Started work on more challenging modded German campaign..

[Flashburn]

Hmm another issue.  No this thing is not ready for prime time.  As I removed a few off screen artillery spotters, I failed to add spotters to some ON screen arty types to balance that.  UGH.  Totally forgot that some 105mm batteries only have 1 fire commander.  While I added in an extra one to enemy units in same boat, IE, mortar batteries I totally forgot to add to player side.  Not intended to make player fight with no artillery support at all at times, or vary broken support. Hmmm, ponder.  Might experiment with the off screen artillery half track spotter, but with no off screen assets to call.  Just the battery it is spotting for.  Yes, perhaps add a radio troop to the battery and then the spotter can radio in. 

A few ideas on the ideal way artillery should work.  Spotters should be able to tap any battery with in fire range of guns on the OP map.  Which also means you kill those guns in a tactical battle, they go away.  No magically invisible off screen impervious guns, mortars, and rockets unless really big long range sorts.  Speaking of some types of rocket artillery...  28/32cm German rockets, the less commonly known nebelwerfer does not have that huge a range.  I think minimum range is like 500 meters?  And max is 2km.  Not sure why this is off screen arty.  Ok no models.  But ya. 

These things.... 

Wonder if game can do this sort of thing.... The simple wood and steel frame indirect launching rockets.  That would be a fast project in max.  Just the sort of thing I am after right now.

And these a bit better launcher..




Now the 21 cm Nebelwerfer 42, ya that is a long ranged rocket artillery.  7km and min range is probably in the kilometers.  Stupid thing to have as on screen artillery if it can not hit anything on the map.  Or just the edge. 

[Flashburn]

Lovely, I intended it for normal difficulty and what did I have it set too?     Hard.  Its playable and winnable but ya, its hard. 

[fireship4]

Spotters should be able to tap any battery with in fire range of guns on the OP map.  Which also means you kill those guns in a tactical battle, they go away.

I also had this thought, but I'm not sure this is how the game works - Each artillery spotter may just have artillery as a weapon of sorts, and therefore the best you could do would be to set up a campaign where they are as closely matched to available forces as possible.  Unless you could script it so one matches the other.  Do you have any insight as to how it works currently?

How does "hard" difficulty change things by the way?  I never had any idea.

I was looking at the MG42/HMG and how it fires last night after the sound modding tools were updated through steam, trying to work out how the firing system and sounds work.  I might also wait for ackack to release his stuff, or try to convert the VAPOSIM mod I had for OPSTAR to satiate my modding fervour until we get some campaign tools.  In any case it seems to work on 50 round belts, firing ten shots per burst (triggering the firing sound 4 or 5 times, overlapping).  This was perhaps a way of controlling the firing rate.  Interesting anyway.

[Flashburn]

The hard setting is a preset.  It gives a boost to enemy leadership, experience and moral.  It will set trenches to limited, meaning you can only place trench in the square the unit started in.  It gives enemy 150 percent ammo.  Maybe something else too. 

Now its a preset.  you can also set these one by one like give the boost to stats, set ammo to low, and turn off limited trenches.  Or whatever you want really.  In some GTOS campaigns playing as Germans, turning on experienced enemy made those campaigns more interesting as playing with tigers VS infantry was sort of a give me.  Well still a give me but less of one. 


In Mius most units are set flat at average skill levels.  With a few higher. Not like GTOS where Germans would be experienced and alot of Red Army was at lower stats. 

[Flashburn]

The arty thing would need to be added by Gravi. And I am sure they have thought about it at some point.  Its like them...

[Flashburn]

And the modded campaign?  Fatal crash.  An issue of using a type of phone troops that OOPS, is not to be used.  Well I think....  So basically I made all mortar batteries  explode the game.  If that was the crash culprit.  


UGH, now have to replay the 1st 3 battles again to see.  

[Flashburn]

Woot fixed that issue.  Now to make sure this thing is doing what I want it to do.  Get this bit out of the way and on to making mods and models. 

[kapulA]

Interesting stuff, Flashburn! As someone who hasn't yet acquired this specific game, but has been following Gravi's titles for quite some time, I'm awaiting your new undertakings anxiously. I think I'll hold off on getting Mius until it's patched a bit more, and you and Nightpostman get some more stuff done - I'm in a bind with time as it is, so no sense in rushing anything, especially when the game is as deep and complex as Mius. Looking forward to more updates on the modding front!

