Italian Campaign 2.0 (v.1.99b on 31st of May, 2023.)

[faos333]

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Hello Uhu, watching Goose playthrough on You Tube (https://youtu.be/f1y2ExzVukI), I noticed, that he has no Sahariana units.

Why is this so?
I think they should be added in the Mod, for more game in diversity, after all they are one of the few worthwhile units in the Italian army.

[faos333]

..........

I installed the latest mod version 1.99b, I noticed in the Mod, there are no AUDIO/ In Game music files.

Watching Goose videos, I listened to the music audio sounds and they were very atmospheric, I guess he is using the default game files for Afrika, or it is something else I am missing.

thanks

[goose_2]

..........

I installed the latest mod version 1.99b, I noticed in the Mod, there are no AUDIO/ In Game music files.

Watching Goose videos, I listened to the music audio sounds and they were very atmospheric, I guess he is using the default game files for Afrika, or it is something else I am missing.

thanks

I am using the Afrika Corps music that Von Thuringen created. It is great

[Uhu]

Hi Faos,

Sorry, I did not get the ne notices of the topic.
Your question is absolute valid. The causes why the Sahariana is not included is:
- The inf and armored units represent a regiment-division. There were not so many Sahariana in WW2.
- They would unset the balance of the scenarios (that is the more importat)
- Sahariana units would look like a little weird outside the desert

.....

Hello Uhu, watching Goose playthrough on You Tube (https://youtu.be/f1y2ExzVukI), I noticed, that he has no Sahariana units.

Why is this so?
I think they should be added in the Mod, for more game in diversity, after all they are one of the few worthwhile units in the Italian army.

[Uhu]

I do not hear any music, while playing - it would take away some of my focus from the front.
But the one you are playing while you are streaming is really great!
I also recommend the Panzer General 2 music, it is very nice.

..........

I installed the latest mod version 1.99b, I noticed in the Mod, there are no AUDIO/ In Game music files.

Watching Goose videos, I listened to the music audio sounds and they were very atmospheric, I guess he is using the default game files for Afrika, or it is something else I am missing.

thanks

I am using the Afrika Corps music that Von Thuringen created. It is great

[faos333]

New AAR for the UHU Italian Campaign

https://www.slitherine.com/forum/viewto ... 6#p1014846

[rubyjuno]

New AAR for the UHU Italian Campaign

https://www.slitherine.com/forum/viewto ... 6#p1014846

Great tips on the AAR for anyone wishing to play this campaign - thanks for posting.

[Uhu]

Thank you, great AAR!

New AAR for the UHU Italian Campaign

https://www.slitherine.com/forum/viewto ... 6#p1014846

[Uhu]

My fellow Generales!

Some announcements from the publisher (...which is me )

1., I planned to publish v1.99 with some minor bugfixes and icons, but I have now plans for 2.0
2., v2.0 is planned to have the briefings and in-game messages grammatically and stylistic corrected. Also I will try to fix the transport vehicles-issue (showing more transports for units as intended), which is an enormous task and no 100% chance to success but I will try it. I also want to change the campaign tree in minor fashion to reflect (possible, what if) late war events to the campaign.
3., I got reports that the Sicily scn is not just hard, but not doable at all. I will look for it.
4., I will make another tips and tricks entry about the management of core units and temporary core units as they play a very big role in the difficulty of a given scn and the whole campaign.
5., I'm just playing the campaign again with double Rommel and the poly units difficulty: this means 25% prestige and it is allowed only one type of a given unit. It is hard (...but probably not harder than double Rommel plus FM - at least not in the early-middle scns). This is really fun and I saw this idea from Goose, so I just thank you for it, Sir!

Good luck Generales!

[Uhu]

Management of core and temporary core units

The following advices are not a must but can make the campaign easier and more fun. First: the quality and the experience level of our core units are a very big factor, how hard a given scn can be. Therefore it is very important to pay attention to manage them smart.

