Erik's campaigns & mods

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Horst
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Re: Erik's campaigns

Post by Horst »

While testing AI behaviors on the small GGC-Poznan map, I've observed how at least two Polish AI ground units on Seek & Destroy actually aimed for one German river-marked flag. One TKS defended this river-flag until scenario end wasting combat potential.
That showed nicely that it's not necessarily the supply points what drives AI units on but also minor flags. River info-flags on impassable terrain should fix such misbehavior. I guess it all depends how close such pointless flags are to the AI compared to more important player units and flags.
prattaa
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Re: Erik's campaigns

Post by prattaa »

Germany East(1941-42) v2.4 player feedback

Experience import core - 50%?! At first I thought this was nuts but it was relatively easy to get experience back so maybe this is fine as is
Belgrade & Metaxas Line - I would strongly urge to add these scenarios back to the campaign, I had a prior release on my PC so I added them to this playthrough and they are good scenarios. It would be a shame to see them dropped when they are very playable as is.
Zhitomir - Primary objective did not complete but showed 6/6.
Zhurivka - Eastern force never moved, needs more supply points for USSR, hidden secondary?, transfer stuff to SS did not appear to work.
Zholotonasha - scenario ends with major victory once Shramkivka is captured, 10 road supply SE of Cherkasy causes AI to send extreme amount of units to capture.
Streets of Moscow - needs to be 20 turns to even be possible for victory, spelling error in secondary objective (ocations).
Demyansk - Not enough supply inside of pocket for full deployment, AI could be more aggressive since USSR is supposed to be on the attack
Vitebsk - Train evacuation, secondary objective does not work. Trigger for add'l secondary objectives (capture Idistra & Startaya Torops) is not clear. Do they trigger at a specific turn?
Kharkov - No exit hex for air/land units. USSR is supposed to be on the advance but they are destroying bridges which completely throws the AI attack into disarray.
Simferopol - No exit hex for air/land units. 15 turns is very tight. Transfer resources to SS message appeared at the end of the scenario.
Sevastapol Decision - very difficult to select Siege or Assault as the options are nearly on top of each other.
Sevastopol Assault - not enough supply at start for full land or air deployment.
Voronezh - not enough supply in southern deployment zone, certain sections of the Don can be crossed as though it was normal terrain (a T-60 tank drove straight across in one turn at open terrain SE of Voronezh, Primary objective is to capture 6 objectives but there are 7 victory location (2 in Voronezh) so the scenario will end after any 6 of these are taken, 13 turns is a little short (recommend 15), captured all objectives but only given a victory (possibly because there are no secondary objectives?)
Novoannisky - not enough supply at start for land (-16) for full deployment, even though I captured all objectives I was only given a victory (possibly because there are no secondary objectives?). Wiped all enemy forces by turn 19/28, could probably shorten to 20 or 22 turns.
Ilovlya - Medvedev is not shown as primary objective but counts towards the primary obj total.
Buzinovka Depot - not enough land supply at start (-15) with specializations
Storming Stalingrad - USSR a/c never moved from starting positions, heavy infantry not good substitute for SMG infantry*, Betonnaya objective is broken/does not complete.
Stalingrad Docks - not enough land supply at start (-24) with specializations, remove supply from all points except objectives as it causes AI to do silly things to defend a 3pt supply hex that is useless, could reduce turns to 30, I had cleared map by turn 26, clearing docks allocated 3 additional air deployment per secondary objective, text said I would get a specialization point per dock area, no exit hexes
Stalingrad Ruins - no exit hexes, IL-2 units never move, 3 pt supply locations cause AI to do dumb things > move all supply to objectives
Kotelnikova - IL-2 units never move
Escape from Stalingrad - Panshino & Ryumino-Krasnoyarskiy secondary objectives are impossible to hold, they are lost before player even has a chance to move, not enough supply at start of turn 1 (-19), increase Stalingrad supply to 100, some USSR air (ex. IL-2) units never move, Lozkhi primary obj does not complete, player would benefit from an air exit hex
Tatsinskaya - AF-3 & AF-5 are captured before player can start turn 1 resulting in immediate defeat, primary objective requirements need to be changed as scenario is unplayable as is, add air exit hex please.

