Free France Campaign

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bru888
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Re: Free France Campaign

Post by bru888 »

Accepted idea, thanks:
ColonelY wrote: Sun Mar 14, 2021 6:43 pm For example, one could imagine an escort mission: At some point during the scenario, a strategic bomber unit being spawned, controlled by AI, like perhaps some Soviet B-25C :P (available at that time, depending on specializations unlocked... yes, we don't consider spec here, but still it's plausible based on dates :wink: )... like some important officer on board, who has to fly over the sector to maybe bring some secret documents, or to see the critical situation of the sector, or something. Trajectory, or "patrol" between different points, in absolute non-aggressive mode... Mission for our guys, so new objective: protect this aircraft as long as it flies over the area! 8)
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Mascarenhas
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Re: Free France Campaign

Post by Mascarenhas »

Great improvement to the mission! And you resolved the puzzle about the airports, irrespective of my messing on locations. Sometimes, in the hurry, we make those embarrassing mistakes... Sorry about that.
bru888
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Re: Free France Campaign

Post by bru888 »

Mascarenhas wrote: Mon Mar 15, 2021 1:16 am Great improvement to the mission! And you resolved the puzzle about the airports, irrespective of my messing on locations. Sometimes, in the hurry, we make those embarrassing mistakes... Sorry about that.
Not at all. You've already made two important contributions toward improving Normandie-Niemen.
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bru888
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Re: Free France Campaign

Post by bru888 »

Some of you may be concerned for Admiral Portier's safety. Fear not; I have provided for both contingencies. (I need the admiral for at least 11 more scenario briefings. :wink: )

Mission ends in failure:

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Mission ends safely:

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Here is the plan; it is adjustable if it proves to be too difficult. I would like to keep the two loops over the battlefield, so I have a protection system in place (it's already in operation for the first turn or two because I don't want the Luftwaffe to be pouncing on the admiral as soon as he appears over the battlefield in Turn 4):

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- Bru
bru888
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Re: Free France Campaign

Post by bru888 »

Free France 1940-1945 v0.29 has been uploaded. It includes a revised Normandie-Niemen scenario as follows:

- Removed the "qualify ace" objectives which were too tedious to be enjoyable.
- Instead, included a mission to protect Admiral Portier as he tours the battlefield by air.
- Corrected the hangars situation so that they are available to the player (proper alliance used).

Free France 1940-1945 (eleven scenarios)
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GabeKnight
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Re: Free France Campaign

Post by GabeKnight »

Thanks for the update.

BTW, the plural is "Panzerzüge"
bru888
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Re: Free France Campaign

Post by bru888 »

GabeKnight wrote: Tue Mar 16, 2021 8:02 am BTW, the plural is "Panzerzüge"
Ja, mein Redakteur. Danke.
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Re: Free France Campaign

Post by GabeKnight »

I thought you liked that stuff. Also after the scen in the campaign event you say: "Stalin awarded... 'Nieman', then 'Normandie-Niémen', then 'Neman River'". So, which one is it...? :wink:
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Re: Free France Campaign

Post by bru888 »

GabeKnight wrote: Tue Mar 16, 2021 10:24 am I thought you liked that stuff. Also after the scen in the campaign event you say: "Stalin awarded... 'Nieman', then 'Normandie-Niémen', then 'Neman River'". So, which one is it...? :wink:
You tell me, please. There is the usual language variation in spelling between "Niemen" and "Niémen" depending on whether you are French or not. But meanwhile, try Googling "Niemen River" (in English). There is only Neman River. But the squadron / air regiment, and the Battle of the Niemen River, are always spelled with an "i" inserted and an "e" substituted for the "a" in the name.

But enough splitting hairs. I will go through and standardize it as "Niemen" because that is how I have always seen the airmen named (again, in English). Nobody is going to care that when we humans are not battling and wish to peacefully picture the river, we like to spell it "Neman."
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uzbek2012
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Re: Free France Campaign

Post by uzbek2012 »

bru888 wrote: Tue Mar 16, 2021 1:46 pm
GabeKnight wrote: Tue Mar 16, 2021 10:24 am I thought you liked that stuff. Also after the scen in the campaign event you say: "Stalin awarded... 'Nieman', then 'Normandie-Niémen', then 'Neman River'". So, which one is it...? :wink:
You tell me, please. There is the usual language variation in spelling between "Niemen" and "Niémen" depending on whether you are French or not. But meanwhile, try Googling "Niemen River" (in English). There is only Neman River. But the squadron / air regiment, and the Battle of the Niemen River, are always spelled with an "i" inserted and an "e" substituted for the "a" in the name.

