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Sandbox Single Player - 6/14/2015 6:45:26 PM

Marvin Pontiac

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Hi,

Everytime I start a sandbox game, the game ends before the enemy and I even engage. Sometimes (in case of line of sight games) very quickly (e.g. less than 2 minutes into the game). Now I played an attack game and was making my way towards the enemy and game just ends saying I won the battle? What am I doing wrong?

Marv

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RE: Sandbox Single Player - 6/14/2015 6:47:49 PM

Jim_NSD

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Try adjusting the score for winning an objective down to a smaller value and the score needed to win a game up so that the game does not end if the enemy happens to march through a high value objective.

-Jim

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RE: Sandbox Single Player - 6/14/2015 6:48:12 PM

Rosseau

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Check the time limit on the setup page. Same has happened to me.

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RE: Sandbox Single Player - 6/14/2015 7:03:57 PM

Marvin Pontiac

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Joined: 1/22/2013
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Hi Jim & Rosseau,

Thanks for spelling it out Jim. I think I get it now. I assume that if I set the number of objectives to zero it will mean we always have to fight (call me cruel but I'm not playing this game to just march my troops through a bunch of objectives

.) Otherwise I can just set the score per objective real low.

Thanks guys!

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RE: Sandbox Single Player - 6/14/2015 7:22:07 PM

Rosseau

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Nice idea. I've never done that. But let us know if/how the AI responds to no objectives

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RE: Sandbox Single Player - 6/14/2015 11:27:38 PM

Marvin Pontiac

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Well did an 'Attack' sandbox single play at division size with zero objectives and it just created 1 objective anyway. But that worked excellent. Sort of a stale mate situation but all of a sudden the Brits started to withdraw don't know why really. Before it happened I saved the game. Reopened it and none of my artillery was firing. Pretty sure it was firing before when I saved it. They still had ammo and weren't fully fatigued (most of 'm not even 3/4 fatigued) and had full morale. They had targets too. I put time on fast-forward and started sending some to resupply they started firing again (I think). Then I moved some others back but they didn't seem to be firing. Then no one was firing anymore and I noticed (wasn't paying attention anymore to the infantry at the front) that the Brits had retreated significantly.
Also taking the church was a bit strange. I thought I would have to attack it like in the tutorial. The banner thing over it (hexagon or something) said '1000'. But nobody was firing from the church. At some point I had surrounded it and the popup came up that I had won the battle. Hmmm.
I guess I don't understand the game yet. I'm pretty sure that artillery was firing before I saved it though.
Well I'm off reading the manual some more.

EDIT: Forgot the positive: Really enjoyed myself.

Marv

< Message edited by Marvin Pontiac -- 6/15/2015 12:34:27 AM >

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RE: Sandbox Single Player - 6/15/2015 12:13:53 AM

Marvin Pontiac

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Well, couldn't leave it so looked some more. The artillery problem was supply. I didn't realize they had different types of ammo. In the status panel it says they still have some ammo. But in the weapons panel I saw that they had canisters (good for 200 yards) but not shells (good for 1200 yards). That's the why

. Now another thing though. If I order a unit to resupply it sometimes just walks to the supply wagon and then just stands there. Doesn't resupply. Also if I order a whole regiment to resupply they all walk to the supply wagon but most of them don't seem to get resupply and afterwards they just stand there (mostly still unsupplied).

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RE: Sandbox Single Player - 6/15/2015 12:55:36 AM

jomni

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My biggest problem with sandbox is setting the score. I just don't know what's balanced and enjoyable. Any pointers?

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RE: Sandbox Single Player - 6/15/2015 2:29:39 AM

Marvin Pontiac

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All I can say is that if you want to be sure your game doesn't end prematurely that you want to set the score a good bit higher than what you would get for capturing all of the objectives without a single fight. So if the per objective score is 7 and you have 3 objectives than a good bit higher than 21.
'A good bit' depends on how large and involved the fights will be. If I am correct each unit get's about 1 point per kill. (And also for some other things like making a unit retreat etc.) The total score of all your units is added to your score. So if you have 1 objective of 1000 points and you need to get through 1000 enemy men to get to the objective you might want to add about 300 to the 1000? I guess.

EDIT: What I probably will do for attack scenarios is set set the objective score really low so that you'll always have to do plenty of fighting. I can judge myself then whether I have won or not. I mean when my men have surrounded or have passed all of the objectives I basically have won score or no score.

< Message edited by Marvin Pontiac -- 6/15/2015 3:33:21 AM >

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RE: Sandbox Single Player - 6/15/2015 2:31:45 AM

goodwoodrw

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OOps wrong place

< Message edited by BASB -- 6/15/2015 4:23:33 AM >

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RE: Sandbox Single Player - 6/15/2015 5:43:18 AM

Rosseau

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It's a pretty complex sim, but fun to discover the nuances. I went back to SoW Gettsyburg for comparison, and in general, Waterloo is going to really set a standard with some patches.

