Questions on Creating Random Battle Templates

[rickier65]

Some questions concerning battle templates:

I'm creating some battle templates for use with some new maps. I started out by creating a template from an existing stock map, and deleting everything except the Air and Artillery (off-board assests).

1. I've noticed that the facing for some of the off-board artillery is not oriented properly. (in fact for the sample I used, ALL of the offboard Art. is faced South, so that the Artillery alligned along the south map edge is not even facing the map. Is this important at all? I've left it this way, but it occurs to me that unless the facing is adjusted by the system, if these units are randomly selected, they won't be able to fire on the battlefield at all. So does facing get adjusted by the system set-up for Off-board assets?

2. I started by creating a battle tepmlate in the data/templates directory, but I see that this template then shows up in the random selectioin screen. I ended up creating a sub-directory to hold the battle template now it doesnt appear in the random listing. IS there a better way to do this?

3. How critical is facing for on-board assets (Inf. Guns, Armour, etc.). Will the AI reface its assets during set-up?

4. For naming, There is a battle template file name, and a "anme" name. Does the seasonal availability key off of one of these names? Which one? Do the names have to start with Summer, Winter (Autumn, Spring?).

Thanks!
Rick

[Stridor]

ORIGINAL: Rick


Some questions concerning battle templates:

I'm creating some battle templates for use with some new maps. I started out by creating a template from an existing stock map, and deleting everything except the Air and Artillery (off-board assests).

Great [:D]

1. I've noticed that the facing for some of the off-board artillery is not oriented properly. (in fact for the sample I used, ALL of the offboard Art. is faced South, so that the Artillery alligned along the south map edge is not even facing the map. Is this important at all? I've left it this way, but it occurs to me that unless the facing is adjusted by the system, if these units are randomly selected, they won't be able to fire on the battlefield at all. So does facing get adjusted by the system set-up for Off-board assets?

Facing is irrelevant as the RBG computes all facing at random scenario build time. They just face south by default in the template editor.

2. I started by creating a battle tepmlate in the data/templates directory, but I see that this template then shows up in the random selectioin screen. I ended up creating a sub-directory to hold the battle template now it doesnt appear in the random listing. IS there a better way to do this?

I don't quite follow? Data/Templates holds the RBG map templates. Subdirs are not searched. Battle plans are different creatures to map templates. They define battle paramaters (who fights) as c/w map templates (where fights)

3. How critical is facing for on-board assets (Inf. Guns, Armour, etc.). Will the AI reface its assets during set-up?

See Point 1. RBG recomputes facing depending on the force setup area which was selected.

4. For naming, There is a battle template file name, and a "anme" name. Does the seasonal availability key off of one of these names? Which one? Do the names have to start with Summer, Winter (Autumn, Spring?).

No season is defined by the models tag (summer or winter of default = winter)

It is confusing but follows PC conventions.

There is the xml "file name"
There is the xml "id" tag (this must be unique as the engine tracks this item)
There is the xml "name" tag (this is the text name which appears in game menus)

For example file "My summer map.xml"
id = "smr_map_mymap01"
name = "This is my summer map"

Often the filename and name are similar to avoid confusion.

[Stridor]

Just to recap how the RBG system works for creating random scenarios.

You can use the RBG to create anything from totally fixed scenarios (example = the fixed stock scenarios which came from the game)

thru to

Semi random scenarios (where some aspects of the scenario are fixed and some random), think of these as old fashion scenario variants

thru to

Totally random scenarios

So the system is very flexible.

Erik once told me that if we had the RBG system in place early on during PCK development he would have recoded all the shipped scenarios as semi random and let the RBG make them as necessary. This would solve the problem of replaying a particular scenario where you know where the forces start out.

By default the RBG is setup to produce totally random scenarios.

The guts of the RBG control scheme are as follows:

The Battle Plan (see Data/battles) is the fat controller. It totally controls what the RBG can do (who fights, the name of each platoon, the core, the aux, how many points, the date, the seaon, points spread, attacker, defender, reinforcements, etc).

It also calls upon a Map Template(s) (see Data/Templates) which is another file which defines how the forces can be legally setup on a given map.
It also calls upon the force setup zones (see Data/Setups) which is another file which defines the force "fronts" on a given map (eg kessel)
It also calls upon the force presets (see Data/Presets) which is another file which defines the historical names and unit dispositions of a given division -> company

So have a look at the xmls and then make your own and have a play

[rickier65]

These answers help. I may be able to speed up my RBG map templates. I've been spending time placing platoons, then realizez I hadn't set a reasonable facing so I go back and change facing, then have to repostion each squad (since the whole plattoons rotates) -- So now I shouldn't have to worry about the facing. Thats great!

The more I work with and think about how this RBG template works the better I like it. This template approach means that even Random battles can have "reasonably" intelligent unit set-ups. (Granted mine might not be so good).

It's really great that Koios made such an open design, and that you were able to take advantage of it with these tools.

RIck

[rickier65]

Stridor,

Thanks for the recap - I've had the game almost 8 months now and I'm slowly digging through the things that can be done with it.

I've got the scenario building down, I can make maps now, and I'm getting to where I can do RBG map templates to go with the maps.

I still need to delve into creating new Presets to use ( I want to set up a Kampgruppe with a little Armor, and PzGr. support company or two.), creating a custom Battle plan, or Actually working on a campaign.

This game has lots to offer!

Rick