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Delayed deployment

Posted: Thu May 16, 2019 6:11 pm
by conboy
Hidee-ho,
I am working on a scenario in a campaign. In the scenario, one group of units goes ashore and engages the enemy for about 4 or five turns. Then the rest of the units will be allowed to be deployed in the water and then land.
Question is: How does one set up the events/triggers to delay the ability to deploy core units x number of turns from Scenario start, x being a set delay after the deployment of the first group of core units?
Second question (maybe easier): In the scenario editor, how does one get rid of or move the mini-map from the upper right hand corner so as to enable editing/mapping etc. in that corner?
thanks all,
conboy

Re: Delayed deployment

Posted: Fri May 17, 2019 1:06 am
by bru888
I can answer the second question easily enough: You don't. Instead, zoom all the way in. At the extreme, you can just about reach every hex on the edges. The toughest is this one here:

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but I was still able to turn it into land:

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Let me think about the other question. Somebody knowledgeable may come by shortly.

Re: Delayed deployment

Posted: Fri May 17, 2019 1:19 am
by bru888
Well, I thought about it and I came by here again but unfortunately I am not knowledgeable. Therefore, I will have to guess! :)

The apparatus that comes to mind is adding Command Points at a certain time. Hopefully it's as simple as this:

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but I am betting that it's not. That would work if you just wanted to allow additional deployment at a certain turn but I think you have in mind allowing additional deployment at a certain amount of turns after a discretionary deployment on Turn 1 or later (i.e., not in the beginning Deployment Phase). If so, we'd better wait for those knowledgeable people! :wink:

Re: Delayed deployment

Posted: Fri May 17, 2019 1:28 am
by bru888
Here, let those experts chew on these ideas and advise you accordingly! (The settings for Check Unit Count, Trigger Timer, Unit Definition, and Command Points are just examples, obviously.)

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You could use other conditions, of course, like Kills & Casualties, Check Hex Owner, Hex is Visible, etc. to trigger the Add Command Points effect. That is, the first wave has to do something, go somewhere, or see someplace to trigger the second wave. Just thoughts.

Experts, if you please?

Re: Delayed deployment

Posted: Fri May 17, 2019 2:19 am
by conboy
Thank you, Bru! I see the principle now. Command Points is a key to unlocking the mystery.
But one wonders, how to enable the deployment of a specific unit(s) at a particular time or trigger -- e.g., on turn 8 the 5th Infantry Regiment can deploy; or when Hill 682 is taken the 3rd tank division can deploy?
Maybe that's asking too much at this time -- I think I can just add some advice for the players in a popup and carry on that way. I think the scenario calls for specific units to land at differing times, and I don't have enough space on the map to have them sail different distances.
Maybe I'm a control freak. Or just inexperienced.
This scenario stuff is addictive... It's fun to work on campaigns because you can work on various aspects of each scenario when the mood suits you.
Thanks again for your help! that will gitter gwan, as they say in parts of the South.

conboy

Re: Delayed deployment

Posted: Fri May 17, 2019 11:36 am
by Horst
I can't name the original scenarios now, but there are some that don't allow the deployment of certain unit categories. They basically undeploy whatever wrong unit is deployed by the player at a certain time, like the deployment phase.
It's quite complex if you do this with core units: in combination with given CPs, you could create such auto-remove trigger during certain turn ranges on certain hexes. This is rather easy if you only restrict it to category: land/air/naval but if you only want e.g. US Infantry '42 to be deployed, then you possibly have to create a very long ban-list of all other non-allowed units available for the player to be deployed only.
It's definitely much easier if you simply generate/spawn fresh aux/core units at beginning of a scenario or campaign on certain turns as reinforcements.

By the way, Bru, thanks for the "Trigger Timer" pointer. I forget about this again. It's very useful if you use it together with a "Set Trigger State" effect that enables such "Trigger Timer" triggers on certain conditions.
For example for the original MarshallsGilbertsRaid US-campaign scenario, I'm rather using unit visibility to turn off the surprise to spawn AA and scramble fighters. By enabling a trigger timer, I let "AI: Scramble B" trigger one turn later.
This could be made even more complex. Imagine a scenario where radio messages have to be sent from one camp/island to the closest one to alarm units. You could chain-trigger one camp after the other each turn until the whole map is alerted and spawns units.

