The heretic is back.. (Full Version)

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Musti -> The heretic is back.. (10/11/2002 9:34:00 PM)

Hi to you all!

Been away for a year and a half and I'm really out of it. Spent 14 months playing Close Combat -series and of course Operation Flashpoint. But after seeing Band of Brothers here in Finland I decided it was time for me to join again your noble ranks. So I have a question to ask. In what ways has SPWaW progressed from v4.5 to v7.1? Please don't tell every little modification etc. but could you shortly explain the main differences in these versions?

Thanks in advance, Musti.




Jacc -> (10/11/2002 10:20:04 PM)

In quite many ways. Graphics, icons, data and AI have been improved. Melee combat and overrun options have been added (especially the overrun is a must). [Huomaan, että olet suomalainen, mutta muidenkin pitää ymmärtää... :( ]
Overall, the game is neater and smoother, with better unit info, for example. Amount of units has been greatly increased.

Panzer Leo made quite a job and did a whole new mod for SPWAW: Head to Head, usually referred as H2H. It is a must for every SPWAW gamer, especially those who like PBEM games.

I updated my SPWAW as late as only two months ago, from 4.5. to 7.1.

Huvittaisiko muuten pelata PBEM? Aloitettaisiin vaikka huomenna, Saksa vastaan Venäjä, 1944 loppupuoli..?




Supervisor -> (10/11/2002 10:35:09 PM)

7.1 fixed issue with C&C problems in all OS's updated OOB's, fixed the splash damage effect calculations to work properly on large bore near misses. Also corrected a waiting to sync problem for single player games. Here are the major updates from the prevous versions.

What's Available in SPWaW v7.0 Release

BUGS:
1. Units passing over shallow water or through swamps ignore the beneficial benefits of bridges and will sometimes become stuck or flood out. Fixed.
2. After exiting a campaign game, if another is continued before exiting the program, some campaign data, such as the number and types of kills for the scenario, are not completely cleared. Fixed.
3. Campaign generator bugs concerning minor countries have been fixed.
4. For certain hardware configurations, the Mega Campaign was not functioning properly. Fixed.

CHANGES:
1. Speeds displayed for units now better reflect the speed at which the unit is traveling. Note that although infantry speeds may seem to be calculated differently than vehicle speeds, infantry moves differently within a hex, not in the linear vehicular fashion, but tend to zigzag as they search for micro-terrain.

2. Small maps are now generated for battles in the Long WW II Campaign for core forces plus support forces totaling less than 3000 points. Maps for core forces plus support forces less than 1500 points should be small, even more often.

3. In campaigns, the computer opponent now receives purchase points only for the support forces actually purchased by the player, as opposed to the points made available to the player for support force purchasing. So, purchasing fewer support forces will now reduce the points available to the computer opponent.

4. Two player hot seat and play by email capability has been added to the Long WWII Campaign. Player number one is prompted to select the player type for player two, human or computer, each time the game is loaded. By selecting human for player two, the game becomes a two player game and each player is shown a save screen at the end of each turn. Simply save and send the files, stored in the save directory, to the other player. Player two, when played by a human, allows the player to purchase and deploy forces. Not designed for league play, the two player campaign is not secure.

5. Two player TCP/IP play capability has also been added for the Long WWII Campaign.

6. Two player hot seat and play by email capability has been added to the User Defined Campaigns (such as the ones released by Matrix Games or created by end users, using the campaign editor). Player number one is prompted to select the player type for player two, human or computer, each time the game is loaded. By selecting human for player two, the game becomes a two player game and each player is shown a save screen at the end of each turn. Simply save and send the files, stored in the save directory, to the other player. Player two, when played by a human, is not allowed to purchase or deploy forces, this having already been done by the campaign scenario author. Not designed for league play, the two player campaign is not secure.

