REN Support

[Aryaman13]

trauth116
I noticed that in your list of units there is no mention of Ottoman units, however they are included in the list of battles (?)
Another question I have, do units have different combat values at different periods? For instance, Reiters were usually very inferior to gendarmes until Henry IV of France changed their tactics replacing the caracola for an all out charge.

 

[trauth116]

Hi Aryaman13:

Yes there are scenarios which features the Ottomans; I think the list was basically somewhat generic, so that they could be used by a range of sides. Unlike most other (maybe all) games by HPS of similar style, this title's 2 sides have to fit more than one general nationality as well as time period.

That being said the best person to ask this of is going to be Rich White, the scenario designer.

Time permitting I will call up a some of the scenarios with the Ottomans and give it a better idea.

 

[jztemple]

I will have to admit to not having played the HPS Napoleonics games in quite a while, so REN has put me outside of my comfort zone. What, no one has an M-16?

So as is my nature, I have started poking around inside the PDT and OOB files. Zounds* there's a lot of stuff in there!

Could someone recommend a scenario or two to play after "Getting Started"? Preferably one that's less "move to contact" than "Getting Started". Or maybe someone has a training scenario (hello, "Bootcamp"!) out there for us? I have tried "Getting Started" a couple of times but I'm not sure I'm appreciating the subtleties.

*Oddly enough, my Firefox spell checker didn't flag "zounds" as misspelled. Apparently it is well up on archaic English expressions!

 

[trauth116]

JZ - disclaimer: -but the first scenario that I plunked around with in the test -was Ancrum (Ancrum 3 I think). I played it in hotseat mode against myself -and what I found was there were really a couple of ways to play the scenario - one, on turn one the Scots charge down the hill right into the middle of the English line with their (iirc) dragoons (dragoons being a key point).

There are other strategies, like withdrawing your forces behind the reversed slope but keeping skirmishers out on the flank to keep an eye on the English cavalry... leaving a fat vp hex open for the English player to think about grabbing ... which considering it generally turns out to be a blind grab- puts whatever forces they put up on that hill in a very vulnerable position.

I think the key point about the dragoons is that they can dismount... and either fire into a flank, or mount up and charge over the hill...

At any rate, this is a nice short scenario with a smaller map, but some different ways to play it.


Another of my favorites was Knockdoe ( in particular I was involved with testing the what-if version) and found that one to have a lot of fluidity (not much cavalry action though... )

 

[SnowBlue]

How do you feel that the game compares to the Napoleonic series?

Also will the table top graphics be patched in later?

 

[rahamy]

Its similar to the Nap series in map scale and basic game mechanics, so if you play them you can easily transition. However the force composition and the way you need to handle your armies is significantly different...there's a learning curve for sure.

We're hopeful that the 3D will get added in later...need to see how sales are going.

 

[Sgt_Rock]

Adding in 3d WILL increase sales. I think that that is a no-brainer. Folks are wanting it as it will add that nice graphics touch to the series.

Spend the bucks John - its worth it. The guys will not only appreciate the commitment to the future of the series but those that only play in 3d will be far more inclined to buy the game.

I have a game of REN going and its a blast. Am playing Bicocca, 27 April 1522 (ver. A). In this battle the Swiss pikemen went out in front without French and Venetian support. Thus I took my Swiss laterally out of the way of my French artillery and will make a more balanced attack once the French release.

If you dont have this game get it! Its really amazing at the incredible amount of work that Rich White did in this game. Its one thing to research 20 battles yet he has included many more than that.

Truly one of the most "bang for the buck" games we have.

 

[trauth116]

...need to see how sales are going.

An unscientific gauge of this, on Ebay sales showed as REN getting 8 buys to Chancellorsville's 2 during the same period of time from one reseller.

Based on the period and that (afaik) in this format, it is unique for its subject, word of mouth, and AARs are going to play a big part.

I read your Napoleonic pages on tactics, Sgt R - and they were pretty good (excellent, to be honest), and REN could well deserve a similar treatment (no mistake, I am not volunteering anyone for anything... but rather talking about the learning curve involved).

REN can be very formation specific, in that your arq units have to support your pike units and your pike units have to support your arq units, screen off your artillery, you have to cover your baggage trains, and all the while manage some different varieties of cavalry while getting into position to use your heavy cavalry - all the while juggling point gains and losses of which there are many combinations...

Now there is not really a set of tactics for the game, as it is more dictated by the scenario and the forces - in that if you take a scenario like Knockdoe, there is a different set of forces to, say Encounter 1...

Mind you the Encounter scenarios can be a blast -I think Encounter 1 is something along the lines of a massed French Cavalry raid that resuses the Calais map. There is a lot of room for maneuver and a lot of options...

The campaigns also look pretty good, was playing through the Fornova one last night ... the initial scenario is short and sweet at 6 turns, and sets up a larger scenario and choice on the same map for scenario 2.

 

[SnowBlue]

Oooh do you think you can link Sgt.R's Napoleonic tactics page?

The problem for me with the lack of tabletop view is that by looking at the screen shots I have trouble making out the unit type and its formation as the symbols seem so small. I can make it out but it just does not feel intuitive to me. Is it something you have to get used to or is this not apparent in the actual game?

