Slitherine

Erik2; first off let me say I have enjoyed your work on scenarios and campaigns for OOB ever since release. Really fine work.

I started a brand new "Grand Campaign" a few days back, and its says version 1.5 so I presume its the latest. Things worked really well and I was enjoying the play immensely, an then I hit Norway, well actually the scenario is called Narvik. After a brief stop to spend some points in the ability trees I started the new scenario, and it loaded a big zoomed out view of an editor map with very little control. I could do the shift + C and open the command line, and F12 worked for screenshots, but besides esc to leave the screen and cancel the game I couldn't do anything else at all. So now I'm stuck and cannot proceed with the campaign, and ideas or help would be sweet.

Brainy wrote:Erik2; first off let me say I have enjoyed your work on scenarios and campaigns for OOB ever since release. Really fine work.

Seriously. THANK YOU, Erik.

wgferd wrote:

WarHomer wrote:How do you make the supply planes drop supplies for the paratroopers in "den Haag"-scenario?

I second this question.

You can't, it's not activated and set up yet.

@Erik:
Although the "FJ supply 1/2" triggers seems to be just turned off, I doubt they'd work as they are. The "remove unit" trigger would remove both supply planes at once and the "check turn" trigger activating just on turn=2 could be missed. The "set objective state" trigger's not set up altogether

"50LondonA"
- minimal undersupply (-1)
- the Fairey Battle plane next to "Kenton" is idle, because it's designated the wrong AI team: 9 (fighters) -> 10 (bombers)
- and IMO you should set the "seek & destroy" settings for fighter planes to include recon units also
- 324 spec. points at scenario's end! As always, it's the "-1" trigger within the objectives. For this to work as it is (every VP can be captured and recaptured infinitely), I guess you'd have to create an additional trigger for the "Add Spec. Points" reward, that's activated only once
- the "British activations/St. Albans/check units near hex" trigger has no target hex specified, therefore never happens
- there's a "Hawker Hurr." fighter plane east of Brentwood, has no AI team
- don't know why, but the "Para-5" trigger never happened for me. The set up seems okay, though - maybe the spawn hexes are too near the border of the map
- the spawned enemy paratroopers at the beginning are an excellent idea and took me completly by surprise. But the result is kind of limited, because the northern captured towns have a "3" supply output (except 30-supply Brentwood, which never happened) and there's plenty of supply hexes within London's city limits. So there's like no negative effect to that (other than a short scare) at the moment.
"52Oxford"
- there's no unit guarding "Ettington" (?)
- there's no air-exit-hex (but with the amount of air-CP throughout the Sea Lion branch, I kind of always could deploy my entire airplane core. Liked that better than changing planes, to be honest)
- as mentioned before, the Mathilda tank reward's kind of wasted. Seriously, at this point of the campaign, I've got plenty RP, plenty core units and plenty spec. points available. Even without the "bugs" (I've got about 700 spec. points right now ) the progress of your campaign compared to the official ones is so much slower, that I'd have all specializations acquired and still points to spare anyway. The french "Char B1" heavy armoured tanks with only 5 land-CP were greatly appreciated as rewards early in the campaign. The sole "attractive" rewards by now would have to be some special units - or units with special abilities - I'd have no access to otherwise. Like the "light treaded" Crusader tank or them heavy "Italian/Japanese " strat. bombers you used in "54Irish" or some units "from the near future" ...and the Major Victory, of course

"53Coventry"
- the 2000RP for the player at scenario start are too much
- no sec. obj. = no Major Victory possible
- It's quite easily possible to capture "Coventry" by turn 5 and therefore ending the scenario there with a Minor Victory. You could leave it like that, of course, but shouldn't IMO. My suggestion: Just leave all or most of the french units at "static defense" around the city with the AT gun in the middle and that should make the city's capture hard enough to last till turn 5
- there's a minor error in the "Vichy defects" trigger, that made the game seem to crash (no mouse actions possible) at turn 6 start. This could be circumvented by pressing [CTRL]-[ENTER] and manually ending the turn (but thus losing that turn as well); the game progressed fine after that. But the effect was: No popup text and no spawn of fresh french troops around Coventry.
- The mission objectives were hard to achieve within the given 20 turn limits regardless. Didn't test it after correcting the trigger, though, but I'm sure you should add a couple of turns. Or maybe just DO NOT blow up that bridge at the eastern deployment area
- maybe you could increase AI team's 8 (east of Birmingham) distance setting to a bit higher value, so they would attack as a whole and not in pairs.
- the enemy position around Nuneaton is useless unless attacked, maybe make them Seek&destroy at some point; they'd make an excellent flanking force aimed for Coventry.
- the new deployment hexes (from turn 6 onwards) are situated in enemy controlled supply areas. You should consider a "change hex ownership" to the players alliance around the deployment hexes from the beginning or via trigger later on
- oh, right, the above mentioned trigger error: "Vichy defects" trigger / "Change income" effect has no "Nation" defined -> just change it to Kriegsmarine. This obviously caused a halt in the processed queue and the seeming game crash. All the previous "Change Objective" and "Remove unit" actions were executed correctly. Tested it, it works now. So there's like seriously no debug mode or integrity check to exclude incorrect defined trigger parameters from being executed and causing some kind of loop or halt? Okay...