7. Two player TCP/IP play capability has also been added for the User Defined Campaigns.

8. Two player hot seat and play by email capability has been added to the Mega Campaigns. Player number one is prompted to select the player type for player two, human or computer, each time the game is loaded. By selecting human for player two, the game becomes a two player game and each player is shown a save screen at the end of each turn. Simply save and send the files, stored in the Mega Campaign save directory, to the other player. Neither player one or player two, when played by a human, are not allowed to purchase or deploy forces, this having already been done by the campaign scenario author. Not designed for league play, the two player campaign is not secure.

9. Two player TCP/IP play capability has also been added for the Mega Campaign.

10. The Mega Campaign player may now permanently rename leaders.

11. Computer opponent aircraft purchasing has been recoded. The computer opponent should now purchase aircraft in very small battles less often, than before.

12. Purchasing routines have been further refined.

13. Fixed rafts with no passengers "flying around."

14. Fixed Barges "regrowing" in Barge Carriers after saving and restarting game.

15. Improved AI routines for combat and game tactics.

16. Major update to all OOB's

What's Available in SPWaW v6.0 Release

01) HEAT random variable fixed.
02) "Light infantry" and "ski troops" classes now able to melee and be overrun.
03) Elite/poor status on formations now taken into account on unit cost.
04) Fixed "random start line" w/custom maps not working when map has river or beach settings.
05) Fixed reinforcement & retreat hexes not appearing with custom maps (these are not saved with |the maps, so they appear in the default location).
06) Removed "view map" button from reinforcement screen (was causing mines to disappear and
other oddities).
07) Fixed unit costs calculating wrongly when "True Troop Cost" was on and "Historical Ratings"
were off.
08) Average visibility in random battles is increased.
09) Fixed reloaded online/timed games getting all ammo back.
10) Added preference setting for special op fire frequency.
11) Increased art vs. infantry damage.
12) More Infantry Casualties.
13) Fix bad game sounds.
14) Complete new set of OOB's
15) Some Sound files have been corrected to help those getting strange results.
16) Bottom hits use 1/3 side armor rather than 1/4 so MGs shouldn't kill tanks as often
17) Armor angle calculation tweaked (compound angle is somewhat larger than before)
18) Effects of compound angles tweaked (Slope effect reduced somewhat)
19) Ricochet incidence reduced somewhat
20) Casualty computation scrubbed, better accounting for leadership fire direction, artillery
casualties and protection of units entrenched, in-cover and in protective terrain. Bottom line is
artillery casualties are increased and small arms casualties decreased, and exposure for firing
reduced for entrenched troops so firing doesn't strip them of cover as much.
21) "Save" for men killed reduced for larger warheads.
22) Special OpFire multipliers increased for close range and decreased for long range.
23) Dial to control the amount of special OpFire added.
24) Completly re-programmed the infantry and small arms fire code.


