Potzblitz V26.01 OCT 26th 2025

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Umeu
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Re: Potzblitz V20.1 FEB 18th 2023

Post by Umeu »

Robotron wrote: Fri Feb 24, 2023 3:14 pm Simple answer: bad army performance (probably France in your match) or loss of production (probably Russia in your match).
Britain has probably suffered a mixture of bad army performance and some bad events.


So, how is morale getting calculated anyway?

It goes like this for any single nation:

The nation's army performance ratio is determined by dividing the kills caused by the casualties taken.
This value is then multiplied by that nation's total unit upkeep.
Let's call the result value "A".

Then the script takes that nation's current PP output and multiplies it by 100.
The result is then divided by the maximum possible PP output.

Current production is the PP output modified by "manpower quality" (the manpower stat going yellow, orange, red) and loss of PP by bombardment.
Maximum production is the total original PP of all cities that are still held.

Let's call the result value "B".


The script then picks either value A or value B depending of which value is higher.
Let's call that higher value "C".

Now the morale value of the nation will be decided by picking the lesser one of either value C or 100.

Added/substracted to/from this are the morale modifications of any events triggered during the game.
I'll respond to the morale issue/calculation later, since it requires a bigger response.

But just came across a bug.

Falkenhayn gets dismissed when Romania enters the war, despite not having played Siege of Verdun yet. This leaves the CP player without a way to end Sacred Way effect (outside of isolating Verdun), because siege of Verdun requires Falkenhayn to be in play. Also perhaps Siege of Verdun shouldn't just be triggered, but rather should have failed aka Verdun defended should've happened.
Last edited by Umeu on Fri Feb 24, 2023 6:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Potzblitz V20.1 FEB 18th 2023

Post by Robotron »

Also perhaps Siege of Verdun shouldn't just be triggered, but rather should have failed aka Verdun defended should've happened.
That part I don't understand.
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Re: Potzblitz V20.1 FEB 18th 2023

Post by Umeu »

Robotron wrote: Fri Feb 24, 2023 6:36 pm
Also perhaps Siege of Verdun shouldn't just be triggered, but rather should have failed aka Verdun defended should've happened.
That part I don't understand.
PDF says:

FALKENHAYN DISMISSED
Conditions
General Falkenhayn is in play.
“Siege of Verdun” was triggered and Verdun is still under Entente control.
Romania has joined the Entente.

Currently, it's bugged. I definitely didn't send Siege of Verdun event. But for the properly working version of the event, I think it should maybe be Verdun defended happened, rather than Siege of Verdun event triggered. Falkenhayn didn't get dismissed until after it was clear his Verdun offensive failed.

Currently, it's possible, when the event works properly, that the following happens:

CP player sends Siege of Verdun
next turn, Romania Joins Entente
Falkenhayn gets dismissed on the CP turn because all the conditions are met, even though his siege of Verdun only just started.
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Re: Potzblitz V20.1 FEB 18th 2023

Post by Robotron »

Better would be:

CP plays Siege of Verdun
+ Verdun is still under Entente control
+ Romania DOWs
= Falkenhayn is out and quite right so because he ignored the possibility for Romanian DOW
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Re: Potzblitz V20.1 FEB 18th 2023

Post by Umeu »

Robotron wrote: Fri Feb 24, 2023 7:04 pm Better would be:

CP plays Siege of Verdun
+ Verdun is still under Entente control
+ Romania DOWs
= Falkenhayn is out and quite right so because he ignored the possibility for Romanian DOW
ok, fine with me. As long as he doesn't get dismissed without having played Siege of Verdun :mrgreen:
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Re: Potzblitz V20.1 FEB 18th 2023

Post by Robotron »

Yes, good find btw.

*edit*

Umeu, you reported that you were barely able to move into France at all in your match vs Wolf. Do you think that this lack of success was partly caused by either Belgian King Albert being around from the start or the newly-raised entrenchment stats? If not, what do you think caused it?
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Re: Potzblitz V20.1 FEB 18th 2023

Post by Umeu »

Robotron wrote: Fri Feb 24, 2023 7:37 pm Yes, good find btw.

