Some Feedback (Full Version)

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Miserere -> Some Feedback (4/12/2007 9:41:18 PM)

First off, just want to say I can't stop playing this game. Thanks so much for a great game!

I've got a fair amount of time under my belt with the Beta patch and there are a few things I wanted to bring up.

1) In Detailed Battles, I seem to recall that prior to the patch if I turned on Group Flags I would see the flags I chose for each division. This not only looked cool but helped me identify units by division and keep them together. I am assuming there is a benefit to having units from the same container nearby - is that true? If it isn't I think there should be. In any case, since the patch all units seem to get a generic flag icon, for both Group and Brigade. Can this be fixed?

2) I remember seeing a post somewhere saying that the AI always seems to try to move around your right flank during Detailed Battles. I have noticed that this is the case 100% of the time. I am *always* facing an attack where about half the enemy moves down the middle while the other half moves around my right flank to attack. This makes it very easy to set up an effective defense without even observing the enemy movements - obviously the attacking AI should employ a more varied and unpredictable repertoire of attack strategies.

3) I have noticed that you cannot cancel a build order in mid-build. This has led to a curious problem. I started producing Raiders in Tennessee on the Mississippi river in a river area containing 4 forts. A Union army moved in and sieged a fort and captured it, which halted the Raider production. I subsequently moved in and forced the Union army out, but do not want to siege the fort they captured because it is now heavily garrisoned and I don't want to throw men away on it. However, because one fort is enemy held the Raider production is still halted, and I can't cancel it. Since I am only allowed to have 4 Raiders at any one time, that one in-production Raider is actually taking up a slot and limiting me to 3 Raiders. Either producction should be cancel-able, or production should be halted (with loss of the resources used) rather than interrupted.

4) I'm playing as the Confederacy (the Southern Steel campaign, which, as you will see in the rest of this item, has proven to be a very fitting title) and I'm now in early August 1963. I have so much Iron coming in from mines, the British, and my Runners that I don't know what to do with it. I have built up my railroads to a ridiculous degree (175 per turn) enabling me to make massive troop movements, and still I have so much steel I can't use it all and will soon hit my storage limit. Something needs to be toned down - the Confederacy should not be getting so much iron, they should be struggling for it. By the way, the Union AI is not attempting to blockade my ports at all, and I have built no ships other than blockade runners. Maybe that would help cut off some iron.

5) As the Confederate, I have so far raised very few new brigades, and my camps are now putting out about 6500 men each turn. Somehow, this has proven to be quite adequate, as I have been winning most every battle, and am typically defending against an equal number of attackers each time. I am not feeling any real pressure to increase the size of my armies, and it doesn't seem that the Union armies are growing much in comparative size, which should not be the case. I am sure that the difference in morale is contributing to my victories (most of my veteran units are zealous or inspired, with high morale, while the enemy seems to break fairly quickly in most battles). This is in one sense a very cool thing, because you are capturing the whole morale issue that so plagued the Union in the early couple of years. However, I don't see how the Union will reverse this trend - maybe I just have to give them more time (it is only mid 1863, as I said).




christof139 -> RE: Some Feedback (4/12/2007 9:55:24 PM)

quote:

1) In Detailed Battles, I seem to recall that prior to the patch if I turned on Group Flags I would see the flags I chose for each division. This not only looked cool but helped me identify units by division and keep them together. I am assuming there is a benefit to having units from the same container nearby - is that true? If it isn't I think there should be. In any case, since the patch all units seem to get a generic flag icon, for both Group and Brigade. Can this be fixed?


I get the same thing as you with Group and Unit Flags turned on: that is that the individual Bdes. end up flying 2 of the same type of flag and that is usually 2 Group flags if I remember correctly. It drove me nuts so I stopped using it.

Chris




Gil R. -> RE: Some Feedback (4/12/2007 11:31:59 PM)

Thank you for your comments (most of which Eric will have to respond to).

In Southern Steel, which level are you playing at? Sounds like one of the lower ones. If you play at Col. or Gen. then you have substantial resource penalties that are meant to make for quite a challenge.