[Flashburn]

With current build there is some odd behavior of AI going on.   Well I find it odd.  That is AI not really attacking in tactical battles.  It will mainly drive about in its squares and maybe slightly probe into yours.  As German campaign is more defensive in nature I find it rather boring to sit around a lot of the time as 26 tanks go on a joy ride.  Now if you pick a fight or set up your defenses close to boarder of enemy squares you will most likely end up in some sort of fight.  But if you set up back further, say around key points that are set back, you might not fight anything if setting up a strong defense around the key point (flag).  This was not doing this before in previous builds so much.  And it still may actually attack you.  But going to wait and see if this changes at all in future patches.  I do not think it is suppose to be doing this.   But 4 battles in Stepeovka, and only once did the tanks of 22 guards actually attack.  Even when more combat power still did not actually attack.  

This makes it hard to know if this modded campaign is doing what I want or not.  But in those first turns of campaigns you certainly do not have what you need to bring the fight to a zillion tanks.   So sitting there is sort of the only option and after all, the AI is attacking you on the OP map.  Any rate, might sit on this thing and see what happens.  Hopefully not long.  But will switch focus to the mini nade thrower mod that I did not get to over the weekend.  And a few other little things I have in my head that I want to give a try.  It would be nice to get some little mod out there.    

Forgot something.  If this keeps happening past turn 5 or 6 you get a case where the enemy side will end up with some crazy amount of tanks active.  As I added in more tanks, mainly light tanks, it might get to a point of insanity of armor.   Who knows, maybe the ai is smarter than I think and figures wait a day of game time till all the armor gets there to actually attack.     But I do not think so and certainly a bad idea as all the players tanks get there too. 

[Flashburn]

LOL, more thoughts on this.  I am trying to pound a rectangle into the star shape.  For what I really want to do is sort of build my own version of campaign.  And for that I need a campaign editor.  So going to play a bit more on this thing and just release it as is.  If a campaign editor ever happens I now have a divpool file I can plop right in and get going on it and do the things I want to do.  I think this thing will end up like 10 percent more challenge than default.  It is hard to say...  But I can say it is interesting to shoot up a few more vehicle types. 

[Flashburn]

Here we are at start of turn 4.  The 2 tank companies in from the of the town are at full strength for the most part.  For 3 turns they simply drove around and did not attack.  Because of this I could take all armor that shows up in turn 4 and stuff into the squares I took end of turn 3.  

I do want to point out that I think this campaign is good for most players.  I really see it that way.  But omg, for the GT vets you can stick it to the AI as they are not massed enough in the right places and no units in the Red Army bridge head are simply digging in and the AI is not trying vary hard to expand it do to lack of massed armor.  Main reason is the lack of attacking tanks.  In North that tank company also was doing the wandering about its squares.  Only real pitched battle was my infantry and stugs wiping out a light tank company and some of the scouts light tanks I gave them.  But on turn 3 the wandering tanks there came in peace meal into my stugs range. Only thing that prevented me getting them all was lack of ammo do to previous fight with light tanks.  I did not have enough ammo to really attack, so was just trying to hold what I had.  

So two issues as I see it.  The wandering tank AI.  If ai actually attack its pretty impressive when 2 tank companies hit you.  But so far, this is not really happening to often.  

Now the AI still has a heck of a lot of armor in this modded up campaign.  But will it actually USE it?  It could get out of this pickle still.  Now that the lead units of my armor are here, I can take the fight to them.  Before, no way you can take on 14 - 26 tanks with infantry and anti tank guns on the attack.  But I think its about to get creamed.  So the campaign is a bit harder, but the big under lying issues are there.  But I think for the newer players and less fanatical guys unlike myself, I do not think this campaign should be changed much, if at all.  But I do want a campaign editor to push the good players.  And a second play threw could have totally different results.

So with that, still looking for any other crash bugs and then I will release this thing.  But it will really probably be only a bit harder (unless wandering AI is worked on).  Some fights where pretty tough do to the tweaks.  So there is that.  The T20's are pretty cool.  But the AI uses them like trucks.  But was neat bumping into them with my infantry assaults in the South.  HAnd to tractor fights are kind of goofy fun and make a great anti tank rifle grenade target.   Always looking for things these sorts of weapons can be used on.  They sure work like crap on T34's.   But I have some neat ideas of campaigns with them, if we get a campaign editor.  The single missions I find not as awesome as campaigns.....  



