RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (Full Version)

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VHauser -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (10/20/2018 6:38:08 AM)

I've finished another round of medical tests. Should get the results next week. Current test results indicate that I'm not improving, but I'm not getting worse either (stuck at a 4 or 5 on a scale of 10). More doctor appointments next week. And so it goes.

I continue to make progress on the UK OOB. I'm about halfway finished. I hope to have the UK finished around the end of the month. It's possible!



VHauser -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (10/26/2018 8:59:20 PM)

Finally done with my doctor appointments for October. There was good news and not so good news, but I'm still fairly stable for now (with one warning sign on the horizon).

Anyway, I have at least the next 6 days free to finish the UK OOB. I'm confident I'll finish within that timeframe. I continue to move the boulder!



VHauser -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (10/30/2018 6:25:32 AM)

It came to me in a dream. I literally just woke up. I will be providing a version of what you are about to read as part of the initial scenario briefing. This is a draft.

"Enigma intercepts indicate that the Germans are about to initiate massive attacks with maximum effort. These intercepts report that at least three panzer corps along with supporting forces are poised to invade Portugal and capture Gibralter. At least two panzer corps and supporting forces are poised to invade Palestine, Iraq, and Persia. At least ten panzer corps and supporting forces are poised to attack the Soviets all along the front. Axis-allied participation is expected. Tito's forces report large enemy concentrations all along their front. In addition, invasions of Malta and even England cannot be ruled out. It looks like the Germans intend to hit us with everything they have in an attempt to end this war immediately."

On another subject, I should be finished with the basic UK OOB by the end of the week.



VHauser -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (11/1/2018 3:54:41 PM)

Basic UK OOB Summary:
2 Army Groups
12 Armies or Army equivalents (including Tito's Yugoslavians, Iraq, and Persia)
23 Corps

Overall Allied OOB Summary.
The Allied OOB grew from 1999 units to 2350 units. I estimate that 50% of the Allied OOB did not change in terms of being the same units as Silvanski's version at the top of this thread. However, I changed the strengths/TOEs of pretty much all Allied units as well as many unit IDs. Overall, I did not have to completely rebuild the Allied OOB from the ground up since the human will be playing the Allies. That is why I chose to do the Allied OOB first--it was easier and gave me good practice for what is coming next. The Axis OOB is going to an order of magnitude more difficult than the Allied OOB was. I will have to re-design the Axis OOB from the ground up because the Axis will be played by the P.O. Based on my experience with the Allied OOB, I estimate that it will take me at least three months to build the Axis OOB. I will get started this weekend.

A related topic is unit availability. My working concept is that both sides have had years to fully mobilize and train and prepare. Thus, the majority of units will be available on-map and at full TOE strength from the beginning of the scenario. There will some exceptions, and I will adjust supply/readiness levels for many units, but most all units will start the scenario already on the map. And this means that players must expect heavy fighting right from the start--the buildup/mobilization was completed in the years before the scenario begins.



VHauser -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (11/5/2018 9:36:52 PM)

Over the weekend did one more quick pass of the Allied OOB and I added another unit, which brings the total from 2350 to 2351. I'm moving on to the Axis OOB now and probably won't revisit the Allied OOB for the next several months.

Preliminary thoughts on the Axis OOB.
My first project will be to consolidate/combine small units into larger units because the P.O. is better at controlling fewer large units instead of many small units. Artillery and engineer and antiaircraft units will be the first to be consolidated. I plan to do away with Axis RR repair units and simply use events to perform Axis RR repair.

My second project will be to break the panzer armies into panzer corps because the P.O. is better at controlling smaller formations. Not all nations will get mobile corps, but the Germans certainly will and the Italians probably will. Most infantry armies will stay as infantry armies since they don't require as much operational flexibility. At this point, I don't really know how this is going to work and I have a feeling that this will be a trial and error process. I'm starting both projects now.



VHauser -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (11/7/2018 4:32:28 PM)

First Impressions of the Axis OOB.
From what I can envision, Axis units will generally be stronger on a per-unit basis than Allied units because they will incorporate AFVs. Also, small Axis units will be consolidated into larger units (I'm in the process of consolidating multiple small units into brigades and divisions right now).

