Game Suggestions:

[Sabre21]

I added this up here so that for you guys that have ideas on how to improve on the game, you can add in a suggestion below. This isn't saying they will be accepted, but it will be a place to consolidate ideas so they don't go missing from the general forum. We have a Suggestion thread on the tester forum, so adding one here should help.

Let's keep suggestions reasonable though if you would. There are some things that for WitE won't change, like the 10 mile per hex scale or the fact that we use an IGOUGO system. That won't change either. Nor will you see phasers, photon torpedoes, nor heavy armored vehicles like you see below [:D]

But suggestions like 76mm's in adding the ability to save turns to one's hard drive from the server providing they can't be loaded back onto the server is a decent idea.

[Uxbridge]

So why not start and put up a brand new will-never-happen suggestion.[:)]

For all I love this game, there’s one thing that I really would like to see: the use of colour codes for organization one additional step below the present one. I constantly have to click units (playing Germany) to remind me of what division belongs to which corps. I realize you’re not going to re-draw the graphics, but wouldn’t it be possible to add an additional soft factor, so that you can see what divisions belongs to which corps (and similar for Russian units)? It would be much easier seeing the overall situation at a glance, something that will be even more important now, when unit integrity has been more pronounced.

[LiquidSky]

I would like it if the colours could be changed...I have a bit of difficulty with the different colour shadings: for example, 16th 18th and 2nd army are all kind of too close for me to see easily. Maybe some way we can choose the colours ourselves?

[Sabre21]

ORIGINAL: Uxbridge

So why not start and put up a brand new will-never-happen suggestion.[:)]

For all I love this game, there’s one thing that I really would like to see: the use of colour codes for organization one additional step below the present one. I constantly have to click units (playing Germany) to remind me of what division belongs to which corps. I realize you’re not going to re-draw the graphics, but wouldn’t it be possible to add an additional soft factor, so that you can see what divisions belongs to which corps (and similar for Russian units)? It would be much easier seeing the overall situation at a glance, something that will be even more important now, when unit integrity has been more pronounced.

We looked at corps level but there are only so many colors that can be easily distinguishable from one another so we left the color scheme to Army for the germans and Front for the Soviets. You can thank Ester for her diligence in getting these colors where they are and putting up with us old grognards that did not want to see pink being used..lol.

[Sabre21]

ORIGINAL: LiquidSky



I would like it if the colours could be changed...I have a bit of difficulty with the different colour shadings: for example, 16th 18th and 2nd army are all kind of too close for me to see easily. Maybe some way we can choose the colours ourselves?

I know that too was brought up by testers..I think at the time it was a priority issue but is certainly one that needs to be revisited.

[Aussiematto]

Suggestion regarding the historical constraints which, on the Axis side, are largely unit withdrawals and on the SU side are forced changes to TOE etc which (I am told by my opponents) can play havoc.

Utilise the AP system to allow players to choose to vary these historical events. I will limit this suggestion for the moment to the Axis side which I know well. Each turn, when a unit (not SU -- too much bother) goes into the 'withdrawing' mode (eg not actually left the map but is now live for withdrawal soon, as indicated on the unit by the word withdrawing), Axis player can elect to do 3 things: 1) spend x AP to cancel the withdrawal altogether; 2) spend y AP to substitute an equivalent unit (given that, in theory, ANY unit could be equivalent, perhaps limit this to a list of similar units, within the same army); 3) spend nothing and confirm the withdrawal. x AP should be something significant and could be linked to the combat value of the unit (say 10 for a Mot / Armoured; 7 for Special -- paras, mountain; 5 for infantry); y AP should be a set amount -- 2 AP.

A second suggestion I've made elsewhere but tweaked: you can currently attach a flak SU to a city. Permit attachment of a construction unit to a city which would repair industry, port, etc; once free of damage unit returns automatically to previous HQ. Similarly, have a 'rail repair commitment' doctrine (100% = all possible construction units rail repair automatically down to 0%).

thanks for a great game...!

[Uxbridge]

CAUCASUS OIL:

A major part of USSR's oil resources were situated in the Caucasus. In order for this oil to be used, railroads, pipelines and barges along the Volga took the oil to be used by industries and the Red Army. If the Germans had cut this link by Stalingrad, or at any other point were all three means of transportation was located, they would eventually have severed much of the Red Army's ability to operate with tanks and motor vehicles. The only way the oil could have been moved after that was by the insufficient seagoing traffic on the Black Sea. I don't think this is really modelled in the game (could be wrong). It could be worth considering, as it would give the campaign for the south its rightful meaning.

[Sabre21]

ORIGINAL: majeloz

Suggestion regarding the historical constraints which, on the Axis side, are largely unit withdrawals and on the SU side are forced changes to TOE etc which (I am told by my opponents) can play havoc.

