Free France Campaign

[bru888]

Free France 1940-1945 v0.38 has been uploaded. It includes the new Jedburgh Missions scenario and a few minor changes to La Combattante.

Free France 1940-1945 (fifteen scenarios)

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[bru888]

My rate of production has improved. I created this last one from scratch in only 8 days. I don't think quality is suffering; I'm much quicker with map building now.

By the way, I threw out the "Destroy 2 landed planes" secondary objective from Jedburgh Missions. I tried mightily, but I could not get the planes to merely take off and leave. They refused to emerge from their hangars unless it was Air Patrol (did not work well with exits), Air Defend Hex (there's nothing for them to defend), or Air Seek & Destroy (did not want that to happen).

[GabeKnight]

Thanks for the update.

By the way, I threw out the "Destroy 2 landed planes" secondary objective from Jedburgh Missions.

A pity. I know it's extra work, but you can still make that happen if you change the AI team to "exit the map" after the plane(s) has taken off:

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And make sure that the "exit trigger" fires on the next turn, otherwise the two AI team changes will negate...

[bru888]

Yes, apparently a plane will obey an exit order only if it is in the air already. To get it to go there, I suppose I could tell it to Air Patrol near the exit, and on the next turn, change the order to Exit Map. Let me think about it.

[bru888]

And make sure that the "exit trigger" fires on the next turn, otherwise the two AI team changes will negate...

Pretty complicated stuff, but this was the final key. Else, yes, the AI goes back to bed because it's already in bed (the hangar, which I believe technically means the plane is in reserve and not on the map). I got it to work by starting with Air Patrol, then changing to Exit Map one turn later. Thanks for the inspiration.

[bru888]

By God, it works.

Free France 1940-1945 v0.39 has been uploaded. It includes the following changes to the Jedburgh Missions scenario:
- Restored the "Destroy 2 planes on the ground" secondary objective.
- Combined the "Kill Vichy Milice" and "Kill SS Gestapo" objectives into one secondary objective.

Free France 1940-1945 (fifteen scenarios)

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[bru888]

Colonel, somehow I deleted your original posts while I was answering them.

Excellent!

However, there may be a small issue with counters, as we've 16 SS Gestapo and Vichy Milice units to kill but now it's displaying "0/12" (on your printscreen) and "0/8" for the 2 planes to destroy... (The old counters have been left as they were?! Thus it's even somehow partly easier, as it's 16 land units to destroy instead of 20! )

It's nice, you know, I was about to write and suggest combining Vichy Milice and SS Gestapo to make room for these planes... but you had already solved it by doing it!

Sorry — the screen print was taken before the final changes to the objective counters. A new screen print appears above now.

[...]

-> The new module is working perfectly fine as now the planes within the hangar (in Q2) do indeed disappear (if landed at that time, of course!)… so, I suggest implementing a similar module for the “10MarethLine” scenario, in order to avoid that the player may keep (intentionally or not) some of the US planes!

Done?

Resolved by repeating the "Remove American planes" trigger. Download version 0.39 again if you want to see this change.

[ColonelY]

Colonel, somehow I deleted your original posts while I was answering them.

Well, no, don't worry, actually I've deleted them myself. Indeed, while I was slightly modifiying them, I've seen your printscreen change with correct numbers appearing on counters... (and that surprised me... but then, it was just, so...) then I didn't want to bother you, my friend, and thus simply decided to delete them. First the last one, then the one about counters... but we have certainly made both modifications more or less at the same time.

Anyway, there is no issue there.

[...] Resolved by repeating the "Remove American planes" trigger. Download version 0.39 again if you want to see this change.

Nice, thanks.

[bru888]

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[bru888]

Free France 1940-1945 v0.40 has been uploaded. It includes the following changes to the campaign:
- Renamed 16FalaisePocket to 16Argentan (focusing on the 2e DB and the rest of the XV Corps).
- Revised the order of the campaign messages leading into 16Argentan and re-worded one of them.
- Inserted 21Indochina and moved the last two scenarios down to 22AmherstDrop and 23Athion.
- Revised the campaign map as shown below; the placing of the location ring and flags is for 21Indochina.
- Now back up to 23 total scenarios (eventually); 15 are now (relatively) finished; 8 more scenarios to go.

Free France 1940-1945 (fifteen scenarios)

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[GabeKnight]

- Now back up to 23 total scenarios (eventually); 15 are now (relatively) finished; 8 more scenarios to go.

BTW, "the new Jedburgh Missions" are a really, REALLY, good scenario. I'll have to replay it on level4 difficulty, but so far, this mission was a BLAST! Thanks!

PS: I wouldn't start the paratroopers on the same hex as the "rendezvous points". For one, you can't read the labels, and anyway, it's always better if the player can move the frist turn and not just "drop" them. I know it's basically a "wasted turn", but believe me, it's worth it.

[ColonelY]

About 15JedburghMissions:

'Started the first few turns. It does look really awesome, indeed.

First, a bunch a little details:
-> Last part of the briefing: about “Bosch” or rather “Boche”?
-> Description of pri obj about AFs: “[…] it is not necessary to waste […]”
-> Some little mis-clicks… on campaign map, just before this mission, I see a circle with Kriegsmarine’s icon over Arabia and another over Ethiopia…

Then, I was about to suggest putting somewhere else the 8th possible placement point for the armoured train, as there it becomes visible from start thanks to the paratroopers about to land (Team Guy; visibility of 3 hexes from the plane)… but then this may be already modified anyway (see next point!), so it may be left as it is… or perhaps simply removed, as 7 possible locations, it’s already something!

Already modified? Yes, here I would vote in favor of this suggestion:

[...] I wouldn't start the paratroopers on the same hex as the "rendezvous points". For one, you can't read the labels, and anyway, it's always better if the player can move the frist turn and not just "drop" them. I know it's basically a "wasted turn", but believe me, it's worth it.

