The Next War 1979 Expanded ( Beta 1.0 ) Damon v. larry

[Hellen_slith]

Well, this was my turn to suffer the dreaded CTD ... as careful as I am about saving JIC, there I was, about 45 minutes into planning my last round of combat ... and BOOM that 45 minutes of planning just VANISHED.

Makes you want to bang your head on the desk...not to mention how it breaks your train of thought. So I went to bed, woke up refreshed, and proceeded to try try again. So, I am AGAIN planning that last round of combat and SAVING after every formation move and after any significant air or naval movement. It is a real pain in the PBEM, b/c it closes the game and you have to reload your save. In hot seat mode, it really doesn't matter, b/c the game stays open. ANYWAY:

Comrade Larry, I think that my few turns of being on the initiative have finally come to an end. Your SCUDs are really doing a number on supporting defense, and you've knocked out most of the 82d Airborne. Well played.

As for the Polish disaffection: May I suggest (in lieu of disbanding those units) that in exchange for keeping the Poles on the board there in Europe per se, you retreat the Pact units from Norway back to the Murmansk area, from where you can send them to Europe later via rail etc. I think that would be a fair exchange.

This, plus, I won't say anything about the Pact air defenses that have been / are being constructed in Sweden. Not sure what's up with those. Maybe some replacement / reinforcement units came in to that neutral area, but I am bit concerned about any of those units scoring objective points from their occupation of Swedish hexes. One of them is in Stockhom!! I'm not sure, but I think that may be why I seem to be getting ever farther away from even a marginal victory.

Well, while you think over my proposal re: the "Polish Disaffection", I shall continue these last few bits of battle planning here at the end of my Turn 9. Hard to believe that we're already halfway through the scene! We're coming around the bend neck and neck. This is a really fun game!

TTYS
-H-

[Hellen_slith]

ORIGINAL: mussey

've got bad news. I was almost done with my moves when the game went CTD. I lost all that work, a couple of hours worth.

... I'm reluctant to roll out a final release until this is resolved. A new Beta should be out shortly....

Yes, I agree any final would have to have that CTD issue resolved. For us "hard core" players, we find our workarounds, like saving constantly, and I would play it regardless of the CTD issue. But for the casual and noodlers, it would be a scene killer.

Happy to test a new Beta for it. I seem to have the "magic touch" sometimes, and BOOM there it goes I can almost (not quite) reproduce it, but it is a time sink making it do.

Just start moving naval units long distances, embark / debark some marines for good measure, then move some air assets around long distances, scroll around the map, move some more naval and air, scroll around ... and it will CTD sooner or later.

[Hellen_slith]

ORIGINAL: mussey

I think there are at least eight or nine separate possible insurrection events programmed for WP (if NATO lands on certain hexes), and each of those must have at least one additional event associated w/ it (

(The NATO nations do not have revolt Events, but many do have surrender events. For example if WP occupies Amsterdam there is 60% chance of surrender. If WP comes within 7 hexes of The Hague there is a 20%. There are others...)

Don't forget all the BRHD and the two or three REFORGER hexes, which, if occupied by WP unit, really puts a hurt on NATO. Esp. the REFORGER hexes. That's why you see in the maps so many of my NATO units still in the backfield.

[Hellen_slith]

Here is the map after NATO turn 9:

[mussey]

any final would have to have that CTD issue resolved.

Absolutely. Until it is, I will release as Beta.

The next release has an enormous amount of changes, modifications, alterations, switch-backs, tweaking, and refitting that you will find more realistic and exciting. I've posted a few already in this thread (and others) so I will not repeat. But another is the Narvik card: More Vp's and Obj Value has been place here to reflect it's value as a base for the Northern Fleet. If Soviets occupy there is a 70% chance that they will bribe/coerce Sweden into allowing some supplies to transit by rail to Narvik, will loss some VP's though...

Another I'm thinking about is have Guerrillas if the WP cities are occupied by NATO. This will be harder with the new orbat that includes East German paramilitary, so I may add additional hexes/cities/towns that the WP needs to secure.

[Hellen_slith]

Sounds pretty sweet. And colors?
Me want colors. Can we maybe see a screenshot of some new colors?
Okay, well, thanks for such a fun scene!!

[mussey]

ORIGINAL: Hellen_slith

Sounds pretty sweet. And colors?
Me want colors. Can we maybe see a screenshot of some new colors?
Okay, well, thanks for such a fun scene!!

We keep the girls under wraps until the night of the show. [:'(]

[Hellen_slith]

Well, once again, in the midst of my move 10, I was struck by The Shadow CTD.

I was about 50 minutes into moving my units, planning that first round of combat, and unforch had not thought to make a save yet (I had not been making any big air or naval moves, so I thought I was "safe") ... BOOM ctd.

Another 45 minutes gone. ANYWAY, that made me think, I was just wondering ...

