For several years I've been tinkering around with the data scripts of Slitherene's "Commander the Great War" to create my mod, called "Potzblitz" (which could be roughly translated as 'cor blimey!' a favourite saying of Emperor Wilhelm II ).
This mod is for the PC Version of the game.
It offers A LOT of new features, bringing the game experience to a whole new level.
Detailed PDF manual included in download!
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§1: DOWNLOAD LINKS
MAIN MOD
This is the complete mod featuring all updates up to V25.0 from OCT 18th 2024 .
The mod consists of a folder called "Data" which has to be copied over the existing "Data" folder in the game's main folder.
See §3 below for more details.
Download link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Yq_1nk ... S5ni4/view
(GoogleDrive might tell you they were unable to preview the download, just click on "download", size is about 540mb)
There is a PDF manual included in the download. You really should try to quick-read the first 25 pages to get a glimpse about all the new features.
IMPORTANT:
DON'T APPLY FULL MOD UPDATES IF YOU STILL HAVE SINGLEPLAYER OR MULTIPLAYER CAMPAIGNS IN PROGRESS THAT YOU WANT TO CONTINUE - IT WILL CAUSE UNRECOVERABLE CRASHES! BETTER FINISH THOSE CAMPAIGNS FIRST OR START ANEW AFTER APPLYING THE UPDATE.
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
BUGFIXES:
The Bugfixes also consist of a folder named "Data" but are smaller in size and have to be copied over the existing installation just like the main mod.
You should ALWAYS apply bugfixes.
>>>Latest Bugfixes:<<<
Currently there are no updates or bugfixes pending.
DISCORD CHANNEL (created by forum user Umeu)
https://discord.com/invite/tmPn7tQ98y
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MOD STATUS:
Singleplayer: very stable
Multplayer: : very stable
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§2: IMPORTANT NOTES!
This mod was created for the standard Windows-PC install and Steam versions.
Ipad is NOT supported and will never be because of reasons beyond my competence/responsibility as a simple modder.
Installing the mod will only allow you to play the Potzblitz mod. You won't be able to play the standard game anymore.
HOWEVER you can have two separate installation of the game if you want to be able to play both versions.
Just install the game again but to a different folder or make a copy of the standard game folder.
For PBEM multiplayer: this mod will require BOTH players to have the mod installed.
Installing the mod will compromise your ability to host and accept vanilla (unmodded) multiplayer games, you can only play PotzBlitz multiplayer games once you have installed this mod.
The mod was designed for experienced gamers who find the standard CTGW game to be too easy.
Unexperienced players might very well get stomped vs the AI or be confused by certain new game mechanics which are explained in the PDF included with the mod, so do read the new rules!
The mod covers several scenarios .
The mod only supports english language, choosing another language will cause a crash.
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§3INSTALLATION
Installing the mod is no rocket science: all you have to do is to copy and paste a single folder.
1. Make sure, your game is updated to the last official version: V1.6.6 if you have not installed PotzBlitz before.
2. You might well want to backup the whole CTGW folder beforehand so you can continue to play the vanilla version of the game at any time.
Okay, ready?
Just unpack the folder called "DATA" from the zip archive you just downloaded and put it into the game's main folder.
There MUST already be a folder called "DATA" there or else you are not in the game's main folder.
Overwrite the "DATA" folder with the new one from the archive.
Click yes if you are asked whether you want to overwrite the existing files.
The included PDF has a whopping 120 pages, it is not meant to be learned by heart but is a reference for people who want to know what exactly will be going on in Potzblitz without having to learn LUA (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lua_%28pr ... anguage%29) to have a look at the scripts.
However I would strongly suggest reading the first few pages with the "General information" bits to get yourself acquainted to some very important new game mechanics.
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§4: IF YOU EXPERIENCE A CRASH:
If the game crashes and you wish the crash to get fixed, please provide as much info as possible or I won't be able to help!
For instance, please say "when I attacked that unit" or "when I clicked on that thing" or "at the start of the next turn" the game crashed.
This will be very helpful.
What else to do:
First try and see whether the crash is reproducable by restarting from the last autosave.endturn!