Well on turn 4 they finally attacked center of Stepanovka in the fog with about 14 of 26 tanks.  Lots of burning tanks now.  Had AI done that turn 1 before I shredded most of the infantry with 105mm on screen howitzers I would have lost more than 2 anti tank guns.  How fun it is to set up complex ambushes all over the flag objective.  Oh and if earilier would not have been dug in anti tank guns.  Or heck, the tank hunter unit with 9 pak 40's would not have even had time to get here.  Silly ai.  Maybe there is hope, and might simply be luck of the draw for player.

[Flashburn]

Ok default I won on turn 8.  This one will be turn 5.    It is harder, but clearly need to buff 22 guards even more than I did.  And that not attacking thing of AI is not helping.   

Maybe swap a T34 1942 company for KV-1S?  And add tank riders.  Hopefully influence combat power and might make AI decide to shove them down the players neck.  And even more junk in their reserve pool.   

I think I will release this current version as mild onslaught and the hopefully more harder one as slightly bigger onslaught.  But not a lot of onslaught.   

What does a guy have to do to get 22 guards to shove you out of Stepanovka?   

[Tanker]

Good effort Flash and I don't want to undercut your objective but if GT ever adds in 1v1 human players it will take care of the wandering ai tank problem, or at least it will be down to human error or inexperience, all too common in war.

[Flashburn]

Good effort Flash and I don't want to undercut your objective but if GT ever adds in 1v1 human players it will take care of the wandering ai tank problem, or at least it will be down to human error or inexperience, all too common in war.

If MP happens it looks like single scenarios and not MP campaigns.  So there will always need to be a single player campaign.  As I seem to be the only person complaining about the sight seeing AI it tells me most people either are not noticing or more likely, engaging tanks and what not at longer range with direct fire weapons.  As in first turns of this campaign you really are on the defense in the middle of the map.  So I am setting up a strong defense in the town where the smaller anti tank guns have a better shot at hurting tanks.  So not engaging anything out side of 200 meters.  As the Flag zone area is way back there in Stepanokva, when the AI does its recon in force or what ever the heck it is doing, it is only going about 200 meters inside my square.  Many players I am sure are shooting at things at longer ranges or setting up defense closer to the border of squares.  When you light up things like that, the AI does fight back.  Perhaps not the best it could, but still does.  But then it might decide to attack, and come at you with a massive force.  But of 5 tries since last patch (when I really started to notice this) 3 did the wander and 2 did some sort of actual attack in Stepanovka.  I have no idea by what criteria it decides, or maybe it is simply random.  If its doing this based purely on combat power, ie, trying to not attack forces bigger than it.   Well, that is actually good.  But if player is on the defense with 1000 combat power and AI has 900, the player probably will spread out forces over many squares to cover them.  The AI can pick 1 square and have local superior numbers.  Likely 1.5 to 2x more local combat power than player.  If it would further more, pick a less valuable square to attack it even further increases success for AI when combat power is at similar level between the two sides.  Then the human defender has to make the call, do I push them out of that less valuable position?  Or do I simply accept this.  But this is based on the idea that the wandering AI is based on order type related to relative combat power. ANd I have no idea if that is true.  

If the "wandering" AI is in fact the recon in force option, it should never ever pick tanks to do it in good weather unless actually driving into a player square.  At night or fog it can be a real evil tactic for player to deal with.   In the day you just get a hell of alot of tanks driving around in the open.  Arty strikes and picking off a couple juicy tanks way back in enemy square as tanks drive around aimlessly.  It should be a case where the number of units is rather small doing the recon, but the number of units hiding out waiting to attack whatever they bump into.  

Well there are some of my thoughts on this.  But not a fan of the AI attacking me on the OP map and then just driving around for 2 hours.  I ended up setting battle time back to 1 hour as was getting real bored.  And I could not attack 2 companies of tanks on their ground with nothing but infantry and random anti tank guns.  That would never work.  And most of that force with infantry actually attacking center of Stepanovka would probably result in me getting kicked out of the center of town.   But when they finally did push the attack at beginning of turn 4 I had tons of time to move in the heavy stuff and had shredded most supporting infantry with arty in earlier battles.  So they got their asses kicked handily.  1st go on this campaign, they pressed attack right off.  And was like this is most campaigns.  Now that was the typical GT thing there.  Attack vastly superior force and blindly attack most of the time.  That is also not good.  So if these changes where done to address this, great.  But needs more help.    You do not want a player able to win by simply playing turtle when the AI attacks stupid with little combat force.  But you also do not want to have AI attack on the OP map where there is parity in combat power, but the AI can choose to have local superiority as player is probably strung out attempting to defend.  And, in this scenario, there is probably something less important that will not be heavily defended.  OPPS repeating myself.  

