RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (Full Version)

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VHauser -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (2/28/2018 10:41:10 PM)

My 1st heart test went well. More tomorrow. The preliminary indications are that I will need to change heart meds, but no surgery (fingers crossed).

Armored Defense.
Okay, I'm willing to jump through some hoops to try to work around the hard-coded armored defense strengths that range from 5-7. The visual representation on the map will still be terribly misleading, but I'm hoping that playtest results will be encouraging.



VHauser -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (3/2/2018 5:33:56 PM)

The past several weeks I've worked on the map and the forces editor. The map is ready for playtest. I'm about 1/3 ready for playtest with the forces editor: air and naval units for both sides are ready and I'm about halfway ready with the Allied ground forces, but I've hardly touched the Axis ground forces. I'm almost finished with the first-pass .eqp ratings, but I will make a complete item-by-item second pass before the .eqp is ready for playtest.
EDIT: The Axis TOEs will be very different from the Allied because the Axis is P.O. and I want to make their force structure as Elmer-proof as I can. I want to finish the Allies first to give me a better idea how to compose the Axis.

Anyway, I need a break from the forces editor so I'm going to start work on the events editor. I'll make a first pass at the events editor (should take a week or two) and then get back to work on the forces editor (finish Allies first and then the Axis). Then a second pass at the events editor (should take less than a week). It will probably be sometime in May before I finish all of that. Onwards!



larryfulkerson -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (3/5/2018 4:36:39 AM)

Hey you guys: I just found a YouTube movie about what would have happened if the US and Russia got
into it just after WWII and I thought you guys might want to see it too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8B3ceKwV8Q



VHauser -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (3/5/2018 11:41:57 AM)

Events Editor.
I've taken a look at the events editor. It looks like most of the work I'll need to do involves ensuring that the correct units/formations are tied to the correct events. This is because of the forces editor changes I'm making (unit colors and shifting units between formations and creation of new formations, etc.). However, one big change I want to make involves doing away with shock effects and replacing shock with movement effects instead. I have a background in in large boardgame design/development. In the 1980s/1990s I used to work for a company called GR/D which produced a large boardgame series called Europa. In Europa, we used movement rates (among other things) to simulate seasonal effects. I think that that will work well in E47. I want to replace shock effects with 66%/100%/132% movement rates. For example, if a unit has a base (100%) movement rate of 24, then in winter/mud it will have a movement rate of 16 (66%) and in summer it will have a movement rate of 32 (132%) and during transitional periods it will have a movement rate of 24 (100%). Those percentages were chosen due to the game scale being changed from 20km (TOAW3 E47) to 25km (TOAW4 E47) per hex even though the map itself did not change (the original map was drawn at 20km per hex, but 20km per hex proved problematic during gameplay and changing the scale to 25km per hex improved the way the game played even though the map itself didn't change).

Theater Options.
I plan to give the Allied player at least two theater options. Starting in 1948, the Allies will be able to disband some (most?) of their AAA units and gain infantry/equipment replacements. Also starting in 1948, the Allies will be able to disband some of their fighter air units and retrain as bomber/attack units. In addition to those two theater options, there might be more that I haven't thought of yet.



Silvanski -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (3/5/2018 12:59:14 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: VHauser
Events Editor. I want to replace shock effects with 66%/100%/132% movement rates.

Excellent idea[sm=tank2-39.gif] Something I overlooked.



aspqrz02 -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (3/6/2018 6:10:49 AM)

Have you considered the 'German' option for the Allies ... that is, do what the Germans did with their divisions ... reduce the manning levels both TO&E and actual field level.

They did this with relatively little reduction in combat power, too ... and that's in the real world.

Another thing that you may or may not have considered, the US had about half their actual combat strength in Europe in the form of non-Divisional units, Armour, Artillery and Infantry as well as support elements. They could have doubled the actual number of Divisional units by simply combining these non-divisional elements ... or they could have consolidated the transport and armoured elements into Infantry Divisions turning them all into Mechanised divisions.

The other thing is that the US had not tapped out their manpower reserves in the same way as the Brits had, so there was more depth back at home that could have been called up ...

Just some ideas for consideration.

Phil



VHauser -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (3/6/2018 3:25:46 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: aspqrz02

Have you considered the 'German' option for the Allies ... that is, do what the Germans did with their divisions ... reduce the manning levels both TO&E and actual field level.

They did this with relatively little reduction in combat power, too ... and that's in the real world.

Another thing that you may or may not have considered, the US had about half their actual combat strength in Europe in the form of non-Divisional units, Armour, Artillery and Infantry as well as support elements. They could have doubled the actual number of Divisional units by simply combining these non-divisional elements ... or they could have consolidated the transport and armoured elements into Infantry Divisions turning them all into Mechanised divisions.

