Allow more diplomatic options

Ryben · Post by **Ryben** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 10:02 pm

..not just war. I would like to be able:

a) Make peace with another country.
b)Try to attract a country for your alliance.

This last one is specially important. For example, there´s no way Spain would join the Allies or the Axis. Thus there´s no easy way to conquer Gibraltar but, if Spain joins Axis, it would be possible.

A more diverse Diplomacy system would be more useful if the game had an option for a non-historic timeline, where russia wouldn´t neccesary attack Finland entering in war with Axis, for example. The game will be less predictable and could explore what if? scenarios.

That would open a new whole area or interest for the game and it would add a high replay factor. Now, once you complete the same campaign over and over you get a bit bored of that.

ErichVonNeu · Post by **ErichVonNeu** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 2:07 pm

I would like to ask firepowerjohan if it would be at all possible to include more diplomacy in a future mod?

I would like to be able to do the same things Ryben wants and in addition to this:

Influence various countries entry into the war using diplomacy. Regarding Russia there should, in my opion, be a minimum amount of units required on the eastern front to prevent Russia from declaring war. I do think, however, that certain events such as the axis taking London or Gibraltar should trigger or greatly increase the risk of an immediate Russian and/or US DOW.

What do you think Is this possible?

firepowerjohan · Post by **firepowerjohan** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 2:14 pm

Diplomatic layer is not an easy feature and not something we can add in at this stage

ErichVonNeu · Post by **ErichVonNeu** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 2:55 pm

Thanks for the reply. I understand that you probably have a budget to consider etc. But I just wonder if you think that there is any chance at all that this may happen in the future?

I don't think a diplomatic layer should or would have to be complicated. A simple system of being able to use diplomatic points like the diplomacy rules in Advanced Third Reich (if you are familiar with that game, I guess you are.. ) would do it for me. Or maybe the diplomatic system could work like the research feature in CEAW. As the Germans you could research a late US entry in the war and as the allies you would research an early entry, the two sides research efforts would then amount to a 'net' research, either increasing or decreasing US/AXIS tension...

Just enough to make it a little more interesting and unpredictable is all I need. At present you know exactly when USA and Russia join the war and it's a little frustrating considering that the game is fantastic in almost all other aspects. I haven't been this addicted since I played Storm Across Europe on the Amiga...

Please please take this into consideration... please, thanks.

firepowerjohan · Post by **firepowerjohan** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 3:05 pm

I loved Storm Across Europe as well, especially hotseat. Was always fun when we did the research when German player had to go out of the room to not watch the Allies spending their research points and vice versa

For future expansions or sequels we would of course add mroe features to add extra value so yes it is likely that we decide to overhaul the diplomacy as well. Currently focused on the CNAW and after that project it is not decided yet what the next one will be.

ErichVonNeu · Post by **ErichVonNeu** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 4:13 pm

It will do for now... (just kidding) I look forward to future releases and can very much understand the focus on CNAW at present. I remember similar situations in Storm Across Europe when I played against my brother and several arguments We had about the historical accuracy of having an army of 99 inf, 99 mech inf and 99 armor in Moscow and leaving the rest of the front defended by armies of 1 inf... Fog of war was extreme in SAE...

rkr1958 · Post by **rkr1958** » Thu Aug 14, 2008 1:36 am

firepowerjohan wrote:Currently focused on the CNAW and after that project it is not decided yet what the next one will be.

CPaW (Commander Pacific at War)? CEaW II? I will definitely buy CNAW when released and would gladly buy a CPaW and buy/upgrade to CEaW II if you felt so inclined to develop.

Peter Stauffenberg · Post by **Peter Stauffenberg** » Thu Aug 14, 2008 11:33 am

Maybe it's even possible to make a WW3 game using the CeaW engine and the European map? It could be happening around 1980 with the Warsaw Pact countries vs NATO. It might be needed to expand the map a little nortwards so the very important Murmansk naval base is on the map and the Soviets get a border with Norway ready to invade.

It's also possible to make a game happening in e. g. 2008 with Russia trying to grab back the former Soviet Union republics like Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan before going after Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and finally trying to get back the former Warsaw pact countries. That could end up in war with NATO. The game can be based around diplomatic options using military pressure or other means to e. g. pressure Bulgaria and Poland to switch to neutrality and leave NATO, force Finland to allow Russian troops movements through the country, align Serbia, Libya or Iran as active Russian partners etc. The game can have some kind of mechanism increasing tension from each offensive action made by Russia. When the tension is big enough the NATO is allowed to intervene in the countries under pressure and when tension increases even further e. g. from Russian capture of capitals of certain countries or war casualties then NATO is allowed to go to full scale war against Russia. The game can even start with US troops in Iraq fighting a lot of partisans so these US units can't leave and help against Russia. Or USA can leave Iraq and lose all the oil there.

This is just an example of what the CeaW engine can be used for. I think it has a lot of potential and when CNAW is released then it's definitely a market for more games using that engine.

E. g. one can use the engine to make a game simulating the rise and decline of the Roman Empire. The CeaW engine can simulate the WW1 conflict as well. Both these games can use the European map and thus the need for a lot of new graphics is less.

I guess it's even possible to use the CeaW engine for a US Civil War game. That could be very interesting to play. I'm sure Slitherine have a lot of ideas about future projects after CNAW.

Peter Stauffenberg · Post by **Peter Stauffenberg** » Thu Aug 14, 2008 11:35 am

Double post. Please ignore.

firepowerjohan · Post by **firepowerjohan** » Thu Aug 14, 2008 11:57 am

We have not decided yet but we keep on listening, there are alot of different eras in history.

One of the benefits of adding diplomacy is that it enables longer scenarios than just "one war" ones. If adding advanced diplomacy then hypothetical scenarios such as starting in 1936 or even in 1918 or the 1920's get more interesting. The scientific advances between WW1 and WW2 were large which further improves the possibilities and what-ifs.

ErichVonNeu · Post by **ErichVonNeu** » Fri Aug 29, 2008 11:02 am

I really like the way you're thinking Johan. The only thing that worries me is that most of my IRL relations will suffer severely if you manage to release a CEAW-game starting in 1936 with diplomacy options...

I'm really looking forward to it though