War in the East Q&A (Full Version)

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jaw -> War in the East Q&A (9/1/2009 2:14:30 AM)

Hi everyone, my name is Jim Wirth and I do research and data base development on WitE. I've been following the various threads on this forum over the past few weeks and thought it would be helpful to concentrate questions about the game in one place. Too often useful game information is buried among the banter back and forth about game design theory or interpretations of World War II military history. Along the way even a bit of misinformation gets inadvertently dissiminated. This thread will be devoted exclusively to answering questions about WitE as it actually exists. I will leave to other threads the discussion of the various "what ifs" and "don't you wishes". For example, "why is there no free production?" is not the kind of question to ask here; "Is the Elephant tank destroyer produced in the game?" is a valid question for this thread. If this thread turns out to be successful in generating questions and answers which increase one's understanding of the game, we may incorporate the best questions and answers into a FAQ for inclusion in the game itself.

To get the ball rolling I'll answer the question I posed above: "Is the Elephant tank destroyer produced in the game?"

Answer: No, all the Elephants that were ever produced (all 90 of them) come as reinforcements in two tank destroyer battalions in 1943. Reinforcements, whether they be individual battalions or entire divisions, are "freebies" that are not built by the production system. However with respect to historical production units like AFVs, they are deducted from what can be produced in the production system. Since the 90 reinforcement Elephants account of all the Elephants ever produced you cannot build any more in the production system.

I hope this thread will be enlightening to everyone and look forward to conversing with you. Thank you.



Stryder -> RE: War in the East Q&A (9/1/2009 2:23:22 AM)

Sounds like an excellent idea.


My 1st question: are certain cities..for example; Stalingrad, Leningrad, Moscow, Berlin, Budapest, Sevastopol more difficult to capture? just curious if lengthy and bloody sieges will play out in the game...



Muzrub -> RE: War in the East Q&A (9/1/2009 9:27:25 AM)

Apart from the big campaign on offer- are there any other smaller scenarios?

And would the smaller scenarios be based on time periods- ie '43 to '45 (Kursk to Berlin)
Or taking command of Army Groups:North-Centre-South independently at a divisional level or Korps level from '41 to '45, or as above?

Cheers

P.s I hope this question isn't to: "I will leave to other threads the discussion of the various "what ifs" and "don't you wishes""- for its not intended that way.

Muzrub






Wild -> RE: War in the East Q&A (9/1/2009 10:26:20 AM)

Hi all, really looking forward to this game. Is the He-177 produced in WitE and if so are it's serious engine problems simulated in some fashion.



paullus99 -> RE: War in the East Q&A (9/1/2009 11:00:00 AM)

I believe that brings up the question - "Is reliability" taken into account? This addresses the issue of some equipment and vehicles being less likely to work, either right of the box (like the Panther D or HE177) or become increasingly unreliable over time or too far away from maintenance resources.

Just some thoughts.



Shupov -> RE: War in the East Q&A (9/1/2009 1:48:19 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: jfarber

My 1st question: are certain cities..for example; Stalingrad, Leningrad, Moscow, Berlin, Budapest, Sevastopol more difficult to capture? just curious if lengthy and bloody sieges will play out in the game...


Not to mention Odessa, which held out until 14 October. It took the Romanians 73 days of seige and 93,000 casualties to capture the city.



jaw -> RE: War in the East Q&A (9/1/2009 2:41:19 PM)

quote:

My 1st question: are certain cities..for example; Stalingrad, Leningrad, Moscow, Berlin, Budapest, Sevastopol more difficult to capture? just curious if lengthy and bloody sieges will play out in the game...


There are two kinds of defenses in WitE, natural and man-made. Natural defenses are the terrain types themselves. They range from clear terrain (no benefit) to heavy urban terrain (maximum benefit). Berlin, Leningrad and Moscow all contain a heavy urban hex. In addition to the natural defensive value of the terrain in the hex, all hexes have a fortification value (Fort Level) that ranges from Fort Level 0 (no benefit) to Fort Level 5 (maximum benefit). While most hexes have an initial Fort Level of 0 or 1 at best, some have a higher initial level indicating the presence of existing fortifications. Sevastopol, for example, has an initial Fort Level of 4. Combat units can increase the Fort Level of a hex by occupying the hex for successive turns. Each turn the hex is occupied there is a chance the Fort Level will increase; this chance is less the higher the current Fort Level is.