What Available in SPWaW v5.3 Release

01) Added Mega Campaign support. This will not include the editor but will include a very small
Mega Campaign demo.
02) Level bombers and naval gun classes added and now act like off-board artillery. Level bombers
maybe assigned on Turn 0 (i.e., before the battle).
03) On the bombardment screen before the battle, you can set a specific turn for bombardments
(like for gliders & paratroops).
04) Added overrun combat. These are for enemies in the same hex. Overrun is Alt-O (overrun).
05) Added melee combat. These are for enemies in the same hex. Melee is Alt-M (melee)
06) The @ key changes ranges from hexes, to yards, to meters. Note: the ranges on the unit info
screen remain in hexes, since there wasn't room for larger numbers.
07) PBEM security violations now give a prompt to override the warning and load it up anyway.
08) Setting range in online/timed play no longer asks you twice.
09) Added tank panic - infantry may run from tanks as they move (like trucks do).
10) Added "battle difficulty" button in Generated & Long campaigns to affect the number of points
for the AI.
11) Fixed music-on setting. Some PC were crashing when playing certain songs.
12) Indirect fire adjustment delay was slightly reduced.
13) Removed Soviet purchase advantage.
14) Purchase point values for computer opponent (which start out equal to your base force normal
points plus all support points, whether or not you use them) were reduced from x1 for defend, x1
for delay, x1 for meeting, x4 for advance, x7 for assault to x.50 for defend, x.66 for delay, x1 for
meeting, x1.5 for advance and x2 for assault.
15) Fixed waypoints vanishing after buying more units in the scenario editor.
16) Fixed units ignoring waypoints once they get shot at or bombed.
17) Added message informing user that the program is exiting in online/timed play at end of battle.
18) Fixed modified unit cost & size not sticking in scenario editor when reloaded.
19) Computer opponent should now purchase fewer artillery batteries and air strikes. As it will
need to spend its points on something, it will purchase more of other things.
20) The computer opponent, when playing early war Belgium, Holland or France will now purchase
substantially fewer tanks. Combined with less artillery, expect a lot of infantry.
21) In randomly generated battles, when fighting Germans: Canada, India, ANZAC and the USA
will now fight in the desert from the beginning of 1940 to the end of 1942.
22) In randomly generated battles, anyone fighting the Italians (except the Soviets) from the
beginning of 1940 to the end of 1942 will fight in the desert.
23) In randomly generated battles, anyone fighting the Italians (except the Soviets) from the
beginning of 1943 to the end of 1945 will fight in Southern Europe.
24) In randomly generated battles, when fighting the Germans: Canada, Britain and the USA will
fight in Southern Europe in 1943 and Northwester Europe in 1944-45.
25) The weather routines were rewritten. In all types of battles, the visibility should now reflect the
conditions better than before. Bad weather now reduces visibility severely, as does darkness.
26) Level bombers may no longer be purchased at night or when the player lacks air superiority.
They can be purchased when ever air strikes can be. As they are artillery, the strike limit does not
apply to them.
27) The message displayed when level bombers are bombing is no longer "Med Bomber firing
indirect fire, range 60", but is now, "Med Bombers bombing area".
28) Strike groups and level bombers purchased by the computer opponent are now much less likely to attack at night, in the middle of a severe thunderstorm or in a sandstorm.
29) Dawn and dusk air strikes have been removed because the graphic makes it look like night.
So air strikes and level bombers are now available from 7 am to 5 pm.
30) Computer opponent purchase routines were generally rewritten, as all the formations got
moved around, during the many upgrades to the orders of battle.
31) Mortars now take up space in transport vehicles equal to the number of men in the mortar unit, unless they have a 100 series weight.
32) Fixed bug where game would crash in multiplayer at beginning of player #4's turn.
33) Fixed some bugs in the infantry close assault routine that were making the success chance higher than it is supposed to be.
34) Units of the classes "motorized engineer" and "armored engineer" now do all the special stuff that the "engineer" class does.
35) Added to the list of unit classes which lose primary weapon shots after moving (which were MG, mortar, heavy mortar, and heavy MG) are AT Gun, Flak, howitzer, artillery, and infantry guns.
35) Surrendering now forfeits the end-of-battle victory hex points and doesn't count remaining turns for the
turn-by-turn hexes.
36) Player control numbers over the units have a "P" in front of them (3 or more players only) to avoid confusion with the # of men numbers.
37) Removed turn display from special forces reinforcement info in deployment so they can't be reassigned once you notice they weren't coming.
38) Reduced vehicle breakdown chances by one-third and weapon breakdown by half. Also increased chance of repair for both (weapon more so than vehicle).
39) Added a toggle for the "asterisk" display, the hotkey is the asterisk key. This hotkey is disabled for online and PBEM games. Online and PBEM games use the host's "asterisk setting".
40) Fixed smoke ammo in online play being too low.
41) Made some changes in the armor penetration model. There will also be a substantial upgrade to the armor combat model in 5.0 APCR performance has been greatly enhanced, depicting its performance much more accurately. T/D effects have been revised based on better curve fitting and a couple new data sets from Combat Leader research. A new ricochet tweak improves the depiction of the "critical angle" so ricochet probability will be low
