Very first impressions

[Kerensky]

Hi,

I have downloaded the very last version of the game.
All in all this is better.

1. US and British icons are excellent, but why in Germany scenario they are faced to the East like the Soviets ? Was it th egame for original PG ? Maybe it was the case.

2. Combats are excellent! However the game remains sometimes too slow.

3. Still the lack of contrast (main screen of battlefield and purchase menu)

4. Missing French units in Purchase menu in 1945 (Berlin scenario)

5. Some units still without movement sound

6. Still piston engine movement sound for jets

#1. Plans are in the works to address this. Units may be able to face left or right regardless of their starting facing, but this may only be limited for combat. For the record, old PG had this problem too.

#2. I somewhat agree, there are a few places where combat is still too slow, mostly in wrapping up and finishing animations.

#4. This is because there are no french units on the board and no friendly french owned cities to purchase from.

#5 and #6.
Unit animations (and unit sound effects) are a very new feature, so new we're not even done with all of them yet! So expect many improvements in this area, and use this sample to base your judgment upon.
Disclaimer: Animated gif has been optimized for FIRE FOX web browser.


In the meantime, however, any feedback on this new feature is always welcome.

[RobertCL]

Hi,

IS3

You are right:
"The IS-3 came too late to see action in World War II. Though some older sources claim that the tank saw action at the end of the war in Europe, there are no official reports to confirm this. It is now generally accepted that the tank saw no action against the Germans, although one regiment may have been deployed against the Japanese in Manchuria"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iosif_Stalin_tank


"Germany" scenario (Allied side)

Fine:

1. Combat animations
2. My US B17 can well be repaired and refueled on a Soviet airfield
3. US Units are great, superb design
4. No unit can cross the border and move in Switzerland

To be improved:

1. After 10 turns I captured all VHs but the game does not stop, I should have an "Allied victory" message, no ? I wasted nearly 15 turns to destroy all German units on the map. I had to wait for the end of the scenario to destroy all units but one (a Do 335 Pfeil), then I got the message according which I was victorious --> victory conditions settings or their implementation should be reviewed! You will find occasionnal players who would like to play just one scenario like me.
2. On the strategic map we should see the ownership of VHs
3. When fights are taking place at AI turn sometimes the player does not see the action and what really happens
4. I lost a Mustang and a B17, I do not know if this is due to combat (see point 3 above) or a lack of fuel.

Eastern campaign 1941

1. I lost. I needed two turns more to win (and I cheated with prestige giving me 30.000 PP to buy a few Karel Gerats and Stukas). But this is not a bug Barbarossa scenario is fine but the nr of Soviet troops is impressive! (like in the original PG)
2. I cannot see the difference between AUX units and CORE units (no different color scheme)
3. Unit SDKFZ 7 (AD) has no moving sound. Some German tanks have no sound either.

[RobertCL]

Hi,

See also my previous post I updated.

1943 Western campaign

1. I finish the scenario having all VH's except in Sicily and I end with a loss ?
When I click to see the map then the button allowing to proceed does not work (usually "next turn" button if the player chooses to see the map first).
Anyway I think the Western scenarios are not designed yet (I thought they were only available in campaign mode).

2. Excellent animations but the loss of aircraft is a problem since without sound the player does not see (or far too late) one of his aircrafts has been shot down

3. Excellent Canadian flag among the British troops (Canadian infantry uses its own flag, please if not done do the same for New Zealand and Australia if such infantry units exist).

4. I cannot identify the CORE units from the AUX units.

[RobertCL]

Test with version 0.96

Using USA Mid-West (US side) and others:

1. I am playing on the US side in Mid West, I conquered the 2 German VHs and the game does not stop, why ?
--> please review victory conditions settings (same problem on Soviet side in East Berlin).

2. West Berlin scenario: why is it possible to purchase Soviet troops ? --> the Soviet flag should dissappear in the purchase menu

3. Still no Free French army from 1944 (and namely in Berlin scenario) ? --> please add this nation

4. Barbarossa: OK you added a Karl Gerat non purchasable. In those conditions add non purchasable units in a few scenarios, for instance V1 or V2s in 1944 and 1945 scenarios.

5. Still absence of move sound for US 155mm self propelled gun.

6. How can I design a scenario with the game ? I have not seen where the game editor is located.

7. The bridging units have a rather strange icon, just my standpoint.

Positive aspects

1. Excellent music
2. Excellent animations

[Rudankort]

Hi Robert!