*edit*

Umeu, you reported that you were barely able to move into France at all in your match vs Wolf. Do you think that this lack of success was partly caused by either Belgian King Albert being around from the start or the newly-raised entrenchment stats? If not, what do you think caused it?
no, it was solely caused by not finding Austrian Howitzers or Neutrality violated (didn't find Austrian defense plans either, which nearly cost me the eastern front as well). So it just came down to RNG, like you said. Austrian Howitzers is strong, but it's not guaranteed. And this was that 1 out of 10 games where you don't find it. And I didn't reload :O after that, Brussels also survived at 1 strength, to delay my advance even further. Without Albert, it would've fallen for sure, but with a better sequence of attack or better RNG, it would've fallen with Albert as well. I think he should be there for sure. But if you want to make it that he's not there at the start, it should at least be the case that he always shows up in the next turn, so like unlocking after 5 Belgian casualties, or maybe even just 1.

It has made for a very interesting game though, even though we're now in 1916 and it's starting to show a few imbalances. I'll do a big write up later.

Imo, you have done a fantastic job in balancing 1914 and 1915, which in many ways feel like they are realistic, can even be historically approximations if both players play well, yet still leave a lot of space for things to go wrong or better than they did in historical reality, and it's fun as a game on top of that. I say well done to that. But as the war progresses, I think there's a few things that need a little bit of tweaking / balancing to make sure both alliances have the longevity to make it to 1918. Currently it feels a bit CP favored in the long run, and it's not a coincidence that I was winning or won every game as CP, while losing or lost every game as Entente vs Wolf. But I also think that not any really drastic changes will be needed, it's mostly a matter of tweaking existing events/calculations.
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Re: Potzblitz V20.1 FEB 18th 2023

Post by Umeu »

Ok, first things first. I think the mod is in a great state. It seems stable, minor bugs here and there, it's fun and the first opening years seem very balanced. I'm aware it's just you doing all the modding, which makes it even more impressive. I'm also aware that my experience is limited because of the small player base, and so my views might be warped and incomplete due to that.But here it goes anyway.

So I'm doing a write up of the most important events of my current game vs Wolf, but I'm also basing some of my conclusions on earlier games.

Scenario is Moltke-Schlieffen. I'm playing as CP.

1914
starts with me sending Kaiser's gold and attacking Serbia on turn 1. I don't remember all the Entente events, I think it might've been Serbia shall not bow, but definitely also Rush Mobilization, as on turn 2 I find German Army redeploys in my event pool. Because of Serbia's invasion, I lose diplo points, costing me 1 event. So after sending German army redeploys, I find Goeben&Breslau, but critically miss out on Neutrality Violated, Austrian Howitzers and Austrian Defense plans. This sets the tone for the game.

On turn 3, the German invasion of Belgium gets derailed by lack of Austrian Howitzers. I have to use 3 attacks to bring down Liege, leaving me with no force left to take Brussels, though I do manage to take Namur (I think, I might confuse it with another game, it's been a while since we started). It also leaves me out of position for an orderly advance through Belgium and France.

On turn 4, things get worse. I assault Brussels, it looks to go well, but somehow, the army corps there survives at 1 strength.

So on turn 5, it's relieve by a reserve corps out of Ypres, and I have to use artillery and infantry to bring it down, slowing down my advance even further. I have to use wave of Patriotism to make sure the western front isn't lost. I manage to take Ypres and Lille, but in the rest of 1914, that'll be the front. Entente brings in the BEF and together with the French corps which move to hold the German advance back, I am unable to take Rheims, Calais or Amiens, even though a lucky Race to the Sea on the start of my turn means I get a free hex, and get more surface to attack Antwerp, which falls a few turns later. I manage to take 1 more hex between Calais and Ypres.

On turn 5, the Russians join the war as well. They face a thinned out Austrian army, as I have sent 2 cavalry corps to overrun Serbia, which would not have worked, except for the Entente being very aggressive, rolling a bad attack on the army corps in Belgrade, which left it at 6 strength, allowing me to take Belgrade and roll up the Serbian front from there, even though they don't surrender until around late 1915/early 1916. However, by now Russia has clocked on to the fact that the German army redeployed, and they decide not to invade Eastern Prussia. German Army Redeployed basically turns out to be nothing more than a free influence on Sweden, which, together with 3 more influences by myself, lead to Sweden joining the war on the CP side.