below critical angle and ramp up quickly. All this assumes lots of things, but less things are generalized than before! You should get fewer "945,395mm armor" results now and small T/D ratios will now ricochet much less often (so 88 hitting at grazing angles will act like an iceberg on the Titanic more than a stone on the water)
42) Fixed preference-changing loophole in PBEM games.
43) Fixed bug with loading non-infantry on trucks.
44) Fixed "done" button not appearing when getting reinforcements during battle in online play.
45) Stuart Millis, Mike Amos and Mike Wood have truly made these OOBs the best ones yet. I sure everyone will find a few nice surprises.
46) Wild Bill and his team have gone over and updated over 170+ scenarios and also added 4 brand new campaigns.
47) Don LIewellyn and Bill Wilder scenario tutorials will be included. These detail tutorials are for the new as well as experience player.
48) Paul Lewis and Nick Papp have added over 450 new graphics into the game.
50) Major AI improvements have been done. The AI will now pick much better forces and correct formations for each nationally
51) We have added a feature that will allow gamers to add and use there own custom graphics for their scenarios and campaigns. These graphics will also now appear in the scenario editor. This feature is for the scenario author that wants it all.
52) The latest versions of Fred Chlanda programs for SPWaW will be included.
53) Harri Pesonen PBEM program will be included. This program is used to auto send turn-based game files between opponents. It handles zipping the file then e-mailing it.
54) Added an option that the Japanese may Banzai and the Soviet units may go Berserk when in melee. Other nations have a smaller chance if getting a special attack and defend bonus during melee. Also terrain will increase and decrease losses during melee combat.
55) Brent Richards and Kevin Greer are redoing the manual. You can expect a even more detail manual.
56) Marsh vehicle breakdown has been raised a little higher.
57) Fixed objectives vanishing after buying more units in the scenario editor.
58) Added the feature to the scenario editor to tell you the Icon and SHP file each graphic shown in the editor.
59) Gamers can now added there own custom graphics and use them in the scenario editor and use
them in your scenarios and campaigns.
60) The Polish should now take far fewer tanks and will now also use cavalry.
61) Changed tank panic message, made infantry-AT unit class immune to tank panic.
62) Fixed range display on 'c' screen.
63) Added new keys to help screens.
64) Added version number to first screen.
65) Added new code for high-penetration HVAP gun ammo (penetration 251-255).
66) Fixed some units not following waypoints when defending or delaying. Units may abandon their waypoints when a unit in the formation is destroyed.
67) Reduced chance of units surrendering outside of melee.
68) Units of "Cargo Aircraft" class are now restricted to carrying units of "Airborne Infantry" class.
69) Fixed not being able to edit bomber entry turn in editor once saved and reloaded.
70) Eliminate units surrendering to planes
71) Overrunning a gun: The Overrunning player now has a chance of destroying the gun. The
Overrunning player also has a chance of immobilizing tank during the assault.
72) Air entry in online play uses opponents settings for both players. This has been corrected.
73) Fixed when largest size random map crashes when "beach" is selected
74) Fixed computer in online play so it will move and attack now.
75) Fixed beach map generation crashing with big maps.
76) Fixed desert-rough wrong tile being used.
77) Undid paratroop restriction - instead, non-paratroopers take
much more suppression from the drop.
78) Units no longer surrender to planes.
79) Fixed computer units not moving in online play.
80) Level bombers will now scatter -5 to +5 hexes along the x axis and along the y axis and then drop all their bombs in a straight line, at the rate of two per hex.
81) Units should no longer gain recon ability when upgrading or repairing during any type of Campaigns.
82) Added a save prompt when exiting the scenario editor.
83) Increased overrun casualties, lowered chance of tank immobilized by overrun.
84) Fixed mid-move op-fire not happening in online play.
85) Added a Yes / No prompt before you exit a scenario design or map session without saving.
86) Added a Yes / No prompt after hitting the 'load all' button.
87) Changed tank panic to happen a little less. Its now also modified by nationality: Japan, Finland panic less often; Italy, Rumania, Hungary, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Soviet (May and Sept of 1941 & 1942 only), Greece, Nat. China, and Bulgaria more often.
88) Tank panic is now restricted by unit class. Immune units within 3 hexes also keep other units f
rom panicking.
89) Fixed a loophole where units loading would then have the suppression value of the transport, so loading and unloading a unit could be used to restore suppression.
90) Added hotkey alt-J to center map on a specific hex.
91) Added hex coordinates for units on HQ screen. This will make it easier for you to find a unit using the
new alt-J feature.
92) Immobilized units no longer dig in.
93) "Special op fire" now takes the unit's suppression into account, also displays more specific messages.
94) Air units in online play should now come and go properly instead of using the other player's settings.
95) We have broken down Op-Fire to three levels. Point Blank Op-Fire is triggered when ever a moving unit moves moves next. If the unit is in a defense stance it will be triggered from 1 - 3 hexes away.
96) Special Op-Fire: It will now considered the units suppression level and will also add a small amount of suppression every time you Special Op-Fire. So the more you shoot the more
suppression the unit receives.
97) Return OP-Fire will happen when one of your units gets shot at. There is a chance it will fire
back even if it has used all of its shots.
98) VCR replay option has been re-coded.
