Fatal Years 1.04

[Chilperic]

I will upload tomorrow on my blog the 1.05 version of Fatal Year.

Here's the changelog from the previous version:


1) Trotsky isn’t anymore railbound. He now moves as any leader. The railbound trait is creating endless problems for a very small result. Moreover, many times Trotsky will be in a railroad region of close to it because of the constraints of supply.

2) Thanks to the insightful remarks of Old Fenrir here :

http://www.ageod-forum.com/showthread.php?t=23512

Most of the Don army will be locked in the first 2 turns. Realist and helping game balance.

Most of his other suggestions have been implemented in FY since several months ago. Reds have more artillery, regional policies earn more tothem, etc.

3) AI should be much more active during winter. The AI passivity during winter is helping human player too much and these long lulls are just unhistorical. Both sides attacked several times during winter. One reason to lower AI aggro during winter was the risk of attritional losses, as AI has no real clue about attrition. If necessary, I prefer to help AI by giving it a boost in replacement to compensate ( not yet done, only if tests show this to be needed).

4) bug fixes here and there…

5) Northern Caucasus Army group may suffer during first months random paralysis ( ie units are locked for one turn). The Red leader Sorokin, murdered at least one subrdinate, did a putsch against leader of the local Soviets and was finally assassinated by his own troops…It had to be protrayed and i will be an incitative for Red player to not push too much troops in the Kuban at start.

5) AI will build more supply wagons.

6) Southern Whites AI will target more often Tzaristsyn in the first months.

7) Improved a bit Red AI behaviour in Turkestan.

8) Increased possibility of small green revolts in Ukraine



8) Ukrainian faction will have now guerilla units ( a few)

9) The finnish offensive against Olonets in April 19 is now portrayed, under the form of a Green faction action. The event will fire randomly if Finland isn’t offically at war with the Reds and cease if the war begins. Finns limited force are belonging to the Green faction as this action was considered as hostile both by Reds and Allied powers.



10) The Republic of Northern Caucasus will be represented too as a Green revolt, popping up randomly around Grozny.

11) If Reds are played by an human, the loss of Perm, Kazan, Simbirsk, Saratov before november 18 could cost Reds aloss of 7 NM each. This new rule is destined to depict the priority Volga got over Southern Front in the first months, as Reds saw in Czech Legion a most dangerous enemy than the small Denikin and Krasnov forces. A player knows the Legion will disappear from active play after november, which Reds ignored and Southern Whites high quality Army will become a very potent enemy in the future, hence the tentation to strike first in South. Red player can take the risk and bet on chance to avoid the NM penalties, but it will have now to think twice about.

[Chilperic]

You may download this new version on my blog ( see my sig)

The changelog is at the end of the rules booklet, in pdf.

Remember a video is available to explain how to install Fatal Years:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtU0m_oZ ... r_embedded

Install steps:
First, you should create a copy of your Revolution under Siege directory, so a copy will be left untouched by the mod, and the second modded.There are no side effects as having several copies of any AGEOD game based on the AGE engine ( BOA, WIA, NCP, AACW, ROP And RUS of course)

The modded copy should have as path C:\ Revolution under siege mod. This path will be the one used for installation. If you choose to apply the mod to the normal directory, or to give another name to the second RUS folder, you will have to enter the new path manually when prompted.

Then

1) Unrar contents of the archive in the C:\ Revolution under siege mod\

2) Launch FY.exe

3) Follow the instructions . When prompted click yes to all.

If the mod isn’t properly installed? That’s certainly because the path of your RUS folder isn’t the default one, C:\ Revolution under siege mod. The path could be C:\Program Files (x86)\Revolution under Siege or C:\Program Files\Revolution under Siege.

It could be C:Revolution under Siege or D:\Revolution under Siege. In such a case, just enter the right path when prompted.

The future of Fatal Years:

I plan to update the mod each Sunday. The current version has certainly yet bugs. It remains work to be done on details, like some minor nationalist forces. Balance is yet under way.

That’s not to say FY is unplayable, even on PBEM. .

[Chilperic]

Never a new version of FY has been so much downloaded.

Thanks to all. It proves work will always prevail .

That's why I will create yet more mods.

[Chilperic]

Bashkirs in the next Fatal Years version


For some historical background:

http://pygmy-wars.50megs.com/barendspag ... hkirs.html

In the next FY version, White Bashkir units will randomly be removed from November 1918. This system is simpler than lowering their cohesion and health values, for the same result, as unreliable Bashkir troops were removed from duty on the frontline.

As soon Reds will control Bashkir homeland, a playable option will create a Red Bashkir division.

This first change, beyond historical favour, is aimed to improve the balance as obviously Siberian Whites have stronger military power than they should. historical flavour isn’t contrary to game balance. The AI will not have knowledge of this rule, but its impact over AI performance shouldn’t be strong, considering AI has recruitment events routine working well.



More measures later.