I'll be using a variety of Soviet units as my initial baseline for German-allied units. The Soviet OOB already contains Polish, Romanian, Czech, and Bulgarian units. I'll be using these as my standard when building Spanish, Bulgarian, Hungarian, Kroatian, Romanian, Turkish, etc. units. Italian units will be similar, but I will try to show them as trying to imitate the Germans in ways that the other German allies do not/cannot. As for the Germans themselves, I think that the German panzer forces will be the strongest ground units in the game. Without local air superiority, I think that destroying German panzer forces in a straight-up fight will be extremely difficult. However, human players are creative and I've provided them with a lot of mobility and operational flexibility (the Western Allies anyway, the Soviets not so much) to succeed even against strong German panzers. At least that is my intention. I want to provide creative humans with a challenging, difficult, yet ultimately rewarding scenario. I'm working hard to achieve that.



VHauser -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (11/10/2018 12:48:04 PM)

Of Mice and Men.
The German Maus tank is problematic. One problem is that bridges can't support them. Another problem is that trains can't carry them. So, how did the Germans transport the giant 1500-ton Gustav railroad gun? They dis-assembled it into twenty-five 60-ton pieces to move by rail, which then required 4,000 men and over a month to re-assemble. This would be impractical (to say the least) to do with 200-ton Maus tanks. Bottom line: the Maus is way more trouble than it's worth. Moreover, each Maus unit consumes enough resources to fully upgrade an infantry division into a panzergrenadier division. And the Germans can get a lot more use out of extra panzergrenadier divisions.

At this point, I'm planning to remove Maus units from the German OOB and upgrade a number of infantry divisions into panzergrenadiers. I might keep one Maus unit due to Hitler's fascination with exotic weapons, but I haven't decided yet.



larryfulkerson -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (11/10/2018 12:50:26 PM)

I appreciate your efforts with this project. Thanks.



VHauser -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (11/13/2018 11:48:57 AM)

Map Changes.
I split the Pacific and Asia holding area into two pieces. There is now an India and Asia holding area for Commonwealth forces in the same place as the former Pacific and Asia holding area. And there is now a Latin America and Asia holding area on the southwest edge of the map for USA/Allied forces. I did this to prevent the human player from easily gaining an advantage in the Middle East.

Also, I created a way for Allied naval forces to avoid the Mediterranean (German/Italian naval air patrol is very dangerous) and travel all the way around Africa to get from the Atlantic to the Persian Gulf/Suez. I added Capetown and Somalia and Port Sudan along this African route (South African forces will arrive along this route).

P.S. Thank you, Larry. This project is keeping me sane as I deal with my health issues.



VHauser -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (11/16/2018 11:26:28 AM)

Portugal and Ireland.
Both the Allies and Axis are applying intense pressure on Portugal to join their side. Portugal knows that Franco wants to invade and annex their country, and the Germans covet the tungsten mines near Coimbra. Both sides want Portuguese naval and air bases. The Allies have guaranteed Portuguese independence. The Axis knows that Brazil has already mobilized several divisions to help the Allies and that the Allies have access to the Azores. Also, the USA has provided equipment for the Portuguese Army. All the indications are that the Portuguese are preparing to join the Allies, so the Axis is preparing to invade and take Portugal by force. If the Axis annex Portugal, it would be a serious blow to the Allies.

Ireland is not so important to the success of either side. The Irish hate the British and have no real desire or motivation to join either side. However, the USA has offered military and economic aid for the use of Irish air and naval bases. The Irish are likely to join the Allies if they get assurances that the British will stay out of Irish affairs. The USA is pressuring the British to give such assurances.
[I'm considering adding a few Irish units to the Allied OOB.]
House Rules: Commonwealth units may not enter Ireland. Commonwealth units may not stack with or participate in attacks with Irish units.

I've changed the name of Somalia to Mogadishu



VHauser -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (11/19/2018 4:34:26 PM)

Troop Transport Capacities.
I'm in the process of evaluating all troop capacities. I'm asking the question, "How many divisions can be moved by rail, by sea, and by air per week?" Also, since the size of divisional TOEs (i.e., transport weights) are generally smaller than the previous version of E47, it's looking like all troop transport capacities will be significantly reduced for both sides.