*Once the campaign reaches Stalingrad the player begins to encounter lots of heavy infantry used in place of SMG infantry from PzC. I don't think this is a good substitute due to their high mechanized attack and defense values.

I think the campaign would benefit from adding some additional specializations that are available in 1942, ex. Baukommado Becker, else Marders never become available.

Despite the problems I found the campaign very enjoyable. Thank you for your hard work. Is this feedback helpful? I never saw a reply to my previous post on the '39-'40 campaign.
Erik2
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Re: Erik's campaigns

Post by Erik2 »

prattaa

Thanks for the feedback, added to my Germany East(1941-42) list.
The Belgrade and Metaxas scenarios were moved to the Germany West 41-43 campaign at some point.

I add all player reports to my various to-do lists, sometimes I just forget to reply on the forum(s) :roll:
Erik2
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US Navy Campaign 3.1

Post by Erik2 »

US Navy Campaign 3.1
Link updated in first post.

Campaign:
Added intro.
Changed scenario branching;
A defeat at Midway will lead to a hypothetical invasion of Hawaii. Any other result continues on the 'normal' branch.
A defeat at Hawaii will lead to a hypothetical Coral '46 scenario and then end the campaign. Any other result continues on the 'normal' branch
There are messages on the campaign screen explaining this

Added new (hypothetical) scenario, Rainbow-5.
Removed British Pacific specialisation.


General all/most scenarios:
Cleaned up objectives and added AI primary objectives.
Random deployment Jap/US subs and Jap carrier groups.
Added random deployment of carrier air units which will deploy on or next to their carriers.(I thought the air units would stay in the carriers when the carriers was undeployed, which would be a better solution IMO.)
Jap carriers and oilers/transports exit if things go bad, added exit hexes.
Set Jap aggression levels to 75 (mostly down from 90).
Added some simple victory/defeat blurb.
All subs have experience = 10 to give them more hitting power.
Fixed AI orphan units.
Fixed missing land supply and added 20 supply to all airfields (I had originally set these to support the number of air units historically based on each field).
Lumped carrier fighter and bomber units into two AI teams. Kept land based air in separate AI teams with linked to the historical land bases. This to prevent ie land based Zero fighters to use carriers.
Note that all those empty AI teams in the editor are caused by removing a number of units/teams after player feedback. You can only delete AI teams from the bottom of the list....
Re-assigned Jap commanders on leave after their unit was removed from the scenario...
Added AI Team to each single Jap air patrol unit (otherwise they tend to hunt in one pack).

Note that several of these scenarios, especially the later ones, are quite large (both map and number of units). I have already removed abut 1/2 of all historical destroyers and light cruisers.
The AI will take some time finishing its turns. Grab a beer and enjoy some R&R while you wait.


Individual scenario changes

Pearl Harbor:
Spawned random PBY.

Wake Island:
Followed Bru's invasion suggestion.

Coral Sea:
Changed a couple of minor AI factions to more proper ones.
Moved US oilers to player control.

Midway :
Fixed wrong Team assignment.
Fixed resource rewards.
Fixed Jap transport/supply ship issues
Added random orders to Jap oiler teams
Added Jap general withdrawal conditions

Eastern Solomons:
Fixed/reduced no of AI teams.
Added Jap AV Chitose (borrowed from the Kriegsmarine) to the Close Cover Force.

Hawaii:
Removed dear old Voltaire quote.
Simplified Jap transport force(s).
Split Hawaii objective into 2 primaries.

Santa Cruz (and maybe others as well):
There were no 'new' carriers available for deployment in this scenario. So it is kind of expected that the player deploys available core carrier(s). The player may of course 'cheat' by not deploying any US carriers and deploy their air units on land bases. So be it...

Rabaul:
Replaced Jap carrier "Hornet" and air groups with CVL Zuihō. The "Hornet" was from a single-scenario hypothetical variation.
Changed Jap bomber targets to carrier/transport.
Removed US carrier info from briefing.
Erik2
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Germany East 1941-42 2.5

Post by Erik2 »

Germany East 1941-42 2.5

Link updated in first post.