Re: Delayed deployment

Posted: Fri May 17, 2019 2:05 pm
by bru888
conboy wrote: Fri May 17, 2019 2:19 am Thank you, Bru! I see the principle now. Command Points is a key to unlocking the mystery.
But one wonders, how to enable the deployment of a specific unit(s) at a particular time or trigger -- e.g., on turn 8 the 5th Infantry Regiment can deploy; or when Hill 682 is taken the 3rd tank division can deploy?
Maybe that's asking too much at this time -- I think I can just add some advice for the players in a popup and carry on that way. I think the scenario calls for specific units to land at differing times, and I don't have enough space on the map to have them sail different distances.
Maybe I'm a control freak. Or just inexperienced.
This scenario stuff is addictive... It's fun to work on campaigns because you can work on various aspects of each scenario when the mood suits you.
Thanks again for your help! that will gitter gwan, as they say in parts of the South.

conboy
Well I'll be darned if I didn't get this thing to work! Yes, Add Command Points would be the way to releasing additional core units that are in reserve to begin the scenario but as to choreographing specific units the way you are describing, I believe your best bet is to Spawn, then Undeploy.

Here's how I did this based on a particular time. On Turn 3, I spawn a unit and name it "Test Unit":

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For the Target Hex where it is spawned, I chose a place way out of the way such as this corner hex (only so you don't see it spawn unless you happen to be looking down there):

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Then, in the same trigger, I immediately Undeploy that unit. Here's the key: For a unit that is spawned during the scenario, you cannot select Target Unit. That works only for units that are placed on the map or in reserve at the beginning. Instead, I chose Target Hex, Distance = 0, and pointed to the hex where the unit is spawned:

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So, on Turn 1, I don't see the unit yet:

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But on Turn 3, there it is, ready for deployment:

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That's how you could arrange for "on turn 8 the 5th Infantry Regiment can deploy." As for "when Hill 682 is taken the 3rd tank division can deploy," you would change the Condition to Check Hex Owner.

If there is another way to do this, I'd certainly like to know. It seems roundabout but I cannot think of any alternative. It does seem to work, though; try it for yourself.

Re: Delayed deployment

Posted: Fri May 17, 2019 2:15 pm
by bru888
Horst wrote: Fri May 17, 2019 11:36 am By the way, Bru, thanks for the "Trigger Timer" pointer. I forget about this again. It's very useful if you use it together with a "Set Trigger State" effect that enables such "Trigger Timer" triggers on certain conditions.
For example for the original MarshallsGilbertsRaid US-campaign scenario, I'm rather using unit visibility to turn off the surprise to spawn AA and scramble fighters. By enabling a trigger timer, I let "AI: Scramble B" trigger one turn later.
This could be made even more complex. Imagine a scenario where radio messages have to be sent from one camp/island to the closest one to alarm units. You could chain-trigger one camp after the other each turn until the whole map is alerted and spawns units.
My pleasure. Don't forget an important aspect of Trigger Timer: Whatever it is counting (usually Turn Starts but not necessarily), it is quite literal. For example, if it's timing Turn Starts, it counts each alliance's turn start as one instance if you do not specify which alliance to count.

So in this case, marked thusly, it will count 5 Green Alliance turns as intended. Otherwise, the trigger would count everybody's Turn Start and fire in Turn 2 or 3:

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Re: Delayed deployment

Posted: Sat May 18, 2019 5:08 pm
by conboy
Bru,
thanks again for the time you spent on this inquiry, and my others. You are quite generous with your time and knowledge!

I'll let you know how it works for me.

Horst, I have experimented with the trigger timer (for about 8 hour one day) and never did get it to work correctly. If you get it to work, please let me know. I don't trust it!

conboy

Re: Delayed deployment

Posted: Sat May 18, 2019 5:23 pm
by Horst
Sorry, but I could never explain Trigger Timers better like Bru above with his picture show. It all depends what you like to accomplish with them. I got my own editor-demons to fight sometimes.