U-boat War Campaign [WIP]

[K200]

I have released the first mission as a test to get everyone's opinions and feedback. I contacted Iceflame to get his permission to use his U-boat artwork, but never got a reply. Therefore, I decided to create my own instead. All custom units, editing, mission, and artwork in the mod was done by me, including the huge British Isles map.

Readme is below:


U-boat Campaign v1.0 TEST mission

This 60-turn mission focuses on the U-boat war starting in the early part of 1942. Your U-boats are based at Brest, France. To win the mission, you must sink any and all merchant freighter ships you encounter between the northwest coast of Ireland and the small land mass at the far west of the map (abstractly representing the North American continent). If you don't sink most of the enemy freighters, your mission will fail.


A few notes:

1. Your U-boats have 3 optional depths from which to choose. They will be indicated with grey letters next to the unit icon...

- 'S' stands for 'Surfaced'. Your U-boat will be able to travel much farther per turn, but will also be extremely vulnerable to damage. Take caution when traveling on the surface. Also note that on the surface you will be able to attack with either torpedoes or AA guns (if equipped). You are running on diesel engines when surfaced. Visibility and spotting is normal.

- 'PD' stands for 'Periscope Depth'. Your U-boat will be traveling just under the ocean's surface. Your U-boat will be somewhat less vulnerable to damage, but your mobility will also be reduced (you are running on electric motors).

- 'D' stands for 'Deep'. Your U-boat will dive to maximum depth, and switch to silent running. Mobility will be greatly reduced to only one hex (ten miles) per turn. You will also not be able to see anything on the surface, nor be able to fire any torpedoes. But your vulnerability to damage will be greatly reduced.

2. Watch out for British heavy bombers. They are deadly and can easily sink a U-boat.

3. You will have the option of purchasing a new U-boat unit- the Type VII/AA. This U-boat is upgraded and heavily armed with anti-aircraft guns to fight off enemy bombers. The guns will not make you invulnerable, but will help when running on the surface. They are not effective against heavy high-level enemy bombers.

4. Use your airpower to try and take out as many enemy bombers as possible so they won't have a chance to harrass your U-boats.

5. Watch out for enemy destroyers. They can be very tough to beat, especially if a group of them surround your U-boat. A good evasion tactic is to dive deep and hope they lose interest and leave.

6. Be wary of smaller enemy bombers following your Type VII/AAs. They may not attack, but will instead follow and direct any nearby destroyers or other bombers to attack.

7. To simulate U-boat stealth, I have increased U-boat visibility. You might now be able to spot enemy naval units before they spot you, giving you the choice of attack or evasion.


That's about all for now. This long mission really isn't a campaign (yet), but rather a test release mission to get everyone's feedback and suggestions. The mission is beatable. Just be careful and not lose all of your U-boats right away. They are expensive to replace. And if you lose too many, it will be impossible to win the mission. I have done my best to make the mission challenging, yet fun. I have tweaked and modified many units in this mod to try and get the right balance. Lots of play testing went into this little project, and I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I have.


Even though all of the work in this mission/mod was originally done by me, I still want to thank Iceflame for the inspiration and ideas from his U-boat mod for making this project possible. He gave me some great ideas to make this project a reality. This mission and mod is a work-in-progress, and is by no means finished.


Download link: http://www.filedropper.com/u-boatcampaign_1

[Akkula]

Wow, very intriguing project indeed. Sounds very promising.
Please keep us informed with screenshots and reports of your progress.

Best regards.
Akkula.

[K200]

Wow, very intriguing project indeed. Sounds very promising.
Please keep us informed with screenshots and reports of your progress.

Best regards.
Akkula.

Hello. Even though the game engine is a limiting factor with what I can do, I'm still fairly excited about the project. I'm debating whether to make each mission a small convoy encounter, or use the large British Islands map for longer missions (50+ turns each). I'm leaning toward using the larger map and longer missions. I feel the game play is more fun that way. Basically, the player has to build up their U-boat force and patrol the map, hunting for cargo ships and the occasional large warship. At the same time, they will need to avoid air and surface ASW forces. Each mission will cover approximately 1-2 months in campaign time. At the end of each mission, if the player's U-boats do not sink enough cargo ships, either the mission will end in defeat ending the campaign, or a minor victory with no extra prestige will be awarded, which will allow the player to still continue on to the next campaign mission.

I'm also considering making a U-boat war campaign from the British perspective, focusing on the player hunting down and killing U-boats using his air and surface ASW units to prevent them from sinking precious Allied cargo ships.

[K200]

Here's a screen shot from the campaign. An ASW aircraft and several destroyers are defending an Allied freighter. S, PD, and D stand for Surfaced, Periscope Depth, and Deep. My custom U-boat icons are shown.

[Magic1111]

Hello everyone. I'm in the process of making a U-boat war campaign utilizing iceflame's U-boat unit mod. The campaign will consist of a bunch of linked missions around the British Islands.
...

