Advanced Third Reich mod v1.3 for v1.16.02 Update

[pzgndr]

I have made some minor adjustments to my A3R mod. A few things were annoying me, and I also wanted to verify the v1.16.02 update maintained play balance. Attached is the 1939 campaign.

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Advanced Third Reich for Strategic Command WWII: War In Europe, v1.3
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DATA CHANGES
- restored Palestine and Trans-Jordan as separate minor countries (the aesthetics are more important than 10 BRPs)

SCRIPT CHANGES
- fixed TYPE=2 error for US continuous reinforcements to Morcocco
- adjusted amphibious_minor and transport_minor scripts for German intervention in Norway
- deleted transport script and added unit script for arrival of Rommel HQ in Tripoli

[pzgndr]

Attached here is the 1941 scenario.

[pzgndr]

As I said, this minor update cleans up a few things. Germany's amphibious invasion of Norway scripting and transport scripting to get Rommel to North Africa were sometimes problematic; these are fixed for the Axis AI. And I missed having Palestine and Trans-Jordan.

I would also like to share a few thoughts about A3R, as a grand strategy WWII ETO wargame. Having playtested both Strategic Command WWII War in Europe and recently WarPlan, the notable difference is that A3R is much simpler and easier to play. Both WIE and WarPlan have large orders of battle and shorter turns, approaching a "grand operational" level with more detail and more complexity. While many players want and appreciate this, many other players simply do not have enough time or patience to play such games. Additionally, the increased complexity makes it difficult to provide a challenging computer opponent, something else that many players want for solitaire gaming. So, although A3R is more abstract, it is quite playable with both Axis and Allied AI providing a challenging computer opponent. The Third Reich Historical Notes from the original boardgame are timeless and are provided here and with the download files. My final comment is for players who may never have tried the Third Reich or Advanced Third Reich boardgames or my A3R adaptation mod, and/or may be overwhelmed by WIE and WarPlan. Please try my A3R mod and see what you think. Enjoy!

[Batavian]

Thanks. I will give this update a try. Thank you for your dedication and hard work.

[JawBreaker]

All Hail pzgndr!

I kid you not .. I'm going through a real messy divorce over the last 18 months (it seems like this will never end) and there's been times when I felt like putting a barrel in my mouth and spraying some spaghetti sauce all over the wall behind me.

Instead, I play this mod.

And it absorbs me and I make it through one more day.

When you are working on this .. and you get frustrated .. or if you feel like it doesn't make any difference or nobody plays it or it's just a waste of time ... I dunno if it's actually true because I never really got to *THAT* edge because of this mod but ..

Your efforts .. your work .. your excellence and knowledge of the subject matter and sheer brilliance in creating a viable opponent to engage and plan against .. well, you just might have saved one man's life because of those efforts.

This is not a joke nor an exaggeration.

Divorce after 15 years of marriage is one hell of a thing. Especially for a man. For a woman? Hey, the ugliest, fattest woman at the bar will EVENTUALLY find some sad sack that will, in fact, take her home.

And that's just the way the world works.

For men?

You got a big wallet, you got love and life and a great existence.

But, if a computer comes along and automates you out of a career .. well, remove plastic from main entree.

I can't express to you in any authentic and deeper way my true gratitude for your efforts on this nor request, nee plead, in a more vivid fashion that you keep going and refine it further and further.

I still have the child custody phase to endure and, bud .. I'm gonna need ya.

True & Honest, and with all I have, I say unto you:

Thanks, my friend.

Thank you so much for this.

JB

[pzgndr]

ORIGINAL: JawBreaker
Your efforts .. your work .. your excellence and knowledge of the subject matter and sheer brilliance in creating a viable opponent to engage and plan against .. well, you just might have saved one man's life because of those efforts.

Wow. That's a heck of an endorsement but I'll take it. I remember you PM'd me a couple years ago. Good to hear you're hanging in there and that somehow my nefarious AI scripting keeps you coming back for more.

So yeah, I also went through a divorce after 30 years and it truly is a hell of a thing for us guys. Been remarried now for 5 years. Hang in there, keep driving on, and sooner or later life changes for the better.

Regarding viable computer opponent. We all hear about how it can't be done for this scale of game, yada yada yada. I humbly disagree and that was my motivation to do it. Thank you for playing A3R and acknowledging my efforts!

[Franciscus]

Indeed, your mod is great !

Are you planning to release a new version for patch 1.27 ?

Regards

[pzgndr]

ORIGINAL: Franciscus
Are you planning to release a new version for patch 1.27 ?

No plans at this point. I don't see anything in the change log that would adversely affect anything? Some modest AI improvements that might help maybe.

Realistically, maybe after I get the next Empires in Arms update officially released I may relook A3R. If anyone spots some bugs or issues then that would be something to consider.

[PHalen]

Thanks & kudos for your fine A3R mod that I’ve been curious about for years and finally took for a spin.
And I became hooked!