"54Irish"
- I really could have used a supply ship at the naval deployment area (going for Belfast)
- the Fairey Battle plane near "Penrith" is idle, because it's designated the wrong AI team: 1 (fighters) should be 2 (bombers)
- Two strat. bombers in the northeast corner near Penrith are assigned AI team "2". I'm sorry, but I kinda don't get AI team 2's function. Static hex defense for bombers? They don't move and crash after the fuel's run out. I could understand if they were defending over a city hex: then maybe the falling down debris could hurt my soldiers, but like this... I guess you forgot to change the setting to "air seek & destroy"

"55North"
- undersupplied land-CP (-13)
- to fully deploy my naval-CPs I'd need at least 1 more deployment hex at scenario start (with cruisers. A destroyer-only-fleet could require more)
- the "Capture Leeds and airfield" prim. obj. is checked as failed from the beginning: Trigger "Brit Leeds Af / Set Objective State" is set as failed, should be "open" instead, IMO
- and 33 spec. points again As always, it's the "-1" trigger within the objectives.


But one really good thing has come out of all this. By now, I'd check every scenario in the editor prior to playing it by habit. Seems to me, as long as it's not graphics related, I don't have to wait for "official" fixes to the DLC campaigns anymore...

Still have not been able to advance the campaign past Denmark. I've tried two reinstalls of the campaign and even borrowed the same scenario from your 39-40 one and replaced the files into your Grand Campaign. Its the wrong map in Narvik I know, but how do I fix this. I need the 3D one instead of 2D editor Map ??


please "Help" needed

@Erik
As I'm nearing the end of the Sea Lion branch, I'd like to begin the BK41-42 branch of the campaign after "26Maginot" . As far as I've read, the "71Vyazma" seem to be the last playable scenario in GGC so far. So my question is this:
Should I rather pick the already split and available BK41-42 campaign files (download version 1.8 ) and play and comment from there or build a "separate" campaign using the the GGCv1.5 scenarios? I'm just asking so that I've got the latest files to test. I don't mind getting to know the campaign editor, for that matter. To be honest, I'm quite bored at the moment and can use the work and distraction.

And if you don't mind, I could look into the reported "11Narvik" scenario also. Provided you don't already know where the problem is. You know, a pair of fresh eyes?

Oh and one thing, I've asked earlier: is there some kind of "branching overview" of the GGC as a whole somewhere? You know, some kind of a flow chart. So that someone like me, who doesn't know his way around Panzer Corps, would be able to play all available branches/routes and could save the game accordingly. If not, I wouldn't mind "designing" one in Excel or something like that. I really don't like missing out on missions.

Brainy wrote:Still have not been able to advance the campaign past Denmark. I've tried two reinstalls of the campaign and even borrowed the same scenario from your 39-40 one and replaced the files into your Grand Campaign. Its the wrong map in Narvik I know, but how do I fix this. I need the 3D one instead of 2D editor Map ??


please "Help" needed

The Narvik scenario needed quite a bit of editing. The 2D map is just a symptom, the issue were not with the map.

GabeKnight wrote:@Erik
As I'm nearing the end of the Sea Lion branch, I'd like to begin the BK41-42 branch of the campaign after "26Maginot" . As far as I've read, the "71Vyazma" seem to be the last playable scenario in GGC so far. So my question is this:
Should I rather pick the already split and available BK41-42 campaign files (download version 1.8 ) and play and comment from there or build a "separate" campaign using the the GGCv1.5 scenarios? I'm just asking so that I've got the latest files to test. I don't mind getting to know the campaign editor, for that matter. To be honest, I'm quite bored at the moment and can use the work and distraction.

And if you don't mind, I could look into the reported "11Narvik" scenario also. Provided you don't already know where the problem is. You know, a pair of fresh eyes?

Oh and one thing, I've asked earlier: is there some kind of "branching overview" of the GGC as a whole somewhere? You know, some kind of a flow chart. So that someone like me, who doesn't know his way around Panzer Corps, would be able to play all available branches/routes and could save the game accordingly. If not, I wouldn't mind "designing" one in Excel or something like that. I really don't like missing out on missions.

If I remember correctly the old 41-42 campaign ends before Vyazma, so probably nothing to gain there.
Narvik is fixed in the nbext version along with a number of other scenarios reported. I haven't checked all scenarios reported yet and would rather wait with an update until as much as possible is fixed.

