Proposals for 3.4(b)

JAMiAM

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Back to more mundane requests. I've noticed that the French airframes of the D500/D510's have a rate of 10 per turn, yet so far, none of the French air units take any of these. You think you could add some slots to the on board French air units, so that they can absorb these replacements?
 

Mark Stevens

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Bizarre, isn't it: the only air unit I can see that uses these aircraft is the Late War French fighter, which won't even enter most games.

Let me consult SkyVon's mighty work and see what should be done.
 

Mark Stevens

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He reckons the thing was pretty well obselete and that there were just a few left in service with the second line squadrons in North Africa. I'll add a slot to the French North Africa fighter unit, it's Admiral Darlan replacement, and the Vichy Mediterranean air unit, but reduce production to 1 per turn.

Unless anyone knows different?

I'm also splitting those giant 'French Reserve' units from three huge corps into nine division sized units and having them deploy individually in the major French cities. Still a move of one, same troops and equipment pro-rata, still very low (25%) proficiency, still triggered when the Axis gets to within two hexes of Paris. That's a better representation of the French calling up their last reserves than having them gather in three mighty bodies.
 

Bdr.Mallette

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hey,

spelling error around 3,102.
Also, rail line is broken there. purposely?

heheheh.

Plus...if you make a big mistake...the AXIS WILL WIN......FOR SURE...DAMN!

If AXIS decide to go for HORN, and the rest of AFRICA, Brits should have an extra CORPS or 2 that will have to be drafted to defend the territories in Africa. Even if they are not that highly proficient. Something should be done.

Anyhoo...on with the battle.

bdr
 

JAMiAM

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Mark,

Please amend the briefing to state that the Case Yellow Offensive shock period is 3-4 turns long. The way that you have the event structured for the OKH pause, dropping it to 90% shock, has a delay of 3, and a turn range of 2, which means that the drop from 175 to 90 shock may be either 3 or 4 turns later. Pelle is rudely surprising me with a turn "extra" of uber shock, when my meticulous planning only allowed for three turns. Truth be told, I had forgotten that it was 3 even, and initially expected only 2 (confusing the duration with the Low Countries option). Two turns of surprise in a row is more than I can handle... ;)
 

Panzerpelle

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JAMiAM said:
Mark,

Please amend the briefing to state that the Case Yellow Offensive shock period is 3-4 turns long. The way that you have the event structured for the OKH pause, dropping it to 90% shock, has a delay of 3, and a turn range of 2, which means that the drop from 175 to 90 shock may be either 3 or 4 turns later. Pelle is rudely surprising me with a turn "extra" of uber shock, when my meticulous planning only allowed for three turns. Truth be told, I had forgotten that it was 3 even, and initially expected only 2 (confusing the duration with the Low Countries option). Two turns of surprise in a row is more than I can handle... ;)
:whist: :shock: :surprise: :wow1:
 

Mark Stevens

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Will do, but I LIKE the idea that players don't know exactly how many turns of whatever bonuses and penalties there may be, or when winter, mud, etc., may start and end, and I've tried to put in small variables whenever I can without wasting Events.

There wasn't the opportunity for meticulous weekly planning in WWII - if you were thinking that the Germans were bound to run out of steam and couldn't possibly maintain their offensive for another week, but you then find that they do, that puts you nicely in the position of the French General Staff in Spring-Summer 1940, rather than that of a chess Grandmaster coolly observing the board in 2005.

Equally, Pelle could have been counting on it and have found that the bonus ran out earlier than he expected.

I want the scenario to be messy and unpredictable - war is - but I agree that the Briefing should mention the possibility. If I could, I'd make more things variable. And not tell anyone. Ha! :laugh:

'No plan survives first contact with the enemy' Von Moltke the Elder (I think)
 

JAMiAM

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Mark Stevens said:
Will do, but I LIKE the idea that players don't know exactly how many turns of whatever bonuses and penalties there may be, or when winter, mud, etc., may start and end, and I've tried to put in small variables whenever I can without wasting Events.