In addition to terrain and fortification you can increase the chance of holding a hex by insuring that the headquarters of the unit(s) defending the hex contains support units (independent battalions & regiments (Soviets) of artillery, armor, engineers, etc.) and is commanded by a good leader. You can also increase the defense strength of the unit(s) defending the hex by attaching support units directly to combat units. Finally you can back up your unit(s) defending the hex by having combat units in reserve status close to the hex to provide additional support. Combat units in reserve will add to the defense of the hex but do not physically move into the hex.

In summary, if you're defending in good defensive terrain, well fortified and backed with ample support, reserves and good leadership, the chance of successfully holding the hex is very good.



jaw -> RE: War in the East Q&A (9/1/2009 3:11:56 PM)

quote:

Apart from the big campaign on offer- are there any other smaller scenarios?


Currently the only small scenario is Operation Typhoon (the Battle of Moscow) but I suspect more small scenarios will be added after the campaign scenarios are finished.



jaw -> RE: War in the East Q&A (9/1/2009 6:31:03 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: paullus99

I believe that brings up the question - "Is reliability" taken into account? This addresses the issue of some equipment and vehicles being less likely to work, either right of the box (like the Panther D or HE177) or become increasingly unreliable over time or too far away from maintenance resources.

Just some thoughts.


Aircraft do not have individual reliability ratings however every time an aircraft flies there is a chance it will become damaged; this is in addition to aircraft damaged by combat. If you're not careful it is possible to literally fly your air force into the ground through overuse. To guard against this problem you can set a percentage of readiness below which an air group will not fly. The default setting is 50%.

All AFVs have a reliability rating which ranges from 5 (really good) to 45 (really bad). An example of a 5 would be an armored car and a 45 is your Panther D. These reliability ratings are checked when AFVs are moved and AFVs failing the reliability check become damaged. All damaged units (not just AFVs) have a chance of repairing which is effected by their supply status and a percentage of damaged units that are not repaired will be returned to the replacement pool. It is therefore possible if you're advancing at the limit of your supply lines to wear a division down from movement alone without consideration of combat losses.



Shupov -> RE: War in the East Q&A (9/1/2009 6:54:36 PM)

Are the reliability ratings affected by weather, e.g. sub-zero winter temperatures?



Lascar -> RE: War in the East Q&A (9/1/2009 7:23:36 PM)

Hi Jim, thanks for making yourself available to answer questions.

So here is my question: Is free initial setup of units allowed or are they locked down to actual historical start locations?

Thanks



thackaray -> RE: War in the East Q&A (9/1/2009 7:26:42 PM)

Most of my questions will be around the subject of managing replacements to units, so that units aren't driven into the earth and I can have plenty of reserves when new units are created, so it doesn't impact the normal replacement levels to existing units in the line.


1) When a unit is in refit where does the refit take place?  In a HQ or can it be done whilst in the line? If a unit is being refitted in a HQ does it contribute to defence of other units assigned to that HQ ?

2) Does unit type affect which units gets priority when both are being refitted at the same time? e.g. SS Panzers over standard infantry units.

3) What is the basic makeup of a divisional unit? - squads, recon, afvs, artillery.  Is a basic divisional unit just squads, but you have to assign additional units to give it the afv, recon and artillery parts ?




jaw -> RE: War in the East Q&A (9/1/2009 9:33:42 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Shupov

Are the reliability ratings affected by weather, e.g. sub-zero winter temperatures?


No, the severe winter modifiers are intended to model these effects and they apply to all types of units not just AFVs.



jaw -> RE: War in the East Q&A (9/1/2009 9:37:00 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Lascar

So here is my question: Is free initial setup of units allowed or are they locked down to actual historical start locations?