 

[trauth116]

Re: links - the site it had been on died off, and last I heard it was going to be hosted elsewhere ( which is the long version of I need to update links on my own page myself for that one...) .

 

[jimcrowley]

I haven't yet received my copy of REN from NWS, so this may be a bit premature.

I've just realised the extent to which I use the 3D views in the ACW games; must be 80% or more. I rarely use the zoom-out 2D mode because it is too small to be of any real use and I only use the zoom-in 2D mode for occaisional adjustments in large or very congested scenarios. (I'm assuming the view levels are the same in REN)

And now, in REN, zoom-in 2D is all I will have!

This is a real strain on the old optics and a lot of the finer detail is just not discernible at this level. This will, I think, have something of a negative effect on the overall immersion but I will have to judge that when I get the game.

I would have thought that, if there was concious decision not to include what is now a standard feature in HPS titles, 3D views, then perhaps some consideration should have been given to having the option of a futher level of 2D zoom in to compensate. Having, essentially, a single workin- view level is something of a step backwards IMO.

Ignoring good looks or even immersion I, for one, will simply be unable to play REN at this view level for very long; it will be simply too much of an eye strain.

Is there likely to be an acceptable soultion to this any time soon?

 

[Xaver]

Well, first look in the game and find it very insteresting, need more work with the 3D (well i never play using it in the NAP games but i dont see it with bad eyes) and better 2D counters, sorry but use the same counters that in the NAP games isnt a good option (i dont use the old version in NAP, i use the Volcanoman counters, are better) because Archers, Bowmen, pike, sword.... some simbols to see these type of weapons could be interesting, some similar to PzC diferent simbols for every type of troop.

PD: Arquebuzeros and ginete is wrong, in castellano is arcabuceros and jinetes Demi culverins is semi culebrinas, falcons is falconetes and colunela is coronelía and add that musquetanos is mosqueteros (soldier armed with musket/mosquete is a mosquetero).

EDITED:

And a little observation in the OOB, some units have 2 or more units of the same type, like a cavalry "brigade" made of 2 or more "battlalions" but dont have every "battlalion" an individual name, i say these because if you detach skirmish/squadrons is hard remember what is the primary unit (and is worst when at the start of the scen units start with detached troops)... i expect you understand what i can say, add a number can help to know if the squadron is part or 1st or 2nd btl.

 

[redcoat]

PD: Arquebuzeros and ginete is wrong, in castellano is arcabuceros and jinetes Demi culverins is semi culebrinas, falcons is falconetes and colunela is coronelía and add that musquetanos is mosqueteros (soldier armed with musket/mosquete is a mosquetero).

I think the Spanish may have used both the Falcon and Falconete. They were different calibres. They also used the Medio Falconete (medium falconete) and Falcon Pedrero (stone shot falcon). The English used the Falcon and Falconet. The French had 'Faucon' and 'Fauconneau' and the Imperialists used the 'Falkaune' and 'Falkonet.' All the falcon types were light guns. There were various other types of light guns as well.

A Spanish demi culverin may have been called a 'medio culebrina' (EDIT: 'media culebrina' in many sources).

 

[Xaver]

Yes redcoat, Falcon is an old form to say halcón=Hawk, Falconete is a diminutive of Falcon (small gun), now i dont know what is more correct if say semi or medio, i ask it to a friend.

Medio culebrina or media culebrina refers to the "genre", culebrina is a feminine word and use media not medio but dont know whats the genre of culebrina in the XVI-XVII, you know that lenguages allways change :laugh:

And now a little question, read that now the 3D work depends of sales.... WTF??? you dont say that REN dont have 3D work because isnt finished??? now are a condition to finish it??? :angry:

PD: another sugestion, can column formations extend line??? for example a monstruous 1.100 pike formation is great but cant cover terrain... and the same for other big units that cant form line.

 

[trauth116]

PD: another sugestion, can column formations extend line??? for example a monstruous 1.100 pike formation is great but cant cover terrain... and the same for other big units that cant form line.

Extended line only seems to work for formations that can form line, since Pike units aren't able to form a line from a technical standpoint, in the game they can't extend a line. Actually I think you have to actually be in line formation in order to extend line -so nothing that is in column (I think) can extend line until they are actually formed up into a line.

That is how the game functions now - so like the line/block discussion above- feel free to take things from there :smoke:

 

[Xaver]

trauth116 i refer to add extend line option to every unit (i say that formation is independent of the action of extend the unit), divide huge units is an interesting add to the game.

 

[M4RT14L]

Please i need help.

Someone can say to me as,like I can create new submaps, have tried to do it following the instructions of the manual but I do not achieve that it me works...

Thank you.

 

[rahamy]

This tutorial should help you...it was written for War of 1812, but applies to this game just the same:

http://www.hist-sdc.com/1812.html#submap

 

[M4RT14L]

I am doing it hereby and it continues without working

Thanks very much rahamy

Regards.

 

[Zaraath]

Is there a way to display the remaining MPs left to a unit? The Napoleonic games did this.

Actually, I just started the Getting Started scenario and the movement left appears in the unit info box. But in the scenario I am playing (Heligerlee) against an oppoment, there is no such info available.