Forge of Freedom Screenshots

[Gil R.]

Okay, we can begin to release some screenshots, with the pace picking up a few days from now.

Here's the first one, our Options Screen. You see this every time that you want to start a game. Some of the options are self-explanatory, others can be explained.

[dh76513]

Thanks Gil. What are the power ratings for the presidents? Please translate?

[*Lava*]

[:)]

Very nice.

Looks quite interesting.

Ray (alias Lava)

[marecone]

Oh yessss! Nice. [&o] Give us more please [:D]

[jchastain]

ORIGINAL: dh76513

Thanks Gil. What are the power ratings for the presidents? Please translate?

I'll assume this is the same concept as CoG in which case the "power ratings" are a way of giving an advantage to one side or the other. The impact is to slightly tweak the capabilities and the real purpose is to allow balancing for PvP. Think of it as the handicap given to each side. While it can be used with players of differing abilities, I think equally impoirtant is that they don't have to rush to produce a patch with minor resource adjustments every time someone rants that the game isn't properly balanced - they can just tell people to adjust these settings to balance it as they see best. So, if history holds, this really has nothing to do with the presidents per se, but is just another "setting" for each side (as is the president's name - that field looks like you can enter text so I am assuming you can enter your own name in as president if so inclined).

[spruce]

great - we want more ! [:'(]

[Gil R.]

ORIGINAL: dh76513

Thanks Gil. What are the power ratings for the presidents? Please translate?

They increase a nation's overall resource production. So by giving the USA +2, since I was the "Human" playing the CSA, I was making things much tougher on myself.

EDIT: I just saw jchastain's message. He's right that it's not really linked to the presidents.

[dh76513]

Thanks for your response.

[andysomers]

This is a BIG request - and please do not feel obligated in any fashion to answer this thoroughly, I know that you have bigger fish to fry.
 
Can you explain in some brief fashion each of the options that are shown in the most recent screenshot?  It seems very fascinating, and I would like to have some idea of what each entails (e.g. "advanced supply").  Thanks in advance!
 
AS

[Gil R.]

ORIGINAL: andysomers

This is a BIG request - and please do not feel obligated in any fashion to answer this thoroughly, I know that you have bigger fish to fry.

Can you explain in some brief fashion each of the options that are shown in the most recent screenshot? It seems very fascinating, and I would like to have some idea of what each entails (e.g. "advanced supply"). Thanks in advance!

AS

Yikes! I was afraid someone was going to ask that. It would take a long time to describe each, so how about choosing the most ambiguous or important-seeming?

[Oldguard]

It's obvious to me that I'm going to spend a nice cozy night with a cup of coffee reading over the manual before I start playing [&o]

[Greyshaft]

ORIGINAL: Oldguard

It's obvious to me that I'm going to spend a nice cozy night with a cup of coffee reading over the manual before I start playing [&o]

A cup of coffee suh? I think this work calls for a stronger medicine!

[andysomers]

Maybe the easiest thing to do is for me to make an assumption on each, and you verify and correct where need be.

Economic Options
"Advanced supply", "Upkeep Costs", "Population Modifiers" - these I have no idea on.

"Governors" - I would assume this is the political inteaction with your different states with respect to reserves, reinforcing troops, etc.
"Impressment" - I assume that you can impress captured troops and/or civilians into service or something of the like.
"Research Upgrades" - Gatling guns?, barbed wire, submarines, hand grenades, torpedoes, etc, possibiltiy of enhanced weapons and possibly mechanization I would assume.
"Advanced buildings" - I assume this means designing your fortifications with specfic details in stead of just a "generic" fort
"Richer/Poorer economy" - I assume that you can turn on one or the other (but not both) or leave both off for a historical economy. This would mean more (or less) supply provision, etc.
"Unit Attrition" - I would assume this menas if turned on that desertion occurs with a low morale/fatigued force, and disease is factored in, more harm when you are out of supply.


Unit Options
These mostly seem self-explanatory to me, although some brief discussion on "Staff Ratings", "Special Abilities", "Unit Disposition", and "Initiative Checks" would be much appreciated if you have time.


General Options
All are self-explanatory for the most part. I assume that with randomized stats you may get a Lee that really sucks, and a Grant-esque McClellan, etc. Hidden State - I assume that the generals start with unknown traits that only beomce revelaed as they are tested.

Combat Options
Please explain briefly on "Always Detail Option", "Victory Locations", " Out of Command", and "slower/Faster Sieges"

Thanks so much Gil - no rush whatsoever on this. Please tend to your more pressing needs as I am sure that you have.

AS

[Gil R.]

I'll answer some now, and then add more later by editing (which means that the forum won't indicate there's something new in this thread, so you'll all have to skim through this to see if it looks heftier than before). See below.

ORIGINAL: andysomers

Maybe the easiest thing to do is for me to make an assumption on each, and you verify and correct where need be.

Economic Options
"Advanced supply", "Upkeep Costs", "Population Modifiers" - these I have no idea on.

"Advanced Supply" refers to the rules ensuring that one's forces are able to be supplied. Obviously, one wants units to be supplied, both so they have enough ammo to fight and food to survive, so units that are out-of-supply will both lose battles and lose men to desertion. Since supply rules are somewhat complex, these can be toggled on/off.

Every turn, one's various military units cost money (and sometimes resources) to maintain, and the more units one has the more expensive it is to maintain them. If people don't want to be bothered with this, they can turn it off.