If we were playing this game on the server thing, and it CTD like that, would the server retain the movements and planning that had already been done?

If so, it would be one way to work around the issue. If not ... this CTD issue is a real scene killer, man.

<SIGH>
Well, back to the drawing board!!

[Hellen_slith]

A thought here, during my inter-turn:

The Swedish neutrality issue (and all of the objective points held by Pact there) should be looked at, b/c this last turn a Pact air defense unit (a SOV KGB unit, no doubt) constructed itself in Stockholm via replacement or reinforcement. Which really isn't much of a concern militarily to NATO/UN , but it just feels thorny from an aesthetic standpoint. I mean, Swedes are either nuetral or not, right? So I sent a small Danish contingent to port nearby, hoping to talk things out with them there Swedes.

Otherwise: the Pact seems to be in shock. First the EG, then the Czech penalty shock for counter-insurrection, and now the Poles are disaffecting. Even so, my initiative seems to be slipping. This is a very hard game to win as NATO.

This is not due to any brilliancies on my part, nor is it due to any Pact weaknesses (thus no need to further reinforce KMS corridor) ... rather it was simply my luck that, IMHO, Pact made some strategic blunders from the very first:

1) Sending valuable resources to Norway. Should have been sent to Hamburg.

2) whilst also opening the front in Austria. Austria is a wash. Better to focus on a thrust via Fulda Gap / Hamburg, and save taking Austria until turn 6 or so as Pact.

Well, I can't help but say that I am surprised that I have done so well in this game against Larry. He is a TOUGH player. He's got some tricks that I *still* have not figured out how to counter. It will be tough for me to re-take Hamburg, and I doubt that I can take Berlin back, but...a guy can dream, right?

H

[larryfulkerson]

ORIGINAL: Hellen_slith
A thought here, during my inter-turn:

The Swedish neutrality issue (and all of the objective points held by Pact there) should be looked at, b/c this last turn a Pact air defense unit (a SOV KGB unit, no doubt) constructed itself in Stockholm via replacement or reinforcement. Which really isn't much of a concern militarily to NATO/UN , but it just feels thorny from an aesthetic standpoint. I mean, Swedes are either nuetral or not, right? So I sent a small Danish contingent to port nearby, hoping to talk things out with them there Swedes.

Otherwise: the Pact seems to be in shock. First the EG, then the Czech penalty shock for counter-insurrection, and now the Poles are disaffecting. Even so, my initiative seems to be slipping. This is a very hard game to win as NATO.

This is not due to any brilliancies on my part, nor is it due to any Pact weaknesses (thus no need to further reinforce KMS corridor) ... rather it was simply my luck that, IMHO, Pact made some strategic blunders from the very first:

1) Sending valuable resources to Norway. Should have been sent to Hamburg.

2) whilst also opening the front in Austria. Austria is a wash. Better to focus on a thrust via Fulda Gap / Hamburg, and save taking Austria until turn 6 or so as Pact.

Well, I can't help but say that I am surprised that I have done so well in this game against Larry. He is a TOUGH player. He's got some tricks that I *still* have not figured out how to counter. It will be tough for me to re-take Hamburg, and I doubt that I can take Berlin back, but...a guy can dream, right?

H

First of all thanks for your kind words. And second let me say that I agree with your assessment and your prognosis. My advance has stalled and I find myself defending all along the lines. My losses are rising and I'm going to have to quit using my aircraft on direct attacks....the losses are too high. The reinforcements from Moscow arrived in the nick of time or my lines would be moving backward now. I'm wondering if I'll be able to hold what I have already. This is a pretty good game.

[Hellen_slith]

PS: I note, that re: the Victory Point conditions for victory, I continue to incur heavy losses. It may seem from looking at the board, that I am winning handily ... while in reality, I am now about 800 points from even a marginal victory. A draw seems most likely, but I will push NATO to take every advantage. Sweden plays large in that plan ... I need every point I can get. Tough scene to win as NATO.

[Hellen_slith]

ORIGINAL: larryfulkerson

ORIGINAL: Hellen_slith
A thought here, during my inter-turn:

The Swedish neutrality issue (and all of the objective points held by Pact there) should be looked at, b/c this last turn a Pact air defense unit (a SOV KGB unit, no doubt) constructed itself in Stockholm via replacement or reinforcement. Which really isn't much of a concern militarily to NATO/UN , but it just feels thorny from an aesthetic standpoint. I mean, Swedes are either nuetral or not, right? So I sent a small Danish contingent to port nearby, hoping to talk things out with them there Swedes.

Otherwise: the Pact seems to be in shock. First the EG, then the Czech penalty shock for counter-insurrection, and now the Poles are disaffecting. Even so, my initiative seems to be slipping. This is a very hard game to win as NATO.

