Soft Cap

[joe6778]

How do I turn it off? I'm getting killed in the DLC 43 East campaign on Colonel difficulty and I can't even buy a single Tiger tank.

[captainjack]

The only way to turn off soft cap is through the gamesrules file.
The easiest and safest way to do that is to download Nikkivdd's softcap off mod and run that.

If the mod is working, when you hover the mouse over the prestige setting it won't show a percentage.

I'd much rather use self-imposed restrictions such as playing on 80% prestige, limited upgrades per scenario or whatever than the invisible hand of the soft cap.

[Musketeer]

In DATA directory - GAMERULES.PZDAT

+ seek
# *** Prestige soft cap
# 1=use soft cap, 0=don't use
UseSoftCap 0
NormalPrestige 400
MaxPrestige 800
MinKoff 20

[joe6778]

I can edit the .pzdat file in NOTEBOOK, but it won't let me save the change.

[parmenio]

I can edit the .pzdat file in NOTEBOOK, but it won't let me save the change.

Download the gamerules file from this post:

http://www.slitherine.com/forum/viewtop ... ff#p631107

and overwrite your existing file (backup the original one first)

** I also strongly recommend you look into using GME for this sort of stuff (if you don't know about it already) **

[joe6778]

Alright! Thank you.

[hugh2711]

joe6778; in terms of maximising your prestige/revenue i recently tried using a particular strategy and i found that in most of dlc 43 east (on field marshall difficulty) and i was still getting quite high income from captures. Its quite simple, EARLY ON I disband any infantry se units so i only have/get se tanks. since these do not count towards the soft cap I have them overstrengthed to the max but my ordinary tanks are not overstrengthed. My air force which also does not count towards the soft cap is overstrengthed. even at late 1943 values the infantry (dont use expensive transports) is nowhere near the soft cap threshold of 400 but the tanks always are over. consequently i can start gc43 east with 6 SE tigers ( 5 overstrengthed one inexperienced), 3 ordinary heroed tigers, a mean airforce, a full complement of units - one i can get a dv with and still get 90% of soft cap income.
I have been playing for years but this new strategy was a revelation for me, my game went up a notch. If you look through the threads about soft cap you will find tips about getting more income to the point where the soft cap wont irritate you anymore.

EDIT; Sorry my mistake; air units DO count towards the softcap. My airforce is mean because it is always heroed up as I nuture it/strafe/do whatever to get it heroed fast/ early on.

[joe6778]

Thanks for the tips.

In my current campaign which started in 39, I don't have any SE INF- but I have about five or six SE tanks. I do quite well until Storming Stalingrad where I always win a MV and the Docks, where I win a DV, but therein lies the problem. Even after a DV for Stalingrad Docks, and even without reinforcing my units during the scenario, the prestige I earn drops off quite a bit compared to earlier in the campaign. I always manage a DV for the following Breakout scenario, with the result that I lose a few core units and my units get pretty beaten up on the last 42 scenario where I only manage a MV.

By the time I start East 43, I don't really have enough prestige to build Tigers, and I can only manage a MV at Kharkov. If I go into Kursk without a few heavy tanks/SPAT units, I don't have much of a chance for the rest of the campaign.

The bottom line is I've played the game hundreds of times, but I always fizzle out in East 43 and I'm only playing on Colonel difficulty. I just want to see how the campaign plays out when I'm not limited by the soft cap.

I've watched a ton of video playthroughs by Braccada and Deducter, but I can't seem to duplicate their successes. I'm just not getting it, and I must have played the 39-43 DLC campaigns dozens of times. I'm certainly no novice, but I'm still not that good.

[hugh2711]

I always go for MV on the two stalingrad scenarois. I dont think it is worth the prestige etc for a DV. I spend the first three DLC's;
1) storing up lots of prestige
2) Racking up easy kills for certain units and consequently
3) getting certain units heroed up.
The experience and heroes make a big difference when attacking anything so i rarely have to waste prestige during a scenario reinforcing anything and if i attack I usually kill outright. I realise that there is a style that goes very fast but it is quite expensive that way e.g. attacking cities with tanks. (I would never enter rough terrain or cities with tanks anyway.) but i go more carefully. everything in the first three DLC's is determined by prestige e.g i wont do a DV on modlin as its not worth the agro/prestige but i will play untill the last turn well after an MV as I still rack up experience and hence heroes on my air force and other units as long as it doesnt cost me. With experience and heroes most of your your units should be superior to the enemys so you should not be using so much prestige for reinforcements. Most (foriegn) captured units are disbanded for prestige in fact the captured units thread http://www.slitherine.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=39382 is the one i look at the most and i will specifically try to capture places for disbandable units if its profitable regardless of the scenario mission profile. E.g on kharkov 43 after dealing with the airforce i send an parachutist ahead to capture the free SU-122 on a useless city top left. I Expect to start 43 east with a decent buffer of prestige. I dont see how you can do it without tigers.
Also I found that the 'scenario design' sub-forum tends to have the most usefull detailed information about how the game works.