The Next Five Weeks.
I have made good progress on the Axis OOB so far, but the next five weeks are going to be very busy for me away from TOAW. I'll still be spending time working on E47, but it won't be everyday regular. I'll provide occasional updates, but I don't know how often. In any event, I expect to kick this project back into high gear after Christmas. For now, I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving.



VHauser -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (11/30/2018 7:53:53 PM)

Axis OOB Update.
I've made good progress with the Axis Minor Allies. I've reworked the TOEs based on their Allied counterparts. I'm also making progress on revising their OOBs. I need to make substantial OOB changes because of Axis P.O. (mainly due to formation orders and objectives). This is tricky and will probably take multiple passes. But at least I've started the process.



larryfulkerson -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (11/30/2018 8:23:09 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: VHauser

Axis OOB Update.
I've made good progress with the Axis Minor Allies. I've reworked the TOEs based on their Allied counterparts. I'm also making progress on revising their OOBs. I need to make substantial OOB changes because of Axis P.O. (mainly due to formation orders and objectives). This is tricky and will probably take multiple passes. But at least I've started the process.

Thanks for doing this my friend. You're an asset to the community.



VHauser -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (12/3/2018 9:59:57 PM)

Movement Rates.
This is an example of unforeseen consequences. I was reading about the partisan war in the Balkans and one thing led to another. The end result is that I am now re-examining all of my movement ratings. This is a big project and certainly not what I was thinking about when I started researching partisan warfare. One of the complicating factors is that the map was drawn at 20km per hex and was re-scaled to 25km per hex even though the map itself did not change (it is still drawn at 20km per hex).

Anyway, I am quite happy with the 20km map and the 25km re-scale. I probably wouldn't play this scenario if somebody redrew the map at 25km because I think that's a very bad idea. But the re-scale does complicate some things (although the things that it improves and simplifies outweigh the complications--the pros are superior to the cons). Be that as it may, movement is not simplified by the re-scale.

And so, now (and for the foreseeable future) I am re-evaluating and revising the movement rates of several thousand units. This is what happens when re-working a scenario as big and complicated as E47.

P.S. Thank you again for your support, Larry. I'm not as young and healthy as I used to be. I can't focus and concentrate for as many hours as I used to. But I'm working as hard as I can. I'm guessing March or April 2019 to finish the basic Axis OOB. Another month or two to finish the events tree. Another month or two to finish P.O. objectives and formation orders. Another month or two to tie up loose ends. Another month or two to perform my own private preliminary testing. My best guess? Initial release probably around October 2019 (assuming I stay out of the hospital).

P.P.S. Silvanski, I've decided to name this re-worked scenario 'Cataclysm 1947'. But for now I'll continue to refer to it as E47.



VHauser -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (12/10/2018 11:55:44 AM)

Movement Rates.
I'm mostly satisfied with the movement rates now. There are still some transport allocations that need work, but I'll take care of them during a later pass.

Partisans.
Which is what I wanted to work on before I got sidetracked by movement rates. The Axis have had years to develop their antipartisan operations. Thus, Allied partisans are isolated, outnumbered, outgunned, hunted, and desperate. I've tried to deploy Allied partisans in the best possible locations, but don't expect to get much out of them except a short lifespan.

Antiaircraft.
I knew from the very beginning that antiaircraft was going to be problematic. This is the project that I'm working on now. I'm re-working the AAA ratings of all equipments in the .eqp file. Another big project that will likely keep me busy until Christmas.



VHauser -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (12/10/2018 4:47:12 PM)

Missiles.
I've decided to remove V-1 and V-2 missiles. They are strategic weapons.

ATGMs.
The first ATGMs were developed during the mid-1950s. In E47 terms, this corresponds to 1948 or 1949. These early systems were cumbersome, short-ranged, and required extensive training to be used accurately, but they were very effective if they hit the target. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with them or how I'm going to represent them, but my initial thought is to introduce them in 1949.



VHauser -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (12/11/2018 3:50:43 PM)

SAMs.
SAMs historically didn't enter service until the mid-1950s, which corresponds to 1948-49 in E47 terms. But I am incorporating them from the start of the scenario. This means I've had to make some "compromises" with history. The SA-2 Guideline missile is what I'm using as my baseline. That missile has a range of 45km and an operating altitude of 10,000-66,000 feet. I'm dropping the range to 24km (1 hex) and raising the minimum altitude to 20,000+ feet, which makes it high-altitude only. During Vietnam those missiles were deadly. I flew in B-52 bombers in the early 1970s and I know how deadly they were. Even with ever-evolving countermeasures, they were always a serious threat.