But enough splitting hairs. I will go through and standardize it as "Niemen" because that is how I have always seen the airmen named (again, in English). Nobody is going to care that when we humans are not battling and wish to peacefully picture the river, we like to spell it "Neman."
We need to try out your mod !
https://wwii.space/10-07-40-во-франции- ... ежим-виши/

And is there a map about the Normandy-Neman pilots who fought in the USSR ?
https://topwar.ru/28026-aviaeskadrilya- ... voyny.html
https://smolbattle.ru/threads/%D0%98%D1 ... %BD.34888/
bru888
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Re: Free France Campaign

Post by bru888 »

uzbek2012 wrote: Tue Mar 16, 2021 3:43 pm
bru888 wrote: Tue Mar 16, 2021 1:46 pm But enough splitting hairs. I will go through and standardize it as "Niemen" because that is how I have always seen the airmen named (again, in English). Nobody is going to care that when we humans are not battling and wish to peacefully picture the river, we like to spell it "Neman."
And is there a map about the Normandy-Neman pilots who fought in the USSR ?
Heh. See what I mean, Gabe? ". . . about the Normandy-Neman pilots . . ." :)

Thanks for your interest, uzbek. Sorry for one thing, though; being unilingual (knowing only one language), all my stuff is and will always be in English only.

As for the names of the pilots, I used these references. The second one has a complete list of everybody who flew for the Normandie. Who knows whether they are accurate or not? But since these are the only references that I could find, I will stick with them:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escadron_ ... die-Niemen
https://www.france-pub.com/forum/2014/1 ... ie-niemen/
- Bru
uzbek2012
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Re: Free France Campaign

Post by uzbek2012 »

bru888 wrote: Tue Mar 16, 2021 4:18 pm
uzbek2012 wrote: Tue Mar 16, 2021 3:43 pm
bru888 wrote: Tue Mar 16, 2021 1:46 pm But enough splitting hairs. I will go through and standardize it as "Niemen" because that is how I have always seen the airmen named (again, in English). Nobody is going to care that when we humans are not battling and wish to peacefully picture the river, we like to spell it "Neman."
And is there a map about the Normandy-Neman pilots who fought in the USSR ?
Heh. See what I mean, Gabe? ". . . about the Normandy-Neman pilots . . ." :)

Thanks for your interest, uzbek. Sorry for one thing, though; being unilingual (knowing only one language), all my stuff is and will always be in English only.

As for the names of the pilots, I used these references. The second one has a complete list of everybody who flew for the Normandie. Who knows whether they are accurate or not? But since these are the only references that I could find, I will stick with them:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escadron_ ... die-Niemen
https://www.france-pub.com/forum/2014/1 ... ie-niemen/
Everything is fine I understand you as much as possible through an online translator )
Image


I write the answer like this ) so I apologize in advance if the translator starts translating something incorrectly )
https://opentran.net/allies/most-accura ... lator.html

The French from the SS units before being shot by the French from the "Free France".
https://pikabu.ru/story/frantsuzyi_iz_c ... ii_4411561
https://waralbum.ru/28424/

:arrow:
https://translate.yandex.ru/translate
ColonelY
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Re: Free France Campaign

Post by ColonelY »

11Normandie-Niemen: 8)
(1st full test, v0.29, lvl III)

Excellent scenario! :D

'Having fixed the airfields allow us to let the correct amount of bombers take off, so up to 6 per turn... with this, "Keep a positive land kills balance" is definitely achievable (even if sometimes it's a little tense, at the beginning... well, the time to reduce the number of enemy bombers, that is).

-> The Ba-65 B from the "Remove wrecks S" trigger has to be killed as well at scenario start... now it stays on the battlefield under some white flag... :| (This may come from the fact that there is no need to change hex ownership for a recon unit. So, having perhaps copy/past some folder... :wink: )

-> You use the term "Boches" two times... once in the scenario description and once in the briefing, the later very nicely like this "[...] The Boches, as you call them - we have a less polite term - are [...]" => I suggest replacing the "Boches" in the scenario description (and only there!) by a more classical "Germans". 8) (For a "first" time, perhaps don't overdo it.)

-> Consider perhaps adding something like this in the description of two secondary objectives: "[...] Do not fall for these fakes. A careful, sharp-eyed pilot will be able to tell the difference. Destroying a fake railway gun (at any time during this battle), wasting time and ammunition and earning the scorn of our aviator peers, will fail this objective." :wink:
(As this failing mechanism works even after the completion of these secondary objectives - 'has been tested on purpose!)
*******
I've reloaded some savefiles to see stats...

