Extra Content for Panzer Corps Announced!

[edahl1980]

Why am i thinking of milking cows after reading this topic?

[IainMcNeil]

The issue then is how do you handle the later part of the campaign if you have conquered the UK - a whole DLC could be skipped?

[willgamer]

We are trying to separate out features from content. The DLC packs are purely new maps and campaigns. Features will be rolled out in patches. As someone above suggested our plan is to keep a single version of Panzer Corps that anyone who updates to the latest version will have. Then all you have to do is choose which campaign to play. You may not have all of the campaigns if you have not purchased all the DLC but you would have the same game version with all the features.

We also plan a different level of additional content called an expansion. This again will keep the core code features the same but add a lot more units, terrain types etc to cover a different theatre. It will have a higher price tag to cover the higher development costs and more extensive content updates. More details on this soon.

For example, for the later DLC packs we have found we need some more Soviet units to cover the eastern front in more detail. These units will be included in a patch that everyone will get for free. However these units will not appear for most users initially as they have no maps that make use of them. The later DLC packs will make use of the new units. Map designers will also be able to make use of the new units and anyone will be able to play them. Having said that we may need to limit the use of new units to an expansion if we add an entirely new theatre such as Pacific/Africa etc, but units slotting in to an existing theatre you own will be free.

So in summary what we plan is:
DLC - maps and campaigns using the core content that is already available. The Grand campaigns are in this categroy.
Expansions - new content taking the game to new theatres. We have not announced any expansions yet but will do soon!

That's probably just confused the issue

OK, let's test my understanding-

Will there be another patch to the core game BEFORE any of the dlcs come out?

[edahl1980]

Scenario List:

Poznan, Danzig Corridor South, Danzig Corridor North, Lodz, Piatek, Wyszogrod, Kampinoska, Forest, Modlin, Warsaw South, Warsaw North, Spoils of War, Oslo, Lillehammer, Narvik

If you want to make the game a little more historical correct. Replace Lillehammer with Kvam. There was an actual battle and i believe it was the first real battle in world war 2 between the British and the Germans.
Another option is battle of Gudbrandsdalen. Which can stretch from Lillehammer to Dombås(Where the Germans landed paratroopers) Fallschirmjagers vs Norwegian infantry and artillery.

More info can be found.
http://hem.fyristorg.com/robertm/norge/ ... _kvam.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Dombås (cut/paste adress)

[monkspider]

The issue then is how do you handle the later part of the campaign if you have conquered the UK - a whole DLC could be skipped?

I might need to think this over some more, but I am actually inclined to say, yes. I think it would be more in line with the philosophy of player choice that Panzer Corps seems to have adopted. If the player wants to go for a decisive victory campaign that leads all the way to the USA, he can crush the UK in 1940, then you can let him. Or if he is in the mood for a longer, more historical campaign, he can choose to just follow the extended campaign in the the 1941 campaigns in North Africa or what have you. I think it would add more excitement and re-playability to have at least a possibility of a Sealion campaign. Perhaps you could make it much more difficult to get than in the current game if you wanted to.

[Kerensky]

Here's simple beauty of this linked DLC idea.

Let's fast forward a few months.

Grand Campaign 39, Grand Campaign 40, and so on to Grand Campaign 45 are all created. The full 7 campaigns.

But say the direction we take in this Grand Campaign is focused purely on the East Front. That means that Grand Campaign 1944 has nothing to with Normandy or France, but is focused entirely on what's going on in Eastern Europe (battles for the Dneiper, Vistula, et cetera).

Because of how Grand Campaigns are going to be linked to each other, it will be possible, in future content or even user made custom content, to provide alternative links.

Each Grand Campaign will have an exit code and an entry code. If Campaign 1939 has exit code.... Alpha1939. Any campaign that has the entry code Alpha1939 is a campaign that you can now import that core into.

In other words, if we release a SeaLion DLC campaign, or a custom campaign is made of it, all you have to do is take the exit code from Grand Campaign 1940 and apply it as the entry code of Sealion Campaign. Voila.

The same goes for switching between East Front and West Front later in the war.
Should a player choose to want to go to Italy and France in 1943 and 1944, it should be possible to finish a 1942 Grand Campaign, and then choose where your 1942 Grand Campaign core moves to next.

That's the idea, anyways, how it will all come together in practice is one of the important items we need to test.
The point is, the interesting campaigns paths and grand, strategic directions we currently have in the current campaign? This will be implemented by the creation of entirely new campaigns.

[monkspider]

Here's simple beauty of this linked DLC idea.

