First Impressions

From the first clash at Manassas to the epic confrontation between Lee and Grant, the Brother Against Brother series will bring new levels of historical detail and realism to the battles of the Civil War. This regimental-level game, created by the developers of the award-winning Forge of Freedom, builds on that game’s acclaimed tactical engine, adding scrupulously researched orders of battle, high-quality map graphics, command and control rules reflecting the numerous challenges faced by army commanders, and plenty other features. Beginning with The Drawing of The Sword – which recreates the pivotal opening battles at Manassas , Wilson ’s Creek, Mill Springs and Williamsburg – Brother Against Brother lets you refight the Civil War from start to finish.

Moderators: ericbabe, Gil R.

RobearGWJ
Posts: 50
Joined: Sat Jul 10, 2010 5:28 pm

RE: First Impressions

Post by RobearGWJ »

It appears that the ai gets a huge advantage, even set to corporal. When I set the game to play the ai (highest setting was Lt. Col), the ai was scoring huge casualties consistently, even on corporal, no matter which side I played, while the casualties I inflicted were more towards the norm. Not knowing exactly what each difficulty level means in terms of game play and ai advantage, I'm not sure how to gauge the results.

Just taking a stab in the dark - my favorite kind of stab - I wonder if maybe your guys were set to "Advance" instead of "Assault"? That, or you didn't have skirmishers out? Also, did you have more than about 350 guys in your unit? That triggers extra casualties.

I find that I can usually keep casualties even or better than my opponents unless I either screw up my stances, are in a very exposed location, or start taking more fire than I'm giving. It's when I have someone with an exposed flank, or I forget to change from Advance as I close, that I start stacking up bodies.
User avatar
Duck Doc
Posts: 738
Joined: Wed Jun 09, 2004 12:22 am

RE: First Impressions

Post by Duck Doc »


Playing 1.03b. Found the small Blackburn's Ford scenario and like the size a lot. However on page76 in the manual it talks about Big Creeks and Exceptions to the Minimum Movement Rule. It says at first that Big Creeks like Bull Run normally cannot be crossed but in the next section it says that they can be crossed but it may take more turns. In fact as the Union I traveled with an entire brigade through some woods with artillery and supply wagons and crossed without much delay. So, what is happening? Reading The Early Morning Of War about Bull Run One now but early on in the book (nothing like a great game to stimulate some reading) and I don't recall in my reading done previously about large scale crossings like this. Maybe my memory fails.
User avatar
ericbabe
Posts: 11848
Joined: Wed Mar 23, 2005 3:57 am
Contact:

RE: First Impressions

Post by ericbabe »

It's hard to reply without knowing the particular details? Were the units crossing at a ford?
Image
User avatar
Duck Doc
Posts: 738
Joined: Wed Jun 09, 2004 12:22 am

RE: First Impressions

Post by Duck Doc »

Hexes just NW of Mitchell's Ford, monitor-wise, setting across from hexes 170,131-133. 'Easy-peasy' there. Not that I would recommend it again. You learn a lot from your mistakes. [:D]

VegasOZ
Posts: 295
Joined: Wed Jul 30, 2014 6:26 pm

RE: First Impressions

Post by VegasOZ »

Is there a Zoom closer than what is shown in the screenshots?
User avatar
Gil R.
Posts: 10820
Joined: Fri Apr 01, 2005 4:22 am

RE: First Impressions

Post by Gil R. »

I'm not sure which screenshots you've seen, so I can't say for certain. In general, the game zooms pretty far in. If you point to a thread with specific screenshots then it would be easier to say.
Michael Jordan plays ball. Charles Manson kills people. I torment eager potential customers by not sharing screenshots of "Brother Against Brother." Everyone has a talent.
VegasOZ
Posts: 295
Joined: Wed Jul 30, 2014 6:26 pm

RE: First Impressions

Post by VegasOZ »

ORIGINAL: Gil R.

I'm not sure which screenshots you've seen, so I can't say for certain. In general, the game zooms pretty far in. If you point to a thread with specific screenshots then it would be easier to say.

The screenshots on the Product Information page are the ones I am referring to. Is that the Highest level of Zoom IN?

Is the maximum Zoom In the same as it is in Forge of Freedom for example?
User avatar
Gil R.
Posts: 10820
Joined: Fri Apr 01, 2005 4:22 am

RE: First Impressions

Post by Gil R. »

ORIGINAL: VegasOZ
ORIGINAL: Gil R.