1., The difference of core and temporary core units. Temporary core units are very useful:
- They can be bought in-scn, when you earned extra prestige. They are like additional aux units, but they need to survive the battle
- After the battle, they can be replaced with green replacements for free and than sold (click keyboard "d" at the screen before starting the scn)
- They are a good asset, when you do not have the needed prestige before the battle to buy additional units, but you can buy them in-scn
- They are good to have flexible solutions for the given scenarios - maybe in one scn you need more recon to take towns and make encirclements with capture, but you need in the other more an extra arty for siege, etc.
- You can sold them before the next battle when you need normal core unit(s), but the unit limit was already reached

2., The starting core army is not a holy law. You can change it already at the Albania scn - and it is advised to do so. I just point out again, these are not a must, but can be helpful:
- 3x inf units are enough throughout the campaign(for example 2x Alpini, 1x Bersaglieri, or 1x Alpini, 1x Inf, 1x Bersaglieri)
- 3x tank are enough throughout the campaign. If you use different types and will not upgrade all of them to P26/40's than probably an additional Tank Hunter (first the Semovente 47/32, later the Semovente 90/53 even later a tank hunter assault gun) can be added to your army
- 6-7x fighters for the later scenarios are very-very advised. The MC.200-line is the best, if you choose to buy the same type of units. If not, than it is a harder difficulty, but I think it is still manageable to score victories - at least for early-mid scns (I'm testing it right now)
- A lot of artillery is also advised. But you do not need to take just the highest caliber - the palette of Italian guns just serve you very well from the mountain-moving low caliber types through the faster middle calibers to the high caliber, slow moving, high pricing units. The only type which I do not recommend (or only as temporary core) is the snail-slow and low radius firing 149/13
- It is also advised to plan for the future - which of your arty units can be later upgraded to Semovente 75/18's? Which fighters do you want to upgrade later for which types? Reading the unit availability and upgrade tree parts of the Library are recommended.

3., Kills and experience are the alfa to omega for potent core units!
- That means, you need to take really every opportunity to get more kills and xp for you priority units. Even a one-kill brings extra xp and kill. Sometimes it is even more worthy to not capture a unit but attack again and again with you priority units (of course not if you are in hurry to make a DV )
- Priority unit types are: fighters, tanks, AA - these should always get elite reinforcements
- Heroes emerge: 1st from 50xp, but from 100xp at the latest. 2nd 101/200, 3rd 201/500
- Hope, you have the tablet about xp bonuses, so just short: fighters, AA and AT get 2 attacks, for every 100 xp

4., The early scns are mostly easier but if you think you can make a better performance do not hesitate to replay them. They are short, so not so many hours will be taken, but the endresult - more prestige, better experienced units, more kills - are a major contributing factor for the difficulty of the later scns/campaign.

I hope this helps, feel free to ask, if you have any more questions!

[rubyjuno]

Hi Uhu,

Thanks for the tips and great news that you are working towards a new release

[Uhu]

Happy New Year my fellow Generales!
I hope, you got some time to spent in the Christmas time to earn some hard fought victories with your brave Italian soldiers!


Some status update from me:
- I still play with Goose_2's great difficulty settings "one type, one core unit" (+ double Rommel) . It is very hard, but it is still in some way easier as double Rommel + Field Marshall. Although probably it will be really hard at the latest scns, where I cannot buy a lot of good stuff from the same type...
- I'm playing now the Loosing Path to see if Sicily scn needs to be fixed. I will try to play it probably with 5000 starting prestige for the AI instead of 10000. I will see it. I finished 2nd El-Alamein which was already challenging and bloody and I just started to play Kasserine.

[rubyjuno]

Happy New Year to you too. Enjoy playing and keep up the good work!

[faos333]

Few thoughts for future updates

After finishing this great and special Mod, with an interesting path of alternative history, in which the Italians are doing fine on their own in N. Afrika and many other fronts, ending with Sea Lion 1944 or Anzio – Rome.

Here are a few ideas for future updates:
*Add more rewards to the player in the form of Prototype units in order to add more variety. I mean units for free before their actual appearance date, like Semovente 90/53 to help with the AT in capabilities, or a MC.202 Folgore, a G.55 Centauro or a P26/40, especially because Italians suffer a lot in armor.

*Offer a Sahariana core unit, for free, without the player being able to buy more. This would add variety in the units’ composition, without changing the current maps balances.

*In certain maps, like Kursk, Moscow-South43, add more presence of German aux units, this would be make these two maps look more historical.

*In first El-Alamein map add an aux engineer, to help with the extended and long minefields.

*Sicily 1943 map (losing path) needs re balancing.

*Add new audio, to make things sound more interesting.

*Add the core units cap, as briefing information.

Again thanks for this really great and tough and interesting Mod.

[faos333]

The issue of Italian luck of armor and anti – tank weapons.