Anyway, even scaled down to E47 terms, SAMs will be quite effective. Also, it turns out that AAA gun batteries coordinated with the SAM acquisition radars which improved their capabilities. So, I'm going to leave the heavy and very-heavy AAA guns in the game and give them a marginal high-altitude capability (and also because I have to define 'high-altitude' as 20,000+ feet instead of the 30,000+ feet I originally intended). Heavy AAA guns will still be relatively ineffective because of the jet age, but they won't be completely useless.



VHauser -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (12/12/2018 5:57:22 PM)

Armored Train.
So, I'm working through the .eqp file for the first pass at my AAA ratings and I notice that the armored train has an armor thickness of 2cm and a DF of 40. Is that armored DF of 40 legitimate? Calling Bob Cross!



VHauser -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (12/20/2018 9:34:57 AM)

AAA Ratings.
I've finished my AAA ratings. I got sidetracked by messing with armored Defense Factors again. From what I can tell, each equipment slot is hardcoded for that particular equipment. For example, that equipment slot for the armored train with an armored DF of 40 is only valid for rail-only armored units. I tried to change that slot to a tank unit and it reverted to a "standard" equipment slot with the typical armored DF range of 5-7.

Anyway, I finally got back to the task at hand and I'm currently satisfied with my AAA ratings. The next 2 weeks are going to be very busy for me, so this will be my last update until 2019. Happy Holidays everybody and I'll be back in 2 weeks.



larryfulkerson -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (12/20/2018 10:05:36 AM)

Thanks a lot for your efforts and Mary Christmas.



VHauser -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (2/16/2019 6:20:36 PM)

I'm finally back and ready to work on E47 again. I've had a number of issues to deal with away from the computer, only one of which is health related.

I know I'm behind schedule. I need to do a quick review, but I'm pretty sure I was working on the Spanish. If I remember, I was finished with all .eqp issues and can concentrate fully on OOB stuff.

I need minor surgery soon (no big deal, outpatient) but the next several weeks will be busy. Anyway, I'll post updates when I can.



larryfulkerson -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (2/16/2019 7:43:52 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: VHauser

I'm finally back and ready to work on E47 again. I've had a number of issues to deal with away from the computer, only one of which is health related.

I know I'm behind schedule. I need to do a quick review, but I'm pretty sure I was working on the Spanish. If I remember, I was finished with all .eqp issues and can concentrate fully on OOB stuff.

I need minor surgery soon (no big deal, outpatient) but the next several weeks will be busy. Anyway, I'll post updates when I can.

Lots of luck with your surgery. Thanks for your efforts on this project. We're all proud of you my friend.



larryfulkerson -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (2/16/2019 7:48:56 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: VHauser

SAMs.
SAMs historically didn't enter service until the mid-1950s, which corresponds to 1948-49 in E47 terms. But I am incorporating them from the start of the scenario. This means I've had to make some "compromises" with history. The SA-2 Guideline missile is what I'm using as my baseline. That missile has a range of 45km and an operating altitude of 10,000-66,000 feet. I'm dropping the range to 24km (1 hex) and raising the minimum altitude to 20,000+ feet, which makes it high-altitude only. During Vietnam those missiles were deadly. I flew in B-52 bombers in the early 1970s and I know how deadly they were. Even with ever-evolving countermeasures, they were always a serious threat.

Anyway, even scaled down to E47 terms, SAMs will be quite effective. Also, it turns out that AAA gun batteries coordinated with the SAM acquisition radars which improved their capabilities. So, I'm going to leave the heavy and very-heavy AAA guns in the game and give them a marginal high-altitude capability (and also because I have to define 'high-altitude' as 20,000+ feet instead of the 30,000+ feet I originally intended). Heavy AAA guns will still be relatively ineffective because of the jet age, but they won't be completely useless.

How about the hand-held SAM-7? I had a SAM-7 shot at my plane about 02:30 in the morning one night over Cholon Heights, a surburb of Saigon, in September of 1972 and a flare gun saved us [ crew of 13 on an AC-130H Spectre Gunship ]. We were orbiting at about 15,000 and the missile reached our altitude in less than 5 seconds. It hit the spot we were in moments before.



btd64 -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (2/16/2019 8:21:37 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: larryfulkerson


quote:

ORIGINAL: VHauser

I'm finally back and ready to work on E47 again. I've had a number of issues to deal with away from the computer, only one of which is health related.