There wasn't the opportunity for meticulous weekly planning in WWII - if you were thinking that the Germans were bound to run out of steam and couldn't possibly maintain their offensive for another week, but you then find that they do, that puts you nicely in the position of the French General Staff in Spring-Summer 1940, rather than that of a chess Grandmaster coolly observing the board in 2005.

Equally, Pelle could have been counting on it and have found that the bonus ran out earlier than he expected.

I want the scenario to be messy and unpredictable - war is - but I agree that the Briefing should mention the possibility. If I could, I'd make more things variable. And not tell anyone. Ha! :laugh:

'No plan survives first contact with the enemy' Von Moltke the Elder (I think)
Trust me, I don't mind the variability. It was just that I was "banking" on 3 turns of shock, then a break, since the briefing said 3 turns, instead of what is effectively a range of 3-4 turns.

Of course, it may not have *seemed* that way, to any casual observer today who may have heard me cursing at the computer, from behind the credenza at work "What the f*ck? Case Yellow is only 3 turns! He can't do THAT at 90% shock! How the HELL is he managing that?!?!?" while watching the replay of Pelle's turn. :mad: :blab: :angry:

LoL...I'm sure it's some of the same frustration on his part, while my forces in Fortress Narvik have held his hounds at bay for the last 30 turns... :laugh:
 

JAMiAM

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Mark, I've found a problem with one of the Italian OOB units, namely the XIV Corps. It is set to arrive in hex (75,74) which is an Alpine hex. Since the hex is unplayable for land units, the unit just sits on the reinforcement track all game long.
 

JAMiAM

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Mark Stevens said:
Oh bugger, you're right. Will this torment never end? Correct version posted, but I'm not calling it 3.4(c)!
Would you call it "c" if I pointed you to a UK Armored Brigade that each you, Pelle and I missed that is overassigned equipment? ;)
 

Mark Stevens

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Before I post it, I've been tinkering with one or two other things - are there any other errors anyone's noticed?

Correct deployment of the Italian XIV Corps - can't appear as it's an Alpine hex

Broken down the imaginary (? - I can't find any reference to them anywhere) German Bef 101 & 102 Security Corps and replaced them with the eleven numbered security divisions that actually existed - all '2-5's, no heavy weaponry, 40% proficiency, only the early forming ones reconstitute.

Just for the look of the thing, made that snowy winter effect appear for the duration of the Sitzkrieg

(This'll upset someone...) Removed the German III Motorised Corps from Von Kuechler's 3rd Army in East Prussia and now have it forming in 1941, when it did. XIV,XV & XVI Motorised Corps, which were around in 1939, are still in place on the Poles' western border. This leaves the 3rd Army with I & XXI Infantry Corps, XV Border Guard, and a garrison and flak division. Nothing to stop the Axis player shipping something heavier to East Prussia before the offensive begins.

Any other minor corrections that anyone's noticed?
 

JAMiAM

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Referencing 3.4a, so I don't know if it has been tweaked since, but the weather effects over the course of the game (through turn 64, 9/15/40, with Bdr.Mallette) seem to be a bit screwy. All during the course of the summer, there have been snowy hexes in much of the mountainous terrain. Lots of rainfall, as well.

There is a map change and clarification that is desperately needed. As the Axis, I have taken Senegal, from the Darlan French, by alternately invading and trekking over the long road through the desert. The only supply to Dakar is by that road to the north, and leading out of it to the south, through Nigeria to South Africa. The way the road winds through that section of the map, it is too easy for one to cut the supply to Dakar, by marching a sacrificial unit from Nigeria through the sand to sit astride the road. Given that the map note for Nigeria states "No Axis Invasions at all. Allied Staging Area only," it is ambiguous as to whether the Axis can force an overland campaign to secure the supply lines to Dakar. If they don't then there is no real defensible point along the southern borders of French North Africa. It seems to be a rather silly situation at present. Was the map note intention to prevent Axis Sea/Paratroop invasions? Or, is it supposed to be a blanket restriction against the Axis ever going into Nigeria. I can understand a general restriction against the sea/para invasions for range and naval force projection difficulties, however the overland restriction doesn't seem right. Please clarify the intent.
 

