DLC 44 Poll

[Kerensky]

^

[Kerensky]

I rather enjoyed how the Italians worked in Sicily, but their use is rather quick. To be fair, implementing aux units in this manner was an experiment. Is it a good idea, would you like to see more design around this feature?
For example, a set of AUX fighter aircraft or AD units you carry around to help with the inevitable Allied air superiority you have to deal with.

As we have seen with DLC 43, the player's CORE is fairly small, and it won't really grow to massive size like the CORE in the late Eastern DLC did.

Probably the main draw back of this system is the need to manually extract these auxiliary units at the end of every scenario. This could become tedious, and even problematic if a player suddenly forgets an important aux unit they have been feeding a lot of prestige and experience.

Perhaps this way of handling aux is best reserved for short pieces of a campaign, and not an entire campaign.

Thoughts and comments on this subject are welcome.

[deducter]

I very much like the AUX system, it's quite a clever use of the game engine. I think GC44-45 could definitely benefit from more implementation of this type. My own wish is to expand upon this idea, so for instance an AUX unit at the start of a scenario should still be able to be moved around during the deployment stage and also, depending on the map, you shouldn't have to withdraw them to a hex specific to get them into the reserve pool (hint hint, expansion!).

[Kamerer]

so for instance an AUX unit at the start of a scenario should still be able to be moved around during the deployment stage and also, depending on the map, you shouldn't have to withdraw them to a hex specific to get them into the reserve pool

I think these two limits make the Aux units as-is unwieldy and less than ideal. If these two problems could be solved, then by all means...

[Kerensky]

Without that restrictions though, how would they be different than a normal CORE unit, who does not need to be properly evacuated at the end of a scenario? Extra effort needs to be required for extra reward. In this case, being able to extend your CORE size beyond its normal limit.

Not being able to un-deploy a carried over aux unit is a fair point, but instructions regarding their deployment, and the ability to simply restart the deploy phase if a mistake is made, should make this tolerable.

[Zhivago]

I would like to see the Aux unit core retroactively fitted to the Afrika scenarios, and the previous DLC scenarios. It is a good way to get units from the other WWII combatants into the game while not forcing a player to compromise core slots for German units.

[ThvN]

I really like the way this system has turned out, although a lot depends on the placement of the evacuation hexes. I don't know if it will be as enjoyable to use during a long campaign, but it is a nice system to link to scenarios together, for example. I did not like the fact that units are automatically evacuated as soon as they enter the evacuation hex, I would prefer that it would require manual input, something similar as selecting a transport for a unit on the map.

I would also like to repeat some earlier comments I made myself in the Syracuse thread:

"I have one remark though, about the evacuation 'mechanism': units which are evacuated enter the reserve and can than be placed back on the map on the original deployment zones. They can even be placed back somewhere else on the same turn if need be. This also worked for my core forces, for example, I could move an artillery unit positioned on the right into the reserves, and than redeploy it on the other flank to bolster defences. I did not do that during playthrough, but I tested it afterwards and it worked, which I think is a bit of an exploit. You can also 'swap' core troops, for example a unit that is no longer useful or damaged and useless without very expensive reinforcements can be evacuated, and a nice fresh tank or something can be put back instead. A nice feature, but I'm not sure that it is intended to be used like this."

[monkspider]

I voted yes because the system is incredibly brilliant in it's simplicity and effectiveness. I don't understand the need to have to withdraw them though. I thought that it was, as you said, kind of tedious on the Etna Line scenario.. I think they would still be distinctive from your standard core as they would be units that the player wouldn't normally purchase or might not even have access to (like Italians). A good idea for the 44-45 scenarios would be to introduce "Volksturm" auxillary units that aren't up to the standard of the Wehrmacht but still can give you a helpful boost if you manage to keep them alive.

[Ballacraine]

I would vote a conditional 'yes.'

It would be tiresome to have to manually evacuate them at every scenario.