Galicia manages to hold on, though Tarnopol gets abandoned. I even manage to take Lodz and Radom pretty quickly, and threaten Warsaw and the cities in Northern Poland. Things look pretty good on that front, until Hotzendorf attacks, leaving the Austrian army in complete dissaray. Because I stripped Galicia of it's cavalry, I don't really have the units to replace the army corps that are supposed to hold Lemberg, and I have to use an armored train instead. But it's no match for 2 artillery + the Russian steamroller bonus, and Galicia is overrun. Suddenly, the eastern front looks light it might collapse. I decide to pull back to the line from Przemysl to Czernowitz. I made two more artillery batteries which help me take Warsaw by surprise. Winter sets in not much later, and all fronts look somewhat stabilized.

Despite taking Warsaw and Belgrade in 1914, which brought Italy closer to the CP, I then got German invasion repelled which caused a collapse point for Both Austria and Germany, as well as massively swinging Italy back to the Entente.

1915
starts with D'Annunzio riling up Italy to demand Trento, which I decide to yield. I'm not ready to fight them yet. In the west, I manage to take Belfort, which was lightly held by a homeguard, with a sneak attack. But other than me taking a few hexes around Verdun and a failed attempt to take Nancy, there's very little action on the Western front for the rest of 1915.

The Ottomans join early 1915 or so, quite late, because I refused to send Shelling of Sevastopol. Instead, I planned for a defensive war together with Jihad. It turns out to be the right choice, as Russia and England invade at the same time. Enver Pasha manages to hold on to Erzurum, while the German Military mission to Turkey holds the line at Qurna. Basra is abandoned, while Kuwait turns cloack and Abadan is seized by the British. The Russian Bergmann invasion turns into a historical disaster, as the Turkish units bolstered by Jihad beat them back quite easily. The rest of the year, the Ottomans go on the offensive in the Caucausus, but their advance is checked at Sarikamish and ends in disaster for Enver Pasha. A Van uprising turned out to be nuisance, but despite that, the front there is in state of equilibrium.

Somewhere towards the end of 1915, Bulgaria decides to join when they realize that Serbia is going to get defeated by the Austrians, and they decide to take a piece of the pie.

Things look better in the East by now as well. Sweden as mobilized and brought two army corps to push towards Riga. The offensive in the East starts after the Tsar assumes command, right as the supply crisis kicks off. Can't ask for better timing. Gas also unlocks, and I start rolling up the Russian lines. It's slow and tough grinding at first, requiring 5 artillery batteries to do it, but then suddenly the Russian units start to break, and from there it's a great retreat that's still ongoing in

1916.

Serbia surrenders not long after Bulgaria backstabed them. The allies make a desperate stand with a single reserve at Salonika, which manages to tie down an army corps and a reserve corps. Italy joins on the side of the Entente after they are given Tunesia by the French. I take back Trento, but have agreed with Wolf not to go on the offensive in Italy until 1917 (I'll talk about this more later). The turn after Italy joins Entente, Spain joins on the CP. And the turn after Spain joins CP, Romania joins the Entente. It's truly a world war now.

Italy does not do much for the first half of 1916, they just get their army ready. Romania is on the verge of being overrun by a joint force of Bulgarians, Austrians and Germans.

The Ottomans are still trying to beat back the Russian and British invaders, but they're starting to run out of steam. Mass desertions have already happened once, and I'm scared they'll happen again, so I've limited my attacks, even though I'm close to kicking the Brits out of Kuwait, Basra and Abadan and back into the Persion gulf. Because of the Jihad, the Senussi attack the British in Egypt in the rear, and also threaten Italian Lybia.

Russia has been, in the words of Wolf, relegated to nothing but an annoying roadblock for the CP. Still, I have not managed to take Vilna or Riga, and Brest Litvosk has only just fallen. However, it does seem like the Russians are no longer fit to fight. The only problem is that I had to strip so many units away from the eastern front to defend against Italy and Romania, that I don't have enough units to overrun Russia.

On top of that, I had sent most of my artillery back to the Western front, in preparation of Falkenhayn's Siege of Verdun (which could not happen because of a bug). Still I decide to bleed France white, and every turn since spring 1916, I have been bombarding Verdun. The first attack got closest to taking it, the heroic defenders holding out at only 2 strength. After that, the French send in everything they can to defend Verdun, and no unit has managed to stay on that hex for longer than 1 turn yet. (Sounds like history, right? :lol: ) Another thing straight out of the history books, to relieve pressure on Verdun, the British have started a mining war and offensive near Ypres and the Somme backed by massive artillery support. There, the CP is also forced to rotate heavily to keep the line from collapsing. However, the CP, with help from Fokker, have taken control of the skies, and they are constantly harassing the artillery of the Entente, as well as keeping efficiency low on units that have just gotten out of the hell of Verdun, so they can't be sent back easily. Still, I don't think I have enough frontage to capture the fort, especially since I can't send siege of Verdun to cancel the effects of the Sacred Way. I can only hope the French run out of men, before I run out of ammo.

