AltHist-A: Shall We Try Again?

[IronWarrior]

hmmm good point vaalen. How about we "pause" this one and try the mod? That way if the mod doesn't work for any reason we can come back to it?

[Mus]

I like the idea of trying a new game and coming back to this one if it fails.

If we do restart with a mod the key is clear fool proof instructions on how to install and make sure all players do it step by step.

I am going to be fairly busy rest of the week. I will check in 1 or 2 times over the next few days to finish tallying the votes.

[vaalen]

Ironwarrior, I like your solution best of all.

I vote for starting a new game with the mod, and pausing the current game. If the mod fails, we go back to the current game.

And I agree with Mus that we msut get accurate, foolproof instuctions for installing the Mod.

I am not going to do anything further on this game until we have a final vote and know what game we are going to play.

ORIGINAL: IronWarrior

hmmm good point vaalen. How about we "pause" this one and try the mod? That way if the mod doesn't work for any reason we can come back to it?

[Marshal Villars]

Like I said, I HATE to restart. I HATE it. In fact, I just now almost said to "continue". But then I saw Vaalen's point about the game being designed to help me do work on a WCS project. So, maybe we should use the mod.

Game suspended (for maybe another day) until the decision can be reached. Make sure you have your official vote in. I would really like to know.

(but maybe we should just play on) [&:][&:][&:][&:]

[Marshal Villars]

OFFICIAL VOTE TALLY POST:

Mus votes to continue or restart with mod, coming back to this game if mod fails to take

Randomizer changed his vote to continue.

Ironwarrior votes to continue or restart with mod, coming back to this game if mod fails to take.

Vaalen votes to restart.

Montesaurus votes to do whatever everyone else decides.

Terje has said "it is all the same to me"

Anthropoid "Sure restart sounds fine to me."

Marshal Villars would love to use the mod, but would also love to keep playing so is looking to others to help him decide. LOL

Please chime in with your official vote.

Restart or continue are the two picks. Hopefully we can have this settled in 24 hours one way or the other.

(Villars is about to say continue...and I will work on the mod which can be use when the next patch comes out (since backwards compatability is not guaranteed) if we decide to used any newly released patches instead of continuing--in fact I am about to say we do this).

[Marshal Villars]

I have been playing my own local game as France with the mod. And I have to say it is nice having historically rich regions be rich (like Bohemia) and poor ones be poor (like Tyrol). I also love the snow which hits along the Alps in winter and less so in other mountainous or high lying regions. For me, the more accurate placement of superfortresses is also much more enjoyable. As well as the better placement of the supply points. I can promise you that all of this is based on a ton of research I did, and I know when I am playing my mod, that I am playing the best there is to offer--historically speaking.

I am about to strongly recommend that we get the last couple of players in this PBEM who are not on my playtesting team signed up so that we can move this whole game thread into my project's forum and not worry about what we say in here. I think that means that Terje and Montesaurus need to get signed up.

[Anthropoid]

Sure restart sounds fine to me. Same nations again?
 
The "fool proof" instructions for mod installation would be particular useful for this here fool [:D]

[Marshal Villars]

As far as I am aware, I will create a scenario folder (using the 1792 Poland folder as a base) and make my changes. Then I will rename it to "1792 Poland QSP". Each of you will get this file and add it to your CoG:EE/Scenarios folder. If EVERYONE has done this, it should work. I will double check with Eric.

[vaalen]

This sounds great to me.

ORIGINAL: Marshal Villars

I have been playing my own local game as France with the mod. And I have to say it is nice having historically rich regions be rich (like Bohemia) and poor ones be poor (like Tyrol). I also love the snow which hits along the Alps in winter and less so in other mountainous or high lying regions. For me, the more accurate placement of superfortresses is also much more enjoyable. As well as the better placement of the supply points. I can promise you that all of this is based on a ton of research I did, and I know when I am playing my mod, that I am playing the best there is to offer--historically speaking.

I am about to strongly recommend that we get the last couple of players in this PBEM who are not on my playtesting team signed up so that we can move this whole game thread into my project's forum and not worry about what we say in here. I think that means that Terje and Montesaurus need to get signed up.

[Randomizer]

Today is Rememberance Day here and so am off to the local Cenotaph.  I will conform with the concensus regarding a restart but will be gone for a while today.

[Marshal Villars]

Nice to hear it Randomizer. Go pay those men the respect they deserve.

I need to say that in the mod the Ottoman Empire and Russia are nations which are more difficult to forage in--average forage values are around 30k with one or two regions above that and several around 20k! They had relatively low population densities. Note that this is historically how it was and I kept reading about this over and over in my research. Indeed, descriptions about campaigning in the Ottoman Empire even used the term "wastelands". However, this is also a double edged sword. Anyone invading your lands will have a hard time supplying their troops as well. Poland is much like this in the east as well. As well as most of Hungary. Should be interesting and much more realistic based on my reading. Note that the foraging values come almost directly from a population density map of the period (as population density was the key variable in an area's ability to supply invading armies, though there is a SLIGHT modification for the wealth of a region as well).