WOW, looking forward to this very interesting project!

[K200]

Hello everyone. I'm in the process of making a U-boat war campaign utilizing iceflame's U-boat unit mod. The campaign will consist of a bunch of linked missions around the British Islands.
...

WOW, looking forward to this very interesting project!

Thanks! I hope it turns out well. What I've decided to do is have the player patrol one or more zones per mission (intercept convoys, etc). At the end of each successful mission, the player will have several choices for the next patrol zone. I'm doing this to give the player some sort of variety between missions when replaying the campaign each time.

Even though the player will have the opportunity to build up his U-boat force, as the war progresses, the situation will become much more difficult. Later on, convoys will have more surface escorts, ASW surface and air units will become more effective, and merchant ships will become armed (like they historically were).

[Magic1111]

What I've decided to do is have the player patrol one or more zones per mission (intercept convoys, etc). At the end of each successful mission, the player will have several choices for the next patrol zone. I'm doing this to give the player some sort of variety between missions when replaying the campaign each time.

Even though the player will have the opportunity to build up his U-boat force, as the war progresses, the situation will become much more difficult. Later on, convoys will have more surface escorts, ASW surface and air units will become more effective, and merchant ships will become armed (like they historically were).

Sounds very nice K200!

I hope for an release in the future, because in the past some interesting projects were begun, and cancelled after a few month!

[JimmyC]

I'm wondering that with only 1 unit type that it might start getting a bit boring, as there are limited options available. I hope you can find some way to keep it interesting. Maybe if you were to add some scripted events like being given a tactical bomber or some fighters or even a couple of surface ships? That could give it a bit more variety.

[K200]

I'm wondering that with only 1 unit type that it might start getting a bit boring, as there are limited options available. I hope you can find some way to keep it interesting. Maybe if you were to add some scripted events like being given a tactical bomber or some fighters or even a couple of surface ships? That could give it a bit more variety.

I totally agree with you. Having only one unit type to play with gets monotonous and boring very quickly. That is one of the dilemmas I'm facing trying to make a more historical U-boat campaign. I've been adding some different scripts to campaign missions to give variety, but with only one playable unit type, it does get old fast. It looks like I will have to add some playable Axis aircraft and naval units to make the campaign more interesting and enjoyable. All campaign warfare will focus on the air and the sea around the British Isles, with U-boats having a big part in it. It won't be historically accurate, but oh well. Game play is more important I think.

[Cataphract88]

What about getting really ambitious and turning it into a 'Battle of the Atlantic' campaign, with all major surface ships and aircraft?

[K200]

What about getting really ambitious and turning it into a 'Battle of the Atlantic' campaign, with all major surface ships and aircraft?

Yes, that is the direction I think I'm going with take. The first campaign mission will focus on the Axis side trying to sink Allied freighters to cut off supplies to England coming in from North America. Later on in the campaign, larger warships and more aircraft will be added to both sides in a final showdown. After that, the Axis invasion of England will take place, with focus on taking their ports.

One idea I think I will implement is adding a piece of land far west on the map abstractly representing the US. Allied freighters and destroyers will travel back and forth to the British Isles 'delivering' supplies to England. It will be the job of the player to use his U-boat force to sink these freighters.

[K200]

Here's a picture of a wolfpack attacking British merchant shipping off the western coast of Ireland.

[Cataphract88]

What about getting really ambitious and turning it into a 'Battle of the Atlantic' campaign, with all major surface ships and aircraft?

Yes, that is the direction I think I'm going with take. The first campaign mission will focus on the Axis side trying to sink Allied freighters to cut off supplies to England coming in from North America. Later on in the campaign, larger warships and more aircraft will be added to both sides in a final showdown. After that, the Axis invasion of England will take place, with focus on taking their ports.

One idea I think I will implement is adding a piece of land far west on the map abstractly representing the US. Allied freighters and destroyers will travel back and forth to the British Isles 'delivering' supplies to England. It will be the job of the player to use his U-boat force to sink these freighters.

Sounds good.

[Steenv]

Nice looking forward to if.

[K200]

I have released the first mission as a test to get everyone's opinions and feedback. I contacted Iceflame to get his permission to use his U-boat artwork, but never got a reply. Therefore, I decided to create my own instead. All custom units, editing, mission, and artwork in the mod was done by me, including the huge British Isles map.

Readme is below:


U-boat Campaign v1.0 TEST mission

This 60-turn mission focuses on the U-boat war starting in the early part of 1942. Your U-boats are based at Brest, France. To win the mission, you must sink any and all merchant freighter ships you encounter between the northwest coast of Ireland and the small land mass at the far west of the map (abstractly representing the North American continent). If you don't sink most of the enemy freighters, your mission will fail.


A few notes:

1. Your U-boats have 3 optional depths from which to choose. They will be indicated with grey letters next to the unit icon...

