RHS Level 7.757 files and new pwhex set uploaded

[el cid again]

What I do is have ships that came via Suez arrive at Aden.

A few ships arrive at Capetown - or Durban. Notably units that are tasked for Madagascar. Since they cannot arrive embarked, we have them arrive a day or more early - and put the ships they were embarked on in the same port.

But in general, in Level 6 we have ships which do not arrive via Suez (Aden) or the US West Coast (or Panama) arrive at the South Atlantic Entry Point - from which they may sail to the map via either Straits of Magellan or Cape of Good Hope.
In Level 7, it is similar, but the ships arrive at New Orleans - and players can then choose to enter via Panama, or go to the South Atlantic, and head either East or West.

In Level 5 we removed some ships associated with long voyages from the game and put the prefix SLOC in the data set. The number removed depended on the daily supply/fuel (etc) moved - and the proportion of the route on the map. The proportion OFF the map were removed. In Level 6 some of these ships came back - because the ship tracks were now "on the map". In Level 7 the rest come back. Players may choose to use the ships to move things from off map - or after their first voyage (and they are now on the main map) they can keep them there - but at the price of reducing the thruput via the long ship channels. It is up to the players which ships serve which routes - and in a sense how many of the supply points (etc) that are available actually reach forces on the map. We also added one more thing: there is industry which is NOT fed by resources or oil in the US or Canada parts of the map. IF you send oil and resources to New Orleans - it will generate still more fuel and supply points - above what on map and "free" sources generate. You can then move it to the map. And you can do it the long way - or via Panama. So players have a bit of dynamic control of the size of the military resources available to the Allies. And they also must risk losing them en route to some degree (during the portion of the voyage which is on the main map, or on the Panama Mini Map, or on the Madagascar Mini Map, or the approaches to those mini maps which the Axis is allowed to use).

[el cid again]

New Orleans disappears at the end of the first day of the war - all scenarios! Short of a Japanese Atom Bomb in 1941, I cannot figure this out. Working on it. This is the original Bombay slot - Melbourne in Level 5 - Tristan da Cunha in Level 6. It is not present in CHS, RHS Level 5 or 6.

[el cid again]

Looks like the issue is command. Setting Western Command seems to work. Need to confirm - and see if it has any bad impacts? But we now should be able to move on.


FYI Cobra added trail art to Siberia in Level 7 - and it is not yet coded into pwhex. And I found all scenarios with problems in the arctic ice - land sides? Not that it matters. And some coastal problems in parts of Siberia and Alaska that matter very little. But look for these to be addressed in future pwhex files.

[el cid again]

Not a proper game yet - art is not in sync with stuff in Australia and NZ - this game works. This is an update for EOS - the only scenario with issued files. It includes a new pwhex. And the problem with New Orleans appears resolved.

[el cid again]

RHS Level 7 is slightly updated:

we have new map art

we have a new pwhex file

we have new locations to experiment with

[Recife Brazil and Valparaiso Chile] due to problems on the long LOC

We have completely functional Madagascar and ship channels

BUT we have a mess in Australia (it is "under reconstruction" as it were)

[el cid again]

I have determined that Reciefe should be the alternate British entry point - New Orleans reverting to a major supply and US ship entry point (but not a British exit point) -

Converting over to a multiple track South Atlantic so ships may pass on a "triangle" system - going from Cape Horne to Cape of Good Hope - or either to Recife - maximizing player options. Puting in Valparaiso helped the long Panama leg from the South Pacific - and Recife (and possibly Rio) - do the same thing for the South Atlantic.

New Zealand (old location) has been completely "sunk" and the cities and units all moved to the new islands. Australia is still in process of moving cities and land units (naval units and air units follow cities automatically). The smaller art makes things much more dense - and tactical aircraft of greater significance. Looks like Level 7 will work out. ETA perhaps a week.

[el cid again]

A triple bottom track system is now completed - and Rio de Janario added - such that players can sail the South Atlantic in various combinations - East to West - North to Southwest - or North to Southeast - and vice versa - making range/time options more realistic and harder to predict. The ports of Rio, Valparaiso (in the Pacific) and Recife (the British entry/exit point) make it more practical to sail ships the long distances. But this is really the domain of the Queens - which should not be allowed to transit Panama either - and similar ultra long range vessels.

NZ totally sunk and new islands populated - now for the Railroads.

[el cid again]

Cobra has posted art for the new Level 7 triple track bottom edge shipping system. It also has a reworked
right map edge shipping system. This by-passes the SE corner where you could not put the mouse if designating
something (because it gets covered by the mini-map during certain functions). It also permits ships leaving Colon
Panama to go due East and then SE to Recife Brazil OR NE to New Orleans.

[el cid again]

We have completed integration of Level 7 location files with the pwhex file set. We also have these files up to date with respect to the next release x.678 - which now have data washed location files. These files should release tomorrow.
Level 7 art will undergo slight revisions in Australia - getting RR to the towns properly (etc) - and pwhex needs to do all the communications codes and some coast line codes - but when that is done Level 7 is done (and frozen). Level 7 will work for familiarization purposes - only parts of Australia are messed up - and here all the cities are right and all the units are right even so.