Possible issue with flags at rendezvous supply points:
Let’s make a test using Team Francis (the one in the top NE of the map):
Parachute only this team (‘gain of time), make sure to capture the rendezvous point and move southwards with this paratroopers unit and all nearby partisans towards the facility… make sure all units are at least 2 hexes away from the supply point/golden star flag… and then, at start of the 4th turn (so just before the US flag can be purely risen), boum, the flag will switch back to German!
Move Partisans back if you wish, there is NO single German unit having retaken it. The flag wasn’t completely up yet, the area controlled was very thin (only the “track” left by the paratroopers unit moving away from this flag)…
Fortunately the paratroopers carry some supply with them, but only for 3 turns, namely the time required for some flag to be fully risen. So, now they’ll starting to be outsupplied already despite having correctly taken once the supply point?
That may be really difficult to handle for the player, depending on his experience… (especially with the efficiency of the Jeds going down ‘cause of this supply issue.)
Possible solution: Add a trigger on “capture VP”, check hex ownership (our alliance guys at the exact pri obj location), then “change hex ownership” at a distance of +1… selecting “Free French”!
+: Immediate flag fully risen, no possibility to see this changing alone back to German flag…
-: May be strange to see a Free French flag over an US or British unit (but there are several Free French partisans nearby anyway) & no longer need to use the usual supplies carried by paratroopers…
One could of course differentiate between the Free French, British and US flags depending on which unit should be dropped there… BUT it may become tricky if the player has to move the planes over the DZ, as we can’t ensure at 100% that he won’t make some strange choices (like dropping some US team where a British one is expected to be dropped, etc.).
I’ve tried to let the flag be risen as usual, but simply changing the hex ownership of the 6 hexes around the flag being risen… nothing changes. If all units are more than two hexes away than the flag being risen, it switches back to German flag (fully risen automatically!). Then it’s even worse looking, a German flag (with no apparent reason) fully surrounded by some ground that we DO own…

So, despite being a little artificial, the solution I’m suggesting may do the trick in a plausible way, I believe: Securing the supply point immediately with some Free French flag fully risen (after all, we’ve many Free French partisans already nearby, ready to unhide themselves), then seeing British, US or Free French flags a little everywhere depending on the flag each Jed unit is carrying…

[ColonelY]

Yes, that may fix it.

And it would look even more natural if you wait until the paratroopers have exactly moved at the rendezvous location before spawning the Free French partisans... like this, it's a bunch of Free French guys which shows-up as soon as this hex is occupied, as well as a Free French flag fully risen and some hex belonging to our alliance...

[ColonelY]

And perhaps this will cost us another extra turn (I mean, with already the 1 to move our planes), if the paratroopers don't land exactly at the precise location, they'll have to reach it... Perhaps another extra turn, that shouldn't be much of an issue.

[bru888]

Aah, there's nothing like great feedback. Thanks, guys. I forgot about that "walk away before fully converted VP means forfeiting it" rule. Let me work on the suggested revisions.

[bru888]

I forgot about that "walk away before fully converted VP means forfeiting it" rule.

Here it is, in effect. What exactly is the rule? A conquered VP must stay in a friendly unit's ZOC until the flag is fully risen?

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Well, no matter, because I am going to program it away.

[Erik2]

I believe certain units like paras and maybe marines must stay on the objective until the flag is fully raised.

[bru888]

Thanks, Erik. I'm going to get around that in some manner, probably following the Colonel's recommendation.

But first, I took Gabe's suggestion to back off the air transport planes by one hex away from each rendezvous point. This allows the player to observe "RENDEZVOUS" labels. It may cost one turn, as the drop is not accurate, but the player can still try for a pinpoint landing.

There's a reason why I wanted to keep the planes close to rendezvous: I don't want the player to get any free peeks at the enemy or the targets. Of course, the player can choose to fly and snoop around a bit but that's a tradeoff versus time. So each plane and rendezvous point is placed so at least, at the beginning, nothing is in view.

To that end, as you know, the placement of the armoured train is randomized and, once in a while, it would appear within sight of Team Guy (as the Colonel would tell us, that's pronounced "Gee," not "Gie" as in "You should be more of a team guy, not a loner!" ). Team Guy is the only air transport plane that can view a section of railroad. I fixed this situation, moving the armoured train spawning point away:

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[bru888]

So, despite being a little artificial, the solution I’m suggesting may do the trick in a plausible way, I believe: Securing the supply point immediately with some Free French flag fully risen (after all, we’ve many Free French partisans already nearby, ready to unhide themselves), then seeing British, US or Free French flags a little everywhere depending on the flag each Jed unit is carrying…

Yes, Colonel, this works out well, with a "Change Hex Ownership" effect tagged on to each partisan group spawn trigger:

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No more supply problems caused by captured VPs reverting back to the enemy. It works even if the Jedburgh team lands right on the rendezvous point, as shown above. Think of it as the Resistance guarding and revealing the cache of supplies; they own the hex for that reason.

[bru888]

Free France 1940-1945 v0.41 has been uploaded. It includes these changes to the Jedburgh Missions scenario:
- The changes suggested and discussed above for spawning Jedburgh transport planes, Resistance fighters, and changing hex ownership.
- Various typo corrections (I must have known somebody named "Bosch" earlier in my life, for this is one of the chronic errors that I make).
- Removed a couple of superfluous flags on the campaign map before Jedburgh Missions; this is caused by erroneous mouse clicks.
- For the sake of gameplay balance, raised all partisan units to full XP for they need to have "punch" in order to accomplish objectives.

Free France 1940-1945 (fifteen scenarios)