- 'S' stands for 'Surfaced'. Your U-boat will be able to travel much farther per turn, but will also be extremely vulnerable to damage. Take caution when traveling on the surface. Also note that on the surface you will be able to attack with either torpedoes or AA guns (if equipped). You are running on diesel engines when surfaced. Visibility and spotting is normal.

- 'PD' stands for 'Periscope Depth'. Your U-boat will be traveling just under the ocean's surface. Your U-boat will be somewhat less vulnerable to damage, but your mobility will also be reduced (you are running on electric motors).

- 'D' stands for 'Deep'. Your U-boat will dive to maximum depth, and switch to silent running. Mobility will be greatly reduced to only one hex (ten miles) per turn. You will also not be able to see anything on the surface, nor be able to fire any torpedoes. But your vulnerability to damage will be greatly reduced.

2. Watch out for British heavy bombers. They are deadly and can easily sink a U-boat.

3. You will have the option of purchasing a new U-boat unit- the Type VII/AA. This U-boat is upgraded and heavily armed with anti-aircraft guns to fight off enemy bombers. The guns will not make you invulnerable, but will help when running on the surface. They are not effective against heavy high-level enemy bombers.

4. Use your airpower to try and take out as many enemy bombers as possible so they won't have a chance to harrass your U-boats.

5. Watch out for enemy destroyers. They can be very tough to beat, especially if a group of them surround your U-boat. A good evasion tactic is to dive deep and hope they lose interest and leave.

6. Be wary of smaller enemy bombers following your Type VII/AAs. They may not attack, but will instead follow and direct any nearby destroyers or other bombers to attack.

7. To simulate U-boat stealth, I have increased U-boat visibility. You might now be able to spot enemy naval units before they spot you, giving you the choice of attack or evasion.


That's about all for now. This long mission really isn't a campaign (yet), but rather a test release mission to get everyone's feedback and suggestions. The mission is beatable. Just be careful and not lose all of your U-boats right away. They are expensive to replace. And if you lose too many, it will be impossible to win the mission. I have done my best to make the mission challenging, yet fun. I have tweaked and modified many units in this mod to try and get the right balance. Lots of play testing went into this little project, and I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I have.


Even though all of the work in this mission/mod was originally done by me, I still want to thank Iceflame for the inspiration and ideas from his U-boat mod for making this project possible. He gave me some great ideas to make this project a reality. This mission and mod is a work-in-progress, and is by no means finished.


Download link: http://www.filedropper.com/u-boatcampaign_1

[morge4]

What about getting really ambitious and turning it into a 'Battle of the Atlantic' campaign, with all major surface ships and aircraft?

Love the idea of a U-Boat mod. And the Atlantic battle sounds like a great idea for the mod!

[K200]

What about getting really ambitious and turning it into a 'Battle of the Atlantic' campaign, with all major surface ships and aircraft?

Love the idea of a U-Boat mod. And the Atlantic battle sounds like a great idea for the mod!

Hello morge4. I hope you download and try out the beta mission and mod. Please let me know what you think!

[K200]

If anyone can help me, I would appreciate it. I have a modding question about a problem I have been unable to solve. I am trying to make U-boats upgradeable, but have been unsuccessful so far. I modded the U-boat units in the equipment.pzeqp file by adding the same customized name under the 'series' column to each of them. Unfortunately the U-boat upgrade option is not showing in the mission. Anyone know why?

[BiteNibbleChomp]

In the add traits column, is 'noupgrade' listed (without quotes)? If it is, remove it.

If not, then it is a default for the class, in which case you can add 'noupgrade' to the Remove traits column.

- BNC

[K200]

In the add traits column, is 'noupgrade' listed (without quotes)? If it is, remove it.

If not, then it is a default for the class, in which case you can add 'noupgrade' to the Remove traits column.

- BNC

Thanks for you quick reply. 'noupgrade' wasn't listed under add Traits column. I added 'noupgrade' (without quotes) to the Remove Traits column. Unfortunately, it didn't work. Here's an example of what I have (I left out most because it won't fit on the screen here):

# ID Short Name Class Add Traits Remove Traits Series Multipurpose

#
#
16601 U-boat VIIC 2 primary rott noupgrade TypeVII 16603

#
#
#
16603 U-boat VIIC 10 camo noupgrade TypeVII 16605

#
#
#
16605 U-boat VIIC 10 camo noupgrade TypeVII 16601

#
#
20001 U-boat VIIC/AA 2 primary rott noupgrade TypeVII 20002

#
#
#
20002 U-boat VIIC/AA 10 camo noupgrade TypeVII 20003

#
#
20003 U-boat VIIC/AA 10 camo noupgrade TypeVII 20001


The regular VII and VII/AA can both be purchased separately with no problem in the scenario. But I cannot get the upgrade button to show when in port. Availability dates are also not a problem.