And that's the state of the game so far, halfway through the war, around mid to late 1916. The CP seem to have the upper hand, but especially the Ottomans and the Austrians are almost at the limit of their endurance. I'm not sure they can sustain the pace of war for another 2 years.


I will write up my thoughts, takeaways and suggestions based on this game here in a bit.
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Re: Potzblitz V20.1 FEB 18th 2023

Post by Wolf001 »

To clarify on Umeus post. I did not play Rush Russian Mobilization it was in my event pool. I played Serbia Shall Not Bow and French Army out of Africa on the first turn. On the second turn Russian aid to Serbia and British Warning to Germany.

Namur was not taken on the first turn of the German invasion. I attached Albert I to the infantry corps in Brussels on my turn after the German invasion and Umeu reduced that unit to one on his turn I then switched him out with a reserve corps.
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Re: Potzblitz V20.1 FEB 18th 2023

Post by Robotron »

Very nice writeup, quite an entertaining read. :)

I'd really like to hear why you agreed on holding back attacking with Italy though.
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Re: Potzblitz V20.1 FEB 18th 2023

Post by Wolf001 »

Robotron wrote: Sat Feb 25, 2023 12:55 pm
I'd really like to hear why you agreed on holding back attacking with Italy though.
Umeu built up enough forces on the Italian front before DOW. The first turn Italy enters the war the units of course need to be moved and upgraded which costs PP. That leaves me with 30PP to build to reserve corps or an army corps. I went with the reserve corps in case he made an early move from the north so I’d at least be able to switch out units.

At the end of the turn Umeu takes back Trento there’s no way to hold it in MP if the other player wants it and has already put units next to it. Which lowers morale and causes a collapse point.

On my next turn I don’t have many options with Italy other then shelling a Bulgarian army corps facing the Italians on the Isonzo and attacking with the two army corps and risking Failed Italian Offensive. At the moment I don’t have enough units available to switch out if that happens.

I’ll regret this but now in the game I’m ready to go on the offensive with the Italians as I’ve finished building army corps and bombers to where Italy should be a threat finally. On my last turn I’ve finally started The First Battle of the Isonzo. I can deploy enough army corps now to counter the failed offensive.

The problem is if Italy enters the war on the Entente side later in the war in this case 1916 it can be to a massive disadvantage the Entente player. As Umeu has stated the CP is a little more favored late in the war. It takes around six turns before Italy is capable of doing anything.



This wouldn’t be a problem if entry would have been in 1915. Umeu would have been spread thin across all the fronts and probably would have balanced the game out more. Umeu would have had much less success in the east and Serbia would have held out much longer. I’m at fault for losing Warsaw fall early and not getting Italy earlier.
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Re: Potzblitz V20.1 FEB 18th 2023

Post by Umeu »

Wolf001 wrote: Sat Feb 25, 2023 12:14 pm To clarify on Umeus post. I did not play Rush Russian Mobilization it was in my event pool. I played Serbia Shall Not Bow and French Army out of Africa on the first turn. On the second turn Russian aid to Serbia and British Warning to Germany.

Namur was not taken on the first turn of the German invasion. I attached Albert I to the infantry corps in Brussels on my turn after the German invasion and Umeu reduced that unit to one on his turn I then switched him out with a reserve corps.
yeah, wasn't sure anymore. I thought Albert unlocked straight away :O but if he didn't, then wow, not finding Howitzers of Neutrality is really bad then. Can't get anything done XD
Wolf001 wrote: Sat Feb 25, 2023 1:22 pm
Robotron wrote: Sat Feb 25, 2023 12:55 pm
I'd really like to hear why you agreed on holding back attacking with Italy though.
Umeu built up enough forces on the Italian front before DOW. The first turn Italy enters the war the units of course need to be moved and upgraded which costs PP. That leaves me with 30PP to build to reserve corps or an army corps. I went with the reserve corps in case he made an early move from the north so I’d at least be able to switch out units.

At the end of the turn Umeu takes back Trento there’s no way to hold it in MP if the other player wants it and has already put units next to it. Which lowers morale and causes a collapse point.