I picked up some PzC campaign trees ages ago. They are really nice. Don't know who the creator is, but kudos to him (her?).
I have attached them here. They do not cover all single PzC campaigns, but most of the German ones.

Erik2 wrote:If I remember correctly the old 41-42 campaign ends before Vyazma, so probably nothing to gain there.

Nope, you did finish it. I know that I've been playing all the way to "28Tatsinskaya". But it was BK41-42E v2.1 and not v1.8, sorry.

Okay, from what I've understood, I should have the latest scenario files if I'd take the BK41-42E v2.1 single campaign, copy all the respective scenarios files from GGCv.1.5 there and proceed commenting, agreed?
And thanks for the campaign trees!

So ok, no fix to get my campaign going again ?

"56Hadrian"
- undersupply (-8) and additional three (airborne) paratoopers!
- the Fairey Battle plane northwest of "North Tyne River": wrong AI team: 9 (fighters) -> 10 (bombers)
- trigger error, sec. obj.: "Russian alive" trigger, set objective "fail" trigger is missing (so even if the officer's killed, the trigger won't change)

"57Antonine"
- trigger error, sec. obj.: "Advance units" trigger, set objective "fail" trigger is missing (same as above)
- Operiation Barbarossa popup has no pic
- you messed up some of the northern planes AI teams (15/16)
- the spawned "Russin liaison officers" (typo ) plane is missing a "setup AI team" trigger to team 2 (exit map), so the plane's idle, waiting to be shot down. Also there's no objective "fail" trigger. And thinking of it, as it is now, the "Russians / check unit count" trigger with units alive = 0 could even activate the objective as "completed" as soon as the plane exits the map (?).
- the cargo trucks (you missed the easternmost one) are assigned AI team 10 (exit map), still they are idle (?). I have no idea if the "trucks / check last kill" trigger works like that, but you should add a "set objective state completed / failed" trigger to this sec. objective nonetheless.

"58Orkney"
- very tight turn limit. With the huge enemy fleet hunting my ships, using troop transports to the neighboring island seemed extremely unreasonable as long as said enemy fleet remains alive. At least with this scenario being NOT the last one of the campaign. So the whole invasion is delayed up until turn 15-ish, then there's almost no time left to transport to and conquer the northern objectives.
- with the paratroopers-supply-bug still present, capturing the northern objectives was really hard, hope they fix it soon
- suggestion: change one or all of the three arty guns near "Burwick" (on the small islands each) to fortress/coastal guns (with additional naval attack stats)
- As always the "-1" triggers problem with "Ger Sanday" -> spec. points, "Ger Pierowall" -> radar staion spawn/remove, "Ger Scottish ports" -> spawn three (!) submarines (at some point I had about 30 something subs in the Scottish waters... At this scenario, I'd suggest to just change the settings to "1" and leave the rest, as there are absolutely no couterattacks and hex-recaptures happening in this mission.

It's a pity that there's like always a Fairey Battle plane assigned to seek & destroy fighter planes but the missions are nevertheless fun to play. Thanks for "Orkney", finally a great land/naval/air battle again! And as I'm not familiar with losing, I dindn't mind the missing "objective fail" triggers at all...
But you should really begin to split the "rewards" trigger from the "check hex owner / set objective state" trigger. Especially with spawning units this can be extemely annoying (or funny).

@Erik

I've made a small branching overview (flow-chart) of the SeaLion route. Would you mind checking it? I'll add the rest of the GGC later.
(zipped PDF file)

I´m 6-7 missions into Russia but dont get any commanders eventhough I fulfill the secondary objectives that should award them.

Am I the only one?

WarHomer wrote:I´m 6-7 missions into Russia but dont get any commanders eventhough I fulfill the secondary objectives that should award them.

Am I the only one?

You probably already got them in some earlier missions of GGC. As this campaign was split into two separate Blitzkrieg campaigns before, normally you wouldn't have gotten these commanders in the second part, yet...

GabeKnight wrote:

WarHomer wrote:I´m 6-7 missions into Russia but dont get any commanders eventhough I fulfill the secondary objectives that should award them.

Am I the only one?

You probably already got them in some earlier missions of GCC. As this campaign was split into two separate Blitzkrieg campaigns before, normally you wouldn't have gotten these commanders in the second part, yet...

I've finished through Vyazma with 4 ground commanders (2 tank, 2 Infantry)and two air commanders. There were numerous additional 'award' opportunities so not sure what the final maximum count should be but I got these fairly early on.

I was afraid of that.

It seems as if all the new ones from PanzerKrieg hasn´t been added.