The other thing is that the US had not tapped out their manpower reserves in the same way as the Brits had, so there was more depth back at home that could have been called up ...

Just some ideas for consideration.

Phil


The Western Allies were democracies. They never seriously considered creating a hierarchy of divisions because they knew that politically it was bad to assign troops to "second-rate" units. All Western Allied units were created equal--and have stayed that way even until today.

Manpower issues had more to do with keeping expert skilled labor operating the factories. A skilled machinist was more valuable at home than as a rifleman in the field. The war material produced by the USA was so important to the chances of Allied success that manpower operating the factories was more important than manpower in the field.

Yes, the Allies had lots of non-divisional units. It gave them operational flexibility. German units are generally superior to Allied units (in proficiency if nothing else). The Allies need all the operational flexibility they can get, and I'm giving them plenty--they will need it.



VHauser -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (3/8/2018 8:28:40 PM)

I've gone back to working on the OOBs. So many events are tied to the OOBs that I need to finish the OOBs first.

The Soviet Army.
I won't know for sure until I'm finished, but I think that the Soviet Army will be smaller in terms of overall manpower and larger in terms of numbers of units. I can justify the smaller manpower due to German occupation of the most populated regions of Russia. However, most all of Soviet industry is still intact and Lend Lease is in high gear, so the equipment levels are strong. Also, although I didn't intend to perform the Soviet reorganization of ground forces until 1948/1949, it greatly simplifies the game to just begin the game with the Soviet forces already reorganized. I think that the overall effect of this is that although the manpower size of the Soviet Army will be smaller, its fighting power will be as strong as before.



VHauser -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (3/11/2018 6:10:35 PM)

Unit Breakdowns.
Most units will not be able to break down, especially the Axis. Since the P.O. does a very poor job of recombining unit breakdowns, eliminating Axis breakdowns strengthens the Axis P.O. On the Allied side, I'm already giving them a tremendous amount of operational flexibility so breakdowns should not be necessary.

Soviet OOB.
I'm making slow but steady progress. I should be finished within the next 7 days.




VHauser -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (3/18/2018 11:27:04 AM)

Soviet OOB, continued.
The Soviet OOB is taking longer than I thought. There are inconsistencies with unit IDs and TOEs that need to be resolved. I hope to have the Soviet OOB playtest ready sometime this week. The good news is that the problems I'm dealing with for the Soviet OOB will hopefully make the remaining OOBs go more smoothly.



VHauser -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (4/12/2018 2:43:06 PM)

Brief Update.

I just got released from the hospital from a combination of pneumonia/heart trouble.

I am on home care and still very weak. I promise to continue work on E47 as soon as I can, maybe by the end of the month.

I wish you all well.

--V



btd64 -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (4/12/2018 4:23:37 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: VHauser

Brief Update.

I just got released from the hospital from a combination of pneumonia/heart trouble.

I am on home care and still very weak. I promise to continue work on E47 as soon as I can, maybe by the end of the month.

I wish you all well.

--V


No rush. Get well first....GP



RyanCrierie -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (5/3/2018 11:44:19 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: VHauser

Soviet AK-47 assault rifles go into mass production during 1946 (in E47 terms). Production is between 1,000,000 and 2,000,000 annually, with factories in occupied Manchuria contributing substantially. Guards/Shock formations are given priority initially.

Since the AK-47 is the best assault rifle in the world, I'm debating whether the Western Allies be given licensed production rights (mainly as a means of repaying Lend-Lease). At this point, I'm leaning in favor of granting the Western Allies production rights. Still undecided though.


US has the T20 Rifle, Brits have their EM-2.



VHauser -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (9/11/2018 3:29:13 PM)

Finally, I'm back and ready to work again!

I have a lot of catching up on E47 to do, but here is a question for you guys while I'm catching up:
In no particular order, what are the Top-10 Commonwealth divisions of WW2 (not counting special forces and airborne units)?
Here are some that I would include:
2nd New Zealand
7th Armoured
Guards Armoured
11th Armoured
7th Australian
51st Highland

Canadian?
South African/Rhodesian?
Indian?
[While not Commonwealth, you can include a Polish division if you wish]
Help.



btd64 -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (9/11/2018 3:53:05 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: VHauser

Finally, I'm back and ready to work again!

I have a lot of catching up on E47 to do, but here is a question for you guys while I'm catching up:
In no particular order, what are the Top-10 Commonwealth divisions of WW2 (not counting special forces and airborne units)?
Here are some that I would include:
2nd New Zealand
7th Armoured
Guards Armoured
11th Armoured
[at least one Australian division]
51st Highland

Canadian?
South African/Rhodesian?
Indian?
[While not Commonwealth, you can include a Polish division if you wish]
Help.


