Duplex's Scenarios and Campaigns

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terminator
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Re: Duplex's Scenarios

Post by terminator »

First impressions about your scenario Manchurian Offensive :

1. Very big map, my computer suffers, please do not a bigger map next time.

2. The GPS(GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM) does not work for YingKou, difficult to found.
I do not understand the end of the text below. It is in which language ?
YingKou.jpg
YingKou.jpg (81.83 KiB) Viewed 3670 times
Do you not forget a port tile in YingKou ?
If you add one port tile, looks better as on this image :
YingKou(1).jpg
YingKou(1).jpg (84.94 KiB) Viewed 3670 times
3.This unit seems to hide (?)
boat.png
boat.png (14.73 KiB) Viewed 3670 times
It are just details, the scenario seems very good altogether :D
Duplex
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Re: Duplex's Scenarios

Post by Duplex »

Lol
Thanks
You're in luck, there won't be any bigger maps than this. This is my last (and only) large map. That's why its called the GREAT Manchurian Offensive. Heh heh.
The description for the YingKou secondary objective is not a different language, its me slapping the keyboard at the end in frustration. The port hexes were placed intentionally, I did not forget anything there. Thank you for playing my scenario, I really appreciate it.

I don't know what you mean by "this unit seems to hide".
Last edited by Duplex on Fri Dec 28, 2018 2:57 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Duplex's Scenarios

Post by Duplex »

I'm probably going to create a campaign for this China series in the future.
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ALP071
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Re: Duplex's Scenarios

Post by ALP071 »

Hong Kong! Hong Kong! Hong Kong! :mrgreen:
Duplex
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Re: Duplex's Scenarios

Post by Duplex »

Lol, yeah, it's coming.
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bru888
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Re: Duplex's Scenarios

Post by bru888 »

Duplex, this Manchurian thing is big but it may not be just the map. 90 by 80 hexes is not ultra-large; the maximum both ways is 120 hexes. So yes, the big map is definitely a factor but the other consideration could be the number of units in the game. A quick inspection shows somewhere around 140 to 150 units in the game to start. That's a lot. Then you spawn about 50 more during the scenario; of course, some units are killed to offset that a bit . . . but still, up to 200 units is a load for the computer to handle.

I bet you are going to have the same problem as I did with Oahu Invasion: Too many units with two many assignments to figure out, hence very long thinking times and maybe crashes. As it was, your scenario crashed twice but that was after I looked at it in the scenario editor and the editor causes crashes both while you are working with it and if you start a game after it. We will see.
- Bru
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Re: Duplex's Scenarios

Post by bru888 »

Duplex, my friend. Here is where we separate the men from the boys. Can you take criticism and learn from it? It can be hard but if you want to be a great scenario designer, you must do so.

I cannot play the Great Manchurian Offensive, as much as I want to, because the scenario is too large (or there is something corrupted about it but let's hope it's a size issue.) I have tried to start it five times and each time it crashes somewhere along the line, either before it starts or soon after.

I am afraid of what you are doing to my computer, you villain! :x (Just kidding. :wink: )

As I said earlier, I think it's not just the map size but also the excessive numbers of units in the scenario which, to the best of my knowledge, the computer must read and load into memory just like any other data such as hexes. It's too much for me, sorry. My equipment is not ancient but apparently insufficient for this.

Please post again if you decide to cut this one down a bit and I will try again.
- Bru
Duplex
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Re: Duplex's Scenarios

Post by Duplex »

Hm...
Would it work if I set all of the Japanese units' AI teams to AI team 14 and make them idle. Then slowly as the turns progress change them back to their respective AI teams?
I really do not feel like cutting down on the units.
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Re: Duplex's Scenarios

Post by Duplex »

Hong Kong is much smaller and runs really well. Maybe you should just skip the Great Manchurian Offensive...
I'm working on Hong Kong right now.
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bru888
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Re: Duplex's Scenarios

Post by bru888 »

Duplex wrote:Hong Kong is much smaller and runs really well. Maybe you should just skip the Great Manchurian Offensive...
I'm working on Hong Kong right now.
Heh, if I can do it before it crashes, I could try using the #igotnukes cheat code! :roll: See if other people report the same difficulty before you make any changes; don't do it on the evidence of only one person (me). Maybe it is my computer! Good luck, and thanks for your efforts.
- Bru
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Re: Duplex's Scenarios

Post by GabeKnight »

One question Duplex: Did you play the whole scenario at least once yourself, after you've finished it? And were you able to achieve all prim. and sec. objectives as described in the objective texts?

I didn't experience any of the "crash" problems Bruce had, just took a bit longer to think, nothing special. Actually all went quite good up until the point I've been robbed my Major Victory on turn 45. :evil:

Generally, to me as a player, there's only one thing important: gameplay. This means a good map with the enemy doing what it should as well as clear and achievable objectives (at least in middle difficulty). That's how I plan my deployment and the whole moves afterwards. So you should've written "take and HOLD the damned bridge till turn 45" to achieve this objective. Yeah, right, after THREE tanks and a 4-star inf. unit simultaneously attack my militia/partisan/conscripts kind of army you've given me. I've took it THREE times before turn 45 and of course lost it on the enemy's turn again, being a river-hex and all. If I've known this beforehand, I would've taken the capture point sooner and fortified it somehow better. And of course I didn't save :roll: , because everything looked so good up until then.