IF we go with the restart, I think I will loosen up restrictions on the Russian, Ottoman, Polish, and Austrian acquisition of the "forage" attribute for their light troops and cavalry because of this.

I would need 2-3 days to polish it up and test the final changes. And then I could send the mod out to everyone and we could get started again.

While I almost want to just continue, Vaalen's statement that the goal of this game is to help me do design work reminds me of the purpose--and it isn't just to have fun. If so, I think I would continue. But I think it would be irresponsible of me to say no to such an opportunity to try out historically based forage values, supply locations, and winter.

-V

[Marshal Villars]

I just remembered that the current forage value for COG:EE in Cracow is 20k!!! And in the mod it is 50k.

COGEE Prague: 30k
1792 QFP: 60k

COGEE Tyrol: 60k
1792 QFP: 10k

LOTS of other examples. Too many to mention here.

Yes. I hate to say it, but we should restart. Again, I need 2-3 days to finish the mod and test it quickly. Eric was excited to get his hands on it and test it as well.

[Anthropoid]

Well then let us RESTART! Get that mod finalized, zip it up and put it on the site, and after everyone confirms by a note here on the site that they have installed it and started up a game with it successfully (just a test start on SP mode I'd think?) then we can let 'er rip!

[Marshal Villars]

Okay. For the next 48 hours I want you guys to comment on the three supply map versions I have posted at this thread...

I am very interested in your thoughts on the location of the supply points (the triangles!!!).

tm.asp?m=2288219&mpage=1&key=?

COMMENT ONLY ON THE ONES WHICH SAY "ALTHIST VERSION". ONLY POST YOUR COMMENTS IN THIS (ALTHIST) FORUM NOT IN THAT THREAD! It keeps things simpler. I posted the images there, because I am not limited to less than 200k there, like I am in here.

Tell me which density of supply points is the best in your opinion. Or if anything is missing or too much.

You will notice that there are three versions of the map, each with less and less restrictive criteria on which provinces get the supply points. I won't tell you which one is my favorite yet.

[Anthropoid]

Hey guys, question here . . . I really don't want to go beyond two PBEMs at a time, but, now that I'm starting to mess around with WiTP:AE, I'm thinking that eventually I'd like to get into a PBEM with that great game.
 
It would seem if I want to open up that possibility then I need to restrict myself to only one CoGEE PBEM . . . since the PBEM109 is going strong now at about turn 75, whereas these "experimental" alt hist ones are now in a transition phase, me bowing out of this one would seem to be the most logical.
 
Out of sheer humility, I'll now anticipate that there will be a great clamoring of the great "value" which I, with my astounding brilliance, bring to Villars' playtesting group . . . [:D]
 
Well the honest truth is: I don't really know jack squat about Napoleonic Era, and besides, what generalized gamer feedback I can offer could be just as well placed if I stand on the sidelines and just watch.
 
So, how about it? Do you think you could find someone else to take my place as Russia in AltHist_B?

[Marshal Villars]

Anthropoid, if you feel over committed that's fine. It is too bad, but it is fine. Though I am worried about filling your seat. You may have quit later then, and now is better than later. So, do what you feel best with. However, it makes me want to just go on with the game, since your posting above put me in the "redo" column. But if you already feel stretched, then I have no problems with it of course and I would rather lose you now than two months into another game.

[Marshal Villars]

I have another important question that I want feedback from just this group on.

Some people (in other long forgotten threads and emails to Eric) have complained that they would like to have the option of playing PBEMs once other players have dropped out. Said in another way, they want to keep the files, and simply play on--without the other players.

This raises the question, if one could do this it would mean that you could just open the files of your enemy and other players and look right in. What do you think about this? Or do you think that something like this should only be allowed if you collect everyone's password?

[Randomizer]

I personally like Version 3 for the next AltHist_B.
 
@ Anthropoid.  But you make such a fine Czar of All the Russia's!  And I mean All of them!  However, I imagine that getting into AE constitutes a full time job.  Good Luck and Best Regards whatever you decide to do.

[Anthropoid]

See if you can find someone to take over Russia for me.
 
If not, I'll forge ahead. If so, then it is a win-win for everyone. We've got a couple days so maybe you'll be able to find someone. Russia is a very interesting position to play, and fairly forgiving as far as being reckless, impulsive, incompetent, risk-prone [:D]

[IronWarrior]

Hehe I can totally relate, Anthropoid. Look me up if you need an easy opponent for AE. [:D] I am currently stretched quite thin with all the games I'm in, but my AE games are almost finished (playing 2 games of the Guadalcanal scenario).

Might I recommend waiting for patch 2 before undertaking too much in AE? I think it might be worth waiting for before you start a new game. And yeah, awesome awesome game. [;)]