MWIF Game Interface Design

World in Flames is the computer version of Australian Design Group classic board game. World In Flames is a highly detailed game covering the both Europe and Pacific Theaters of Operations during World War II. If you want grand strategy this game is for you.

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RE: MWIF Game Interface Design

Post by Shannon V. OKeets »

ORIGINAL: paulderynck

ORIGINAL: Shannon V. OKeets

Post 2 in a series of 3.

This game is using the 1D10 CRT. These are very poor attacks, but I wanted to show the use of defensive HQ support. The attack on Kharkov has defensive HQ support as shown by the 'D' in the hex. Things didn't go well for the USSR as shown inthe Result panel.

Image
For 1D10, there has to be a roll for the HQ support. Only a 1 or 2 would give a defensive column shift. With 1D10, a roll of 3 on 2-1 down 2 columns would yield a loss fo two attacking units on either Blitz or Assault.
The combat ratio is 19.5:5 => 20:5 => 4:1. The 2:1 shown is after/net the column shifts.
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RE: MWIF Game Interface Design

Post by Froonp »

ORIGINAL: brian brian

[this is a complete tangent, but I hadn't thought of this before....MWiF will have the resource in Dutch Guiana, always? A lot of people play WiF using the AiF map of the Americas, but then ignore that resource as it is not there on the 'mini-map' of the Americas. I'm sure this was discussed years ago, but it does look like a +1 for the Allies.]
MWiF will have the resource in Dutch Guiana, always.

Harry Rowland considers the AiF map as a progress compared to the WiF FE USA minimap, so should we be guided by people who play with the minimap's resources ?
Maybe you could also consider that playing with the minimap is a -1 allies, and that using the AiF maps' resource is evening the odds ?

Anyway, anyone lettered enough in computing will be able to remove resources and add resources. However, to play in network games, there might be problems for him.
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RE: MWIF Game Interface Design

Post by Shannon V. OKeets »

Here is some of today's progress on the Production Planning form.

The left screenshot shows the new highlight for the secleted resource with its path as a text list on the left and as a global map graphic at the bottom. Notice the two reosurces with green and blue entries in the Action and Destination columns.

The green means that Default settings are being used to determine where the resource goes and what it does when it gets there.

The blue means that the Override settings are being used. Default settings persist from turn to turn, until you change them (or clear them). The override settings take precedence over defaults if you have both defined.

The screenshot on the right shows the default settings for the Belgian Congo resource. Clicking a radio button in the In Situ and Rail/Ship radio button groups causes the Default settings to change. The override settings work the same way. Clicking on the all-capitals word COMPUTED cycles to DEFAULTS. clicking on DEFAULTS cycles to OVERRIDE and thence back to COMPUTED.

The intent with the defaults is to enable you to set up a quasi-permanent strategy for what resources go where and whether they are saved (oil only) or used in production. The overrides let you define temporary (current turn only) settings. All these settings are just 'hopeful'. The program tries its best to fulfill your wishes, but if it can't, it tries to find idle factories to which to send idle resources. When a Default or Override setting was unfulfilled, it is colored red.

The default Country entry is for specifying which resources are used to fulfill trade commitments. There is no override Country.

I have now completed all the side issues for this form and have just changing routes left. You will be able to set both default and override routes for resources that go overseas. When those are in effect I will color the convoy number (far right column) green/blue.

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RE: MWIF Game Interface Design

Post by paulderynck »

ORIGINAL: Shannon V. OKeets
ORIGINAL: paulderynck

ORIGINAL: Shannon V. OKeets

Post 2 in a series of 3.

This game is using the 1D10 CRT. These are very poor attacks, but I wanted to show the use of defensive HQ support. The attack on Kharkov has defensive HQ support as shown by the 'D' in the hex. Things didn't go well for the USSR as shown inthe Result panel.
For 1D10, there has to be a roll for the HQ support. Only a 1 or 2 would give a defensive column shift. With 1D10, a roll of 3 on 2-1 down 2 columns would yield a loss fo two attacking units on either Blitz or Assault.
The combat ratio is 19.5:5 => 20:5 => 4:1. The 2:1 shown is after/net the column shifts.
Thanks. So the roll for the HQ Support took place before the point shown in the screen shot?
Paul
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RE: MWIF Game Interface Design

Post by Shannon V. OKeets »

ORIGINAL: paulderynck

ORIGINAL: Shannon V. OKeets
ORIGINAL: paulderynck



For 1D10, there has to be a roll for the HQ support. Only a 1 or 2 would give a defensive column shift. With 1D10, a roll of 3 on 2-1 down 2 columns would yield a loss fo two attacking units on either Blitz or Assault.
The combat ratio is 19.5:5 => 20:5 => 4:1. The 2:1 shown is after/net the column shifts.
Thanks. So the roll for the HQ Support took place before the point shown in the screen shot?
Yes. Here is the sequence of play. Notice that declaration of HQ support occurs well before land combat resolution.