Campaign:
Better separation of the Sevastopol scenario locations
Restricted specialisations to those available in the campaign date period

6Zhitomir:
Fixed pri obj

7Zhurivka:
Fixed Soviet AI orders for one team

8Zolotonosha:
Fixed pri obj

10Moscow41:
Increased no of turns to 25

11Demyansk:
Supply in pocket is set to allow max 84 'unit deployment points' inside the pocket
Increased no of turns to 30
Increased Soviet agression from default 50 to 75. Note that some formations will start their attacks on later turns

12Vitebsk:
Fixed train obj
Additional sec objs are enabled after turn 15 and the German still hold their pri objectives

13Kharkov42:
Added exit air/land locations
Removed bridge destroying triggers

14Simferopol:
Added exit air/land locations
Increased no of turns to 30
Fixed SS dialog

16SevastopolA:
Added exit air/land locations
Increased German supply

17Voronezh:
Fixed pri obj
Added sec obj
Changed German supply
AI units crossing rivers in one turn is a game issue
Increased no of turns to 20

18Novoanninsky:
Changed pri objs
Added sec obj
Changed German supply
Reduced no of turns to 24

19Ilovlya:
Changed/added pri obj

20Buzinovka:
Changed German supply
Replaced Guards substitutes with new proper Guards units
Replaced SMG hvy inf substitutes with normal inf

21Storming:
Replaced Guards substitutes with new proper Guards units
Replaced SMG hvy inf substitutes with normal inf
Assigned a number of orphans
Changed pri objs
More agressive AI orders

22Docks:
Changed supply
Replaced Guards substitutes with new proper Guards units
Replaced SMG hvy inf substitutes with normal inf
Reduced number of turns to 30
Moved sec obj to pri obj

23Ruins:
Added air/land exits
All Soviet air units are assigned to working AI teams (?)
Changed supply
Replaced Guards substitutes with new proper Guards units
Replaced SMG hvy inf substitutes with normal inf
Divided large AI team into several smaller

24Kotelnikovo
Changed supply
Moved 2 pri objs to sec
Moved IL-2 to new Bomber team
Replaced Guards substitutes with new proper Guards units
Replaced SMG hvy inf substitutes with normal inf

25Escape:
Changed supply
Removed sec defend objectives
Moved pri obj to sec
Fixed pri obj
Replaced Guards substitutes with new proper Guards units

26Tatsinskaya:
Changed pri obj
Enhanced sec obj
Added air exit
Replaced Guards substitutes with new proper Guards units
prattaa
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Re: Erik's campaigns

Post by prattaa »

Erik2 wrote: Mon Jun 03, 2019 11:13 am
The Belgrade and Metaxas scenarios were moved to the Germany West 41-43 campaign at some point.
Might I suggest they be added to both East & West '41 campaigns since they are mutually exclusive.
Erik2
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Re: Erik's campaigns

Post by Erik2 »

prattaa wrote: Thu Jun 06, 2019 12:30 am
Erik2 wrote: Mon Jun 03, 2019 11:13 am
The Belgrade and Metaxas scenarios were moved to the Germany West 41-43 campaign at some point.
Might I suggest they be added to both East & West '41 campaigns since they are mutually exclusive.
Good idea
Erik2
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Germany East(1941-42) v2.6

Post by Erik2 »

Germany East(1941-42) v2.6

Added Belgrade and Metaxas to the start of the campaign.

Link updated in first post.
Erik2
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Afrika Korps 3.8

Post by Erik2 »

Afrika Korps 3.8

Link updated in first post.

Campaign:
Changes to the scenario branching to better reflect the original PzC structure.
Added a graphic file displaying the original PzC campaign three in the campaign folder.
(Added similar campaign threes to several other campaigns as well).
Cleaned up Allied specialisations.

3Brevity:
Changed sec objs
Changed supply
Added a few aux defenders to Sollum/Halfaya

4Battleaxe:
Increased no of turns to 25
Changed pri obj
Changed Allied team's initial objectives

5Dash:
Removed the fuel pri obj
Fixed sec obj

14Basra:
Moved pri obj to sec and added reward
Increased Brit para aggression

15Persia:
Yes, PakFront is a Soviet spec from 1943
Changed mines to neutral
Changed pri obj
Increased no of turns to 30
Changed/added sec objs

16Caucasus:
Increased no of turns to 35
Changed briefing
Fixed pri obj

17Arabia:
Fixed/added reward to sec obj

18EastAfrica:
Added Axis off-map air supply and exit/return location
All sea deployment hexes are combined land/naval
Fixed sec objs
Increased no of turns to 30