Do this at least twice!
If the game keeps crashing please provide the last savegame (autosave.endturn) before the crash or better yet the ctgw.log which is usually to be found in your Documents folder, so look in "My Documents\My Games\Commander The Great War".
NOTE: This log is overwritten every time you start the game. Please make a copy of the log after any crash/bug you want to report BEFORE reloading the game.
Put the ctgw.log and/or autosave.endturn files into a .zip or .rar archive and attach them to your post using the forum's "upload attachment" feature. You can find the upload button in the bottom left corner of the reply box after you click on "full editor and preview".
Alternatively you can just copy/paste and post the last few lines of the "error" message at the end of the ctgw.log, usually this holds enough information to fix a bug.
In some "complex" cases the last savegame is required too for me to get the "bigger picture" of what is happening in your game.
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§5: NEW FEATURES:
- New resource: Diplomatic points (diplo points) allowing you to choose special events via diplo screen and other stuff like bribing nations into the war on your side or spying/sabotaging your enemies.
To play a specific event for a nation, first click on the left hand vertical row of flags, then on one of the flags of one of your alliance's members. Diplo points required will be raised by 1 each time an event is played or discarded (discard by clicking on "CHOOSE NONE", the diplo points will then be used to influence random neutral nations to join your side, but at low chance to succeed).
CHOOSING EVENTS:
click on diplomacy tab:
FIRST choose one of your alliance's nations on the left
SECOND choose the SAME nation's flag on the right. This is mandatory to allow to target that nation for bonus PP, MP, AM or morale events.
Then you should have these options:
Clicking on "choose event" will give you a choice of 1 of three available events to play:
This might all be quite unwieldy but it was necessary to do it that way to allow the "transfer" (see below) feature to work correctly.
TRANSFER:
Transfer up to 10 units of PP or ammunition between nations of the same alliance.
first click on the left vertical list of your alliance's nations to choose a SENDER.
second click on the right horizontal list of your alliance's nations to choose a RECEIVER.
Example showing Britain transferring 20 PP to France.
This can be done via railway of sea transports. It will use up rail or sea transport moves.
The sender is expected to provide the means of transport unless he has neither rail nor sea transport moves left.
In this case the receiver will use up means of transportation.
If neither sender or receiver have any rail/sea transport left then no transfer is possible.
Up to 30% of any rail shipment can get lost by "local requisition".
Sea transfers can be sunk by Central Powers raiders (you'll be notified when this happens) and will be lost.
To be able to conduct a transfer of PP or AM via rail you must have a continous railway connection between any two capitals of sending and receiving nation.
To be able to conduct of PP or AM via sea you both nations must share ports in the SAME sea region.
Sea regions are:
Baltic Sea, North Sea, North Atlantic, Western Mediterranean, Eastern Mediterranean, Adriatic sea, Black Sea, Red Sea
New diplomatic options:
INFLUENCE will bring the targeted neutral nation closer to your alliance with a % chance of the number of INFLUENCE points spent.
The value shown is the TOTAL of all INFLUENCE you have spent on that nation, either by actively clicking on the "INFLUENCE" button or by random distribution when clicking on "CHOOSE NONE" on the choose events screen.
A D100 roll is made EVERY TURN against the INFLUENCE value shown on the diplo screen. If the roll is equal or less than the value then your alliance has successfully influenced that nation-
Example: if the INFLUENCE value shown is 23, then you have a 23% chance per turn to positively affect that nation's alignment.
You can lose INFLUENCE if the enemy nation is leaning toward your enemy OR if your enemy has won the annual morale check event happening in January each year ("CP/ENTENTE confident").
The % success chance will be modified by the number of INFLUENCE your enemy might have spent on that nation.
If your enemy has spent INFLUENCE on that nation, your % chance will be lowered by the difference of both INFLUENCE values.
If your enemy has spent MORE INFLUENCE on that nation than you, you cannot influence that nation at all.
Example: CP have spent 50 INFLUENCE on Greece, ENTENTE has spent 30 INFLUENCE on Greece. CP chance to influence Greece is 20% (50 minus 30).