1. I am playing on the US side in Mid West, I conquered the 2 German VHs and the game does not stop, why ?
--> please review victory conditions settings (same problem on Soviet side in East Berlin).

Victory conditions are still a bit messy, but it should be fixed in the next update.

2. West Berlin scenario: why is it possible to purchase Soviet troops ? --> the Soviet flag should dissappear in the purchase menu

Sounds like a bug.

6. How can I design a scenario with the game ? I have not seen where the game editor is located.

Scenario editor is in the game's folder, but there is no shortcut in the Start menu yet. We should add it. For now, go to the game's installation folder (by default %Program Files%\Slitherine\Panzer Corps) and run ScenarioEditor.exe.

Positive aspects

1. Excellent music
2. Excellent animations

I remember that you were very unhappy about map graphics. Is it better with the new tileset, or is it still bad in your opinion?

[RobertCL]

Hi Rudankort,

I remember that you were very unhappy about map graphics. Is it better with the new tileset, or is it still bad in your opinion?

I think the map and the purchase menu are still far too dark.
It is slightly better than before but for me this will be a problem.
I know when you select a unit then you need a much lighter color but the standard color when no unit is selected remain too dark and this "hurts" eyes.
In the purchase menu it is a real problem for Germany: grey on grey...
Just use much lighter background colors and it will be fine.
I know you tried to use the grey color of tanks in background, originally it was a good idea but in the long run it ruins the willingness to play the game.

Other comments:

1. KV2 turret is the same as KV5. KV2 turret should be much higher.
2. Some units are purchasable (e.g. German or Soviet cavalry) but at the end of the war this is not the case anymore, is it normal ?
3. OK, review victory conditions for most of scenarios, I played 10 of them and I think I had problems with 8 cases.
4. Thx for the scenario editor, I want to try a fight between Western powers and USSR.
5. Make sure you have a movement sound for each unit and that Jets have a jet sound (not piston engine sound), see for instance the Gloster Meteor (it was a problem in the previous version, I should check for this one).

[RobertCL]

Hello,

New version used but same problems:
1. KV2 turrent not high enough
2. Ju 87D icon should be icon of Ju87G without the canons (instead of Ju 87 B icon)

Other remarks:
1. Intro is not working in version 0.98
2. Better animations than before
3. Superb small icons for lack of fuel or ammo and to detect core units.

I am playtesting the Eastern campaign 1943.

[Kerensky]

1. KV-2 was accidentally give a KV-5 blueprint.
viewtopic.php?t=22875&highlight=roster+hole
2. I think the Stukas and their models were a late addition, I'm not sure about that and whether they are still being improved/modified anymore though.

Intro was temporarily disabled so our internal testing team didn't have to dismiss it every time we needed to launch and re-launch the progam.
Glad you enjoy the new animations, I think they're especially awesome when firing in concert.


We look forward to hearing your feedback based on your campaign. Good luck!

[RobertCL]

Thx Kerensky for following up my path

Other remarks:
1. Still no mouvement sound for railguns
2. Still piston engine sounds for jets (at least Me 163 Komet)
3. Still no Waffen SS infantry unit
4. I do not understand the campaign mode, at the very 1st turn I could deploy but not upgrade and even less purchase units. I had to deploy then go the the next trun before being allowed to move and purchase units, is it normal ? (I am playing Bagration right now)
5. OK to keep KV5 but KV85 should have been kept also. KV2 turret is better presented in PGF for instance.

[corneliul]

Panzer general series SSIis my favorite of all times all types of games so i dedicated to that series miles of hours of playing...so i waited this game for 15 year to come...and finally someone showed me i'm not ALONE.
1.So...first big problem i had...compatibility beta 0.96 with windows 7x64 SP1...run without problems after i changed to 'Run as Administrator' even if i installed it with administrator permissions.

2. Very good graphic system, icons, terrain, a masterpiece for this genre, really nice sounds...10+ (leave it this way)
3. Little colour differentiatios from core units (but resolved on beta 0.98 i saw) but on minimap i have some difficulties to spot my units from adversary...maybe you can try using colours for the units and cities (axis and allies who can make them more easy to recognize on minimap), maybe little flags for example not green, grey dots...
4. I found it the campain a little to hard even on Easy with standard rules (started from polland 1939 axis)...maybe you can make it progresivly difficult forwarding later '42..after all Polland and French battles were blitzkriegs...troops can gain experience to choose specialities...lots of my core troops died before end of the scenario...for example i preffer maybe less core troops but treat them like babies (never die style, very hard to kill, lots of abilities, like heroes...) instead of having lots of them but easy to kill...pls balance if the beta testers are all agree the dificultiy on start scenarios

Thanks and i return with more impressions...