On my next turn I don’t have many options with Italy other then shelling a Bulgarian army corps facing the Italians on the Isonzo and attacking with the two army corps and risking Failed Italian Offensive. At the moment I don’t have enough units available to switch out if that happens.

I’ll regret this but now in the game I’m ready to go on the offensive with the Italians as I’ve finished building army corps and bombers to where Italy should be a threat finally. On my last turn I’ve finally started The First Battle of the Isonzo. I can deploy enough army corps now to counter the failed offensive.

The problem is if Italy enters the war on the Entente side later in the war in this case 1916 it can be to a massive disadvantage the Entente player. As Umeu has stated the CP is a little more favored late in the war. It takes around six turns before Italy is capable of doing anything.



This wouldn’t be a problem if entry would have been in 1915. Umeu would have been spread thin across all the fronts and probably would have balanced the game out more. Umeu would have had much less success in the east and Serbia would have held out much longer. I’m at fault for losing Warsaw fall early and not getting Italy earlier.
I agree with what you write. Losing warsaw was a bit of a mistake, but it would've fallen anyway before italy would've joined, so I don't think it mattered in relation to the Italian war entry. Same for Belgrade. But again, I'd need to play from Entente side more to be certain.

I'll share my thoughts and observations and suggestions soon. As well as a few small bugs/oversights.
Last edited by Umeu on Sat Feb 25, 2023 2:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Potzblitz V20.1 FEB 18th 2023

Post by Robotron »

Gotcha, so Italy needs to be boosted a bit more.

- I'll edit the scripts so that all Italian units already on the map get automatically upgraded for free.
- "Failed Offensive" trigger will be further raised so the event happens less often
- Trento will be made a fortress again now that I remember why I made it a fortress in the first place.
- Italy can be influenced with diplo points as soon as Dannunzio was played by Entente.
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Re: Potzblitz V20.1 FEB 18th 2023

Post by Umeu »

Robotron wrote: Sat Feb 25, 2023 2:29 pm Gotcha, so Italy needs to be boosted a bit more.

- I'll edit the scripts so that all Italian units already on the map get automatically upgraded for free.
- "Failed Offensive" trigger will be further raised so the event happens less often
- Trento will be made a fortress again now that I remember why I made it a fortress in the first place.
- Italy can be influenced with diplo points as soon as Dannunzio was played by Entente.
first point I think is good, but second one I don't agree with. Italy is not weak in the long run, just at the start. Don't change failed offensive again, after changing it so recently. At most, change it so it doesn't happen 4 turns after DoW, so Italy can train some units.
Trento back to fortress is fine, but not sure if it matters in the taking back trento part if it's held by a home guard. but it's a good start. Let's see if it's enough, but if not, it might need to become a reserve corps. Or freeze the hexes around trento on the German border for 1 or 2 turns so CP can't invade from there. I also had a suggestion, which I will write out more in my other post, but I think it would be good to see some sort of negative reaction for CP if they bring German troops to fight Italy too early. Since officially, Italy DoW on Austria only, and Germany didnt join the fight there until 1917.

Influencing Italy, what will it do? It can also mean that CP can influence italy to keep them out of the war?
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Re: Potzblitz V20.1 FEB 18th 2023

Post by Robotron »

Trento gets a Reserve Corps and reduced trigger for Failed Offensive stays, CP needs a proper challenge - didn't you say you never lost with CP before?

Also removed the Swedish convoy once Sweden joins CP so "you can't have your cake and eat it too".

*edit*

New version is finished but I'll wait for Umeu's feedback, so it can still be included (if not too much work required). 8)
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Re: Potzblitz V20.1 FEB 18th 2023

Post by Umeu »

Robotron wrote: Sat Feb 25, 2023 3:00 pm Trento gets a Reserve Corps and reduced trigger for Failed Offensive stays, CP needs a proper challenge - didn't you say you never lost with CP before?

Also removed the Swedish convoy once Sweden joins CP so "you can't have your cake and eat it too".

*edit*

New version is finished but I'll wait for Umeu's feedback, so it can still be included (if not too much work required). 8)
lol you have a tendency to go overboard XD I think things are pretty close, and while CP is favored, drastic changes will quite easily swing the balance too far to Entente. Removing the Swedish convoy once Sweden joins is such a drastic change, unless Sweden gets a buff to their production. Doesnt Germany already lose PP production when Sweden joins because they're no longer a neutral trading partner, or does that only happen when they become an enemy?

reduced offensive trigger is maybe ok, but you also already reduced the effect of the trigger so it's quite a big buff tbh. But let's see.