Perhaps add them to the core after their first extraction in a similar fashion to the SE units?

Balla. :/

[Kamerer]

Without that restrictions though, how would they be different than a normal CORE unit, who does not need to be properly evacuated at the end of a scenario? Extra effort needs to be required for extra reward. In this case, being able to extend your CORE size beyond its normal limit.

Not being able to un-deploy a carried over aux unit is a fair point, but instructions regarding their deployment, and the ability to simply restart the deploy phase if a mistake is made, should make this tolerable.

I fail to see why a "core" unit or "aux" unit should be treated differently in a scenario. If they are truly on your side, why do they need to leave early, possibly costing you a victory? It's a cumbersome process that just seems odd.

Re-starting the deployment is certainly possibly, but it's cumbersome (there's that word again), and feels wrong - if a player wants to re-arrange a deployment during the process, why should it have to start over from scratch. That also makes you have to go back through reinforcing and repairing again. It really makes the experience feel like it was pasted on instead of part of the game design.

[Zhivago]

Without that restrictions though, how would they be different than a normal CORE unit, who does not need to be properly evacuated at the end of a scenario? Extra effort needs to be required for extra reward. In this case, being able to extend your CORE size beyond its normal limit.

Not being able to un-deploy a carried over aux unit is a fair point, but instructions regarding their deployment, and the ability to simply restart the deploy phase if a mistake is made, should make this tolerable.

I fail to see why a "core" unit or "aux" unit should be treated differently in a scenario. If they are truly on your side, why do they need to leave early, possibly costing you a victory? It's a cumbersome process that just seems odd.

Re-starting the deployment is certainly possibly, but it's cumbersome (there's that word again), and feels wrong - if a player wants to re-arrange a deployment during the process, why should it have to start over from scratch. That also makes you have to go back through reinforcing and repairing again. It really makes the experience feel like it was pasted on instead of part of the game design.

I agree with Kamerer on this one. There are some scenarios where evacuating Italian or other German-allied units is a necessary goal of the game (i.e., Syracuse, and perhaps even Messina), but otherwise, however, it is cumbersome to deploy AUX units and then have to race them to an evacuation zone in order to survive to fight another day. I know that I have been reluctant to deploy the Italian units in this beta to front-line positions for fear that I would not be able to disengage them in time. As such, more often than not, they are relegated to rear-guard duties, or just hanging around the ports or evacuation zones. Having these units not participate in the entire fight because they have to be mindful of their evacuation also deters their ability to rack up experience points and heroes.

[deducter]

I think the current good idea is for these AUX units to be second-rate units, but still valuable due to the limited core slots the player has. There are a good variety of pregiven AUX units. They can be upgraded, they can be transferred from scenario to scenario, so they don't just become cannon fodder, although this should be done up to a given point. For instance, we shouldn't see Italians in Normandy because of the historical nature of the DLCs. I agree with this philosophy of the AUX, but I am against just having the AUX units be a second core.

Let's be a bit careful here to not make these AUX units into just extra core slots. Even having an Italian core and a German core would have some serious issues. A system where there are two cores, one German and one Italian doesn't necessarily work, because the player can just buy all support units, like artillery/AA in the Italian core and use the German core for only good units like the Fw 190A.

I think the main issue with the AUX system right now is that it takes advantage of clever triggers in the scenario editor, but doesn't quite feel integrated into the game. For instance, not being able to redeploy makes the feature seem tacked on. In some scenarios, the ones where you have to conduct a fighting retreat, it makes sense to have to withdraw the AUX units up to a certain point to get them to withdraw. But in counterattack scenarios, like the Etna Line ones, it makes little sense that holding onto the assigned objectives does not allow the AUX to be withdrawn into the core. I understand the limitations of the game engine right now forces the current map design, but for a future patch or expansion, adding more scenario triggers would be nice. A trigger that allows all AUX units in a certain zone to be withdrawn to the core at the end of a turn would make the AUX system much less cumbersome.