This is not due to any brilliancies on my part, nor is it due to any Pact weaknesses (thus no need to further reinforce KMS corridor) ... rather it was simply my luck that, IMHO, Pact made some strategic blunders from the very first:

1) Sending valuable resources to Norway. Should have been sent to Hamburg.

2) whilst also opening the front in Austria. Austria is a wash. Better to focus on a thrust via Fulda Gap / Hamburg, and save taking Austria until turn 6 or so as Pact.

Well, I can't help but say that I am surprised that I have done so well in this game against Larry. He is a TOUGH player. He's got some tricks that I *still* have not figured out how to counter. It will be tough for me to re-take Hamburg, and I doubt that I can take Berlin back, but...a guy can dream, right?

H

First of all thanks for your kind words. I'm going to have to quit using my aircraft on direct attacks....the losses are too high.

The reinforcements from Moscow arrived in the nick of time or my lines would be moving backward now. I'm wondering if I'll be able to hold what I have already. This is a pretty good game.

Well, I gotta tell you, Comrade Larry, those Pact interdiction air strikes you've set up were REALLY getting on my nerves these past nine turns, man, how do you DO that? I was like, "Can't Move ... Aircraft" with a lot of my units. So I elected to start scrambling SPAAG and I put all my fighters on alert, even if only one plane left. I think I might have finally gained a bit of AS, not sure ... I see I managed to move your air guys back a bit, naval bombard on airfields is brutal. Current computer tape says my AS is 52, yours 47 as of my move 10 combat round 1.

Current tally this NATO turn mid-10 is: Sovs 152 damaged/destroyed NATO 47 (so I'm running a good three to one shooting those guys down now.) I finally had the courage to look at my total losses ... I am a lot thinner that I look. Need that 101st Airborne, they not dropping. So, that's going to be a strategic decision for me to handle the unexpected absence of the Screaming Eagles. I was really counting on them.

[larryfulkerson]

Actually this is a really good way to get the INT attenuated quickly. Just move your AA assets so that it gets intercepted a lot. The aircraft are attacking anti-air equipment, at low altitude, at a relatively slow speed and that's a really dangerous thing to do.

[Hellen_slith]

ORIGINAL: larryfulkerson

Just move your AA assets so that it gets intercepted a lot. The aircraft are attacking anti-air equipment, at low altitude, at a relatively slow speed and that's a really dangerous thing to do.

Yes, in this move I am doing, I attached some SPAAG to a rail unit. Not sure if that helped, but I have found that moving around AA does have some effect.

Problem is, when I move the AA, your flights stand off. Only when I make a infantry / armor move, they swoop in to interdict.

<shakes tiny fist at computer>

I'll figure this out yet!!!

As you know, I have opened a gash there around Hamburg / North of Fulda. Trying to take advantage of that, but ... those last few divisions I need to clean up are slowing me down.

Ok, well, back to the board!!!
D

[Hellen_slith]

Here is the map as of end of NATO 10:

[Hellen_slith]

Czechs s/b blue background and white in the middle.

French s/b blue background w/ red in the middle.

Polish are too much like US right now...they should be
like, Pink background, and white in the middle.

I really really want to see the new colors. EG are black now, that cool. I like that.

But when the next Beta? Can't wait!!

I mean, seriously, I cannot wait. My leg been acting up, and my knee swelled up like a cantaloupe the other day.

I was laid UP, man, and it would've been sweet to see the next pass.

Ok, well, I am too begging now, Sir, but this is really a great scene.

Looking forward to the next pass!!

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the front lines in T11 and Damon has gotten some units into my backfield again and I'm having to scramble to contain the damage and maybe corner the enemy units. The reinforcements from Moscow are helping out a lot. I'm not sure but I think I might be able to hold on to the positions I have now. Maybe make some progress in my advance somewhere. I'm using my SSM's on his airfields and his SSM units if I can find them. I'm going to use the SSM's against his ships just to see what kind of damage it will do against a ship.

[Hellen_slith]

Here is the map after NATO 11.

[Hellen_slith]

Situation Nord:

I have managed to get back into Kiel, and finally punched another hole to get more Brits into the backfield (but then ... I had a CTD ... ARGH!!!!) So now, I have to do all that AGAIN, but here is the action up north around Hamburg. Larry is worrying me down South in Italy, so ... fair play to keep worrying him up North I am striving to cut off supply to Hamburg. And retake the "Suez Canal" of course Here is mid-turn of NATO 13. Only five or six more moves left ...

[larryfulkerson]

Damon got some of his units into my backfield again and so I'm back to a two-front war again. I've been pushing hard and my units are worn down and now they don't have sufficient juice to make any headway. My advance has stalled and I'm not sure I can get it going again. There aren't going to be any reinforcements to speak of so what I've got right now is going to be it for the duration. I'll see what I can do to spice up this conflict.