Several proposed modifications/changes

[yamamoto2atgmxde]

Hi there,

okay i was invited yesterday into the BETA and I am currently in the Smolensk scenarion of a 1939 (normal setting) campaign.

As a keen PG player I was waiting very very long on a new game with its setting. Even when I read that PanzerCorps might be very close related to the original PG and Allied General game I was expecting at least some mayor improvements which put these fantastic games onto a next higher level. Eastern Assault was fine and a PG 3D (PG II) was the minimum I was expecting from this.

Well it turned out, that its merely a basic PG with some minor mod, far less than expected, but okay maybe something is still in the line and will change until release.

Below is a list of things I would like to see changed:

1) Add an intro
2) Add some more music (see Hearts of Iron II as reference)
3) Moving the cursor over "Purchase unit" in campaign window shows some HTMNL code (<br><br>), same with "Embark/disembark" button
4) WASD keys should scroll the map!
5) There should be a much stronger color separation between core and auxillary troops (slim silver/gold) border is not sufficient
6) AA Guns shall also defend nearby ships not just ground units when assisting in a defence
7) When you deploy troops in a new scenario the troops elite status (stars) should be showing in the red-star-Area below each units grafics (currently stars are all red)
Please change the unit names of "Fallshirmjager" into "Fallschirmjäger" or "Fallschirmjaeger" if you can not show ä (ae) ü(ue) or ö (oe). Bruckenpioniere (Brueckenpioniere or Brückenpioniere), Gebirgsjager (Gebirgsjäger or Gebirgsjaeger)
9) Panzer IA and IB shall not be available to buy after France (latest Greece) at all, they were absolete at this time and were left behind for garrision troops. At least shall shall be removed in Russia scenarions from the busing option and afterwards
10) Panzer IIC shall be removed from buying selection after France too at the latest, replace it with IIF (France) IID or IID (Greece/Russia)
11) There are too many AA options available which nobody would use at all, probably remove 20mm single barrel and 37mm. You will mostly run around with an 88mm or an SdKFZ if any, use the frred unit slots for something else
12) Panzer IVF should not be available in Smolensk scenario. Production started in April 1941 and its unlikely that any sufficient quantities went to the front lines in July, make it available later
13) the 45degree fron view in the Purchase window shows the Panzer IVF2 variant (long barrel gun) for both Panzer E and F1 (both short barreled guns)
14) I am missing spoken mission text like in Panzer General IIID (PG II), it would add a ton to the feeling
15) The Wurfrahmen 40 is overpowered. It has a Soft attack of 28 and a hard attack of 26 combined with a range of 3 hexes. In comparision: his historical range was about 2.000 - 2.500 meters. A 10,5cm lFH had a range of 12,3km, a 17cm K18 had 16,7km and a 15cm sFH18 around 13,2km (all 3 hexes inGame). It should be more like half of the attack ratings and its range reduced to 1 Hex only.
16) some Mountain terrain tiles look like they are "cut of" on the left side, resulting in a strange or not satifying look on the map

As a conclusion from waht i saw from the first scenarios is, that it is looking like a revamped code of the original PG Game, don´t get me wrong, its a nice game, but it felt far behind my expactions. The 2 mayor changes (railway and separated move/fire) doesnt make a new game at all on its own. Even the sound files of the units seem to come from the original PG. Hope there will be something else in the later scenarios.

More to come ....

[yamamoto2atgmxde]

I just looked over the tutorials. Well to be honest i dont know why they are in the Game taking up some precious scenario and/or campaign slots. The Poland scenario is so small, it works fine as a tutorial. As there is no explantion or speech within the tutorials which explains you either the possibilities or abilities of the units it just sums up to a try and error (which units works best, when to attack what) for new player. My suggestion: Get rid of the tutorials add more scenarios. PG worked very fine without a tutorial. In the current style they are implemented into PC they make no sense.

Maybe add a Legion Condor (Spain) scenario before Poland (1939 campaign) which works as a tutorial - like it was (testing new tactics / weapons)

[IainMcNeil]

Thanks for the feedback. Just to b clear there is nothng from Panzer General in this game. Anything you are remembering is just nostalgia kicking in!

What exactly are you hoping to see?