I'll try to write my feedback tonight, but I'm pretty tired. Otherwise it'll arrive tomorrow.
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Re: Potzblitz V20.1 FEB 18th 2023

Post by Robotron »

Umeu wrote: Sat Feb 25, 2023 3:17 pm Doesnt Germany already lose PP production when Sweden joins because they're no longer a neutral trading partner, or does that only happen when they become an enemy?
I don't know where these notions come from but in any case neither is true.
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Re: Potzblitz V20.1 FEB 18th 2023

Post by Umeu »

Robotron wrote: Sat Feb 25, 2023 3:21 pm
Umeu wrote: Sat Feb 25, 2023 3:17 pm Doesnt Germany already lose PP production when Sweden joins because they're no longer a neutral trading partner, or does that only happen when they become an enemy?
I don't know where these notions come from but in any case neither is true.
ok might just be a coincidence. I noticed some PP drops a few times when neutral nations joined the war but mustve been something else. Anyway, if you take away the convoy, I'm not sure it's worth trying to get sweden to join, considering the diplo point investment it takes. my current campaign is basically surviving on those convoys.
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Re: Potzblitz V20.1 FEB 18th 2023

Post by Robotron »

I think it's justified since right now having both Sweden and the convoy seems quite overpowered. Even without the convoy having Sweden join CP is still a better deal than solely relying on the convoy in my opinion as you have a steady per turn PP income and stream of ammunition while the convoy only arrives every 6 turns, produces a random amount of PP and can be sunk.
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Re: Potzblitz V20.1 FEB 18th 2023

Post by Umeu »

Observations, Problems & Suggestions:

Observations:

increased entrenchment makes the game slower, increasing importance of artillery, which in turn increases the importance of winning the war in the skies. I absolutely love this interaction pattern.

Neutrality Violated, Austrian Howitzers & Austrian defense plans are among the key events in the game, sending them or missing them, will define the game going forward.

With all Neutrality & Howitzers, Germany should get to the gates of Paris, if not take it. With only Howitzers, they should get to Paris probably, but taking it seems unlikely. With just Neutrality Violated, the German advance will likely end sooner, but still taking Rheims, Calais and Amiens is not out of the realm of possiblity. Without those 3 cards though, Germany will struggle to advance on the Western front while also keeping the Russians at bay. They have to decide where to send reinforcements, and if Russia attacks, they'll be needed there.

France has a good shot at defending vs the Schlieffenplan if they manage to get British Warning in time and BEF on turn 3. Without that, a turn 1 army of Africa is the next best thing.

1914 and 1915 seem pretty balanced and historically accurate. Serbia will start to crumble around 1915, but won't be pushed back all the way to the Macedonian mountains until 1916. Western front should usually end in stalemate. Russia will make gains in Galicia at the start of the game, but usually won't get very far in Eastern Prussia. In 1915, they start to collapse and losing Poland usually takes the better part of 1915, sometimes even part of 1916.

However, in 1916, things might need a little bit of balancing to make the game fair and enjoyable going forwad. This is in part due to certain events on the CP side seeming a bit stronger, they seem to suffer less collapse points early on, and the morale calculations favor them, which I'll get back to later.


Currently, the blockade still feels like Germany can kinda just ignore it. Germany was really stretched to the max for a bit, but they're able to continue the fight. they do have to carry the other nations though, and this is where things get tough. I find myself shipping a lot of PP from germany to weaker alliances to keep them in the war.

Italy is vulnerable when they join the war, but you already made some changes. So let's see how things work out. I had already written this, so I'll just put it here anyway:

Compared to history, Italy usually joins later than they should, Bulgaria usually joins earlier or around the same time, while Romania usually joins a bit too early (due to them coming quite soon after Bulgaria joins), However, in terms of the game, it feels pretty balanced (though it does feel a bit weird to usually see Bulgaria join before Italy does). Serbia surrendered just before Italy was about to join.

However, due to the later than historical entry, Italy is often a sitting duck, because by the time they join, most fronts have stabilized or are collapsing in favor of the CP, and so the CP player, when they see Italy is about to join the war, can just send units to the border. Even if Italy declares next turn, they aren't ready fast enough to protect Trento (if they got it) or Udine.