Start of turn 13: already 31 enemy planes down! And lost only 3 Soviet bombers! (And it becomes much much easier to keep a positive land kills balance then...)

Start of turn 20: 36 enemy planes down vs only 4 Soviet bombers (mostly due to enemy mobile AA units)... only 1 enemy armored vehicle left to be destroyed and 1 siege mortar as well... lost a little time then to seek one last siege mortar and bring enough power over it...

End of turn 22/start of turn 23 - Major Victory! (Out of 36 turns!)
Stats:
PRI

"Destroy 12 enemy aircraft" => 36!
"Destroy 12 armoured vehicles" => 14! (Some of them are definitely much easier to destroy, as much weaker. And some of them can't be covered by the enemy mobile AA units...)
"Keep a positive land kills balance" => 19/1 (Well, once the enemy has no bomber left, or almost, and we've still many... it becomes very easy... but it was challenging during the first turns!)
"Do not lose more than 8 aircraft" => 4 (Only Soviet bombers, no Free French unit...)

SEC
"Destroy two armoured trains" => 3
"Destroy two siege mortars" => 2
"Destroy two railway guns" => 2
"Destroy four supply trucks" => 6

"Do not allow the B-25 to be shot down" => No worry, because no enemy fighter has fired a single shot at this plane! :?
*******
-> "Destroy four supply trucks" & "Destroy two armoured trains"... Watch out! :!: It's written in the description of these two objectives that "A Yak fighter must make the kill." :? It seems that it's counted regardless whether it was destroyed by a Yak fighter or by some bomber... :?

-> Income? Perfectly fine, I would say. :D

-> Adaptations in terms of thresholds? :idea:
1. Turns: 36 -> 30 or 32. (I've got a Major Victory after having played the 22nd turn...)
2. Enemy aircrafts to shoot down: 12 -> 20 or 24. (There are many enemy units in these skies... and otherwise, the focus could too soon be put more on land targets...)

-> The B-25 C hasn't been targetted at all... our Admiral is too safe right now! :?

-> Sec obj, adding a red arrow pointing at the B-25 C? Well, anyway we'll see it moving, as it's the last unit to move before our next turn, but...

-> Provide reinforcements for the enemies: :idea:
1. When the enemy has lost a given amount of dogfighters, spawn a handful of extra dogfighters for them...
2. Exact same thing about the bombers...
3. And some dogfighter unit as well against our good old Admiral who seek emotions :twisted: :P (perhaps one unit at two different times, both times near the edges of the map - very close to this bomber and the neighbouring border, an aggressive fighter purely going after bomber(s) according to its AI setup - a new AI group for this? 'This could be nice just before our B25C flies back over Kursk...)

-> A (standard, so not "personalized") event each time a Yak unit is shot down? :wink: Just in case...
Last edited by ColonelY on Tue Mar 16, 2021 9:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Free France Campaign

Post by ColonelY »

Then a very little detail about a campaign event title: "Fusionnement Française" would look (much) better as "Fusionnement Français", so without the last letter "e" indeed (as " fusionnement " is a masculine term).
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Re: Free France Campaign

Post by ColonelY »

And there could still be few more pictures: :P
ColonelY wrote: Sat Mar 06, 2021 11:58 am Suggestions about some extra pictures for Nomandie-Niemen : :D

[...]

2. If enough enemy fighters are shot down, then this may serve as basis for a cool picture:
https://www.google.ch/imgres?imgurl=htt ... B0AAAAAEAM
(in the skies of Russia, precisely)
OR, the picture that was used previously when any ace has been discovered... :wink:

3. As soon as enough enemy armoured units are destroyed, from Erik’s Germany East 1943, 07KurskN -> the picture: outcome_2_0.png would be great here…

4. If lost too many of our bombers, or aircrafts, from the Panzerkrieg dlc, scenario 12Kursk -> picture: event_air_superiority.png may be great here… Or perhaps even as soon as our first bomber has gone down... as a warning and a reminder about this objective to not loose too many planes!

[...]
:idea: Some weather change? I don't think it's the good period to see some snow during one or two turns... but :idea: a little rain during one or two turns, well, why not? :wink:


Et voilà ! :D
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Re: Free France Campaign

Post by bru888 »

ColonelY wrote: Tue Mar 16, 2021 9:32 pm 11Normandie-Niemen: 8)
-> The Ba-65 B from the "Remove wrecks S" trigger has to be killed as well at scenario start... now it stays on the battlefield under some white flag... :| (This may come from the fact that there is no need to change hex ownership for a recon unit. So, having perhaps copy/past some folder... :wink: )
The little fellow was hiding just inside a corner of the fog of war! And since he is still a live unit not of our alliance, he remains hidden whereas the wrecks are now just scenery, fully visible. Thanks, I will fix this.