[yamamoto2atgmxde]

Dear iainmcneil,

well what I would like to see:

1) An intro
2) get rid of the tutorials
3) More scenarios, increase campaign size (add Legion Condor Scenario, as tutorial if its really needed), wheres the AfricaCorps (Add-On?), Charkow missing, what about Finnland 44, Crete (would be another scenario to add fleet fights).
4) get someone to synchro the mission texts like it was in PG II (IIID for Germany)
6) After breaking though the initial defence line in the scenarios it is just a run through mostly empty cities, maybe add a conscript infantry or AT-gun at last in the objective cities from the start instead of leaving them empty, so that it wont be that easy to win them. Maybe the AI runs out of prestige, as in the late tutorials the AI build plenty of AT,AA around farther away cities.
7) Add some more music variantions into it (maybe some classic stuff, as its in HOI)
rework some sound files (the Do-217 sounds like late war Jets for example)
9) make some unit changes (as written above), with a Scenario in Spain you can fill out some left over unit slots with pre-War stuff (Henschel Hs 123) also the Panzer I has its uses there. How about a Pionier/Bridge-Tank (Churchill Avre)? How about substituting German Cavalry with Kradschuetzen (Motorcycle Infantry) starting from 1940?
10) reduce the range from Karl-Geraet to 2 Hexes, its range was between 4,5 - 6,5 km (040 or 041) compared to the real artillerie which has a range of 3 Hexes and fired 12-16km.
11) if its really necessary to implement SS-troops keep in mind this might cause some trouble in Germany, especialy if they are to much "glorified" as elite troops.
12) If you want some more fun with experimental units (dunno why everone chooses the mouse ...) get a Horten Go-229 or Arado Ar-234. For America Invasion get a Typ XXI submarine, instead of purchaseable Maus Tank get an E-50 experimental tank (the predecessor to post WWII tanks, step up from Panther). Maus would be far to heavy as an offensive weapon and a logistic nightmare to transport. Also a Junkers Ju-288 / -388 would be okay.
13) remove 1 or 2 Me110 from the Tactical Bombers, add Junkers Ju-88P and/or Henschel HS-129 ground attack planes
14) how about Air Recons? There are so many fine FlyingBoats like Supermarine Walrus, Blohm und Voss BV-138, He-115 or the Fw-189 Uhu (the eye!), Grasshopper, Fi-156 Storch, etc. They could be added to the Fighter/Tactical Bomber branch and should function like their ground counterpart.
15) How about an AA-Train? Germany uses plenty of them for the defence of the Reich (88mm, 10,5cm) as mobile reserve for strategic important locations. This would complement the Artillerie train and would give the whole railway stuff more use and function.
16) the mortar was a very sucessful weapon during WWII, what about Infantry or trucks with a mortar (1 Hex range)?
17) Add a 10,5cm Flak 38 or 39, remove the 12,8cm Flak 40 (make it no purchaseable during scenarios) the 12,8cm was to heavy to be used in the field and was only used as stationary defence (okay they build 6 mobile guns to be correct *caugh*)
18) Axis forces should get at least 2 types of Destroyers (well same for american, british, italian etc.) maybe one fleet destroyer the other one subhunter, the equipment file shows just a few naval units (plans for a new Pacific Admiral?)... hmm well after a second thought the whole naval part is just basic stuff ... a stronger diversifivation would be great as naval units varied strongly during WWII (compare Soviet Gangut, US Arizona with US Iowa Class or GB Vanguard). Also German Naval plans where planning for a much stronger and newer Navy if the war would had been taken another route (Plan Z, think about America a scenario).
19 Also what i also would like to see is the possibility to choose different scenarios in a campaign, see PG Operation Barbarossa - where you had several oportunities to attack (I really would like to see a map of europe which shows your prowess by coloring conquered/losed territories), even if it does not have any other impact in the game.
20) German forces were missing Volkssturm units during late war and another Panzer II (remove IA or B for it if required).

Ah well one last thing: An after battle report (units lost, killed, cities conquered something like that)

Ah well its getting late. More tomorrow perhaps ...

[yamamoto2atgmxde]

okay some more stuff:

1) During deployment it should not be possible to deploy railway units outside hexes with a track or cities connected to a track

2) Leaders and special abilities would be neat, its mentioned that it might be coming into the final game, which would be great

3) Animated unit movement would be a blast, why are there all those beautifull units grafics in 3D if there is just a 2D unit in the game itself

4) A unit dismiss button shall be available, instead of just a hotkey combo

5) It should be possible to re-buy auxillary troops too, not just core troops. It would add more flavour being able to field an Romanian or Italian squad fighting on their own on some part of the front.

6) There should be a descission point in the game for you to either choose the route throught Africa and than into Southern Russia or to take the run with Army Group Center through Smolensk, Kiev, Moscau, followed by a scenario close to the Ural to capture the rebased industry or an option to reinforce the Leningrad siege in their final drive to capture the city (it could be a scenario with heavy city fighting - like Sevastopol from original PG - it would be possible to field the heavy artillery here again like Karl, Dora, 280mm mortars, etc. If you take the route through Africa a combined scenario with Japanese forces in the Middle East (like in Pacific Admiral) would be great, but again the Naval forces need some more varity.

7) How about some brief background text in the buying menue below each unit, like why was is developed, was it aucessfull, some kind of flavour text which gives new player some background information about the WWII fighting units.

more to come...