JP040: Ugly Faces (German)

[UP844]

Why "unbelievable"? [&:]

I had some luck (the 222 firing nine times in a row [:D]) but other than that single episode it looks like an ordinary game to me.

The scenario is nice, but I think it does not force the German to advance at all costs: on Turn #4 I have already achieved a Major Victory and I could have retreated out of sight, waiting to welcome any counterattacking British with some nice point-blank fires. On the other hand, the British didn't show much desire to retake the VPs they lost, perhaps because their VP tally also indicated a Major Victory [&:], even though the German won because their score was much higher.

[Peter Fisla]

Unbelievable because of the nice report, It was a pleasure to read[;)] To get the best difficulty, you need to play on hard and the scenario needs be balanced.

[Big Ivan]

Actually gentlemen it was a conversion from an ASL scenario.

The real problem is trying to convert the victory conditions from an ASL scenario to that which is acceptable and balanced in the Tigers on the Hunt system.

True, the victory conditions are balanced for the ASL scenario. But without numerous play throughs in the Tigers on the Hunt system, that may never be found. The A/I in TotH leaves some desire.

The A/I in TotH will never play like a human sitting across the table from you like in ASL. Hence some of UP844's comments about the British and their reactions or lack thereof. However with some tweaking to stack the situation in favor of the A/I it might be a challenge for a human player as the Germans in the TotH system.

UP844 thanks for testing this ASL conversion design of mine! I do appreciate your efforts and AAR!! It was fun reading your definitive detail!!

Peter as always appreciate your comments!!

Kind regards,
John (Big Ivan)

[UP844]

Hello John,

I greatly appreciated the scenario and the effort you made to convert it from ASL to TOTH. I also understand the difficulty of porting ASL scenarios and victory conditions into TOTH (I tried converting "Bucholz Station" and in my first attempt the AI Americans ran to the Exit VP hexes in their very first turn, providing me with a fine selection of targets).

I'm also very aware about the limitations of the AI (just look at my avatar [:D]): basically, a defending AI uses one of these two options:

a) "stand and die" - the human player can defeat this by focusing on a narrow sector and defeating the AI forces in detail

b) "not a inch back" - the human player must only take a few VP hexes, wait for the counterattacking AI and slaughter its units and, finally, take the remaining VP hexes

So far, the only solution I have found - within the game framework - is to add some (and sometimes many) AI-only units.

I tried - just for the fun of it - to play the scenario with the British, but it is not worth the effort of taking screenshots and making an AAR: basically, I formed two clusters - one above the road, one below - and killed German units as they advanced [>:]. I also discovered that the AI can set up two pieces of ordnance in the same hex, even though this is not allowed to human players.

The only remarkable feat was a German B* which took three Defensive Fires (with -2/-3 DRM) and Battle Hardened two times while its squads were wiped out, becoming a B**, then an A**, only to be killed by the last Defensive Fire.

Now I'm a bit busy, but soon I will also inflict you an AAR of the other scenario you posted [:D].

Regards

Carlo "UP844"

[Big Ivan]

ORIGINAL: UP844

Hello John,

I greatly appreciated the scenario and the effort you made to convert it from ASL to TOTH. I also understand the difficulty of porting ASL scenarios and victory conditions into TOTH (I tried converting "Bucholz Station" and in my first attempt the AI Americans ran to the Exit VP hexes in their very first turn, providing me with a fine selection of targets).

I'm also very aware about the limitations of the AI (just look at my avatar [:D]): basically, a defending AI uses one of these two options:

a) "stand and die" - the human player can defeat this by focusing on a narrow sector and defeating the AI forces in detail

b) "not a inch back" - the human player must only take a few VP hexes, wait for the counterattacking AI and slaughter its units and, finally, take the remaining VP hexes

So far, the only solution I have found - within the game framework - is to add some (and sometimes many) AI-only units.

I tried - just for the fun of it - to play the scenario with the British, but it is not worth the effort of taking screenshots and making an AAR: basically, I formed two clusters - one above the road, one below - and killed German units as they advanced [>:]. I also discovered that the AI can set up two pieces of ordnance in the same hex, even though this is not allowed to human players.

The only remarkable feat was a German B* which took three Defensive Fires (with -2/-3 DRM) and Battle Hardened two times while its squads were wiped out, becoming a B**, then an A**, only to be killed by the last Defensive Fire.

Now I'm a bit busy, but soon I will also inflict you an AAR of the other scenario you posted [:D].

Regards

Carlo "UP844"

Thanks for your insight, Carlo! Looking forward to your next AAR! [:D]