge]

overall, the AI repair units are for the northsouth lines, cross lines and what not, your job is the west east lines, but, they will move and fix west east also

(basicly, your going to be driving your units to get a rail line to the front as fast as you can, the AI is going to repair most of the rest of the tracks, and yes, it does a very good job at fixing cut lines)

the AI will have a mind of it's own (I just build 4 RR repair guys in the Chrimia, when I seen them next, they were around Leningrad)

so, the AI picks where it thinks is important (it was)

so next turn, I built a bunch of them up by Leningrad, to see if I could the Chrimia lines worked on !!!!

[Zovs]

In my tests as the Soviets in 43/44 the best idea is to pick a front that is advancing and have a RR move through that area going westwards (you have 2 at the start of 43 and get two more later on), next I'll detach RR from the HQ and then they will get auto deployed where ever the AI thinks to place them (no logic or reason it seems, but in my test a lot went north when I broke the Leningrad blockage and captured Narva). In the south I used about 10-15 detached units from the Fronts to help the mobile RR units fix things since that was the most fluid section of the war in my tests.

[FM WarB]

It seems to me, based on playtesters' responses that letting the PO (Programmed Opponent, its not an artificial intelligence) do thigs randomly after you micromanage a bit, indicates a problem. Cutting down on micromanagement may be good, but this description of RR repair does not seem to do it well enough. Perhaps more player control, within historical limitations would be better.

[elmo3]

Each side has a number of RR units for the player to control.  The rest are AI controlled and IMHO do a good job filling in the less important rail lines and, for the Axis, repairing partisan damage.  There are more important things to micromanage in this game than side tracks.

[PyleDriver]

Really RR repair is such a key. Each side has special Corps that you control, where, when and why is the difference. As Lee stated then the AI kicks in with smaller battilions repairing the side streets. It works out very well, or you would go crazy...

[ComradeP]

Is there a specific date when the Soviets can start building RR units? It seems that, if they only start to appear in 1943 or so, any Soviet offensive prior to that time would be automatically futile as you can't repair the railroads you need. That is, unless the Soviets do get AI RR units prior to that time, which isn't clear from the previous posts.

[Hard Sarge]

no, you can build them from the start, the ones you can control don't come in, until later