Thanks


The historical scenarios do not allow free setup however the plans are to include an editor with the game which would allow players to modify existing scenarios to test alternative setups.



jaw -> RE: War in the East Q&A (9/1/2009 9:58:12 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: thackaray

1) When a unit is in refit where does the refit take place?  In a HQ or can it be done whilst in the line? If a unit is being refitted in a HQ does it contribute to defence of other units assigned to that HQ ?

2) Does unit type affect which units gets priority when both are being refitted at the same time? e.g. SS Panzers over standard infantry units.

3) What is the basic makeup of a divisional unit? - squads, recon, afvs, artillery.  Is a basic divisional unit just squads, but you have to assign additional units to give it the afv, recon and artillery parts ?




1) Refit is a type of status a unit can be in, not a place. Units in refit status have a much greater chance of getting replacements. The actual amount of replacements a unit receives is modified by its distance to the nearest railhead. A unit gets maximum replacements if its actually sitting on a rail line.

2) Currently elite units like SS do not refit faster than other units however you do not have to be in refit status to get replacements. Refit status only increases the unit's priority for replacements and the rate at which it receives them.

3) Every unit in the game has a TOE (there are hundreds of them) to which the unit will try to conform to. The TOE includes all the combat elements that make up that unit. For example, an infantry division would have rifle squads, combat engineers, mortars, infantry guns, anti-tank guns, artillery, crew served machine guns, infantry anti-tank teams, plus support squads representing the command and administrative personnel.



Shupov -> RE: War in the East Q&A (9/1/2009 10:26:11 PM)

I asked this question under another topic but it hasn't been answered yet.  Is the Gustav railroad gun included in WitE? The great Gustav 800 mm (31.5 inch) gun had a range of 23-29 miles depending on shell type. It was used effectively in the siege of Sevastopol, even though only 48 seven-ton shells were fired. If it is in WitE does it have a two-hex range?



Montbrun -> RE: War in the East Q&A (9/2/2009 12:27:52 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: jaw


quote:

ORIGINAL: paullus99

I believe that brings up the question - "Is reliability" taken into account? This addresses the issue of some equipment and vehicles being less likely to work, either right of the box (like the Panther D or HE177) or become increasingly unreliable over time or too far away from maintenance resources.

Just some thoughts.


Aircraft do not have individual reliability ratings however every time an aircraft flies there is a chance it will become damaged; this is in addition to aircraft damaged by combat. If you're not careful it is possible to literally fly your air force into the ground through overuse. To guard against this problem you can set a percentage of readiness below which an air group will not fly. The default setting is 50%.

All AFVs have a reliability rating which ranges from 5 (really good) to 45 (really bad). An example of a 5 would be an armored car and a 45 is your Panther D. These reliability ratings are checked when AFVs are moved and AFVs failing the reliability check become damaged. All damaged units (not just AFVs) have a chance of repairing which is effected by their supply status and a percentage of damaged units that are not repaired will be returned to the replacement pool. It is therefore possible if you're advancing at the limit of your supply lines to wear a division down from movement alone without consideration of combat losses.


Is the German superior recovery and repair system taken into account? Also, how about the use of captured equipment?



jaw -> RE: War in the East Q&A (9/2/2009 12:49:33 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Shupov

I asked this question under another topic but it hasn't been answered yet.  Is the Gustav railroad gun included in WitE? The great Gustav 800 mm (31.5 inch) gun had a range of 23-29 miles depending on shell type. It was used effectively in the siege of Sevastopol, even though only 48 seven-ton shells were fired. If it is in WitE does it have a two-hex range?


I answered the other thread but I'm glad you repeated your question here since I'd like to concentrate such questions in one place to simplify things for other readers.

No, the Gustav is not in the game because its performance characteristics are outside the design parameters of the game. While it indeed fired a massive shell to great range, its rate of fire was measured in hours per round versus rounds per minute of most weapons in WitE. Low rate of fire combined with other operational restrictions would have rendered the gun virtually useless at this scale.



jaw -> RE: War in the East Q&A (9/2/2009 12:58:27 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Brad Hunter


Is the German superior recovery and repair system taken into account? Also, how about the use of captured equipment?



In an indirect way yes because support helps with the repair of damaged equipment and German units generally have more support than their Soviet counterparts.

