Battle for Seelow Heights... Road to Berlin

[GottaLove88s]

Thanks for the heads up on superweak ATGs Justin!
Hmmm... I guess I might have to tweak with squads.cv for this one then...
Has anyone tried that yet?

[jcb989]

What did you have in mind to change? A quick look reveals "soft target" and "target size" as options for editing AT guns perhaps.
I don't know the effects that could be achieved though maybe Enric or P/A know something, they are abusing the code more often than me

I see "soft target" never goes below a standard value of 100 for most units and is something like 400 for a truck or car.
I suppose you could try 50 for an AT gun and see if that gives you any desired effects. You could also make them a smaller target (this may be more accurate, in its own way) that scale seems to run anywhere from 50 for truly small things up to well over 100 for large things. Actually some of the smaller AT guns are already set to 50. Maybe I could do some firing tests in a quick hack scenario for you and see if any good can come from adjusting some of these numbers.

[GottaLove88s]

Haha, sounds like you've already modded this? 50? Soft target should be a min. of 100 by default.
Looks like some ATGs have been made 25% more vulnerable for BA2, by pushing 'soft target' to 125.
Dialing this back to 100 might be enough...?

[GottaLove88s]

Hey, does anyone know... Do we still have to use 'blocking trees'?
Or do all BA2 trees 'block' automatically?

[jcb989]

Haha, sounds like you've already modded this? 50? Soft target should be a min. of 100 by default.
Looks like some ATGs have been made 25% more vulnerable for BA2, by pushing 'soft target' to 125.
Dialing this back to 100 might be enough...?

I was looking in one of P/A's squad files, so maybe he already dialed things on AT back to 100 default. In my previous post I was wondering aloud if it could be reduced further to 50, would the game mechanics allow a value below 100 for that; maybe it won't.

If P/A did already adjust it back to 100, by my experience in his scenarios its still not enough it seems to me to get back to BA1 conditions. If that were your objective.
Whatever you decide to go with, this AT gun aspect will require some play test.

[GottaLove88s]

Hmmm, Slith might have pushed the 'soft target' for ATGs to 125... and then added something to the BOMBARD code too...

'if target is an ATG then make it more vulnerable to mortar fire' sort of thing...

[morge4]

Beautiful map! I'll be happy to play test this also.

[cavehobbit]

Haha, sounds like you've already modded this? 50? Soft target should be a min. of 100 by default.
Looks like some ATGs have been made 25% more vulnerable for BA2, by pushing 'soft target' to 125.
Dialing this back to 100 might be enough...?

I was looking in one of P/A's squad files, so maybe he already dialed things on AT back to 100 default. In my previous post I was wondering aloud if it could be reduced further to 50, would the game mechanics allow a value below 100 for that; maybe it won't.

If P/A did already adjust it back to 100, by my experience in his scenarios its still not enough it seems to me to get back to BA1 conditions. If that were your objective.
Whatever you decide to go with, this AT gun aspect will require some play test.

Can't remember I've done anything to the AT. What I know I've done is copied some stats from BA squad.csv.
Not thought much about the AT issue yet.

[GottaLove88s]

Ok, the first draft of Seelow Heights is done...

Confession time. Dufus question I know. Pls can somebody remind me of how to turn a map from the BA2 Editor into a playable game...?

It's been awhile, lol...

[Petcat]

Hi to create a download for others to play.

The most important thing to do is in the USER.txt file in My Documents My Games, type in DEBUGMODE 1, which should give you a Lizard button on the selection campaign to edit screen to create the CPF file and then you need to create the LST file in notepad or text editor.

The wiki page with alot more info http://www.slitherinebravo.net/GameWiki ... y_platform
Here are posts here aswell viewtopic.php?f=105&t=47805&p=484178&hi ... nt#p484178

Hope that helps

[GottaLove88s]

Thanks Petcat! (And a happy new year to you & yours )

[glenghiscan]

Looking forward to this one loved the other maps you did as well do you think you'll be doing a map for Halbe ?

[GottaLove88s]

Thanks Glenghis! Happy new year mate...

Theoretically, I'd kinda like to create a Vistula to Berlin 'manyplayer' campaign, which would certainly replicate something like Busse's attempted breakout from the Spreewald/Halbe.