Let's fast forward a few months.

Grand Campaign 39, Grand Campaign 40, and so on to Grand Campaign 45 are all created. The full 7 campaigns.

But say the direction we take in this Grand Campaign is focused purely on the East Front. That means that Grand Campaign 1944 has nothing to with Normandy or France, but is focused entirely on what's going on in Eastern Europe (battles for the Dneiper, Vistula, et cetera).

Because of how Grand Campaigns are going to be linked to each other, it will be possible, in future content or even user made custom content, to provide alternative links.

Each Grand Campaign will have an exit code and an entry code. If Campaign 1939 has exit code.... Alpha1939. Any campaign that has the entry code Alpha1939 is a campaign that you can now import that core into.

In other words, if we release a SeaLion DLC campaign, or a custom campaign is made of it, all you have to do is take the exit code from Grand Campaign 1940 and apply it as the entry code of Sealion Campaign. Voila.

The same goes for switching between East Front and West Front later in the war.
Should a player choose to want to go to Italy and France in 1943 and 1944, it should be possible to finish a 1942 Grand Campaign, and then choose where your 1942 Grand Campaign core moves to next.

That's the idea, anyways, how it will all come together in practice is one of the important items we need to test.
The point is, the interesting campaigns paths and grand, strategic directions we currently have in the current campaign? This will be implemented by the creation of entirely new campaigns.

Hmm, fascinating. That does seem like a very elegant design! Well, all I can say is, hopefully some beta-testing invites will be sent out soon.

[TheGrayMouser]

i am thouroughly confused now about how this will work, i think part of the problem is you shouldnt be calling each of these 7 or so DLC campaigns "Grand Campaigns " at all, When I think GC i am thinking of what comes in vanilla PCorp which are scenarios from 1939-45 campaign

I think i had the assumption that these minis would offer alot more detail and scenarios within a certain year /theator and THEN you could link into the vanilla "main campaign".
The more you own, the "detail/battles" you get within the framwork o the vanilla main campaign.

It now sounds like if you only purhcase say Poland 39, and complete it , game over??

[monkspider]

i am thouroughly confused now about how this will work, i think part of the problem is you shouldnt be calling each of these 7 or so DLC campaigns "Grand Campaigns " at all, When I think GC i am thinking of what comes in vanilla PCorp which are scenarios from 1939-45 campaign

I think i had the assumption that these minis would offer alot more detail and scenarios within a certain year /theator and THEN you could link into the vanilla "main campaign".
The more you own, the "detail/battles" you get within the framwork o the vanilla main campaign.

It now sounds like if you only purhcase say Poland 39, and complete it , game over??

I think this is a valid concern. As much as I love the elegance of the proposed system, I really would appreciate it if it could be linked to the core campaign.

[ffl310]

Will get all of them with my eyes closed
Excellent news.

[Kerensky]

Well, maybe the best way to implement Heroes in an expanded campaign is to base it on Experience instead of Kills and then slow the rate that XP is earned. XP would be a good "measuring stick" for awarding Heroes since so more goes into it besides just kills. So, for example, you get your first Hero randomly between 50 and 150XP. You get the second Hero randomly between 150 and 300XP and then the final Hero randomly between 300 and 500XP. Medals could also be based on XP instead of Kills:

Iron Cross 2nd Class (50XP)
Iron Cross 1st Class (100XP)
Knight's Cross (150XP)
Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves (200XP)
Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords (300XP)
Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds (400XP)
Knight's Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds (500XP)

Let me poke a hole in this otherwise decent idea.
In the new DLC campaigns, players can import their core from DLC to DLC.
At the end of DLC 1939, units have roughly 200 experience each.

The only way for a player who starts DLC 1940 will have a core that is competitive to the one that just finished DLC 1939 is to start with per-experienced units, causing this idea to fall apart.

[AgentX]

Let me poke a hole in this otherwise decent idea.
In the new DLC campaigns, players can import their core from DLC to DLC.
At the end of DLC 1939, units have roughly 200 experience each.

The only way for a player who starts DLC 1940 will have a core that is competitive to the one that just finished DLC 1939 is to start with per-experienced units, causing this idea to fall apart.

Oh well, like you said, I also thought it was a "decent idea", but just thought I'd throw it out there and see if it could hold up to scrutiny. So, if not XP, then sticking with kills, then? Won't there be much the same problem with importing core units from DLC to DLC with Heroes based on kills?