It's quite a long scenario, so I'll continue tomorrow.
Screenshot 223.jpg
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terminator
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Re: Duplex's Scenarios

Post by terminator »

Manchurian Offensive :
I give up, impossible to play second time :(
Computer_Explosion.png
Computer_Explosion.png (11.9 KiB) Viewed 3619 times
My configuration : PC, i5-2300 CPU @2.80Ghz, RAM 4.00Go, Windows 10 Famille 64 bits, GeForce GT530, 1920x 1080.
Duplex
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Re: Duplex's Scenarios

Post by Duplex »

GabeKnight, I always, always, thoroughly test my scenarios before release. I have beat this scenario with all prim. and sec. objectives completed before. It certainly is possible. The bridge thing is unfortunate though. I will look into it and change it. Thanks for playing!
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Re: Duplex's Scenarios

Post by GabeKnight »

@Duplex
I'm sometimes overreacting over seemingly small details, I'm sorry about that, but functioning triggers are kind of important to me, at the very least the objectives should work properly. I don't care about some idle units (or similar) that much. I don't mind it being too hard or having "useless" objectives either, but they should do what they describe. And "reaching" the bridge and "holding" it are two different things to me. As a player, I don't see the work and effort done by the designers, only the end-product. And it's always a pity, if the polish's kinda off.

Because otherwise, your scenarios are very fun to play. And at least for me, the balance of both your scenarios I've played, was real good. Even better this time. The bridge may have been blown, which costed me QUITE some turn to cross that river (as intended, I guess), and I've still managed to achieve all other objectives within turn limits. The first time around, I always play rather aggressive and advance too fast when I should be defending... but there was still no frustration in this mission and almost always good action going on. To be honest, the whole setup may have even worked better on a smaller map, as the distances between cities were mostly wasted just moving. I liked the constant plane harassment, though.
Fierce counter-attack
Fierce counter-attack
Screenshot 224.jpg (567.8 KiB) Viewed 3605 times
There were no problems playing this scenario on my rig, no crashes and no too long AI thinking times. But the map's truly quite large and most portions aren't needed anyways. The suggested AI change to "idle" the unneeded enemy units in far away towns would certainly help, but then you'd have to carefully watch the activation trigger setting's working right. On the other hand, the advancing strategies on this map are quite straightforward, mostly with one united front along the railroad, so the AI activation could be some distance trigger setting, similar to the one you used with the trucks. This may help to make this playable to others (?)
Endgame
Endgame
Screenshot 225.jpg (573.53 KiB) Viewed 3605 times
suggestions
- may want to increase the turn limit a bit or decrease the map size if you're keeping everything as it is. And 95 turns are quite a lot already (although needed).
- the sec. obj. to take the YingKou port town felt kind of useless as the "reward" being the departure of the enemy fleet which wouldn't have bothered me at all, if I weren't going for this objective :wink: :lol:
- you may want to give the *first* heavy inf. unit some kind of transport, missed it at the beginning. Later on the rail movement works quite nice
- you could add one or two more "city" hexes or similar along the railway, otherwise that long distances render my artillery units useless. As they can't debark midway I'll have to keep them inside the train until I've captured the next town or using their own rather slow transports and thus being left behind.
- I think the last reinforcements wave never actually made it to the frontline in time...
Screenshot 226.jpg
Screenshot 226.jpg (476.6 KiB) Viewed 3605 times
It was really a GREAT offensive. Thank you. :D
Duplex
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Re: Duplex's Scenarios

Post by Duplex »

Thanks for all the feedback. It is very helpful. I will make an update soon.
When you do scenario creation, there is always a balance/medium between gameplay and historical accuracy. Many frustrations and other things people note in my scenarios are not a result of my "negligence", but rather my attempts to keep the scenario historically accurate. I have already made many concessions in the past at the expense of historical accuracy, but please, if you think you see a mistake, tell me. I don't want to look anything over and you (GabeKnight) have been very helpful when commenting on my scenarios. Thank you.

Edit: I just hope people aren't disappointed if I don't do what they suggest.
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Re: Duplex's Scenarios

Post by bru888 »

Duplex wrote:Edit: I just hope people aren't disappointed if I don't do what they suggest.
Never be afraid of this.

First of all, it's your scenario. Design it your way! For one thing, it is you who will want to replay it to your own enjoyment down the line.

Secondly, people who offer advice should realize the above and not be disappointed if their suggestions are not adopted verbatim. Anybody whose ego gets bruised because this is not the case . . . well let's just say, too bad. But I think most if not all of us are not that way. I assume so when I take advice on my own scenarios.
- Bru
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Re: Duplex's Scenarios

Post by GabeKnight »

Can't help you with the historical accuracy, there are better suited people around here for that :wink: I'm more the tech-guy.

And suggestions are exactly that, just something for you to think over. I'll give them to improve gameplay from MY POINT OF VIEW, nothing more. If you'll find them useful, good, and if not... well, it's your scenario after all. I don't HAVE to play it again, you know... :D

Now I'm really looking forward to HONG KONG.
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Re: Duplex's Scenarios

Post by Duplex »

Update 1.1.2 for the Great Manchurian Offensive:
- secondary objective trigger fixed
- other minor tweaks
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Re: Duplex's Scenarios

Post by Duplex »

Hong Kong is being completed really quickly...its so small in comparison to the last one.
The main problem is balancing issues, and testing is so monotonous.
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Re: Duplex's Scenarios

Post by ALP071 »

Duplex wrote:Hong Kong is being completed really quickly...its so small in comparison to the last one.
The main problem is balancing issues, and testing is so monotonous.
Mate, may I suggest some historically-based features for this scenario?

1.- The St. Stephen's Hospital massacre; maybe making the defence of the hospital a secondary objective, with an income penalty (representing morale loss) if you can't.
2.- The defence of the Repulse Bay Hotel; same as number 1.
3.- Punjabis evacuated the mainland through the Kowloon wharves, with the rearguard having to jump onto the ferry under close-range Japanese fire; maybe a succesful evacuation being another secondary objective.
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