I am reading!

[Vic]

Just wanted to let all posters in this subforum know I am reading and taking notes. Coming weeks I ll be shifting from repairs to additions and there are plenty of good suggestions here.

Best wishes, vic

[Frostwave]

good to know This game is already feature rich excited to see what gets added!

[Vhalor]

Looking forward to the Cult of LIS then! [8D]

[Jdane]

You can ask Laiders and WeaverOfThreads for quotes to flesh out the fluff of the LIS Cult, they have a striking talent for it.

[GodwinW]

Since this subforum is also for feedback, let me just say something I just experienced something I found truly awesome and I wish there was more of (there is probably, but it could be more frequent imo)

I just had a Decision: "Our Spies in Tiefavia Found Info"

Their leader had been up to no good and I had the choice which Faction to divulge it to.

This made me look through all reports (Economy, Domain, Trade etc.) and there is so much! Found who the Leader himself was part of (I hope.. it is the leading Faction in any case) and made sure not to choose that one but one that a military leader was part of, hoping for some extra effect.

But this made me really wish there were more things we could piece together from such reports. Maybe the relations between his cabinet members for example, making it even better if we choose low relation targets (and maybe that's possible and 6 spies isn't enough).

But there are Trade details, Assets details etc. I would really like it if searching through them would be rewarded at times.

(Also the Major AI both buy and sell the same resource (all Public trade btw! private of course can well be different), is this a bug or mismanagement or neither?)

[FAA]

Great! Hope to see the game becoming more realistic soon!

[Utahphil1]

Can you please, please, please add some type of in-game tutorial so that I can enjoy this game? I am aware of the DasTactics videos but some are really long and some are rather repetitive without doing much for me on getting into the meat of what looks like a fun game. I bought Shadow Empire based upon the amazing reviews but each time I start it, I feel like I am just wandering out clicking on random things. I do not even understand why I am clicking on big cards shown to me. It is so very frustrating, like maybe buying a puzzle without a cover. Guessing my way through what I am supposed to do shouldn't really be part of a game. At least the basics should be explained.

[Rodia]

ORIGINAL: Utahphil1

Can you please, please, please add some type of in-game tutorial so that I can enjoy this game? I am aware of the DasTactics videos but some are really long and some are rather repetitive without doing much for me on getting into the meat of what looks like a fun game. I bought Shadow Empire based upon the amazing reviews but each time I start it, I feel like I am just wandering out clicking on random things. I do not even understand why I am clicking on big cards shown to me. It is so very frustrating, like maybe buying a puzzle without a cover. Guessing my way through what I am supposed to do shouldn't really be part of a game. At least the basics should be explained.

There's a manual in PDF format. You don't need to read it from the start to finish, but being on PDF, it's easy to search for any topic.

Keep going against the AI, last night I learned how to build assets and develop artillery and other new units, and now I'm beginning to get it.

Maybe I'm from another generation (older), but I love discovering a game step by step like this one.

[Vic]

In the weeks to come I hope to focus the shift of the Open Beta's towards finetuning and balancing. Will be implementing a number of suggestions posted in this forum. More news soon.

[Vic]

Posted v1.08.03 open beta which includes quite a number of balancing and finetuning changes.

I'll keep reading this forum. And still have a lot of items on my lists.

Thanks for all the feedback.

Best wishes,
Vic

[Kuokkanen]

Vic, have you seen thread The State of Digital Wargames Nov. 2021 under General Discussion yet? A lot of general ideas and recap about wargames in general. I'll quote here one of my own posts:

[quote]Some interesting discussion about AI. I have some experiences to share. I recall reading a game review about a helicopter sim, Comanche I believe. Reviewer describes he ordered a wingman to attack an enemy helicopter. He expected AI wingman to fly straight toward the target, but instead wingman stopped in a mountain pass or something, and waited there to ambush the incoming enemy. It worked.

I had played Command & Conquer 3 demo, skirmish. I got some infantry ready and sent them along a road to do some recon. Along came enemy infantry force. Seeing my numerical superiority, enemy infantry turned around and occupied a building that was behind of them. BRILLIANT move from AI! That right there sold the game for me, and I bought the full game on DVD.

I remember watching a friend playing Combat Mission 2 demo. AI's Red (Army) soldiers started throwing Molotov cocktails at flamethrower tank. Tank put on reverse gear, cocktails fell short, and then tank returned fire with a MG 34 WITHOUT PLAYER INPUT!