Utilise the AP system to allow players to choose to vary these historical events. I will limit this suggestion for the moment to the Axis side which I know well. Each turn, when a unit (not SU -- too much bother) goes into the 'withdrawing' mode (eg not actually left the map but is now live for withdrawal soon, as indicated on the unit by the word withdrawing), Axis player can elect to do 3 things: 1) spend x AP to cancel the withdrawal altogether; 2) spend y AP to substitute an equivalent unit (given that, in theory, ANY unit could be equivalent, perhaps limit this to a list of similar units, within the same army); 3) spend nothing and confirm the withdrawal. x AP should be something significant and could be linked to the combat value of the unit (say 10 for a Mot / Armoured; 7 for Special -- paras, mountain; 5 for infantry); y AP should be a set amount -- 2 AP.

A second suggestion I've made elsewhere but tweaked: you can currently attach a flak SU to a city. Permit attachment of a construction unit to a city which would repair industry, port, etc; once free of damage unit returns automatically to previous HQ. Similarly, have a 'rail repair commitment' doctrine (100% = all possible construction units rail repair automatically down to 0%).

thanks for a great game...!

Knowing that the German side of it is pretty much set, I know Gary wouldn't go with a way to cancel units that withdraw. I like the concept, but maybe when War in Europe comes out we will have a much more flexible system for both sides. Possibly even if there is a second iteration of this game like WitP:AE.

Your second idea i think is a pretty good one, I'll have to check with Joel or Pavel to see if CB's are already automatically used to assist in rebuilding damaged industry. As for the rail repair doctrine, I'm not sure if that's needed. I tend to reassign all the cb's to army group or okh and that's pretty much all they do it seems is rail repair. If you attach them at lower Hq's they will help dig in units attached directly to that Hq or rail repair out to certain ranges.

[Sabre21]

ORIGINAL: Uxbridge

CAUCASUS OIL:

A major part of USSR's oil resources were situated in the Caucasus. In order for this oil to be used, railroads, pipelines and barges along the Volga took the oil to be used by industries and the Red Army. If the Germans had cut this link by Stalingrad, or at any other point were all three means of transportation was located, they would eventually have severed much of the Red Army's ability to operate with tanks and motor vehicles. The only way the oil could have been moved after that was by the insufficient seagoing traffic on the Black Sea. I don't think this is really modelled in the game (could be wrong). It could be worth considering, as it would give the campaign for the south its rightful meaning.

This would be a Pavel question. I hope he sees this, he is pretty busy. It is hard to say what other oil resources the Soviets had outside the Caucasus in WWII or how much they might have had stored in various sites. As for how it is specifically modeled, Pav or Joel will need to answer that.

[Aurelian]

Would like seperate save game folders.

Unless they're there and I'm missing them.

[Sabre21]

ORIGINAL: Aurelian

Would like seperate save game folders.

Unless they're there and I'm missing them.

Do you mean between ai vs pbem games?

[Klydon]

Or could just set it up that you can browse in the save game window. Right now I think you can only save/load a game from there, not change folders or anything like that. While we are at it, would be nice to get the auto save to at least go to its own folder if you can work in a "change folders" interface on the save game window. 

[Manstein63]

One thing that would be nice on server games is that when the game is finished you can look at the other side & see exacltly what they had & where it was
Manstein63

[Pawlock]

I'd like an option to be able to toggle off the Recon replays but still watch all other stuff when playing the AI.

[pompack]

ORIGINAL: Pawlock

I'd like an option to be able to toggle off the Recon replays but still watch all other stuff when playing the AI.

Just hit "0" as the recon starts and then your favorite report level number when it is over; at zero there is no report and the recons proceed at a rate of 9-20 per minute.

[Zoetermeer]

I've said it before so I don't want to be annoying about it, but an open savegame format would be great for those of us who are willing to write some really cool third-party tools.

[JocMeister]

I would like to second Klydons suggestion! I have three AI games running atm with 10-92 saves per game. The ability to make folders in the savegame interface would be wonderful!

My own suggestion would be to completly overhaul the airsystem. I feel its way to abstracted atm.

Playing the soviets for the first time I found it even more unmanagable. Perhaps if you could form/divide groups and make divisions it would be more managable (forming larger groups). I also noted that I can´t sort groups alphabetically when picking groups for an airbase. Also the filter is reset everytime you leave the interface which is a bit annoying.
I know overhauling the whole system may be a bit off the scale but improving the interface would be a huge improvment! [&o] The sheer number of soviet groups is way too much for the interface. I find it very hard to keep track of everything. Its just a list with hundreds of units atm.

[Tarhunnas]

Great with a wishlist [:)]

I would like configaurable settings for what happens when I move a unit into a hex containing other units. At present, all units in the hex become selected, but that is usually not what I want, most times I want to keep having just the unit I moved selected. I realize others might want it differently, so it would be nice with a selectable preference.

Also it would be nice with a way for the player to select which units are shown on top in a stack. For example "HQs on top" or "Strongest unit on top" or "Rail construction units on top".

[PeeDeeAitch]

Are you sure we can't have giant German walkers, Sabre?

[morvael]

Alternate method of working with stacks would be good:
1) left click to select top unit
2) left click on the same hex again - rotate the stack (I would like to have HQ always on top instead of the unit that first moved into hex) and select new top unit
3) double click to select entire stack
4) do not select other units in new hex when moving via right clicks