19Road:
Increased Allied unit exp
Increased Allied agression level
Added transports to Allied art, AA, AT and Eng units
Increased pri obj difficulty
Fixed/changed Allied naval invasion

20British:
Increased Allied unit exp
Replaced British substitute air units with proper, better types
Added transports to Allied art, AA, AT and Eng units
Changed mines to neutral
Jap and the Axis are now part of the same team
Kolaris
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Re: Erik's campaigns

Post by Kolaris »

So uhhh....Poznan is kicking my ass :o

I've played the PC GC many, many times, and while I'm still not as experienced with OOB, I didn't think I'd be running straight into a wall. The key difference seems to be your initial forces and the strength of the Polish air force. In PC you could swat it away with just your starting units, while here the Polish are hunting *me* down and my first impulse is to just concede the air completely.

I think I will have to play it differently and consolidate down to one force, probably in the north, but does anyone have other tips for this clearly deficient general?
Horst
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Re: Erik's campaigns

Post by Horst »

Kolaris wrote: Sat Jun 08, 2019 12:11 amI think I will have to play it differently and consolidate down to one force, probably in the north, but does anyone have other tips for this clearly deficient general?
Don't start a war, mate! Simple as that! :wink:

Try with more cheaper infantry and artillery maybe. A crappy towed/pushed AT-gun can also do wonders sometimes. In the end, you better perform if you can keep the pressure up against battered enemy units if you got more units than the enemy, no matter how weak yours are. Even units with a single point in whatever attack can sometimes do 2-3 damage against units with very low efficiency. Recon units are quite useful to keep low-eff enemies busy until completely destroyed while your stronger units keep on marching to your objectives.
Also try to kill enemy artillery quickly, as nothing is more annoying. Having a long-range artillery for sniping enemy arty is a must later.
Grabbing expensive tanks early is tempting, but these also run out of efficiency sooner or later, so two weaker/cheaper units are often better than a single strong one in the long run.
Oh, and try to keep your units together. I don't know how often I have sucked during scenarios where splitting forcing was absolutely not necessary and only made each battle group too weak. Together we are strong! :twisted:
Just be careful to leave room behind your front lines, as the AI is pretty good at decimating units that can't retreat.
MarechalJoffre
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Re: Erik's campaigns

Post by MarechalJoffre »

Noticed a bug in Afrika Korps 3.8 Battleaxe scenario, I'm given the minor victory screen right away without being able to play the scenario.
https://i.postimg.cc/8pJCNrqt/20190609030943-1.jpg
bru888
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Re: Erik's campaigns

Post by bru888 »

That's because no scenario can begin with all of its primary objectives already completed:

Screenshot 1.jpg
Screenshot 1.jpg (429.39 KiB) Viewed 3756 times

I haven't looked at this campaign or this particular scenario in detail, so I don't know what "Changed pri obj / Changed Allied team's initial objectives" in 3.8 entailed. From the looks of it, though, I'd say if all else was correct, then "Hold at least 9 objectives at scenario's end" needs to be unchecked here:

Screenshot 2.jpg
Screenshot 2.jpg (168.41 KiB) Viewed 3756 times

I assume the secondary objectives are activated sometime during the scenario. Since they are unfulfilled in the beginning, that's why the result was only a Minor Victory.
- Bru
prattaa
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Re: Erik's campaigns

Post by prattaa »

Kolaris wrote: Sat Jun 08, 2019 12:11 am So uhhh....Poznan is kicking my ass :o

I've played the PC GC many, many times, and while I'm still not as experienced with OOB, I didn't think I'd be running straight into a wall. The key difference seems to be your initial forces and the strength of the Polish air force. In PC you could swat it away with just your starting units, while here the Polish are hunting *me* down and my first impulse is to just concede the air completely.

I think I will have to play it differently and consolidate down to one force, probably in the north, but does anyone have other tips for this clearly deficient general?
Poznan is quite hard at first. I played with 4 infantry, 2 Pz II, 3.7cm pak, 2cm AA, 2 Bf 109, & 1 Bf 110 advancing in the south. Move in a group with the pak in the center. After air superiority is achieved withdraw Bf 109's via south exit hex and buy 2 JU 87. Through Erik's campaigns I use battlegroups of 2 inf, 2 tank, 1 towed AT, 1 engineer, 1 arty advancing as a group with pak always in the center.
Mascarenhas
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Re: Erik's campaigns

Post by Mascarenhas »

US Corps 42-43 (1942)

Sbibba Defense

There´s an awkward situation here: among tha massive German panzer units, we find a M1A2 Sherman ( beute ). This is pretty illogical, since this model is not yet available for the American side.