On the issue of Italian inabilities regarding tanks and anti-tank weapons, things worked fine for me, as I progressed the campaign, at the start using three AA guns the equivalent of 88’s, even the captured Char B1 was really useful.

It is true that Italians historically suffered a lot in this area, since they were seriously lacking of capable tanks and anti-tanks weapons and used rather obsolete types of units in all fronts involved.

More over this lack of armor, creates a feeling of repetitiveness, in the Mod, in a way that becomes a little boring, to try to use Italian tanks. In my case, I stopped using them after a certain point, I think was in Scenario 12 – Odessa, by editing the Mod and adding two German tanks in the core.

My proposals for the Italian Mod:
Although the captured Char B1 with an exp of 100 makes a nice addition in map 4 Nice. As the campaign progresses, it looks weird for this unit to have an active role in Afrika, or even in the Eastern front. Its appearance in the GTPG Mod was also, weird.

This tank historically had limited effectiveness, due to mechanical reliability issues and slow speed, although it was effective in direct confrontations with German armour, but its low speed and high fuel consumption made it ill-adapted to the war of movement. In other words it was already, outdated at 1940…

I completely understand its usefulness in the Italian campaign but…

There could be other solutions, as well, that produce the same result, which follow the historical realities and strengthen the Italian players’ armory of core.

I will present them as food for thought:
# Alternative 1: captured British armor, in scenario 6 – or else. There are plenty of units in the English armory, like the Matilda, or the Cruiser. For their usage by the Italian player could be boosted with exp and a defensive hero.

# Alternative 2: captured American armor like the Grant used by the British, in a later scenario. This would be especially the case for a second free tank unit.

# Alternative 3: captured France armor like the Somua S35, a better unit than the Char, equipped with a relevant hero.

# Alternative 4: a German tank unit, given to Italians, such as a Pz III series unit, which in the course of the campaign, could be upgraded.

# Alternative 5: an Italian Panther, later on in the Mod, as a prototype unit, in the eastern front battles, especially in the case of a winning path. Quite historical since Italians in 1943 were planning local production. This also will add variety and interest to the Mod.

As a conclusion, I would advise for two free tank units offered during this campaign. They will make the Mod more interesting in terms of units variety and at the same time help the player to endure more damage, especially, on the attack.


More info on the Italian Panther project:
https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/ital ... an-panther
.

Italian_Panther-1-600px.jpg (41.56 KiB) Viewed 2287 times

[Uhu]

Thanks for the feedback and suggestions!

As with many of the other proposals, I do have concerns, regarding the balance of the scns/overall campaign. I surely not want to make it easier. True, the Italians lack of heavy hitting AT capabilities, but I did not felt that as a big challenge until late '42, when the stronger Allied armor showed up (plus sometimes the Churchills). As I play with a lot of arty and my airforce was also strong, I tried always to make the enemy armor to surrender - also because that brought me some extra prestige. When it was not possible, than I bombed them to hell with my tac bombers, or forced them to close defense terrain and destroyed them with inf. For me it is even a more enjoyable fight and result as just charging forward with strong armor and simply destroy everything with a few shots.
About repetitiveness with armor: well, probably, if the player upgrade every his tanks to M41/14's, than it is a little boring, but there are other options: I play now with the "one type - one unit" difficulty, so I have the Char B1, 1x M13/40, 1x M14/41. Plus I bought a Semovente 47/32 at the beginning of 1942, which I upgraded now to Semovente 90/53 and it will be upgraded to Semovente 75/46 which is a "beast".

On the other hand, more variety and more historical reality is welcomed.

- I will think about to implement the Sahariana unit into the game. But probably without the 2nd function/inf unit type and with identical values as the AB41. So, there would be more variety, but the overall balance would not be harmed.

- I hear your voice about the Char B1...hmm, I think about to add a conversion possibility to the S35, or to something else, with hero(es) to have the same stats as the original Char. It is just tricky how to implement it in the given scn, but McGuba has such in the Battlefront, so I just need to learn it from him how to do this.

+1., Maybe I can make the campaign still a little easier on the easier difficulty level without making it easier on the harder difficulty: I can raise the core unit number while also raise the cap number at the two given defense scns. So, with more prestige, the player can buy more core units.

One question: how good heroes did you get with your armor? When I was lucky, I got even armor with +3A +3D stats which made the weak M14 much stronger.

The issue of Italian luck of armor and anti – tank weapons.