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RE: Sandbox Single Player - 6/15/2015 7:31:10 AM

vincere

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What I'd like from Sandbox is decent brigade to corps battles- but with an army that's incentivised to split a little. At the moment managing a whole army is too much

Early observations so far playing control the map-

1. The battles are finishing too early. Spend decent time marching to contact; only for their side to defeat just as the battle gets hot. The last battle they had a whole infantry brigade+ in reserve. Somewhat significant fun killer- and I doubt they could have extricated without more casualties.

2. Too many town battles- I suppose I will have to try and intercept them on the road.

3. Sometimes it places the enemy too close- basically in contact straight away.

4. Still fun so would really like the sandbox polished /developed more in future.

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RE: Sandbox Single Player - 6/15/2015 1:28:42 PM

Leffe7

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quote:

Also taking the church was a bit strange. I thought I would have to attack it like in the tutorial. The banner thing over it (hexagon or something) said '1000'. But nobody was firing from the church.

This sounds as if the church was empty indeed ;-). Over every fortified building there is always an icon with the number of men it can hold (1000, 1500), be it occuppied or empty. You want to take a look if there are unit Flags above the building to see if it is occupied.

quote:

none of my artillery was firing

Apart from missing ammo as you found out in your case, it could also be that the line of fire is blocked by other friendly troops (indicated by an icon in the toolbar).

Supply: You can also move the supply wagon yourself close to other units to get them supplied. You will want to TC the supply wagon in this case.

Sandbox victory points: I suggest to raise the victory point limit to very high values, so the battle would not end points based but time based.

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RE: Sandbox Single Player - 6/15/2015 3:08:34 PM

vincere

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Leffe7

Sandbox victory points: I suggest to raise the victory point limit to very high values, so the battle would not end points based but time based.

Interesting, how is that done? I looked for a screen for that in the options but didn't see it.

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RE: Sandbox Single Player - 6/15/2015 5:22:56 PM

Marvin Pontiac

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When setting up your single player sandbox game (not campaign) there is a slider for 'Score Limit' I guess that is what Leffe7 means.

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RE: Sandbox Single Player - 6/15/2015 5:37:24 PM

vincere

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Marvin Pontiac

When setting up your single player sandbox game (not campaign) there is a slider for 'Score Limit' I guess that is what Leffe7 means.

Thanks- found it in Sandbox battle. I was looking for it in campaign

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RE: Sandbox Single Player - 6/16/2015 2:07:42 AM

Norb

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quote:

ORIGINAL: jomni

My biggest problem with sandbox is setting the score. I just don't know what's balanced and enjoyable. Any pointers?

This is what I do for sandbox score. I set it to a crazy value, then I set the objectives to the same value. That gives a great fight over an objective and who ever wins the spot, wins the sandbox. 10k is my usual for this.

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RE: Sandbox Single Player - 6/16/2015 10:55:38 PM

Jim_NSD

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Also the Attack and Defend sandbox battle types will force one objective so that the AI knows where to attack or defend. If you want zero objectives, you need to choose Line of Sight or Hunt them down.

-Jim

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Design Lead: Scourge of War

"My God, if we've not got a cool brain and a big one too, to manage this affair, the nation is ruined forever." Unknown private, 14th Vermont Infantry, 2 July 1863

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RE: Sandbox Single Player - 6/17/2015 6:55:42 AM

aaatoysandmore

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This was a problem I had in Gettysburg, the game would end abruptly before even getting started and I HAD up the time limits and lowered the values. I had to get a special mod made (by someone associated with Norb and/or Matrix) for it to finally work half arsed. This was with max time setting also. Kinda sucks when it takes 30 minutes to march across the map and then it ends first encounter.

It still happens from time to time if I take too many casualties but it shouldn't end the sandbox just because I lost half my men.

I've gotten to where now I lay back as a reserve before committing my men so the sandbox will last longer. It was so bad there for awhile if I took ANY casualties the game would end abruptly.

I never had this problem when they were Mad Minute and both 2nd Manassas games.

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RE: Sandbox Single Player - 6/17/2015 7:22:16 AM

Leffe7

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Are you seeing this in Waterloo Sandbox battles?
(Note that in Sandbox campaign battles a battle might end early when the AI has taken enough beating leading to a retreat.)
Please post your sandbox settings you have set.

In my sandbox battles I prefer to end a battle by myself and not by reaching a score limit or a time limit. I do this by setting the score limit very high. The time limit can be set to 0 (meaning no time timit).

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RE: Sandbox Single Player - 6/17/2015 7:37:42 AM

jomni

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But there's no stats page after the battle to view performance of all combatants from both sides.

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