[Flashburn]

A fist full of anti tank hand grenades mini itty bitty mod. 


This thing is a work in progress.  Not even mildly happy with the format of config work as Mius seems more picky on this and did not like the way I put the 1st go together.  Any rate, this thing will be getting some updates and hopefully a couple new custom anti tank weapons before to long.  As of now, it simply gives a few anti tank grenades to line infantry.  Muis front has a way to give line units these weapons, but infantry do not always get any. This gives a hand  full to infantry squads even if games criteria of handing out anti tank grenades is not met.  So far just covers the units in base campaigns, will get to them all and tweak as needed.  Right now for some reason Red Army troops are getting more than I gave them.  But eh, its still less than they get when the game hands out anti tank grenades.  1 - 3 infantry in line squads will get something to throw at tanks.  but before you start charging tanks with infantry, look at the ammo they have and keep in mind, its not much.  Last ditch sort of thing when tanks are running over your infantry trenches as you did not have time to get them out of that mess before it happened.

This also gives bigger things to German anti tank teams.  Still no where near as good as pioneers, but better than 3 7 stick hand grenades like default.   

https://www.mediafire.com/?6rr31j5hkh75hpk

Use game updater to install.  If any issues or suggestions let me know!

[Tanker]

Good effort Flash and I don't want to undercut your objective but if GT ever adds in 1v1 human players it will take care of the wandering ai tank problem, or at least it will be down to human error or inexperience, all too common in war.

If MP happens it looks like single scenarios and not MP campaigns.   

That's too bad.  The campaign is one of the great features of GT games.

[Flashburn]

Working on final edits it onslaught campaign.  oooooooh exciting.  No not really.  But not going to sleep till its done.  For all 3 guys man enough to try it..  And probably tell me its not hard enough.     Fully supports Russian language of course.  AS nothing in localization was touched. 

Adding in way more stuff to reserve pools of Red Army.  None of it is like, ground braking.  Just lets something like an infantry company get totally shot up and if not destroyed, draw replacement for another battle or 2. If the AI commander thinks it a good idea.  It might just let them stay in the pool, and that is half the fun.  You will never know.  As adding more tanks, largely light tanks to the reserve pool to replace better ones, adding in more anti tank teams for Germans.  As the 1st version of a fist full of anti tank grenades is done, they have a shot at killing a tank.  As well as all line platoons in the worst case at least being able to maybe damage armor.  And swap mediums for reserve heavy platoon on 22 guards and add direct infantry support.  The hope is that it ends up with a bit more combat power around Stepanovka and press attack in first turns.  How this goes will directly determine how easy or hard this campaign actually will be.  The only 2 units to really fear in this modded campaign are 22nd and 34 tank regiments.  The rest are only mildly buffed up.  And player side is also ever so slightly buffed with extra goodies in the reserve pool as well. 

[Flashburn]

Well I have run into a big pickle.  While building this campaign i simply dumped into folder of campaigns in the game.  It was picked up and runs fine this way.  My attempts at loading in via the updater are crashing the game.  I have no damned idea why.  The little nade mode worked as it was suppose too.  But the campaign is not.   And its now done I think.  Really bad to have people dropping file into games directory.  What is it?  1998? 

If anyone has any ideas I am all ears. 

[Flashburn]

YAY.  Fixed that issue.  Shocked it crashed game.  Was simple folder that campaign needed.  I really do not think that should have crashed out the game, but it did.  In GTOS something like that was missing campaign would just not be there. Made it easy to spot and fix simple errors.  Not crash the game.  Which makes it quite hard to locate even a simple issue. 

Going to play 1st turn and make sure it is working with a first full of nade mini itty bitty mod and release this thing.  I hope it was worth the effort. 

[Flashburn]

https://www.mediafire.com/?223p933l5ucrwt5

And there it is.  Such as it is. 

I would grab the hot potato's anti tank grenade mod.  And this now has its own thread as it is more or less done.  We will see if it is actually done.   

I can do nothing about the wandering AI when attacked.  I am starting to wonder if that is actually scripted in there.  Might be, might not.  But have done everything I can think of to get the Red Army to attack and kick some butt.  Future patches could fix this from GRavi or not.  Still, its a bit different than default and a bit harder.  So ya.