Code: Select all

     pInvasion,                // RAC 11.14.
     pParadrop,                // RAC 11.15.
     pLandCombatDeclaration,   // RAC 11.16.1.
     pIgnoreNotional,          // RAC 11.14.
     pEmergencyHQSupply,       // RAC 2.4.3.
     pShoreBombardmentD,       // RAC 11.16.2.
     pShoreBombardmentA,       // RAC 11.16.2.
     pHQSupportD,              // RAC 11.16.3.
     pHQSupportA,              // RAC 11.16.3.
     pGroundSupport,           // RAC 11.16.4.
     pLandCombatResolution,    // RAC 11.16.5 & 11.16.6.
 

The rolls for HQ support occur at the very beginning of the Land Combat Reosultion phase, before the subphase Land Combat Selection.

Code: Select all

 // ****************************************************************************
 // Land combat resolution subphases.
 // ****************************************************************************
   TLandCombatResSubPhase = (
     LCRspLandCombatSelection,  // RAC 11.16.5.
     LCRspDefSnowUnits,         // RAC 8.2.7.
     LCRspAttSnowUnits,         // RAC 8.2.7.
     LCRspChooseCombatType,     // RAC 11.16.5 & 11.16.6.
     LCRspLandCombatResolution, // RAC 11.16.5 & 11.16.6.
     LCRspAssignLosses,         // RAC 11.16.5.
     LCRspConvertShattered,     // RAC 11.16.5.
     LCRspHexControl,           // RAC 11.11.6 (overruns)
     LCRspRetreats,             // RAC 11.16.5.
     LCRspAdvanceAfterCombat    // RAC 11.16.5.
 
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RE: MWIF Game Interface Design

Post by brian brian »

ORIGINAL: Froonp

Anyway, anyone lettered enough in computing will be able to remove resources and add resources.

that's good, as Harry wrote a long time ago that the best way to balance the game to a group's taste isn't through adding or subtracting rules, but via adding or subtracting resources from the USA.

I wish though that ADG would have been a little more clear over the years on that resource in Dutch Guiana. I would wager that few of the players of the paper and cardboard game are using it in a 39-45 game right now.
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RE: MWIF Game Interface Design

Post by Shannon V. OKeets »

1st in a series of 3 posts.

I think I have made the last mods to the last form.

Here are 7 screenshots for the Production Planning form documentation, which is written except for today's additional feature.

The 2 on this page show the summary form. If you have been following the development of this form, the new items are the convoy counts in the lower roght corner of the summary panel. I've also changed the labeling, replacing Shipped and Overseas with Convoyed. That way the same word is used consistently when referring to resources that are shipped overseas using convoys.

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RE: MWIF Game Interface Design

Post by Shannon V. OKeets »

2nd in a series of 3.

The two screenshot here show the expanded layout (left) and the route layout (right).

The expanded layout shows all the oil resources that the US controls. The insert map shows the heartland of the US oil production.

The screenshot on the right shows today's new feature.

The global insert map is showing all active Allied ships at sea. The first number in each sea area is the number of convoys in the sea area. What I have done is clicked on the West Med, which filters the resources/factories list to show just those resources that pass through the West Med. The Convoy column of that list (far right) shows to whom the resources belong. That is, Fr is using one of the convoys and CW is using 4. Of the 5 Allied convoys in the West Med., 3 are CW and 2 are French, so the CW is using one of the French convoys.

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RE: MWIF Game Interface Design

Post by Shannon V. OKeets »

3rd and last in a series of 3.

Here is the process of changing the route for a resource. The upper left of the upper left screentshot shows the Belgian Congo resource going throught the North Atlantic - requiring an extra convoy.

The right screenshot show the route in the process of being changed. You just click on the sea areas you want in the route. You have to click a second time on the last sea area so the program knows that is the terminal sea area.

The bottom screenshot show the route completed. The program works out which ports to use for departure and arrival and finds the rail link to the source/destination too. If no port or rail link can be found - it complains.

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RE: MWIF Game Interface Design

Post by Shannon V. OKeets »

I reinstalled Theme Engine yesterday morning so I've spent a day retaking screen shots for the Players Manual of all the forms that have been modified over the past 6 months.

Here is a sampling of those. First in a series of 14.
===

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RE: MWIF Game Interface Design

Post by Shannon V. OKeets »

2nd in a series of 14

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RE: MWIF Game Interface Design

Post by Shannon V. OKeets »

3rd in a series of 14.

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RE: MWIF Game Interface Design

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4th in a series of 14.

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RE: MWIF Game Interface Design

Post by Shannon V. OKeets »

5th in a series of 14.

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RE: MWIF Game Interface Design

Post by Shannon V. OKeets »

6th in a series of 14.

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RE: MWIF Game Interface Design

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7th in a series of 14.

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RE: MWIF Game Interface Design

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8th in a series of 14.

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RE: MWIF Game Interface Design

Post by Shannon V. OKeets »

9th in a series of 14.

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RE: MWIF Game Interface Design

Post by Shannon V. OKeets »

10th in a series of 14.

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RE: MWIF Game Interface Design

Post by Shannon V. OKeets »

11th in a series of 14.

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