99) Improve and added more detail to the weather routines.
100) We have updated all of our units LBM pictures
101) We have added a lot of detail to close assaults routines. Gamers should notice that units
should be able to assault bunkers and forts now without so many morale check failures.
102) Unit Costs System - If "True Troop Cost" is set to on it now gives a more accurate method of
determining a unit's cost based on their base experience level. Units that start with lower base
experience will cost less and units with high experience will cost more.
103) Unit Victory Points - If "True Troop Cost" is set to on Victory points scored for destroyed
units also take their experience into account. Units that start with lower base experience will be
worth less victory points then units that have experience and are lost.
104) Rarity Ratings - When "True Troop Cost" is on units rarity ratings now come into play. Units
that were rare or out of production will have a greater chance of not being available to the player.
A unit's rarity affects their chances of being available on the purchase menus. Units currently
unavailable will now show up in red on the purchase screen. Also when playing via the Internet two
commanders on the same side when not have the same units available to them.
105) Out of Production units may now be available even after it was being made. Units whose
production availablity has passed may be available, but at only half the normal chance (per year).
106) Units Rarity Ratings are now rechecked after you purchase each one of them. Note: if you
delete a formation that is rechecked and now no longer available, you cannot buy them back, so
be careful!
107) Changed True Troop Cost button on preferences screen to allow different settings for True
Troop Cost and Rarity.
108) Fixed bug with the unit value display. Note: if a unit has been given a custom cost, this value
will be modified by their experience as any other unit's is. If you want the value to be exact, either
give them experience 70, or adjust the value until it comes out right on the unit-view screen (where
the modified value is shown).
109) We also added more custom maps. D-Day beach maps, including Sword, Utah, Juno,
Omaha, and Gold, plus Pointe du Hoc and many others.
110) Undo button is disabled in online games.
111) Fixed auto-buying not using the True Troop Cost properly.
112) VCR replay hot-key changed from V to alt-V.
113) Enemy forces now break less easily. Also added a message to indicate when they do break. 114) Victory hexes worth 0 points are no longer shown (except in the editor).
115) Fix units on bridges disappearing between PBEM turns.
116) Melee & overrun now take the Infantry Toughness setting into account.
120) Units in the same hex are no longer automatically spotted. Note: units that fire are always
automatically spotted (unless they are Sniper class).
121) Fixed units not getting kills or experience or victory points in melee & overrun. Fixed same
for AA guns vs. aircraft.
122) Fixed some infantry not being able to be overrun (due to class #).
123) Removed end-of-battle map from surrendered PBEM games to prevent a cheat.
124) When a player has hit the "time out" key (F2), F12 no longer unpauses, so they can use
Roger Wilco without unpausing.
126) Fixed unit's target being set to its previous target in OpFire confirm.
127) After selecting special terrain types, city grids were being created using those types, instead
of wooden and stone buildings. FIXED.
128) In the computer opponent phase, when a vehicle controlled by the computer moved or fired, it
always refaced the turret to directly forward, before the player could opportunity fire or return fire.
The player did not have this ability. FIXED.
129) Computer opponent should now pick infantry force more often when playing against Soviets
and less often, when playing against Germans.
130) The German computer opponent should now place armor in deep reserve less often.131) The computer opponent should no longer buy a ton mines and place them along the river
bank when defending against a river crossing. This made it just about impossible for a human
player to get across.
132) The computer opponent should now buy armored or motorized infantry less often when
assaulting a river.
133) The computer opponent should now put armor in reserves less often when assaulting a river.
134) The computer opponent should now take a more pro-active defense in defending rivers.
135) The computer opponent should now use armor more aggressively, when assaulting rivers.
136) The computer opponent can now search better for bridges, when assaulting a river.
137) Improved AI handling of troops and improved some its game tactics.
138) Fixed bug with unloading assault boats taking casualties and then restoring them.
139) "special op fire" messages now appear in pop-up box too.
140) Alt-J now can jump to a specific scenario # on the main menu and the editor menus.
141) Added file log for the combat text, called combat.txt, turned on from within the game by the
Alt -L hotkey. This logs the text in the bottom window, as well as that "% chance to hit" window
that pops up during the attack.
142) U.S. artillery speed bonus now on/off with national characteristics preference.
143) Added the morale/experience check to the NearKill routine.
144) No longer able to buy air units in bad weather.
145) Op fire shots will no longer be used up on crews more than 2 hexes away.
146) AI buys less tanks for river crossings.
147) Changes to HE and HEAT penetration code
148) Fixed targeting screen not starting with the current target.
149) Fixed unit class 70 (special forces) not being able to melee.
150) Fixed suppression for nearby units being killed not happening.
151) Fixed "special op fire" message popping up when unit wouldn't shoot and "return op fire" when
the target unit was moving, not shooting.
152) Added casualties to bottom of screen box.
153) Fixed the units barreling into buildings when there was a road or track in the building hex.