"59Reykjavik"
- the supposed "bridge" east of "Akrames" (VP!) is useless, one has to go around the bay
- add at least on more air-deploy-hex at mission start to accommodate the available air-CP
- the enemy fleet kind of gets "stuck" near Keflavik, if my fleet remains in the eastern part of the map. Maybe add a waypoint. It seems as the AI doesn't know how to go around obstacles in their direct path to the enemy sometimes, if there's a need to go "back" a little to achieve that
- the turn limit is tough, maybe even due to above mentioned missing bridge situation.
- the long range arty position combined with the BB near "Reykjavik" were an excellent idea!
- I'm wondering though, what would happen (in terms of game balance) with the Italian marina, if I'd gone the Gibraltar-branch and therefore already would've had a LARGE Italian naval core available to me, instead of how it's now: I can only buy some speedboats with the Italian's 60RP.
...and the campaign does not end after this mission but goes directly to the BK41-42 scenarios (60Belgrade).

"32Dover"
- you could add new commanders as rewards, already got him
- there were WAY too many reinforcement troops and new core units arriving
- the reinforcement's spawn mechanic is NOT linked with taking the VP's (Dover/Folkstone) as described in the prim. obj. !
- The markers (mission-tab) for the sec. obj. "coastal guns" and "forts" are not separated, it's confusing - otherwise the mechanic works as intended (mission complete check and new units spawn)
- the destroy bunkers sec. obj. is linked to concr. bunkers only! So you should either change the objectives' briefings and markers or the trigger settings.
- the problem with linking the paratroopers objective to "destroyed" units remains, as mentioned before
- The "British stuff/airstrip" trigger activation never happened, because the AI never built an airstip with the Constr.group there. The construction group is AI team 4, going from "static defense" to "seek&destroy" by activation of the counter-attack triggers. I have no clue as to what AI task's required for them to start building. Maybe just change it to a simple airstrip-spawn event instead of them actually building the airstrip. And what AI-team are spawned units attached to anyway? Because you don't have any air-AI-teams set up.
- In the briefing you say: "...Exit Locations [...] Place at least 6 ground units on each location". So you should either implement or scratch it.
- the eastern of the two northern (supposed) air-exit-hexes is a land-exit-hex (?). That costed me some plane stenght points...
- you provide quite some naval minefields at the beginning of the mission already, but these are invisible to the player. I'd recommend a "reveal Area/reveal hidden units" effect on them at scenario start.

"33Canterbury"
- started playing and there has to be a "-1" capture VP event again somewhere, 'cause the sky's full of endless waves of spawning paratroopers. Going to fix this prior to playing again, because the way it is now is just too hilarious and unplayable: Erik, if you allow me saying, it seems you are playing way to much MP and therefore neglecting some basic SP mechanics

Gabe, are you fixing all these many issues to your own campaign versions?
I remember someone else here who once released a fixed version of one or two campaigns, but Erik seem to have annihilated the old topic.
I'm always open to fixes, no matter from whom, and I think I'm not the only one. I think no one really beats you, Gabe, in testing and finding issues in scenarios here - no doubt about it. All these many PzC campaigns are simply too much as project for a single person to look after. A bit assistance for Erik couldn't hurt at all as long as he doesn't mind.

Horst wrote:Gabe, are you fixing all these many issues to your own campaign versions?

Actually I'm fixing just some settings for myself: like neverending spawning waves of units, supply deficiencies, adding new commanders or even some different units as rewards. Sometimes I even activate some "forgotten" triggers and AI-activations (minor stuff). Didn't see the point to add "failed" objectives , adjust RPs or spec points fixes and such. I did fix some scenarios completely, but more in a sense of satisfying my curiosity or to test some theories.
And to be honest, all I've mostly done so far was a bit of "reverse-engineered-detective-work" inside the mechanics of an already set up scenario, and writing about it.

Horst wrote:I remember someone else here who once released a fixed version of one or two campaigns, but Erik seem to have annihilated the old topic.

The link from "captainachab" is still here (but without the Panzerkrieg DLC unit's update and the new scenarios for BK41-42, of course)

Horst wrote:All these many PzC campaigns are simply too much as project for a single person to look after. A bit assistance for Erik couldn't hurt at all as long as he doesn't mind.

I fully agree, but concerning that question I found this:

Erik2 wrote:I'm completly OK with other players modding my custom scenarios and campaigns.
But I do not have time to test these mods and thus will not replace my scenarios with modded ones.
You are of course free to publish your versions.

....so I didn't see a point in doing all these changes (for myself) before, if they're gonna be discarded by the next update or expansion of Erik's campaigns anyway, and decided to report them in detail instead.

But I have no problem in helping Erik, seriously, and I even have the time and motivation right now. On the other hand I can fully understand him not being willing to recheck and test some stranger's work, and I'm sure that other designers like Bruce and terminator would agree, that setting up these triggers and particularly testing them in a game versus the AI can be extremely time consuming and kind of boring of sorts. Some issues become easier with time and experience, of course, but it's still a lot of work.