I'd LOVE to see more of this sort of stuff in turn based and wego games. I want to see my AI soldiers and officers to use their own consideration, decision making, and initiative. I want to see my aircraft flying on appropriate altitude without me giving an order for it. I want to give my recon unit an order to do recon (or to hold fire) and them doing so without revealing themselves to an enemy by attacking them first. I want to see my ATG crew to take stock of available ammunition and consider should they fire at a new target, or wait for it to come closer for better hit chance and penetration (or leave the Jeep for nearby machine gun crew). I want to see that same ATG crew to panic, shoot too early, and run away while leaving the gun behind.

ARE YOU PAYING ATTENTION, DEVELOPERS!?

[zgrssd]

ORIGINAL: Kuokkanen

Vic, have you seen thread The State of Digital Wargames Nov. 2021 under General Discussion yet? A lot of general ideas and recap about wargames in general. I'll quote here one of my own posts:

Some interesting discussion about AI. I have some experiences to share. I recall reading a game review about a helicopter sim, Comanche I believe. Reviewer describes he ordered a wingman to attack an enemy helicopter. He expected AI wingman to fly straight toward the target, but instead wingman stopped in a mountain pass or something, and waited there to ambush the incoming enemy. It worked.

I had played Command & Conquer 3 demo, skirmish. I got some infantry ready and sent them along a road to do some recon. Along came enemy infantry force. Seeing my numerical superiority, enemy infantry turned around and occupied a building that was behind of them. BRILLIANT move from AI! That right there sold the game for me, and I bought the full game on DVD.

I remember watching a friend playing Combat Mission 2 demo. AI's Red (Army) soldiers started throwing Molotov cocktails at flamethrower tank. Tank put on reverse gear, cocktails fell short, and then tank returned fire with a MG 34 WITHOUT PLAYER INPUT!

I'd LOVE to see more of this sort of stuff in turn based and wego games. I want to see my AI soldiers and officers to use their own consideration, decision making, and initiative. I want to see my aircraft flying on appropriate altitude without me giving an order for it. I want to give my recon unit an order to do recon (or to hold fire) and them doing so without revealing themselves to an enemy by attacking them first. I want to see my ATG crew to take stock of available ammunition and consider should they fire at a new target, or wait for it to come closer for better hit chance and penetration (or leave the Jeep for nearby machine gun crew). I want to see that same ATG crew to panic, shoot too early, and run away while leaving the gun behind.

ARE YOU PAYING ATTENTION, DEVELOPERS!?

All those details do not realy work in Vics games. Combat on that detail level is not actually simulated. Unless there is a game I am not aware off?

In Shadow Empire, the fact that Tanks "might drive reverse to let enemy molotovs fall short" (or just plain stay out of Improvised Weapon Range) is handeled by the Experience Bonus to combat values.
The general ability of a vehicle to do ambush style attacks, is a combination of Defensive Combat Value and Entrenchment.
Scoutings parties taking cover in buildings? General Terrain Modifiers for ruins.

The scenarios you described are all things that happen during the combat resolution. They are not a thing that will be visible on the strategic level.

[Satsuma]

Hi Vic !

I just wanted to let you know that I found your game is simply brilliant , although there's room for improvement , but you know it because you are at it .

I'm wargamer since many years, (mostly Pz General , then PzKorps ) , but I was never hooked by operationnal wargame ; I purchased and tried to love HOI , but no joy .

Then ... I discovered Shadow Empire .

Now , game after game , I'm more and more addicted . Well done Vic .

I just wanted to say for the feedback that :

- maybe it would be great to add a kind of "stock exchange" system for the goods , which you could tune by yourself : you could set the economical advisor to automatically sell or buy goods at a certain price and vice versa , as in Victoria game .

Again, ty for this incredible piece of art .

[Kuokkanen]

ORIGINAL: zgrssd

The scenarios you described are all things that happen during the combat resolution. They are not a thing that will be visible on the strategic level.

Now now [:-]
AI infantry unit in Shadow Empire or equivalent game could well get a move on away from player (or other enemy) unit and take refuge in an urban/forest/mountain hex. Any unit on any side could retreat under attack to more favourable terrain, instead just away from the attacker.

[shavius]

plz have a think about thishttps://www.matrixgames.com/forums/viewtopic.ph ... 2&t=371962

[tdoggs99]

Dear Vic,

Love shadow empire!

For the new water dlc, the older air and ground forces, is there or will there be an auto design and auto force generation? I have gotten into the late game twice and my attention is taken away from the big war to design models every turn.