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I'm looking at the rest of the stuff but this was particularly interesting.
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Re: Free France Campaign

Post by bru888 »

bru888 wrote: Tue Mar 16, 2021 11:51 pmThanks, I will fix this.
Fixed. When I look over those magnificent battlefield wrecks, I feel a little like Patton (in the movie). A little bit. :wink:

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bru888
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Re: Free France Campaign

Post by bru888 »

Free France 1940-1945 v0.29 has been re-uploaded. It includes more revisions to Normandie-Niemen scenario as shown below. (Since most of these changes are not that impactful, although desirable, I kept the version number the same - I'm starting to wonder if we will run out of version numbers, hitting 1.00 before we are ready for release. :) )

Free France 1940-1945 (eleven scenarios)

- "Smoked" the Ba-65 car that is "wrecked" for the sake of background scenery.
- Scenario description: "Boches" out; "Germans" in (I agree on that point).
- Campaign event title: Swapped "Français" for "Française" (I keep mixing my genders).
- That's a typo about "A Yak fighter must make the kill." That's the way it was originally for all of the secondary objectives, but then I decided to let the player control the Soviet bombers. Much more fun, I think, rather than running after them as they do (or don't do) their AI-controlled thing. So, I removed that statement from the armoured trains and supply trucks objectives.
- Good point about these objectives being failed (intentionally) even after they are achieved if the player destroys a mockup, so a clarification in each:

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- Reduced the number of turns from 36 to 30. No additional enemy units, however, or we will be going the opposite way. Especially since I also:
- Raised the target for enemy planes to 20.
- Added an event and photo for when this objective is completed.
- I am fine with the positive land kills balance and the admiral's safety mission being on the easy side. We have to remember that other players may not be as adept as you are in this game, Colonel. For one thing, in my tests, if the player neglected the admiral, he (the admiral) ended up hitting the silk in the first loop of his tour.
- Bru
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Re: Free France Campaign

Post by GabeKnight »

bru888 wrote: Tue Mar 16, 2021 4:18 pm Heh. See what I mean, Gabe? ". . . about the Normandy-Neman pilots . . ." :)
I didn't know. "Неман", right.
I've always read it as "Normandie-Niémen". Sorry then, I thought it was just a simple typo.

Still, it was three different names for the same thing in one paragraph of text. :D

PS: This scenario is on the very easy side, IMO. You really could add another (strong!) enemy wave at turn 10-ish and remove one or both of my mobile AA.
uzbek2012
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Re: Free France Campaign

Post by uzbek2012 »

bru888 wrote: Wed Mar 17, 2021 1:24 am Free France 1940-1945 v0.29 has been re-uploaded. It includes more revisions to Normandie-Niemen scenario as shown below. (Since most of these changes are not that impactful, although desirable, I kept the version number the same - I'm starting to wonder if we will run out of version numbers, hitting 1.00 before we are ready for release. :) )

Free France 1940-1945 (eleven scenarios)

- "Smoked" the Ba-65 car that is "wrecked" for the sake of background scenery.
- Scenario description: "Boches" out; "Germans" in (I agree on that point).
- Campaign event title: Swapped "Français" for "Française" (I keep mixing my genders).
- That's a typo about "A Yak fighter must make the kill." That's the way it was originally for all of the secondary objectives, but then I decided to let the player control the Soviet bombers. Much more fun, I think, rather than running after them as they do (or don't do) their AI-controlled thing. So, I removed that statement from the armoured trains and supply trucks objectives.
- Good point about these objectives being failed (intentionally) even after they are achieved if the player destroys a mockup, so a clarification in each:


Screenshot 1.jpg
Screenshot 2.jpg


- Reduced the number of turns from 36 to 30. No additional enemy units, however, or we will be going the opposite way. Especially since I also:
- Raised the target for enemy planes to 20.
- Added an event and photo for when this objective is completed.
- I am fine with the positive land kills balance and the admiral's safety mission being on the easy side. We have to remember that other players may not be as adept as you are in this game, Colonel. For one thing, in my tests, if the player neglected the admiral, he (the admiral) ended up hitting the silk in the first loop of his tour.
Thank you for the update )
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