[IainMcNeil]

The DLC Grand Campaigns are separate the existing campaigns. You cannot move between the old campaigns and the new DLC campaigns (it makes no sense as they are at a different time scale, different map scale so have different core slots, experience levels and prestige). DLC campaigns will all bolt together to a mega campaign. You will be able to continue armies from GC 1939 to GC 1940 to 1941 etc. Once you complete GC 39 your army sits there and waits for you to get GC 40. No need to replay once you have GC 40. Does this clear thigns up?

[impar]

The DLC Grand Campaigns are separate the existing campaigns. You cannot move between the old campaigns and the new DLC campaigns (it makes no sense as they are at a different time scale, different map scale so have different core slots, experience levels and prestige). DLC campaigns will all bolt together to a mega campaign. You will be able to continue armies from GC 1939 to GC 1940 to 1941 etc. Once you complete GC 39 your army sits there and waits for you to get GC 40. No need to replay once you have GC 40. Does this clear thigns up?

I get the impression that Panzer Corps will be Grand Campaign 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45 and 46, and the current Panzer Corps was a market research test.
If you manage to deliver a consistent WWII experience via those GCs, fine.
If you stop at, say, GC43 we wont have a completed game.

Also, please, make all those DLC\expansion\addons work inside one big Panzer Corps. Dont spread into mini-Panzer Corps games.

[IainMcNeil]

The plan is certainly to make DLC to the end of the war. 1945 was the planned end date currently.

I dont understand the question about mini Pz Corps games.

[miki]

Hi Iain

Will be purely sequential the GC path? That is, one after one, with no alternative history, no different branches like in the actual 1939 Campaign? I would love to see a Sea Lion 40 or 41 GC as an alternative to GC Balkans, for example...

[ElIndio]

Fantastic news!

Two extra campaigns for what under £10 in Sterling terms, can't say fairer than that, albeit my fiancee, may not be best pleased if I end up having more late night Panzer Corps sessions

Can't understand anyone quibbling at the DLC / cost, I think the price is set very fairly and this is a business after all where the developer has to charge to provide content Anyone expecting this for free is either deluded or wildly optimistic...

The fact that PC could develop into a 70+ mission game at modest cost is just awesome, I look forward to more DLC, theatres such as N.Africa, Normandy & Ardennes campaigns etc would make fantastic extra bespoke campaign DLC.

Compare this to say Activision / Treyarch charging £11 for 4 re-cycled & 1 "new" DLC zombie maps on Call of Duty and you will get where I am coming from.....

[Kerensky]

Hi Iain

Will be purely sequential the GC path? That is, one after one, with no alternative history, no different branches like in the actual 1939 Campaign? I would love to see a Sea Lion 40 or 41 GC as an alternative to GC Balkans, for example...

This answers your question I believe.

Here's simple beauty of this linked DLC idea.

Let's fast forward a few months.

Grand Campaign 39, Grand Campaign 40, and so on to Grand Campaign 45 are all created. The full 7 campaigns.

But say the direction we take in this Grand Campaign is focused purely on the East Front. That means that Grand Campaign 1944 has nothing to with Normandy or France, but is focused entirely on what's going on in Eastern Europe (battles for the Dneiper, Vistula, et cetera).

Because of how Grand Campaigns are going to be linked to each other, it will be possible, in future content or even user made custom content, to provide alternative links.

Each Grand Campaign will have an exit code and an entry code. If Campaign 1939 has exit code.... Alpha1939. Any campaign that has the entry code Alpha1939 is a campaign that you can now import that core into.

In other words, if we release a SeaLion DLC campaign, or a custom campaign is made of it, all you have to do is take the exit code from Grand Campaign 1940 and apply it as the entry code of Sealion Campaign. Voila.

The same goes for switching between East Front and West Front later in the war.
Should a player choose to want to go to Italy and France in 1943 and 1944, it should be possible to finish a 1942 Grand Campaign, and then choose where your 1942 Grand Campaign core moves to next.

That's the idea, anyways, how it will all come together in practice is one of the important items we need to test.
The point is, the interesting campaigns paths and grand, strategic directions we currently have in the current campaign? This will be implemented by the creation of entirely new campaigns.

[impar]

I dont understand the question about mini Pz Corps games.

One executable\game\program to access several campaigns versus several executables\games\programs to access each one one campaign. The later would be mini PzC.

[miki]

Hi kerensky

Yes. Thank you.

But this takes me to one more question: Seems like Grand Campaings will be named by years, grand campaign 41 for example. Will they include all the fronts (branches) inside it? Say, in GC44, for example, will you include the scenarios to play in Normandy/France and Russia or they will be two different GC selled separately (GC 44 Ostfront and GC 44 West Front)?