New Awards system proposal

[Rayduhz]

Aw the joy of having two heavily populated forums for a new game. Anyway I am posting a link to a new thread I created on the Slitherine forum. Would love some more feedback, pro's, con's, etc.

http://www.slitherine.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=27148

Below is my proposal for a new awards system. I enjoy having CORE units progress throughout the maps. Following there history and experience is another part of that attracts me to the game. Obviously the rewards to the awards can be adjusted for balancing issues. Also I am assuming that some of this information is/can be tracked in the game in order to reach the criteria for the awards. Also attached is a layout that can be used to display the awards in a "shadow box" type of theme. Links for description of rewards are attached to the corresponding name. Comments and suggestions are welcomed!!

AWARDS

Infantry Assault Badge
• Bronze – participated in 2 maps. Awarded +1 Ammo
o Grenadier
o Pioneer
o Bruckenpioniere
• Silver – participated in 2 maps. Awarded +1 Ammo
o Wehrmacht Inf
o Gebirgsjager
o Kavallerie

Panzer Assault Badge
• Bronze – participated in 2 maps. Awarded +1 Ammo
o Recon
• Silver – participated in 2 maps. Awarded +1 Ammo
o Tank
• Numbered (25, 50, 75, 100) – destroyed numbered equivalent enemy armor. Awarded +1 Hard Attack each rank.
o Tank

General Assault Badge
• Silver – participated in 2 maps. Awarded +1 Ammo
o Artillery
o Anti-Tank
o Anti-Air

Fighter Front Flying Clasp
• Bronze – participated in 3 maps. Awarded +1 Movement
• Silver – participated in 6 maps. Awarded +1 Movement
• Gold – participated in 9 maps. Awarded +1 Movement
o Fighter

Air to Ground Front Flying Clasp
• Bronze – participated in 3 maps. Awarded +1 Ammo
• Silver – participated in 6 maps. Awarded +1 Ammo
• Gold – participated in 9 maps. Awarded +1 Ammo
o Tactical Bomber

Bomber Front Flying Clasp
• Bronze – participated in 3 maps. Awarded +1 Spotting
• Silver – participated in 6 maps. Awarded +1 Spotting
• Gold – participated in 9 maps. Awarded +1 Spotting
o Level Bombers

Iron Cross Second Class – accumulate 50 kills. Awarded +1 Soft Attack
• (all units)

Iron Cross First Class – accumulate 100 kills. Awarded +1 Hard Attack
• (all units)

German Cross in Gold – accumulate 200 kills. Awarded +1 Experience
• (all units)

Knight Cross – accumulate 300 kills. Awarded +1 Hard, Soft, and Air Attack
• (all units)

Knights Cross w/ Oakleaves – accumulate 400 kills. Awarded +1 Ground and Air Defense
• (all units)

Knights Cross w/ Oakleaves and Swords – accumulate 500 kills. Awarded +1 movement
• (all units)

Knights Cross w/ Oakleaves, Swords, and Diamonds – accumulate 750 kills. Awarded +1 Spotting
• (all units)

Knights Cross w/ Golden Oakleaves, Swords, and Diamonds – accumulate 1000 kills. Awarded +1 Initiative
• (all units)

Wound Badge
• Black – accumulate 10 losses. Awarded +1 Ground Defense
• Silver – accumulate 20 losses. Awarded +1 Air Defense
• Gold – accumulated 40 losses. Awarded +1 Close Defense
o (all units)

Close Combat Clasp
• Bronze – accumulated after 4 cities captured. Awarded +1 Ground Defense
• Silver – accumulated after 8 cities captured. Awarded +1 Experience
• Gold – accumulated after 16 cities captured. Awarded +1 Initiative
o (all units)

Example of some the most highly experienced units:

Grenadier 43, Tiger II, FW 190G, SE Panther G, and 17 cm K 18:
• Knights Cross w/ Golden Oakleaves, Swords, and Diamonds
• German Cross in Gold
• Iron Cross First Class
• Iron Cross Second Class
• Gold Wound Badge
• Gold Close Combat Clasp
• Bronze Infantry Assault Badge (Gren 43)
• Silver 100 Panzer Assault Badge (Tiger II & SE Panther G)
• Gold Fighter Front Flying Clasp (FW 190G)
• General Assault Badge (17 cm K)


stats by Rayduhz, on Flickr[/img]

[Razz1]

I don't like it as it awards too many increases in bonuses.
Makes the game too easy
The AI is lame and now you want to build a super army to beat a lame AI
It doesn't work in MP
Unbalances the game big time.

[Rayduhz]

I can understand what you are saying. Bare in mind these awards offer little bonus at a time, plus the awards requirement are so steep that for the most part you can not acquire the bonus until way into the campaign. The time to reach those requirements are drastically spaced apart. Also not all units will be able to acquire such awards.

The requirements and rewards can easily be adjusted for balancing.

[Razz1]

It is easy to get 50 and 100 kills...

[James Ward]

I think the kill awards should be changed around a bit but overall they look like a neat idea. I'd suggest making the bonuses that make more kills more likely be awarded later.