Bing -> (10/11/2002 11:20:53 PM)

Gmen - Are you sure you didn't miss something?

Bing




RockinHarry -> (10/12/2002 12:09:28 AM)

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Bing
[B]Gmen - Are you sure you didn't miss something?

Bing [/B][/QUOTE]

lol :D :D :D

________
Harry




Jim1954 -> (10/12/2002 12:50:02 AM)

Dang, you are a walking encyclopedia.:D :D




Capt. Pixel -> (10/12/2002 2:55:00 AM)

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Jim1954
[B]Dang, you are a walking encyclopedia.:D :D [/B][/QUOTE]

And mighty quick with the cut-and-paste. :D

I probably missed it, but battlefield 'friction' has been added to slow down units that have been spotted or are under fire. And trucks retreating from armor is a hoot!

And grenades are actually useful now. :cool:




rbrunsman -> (10/12/2002 5:52:56 AM)

I like the grenade fix. I now actually monitor the number my infantry have left. They almost alway generate one casualty.




Supervisor -> (10/12/2002 8:13:47 AM)

Quick on the cut and paste, I retrieved all the 7.0 and earlier info directly from th FAQ SPWAW page. I don't always remember every detail which is why I love this forum of Veterans because they are always there and willing to back up any uncertainties or things I don't have any answer too. Ok I did miss something in 7.0 added mine dogs and in 7.1 they were properly classed a sniper, and the ability to drive through obsticles(buildings, hedges, etc.) has been properly linked to vehicle classes with less immoblizations. IE: smaller vehicles can no longer drive through a building and largers are more effective without taking as much of an experieince hit to get stuck.




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