Problems & Suggestions:

I suggest that the blockade, when it worsens, increases the cost of every repair/upgrade Germany makes on a unit. maybe even training new units, if possible. This should make the effect of the blockade feel like something serious. I'm honestly not sure what it currently does, except drain morale. The shortage usually starts somewhere in 1916. It could get progressively worse, upgrading costing only a bit more in 1916, a lot more in 1917, and also starting to cost morale in 1918. That should also drop manpower quality, which should be felt in the efficiency of new German units.

Although germany is strong, they cant really fight on sea and air both, they have to choose. I do like that it gives a strategical dilemma, but germans were kinda the powerhouse able to fight on land sea and air, just like the british were. currently the brits can do all 3, but germans can't. I propose lowering submarine upkeep to 1. This will not affect most nations, but gives Germany a little bit more chance to fight on all fronts and theatres of war. Also maybe make it cost less PP and/or manpower to build subs. Build time should stay as is.

Offensive in the east is still a good event, but the attack buff is now so small it's hardly noticable. I'd still send the event, but mainly for the 60 PP which is nothing to scoff at. I'm not sure if it needs any fixing though, I'd need to see it from the Russian perspective to see if it feels balanced or not. A little buff could be to have it unlock Mackensen if he hasn't been unlocked yet.

Crown prince assumes command is a bit awkward now, perhaps it can also give 1 experience level to the army the Crown Prince joins?

Ottomans seem to strong on the offensive, though this is largely due to the Jihad attack bonus, which is one of the strongest if not the strongest event in the mid-late game. I'll deal with both issues seperately. The first issue, I think is elegantly solved already by Ottoman Mass Desertions event, it just needs some tweaking. I propose that attacking lowers the value by 3 or 4 instead of 2. This should give ottomans more incentive to stay on the defensive, as attacking will quickly have very negative consequences. It could be progressive. Like 2 in 1914, 3 in 1915, 4 in 1916 onwards.
Another solution could be to give the British increased presence in the Iran region, by allowing them to ship units directly into Abadan after the oilfields event, though only if naval capacity is available. I prefer the Mass Desertions route though.


Jihad seems like it's still too strong. I suggest changing the attack bonus for a defense bonus if possible.

Fires in the desert is also too strong, partially because of Jihad. Might need a little bit fewer troops spawned in MP?

Austria seems like they're a bit too strong/capable compared to history. Partially because of Russia's weakness, partially because of other things. I think there might be a simple fix, delay the time at which industrial warfare unlocks for austria, by maybe like 5 (currently it unlocks on turn 10 or 11, it should be like 15-16, just a little bit before Serbia), this will set them back in the tech race, making their units worse than Russian ones (rather than better as is now). This will incentivize Russia to attack the Austrian front with their offensive cards as well and might make it necessary for Germany to Aid austria more than it needs to do now.

Entente needs more persia related events. now I feel persia usually goes CP in mp or stays neutral, as they have more events to influence Persia it seems.

Similarly, the CP have a lot more events to influence Greece compared to Entente, and they can send all of them in 1 turn if they have enough diplo points saved. Maybe add some delay between these events showing up in the pool so they Entente also gets a chance to respond with their own events.

I've mentioned it before, but I think it's a good change, so I'll say it again :P Artillery for small powers should be looked at. Imo, all small powers should get the Sweden treatment (can build artillery, but have no tech). Ottomans should get their artillery tech massively delayed to the point where they don't really unlock any of the techs past the first hydropneumatic howitzer upgrade. Specialized shells should be unlocked with Trains to Constantinople event, and Gas should unlock only with Kaiser visiting Istanbul (or maybe also Army Group Yildirim, as Kaiser visits is quite rare). In my current game, Ottoman tech on gas is only 6 turns behind that of Germany on unlocking mustard gas, which is a bit ridiculous imo.

Also, small nations shell production should be capped at 5. That of Ottomans at 5 or 10. Otherwise you can use them just as artillery production facilities for the great powers, which I do a lot now already anyway. I upgraded sweden and bulgaria to 10 artillery, and just siphon that off to Germany so I can maintain 5 batteries while only producing 20 ammo per turn. Since Germany already has a cap at 12, that code could be used to cap small powers at 5, right?

