Slitherine

Victory conditions

• Don't lose more than 10 units
  seems too dificult
• Destroy 50 enemy
  Really there are 50 enemies?
• Maybe too long
  When 8 turn left, all flags taken and no enemies around, just passing turn after turn waiting the end.

Others

• Scenario name
  When loading appears "AXIS3" as a name. (why not use here the IDS_SCENARIO_name in place of the filename?)
• Deploy phase
  Some tiles are not allowed, like the forest on the image 1, but tiles around yes.

  

  image 1.jpg (92.09 KiB) Viewed 5215 times

  This is odd because is not logical, it's a technical consequence of the BA system of deploy. You can define and area but this area is over dimensioned by the fixed units LOS.
  Maybe a way to define an area where the units can't move out in the deployment.
  Now if there is a LOS to a tile you could deploy there.
• Flicker garbage icon image
  Also happens on the M8 and in both slots (selected and target) of the bottom of the screen.
• Long info (debug is on)
  Maybe those numbers added in the latest version are not necessary? I never see they change, always zeros.

  

  long info.jpg (62.3 KiB) Viewed 5215 times

Continues in next post…

Casualties 8 turns before end. Overall
Funny because you kill a lot of units but not re-playable.
Playing agains AI as defender is always like a massacre.
They come to you without strategy, and you can easily wait, kill, and then, after several turns of massacre, advance.

It looks like there is a typo in the script and the last AI wave is not attacking which would explain some of the issues in the endgame.

I've noticed that these missions don't make it explicit which are victory conditions and which are achievements (and actually show them in the opposite order as previous campaigns). I believe everything above the blank line are achievements, this should be made clear in future builds.

Thanks for your feedback so far.

Yes we need to put objectives first and label them and achievements underneath for consistency.

That's not possible due to the way that the VP plugin works. But we can appropriately label them.

Cheers

Pip

Still the garbage flickering with the M5 in the new beta.

More about the Deploy System that needs a revision.

Deploy phase
Some tiles are not allowed, like the forest on the image 1, but tiles around yes.
This is odd because is not logical, it's a technical consequence of the BA system of deploy. You can define and area but this area is over dimensioned by the fixed units LOS.
Maybe a way to define an area where the units can't move out in the deployment.
Now if there is a LOS to a tile you could deploy there.

Moreover, using this "feature" (bug) you can see and deploy your units in any place in the map:
viewtopic.php?f=87&t=42633
This happens in SP and MP and I think is an important bug, as it allow cheating.

enric wrote:More about the Deploy System that needs a revision.

Deploy phase
Some tiles are not allowed, like the forest on the image 1, but tiles around yes.
This is odd because is not logical, it's a technical consequence of the BA system of deploy. You can define and area but this area is over dimensioned by the fixed units LOS.
Maybe a way to define an area where the units can't move out in the deployment.
Now if there is a LOS to a tile you could deploy there.

Moreover, using this "feature" (bug) you can see and deploy your units in any place in the map:
viewtopic.php?f=87&t=42633
This happens in SP and MP and I think is an important bug, as it allow cheating.

I don't understand the bug you are describing. Can you give a step by step of what you think allows cheating.

Cheers

Pip

Start a scenario with deploy phase.
Your units have a limited tiles where to deploy.
Put units in the limit of the tiles you can deploy (try with a Scouts or Infantries)
Save the game while you are still in deploy phase
Load the game
Now you will see that the area where you may deploy has increased with the LOS of the Scouts/Infantry you put in the limit,
Put, then the scouts/inf. in the new limit.
Save the game
and so on, until you may deploy anywhere.

This is the scenario Hedgerow from Rommel Campaign.
The flag is at 46,25

The don't lose a VP for 10 turns achievement makes winning this scenario a real challenge, as holding on up front takes a terrible toll. I did, but only just (an AI tank moved towards one of my units that was wreaking havoc instead of capturing a VP—a solid tactical decision considering the AI is trying to win and not trying to prevent me from getting stars. (At the end I had a 50% strength elite panzerschreck, 50% elite MG34, 100% mortar that was too far away to bombard AI's remaining units, 1 elite jagdpanzer (that's what it was, right, and not a Herzer?), and an elite paratroop team that was taken down to the last man on the last turn). One of my best wins, if I may say so. So, a very good star to have. (And one that made the replay way more fun than I expected.)

v2.2.2

The don't loose VP ach is a bit confusing as there is one owned by US and another that is neutral, loosing that neutral point does not count to get the ach. So you only have to defend the ones in your possession, makes sense but wasn't totally sure when starting. As always playing defense vs the AI is much easier, I managed to loose only 6 units with a full front defense. I always do this as I don't see the benefit of holding back units, was it like this in reality, any reason not to put all up front except for artillery? Maybe I was lucky but enemy M8 bombardment was not very effective.

Anyway, for a more challenging mission I would remove the 88 gun from the German and 1 or 2 MG42, devastating against infantry, and move up the ach from loosing 10 units to 15 or 20. Another alternative is to give US artillery, to avoid concentrating defensive units but it can be frustrating for the player.

Played this again on Beta 2.2.2 and it ran much better. The AI was far more sensible but still failed to push home a couple of times when it had the advantage. I was able to get all achievements on hardest level but I assume that this is not as hard as the final version will be. I noticed a bit of a step up in difficulty between the Sicily beta and the final release. Some effort and a spot of luck is required on the right flank. I quite like this scenario. Maybe a little imbalanced on the left - I guess it all depends on how you deploy.

Though I do have a question from an AI programming perspective. I find a lot of the time Shermans seem to be able to: a) drive at full speed (ie not hunting speed) in front of one of my ambushing tanks which will fire (rarely hit at point blank range against side armour) and then shoot back at my armour killing me outright. This seems to happen too frequently for the AI to be using the same sort of probabilities I get when doing the same thing. b) reactive fire at distance 8 killing my vehicles. Again this happens too frequently for the stats to be the same as mine never kill at that range. Is the AI biased statistically in these situations to give it an advantage?

citizen6 wrote:Played this again on Beta 2.2.2 and it ran much better. The AI was far more sensible but still failed to push home a couple of times when it had the advantage. I was able to get all achievements on hardest level but I assume that this is not as hard as the final version will be. I noticed a bit of a step up in difficulty between the Sicily beta and the final release. Some effort and a spot of luck is required on the right flank. I quite like this scenario. Maybe a little imbalanced on the left - I guess it all depends on how you deploy.

Though I do have a question from an AI programming perspective. I find a lot of the time Shermans seem to be able to: a) drive at full speed (ie not hunting speed) in front of one of my ambushing tanks which will fire (rarely hit at point blank range against side armour) and then shoot back at my armour killing me outright. This seems to happen too frequently for the AI to be using the same sort of probabilities I get when doing the same thing. b) reactive fire at distance 8 killing my vehicles. Again this happens too frequently for the stats to be the same as mine never kill at that range. Is the AI biased statistically in these situations to give it an advantage?

The AI doesn't "cheat" in any way (at least not unless there is a bug ). e.g. check out AI_RouteWithCost in the AI script to see how it has to take the same movement penalties as you

Cheers

Pip

I was just wondering....obviously I suffer from Selective Interpretation Bias....

More on icon flickering into garbage

In the MP Lightweights (2.2.3) there are several M5 and M8 and the icon flickering DO NOT happen (till now).
The same scenario opened as SP it HAPPENS again.

Only for your information.

Sorry, flickering happens even in MP. And in much cases don't flicker just the icon garbage is shown.