"Population modifiers" refers to the diminution of money/resources income a province experiences if it loses levels of "Men" who are sent off to fight. (Every time one builds a new infantry or artillery unit, it takes 2 or 1 "Men," respectively.) This reflects the fact that if more men are serving in the army, fewer are active in the economy.

"Governors" - I would assume this is the political inteaction with your different states with respect to reserves, reinforcing troops, etc.

Yes. If this is turned off, governors don't hurt or help you, and don't make demands of you, or do anything at all.

"Impressment" - I assume that you can impress captured troops and/or civilians into service or something of the like.

No, impressment here refers to impressing one's own resources -- e.g., 40 Iron is available in Selma, but if you impress it this displeases the population and you run the risk of unrest in that province.

"Research Upgrades" - Gatling guns?, barbed wire, submarines, hand grenades, torpedoes, etc, possibiltiy of enhanced weapons and possibly mechanization I would assume.

We have around 80 upgrades, falling into the categories of weaponry, logistics, engineering, naval and training. So we've got gatling guns, naval torpedoes, submarines, sanitary commission, canning technology, hasty entrenchment, moisture-proof cartridges, invalid corps, etc. etc. etc.

"Advanced buildings" - I assume this means designing your fortifications with specfic details in stead of just a "generic" fort

No. The economy is depends on an infrastructure of buildings that produce more resources, research upgrades, increase infrastructure, produce new units and weapons, etc. This option lets one toggle on/off some of the buildings, making it easier to run one's economy.

"Richer/Poorer economy" - I assume that you can turn on one or the other (but not both) or leave both off for a historical economy. This would mean more (or less) supply provision, etc.

This dictates how many resources you can produce, which dictates how much stuff you can buy.

"Unit Attrition" - I would assume this menas if turned on that desertion occurs with a low morale/fatigued force, and disease is factored in, more harm when you are out of supply.

Sort of. It applies to two features: the rule that when you march an army into another province you lose 5% of your men (stragglers, deserters, alien abductions), and the possibility that in certain seasons disease can hit the army and devastate it. Some people might not like having their armies whittled down all the time, so they can turn this off. (But a real man keeps the attrition option toggled on.)

Unit Options
These mostly seem self-explanatory to me, although some brief discussion on "Staff Ratings", "Special Abilities", "Unit Disposition", and "Initiative Checks" would be much appreciated if you have time.


General Options
All are self-explanatory for the most part. I assume that with randomized stats you may get a Lee that really sucks, and a Grant-esque McClellan, etc. Hidden State - I assume that the generals start with unknown traits that only beomce revelaed as they are tested.

Yes, both assumptions are correct. With Hidden Stats you won't be told all of a general's ratings, and will have to see how he does in battle to get a sense of whether he's got McLellan's initiative or Lee's, for example. My guess is that most people will want historical ratings for their generals, but the other options exist, and should add to replayability.

Combat Options
Please explain briefly on "Always Detail Option", "Victory Locations", " Out of Command", and "slower/Faster Sieges"

The first is for people who only want to play detailed hex-map battles, so that they won't be asked every time they are about to fight a new battle. The second refers to whether those detailed battles should have "Victory Locations," which are specific points on the map that need to be taken if one is to win the battle (or defended if one is the defender). The third refers to units going out of command in detailed battle, which can be NASTY (since they don't really do anything until you get them back. And the last one determines whether sieges will be resolved in just a turn or two or take much longer -- the difference between a relatively quick Battery Wagner sort of siege (which, I think, lasted a week or two) or a prolonged Petersburg/Vicksburg campaign.

Thanks so much Gil - no rush whatsoever on this. Please tend to your more pressing needs as I am sure that you have.

AS

[andysomers]

Gil - Thanks, that helps a lot.  Take care of the rest only as your schedule allows, please do not let me be a distraction.
 
AS

[dh76513]

Gil,
Do any of the ratings for the generals (e.g., leadership, command, initiative tactics) play into the "Unit Attrition" as you have defined above?

[Sonny]

Alien abductions! Wow, I'm gonna like this game!

[Gil R.]

ORIGINAL: dh76513

Gil,
Do any of the ratings for the generals (e.g., leadership, command, initiative tactics) play into the "Unit Attrition" as you have defined above?

Actually, it's not the generals' ratings, but those of the division/corps/army container units that the brigades are in. These, like generals, are rating from Poor to Superb, and a container with a Logistics Staff rated Good or better will suffer half the attrition rate, and one with Superb suffers none.

[andysomers]

Gil - in re: Unit Attirition.  5% of your force is automatically lost everytime you enter another province, plus the chance for disease etc.?  5% seems really harsh just for movement?  I could see prehaps in enemy provinces and with force marching and such (not sure if you will have force marching), but for normal movement that seems pretty rough.
 
AS

[Gil R.]

ORIGINAL: andysomers

Gil - in re: Unit Attirition. 5% of your force is automatically lost everytime you enter another province, plus the chance for disease etc.? 5% seems really harsh just for movement? I could see prehaps in enemy provinces and with force marching and such (not sure if you will have force marching), but for normal movement that seems pretty rough.

AS

I think it's 5% per march, rather than 5% per province entered. And when you think of how much desertion and straggling there was, plus guys falling sick along a march, it's not that unrealistic

If this needs tweaking when the game comes out it can easily be tweaked.