Use of Copy and Paste in the Map Terrain menu

hueglin

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I assumed that the copy and paste function let you copy a terrain feature you had already drawn, like a dwelling, and paste it multiple times into other locations. I was able to do this but found that the pasted dwellings only appear as colour spots - you cannot right click on them to get info or delete them.

What is their true function and how can I get rid of the items I have already pasted
?
 

hueglin

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Actually, I've noticed now that after saving and reloading, they do register as dwellings. That leads to another question though. I read somewhere that you can add a "limited" number of individual structures. Any idea what number "limited" actually is?
 

Pat Proctor

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From an e-mail exchange...

hueglin,

I am glad you are enjoying the game. Spread the word! And thanks for the questions. I will give these a shot.

“Is there a limit on the number of dwelling/buildings that can be created other than the inevitable slowdown that they will cause to the game engine? What is a good ball park figure that would not bog the engine down too much? Am I correct in assuming that a newer computer with more processing power and RAM would have less of a problem with this issue?”
Practically, more than about 100 total terrain objects (buildings and all) will begin to noticeably bog down the engine. Of course a faster computer will be less susceptible to this effect. My recommendation would be to only model the buildings that are absolutely necessary, in the main objective area. In other areas, I would use a generic urban terrain object. You can see examples of this in some of the TSATC maps around cities, I think.

“Does the game model the various advantages and disadvantages that tracked and wheeled vehicles have in terms of tactical mobility (e.g. wheeled vehicles higher road speed but lower cross-country speed, vehicles with very low ground pressure able to traverse soft ground)? If yes, how?”
The game does model terrain effects. The terrain itself dictates the vehicle speed modifier. You can also make a type of terrain dismount only or use water to bar all but amphibious vehicles. Some additional coding would be required to add “low ground pressure only” terrain

“I see that the Enemy Force unit symbology goes Bn/Coy/Elm as opposed to Coy/Pl/Elm. I notice in BGC Vol 1 that the Coys are actually Coy strength but in TSATC they are Pl strength. I know you did not design either of those games but, as I don't yet own ATF, I am wondering if the initial design idea was that red/opfor/Soviet tended to not operate independently below Coy level, so the Pl level of command was skipped to help the AI. Do you know if Curt only put 3 tanks in his Arab Tk Coys to reflect the considerable disparity in effectiveness between the Arab and Israeli forces?”
This is actually a limitation of the TSATC engine. The game was originally designed to model a soviet threat, which a) tried to overwhelm an opponent with numbers and b) lacked the junior leadership to operate independently below the company level. When you look at Curt’s scenarios in the scenario editor, the enemy symbols go BN CO TM. This is transparent when actually playing the game, however. What is marked as a company in the scenario editor for the enemy is intended to be a platoon and what is marked as a BN is a company. He didn’t “dumb down” or weaken the enemy for the game.

“Is it possible to make the red forces have a Coy/Pl/Elm structure by just changing the icons, or is there more to it than that?”
Changing the icons will do this, though all of the AI script names for Enemy AI orders will still say BN and CO instead of CO and platoon. You can use the friendly only AI orders, though.

I haven't found anything in the game so far related to bridges and bridge demolitions. How are they modeled in the game?
They are not modeled, but you can replicate them with a road crater obstacle and a road through impassible terrain. There is no way I can think of in the engine right now for a player to blow up a bridge, though.

Is defilade related only to contours or does terrain such as urban and forest affect it also? Do infantry units gain a benefit from defilade (ie. is it their way of taking cover)?
Defilade is a way of simulating the immediate contours and objects on the terrain that are too small to be replicated in a game of this scale. It simulates the unit moving around within a few meters to take advantage of immediately available cover. There is a complex algorithm that calculates probability to spot and probability to kill a unit. Vegetation and other intervening terrain also, cumulatively, reduces the visibility of units.

I hope this helps. Enjoy the game!
 
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