[DerSchwabe]

i miss the e-boats...in german we say s-boats

[RobertCL]

Eastern Front campaign:

Kursk: loss (1 VH from victory and Soviets were exhuasted). Attention the loss message after Kursk mentions the name of a city (don't remember which one) but is was misspelled!
Bagration: Loss (2 VHs from victory and Soviets fled in dissaray)
Berlin: Decisive victory thx to my hordes of Koenigstigers and FW190 G Jabos (extra 20.000 PP my god!!!).

I am cheating with +- 20.000 extra prestige points in easy mode and I still can't win!!!
Am I a so bad player ?
The difficulty level is really too hard.

Arty takes nearly no experience.
Animations are fine but sometines they are not working, Wuhrframen 1943 works sometimes, sometimes not and its sound is the sound of standard arty instead of rockets.

I understood the campaign mode: you can repair or add extra value for experienced units. After deployment you click on next turn, only then you can purchase new units and move with all others.

A great game, graphism is outstanding, animations are fine, OK the background is still too dark for me (I feel exhausted after 1 hour game!).

[Kerensky]

Eastern Front campaign:

Kursk: loss (1 VH from victory and Soviets were exhuasted). Attention the loss message after Kursk mentions the name of a city (don't remember which one) but is was misspelled!

No it doesn't.

<p>Herr General, is this report accurate? Have the Soviet defenses truly turned your Panzer Corps into Panzer Corpses?! This is most a serious setback, and even now the Red Horde is advancing toward us en masse! Retreat your surviving forces to the Panther Line, you must make your stand there!</p>

[uran21]

Retreat your surviving forces to the Panther Line, you must make your stand there!

I do not think our Bagration scenario has much to do with Panther Line. Wasn't that part defended by Army Group North and scenario setting includes Army Group Center?

[Rudankort]

I am cheating with +- 20.000 extra prestige points in easy mode and I still can't win!!!
Am I a so bad player ?
The difficulty level is really too hard.

Hi Robert! What is your opinion, why exactly the game is so difficult? Is it lack of time, or lack of prestige, or both, maybe some other factors?

[Kerensky]

Well if we want to be historical, I believe the plan, after the failure of Kursk and Citadel, was to fall back to the Panther Line. So at the time when this briefing occurs, the player is being given historical information. The fact that the campaign skips over the Battle for the Dnieper would require clairvoyance on the part of officer providing the briefing to explain.

That fact aside, Bagration opening briefing A did require a rewrite because it was pointed out that it has little to do with the Panther Line, so that change could reflect the accuracy of Bagration much better now.

[RobertCL]

I found, it was the intro of Lake Balaton:

I will be brief, Herr General, time is of the essence. As you may know, the capital of our last ally in Europe, Hungry

It is "Hungary"
I forgot to say I also played Lake Balaton and I lost (only one VH to conquer and I would have won).
I looked at all texts and found no issue but I remember in game ther was a city name.
I should have noted it...

Hi Rudankort,

The difficulty is caused by the "lack" of dammage caused by arty and by my own style of play.
I'm not a very good player, I like taking my time to destroy all units surrounding the unit on a VH and I make no wounded, I shoot to kill.
This means I need many turns to win, in most cases I have too few turns to win.
I also put veteran replacements from the moment any of my unit has min 1 star.
When you play on the Allied side on the contrary you have even too many turns and you destroy Germans easily in easy mode without needing to cheat.
So the game experience on the Allied side is perfect for me.
On the German side, even in easy mode it seems too hard.
I think all CORE units when you start a campaign should have a lot of experience and stars (units at min 12 or 13, even 15), this could rebalance the game. Just my 2 cents.

I playtested Convoy in the Atlantic, superb scenario even if I won despite there was one transport ship left.
I playtest now Overlord scenario.

Strange you do not have medals for leaders, units who really performed well, they can have 5 stars of experience but a medal for very good units would have been fun like in PG2 or PeG.

I cannot load an existing map in the scenario editor, I can only open an existing scenario.
I think the scenario editor is not very user friendly.
I just want to use Berlin map and put Soviets vs USA (after defeat of Germany), no possibility do do that via the editor ?
Do I have to load the existing scenario and to remove German units ?
If I have to do that the scenario editor is not user-friendly at all!!!
I should be able to load any map and then to add any unit I want from any nation I want.
A readme file to explain how to use the scenario editor seems mandatory (at least for me).