AFVs and various guns (mostly anti-tank guns and artillery) can be captured but AFVs usually don't last very long due to very high breakdown rates.



Shupov -> RE: War in the East Q&A (9/2/2009 2:11:25 AM)

Does the Axis AI start a week later against the Soviet Southern Army Group as was historically the case?

These prompt responses are great!



Helpless -> RE: War in the East Q&A (9/2/2009 9:15:53 AM)

quote:

Does the Axis AI start a week later against the Soviet Southern Army Group as was historically the case?


Yes, southern sector is frozen at the start of Barbarossa.



Muzrub -> RE: War in the East Q&A (9/2/2009 1:44:36 PM)

Hi,

Will special SS units such as (below-to name a few) be included in either regiment, brigade or even later as a division during the game?

36th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS - Dirlewanger
28th SS Volunteer Grenadier Division Wallonien- Léon  Degrelle
29th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS RONA (1st Russian)- Kaminski
18th SS Volunteer Panzer Grenadier Division Horst Wessel
26th Waffen-Grenadier Division der SS


Also, if such units which begun their service as a battalion sized unit- will they grow in time to become a divisional strength unit (but with their strength determined on numbers and experience)?

Also would they have to be removed from the line for refit (either automatically by the computer, or by the player), or would they unit be automatically refitted with extra troops, and or vehicles and tanks (if upgraded to a Panzer unit).


Also, if a unit went through a historical refit would the game alert the player to its removal from the front line?
And will such a feature be included?
ie Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler- removal from the Eastern front in early 1944 after several heavy battles, and eventual reformation by april '44 in the West.

Essentially how would the game allow for refits, and increase from battalion to divisional size?

I'm sure any German Eastern front commander would have demanded his best units be on call- but Hitler could move one unit from the East to the West at whim, or if he saw it fit to do so for an offensive of his choosing ie Ardennes Offensive dec 1944 (West) and Operation Spring Awakening march 1945 (East) (unit example being the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler).

(of course the game may not factor the Ardennes offensive- but none the less units and equipment were taken from the East and used in the West, and as such it does have an effect on the Eastern campaign, in terms of fighting units available and the receiving of replacements in terms of men and materials)

In that case would the game, which places you in control of the Eastern front be able to remove units based on Fuhrer orders?
ie the removal of elite German units for the Ardennes Offensive 1944 and allocation of replacements of men and equipment?

The reason I ask is because the game is based heavily on being historical (ie no control of production- fight with what you have), so in essence does that mean that elite German units on the Eastern Front would be pulled for the planned offensive of dec 16 1944.
And the player would just have to fight on, regardless with what resources he has at hand?


Cheers
Muzrub






jaw -> RE: War in the East Q&A (9/2/2009 9:30:21 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Muzrub

Hi,

Will special SS units such as (below-to name a few) be included in either regiment, brigade or even later as a division during the game?

36th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS - Dirlewanger
28th SS Volunteer Grenadier Division Wallonien- Léon  Degrelle
29th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS RONA (1st Russian)- Kaminski
18th SS Volunteer Panzer Grenadier Division Horst Wessel
26th Waffen-Grenadier Division der SS


The 18th, 28th and 36th are in the game, the other two are not. Both the 18th and the 28th begin as brigades and upgrade to divisions.



Also, if such units which begun their service as a battalion sized unit- will they grow in time to become a divisional strength unit (but with their strength determined on numbers and experience)?

No combat units (units that appear on the map) are smaller than a regiment. Units which upgrade to a larger formation or any unit understrength which receives replacement will take a hit to their experience ratings.




Also would they have to be removed from the line for refit (either automatically by the computer, or by the player), or would they unit be automatically refitted with extra troops, and or vehicles and tanks (if upgraded to a Panzer unit).

Units do not have to be "off the line" to receive replacements; as for units upgrading to a different kind of unit some upgrade "in the field" and others are withdrawn and later return as the upgraded unit.


Also, if a unit went through a historical refit would the game alert the player to its removal from the front line?
And will such a feature be included?
ie Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler- removal from the Eastern front in early 1944 after several heavy battles, and eventual reformation by april '44 in the West.