[Chilperic]

I’ve just discovered the arguably best military history of the RCW in English is available on the Google books:



http://books.google.com/books/about/The ... hXZD2BPeQC



The work of P. Kenez on the Southern Whites too:

http://books.google.fr/books?id=vREGB60 ... &q&f=false



Interesting book on Red Guards:

http://books.google.com/books?id=aLOrAA ... &q&f=false

Last, an English story of the Baltic States only the title is in German):

http://books.google.com/books?id=DwLVOS ... ar&f=false



Good reading

[Chilperic]

Czech legion: myth and reality


The myth: a superior force with high morale fighting against Bolsheviks until disheartened by the Kolchak rightist politics.

The reality: a superior force fighting for his own survival by taking control of the Transsiberian railway, mostly having some sort of sympathy for SR, but more and more reluctant from October 18 to play an active role in a foreign civil War. A minority remained strongly anti-Bolshevik, the majority adopting a very neutral attitude.

One officer, Svec shot himself in October 18 in protest and despair of the reluctance of his unit to fight.



So, in next FY version, from October 18, Czech units in the Volga theater will risk to lose cohesion or be locked for one turn. That’s a second step to balance the game.



If Siberian Whites chooses the Alternate path, the risk will remain, with a lower percentage until the rise of Kolchak to power.

[Chilperic]

The Green Bashkirs


after having exposed a bit White Bashkir, Red Bashkir, let’s talk a little about Green Bashkirs, ie the revolt they fomented in 1920 when Reds turned back their former promises of autonomy:



In May 1920 the Soviets issued a new decree on Bashkir autonomy, which effectively removed any real control from the BashRevKom. The Bashkir opposed this, and inevitably the local Soviets reacted with seizures, punitive raids and terror – supported by the local Russian peasants, who hoped to gain more land. Equally inevitably it grew into a full-scale revolt.

Wisely the Soviets had posted all their Bashkir units a long way from Siberia, so they could play no part in the uprising. Hunger, winter and superior numbers meant the Soviets quickly suppressed the revolt, with a few hard-core Bashkirs fleeing abroad or to the Basmachis.



In the next FY version, a Green revolt could occur from 1920 in the Bashkir territory. Reds will have an option to keep Bashkir autonomy, but at a cost in VP and a rare but possible other Green revolt in the same area, this one representing Russian peasants ashamed by the Red acceptance of Bashkir autonomy…

I like options with side effects [:D]

[Chilperic]

Here some shots of a current PBEM game of FY in September 19 ( I'm not playing it).

In a nutshell: not that bad for historical rightness, or for balance, even if work remains to be done.



First Ukraine:

You will note the Anarchist positions to be rather close of the historical ones. And it’s the AI leading the Anarchist faction…



Same Game: Balt area, a disputed one. Are here depicted part of the Freikorps, this German “Army” operating in the area and folliwing mainly his own agenda.

In FY, Freikorps is an independant faction ruled by AI, and eveidently with some success. Oppsed both to Reds and Whites



Here a Green revolt in Bolshevik Sovpedia. Green revolts in FY are yet more random than in the official game. A pain in your ass



And now, the Southern White advance to ward Moscow.
Tzaritsynis yet in Red hands. I will not develop how much this situation is close to the real Orel climax in October 19 in the real RCW



Last, Siberian Whites. Confirm they are yet a bit overpowered but the current situation isn’t too so much in disfavour of Bolsheviks who hold Perm and Orenburg.Green revolts seems to become more frequent.



Objectives screen:

Siberian Whites are close to break with a nM low at 23. German Freikorps is very low too ( as in reality). Southern Whites are at 107, Reds at 80, these 2 figures being not outrageous considering the current positions.

Reds are winning in points. Siberian Whites are second but should crumble soon. Southern Whites are until now distanced in points but could close the gap by seizing some key objectives.

Works remain about Victory conditions and balance, but the current FY basis is IMHO rather good.

[Gnaeus]

Is the Trotsky army reform only available for a limited time? I'm in late August 1918 and I don't see it anymore. I'm pretty sure I didn't hit it accidentally.

[Chilperic]

No. For further investigations,I would need the save .You may send it at:

fatalyearssup@yahoo.fr

[Gnaeus]

Thanks. I'll start over from an earlier year and see if it is the game or me. If it's repeatable, I'll send you a save.

[Chilperic]

Late July 18


Clever Red AI moves against me and North Caucasus Green revolt…

[Chilperic]

A few screen and a video of my current test game as Southern Whites against AIs may be seen here:

http://moddercorner.com/

It shows both historical accuracy and AI smart behaviour.

[Sergey Rus]

I played this mod, version 1.05 twice (for Reds and Siberians), both times I "won" in January, 1920 without fullfiling of any victory condition (message "Victory!"). Futher more, in the Siberian game my NM was 45 (the enemy's - 87) and I hardly held at Perm-Ufa--Orenburg line.
While playing vanilla I didn't face this problem.
Had anybody got such experience and how can I solve this problem?

P.S. Sorry for my English