[hugh2711]

One other thing is: I think you take an inordinate amount of unexpected losses if you have your settings switched to random (default). I always have it on dice chess as although it allows for unexpected results it does not allow for outrageously unrealistic (and expensive) flukes.

[Cerberus51]

One other thing is: I think you take an inordinate amount of unexpected losses if you have your settings switched to random (default). I always have it on dice chess as although it allows for unexpected results it does not allow for outrageously unrealistic (and expensive) flukes.

Definitely. I always play with dice chess, random is too erratic. One bad roll on random can lose you an important core unit whose experience is irreplaceable once you are well along in a campaign.

[joe6778]

I'm going to have to switch to dice chess- sometimes I'm surprised at the number of kills my units suffer on the default setting.

I hardly ever disband captured units. Those heavy and medium Soviet tanks and SPAT units come in handy. Plus I'm getting equipment I don't have to pay for.

[Cerberus51]

I hardly ever disband captured units. Those heavy and medium Soviet tanks and SPAT units come in handy. Plus I'm getting equipment I don't have to pay for.

When you disband a captured unit during deployment you get its prestige cost. So ask yourself whether you want the unit or whether to put its prestige cost to buying something else.

[parmenio]

Definitely. I always play with dice chess, random is too erratic. One bad roll on random can lose you an important core unit whose experience is irreplaceable once you are well along in a campaign.

Ditto. That made a big difference.

[joe6778]

It's no use. I'm still getting killed on Colonel difficulty with the soft cap off.

I made it to 43 Prokhorovka, but I had to disband all my captured tanks to bring my prestige up enough to purchase another Tiger and a Panther, and my prestige is down to 600.

I lost a couple of core units in my last battle, and I already lost a SE tank in this one. I've only been able to manage MVs in all except the second 43 scenario.

I've played this campaign dozens of times, so I know what's in store. I can breeze through the 39-42 campaigns until Storming Stalingrad, and then it's downhill from there.

It's not that I can't move up in difficulty- I can't even win on Colonel difficulty. The number of Soviet units and counterattacks is unbelievable. They have tons of prestige and outnumber my force two or three to one.

I'm still waiting for campaign playthrough videos by the experts to see how anyone can possibly complete the full DLC 39-45 campaigns. I just can't do it.

[hugh2711]

Do you have a replay of one of your earlier dlc battles I could have a look at? the later dlc's are lost and won in the earlier ones (storing up prestige, heroes and experience). If I had a look there might be something obvious letting you down.

[joe6778]

I've never done a replay so I'm not sure how it's done.

I do store up my prestige, etc., and I get almost all DVs up until Storming Stalingrad. I get a DV on the Stalingrad Docks, the Breakout scenario, and then an MV to finish up 42.

I have to use up quite a bit of Prestige starting in 43 to keep my units overstrength and purchase Heavy Tanks, and some FW190s, SPAs, and AT units.

Once I reach mid-43, my prestige is just about spent.

I removed the soft cap, and I'm going to use dice chess, but are there any other suggestions? I'm going to restart 39, and see if I can save tons more prestige by the time I reach 43.

[hugh2711]

I would nt overstrenth non-SE tanks, they are incredibly expensive and quickly rack up the soft cap, its not a linear relationship they get progrssively more expensive. If they have the appropriate amount of experience and heroes they should hold thier own. I would overstrength SE tanks I would overstrength anti-aircraft. I would also overstrength aircraft but not too much, 11 or 12, you need to make them rack up experience to get heroes, nurture them, i.e. keep them out of too much trouble (anti-aircraft) and rack up (easy) kills while they are still superior I would not generally overstrength other normal units. I would not get the most expensive transport for troops (soft cap calculations include the transport) I usually get the cheapest truck and leave some troops on foot only. The ones on foot only I use for the targets in easy walking reach at the beginning of each scenario.
I should say I rarely lose core units, its just too expensive. I use lots of artilliary, when I quickly come up to the experience cap in early dlc's with artilliary I would start a new one and bring it up to the maximum so i have a good store of experienced artilliary, a range plus one hero artilliary is awesome.
I only upgrade within the cheap apropriate historical families. e.g I dont use cavalry as they become useless later on - no upgrade path. I dont use the motorcycles for the same reason. I use auxiliary units (not core units) which are mostly foriegn for cannon fodder or as a pawn sacrfice to lure a tough unit out of its safe/hiding place.

[joe6778]

Thanks for the tips. (I'm not playing with the soft cap.)

You don't even overstrength INF?

I follow much of your tips already- except I did buy a CAV unit for recon, it was an effective combat unit, too.

How soon do you upgrade units like tanks and ART?

[Cerberus51]

I've not played the GC past 40 yet so have no direct experience of the challenge in the east. A few thoughts though.

Don't overstrength most units, save it for SE tanks and for artillery and strat bombers that rarely take much damage.

Open up the equipment file and take a good look at what becomes available when and what upgrades are within a family (and thus cheap).

Gebirgs are the way to go for the bulk of your infantry, they can manage without transport. Transport is only really essential for the low mobility infantry like pionieres.

Be aware of opportunities to force surrenders, particularly in the early GC's, as this yields prestige (hint: OS strat bombers).