Erik Rutins -> RE: Some Feedback (4/13/2007 12:35:33 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Miserere
First off, just want to say I can't stop playing this game. Thanks so much for a great game!


Excellent! Glad you're having fun.

quote:

2) I remember seeing a post somewhere saying that the AI always seems to try to move around your right flank during Detailed Battles. I have noticed that this is the case 100% of the time. I am *always* facing an attack where about half the enemy moves down the middle while the other half moves around my right flank to attack. This makes it very easy to set up an effective defense without even observing the enemy movements - obviously the attacking AI should employ a more varied and unpredictable repertoire of attack strategies.


Agreed and we did address this in the current internal build - the next public beta update should make it less predictable.

quote:

4) I'm playing as the Confederacy (the Southern Steel campaign, which, as you will see in the rest of this item, has proven to be a very fitting title) and I'm now in early August 1963. I have so much Iron coming in from mines, the British, and my Runners that I don't know what to do with it. I have built up my railroads to a ridiculous degree (175 per turn) enabling me to make massive troop movements, and still I have so much steel I can't use it all and will soon hit my storage limit. Something needs to be toned down - the Confederacy should not be getting so much iron, they should be struggling for it. By the way, the Union AI is not attempting to blockade my ports at all, and I have built no ships other than blockade runners. Maybe that would help cut off some iron.


1963?? That explains it! [;)] Sounds like the AI needs to get a bit better at blockading.

quote:

5) As the Confederate, I have so far raised very few new brigades, and my camps are now putting out about 6500 men each turn. Somehow, this has proven to be quite adequate, as I have been winning most every battle, and am typically defending against an equal number of attackers each time. I am not feeling any real pressure to increase the size of my armies, and it doesn't seem that the Union armies are growing much in comparative size, which should not be the case. I am sure that the difference in morale is contributing to my victories (most of my veteran units are zealous or inspired, with high morale, while the enemy seems to break fairly quickly in most battles). This is in one sense a very cool thing, because you are capturing the whole morale issue that so plagued the Union in the early couple of years. However, I don't see how the Union will reverse this trend - maybe I just have to give them more time (it is only mid 1863, as I said)


Give them a bit more time, in my experience they should surpass you in numbers soon (unless you've really been causing them tremendous casualties). Keep an eye on it though, but it sounds like you are doing quite well.

Based on the feedback so far, I'm thinking it might make sense to up the 10% chance for Camps to consume a manpower point to 20%.

Eric should answer the rest of your points.




Miserere -> RE: Some Feedback (4/13/2007 7:55:25 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Gil R.

Thank you for your comments (most of which Eric will have to respond to).

In Southern Steel, which level are you playing at? Sounds like one of the lower ones. If you play at Col. or Gen. then you have substantial resource penalties that are meant to make for quite a challenge.


I think I am playing at Captain level. I know it's higher than Sergeant, but is not at the General level. I was a bit leary of going to a really high level right away because the description of the Southern Steel campaign made it sound like it was already harder for the South than the standard campaign.




ericbabe -> RE: Some Feedback (4/13/2007 8:59:17 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Miserere
1) In Detailed Battles, I seem to recall that prior to the patch if I turned on Group Flags I would see the flags I chose for each division. This not only looked cool but helped me identify units by division and keep them together. I am assuming there is a benefit to having units from the same container nearby - is that true? If it isn't I think there should be. In any case, since the patch all units seem to get a generic flag icon, for both Group and Brigade. Can this be fixed?


Units get additional flanking damage when flanking an enemy with units from their own military groups. So two brigades from the same division flanking a unit will get a bonus on flanking damage. Units from the same military group also move on the same initiative segment, so they can move together: you don't need to worry that enemy units will be able to interrupt their move.

