Battle of the River Plate is released.

[bru888]

Battle of the River Plate is released. This one is definitely in beta. I need your help in judging the gameplay balance (Germany too much at a disadvantage?) and scenario length (enough turns to accomplish objectives and win?). I believe the details are all in place but I would appreciate your opinions on whether this one is balanced and fun to play. Remember, it's semi-fictional.

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[Erik2]

Excellent.
You are our in-house resident specialist on lone German vessels long way from home

[bru888]

Excellent.
You are our in-house resident specialist on lone German vessels long way from home

Thanks, Erik. I'm a bit worried about this one as to balance. There are a couple of things that I can tweak either way (delay the British or add another cruiser of theirs that was nearby) so I am encouraging folks to provide feedback. The number of turns is another concern. I'll get it right, though, because I think what I designed could be competitive and challenging with a bit more work.

[bru888]

New version 1.1 uploaded:

- Fixed trigger error whereby not exiting with the Graf Spee at turn limit still gave a Minor Victory.
- Corrected copy and paste error for Montevideo Arrival popup message (repeated sentences).
- Adjusted tolerance for cargo ship damage, leading to surrender, by using "Difficulty bonus compensation."
- Improved scenario outcome messages.

[bru888]

New version 1.2 uploaded:

- Fixed trigger event error for cargo ship MV Ashlea destruction not activating when intended.

[bru888]

I am moving this up to version 2.0 due to all the changes that I made tonight:

- Enabled delayed Kampfschwimmer launching from one turn to the next.
- Fixed trigger error that did not idle Uruguayan gunboats as intended.
- Set up Montivideo Hospitality to be recurring each time Graf Spee visits.
- Arrange to delay Task Force G until first cargo ship is destroyed and provide warning.
- Another warning includes strong advice to proceed with Mission to Montevideo.
- There is now a fourth British cruiser depending on how the mission is going.
- Added five more turns for a total of 40.
- Removed anachronistic historical events (wrong calendar month).

That last one I am kicking myself over. What a dumb error; I was looking at September 1939 instead of December 1939. Here's what I took out, in case you are interested:

Removed Historical Events.zip

(725.99 KiB) Downloaded 52 times

I'll find a couple of other historical goodies, hopefully. This scenario is not done yet but it's getting close.

[Andy2012]

Excellent.
You are our in-house resident specialist on lone German vessels long way from home

Agree, keep up the great work, bru. (Wish I had time to play. Havent even applied the last patch yet...yes, it is that bad.)

[bru888]

Excellent.
You are our in-house resident specialist on lone German vessels long way from home

Agree, keep up the great work, bru. (Wish I had time to play. Havent even applied the last patch yet...yes, it is that bad.)

Thanks Andy. Try it sometime; you might be pleasantly surprised. Or not.

New version 2.1 uploaded:

- Included two new chronologically accurate historical events.
- Uruguayan gunboats are not just idled but removed when superfluous.
- Finally perfected all aspects of the visit Montevideo by stealth mode; a tough one.
- Task Force G will now withdraw from the harbor, not just idle, during Montevideo hospitality.
- Moved turns up to 49 which I think is optimal and it ends on a fateful date in real life, a sad end for a decent man.

This one is done. Know how I could tell? Because the last time I played it, I had fun. Also, I know that if a player pays attention to instructions and hints and does the right things, he will win. If he does not, then he will lose. That's a good definition of balance.