I know I'm behind schedule. I need to do a quick review, but I'm pretty sure I was working on the Spanish. If I remember, I was finished with all .eqp issues and can concentrate fully on OOB stuff.

I need minor surgery soon (no big deal, outpatient) but the next several weeks will be busy. Anyway, I'll post updates when I can.

Lots of luck with your surgery. Thanks for your efforts on this project. We're all proud of you my friend.

Plus One....GP



VHauser -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (2/22/2019 9:36:33 AM)

I've finished the Spanish (two armies plus three corps plus coastal/misc forces). I've basically reworked all Spanish units because the P.O. is playing the Axis. Also, I intend for the Germans and Italians to have a substantial presence in Spain, but it will be a while before I get to the Italians and Germans.

Now I'm starting on the Turkish.



larryfulkerson -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (2/22/2019 10:11:35 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: VHauser
I've finished the Spanish (two armies plus three corps plus coastal/misc forces). I've basically reworked all Spanish units because the P.O. is playing the Axis. Also, I intend for the Germans and Italians to have a substantial presence in Spain, but it will be a while before I get to the Italians and Germans.

Now I'm starting on the Turkish.

Are you saving the Italians and Germans to the last because they are the largest? Are you going to use the new version of the TOAW EQP file? There's a thread dedicated to it and a d/l link to obtain it here:

http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=4431184

As I understand it, it's got 1000+ more equipment items in addition to the standard ones. I don't know if you knew about it or not so I'm bringing it to your attention in case you didn't know. You're probably working on your own custom EQP file, now that I think about it.



VHauser -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (2/23/2019 8:00:32 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: larryfulkerson

quote:

ORIGINAL: VHauser
I've finished the Spanish (two armies plus three corps plus coastal/misc forces). I've basically reworked all Spanish units because the P.O. is playing the Axis. Also, I intend for the Germans and Italians to have a substantial presence in Spain, but it will be a while before I get to the Italians and Germans.

Now I'm starting on the Turkish.

Are you saving the Italians and Germans to the last because they are the largest? Are you going to use the new version of the TOAW EQP file? There's a thread dedicated to it and a d/l link to obtain it here:

http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=4431184

As I understand it, it's got 1000+ more equipment items in addition to the standard ones. I don't know if you knew about it or not so I'm bringing it to your attention in case you didn't know. You're probably working on your own custom EQP file, now that I think about it.


Larry,
Yes, I work with the smallest/easiest nations first because they help me establish protocols and benchmarks for the larger nations later. Also, working with smaller nations first gives me practice which helps speed up the process with larger nations later. Further, it speeds the process of rationalizing the Axis and Allied OOBs. I'm constantly cross-referencing and I've already had to make a number of changes to the Allied OOB based on the work I did with the Spanish. By the time I get to the Italians and Germans, I hope to have most all of that rationalization between Axis and Allies finished.

Regarding the .eqp file, you are correct. I've extensively customized the .eqp file based on the hypothetical E47 timeline. It would take months to re-customize a new .eqp file to the E47 timeline.



VHauser -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (2/28/2019 7:17:41 AM)

I'm back from my surgery and it appears to be successful. However, the surgeon discovered I have a hiatal hernia. So, I guess I have another surgery to look forward to...

Anyway, I'll be finished with the Turks (and the Syrians) today or tomorrow. After that, I'll work on the French/Vichy, Belgians, and Dutch.



VHauser -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (3/4/2019 9:39:54 AM)

I've finished Turkey, Syria, France/Vichy, Belgium, and Holland.

Now I'm working on Croatia, Serbia, and Bulgaria.



VHauser -> RE: Europa 1947 for TOAW IV (3/7/2019 9:04:54 AM)

I've finished Croatia, Serbia, and Bulgaria.

Now I'm working on Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania. I'm going to be very busy for the next week or so, which means that these nations will take longer to finish.

Also, working on these smaller Axis nations has raised some issues regarding the Allies, especially switching sides/defections. This will result in changes to the Allied OOB...



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