For now, I'm trying to relearn how to do this stuff tho... It's painful, lol...

Hope to have a playable Seelow up soon... Apologies upfront: It's proving a bit of an epic to start... meaning many, many units, with the Soviets enjoying an about 20 unit advantage... For playability, all I can say is that armchair generals should enjoy marshalling their troops to execute different strategies (several possible)... And the large numbers of units whittle down scarily fast after first contact...

[jcb989]

Hmmm, Slith might have pushed the 'soft target' for ATGs to 125... and then added something to the BOMBARD code too...

'if target is an ATG then make it more vulnerable to mortar fire' sort of thing...

I've sent a .CPF file to Cavehobbit to host and create a .LST file for you (or anyone) to test the survival skills of the AT guns.
The map arrays about an even number of T-34's versus entrenched AT guns on the german side. You would think the tanks are in for a lot of trouble.
But, in playing it through against myself twice, the T-34's take surprisingly few losses. Your results may vary. Also, if I recall, the 88 flak gun was modified in GJS44
and that is not reflected here yet. All conditions are standard BA2 except where noted.

[cavehobbit]

Here's a link to the ATG test: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/535 ... G_TEST.LST

[GottaLove88s]

Ladies & Gents, Happy New Year! We're almost at the beta stage for Seelow Heights...

1st WARNING: It's a large map with plenty of hidden treats for Generals willing to seek them


2nd WARNING: It's a slow starter. You have got to enjoy taking at least your first 3-4 turns to position large forces the way you want them


3. The Russians get 64 fixed units... I want to create the illusion of this being Zhukov's million man 1st Belorussian Front... If you start as the Reds, you're going to feel invincible with your troops marshalled along the shattered streets of Kustrin


4. The Germans get just enough free units plus 1500 points to spend. As in 1945, the Wehrmacht enjoys sloping terrain advantages and is well dug in. Here a Puma scout car looks down on the burned out shell of Kustrin town and ponders its own fate


5. Zhukov begins his advance. The Soviets deploy a battery of four 76mm artillery guns... The wily Red is going to need the smoke that those babies can shoot...


6. The Puma keeps a watchful eye on the enemy vanguard. I've modified unit characteristics so that the Puma and T70 'recon' cars now enjoy genuine reconnaissance abilities, longer visual range than other tanks


7. Awesome height perspective as the Puma radios back locations of the lead Su-122. Entrenched veteran gunners prepare to open fire... The Reds should have covered their advance with smoke from the Zis-3 battery


8. But the Germans face overwhelming enemy superiority of numbers... so a cunning commander might hide something special at the village... The Russians must take all four VPs to secure the Road to Berlin


The eagle eyed among you will note that multiple bonuses are available... including spotter planes for both sides, large scale artillery, Katyusha & Nebelwerfer rocket barrages, Sturmovik IL-2 ground strike aircraft and the Luftwaffe's last few Me262s...

Did I mention that volunteers are kindly requested...?

[glenghiscan]

Looking good ! I'll gladly test the game as for help with programming etc no idea what so ever I'll leave that to them In the know

[collier4]

Happy NY to everyone and welcome back to the forum GL88. Great to see you still enjoy turning out scenarios for our enjoyment!

Herewith another volunteer!

Regards

Rob

[cavehobbit]

Looking really great! I'm ready to test the map

[GottaLove88s]

Battle of the Seelow Heights

http://worldwartwozone.com/forums/index ... w-heights/

The Battle of the Seelow Heights (German: Schlacht um die "Seelower Höhen"), was a part of the Seelow-Berlin Offensive Operation (16 April - 2 May 1945); one of the last assaults on large entrenched defensive positions of World War II. It was fought over three days, from 16 to 19 April 1945. Close to one million Soviet soldiers of the 1st Belorussian Front (including 78,556 soldiers of the 1st Polish Army), commanded by Marshal Georgi Zhukov, attacked the position known as "Gates of Berlin". They were opposed by about 110,000 German soldiers of the Ninth Army,commanded by General Theodor Busse, as part of Army Group Vistula.

This battle is often incorporated into the Battle of the Oder-Neisse. Seelow Heights was where the most bitter fighting in the overall battle took place, but it was only one of several crossing points along the Oder and Neisse rivers where the Soviets attacked. The Battle of the Oder-Neisse was itself only the opening phase of the Battle of Berlin.