As an AI player only with irregular time slots for gaming, I’m really enjoying the overview & fast gaming pace of the A3R mod. I was expecting more of a “beer & pretzel” experience but am impressed by how you’ve managed to create an engaging combo of simplicity & some maintained depth while providing variations and plenty of distinct 3R nostalgia! [:)]

The variants are great fun!
In my first game as Axis, first Norway turned Allied (so…?) Then as I created Vichy, both Algeria and Syria turned Free French (ehh…OK). And then again in December 1941 - as I was heavily committed in Russia - Spain & Turkey both turned Allied on the same turn and rolled into France & Bulgaria respectively (WHAT???) I suppose that’s because I had completely ignored Diplomacy…?
In another game as Axis (intent on not ignoring Diplomacy), Belgium turned Allied on the first turn & rolled into Cologne as I was away in Poland.
The variants not only provide intriguing “what-if” alternatives, but I feel they also keep me on my toes as I never quite know what might happen.

Although initially intended for personal use, I’ve made some graphical editing of your A3R mod that I’ll mail across to you for consideration if you may find some concepts worth exploring/tweaking for implementation.

Cheers & thanks again for a very well made & entertaining mod indeed!

[pzgndr]

ORIGINAL: PHalen
Thanks & kudos for your fine A3R mod...
The variants are great fun!
The variants not only provide intriguing “what-if” alternatives, but I feel they also keep me on my toes as I never quite know what might happen.

Thank you!

Although I scripted all of the AI and events, to be as faithful to the boardgame as possible plus some, even I get surprised when I get to play. In fairness, some of the "what-ifs" are more improbable than not (like Belgium attacking into Germany) but most all of these are just minor distractions and deviations from the historical ebb and flow of the war. And yeah, if you play with diplomacy you need to watch what the AI is doing and keep up!

[lordhoff]

ORIGINAL: pzgndr

Realistically, maybe after I get the next Empires in Arms update officially released I may relook A3R. If anyone spots some bugs or issues then that would be something to consider.

OK, you linked me here when I bumped an old post. Now I see you're working on another old favorite of mine. I tried the MATRIX PC version but, well, I was greatly disappointed. If I can dig up the old hard copy and when you release this, I'll check it out.

[pzgndr]

ORIGINAL: lordhoff
OK, you linked me here when I bumped an old post. Now I see you're working on another old favorite of mine. I tried the MATRIX PC version but, well, I was greatly disappointed. If I can dig up the old hard copy and when you release this, I'll check it out.

Whoa, you're not going to get yourself into the "Advanced Third Reich - Empires in Arms Vortex" are you? It's too late for me; save yourself! LOL

But seriously, the A3R v1.3 mod is available and I should be posting the v1.23.05 hotfix for EIA tomorrow. Still the Matrix PC version, but with lots of improvements.

[lordhoff]

Looks like it.

I'm rather glad I don't need Third Reich PC too - I found one on Amazon $115. Much more then I was willing to pay.

[TangSooDo]

I'v been playing this and new versions as they've become available. Yes, it's clean, it's relatively simple, very playable and nuanced enough to keep on playing. It's a great mod. The one thing I find pretty unrealistic, and I confess I don't remember how this plays in the original boardgame, is the ability of fleets to do significant damage to land or air units on a coast. It just seems a bit excessive.

[pzgndr]

ORIGINAL: TangSooDo
The one thing I find pretty unrealistic, and I confess I don't remember how this plays in the original boardgame, is the ability of fleets to do significant damage to land or air units on a coast. It just seems a bit excessive.

The boardgame restricted shore bombardment to only support seaborne invasions, and not for exploitation attacks or any other hex not under attack by seaborne invasion. This is one of those issues with the SC game mechanics; if you allow some shore bombardment capability then naval units are free to bombard anywhere. Ditto for air ground support, which should be restricted to supporting ground attacks and not able to freely attack any units anywhere (and ultimately being able to destroy land units with either air or naval attack).

So the issue boils down to whether air and naval attacks are 'too' powerful by themselves or not. On my other v1.4 discussion thread I mentioned that I might reconsider Tac Bombers and knock them down a notch for ground attack. Maybe also reconsider Fleets. My nagging concern is that even a 1 factor reduction might be too much, but maybe not?

[steevodeevo]

thanks for the continued support.

[yammahoper]

Wow. An A3R mod?

My hands are sweating in anticipation. Thank you good sir!

[OxfordGuy3]

Does this version of the Mod work with the current 1.18 SC WiE version?

[OxfordGuy3]

Also - is there a way to get this to work with Welk's Boardgame map mod? If so, which files should/shouldn't be copied to the _Advanced Third Reich 1939 Campaign v1.3 folder?

[Batavian]

Yes (works with 1.18) and yes (works with boardgame mod).

Boardgame mod installation instructions...
https://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=4193147