Mark Stevens

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The intention was (i) to model Dakar as a potential thorn in the side of the Allied route to South Africa if occupied and used as a naval base by either the Vichy French or other Axis units. It isn't mean to be an integral part of the campaign for North Africa (ii) Nigeria was put in to allow for the fact that Allied units being shipped via the Cape Town route couldn't make the journey in one hop, leaving them very vunerable to Axis bombing/sea bombardment if they didn't have a friendly port to stop at during their journey.

Dakar was attacked during the war, but by sea assault, not a land invasion.

Nigeria was never attacked since (as you say) the Axis couldn't project sea, air or land power that far south.

Dakar's at the end of that long desert road to the north to limit the amount of Axis supply it can draw. It definitely wasn't the intention that Allied units emerge from Nigeria and cut its supply (nor that Axis units from Dakar move into Nigeria).

The road to the south is to allow for a limited amount of Allied supply if the Allies capture Dakar or it goes Admiral Darlan French. Again, I hadn't envisaged any fighting taking place over the general area.

This area of Africa is not to the same scale as the rest of the map - it's not meant to imply that a short road march from Nigeria would bring the Allies to Dakar or vice versa.

I've never really given this section of the map much thought and would welcome suggestions. It may be that scrapping most of it would be the easiest solution and just have an Allied only sea corridor from the Mediterranean to South Africa, but that negates the threat posed by Dakar. If I had a spare Axis supply point I could put it in Dakar and cut the area off from the rest of North Africa, but I haven't.

Anyone?
 

Mark Stevens

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Re the weather, the only way to get snow effects over most of Continental Europe in the winter is to have the environment setting at a level that produces snow on high mountains all the time. That's just about OK for the Alps and Scandinavia, but it does look odd in the Atlas Mountains and the Carpathians; I think it's an acceptable price to pay for the snow effects.

Not sure about the rainfall, but I suspect that it's a similar result of the having the environment setting at the level it needs to be at to get the snow effect.

Although it does always rain in Britain.
 

JAMiAM

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My 0.02...

Draw a sea supply road from Casablanca to Dakar, and one from Lagos to Dakar.
close off Senegal (and Nigeria) from each other, as well from North Africa, via any overland routes.

This will allow Axis supply to reach Dakar, if they can keep open the sea lane. If not, then it will starve, making it rather easy for the Allies to retake at their leisure, as it was historically.

It will also allow the Allies to supply Dakar, as well.
 

Bdr.Mallette

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whew...
james, was getting a bit stretched there. If you wish to do what you had said in the e-mail, go for it but I was not at all ready to protect that or it never factored in to my defences (chuckle...you understand) 'less a small EF. but having 4-5 Corps defending and fighting in this area was gonna be tough for me.
Anyhooo.....up to yooooo.

My position for the Brits is pretty well FUBAR'd.
I am still very P.O 'bout the Aircraft mistake I made.....arrrrrgh!

Sent turn to you.
Awaiting sumthin!
:nuts:

Bdr.
 

Bdr.Mallette

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Hello,

Still no answer 'bout the Soviet Airborne units and the airlift amount.

Let me guess, I have to disband or withdraw a few Soviet OOB 2 units so I may then be able to divide Airborne units. (3.4a)

Isn't stated anywhere's that a change has been made.
Getting near the Time that James' forces will be rolling into motherland.
Need airborne to capture bridges and pressure flanks...hurry with response please.

James, This isn't really true. I wouldn't do sumthin' like that...really, honestly, whole-heartedly.
I just like the look of divided Airborne units, they look so professional, neat and really cool!

:D
 

Mark Stevens

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Soviet airborne corps are deliberately too heavy (and indivisible) to drop until the Allied airlift capability is increased some time after US entry. I think that even if their parent formation takes a few losses that will allow them to be divided, the individual brigades will still be too heavy for the very limited early Allied airlift.

This is deliberate, as the Russians made no effort at any really sizeable airborne operations until the Dneiper drop of two brigades in 1943, which was a failure.

There were some small scale operations to support and supply the partisans, and something involving about 1,200 men against the Finns (also a grisly failure) but the Soviet airborne corps were usually used as elite ground infantry, with tanks attached. I'm afraid that this is what you get in EA. :whist:
 
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