Robert

[RobertCL]

Hello,

V0.99

Excellent game!

Remarks still valid for this version:

1. Please correct Ju87D icon: use Ju 87G icon without the AT canons

2. Please check all jets: the Me 163 Komet has still the piston engine sound.

3. I saw the Huntress scenario, a marvell, please integrate SS units as a separate nation with purchasable units with Germany as permanent allied country (or integrate those units in Germany nation as you did but this time for the campaign and not for a scenario only) in the campaign OR add a few SS units in the German campaign, for instance in Kursk or in DDay scenario because historically SS were there wether some people like it or not, they existed and should be part of the game, it would be a nice feature. In all cases I see that you have a talent to put camouflage to units. BTW I would be delighted to see the Afrika Korps campaign in a next add-on.

4. Why not adding Siberian infantry units on Soviet side ?

NB: Still to be tested: I hope your victory conditions settings are now corrected for all scenarios!
I loaded from previous version D-Day and I lost although I conquered all VHs.
I used a saved game from previous version: on Allied side on D Day I capture all VHs 8 days before end of scenario and I end with a loss!!!
However when I start new scenarios directly from version 0.99, everything works fine.

5. All units can be repaired but not the railgun ("Gustav") in Stalingrad scenario, is it a bug ?

I love the AT units being able to turn themselves into Arty units and reverse, a superb feature!
I also like the new easy mode with Sergeant level, all units with 500 experience and 10 strengths including those purchased with all opponents at 5 strength.
Seems perhaps too easy, Lieutnant is fine since German units are experienced and AI units have 10 strength.

Scenarios tested with v 0.99:
* USA West Coast (excellent, at least an easy wy to win) on German side;
* Ardennen on US side;
* Huntress on German side;
* Stalingrad scenario;
* German campaign Western Front 1943.

--------

Ju 87D:
http://modelingmadness.com/scotts/axis/ ... ju87d8.htm

This is the same icon as Ju87G but you must remove the two tank canons.
Believe me Ju87D deserves its own icon.
All the work is only done by your team, just remove the canons from the Ju 87G icon and you have your Ju 87D icon!


You should also add the He 129 because it was really used in Kursk (a great anti tank plane):
http://www.sepsy.de/lf-HS-henschel-129-B2.htm

Siberians (they should have 1 point more in SA and wear the famous soviet cap we name "chapka"):
http://mr-home.staff.shef.ac.uk/hobbies/sib.txt

The way siberians look like:
http://www.modelcars.com/revell-germany ... -wwii.html

http://worldin172scale.blogspot.com/201 ... m-set.html

And you could also add the NKVD units, infantry with nearly the same power as conscripts.


-------

Bugs:

1. Campaign message is "Ardennen 16th December 1945". It should be 1944!

2. When you finish a scenario within a campaign you have the choice: "seeing the map" or "proceed". If you watch the map, then you cannot go to the next scenario even if clicking on next turn button.
You must load the autosave Axis (for an Axis campaign). Please correct this!

3. Ardennen played during Western Campaign: I have destroyed all US units and well 10 turns before the end. I have a marginal victory only ??? So I am sent to Berlin. In the original SSI game I would have had a Brilliant victory and peace talks would have started, I am not sure I would have beeen sent to Berlin.


----

Summary of Improvement proposals:

1. Use of leaders (like in PG2 or PeG)
2. Clear readme file explaining how to use the built-in scenario editor
3. Integration of Waffen SS (new nation or included in Germany). In a new nation it would be nicer especially in the purchase menu (all camo units only), He 129, Siberian infantry, NKVD, ski infantry (Germany + USSR) + correct icon Ju87D.
4. Correction of text files (campaign messages).
5. Correction of sound for all jets (make sure a jet sound is used and not piston engine).
6. History of a unit, with medals awarded per battle (like in PG2 or PeG).
7. Possibility to get an after battle report (showing your campaign path and results like in PG2 or PeG).

[RobertCL]

I also forgot to mention two things:

a) your icon of IS2 is wrong, you used the ideal icon for an IS3 (a beautiful icon BTW)
b) I never knew the Do 335 Pfeil was in the fighter-bomber category with the same stats as a FW 190G!!! Do 335 was only a fighter.

[Kerensky]

I'll fix the briefing errors you mentioned.