I don't think we changed any of the group flag options, and I've been able to use group flags without problems. It does only show the flag of the group to which the unit is directly attached. I'll doublecheck this next detailed battle I test.




ericbabe -> RE: Some Feedback (4/13/2007 9:00:19 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Miserere
2) I remember seeing a post somewhere saying that the AI always seems to try to move around your right flank during Detailed Battles. I have noticed that this is the case 100% of the time. I am *always* facing an attack where about half the enemy moves down the middle while the other half moves around my right flank to attack. This makes it very easy to set up an effective defense without even observing the enemy movements - obviously the attacking AI should employ a more varied and unpredictable repertoire of attack strategies.


We have addressed this in testing for the next build and the new code seems to be working better at varying the AI tactics.




Gray_Lensman -> RE: Some Feedback (4/14/2007 11:34:50 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Miserere

First off, just want to say I can't stop playing this game. Thanks so much for a great game!

I've got a fair amount of time under my belt with the Beta patch and there are a few things I wanted to bring up.

1) In Detailed Battles, I seem to recall that prior to the patch if I turned on Group Flags I would see the flags I chose for each division. This not only looked cool but helped me identify units by division and keep them together. I am assuming there is a benefit to having units from the same container nearby - is that true? If it isn't I think there should be. In any case, since the patch all units seem to get a generic flag icon, for both Group and Brigade. Can this be fixed?

2) I remember seeing a post somewhere saying that the AI always seems to try to move around your right flank during Detailed Battles. I have noticed that this is the case 100% of the time. I am *always* facing an attack where about half the enemy moves down the middle while the other half moves around my right flank to attack. This makes it very easy to set up an effective defense without even observing the enemy movements - obviously the attacking AI should employ a more varied and unpredictable repertoire of attack strategies.

3) I have noticed that you cannot cancel a build order in mid-build. This has led to a curious problem. I started producing Raiders in Tennessee on the Mississippi river in a river area containing 4 forts. A Union army moved in and sieged a fort and captured it, which halted the Raider production. I subsequently moved in and forced the Union army out, but do not want to siege the fort they captured because it is now heavily garrisoned and I don't want to throw men away on it. However, because one fort is enemy held the Raider production is still halted, and I can't cancel it. Since I am only allowed to have 4 Raiders at any one time, that one in-production Raider is actually taking up a slot and limiting me to 3 Raiders. Either producction should be cancel-able, or production should be halted (with loss of the resources used) rather than interrupted.

4) I'm playing as the Confederacy (the Southern Steel campaign, which, as you will see in the rest of this item, has proven to be a very fitting title) and I'm now in early August 1963. I have so much Iron coming in from mines, the British, and my Runners that I don't know what to do with it. I have built up my railroads to a ridiculous degree (175 per turn) enabling me to make massive troop movements, and still I have so much steel I can't use it all and will soon hit my storage limit. Something needs to be toned down - the Confederacy should not be getting so much iron, they should be struggling for it. By the way, the Union AI is not attempting to blockade my ports at all, and I have built no ships other than blockade runners. Maybe that would help cut off some iron.

5) As the Confederate, I have so far raised very few new brigades, and my camps are now putting out about 6500 men each turn. Somehow, this has proven to be quite adequate, as I have been winning most every battle, and am typically defending against an equal number of attackers each time. I am not feeling any real pressure to increase the size of my armies, and it doesn't seem that the Union armies are growing much in comparative size, which should not be the case. I am sure that the difference in morale is contributing to my victories (most of my veteran units are zealous or inspired, with high morale, while the enemy seems to break fairly quickly in most battles). This is in one sense a very cool thing, because you are capturing the whole morale issue that so plagued the Union in the early couple of years. However, I don't see how the Union will reverse this trend - maybe I just have to give them more time (it is only mid 1863, as I said).


Concerning [3] above, have you tried the <backspace> key to cancel unwanted production orders (as mentioned in a tip on pg 52 of the manual)? Don't know if this works with ongoing production or only with newly initiated production as I haven't had an opportunity to try it with ongoing production. Anyhow, it's just a thought.




ericbabe -> RE: Some Feedback (4/15/2007 1:00:40 AM)

No, ongoing production can't be cancelled.  We may consider this for an expansion, but it's presently beyond the scope of an upgrade.




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