Iron Cross Second Class – accumulate 50 kills. Awarded +1 movement
• (all units)

Iron Cross First Class – accumulate 100 kills. Awarded +1 Initiative
• (all units)

German Cross in Gold – accumulate 200 kills. Awarded +1 Soft Attack
• (all units)

Knight Cross – accumulate 300 kills. Awarded +1 Hard Attack
• (all units)

Knights Cross w/ Oakleaves – accumulate 400 kills. Awarded +1 Spotting
• (all units)

Knights Cross w/ Oakleaves and Swords – accumulate 500 kills. Awarded +1 Ground and Air Defense
• (all units)

Knights Cross w/ Oakleaves, Swords, and Diamonds – accumulate 750 kills. Awarded +1 Hard, Soft, and Air Attack
• (all units)

Knights Cross w/ Golden Oakleaves, Swords, and Diamonds – accumulate 1000 kills. Awarded +1 Experience
• (all units)

[Rayduhz]

Dont get me wrong, it is easy to accumulate kills but not all at once and in the beginning. Compare my awards to the current set:

CURRENT
IC2 - 50
IC1 - 100
KC - 200
KCL - 300
KCLS - 400
KCLSD - 500
KCGLSD - 1000

PROPOSED
IC2 - 50
IC1 - 100
GC - 200
KC - 300
KCL - 400
KCLS - 500
KCLSD - 750
KCGLSD - 1000

As you can see the are not very different, and in some cases, more kills needed for awards. By the time you get the IC2, most likely you are in/around Low Countries or France. The awards system progress as the campaign does. You will never have ALL awards in Greece. Just like the current game, that would most likely happen around the invasion of the US or Defending Germany. And at that time, the bonus STILL would not make you a "god" on the battlefield.

[Rayduhz]

ORIGINAL: James Ward

I think the kill awards should be changed around a bit but overall they look like a neat idea. I'd suggest making the bonuses that make more kills more likely be awarded later.

Iron Cross Second Class – accumulate 50 kills. Awarded +1 movement
• (all units)

Iron Cross First Class – accumulate 100 kills. Awarded +1 Initiative
• (all units)

German Cross in Gold – accumulate 200 kills. Awarded +1 Soft Attack
• (all units)

Knight Cross – accumulate 300 kills. Awarded +1 Hard Attack
• (all units)

Knights Cross w/ Oakleaves – accumulate 400 kills. Awarded +1 Spotting
• (all units)

Knights Cross w/ Oakleaves and Swords – accumulate 500 kills. Awarded +1 Ground and Air Defense
• (all units)

Knights Cross w/ Oakleaves, Swords, and Diamonds – accumulate 750 kills. Awarded +1 Hard, Soft, and Air Attack
• (all units)

Knights Cross w/ Golden Oakleaves, Swords, and Diamonds – accumulate 1000 kills. Awarded +1 Experience
• (all units)

Good idea, that is the beauty of this proposed plan for the awards system. EVERYTHING (requirement and bonus) can and should be up to debate for balancing issues.

[James Ward]

And especially later in the game a +1 or +2 to you attack is not as big a deal as it is early. A +1 HA bonus to a unit that normally had a 7 rating is almost a 15% increase. To a unit with a normal 20 HA it's 5%.

Does the game system take into account bonuses when determining the cost of elite replacements? It would be cool if the costs kept increasing as you got awards. You'd have to REALLY think about using Elite replacements later in the game if each bonus replacement cost 350 prestige for your Tiger II.

[Razz1]

The problem is you are increasing combat statistics based upon Medals and not Heroes.

Therefore making the game way too easy...

Your Army would be GOD. Any good player can easily beat the AI now.

ORIGINAL: Rayduhz

Dont get me wrong, it is easy to accumulate kills but not all at once and in the beginning. Compare my awards to the current set:

CURRENT
IC2 - 50
IC1 - 100
KC - 200
KCL - 300
KCLS - 400
KCLSD - 500
KCGLSD - 1000

PROPOSED
IC2 - 50
IC1 - 100
GC - 200
KC - 300
KCL - 400
KCLS - 500
KCLSD - 750
KCGLSD - 1000

As you can see the are not very different, and in some cases, more kills needed for awards. By the time you get the IC2, most likely you are in/around Low Countries or France. The awards system progress as the campaign does. You will never have ALL awards in Greece. Just like the current game, that would most likely happen around the invasion of the US or Defending Germany. And at that time, the bonus STILL would not make you a "god" on the battlefield.

[James Ward]

ORIGINAL: Razz

The problem is you are increasing combat statistics based upon Medals and not Heroes.

Therefore making the game way too easy...

Your Army would be GOD. Any good player can easily beat the AI now.

The entire premise of the campaigns is that you win each battle. The only differance is the degree of victory.

I'm not a good player but I've never had a defeat in any scenario up to General level.

[Rayduhz]

ORIGINAL: Razz

The problem is you are increasing combat statistics based upon Medals and not Heroes.

Therefore making the game way too easy...

Your Army would be GOD. Any good player can easily beat the AI now.

What you acquire bonuses from is mot, be it a hero or and award. Please explain how your Army would become god? The bonuses would accrue throughout the entire campaign. Not a short amount of time. By the time you do accrue alot of medal (which not every unit can. You would be lucky to have a couple units max out) you would be at or near the end of the entire campaign.

[greykemp@gmail.com]

Any reward system can be gamed. Look at the way people will replay an attack sequence multiple times to get a desired result. Any fixed system of awards will be gamed. Unless there is some randomization involved it becomes EASY to game a reward system. Just watch me pick one Bf109, One tank, etc and max their kills, etc to make them superman YEARS before you would expect. Part of the beauty of "combat" and awards is the random aspect.