Regards,
Erik2
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Re: Erik's campaigns

Post by Erik2 »

Mascarenhas wrote: Tue Jun 11, 2019 12:26 pm US Corps 42-43 (1942)

Sbibba Defense

There´s an awkward situation here: among tha massive German panzer units, we find a M1A2 Sherman ( beute ). This is pretty illogical, since this model is not yet available for the American side.

Regards,
That is the only 'German' Sherman available (and it rhymes too :wink: )
Kolaris
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Re: Erik's campaigns

Post by Kolaris »

Thanks for the tips Horst and Prattaa, I was able to make it through. OoB really is a different beast, and I love seeing these familiar campaigns re-imagined. I was shocked when the Polish staging force north of Lodz made a counter-attack, that was a very close and exciting battle!

I think the key was replacing artillery with AA and Recon. I was seriously underestimating the importance of finishing off broken units. The OoB AI will intelligently withdraw, they can replenish on the move, and they seem to have a lot more resources to invest in repair, seeing as they don't buy new units (that I've seen so far).

EDIT: Is Piatek possible without Fallschirmjaeger supply shenanigans? I love a lot of things OoB brings to the table, but it seems there are equal frustrations. Free pursuits across rivers, free retreats plus unlimited AI resources...I can feel the headache return just remembering it.
Horst
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Re: Erik's campaigns

Post by Horst »

Piatek is indeed a crazy scenario. Artillery to soften up attackers is the key there. Own fighters, next to tac bomber(s), should attempt to eliminate enemy artillery instead of wasting time with the Polish air force. No defender can last forever if an artillery is beating on its head. Just make sure you don't attack but rather keep the entrenchment and strength high all the times. The best defense is to keep adjacent enemies low in strength and efficiency to prevent any further attacks, otherwise these weak units only get shifted or replaced by stronger units again what can easily bring doom. A stalemate is the best and inexpensive strategy in defense.
Last time I played Piatek, I had some river-crossers on the eastern side that endangered my airfield there, so you still need at least one quick unit to counter such attempts.

Yeah, it's sometimes annoying with the constant retreats of low-eff/strength units, although good on your side too! This is why sometimes low-cp recon units, instead of wasting time with stronger own units, are useful to chase these beaten-up units. It's quite difficult at beginning if your core is still small to bring all this retreating AI-mess in control that constantly wants to cut-off your lines no matter if 1 strength left.
Kolaris
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Re: Erik's campaigns

Post by Kolaris »

This is too much for me :D I don't think I'm cut out for it...not a complaint against the scenario design, more some of the game mechanics. Particularly the supply system and unit cap don't feel thought out, and actually seem at odds with one another.

Combat is slower, but the turn limits are about the same. There are more active enemies, but the unit cap prevents you from fielding more forces to respond even if you can afford them. The supply system is a constant frustration. Turn times mean I can't afford to use it offensively, and my rapid advance leaves my own lines exposed. I don't have the CP to field a reserve to defend, so a TKS surviving on 1 health often means an entire front is cut off.

I only survived Piatek by increasing CP by 20% and cutting AI requisition by 50%, and I still would have lost if not for my Fallschirmjaeger getting lucky this time and beating the AI back to its supply depot.

Kampinoska is just...I have no idea how to approach it. You have to defend against a massive counterattack from the north, units advancing through the forest have to crawl forward or risk ambush, and my flanking force to the south is easily cut off. And the trains! They actually move towards Warsaw, which is really cool, but I have no idea how I can catch them.

I really appreciate the work that went into these campaigns, but I feel like maybe reading a nice AAR or watching a video series rather than playing myself :lol:
prattaa
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Re: Erik's campaigns

Post by prattaa »

Kolaris, would you like to see some replays? There are cheat codes to increase turns, command points, and RP if you are getting frustrated.

Erik, I remember some talk long ago about converting Soviet Corps over. Is that still in the works?
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