I'm not sure which screenshots you've seen, so I can't say for certain. In general, the game zooms pretty far in. If you point to a thread with specific screenshots then it would be easier to say.

The screenshots on the Product Information page are the ones I am referring to. Is that the Highest level of Zoom IN?

Is the maximum Zoom In the same as it is in Forge of Freedom for example?


Gotcha. I can't really compare the zoom to FOF, which I don't yet have installed on my new laptop. The closest zoom level would be comparable, though. More importantly, you mentioned the screenshots on the product info page, so I checked, and the main six images are zoomed out, but if you click to see all fourteen images then the third one, showing redoubts 9 & 10, gives you some idea of the zoom level when zoomed all the way in, or close to it.
Michael Jordan plays ball. Charles Manson kills people. I torment eager potential customers by not sharing screenshots of "Brother Against Brother." Everyone has a talent.
User avatar
Duck Doc
Posts: 738
Joined: Wed Jun 09, 2004 12:22 am

RE: First Impressions

Post by Duck Doc »

Noticed artillery firing when limbered on occasions. Is this correct behavior?
User avatar
ericbabe
Posts: 11848
Joined: Wed Mar 23, 2005 3:57 am
Contact:

RE: First Impressions

Post by ericbabe »

Artillery isn't properly limbered/unlimbered in BAB. Limbering only took a few minutes historically and because happened so quickly relative to the scale of our turns we don't model artillery as being limbered/unlimbered, rather our line/column status for artillery is more a measure of artillery being fully (line) or partially (column) deployed. Partially deployed artillery can still fire, just not as well.
Image
User avatar
Duck Doc
Posts: 738
Joined: Wed Jun 09, 2004 12:22 am

RE: First Impressions

Post by Duck Doc »

Makes sense. I'll think of it as static vice moving or moved. Thanks,
User avatar
Duck Doc
Posts: 738
Joined: Wed Jun 09, 2004 12:22 am

RE: First Impressions

Post by Duck Doc »


Grabbed the 1.06 beta. Like the older counter art with the NATO icons better. New ones are too fuzzy for me. Can I get rid of the patch and re-apply the 1.05 update?

The echelon colors don't show well either on the NATO icons. They do on the 3D sprites. Is there a way to display them elsewhere and not on the NATO icons?

Also, for example, playing Wilson's Creek as the Union Lyon has 5 units (eg. Voerster's Pioneer Company and 4 others) which show correctly in the 3D sprite view only Lyon's color but in the OOB window they share Sweeny's green color and they should not. I realize this is nit-picking but it is confusing. Maybe the whole color scheme is more trouble than it's worth.
User avatar
berto
Posts: 21461
Joined: Wed Mar 13, 2002 1:15 am
Location: metro Chicago, Illinois, USA
Contact:

RE: First Impressions

Post by berto »


I have mixed feelings about the new counter art. It harmonizes better with the map art. But the unit echelon colors mesh better with the older, two-color counter art. Maybe reduce in size the echelon colors graphics. Show more blue & gray, less fruit salad!

Still, overall, it's a step (two steps forward, one step back) in the right direction.

For some reason, the Confederate counters look better than the Union ones. Maybe it's because the echelon colors don't clash so much with gray as they do with dark blue.
Campaign Series Legion https://cslegion.com/
Campaign Series Lead Coder https://www.matrixgames.com/forums/view ... hp?f=10167
Panzer Campaigns, Panzer Battles Lead Coder https://wargameds.com
User avatar
zakblood
Posts: 22722
Joined: Thu Oct 04, 2012 11:19 am

RE: First Impressions

Post by zakblood »

this for me is where i'd like the modders to take over and not include stuff in a patch, so for those who wish to use old ones can and those who wish to use new one can load them themselves, as it's a option, a patch includes it for everyone so then it's not a users choices, as while it only effects looks, for me and not a game altering item, i'd like the choice...

as i'd already altered mine and altered other stuff as well, now the patch has altered it back and added some of it's own as well, so now i have to alter it again[:D][;)]

while it's no big deal, it is to some
Windows 11 Pro 64-bit (10.0, Build 22621) (22621.ni_release.220506-1250)
Post Reply

Return to “Brother against Brother: The Drawing of the Sword”