Yes and yes.

Essentially how would the game allow for refits, and increase from battalion to divisional size?

I'm sure any German Eastern front commander would have demanded his best units be on call- but Hitler could move one unit from the East to the West at whim, or if he saw it fit to do so for an offensive of his choosing ie Ardennes Offensive dec 1944 (West) and Operation Spring Awakening march 1945 (East) (unit example being the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler).

(of course the game may not factor the Ardennes offensive- but none the less units and equipment were taken from the East and used in the West, and as such it does have an effect on the Eastern campaign, in terms of fighting units available and the receiving of replacements in terms of men and materials)

In that case would the game, which places you in control of the Eastern front be able to remove units based on Fuhrer orders?

Units which left the Eastern Front only for rest & refitting purpose stay on the Eastern Front; units which left the Eastern Front, engaged in operations and then returned leave and return in the game; units which left the Eastern Front and did not return are permanent withdrawals in the game.

ie the removal of elite German units for the Ardennes Offensive 1944 and allocation of replacements of men and equipment?

The reason I ask is because the game is based heavily on being historical (ie no control of production- fight with what you have), so in essence does that mean that elite German units on the Eastern Front would be pulled for the planned offensive of dec 16 1944.
And the player would just have to fight on, regardless with what resources he has at hand?

You got it! You're in the same boat as the Eastern Front Field Marshalls were.

Cheers
Muzrub








Shupov -> RE: War in the East Q&A (9/3/2009 1:12:44 AM)

Are HQ names and hierarchy updated throughout the campaign as they were historically?



jaw -> RE: War in the East Q&A (9/3/2009 2:53:36 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Shupov

Are HQ names and hierarchy updated throughout the campaign as they were historically?


The Soviet Fronts names change over time. I'm not sure if Gary has added any code yet to have the German Army Groups change names (e.g. Army Group A becoming Army Group South Ukraine). Obviously late war scenarios would have the names in use at that time but whether all the German Army Group name changes will be in the grand campaign scenario (Barbarossa) I don't know.



Stryder -> RE: War in the East Q&A (9/3/2009 5:05:57 AM)

Do leaders have random (or historical events) where they are sick, reassigned, sacked, die so that we lose them?



jaw -> RE: War in the East Q&A (9/3/2009 10:42:18 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: jfarber

Do leaders have random (or historical events) where they are sick, reassigned, sacked, die so that we lose them?


This is an area that has not been completely nailed down yet but as of now the game keeps track of each active leader's victories and defeats so it is possible for leaders to both get promoted (acquire better ratings) or sacked (removed from command). There is also a very small chance a leader will get killed from bombing or his HQ overrun. I personally have never seen a leader killed but it's in the code.

Leaders exist at corps and higher headquarters and we do have these HQs entering and exiting the game so some leaders would be assigned or transferred (withdrawn) as a consequence of commanding one of these entering or leaving HQs. Beyond that there is no historical transfers of leaders (no von Kluges being sent to the West).

Of course you, the player, can replace a leader with another leader at any time but you pay a cost in administrative points to do that and you usually need those administrative points to do more important things.



Sentinel Six -> RE: War in the East Q&A (9/3/2009 11:06:51 AM)


Forgive me if these questions have already been asked elsewhere as I've only just discovered this thread.

1. Can a player control production, if so how long does it take to retool a factory?

2. Can a player bring forward the in service date of equipment by R&D?

3. When a unit's equipment is upgraded does it effect its experience or readiness. Can a unit train to work up its efficiency with the new weapon system.



paullus99 -> RE: War in the East Q&A (9/3/2009 11:22:19 AM)

1. No

2. No

3. Interesting question.



Iñaki Harrizabalagatar -> RE: War in the East Q&A (9/3/2009 11:25:14 AM)

Hi
I am very much interested on this game.
I wonder, about units that a retired from the front historically to come back later.
Let´s imgaine the unit has been destroyed during the game, will it come back anyway?
I guess this could open a window to some gamey play, for instance I know one of my units will be retreated to come back later at full strength, so in the meantime I use it as a suicide unit, has this been taken into consideration?



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