On the issue of Italian inabilities regarding tanks and anti-tank weapons, things worked fine for me, as I progressed the campaign, at the start using three AA guns the equivalent of 88’s, even the captured Char B1 was really useful.

It is true that Italians historically suffered a lot in this area, since they were seriously lacking of capable tanks and anti-tanks weapons and used rather obsolete types of units in all fronts involved.

More over this lack of armor, creates a feeling of repetitiveness, in the Mod, in a way that becomes a little boring, to try to use Italian tanks. In my case, I stopped using them after a certain point, I think was in Scenario 12 – Odessa, by editing the Mod and adding two German tanks in the core.

My proposals for the Italian Mod:
Although the captured Char B1 with an exp of 100 makes a nice addition in map 4 Nice. As the campaign progresses, it looks weird for this unit to have an active role in Afrika, or even in the Eastern front. Its appearance in the GTPG Mod was also, weird.

This tank historically had limited effectiveness, due to mechanical reliability issues and slow speed, although it was effective in direct confrontations with German armour, but its low speed and high fuel consumption made it ill-adapted to the war of movement. In other words it was already, outdated at 1940…

I completely understand its usefulness in the Italian campaign but…

There could be other solutions, as well, that produce the same result, which follow the historical realities and strengthen the Italian players’ armory of core.

I will present them as food for thought:
# Alternative 1: captured British armor, in scenario 6 – or else. There are plenty of units in the English armory, like the Matilda, or the Cruiser. For their usage by the Italian player could be boosted with exp and a defensive hero.

# Alternative 2: captured American armor like the Grant used by the British, in a later scenario. This would be especially the case for a second free tank unit.

# Alternative 3: captured France armor like the Somua S35, a better unit than the Char, equipped with a relevant hero.

# Alternative 4: a German tank unit, given to Italians, such as a Pz III series unit, which in the course of the campaign, could be upgraded.

# Alternative 5: an Italian Panther, later on in the Mod, as a prototype unit, in the eastern front battles, especially in the case of a winning path. Quite historical since Italians in 1943 were planning local production. This also will add variety and interest to the Mod.

As a conclusion, I would advise for two free tank units offered during this campaign. They will make the Mod more interesting in terms of units variety and at the same time help the player to endure more damage, especially, on the attack.


More info on the Italian Panther project:
https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/ital ... an-panther
.
Italian_Panther-1-600px.jpg

[faos333]

........
One question: how good heroes did you get with your armor? When I was lucky, I got even armor with +3A +3D stats which made the weak M14 much stronger.

Armor units used:

In total I used 5 tanks. Four tanks were 3 stars of experience, plus one which was 2 stars.

Italian armor:
The flamethrower got 500 kills, with 3 heroes A2, D3, Ini 1, in sea Lion became an Italian Panther
The second Italian tank 180 kills, with two heroes: D1, Movement.

French captured armor:
Char got 640 kills, with 3 heroes A3, D3, Movement, but after he got 3 heroes, I stopped using it that much. Later on upgraded to P26/40, in Sea Lion to P30/43.

German armor:
The Pz III toward the end became a Tiger and got 780 kills, three heroes: A4, movement
The Pz IV toward the end became a Panther and got 670 kills, three heroes: D5, movement

[faos333]

.......

+1., Maybe I can make the campaign still a little easier on the easier difficulty level without making it easier on the harder difficulty: I can raise the core unit number while also raise the cap number at the two given defense scns. So, with more prestige, the player can buy more core units.

That is a good start, keep in mind that not all players are capable of playing to such hard difficulty, not that they know all the tricks to win the AI, nor that they know the secrets of its map in this Mod.

Me for example I only recently started to use lots of temporary core units and they are doing fine.
For example in Sea Lion I bought, one Level bomber, two tactical bombers and one cavalry, all green units, either for bait the AI, or simply to add more firepower.

[faos333]

Best of Airforce in my play:

Best plane is a Tactical Bomber SM 79 Savoia Marchetti - best unit in kills in total 1000 kills, with three heroes A6 and four stars of exp
Second best Italian Stukas, got 760 kills, three heroes A5, D2, four stars of exp
Third is a fighter ended as G56, 380 kills, three heroes A3, D3, three stars of exp

[33Charlemagne]

Good Morning, I don't' know hot to find the Italian challenge it seem that the page doesn't more any download; more, I play with a Mac, is compatibile?? Can You help me ? rgds. Riccardo forma Italy.