If the check is successful then the default alignment shift (which is about 0.2 per turn) of the nation will be multiplied by √number of INFLUENCE spent minus enemy INFLUENCE spent (if any).
Example: you have spent 36 INFLUENCE and the D100 roll is equal or lower than 36. The default alignment shift (0.2) will be multiplied by 6 (√36), resulting in a shift of 1.2.
The result will be favorable modified if:
- your side has spent more than double the INFLUENCE than your enemy on that nation
- your side has won the annual morale check event
The total bonus multiplier can get as high as 2.
So the maximum alignment shift you could theoretically achieve is a 100% chance for 4 alignment points per turn.
If a nation is leaning toward your enemy then a successful check will stop that nation shifting toward your enemy for that turn or will minimally shift that nation's alignment toward your alliance. Therefore don't expect more than a delay when, for example as Entente trying to INFLUENCE very pro-CP nations like Bulgaria, especially if the CP player has also spent INFLUENCE.
Same goes for CP trying to influence US for example.
If a nation is leaning toward your own side, then a successful check will shift that nation's alignment toward your own alliance.
INTEL will raise your chance to perform spy/sabotage missions on enemy nations with a % chance of INTEL points spent IF your alliance has SIGINT superiority ("enemy code broken").
Else "cipher unknown" will be displayed.
If the enemy has broken your own code then "cipher broken" will be displayed.
Else "cipher is safe" will be displayed.
You will gain bonus diplo points if your alliance has spent the most overall INTEL.
SIGINT superiority is out of your direct control but is heavily modified by the amount of INTEL points you have sunk into the target nation.
To be precise: INTEL values from both alliances are tested with D100. If your alliance's test is successful and the enemy's is not, you gain 1 SIGINT point.
If you have spent more total INTEL across all the neutrals you will have a chance to gain bonus SIGINT.
The side with the higher SIGINT value over any given enemy nation will be able to trigger spy/sabotage missions on the enemy nation like described above with a % chance equalling the number of INTEL points spent on that nation.
Protect your own nations from enemy INTEL by clicking on COUNTER-INTEL.
Don't expect wonders from INTEL but the occasional boost like stealing some tech, industrial sabotage, immunity from minefields, showing enemy units and giving short-lived but substantial combat bonuses. It will also unlock special "spy" events to cancel enemy events or boost your own diplo points.
DESTABILIZE:
Uses all your diplomatic points to create collapse points for the victim nation. The more diplomatic points invested the higher the success chance.
PILLAGE
You gain 1 PP for every occupied city, town or fortress of the selected nation. Might come in handy if you are a few PP short to build that Army Corps you desperately need right now.
OTHER NEW FEATURES:
- ambient sounds, many new attack and movement sounds
- new stat "endurance" for naval units. Endurance replaces "quality" for naval units only. It will be displayed at the spot where unit quality is normally displayed.
Every time you move or attack with a naval unit your naval unit will lose endurance. Once endurance reaches 0, your naval unit will lose the ability to automatically replenish effectiveness even in friendly waters and might even suffer strength loss. Naval units with low level of endurance have a YELLOW glow.
Naval units with zero level of endurance and low efficiency have a FIERY RED glow.
Bring those units to a port to replenish all endurance. Endurance also enhances ability to dodge sea mines and perform a quick retreat for subs and light cruisers.
Extra endurance loss for naval units during winter or when running into sea mines!
- all capital ships (BBs, BCs, Pre-dreads) will consume 1 ammo for naval fights (they will consume more for shore bombardments!) or their attack score is halved!
- NEW labs build cost is 3
- lab UPKEEP cost is 1 for 1 lab, 3 for 2, 6 for 3, 10 for 4 etc., as by formula: ((#labs * #labs+1) /2)
- randomized tech line unlocking times.
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§6: PLEASE ALWAYS REPORT CRASHES WITH AS MUCH INFO AS POSSIBLE! THANKS!
If you enjoy this mod and/or want it to get further improved PLEASE give a salute so I can see the hundreds of hours of my spare time I put into this project were not wasted.
(btw. I also accept Slitherene gift coupons)
Cheers!