The result was the encirclement of the Ninth Army and the Battle of Halbe.

Buildup

On 9 April 1945, Königsberg in East Prussia fell to the Soviet Army. This freed up 2nd Belorussian Front under Marshal Rokossovsky to move to the east bank of the Oder. During the first two weeks of April the Soviets performed their fastest Front redeployment of the war. 2nd Belorussian Front relieved 1st Belorussian Front along the lower Oder, from Schwedt to the Baltic Sea. This allowed 1st Belorussian Front to concentrate in the southern half of its former front, opposite the Seelow Heights. To the south, 1st Ukrainian Front, under Marshal Konev) shifted its main force from Upper Silesia north-west to the Neisse.

The three Soviet Fronts together had 2.5 million men, 6,250 tanks, 7,500 aircraft, 41,600 artillery pieces and mortars, 3,255 truck-mounted Katyusha rocket launchers, and 95,383 motor vehicles.

1st Belorussian Front had 9 regular and 2 tank armies consisting of 77 rifle divisions, 2 cavalry, 5 tank and 2 mechanized corps, 8 artillery and 1 guards mortars divisions, and a mixture of more artillery and rocket launcher brigades. The Front had 3,059 tanks and self-propelled guns, and 18,934 artillery pieces and mortars.[8] 8 of the 11 armies were posted along the Oder. In the north, 61st Army and 1st Polish Army held the river line from Schwedt to the meeting with the Finow Canal. On the Soviet bridgehead at Kustrin, 47th Army, 3rd Shock Army, 5th Shock Army, and 8th Guards Army were concentrated for the attack. 69th Army and 33rd Army covered the river line south to Guben. 2nd Guards Tank Army, 3rd Army, and 1st Guards Tank Army were in reserve. 5th Shock and 8th Guards were posted directly opposite the strongest part of the defenses, where the Berlin autobahn passed through the Heights.

The German Ninth Army held the front from about the Finow Canal to Guben, which included the Seelow Heights. It had 14 divisions and festung Frankfurt, 587 tanks (512 operable, 55 in repair, 20 in transit), 2625 artillery pieces (including 695 anti-aircraft guns.[4] Further south the front was held by the Fourth Panzer Army, opposing the 1st Ukrainian Front. General Gotthard Heinrici replaced Himmler as commander of Army Group Vistula on 20 March. He correctly predicted that the main Soviet thrust would be made over the Oder river and along the main east-west autobahn - at Seelow Heights. He decided to defend the riverbank with only a light skirmishing screen. Instead he fortified the Seelow Heights, which rise about 48 meters above the Oder and overlook the river where the autobahn crossed it. He thinned out the line in other areas to put more men at the Heights. The Oder's flood plain was saturated by the spring thaw; German engineers released water from a reservoir upstream, which turned the plain into a swamp. Behind this they built three lines of defenses, spreading back towards Berlin. The last line of defense was the Wotan Line, 10 to 15 miles behind the front line. These lines consisted of anti-tank ditches, anti-tank gun emplacements, and an extensive network of trenches and bunkers.

Battle

In the early hours of 16 April, the offensive began with a massive bombardment by thousands of artillery pieces and Katyushas. Well before dawn, the 1st Belorussian Front attacked across the Oder and the 1st Ukrainian Front attacked across the Neisse. The 1st Belorussian Front was the stronger force but it had the more difficult assignment since it was facing the bulk of the German forces.

The initial assault by the 1st Belorussian Front turned into a disaster for them. Heinrici and Busse anticipated the attack and withdrew their defenders from the first line of trenches just before the Soviet artillery would have obliterated them. The swampy ground proved to be a great hindrance, and under a German counter-barrage, Soviet casualties were heavy. Frustrated by the slow advance, Zhukov threw in his reserves, which according to his earlier plan were to be held back until the expected breakthrough. By early evening an advance of between four and six kilometers had been achieved (the 77th Rifle Corps from the 3rd Shock Army had advanced eight kilometers), but the second German defensive line remained intact. Zhukov was forced to report that his battle was not going as planned. However, in the south the attack by Konev's 1st Ukrainian Front was going according to plan. To spur Zhukov on, Stalin told him that he would let Konev direct his tank armies north, towards the great prize of Berlin.