Matrix Games Forums

PRESET: Select a force preset from the drop down box. This preset sets up not only the force points distribution mixes (see below), but also sets up a group of historically compatible equipment / soldiers to work with. For example if you were to select say “5th Panzer Regiment”, then the forces with which you will have to work with will accurately reflect what the 5th Panzer actually used and even their unit naming conventions. This will also be indexed to the date the battle is to be fought on. By right clicking on the portrait of the German or Russian Commander, you can also set this preset option to randomise if you so desire. The force presets are user editable / expandable for use in future modifications.
MIX: These sliders can be clicked and dragged to give a user selectable value. The % number represents the percentage of total force size which will be composed of that unit type (in purchase points). For example if you wish to fight a 1000 point battle and have set “heavy vehicles” to 35% then your tank force size will be worth approximately 350 points. Most of the categories are self explanatory. The “light vehicles” option reflects trucks, half tracks, armoured and scout cars etc. The artillery and air power options represent off-board forces. You can click on a force type icon to “lock” the slider in place so that other slider changes don’t change it. Recall that force preset changes will change the force mix depending on the historical context.
At this point in the UI there is a slight divergence in the UI between left (German side) and right (Russian).
BATTLE: In many ways this drop down option box is the core of the RBG. You can select a particular battle option here and that will then setup the entire RBG options list to reflect that historical battle. In particular it will set or randomise each input option, as well as choose appropriate force presets, mix them, pick a template (see below) and also set the battle date. Although you are welcome to make any changes to the RBG settings as you see fit after loading a battle, all that really remains is to press the build button to create the actual random battle. These battle plans are user editable and expandable so expect to see many more in the days after release of PCK. As a special note, a particular battle plan will set the RBG up in a particular way depending on how the designer of the battle chooses. He or she may choose to randomise some options in a particular way, or limit other options (example the force setup zones may be limited). If you find that you can’t make changes to the RBG as you would like after loading a particular battle plan, you may need to load another or load the default plan (all options available).