Operation Mercury up for test & review

[louism]

An update has been uploaded (same link as previous version).

[peterjfrigate]

Played the first two and congratulate you on the outstanding job! I'm strongly in favor of increased difficulty as most scenarios are far too easy. My only suggestion would be to have many more randomized locations as it becomes too easy again once you know where everything is. Still, some excellent work you did.

Maybe I should have given a bit of warning first...
I wanted to do something difficult. Germany won that campaign by a hairline.
This is also the reason why the campaign is not "locked"; victory is not mandatory to move to the next scenario.

I win the 1st scenario less than 50% of the time. Scenarios 2 and 3 and difficult but not impossible; Now, I win them 100% of the time but I had to fine tune my strategy (and I guess that having designed the scenarios kind of place me in an advantageous position - not quite like cheating but close ) . 4 and 5 are easier.

A hint for "counter-attack": focus on the important victory points.

The point is noted and I will consider tuning down the difficulty.
You are right, the allied artillery is probably too strong. I will adjust that.

[TerryV6]

Hey Louis, Thanks for sharing your work with us...

Terry

[enric]

Hi Louism,

I reproduced the error. It happens when you exit all units in the same turn and it's not the last one.

[mattymo]

LouisM-

I've only played the first scenario so far, but I definitely appreciate having some strong new content. Thanks!

I've played it a few times, and it seems like both the objectives (cannisters) and parachutists drop randomly throughout the board. I appreciate the idea—and how it captures the chaotic nature of a parachute drop: one cannot know exactly where things will land.

However, perhaps this gives to broad a range in outcomes. The temptation is great to simply quit the game and restart until a favorable initial setup. Moreover, after playing well for a while, to have your reinforcements, so to speak, land in the center of a bull's eye makes for some serious frustration. I think I would consider tinkering with just how random it is. The scenario can still be extremely difficult, but less variability, I would say, would lead to greater playability.

PS - Am I correct in thinking that the Allied soldiers cannot "see" the cannisters and do not sense them as objectives?

PPS - I believe I had a similar situation in terms of LOS in the first scenario top right corner below where [spoiler alert!] the British machine gun is...

[louism]

LouisM-


I've played it a few times, and it seems like both the objectives (cannisters) and parachutists drop randomly throughout the board. I appreciate the idea—and how it captures the chaotic nature of a parachute drop: one cannot know exactly where things will land.

However, perhaps this gives to broad a range in outcomes. The temptation is great to simply quit the game and restart until a favorable initial setup. Moreover, after playing well for a while, to have your reinforcements, so to speak, land in the center of a bull's eye makes for some serious frustration. I think I would consider tinkering with just how random it is. The scenario can still be extremely difficult, but less variability, I would say, would lead to greater playability.

PS - Am I correct in thinking that the Allied soldiers cannot "see" the cannisters and do not sense them as objectives?

PPS - I believe I had a similar situation in terms of LOS in the first scenario top right corner below where [spoiler alert!] the British machine gun is...

Ok. There maybe a way to remove some of the variability by implementing some conditional check in the drop routine. I will have to think of way... On the other hand, it sort of reproduce an historical situation: a large number of parachutists fell near maching gun nests or within allied units an were mowed down as they touched the ground.

As for the AI not seeing the canisters.... Not entirely true. Just wait and let them have their way and they will modify their course to catch some of the loot if it is close to them.

[louism]

Hi Louism,

I reproduced the error. It happens when you exit all units in the same turn and it's not the last one.

That one still baffles me... Thanks for providing me with a hint. On the to do list.

[mkl0099]

I am having a problem with the Counter-attack scenario, I set up in Maleme, Hill 107 and the airfield but the counter attack never occurs. The AI seems to muddle around the edge of the map and except for the bombardment that is all that happens. I also tried setting up Pyrgos but the same thing happens. If I push forward from there the AI will engage the units (destroying them usually) but then reverts back to milling around.

Thanks for the campaign. Kudos on the first scenario, was wondering if it was even winnable the first 20 or so times I tried...

[pipfromslitherine]

Just as a note, this has been updated on the official scenario list. A variety of improvements, fixes, and rebalancing from Louis to improve this already awesome mod

Cheers

Pip

[LandMarine47]

I'm getting some Color Garbage in the Airfield Assault. The Naval Guns are a rainbow color with no icon (sorry I didn't take a photo but I don't want to go through that forest again it's a killing ground!)

[LandMarine47]

And props for fixing the AI in both Airfield Missions. I didn't even know there was infantry near the airfield and at the time I had only some Mountain Troops Close enough to counter when the Gliders Came in my men were literally surrounded by Commonwealth Troops! If only there was a melee command only by the skin of my teeth did I hold the airfield until I gave a Para Scout from Hill 107 and a Troop Squad from Maleme

[thepitcanary]

An update has been uploaded (same link as previous version).

I would just like to say what great fun I've had playing the Mercury V2 campaign, and that I think Louis did a great job with these missions. They are (apart from the last) genuinely very hard, but I appreciate that a) some refining has gone into them from being insanely hard and b) they *should* be hard. After being initially very frustrated with Malete, eg, and with the landing mission one, after proper application of the grey matter all are doable, and doubly enjoyable because they are knife-edge missions - if you slip up or are careless, you are punished. And you're invading an outnumbering force, with bad intel - it's a bitter struggle. I especially like the removal, in some missions (all?) of the 'heal' function - it forces you to rotate squads better.

I myself thought too that mission one was just impossible and it was possibly too frustrating, but I can see that you're being taught a historical lesson - you can lose a battle but win a campaign. It's possibly more history than wargaming, and that might be why it's not gone down as well. Perhaps the goals of that mission should be changed to allow a v limited 'win', rather than worrying about fixing the distribution of parachutes.

But the large map, long mission, very difficult missions are a joy, and well thought out by Louis, I think.

Thanks for a great UGC campaign.

[rwm59]

Hi Louis, really marvelous campaign!.
please an help if is possible.
I'm not so expert with mod...so be patience, please...
I try to "export" your (fantastic) 75 mm german para, but with no success.
I found the line on the .csv (ID 219) ... some questions :
I can't find a related .dds file-... there is an afrika_korps.dds file but if I use this they scenarios crash ( said me : Failed to load required asset file AFRIKA_KORPS_0.* (0).
Logically I has inserted in my squads file the data of the 75mm para from your quads file.
and, even I changed the ID for my necessity ( 227 ) .
More : in the line of 75mm of your Squads file we get : 75mm era (column a); then German mortar (T) and (afrika_korps_mortar) (T) ; I d0n't know very well all the column but how poison at the icon ( .dds file).
Sorry for my confusion but , I said, I am not expert for modding.

Open don't disturb to much...
Merry Xmas from Roma,
Ric

[mpetri]

Very fun campaign, especially They Are Coming. Congrats!