Entente seems like they should have more PP production than they do compared to history. But I'd have to play a longer game from Entente side to be more certain. However, after 1915, the war kinda turns into a war of attrition on all fronts due to the higher entrenchment making dislodging even reserve corps very hard. But for a strange reason (or maybe not so strange, I guess the reason is mainly technology) the Entente is losing the war of attrition in the long run. Historically it was the other way around, though all nations suffered a lot of course. Still, I'd like to maybe see convoys for entente give a bit more manpower from the colonies (maybe only after 1916?). Also possible would be to give Entente a higher cap for 100% war effort, but have this unlock later in the game, like around 1916 as well. This would simulate how Germany was the first nation to really adapt to a fully efficient wartime economy, while France and England lagged behind on this, and Russia never really made it to that point. Another option would be to have USA somehow give more resources by convoy or whatever in 1916, contingent on how much they like the Entente.


Russia collapses as it should in our game, but it kinda collapses 1 year too early. Wolf suggested that a possible solution would be to have the Russian offensives (Brussilov, Kerenski & Lake Naroch, are there more?) trigger automatically under certain conditions. Or possibly make the randomness of their spawns a bit less random, sometimes you can get like all cavalry units on the lake naroch one. I don't know how the others ones are. I know you said offensives are a pain in the ass to code. So maybe give Russia a few extra army corps with the Stavka Reorganization and other recovery from Supply Crisis events. (I think currently 1 stavka already gives an elite army corps near Riga, but the Brussilove one might be bugged).

Also, not sure if this is possible, but to give a bit more accurate portrayal of how big Russia is, would it be possible to cut movement points of troops in half when on Russian hexes?


After almost a year of Italy in the war, I don't think failed offensive triggered even once. Though Italy hasn't been attacking overly much, I don't think it needs to be reduced even further.

Bugs:
BEF spawns at 10 strength when it hits land in France, no matter what strength they have in the harbor (already mentioned it, but just in case you missed it.)

Brussilov spawning on a homeguard in Kiev, rather than spawning with Infantry for Stavka reorganization


Conclusion:

This leaves me with the final discussion of morale and collapse point calculations. While in our game, you're right as to what caused the low morale of Entente nations (bad army kill/death ratio + loss of production sites) but I think it's important to look at what it doesn't show as well.

In the game vs Wolf, my year in 1914 was maybe one of the worst I've ever had in a game. I don't think I ever had German invasion repelled unless I went east with Moltke. France only lost 1 city and a few hexes along the border, and they should be in a very good state morale wise imo, instead they're at multiple collapse points and quite low morale.

This is because the calculations favor the attacking player imo, as well as the player with the tech advantage, which is the CP player. Initiative matters so much in this game. If you can dictate what and where to attack, you can kinda dictate how many losses you will inflict and will take. Entente is on the defense for almost the whole game, usually at least until 1917, except on the Ottoman fronts where they can be the attacker sometimes. Because from the start, the Entente has to defend, they usually have to train more reserve corps, which have a worse kill death ratio, leading to lower morale. I think Wolf trained too many reserve corps, I told him that already, but especially in the beginning, it's needed to throw those in front of German advance just to stop them. And the calculation doesn't account for that. 1 infantry killed is the same as 1 reserve killed. Because of the low morale and the collapse points, England and France are already suffering anti-war protests as early as 1915 and 1916, even though the war is actually going pretty decently for them, even though they are indeed taking more losses than they are inflicting, they are keeping Germany from reaching any of their war goals and keep them contained. This should be fine as Entente historically had the manpower advantage and could afford to lose more men than the Central Powers. I don't think it's necessary to change the calculation, even if you can. But maybe it would be good to try to compensate for this a bit by giving Entente nations a bit more morale through events or something else.

The same is kinda true for the loss of production calculation. Because the Entente are on the defense and the war is mainly fought on their turf, they lose more production site and thus lose more morale. I know this might mess with the annual morale check stuff, and I don't want Entente morale to be higher than CP morale, but I think historically, losing ground at the start of the war did not lower French or Russian morale that much, quite the opposite, people were so angry about it they were willing to fight on. The loss of production sites calculation again favors the attacker because the attacker isn't going to lose their own sites. France will lose a few guaranteed, and it was quite a big blow, as it was where a lot of industry was situated. But for Russia, the territory they lost even to Brest-Litovsk treaty was really only a small part of their empire. The game doesn't accurately portray how fucking huge Russia really is, so losing a few hexes disproportionally lowers their morale. This calculation could potentially be amended if it matters, so that it's less punishign for all nations, but otherwise again, it can be compensated through events.


Sorry if things aren't as clear, I'm a bit tired and can't turn it all into one cohesive post as I had planned. Let me know if anything needs further explanation.
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