3rd Canadian Armored
7th and 8th Aussie inf. Take your pick....GP



aspqrz02 -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (9/11/2018 4:20:57 PM)

Definitely the 7th Division, 2nd AIF.

Phil



VHauser -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (9/11/2018 6:11:56 PM)

Okay, adding the 7th Australian to the list.



VHauser -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (9/12/2018 3:54:49 PM)

Well, I've re-read this thread and looked over the OOB. Looks like I've done a lot of work on the Soviets, a little on the Western Allies, and a little on the Axis.

The map looks fine. Events are a mess. Objectives and orders for the Axis (P.O.) are a mess. Reinforcement schedules are a mess.

So, one step at a time. I'll continue with what I was doing a few months ago--finish the Soviet OOB.



VHauser -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (9/13/2018 5:11:50 PM)

Here are some notes I'm planning to include in the Scenario Briefing. If you have something you want to see included, let me know.

Notes:
Allied HQ RR Repair assests represent the ability to mobilize/conscript local populations plus a notional intrinsic ability. To use this ability, the HQ must remain stationary for at least one entire turn to obtain the percentage chance shown on the unit summary to repair the railroad each turn it remains stationary.

Many Allied units are considered to be rare/irreplaceable (especially special forces). If they get destroyed they might never come back.

House Rules (players are strongly urged to follow these rules):
Allied partisans may not leave their nation/region of origin (Exception1: Tito's Yugoslavians may not move/advance more than 12 hexes from Sarajevo; Exception2: Kurdish Raiders may not move/advance more than 10 hexes from Mosul).

Allied airborne operations may not be conducted more than 10 hexes from either: 1) the nearest friendly non-broken rail line that is connected directly to a supply source; or 2) a supply source of 50 or higher itself (e.g. Malta).

Allied Jewish units may not leave Palestine although they may make limited attacks across the border.

Allied Muslim units may not enter Palestine nor may they participate in attacks with Jewish units.

Allied units in "red" status may not attack and, if they move at all, they must move towards the nearest friendly non-broken rail hex that is connected directly to a supply source.



VHauser -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (9/13/2018 7:50:21 PM)

Kronstadt and Holland.

Kronstadt is a case for hexside rivers. Oh well. In E47, Kronstadt is almost impossible to represent, which is probably why the original E47 map has ignored it altogether and just shows a deep-water hex where Kronstadt is supposed to be. However, I'm willing to try. Perhaps a flooded marsh containing a super river and an anchorage, with the entire hex surrounded by a major escarpment. Suggestions?

As for Holland, does anybody know which hexes the Germans flooded? Further, I'm guessing that the Germans could (would?) have flooded many hexes in Denmark and Coastal Germany itself. This is problematic because the Allies would not contemplate landings into potentially flooded areas. One possibility is that those potentially flooded hexes could simply have shallow water placed adjacent to them, but that creates its own kind of problems. Suggestions?



VHauser -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (9/14/2018 5:46:15 AM)

Soviet OOB.
I've finished the first pass at the Soviet OOB. I doubt I'll be adding or subtracting any Soviet units in subsequent passes, but I do need to modify a variety of equipment strengths and TO/Es. I'll revisit the Soviets after I finish the first passes on all the other nations' OOBs.

Basic Soviet OOB Summary:
12 Fronts
7 Tank Armies
3 Shock Armies
14 Guards Armies
36 Regular Armies
8 Misc./Foreign Armies
Stavka Reserves
A variety of misc. support/independent units/formations.

Note on artillery.
Many artillery units have the ability to fire 2 hexes, but not very effectively. For example, an artillery unit might have an attack strength of 25 and a range of 2 hexes, but only a fraction of that 25 can reach out to 2 hexes. So, if a player wants to use all 25 attack strength, he will have to attack from an adjacent hex. This is deliberate and means that players will have to put their artillery in harm's way if they want to use full attack strength. Firing at 2 hexes will be safe, but usually not be very effective.



VHauser -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (9/15/2018 6:23:06 AM)

I'm starting work on the USA/Free French (and those nations equipped by the USA) OOB. I plan to be finished with the first pass by the end of the month.

As an aside, after months and months the doctors have finally identified and addressed my health issues. They now know what is causing my heart and lung problems. They have managed to stabilize my health. My health still isn't very good (about a 4 or 5 on a scale of 10), but the encouraging news is that it is stable. They tell me that my blood and urine numbers are improving. My protein levels (which is one of the big causes of my problems) are improving. The fluid around my heart (which caused my congestive heart failure) is diminishing. Etc. There are no guarantees, but the indications are encouraging that I'm going to be able to stay out of the hospital for at least the near future. Yay!