The aircraft design is hard at the beginning with no efficiency bonuses. An option for both auto-generation forces and auto-model improvement would keep me in the game and dealing the death blows to those other major’s

Respectfully
T

[tdoggs99]

Hello Vic, I understand you are interested in aviation systems in Shadow Empire. From what you have shared, it seems like there may be some opportunities for improvement in the current aviation systems.

One suggestion to consider is to adopt a design similar to the video game "War in the East," which features brigade-level mobile airfields. This would allow the aviation systems to better integrate with the ground war, leading to a more seamless gameplay experience.

By using brigade-level airfields, aircraft units can be deployed and managed more effectively, with a greater degree of coordination between air and ground forces. This can lead to more strategic and tactical options for the player, allowing for more complex and rewarding gameplay.

Overall, adopting a new aviation system based on the "War in the East" model could provide Shadow Empire with a more comprehensive and engaging gameplay experience. I hope this explanation helps you understand the potential benefits of such a change.

[tdoggs99]

I might have found a bug in the base game while playing a standard nemesis/earth game. The Nemesis player started beating another neighbor. The neighboring republic and I became very close. We were levels two and three for everything. We signed a friendship pact and then a victory pact.

We were still best friends two or three turns later, but the friendship and victory packs were gone. I had to reuse the friendship and victory pact cards. No warning or reason for them two breaks the pacts or degrades them without any player feedback loop. Something similar happens in my last game. I had a victory pact with my neighbor and attacked a different neighbor. The neighbor I had the victory pact with went to war with me. I talked to BattleMod in the discord. He said I should upload the saved files.

Also, I am getting an error .se1 load save file from the website. I tried to put my save file as an attachment

[tdoggs99]

Dear Vic,

Firstly, I would like to express my appreciation for creating such an interesting and engaging game like Shadow Empire. I have been playing it for a while now, and I am thoroughly enjoying it. However, I have come across a possible bug that I would like to bring to your attention.

It seems that the foreign affairs counsel character is experiencing an issue with her skill development. Despite using her diplomatic skill five times in a row, the experience points are going toward her tactical combat skills instead of her diplomacy skill. This seems to be happening consistently, and I don't think it's intentional.

I just wanted to bring this to your attention as it may be impacting other players' experiences as well and would appreciate it if you could look into this issue and address it in a future update if possible.

Thank you for taking the time to read my post and for creating such a great game. I look forward to continuing my adventures in Shadow Empire.

Best regards,
Tom "Tdoggs"

[tdoggs99]

Exploring the Complexities of Shadow Empire's DLC: An After-Action Report

The recent DLC for Shadow Empire introduces a layer of complexity to the game, both intriguing and challenging. Despite some issues with cohesion, it offers an engaging and enjoyable gameplay experience. My observations from a recent playthrough, set against the backdrop of the planet Gaia, are as follows:

As a background, I have about 488 hours of experience in Shadow Empire, and this was my first encounter with the DLC. The game was played on a heavily jungled planet with high mountains, using two visual enhancement mods, including the DazTac terrain mod, and on the 1.25(beta patch) with medium logistics. The game was set with a few notable parameters: slower technological progress than usual, which may have had a significant impact on the gameplay dynamics, particularly on the major factions. The environment of the Gaia planet was slightly toxic, allowing for regular farming but not supporting food production from aquatic sources. This environmental feature could potentially be a significant gameplay bug.

The minor AI dynamics in the game were particularly noteworthy. The minor factions showed a marked improvement, often upgrading faster than their major counterparts. This led to more challenging encounters with these factions. The strengthened minor AI extends the early game, but its overall impact on the gameplay balance is uncertain. It may contribute to the challenges the major AI faces in the game's later stages.

On the other hand, the major factions appeared weaker, struggling with logistics and power management. This imbalance led to a major faction's army collapsing around turn 70, allowing me to take control of 47% of the world's population. Another major faction collapsed around turn 90, leaving behind empty cities and giving the game an unexpected twist. The AI's possible misjudgment in food acquisition from the sea, compounded by the strong minor AI and slow technological progress, could have contributed to this downfall. There was also a tendency for the AI to build inefficient buildings and spread its population thin without adequate power and food. However, this is only speculation.

In conclusion, my experience with the DLC was positive despite a notable AI issue. I plan to start another run with the same settings and remove the slow tech progress to see if the 'Major AI food/Power/ American political system bug' still persists. This approach will allow me to see again these settings' impact on the game's AI. The potential for uncovering and understanding more about this bug presents an intriguing challenge for further exploration. I am open to sharing more details, including save files and game metrics, for a deeper analysis of the DLC's impact on gameplay.