[el cid again]

The first release of Level 7 which will work - corresponding to the x.678 versions of Levels 5 and 6 - is completed and will upload in plus 5 hours. All that is missing is a completed pwhex set - and this only needs some work on Australia - mainly communications codes. Relocation of all units and locations was done in the location files in this set. You can see these locations in the map art - and all the ship channels. But some of the hex sides near the coast of Australia need work - and the rail lines are absent. That is next.

[el cid again]

The completed data files for Level 7 are renamed to 7x scenario format and uploaded.

Note however an issue with upgrading a PG to a PT boat tender: until resolved do not do this.

I am testing options and completing the Level 7 pwhex set.

[el cid again]

The first functional Level 7 pwhex file set (7.77) is uploaded. There is a Panama canal file (for use if the canal is closed).
There is a WITPExcel loading with the standard file (because it is a very fast way to get at the data).

For the first time Level 7 scenarios can be actually tested and played with full functionality. A number of technical matters mean that Level 6 and 5 pwhex sets will be also updated, as well as all Level 7 data files.

[el cid again]

This - the first Level 7 economic utility - corresponds to the next release of Level 7 data files - 7.78

There are some minor changes - particularly in the ship channels - indicated as desireable in tests.

[el cid again]

This comprehensive update includes all significant eratta known to date. It is the first release in which CVO and RAO have location errors corrected. It is the first RHS release with new aircraft detection devices (replacing audio detectors).
It includes some modifications to the economics of new locations which were indicated by testing.

What is not included is all planned changes to ships, including adding remaining US LSTs late in the war and converting non-US Allied minesweepers to two ship formats. Also not included is a number of minor eratta points.

This set is released because it will play better than the previous release and because it will take time for the vast amount of minor changes yet to come to be folded in.

Releases of Level 5 and 6 files to this standard will follow immediately.

One significant change indicated by testing is that the SW map corner near the Madagascar mini map needs to be partially added to the barrier system - so long range aircraft from Capetown can reach much of Madagascar without entering the Southern Ocean. That change will occur in the next release of pwhex files.

[el cid again]

In order not to unduely restrict Allied air operations in the Madagascar mini-map area, the barrier has been increased in a way that does not impact shipping channels or aircraft based in Australia or New Zealand - but permits greater range settings from Capetown and Durban (14 and 22 respectively).

Investingating erratta found by Blirtzk in just Level 7 CVO - but cross checking for all scenarios and levels - I have found more errors than I like to see. Level 7 did not have ships updated to new class standards to the degree I would prefer - and so all scenarios have hundreds of corrections to the ship files. But some of these data - and some of the location data - also affected levels 5 and/or 6. I will be issuing comprehensive updates for all scenarios at all levels tomorrow. These will run cleaner and have fewer data issues than the present set. Level 7 is the most impacted.

In addition to the eratta described above, I find I left out Mifune's recommended additions of air units related to Madagascar (mainly South African Air Force). So the new release will include them.

[Jo van der Pluym]

ORIGINAL: el cid again
Investingating erratta found by Blirtzk in just Level 7 CVO - but cross checking for all scenarios and levels - I have found more errors than I like to see. Level 7 did not have ships updated to new class standards to the degree I would prefer - and so all scenarios have hundreds of corrections to the ship files. But some of these data - and some of the location data - also affected levels 5 and/or 6. I will be issuing comprehensive updates for all scenarios at all levels tomorrow. These will run cleaner and have fewer data issues than the present set. Level 7 is the most impacted.

Is this update then also the Final Frozen versions of level 5 and 6 ?

[el cid again]

I added 15 SAAF air units (3 flights, 12 squadrons) - well 2 are RAF and 1 is RAF converting to SAAF eventually - and 2 ground support units - a pair of minesweepers - and a peculiar ex Aussie AV called Albatros (with a squadron of 9 Walrus - RAF carrier planes if you will).

There will be two more releases of Levels 5 and 6 - one to get most of this eratta out soon - and one with the final conversion of MSW to two ships (some Allied ones are not) and adding a few more USN LSTs. It is hard to tell - but possibly Level 7 will end up with them frozen at the same time.

Also added 5 SAN frigates (late war).

[Jo van der Pluym]

ORIGINAL: el cid again

There will be two more releases of Levels 5 and 6 - one to get most of this eratta out soon - and one with the final conversion of MSW to two ships (some Allied ones are not) and adding a few more USN LSTs. It is hard to tell - but possibly Level 7 will end up with them frozen at the same time.

If I good understand this. Is the first release all files and has the second and last release only changes in ships and shiptypes? Are I right?

[el cid again]

Both will probably be comprehensive - as a courtesy. There probably will not be changes to most files - and probably will be changes to class, ship and location files. While location files do not affect ships - we always find at least some eratta or technical enhancements to fold into it (with the help of players and, in particular, Blitzk).

Cobra also has gone missing - so distribution may be a problem. We will see - I will release on schedule.

[el cid again]

should be working in all respects and at the same eratta level as 5 and 6 - which all should be better than ever before

running tests to confirm