I have more energy today than I've had in a long time. You have no idea how happy I am to be working on E47 again.




VHauser -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (9/16/2018 6:56:34 PM)

Decima MAS.
From some of the accounts I've read, the Decima MAS was the most effective special forces unit of WW2 (today's US Navy SEALS studied the operations of the Decima MAS extensively). The problem is that I have no idea how to represent this unit in TOAW4. It is not a TOAW4 commando unit since it didn't perform airborne/mountain operations. It is not a TOAW4 amphibious or marine unit since it didn't conduct amphibious/marine landings. Indeed, it appears to not have conducted ground operations at all. Suggestions?



VHauser -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (9/17/2018 11:49:38 AM)

Decima MAS, pt. 2.
Okay, I created a new naval equipment called Decima MAS. So, the Decima MAS will be a special naval unit. Turns out that the Decima MAS fought all throughout the Mediterranean and even the Black Sea. The commandos/frogmen would be delivered to the target area by submarine. Also, after Italy surrendered some of the Decima MAS fought on as anti-partisan ground troops for the RSI. There is no need to represent this because that contribution was small. So, if/when Italy surrenders the Decima MAS will simply be withdrawn.



VHauser -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (9/20/2018 10:18:28 AM)

Allied Airborne Units.
Most of the time I've separated Allied tanks out of Allied units into tank-only units. I've done this for two main reasons: 1) to minimize hundreds (thousands?) of unit withdrawals/reorganizations; and 2) due to the TOAW4 limitation of 24 equipments per TO/E. So far, I've been pleased with the results of this decision. However, I recognize the need to make the occasional exception and Allied airborne units qualify. Therefore, Allied parachute infantry and glider units (and airborne HQs) have heavy equipment (including tanks) built into their TO/Es, which allows them to fight as elite ground-combat units. But since airborne replacement rates are low, Allied players who choose to use their airborne units this way will suffer the consequences. Airborne parachute (not parachute infantry) units do not have heavy equipment in their TO/Es.



VHauser -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (9/24/2018 1:54:41 AM)

My OOB Methodology.
Months ago I created some baseline/benchmark units for all nations for use as a starting point. I knew that they would change over time, but I wanted to get a basic sense of how they would look. Next, I chose the Soviets as the guinea pig for building an OOB. The idea was not to get the unit TO/Es and strengths right, but instead to mainly just identify/create/build all the Soviet units. I've done that. I won't finish the Soviet TO/Es and unit strengths until I've built the basic OOBs for all the other nations.
So...
Step 1. Create initial baseline units.
Step 2. Build basic OOBs for each nation.
Step 3. Finish TO/Es and unit strengths for each nation.
Step 4. Double check each equipment type.
Step 5. Double check all units.

There are lots of revisions and changes that happen throughout this process. For example, I originally intended Allied airborne units to have no heavy equipment. But within the last week or so I changed my thinking and had to make revisions. Another example is that in the beginning I wanted to create combined-arms units. But due to a variety of factors, I realized that including tanks in most units was very problematic, so I had to change my thinking and made revisions. Today, I'm revisiting my concepts regarding fortifications and how they are going to be represented in the game. I've gone back and forth on this and still don't have a solution that makes me happy. I'm hoping that by the time I complete Step 2 above, I'll have a satisfactory solution for this.

Anyway, this is generally how I go about working on each step in E47--start, stop, revise, repeat.



VHauser -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (9/27/2018 7:05:30 PM)

Schedule for October.
I should be finished with the basic USA/French OOB this weekend. I have a lot of doctor appointments and lab tests in October. Nothing emergency, but since I'm a military veteran (ex-B52 combat crew) the V.A. sends me to a variety of medical specialists to deal with my medical issues and they all want lab tests. So, October is going to be very busy/tiring for me. Normally I could finish the basic UK OOB in 2-3 weeks, but it will probably take me all month to get it done.



MikeC317 -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (9/27/2018 9:08:35 PM)

Good luck with all that. I look forward to seeing and playing this scenario



VHauser -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (10/1/2018 11:59:43 AM)

USA/French OOB Summary (first pass complete).

3 Army Groups
10 Armies (including an army-sized USMC contingent)
24 Corps
A variety of misc. units (mainly units from different nationalities)

I plan to start work on the UK OOB either Wednesday or Thursday this week.



VHauser -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (10/5/2018 5:47:22 PM)

I've started on the UK OOB. I'll try to get as much done as I can this weekend because next week will be very busy for me medically.



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