Suggestion: Choose amount of reinforcements purchased

[Ryben]

I love Panzer Corps, it´s nearly the same as the old Panzer General...but better!

I have a first suggestion to improve the game: Reinforcements are expensive and Elite Reincforcements are so awful expensive that you may run out of prestige points very fast. This is specially painful since the "elite reinforcement" button tries to fulfill all the depleted strenght points in a unit.

I think it would be great if you were capable of choosing the amount of reinforcement you would like to expend. Maybe you have an elite panzer unit at "5" strength and would be enough to rise up to "7" instead of a full "10" and deplete your prestige pool.

[Kerensky]

Is losing a whole move/attack action worth 2 strength points?
Why not use such units to mop up weak enemies or capture objectives?

[Ryben]

It depends of the unit. A possible scenario:

An expensive and experienced tank unit (a Tiger or Panther) suffers a lot of losses in combat and now it´s at "2" strength. Using normal replacements means you lose hard won experience. Elite reinforcement would empty the prestige pool and you need those points to reinforce other less expensive units that are in the frontline.

You are not going to risk the unit to mop up weak enemies and certainly you don´t want to leave such a valuable unit somewhere in the rear at "2" because an enemy attack (maybe an air unit) could easily destroy it. Allowing to reinforce the strength to just "5" would indeed increase its survivability in case of an unexpected enemy attack, make it capable of attacking weak enemies without being destroyed in the process and still leave you some prestige points to reinforce more cheap units elsewhere.

[boredatwork]

I doubt I would use such a feature in the manner you suggest.

However what I would like to see is the option to split reinforments between elite/regular.

If you have say a 5 str unit with 340 XP I would love the option to give just enough elite replacements to keep the XP above 300 and the balance cheaper regulars.

[adrianoku]

I love Panzer Corps, it´s nearly the same as the old Panzer General...but better!

I have a first suggestion to improve the game: Reinforcements are expensive and Elite Reincforcements are so awful expensive that you may run out of prestige points very fast. This is specially painful since the "elite reinforcement" button tries to fulfill all the depleted strenght points in a unit.

I think it would be great if you were capable of choosing the amount of reinforcement you would like to expend. Maybe you have an elite panzer unit at "5" strength and would be enough to rise up to "7" instead of a full "10" and deplete your prestige pool.

I agree with this suggestion!

[Razz1]

I have been asking for this.

So... Count my vote in.

[TheGrayMouser]

It depends of the unit. A possible scenario:

An expensive and experienced tank unit (a Tiger or Panther) suffers a lot of losses in combat and now it´s at "2" strength. Using normal replacements means you lose hard won experience. Elite reinforcement would empty the prestige pool and you need those points to reinforce other less expensive units that are in the frontline.

You are not going to risk the unit to mop up weak enemies and certainly you don´t want to leave such a valuable unit somewhere in the rear at "2" because an enemy attack (maybe an air unit) could easily destroy it. Allowing to reinforce the strength to just "5" would indeed increase its survivability in case of an unexpected enemy attack, make it capable of attacking weak enemies without being destroyed in the process and still leave you some prestige points to reinforce more cheap units elsewhere.

One issue i see is that often a unit that is depleted is boxed in by adjacent enemy units and cant fully reinforce anyway, so you would be working with fractions....

[El_Condoro]

I have also suggested this as an improvement. If a unit surrounded by others is allowed 3 strength in replacements the ability to increase to 1, 2 or 3 steps would be excellent IMO. Likewise, as the OP has said, expensive units don't always need to go to 10 strength to be effective but can be a case of overkill to increase by the default amount. I would use this feature often but there would nned to still be the current system so a player does not have to repeatedly hit the replace button to go from 2 to 10 SP, for example.

[Kerensky]

If a unit surrounded by others is allowed 3 strength in replacements.

If this is implemented, it will not provide the ability to circumvent adjacent enemies preventing reinforcement. More likely, the ability to decide on partial reinforcements will also be subject to this.
If you are 1 strength with 1 enemy adjacent, you can reinforce UP TO 9 (player chooses how much exactly).
If you are 1 strength with 2 enemy adjacent, you can reinforce UP TO 5 (player chooses how much exactly).
If you are 1 strength with 3+ enemy adjacent, you're screwed.

[Szabtom]

I do not see this would improve the gameplay in any way. Adds micro-management, probably screws the AI and favors the human player, deviates from the original PG by adding a decision factor that did not exist. And I don't know any game where unit re-inforcement would be adjustable. Games have automated strength gained from a pool of manpower or they work like PG.

[El_Condoro]

@ Kerensky. My poorly phrased sentence should have read 'a unit with adjacent enemy units (not surrounded)'. Your model is what we know in the game and is fine.

@Szabtom: if it was made optional in the sense that players could choose to hit the usual button (takes unit to 10 or limit of prestige, affected by adjacent units as now) or allow incremental increases then I can only see that as an improvement. You call it 'micromanagement', I call it choice. Other games might not have it, but PzC could lead the way.

[TheGrayMouser]

I do not see this would improve the gameplay in any way. Adds micro-management, probably screws the AI and favors the human player, deviates from the original PG by adding a decision factor that did not exist. And I don't know any game where unit re-inforcement would be adjustable. Games have automated strength gained from a pool of manpower or they work like PG.

I generally agree with this but see no problem with it being an option when you start a game. howver one thing to keep in mind, if too many options are alowed, how are you going to sift thru MP challneges to find an open game with the exact style you want to play? Too many options/combos could make MP less open for quick pick up of games. Especially if you feel certain options drastically effect gameplay/balance

[El_Condoro]

If and how this might be implemented is up to the devs but I was thinking it would be part of the game but its *use* would be optional. It could even be a hotkey such as '+' when a unit is selected to incrementally increase its value. That adds nothing to the screen display but allows the extra functionality. It wouldn't affect MP games unfairly because both players would have access to it.

[TheGrayMouser]

Ah that kind of optional Hmm i suppose if that was implemented I would need to control my urge to use , because imho the basic nature / stategy of the game is to pick off enemy crippled units that CANT reinforce because they dont have the prestige available. With partial reinforcements .. well, no way to know but i think that would change tactics gameplay significantly.

[El_Condoro]

They could only incrementally increase if they have prestige available. I can't see it causing a major change in tactics. Can someone give an example of how this would be a bad feature, please? 'Micromanaging' or taking 30 minutes over a turn is only a bad thing if you don't like it (so don't do it), or if it affects your opponent (they don't have to know). Other than that it is how I imagine what happened in war - 10 divisions want 1000 men but only 500 are available. One division is in dire need so it gets 300 men. 5 are not in enemy contact - they can wait. 4 are in contact but holding - give them 50 men each. It was more complicated than this, I'm sure, but as an illustration.