Feature suggestion list

The team behind the award-winning game Advanced Tactics is back with a new and improved game engine that focuses on the decisive early days of World War II! Decisive Campaigns: The Blitzkrieg from Warsaw to Paris is the first in an innovative series of operational World War II wargames that also include a strategic element. The Blitzkrieg from Warsaw to Paris simulates Germany’s military successes in Poland and France in 1939 and 1940 (including also a hypothetical “Sea Lion” invasion of Great Britain).

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RocketMan
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RE: Feature suggestion list

Post by RocketMan »

They are meant to be jokes but I figured for sure somebody would comment on them!
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Vic
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RE: Feature suggestion list

Post by Vic »

Once again: excellent list. thanks for the effort of combining it and of course also for everybody making the original contributions.

It might or might not be noticed but VR Designs main effort is on getting AT updated at the moment, but focus will in a few months return to DC! (vagueness as in howmany months is intentional)

Its good to work some time on other project so thoughts and ideas about the next DC title can slowly solidify. These things do take time. Wish i could share the great plans i have already. But will keep them to my self a little longer.

best,
vic
Visit www.vrdesigns.net for the latest news, polls, screenshots and blogs on Shadow Empire, Decisive Campaigns and Advanced Tactics
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Keunert
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RE: Feature suggestion list

Post by Keunert »

zombies would be great.
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Krupinski
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RE: Feature suggestion list

Post by Krupinski »

I'm a little bit disappointed. I mean, Rocketman took so much effort in this list and there is no sign that almost 10% of this nice features would be implemented soon in an upcoming patch. Maybe there will be such an upgrade or patch next year - but on my opinion that's to late..
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RocketMan
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RE: Feature suggestion list

Post by RocketMan »

Updated to 1.10.
Added #49 from RocketMan.

49) The chance of a HQ receiving an action card each turn should vary according to the leaders combat modifier (the percentage number below their portrait). Set a minimum value, like 3 or 4%, no matter what the leaders combat modifier is, and then make the percentage chance of receiving an action card equal to the greater of .2 times the leaders combat modifier or the minimum value. For instance, a leader with a combat modifier of 5% would have a 5%x.2=1% chance of receiving an action card per turn based on their combat modifier which is lower than the minimum, so their actual chance would be the minimum of 3 or 4%. A leader with a 77% combat modifier would have a 77%x.2=15.4% chance of receiving an action card per turn. For reference, the current percentage chance of receiving an action card is set to 10%/turn for every HQ. This minimum value could be retained at 10%, but in my opinion that is too high for HQs with a low combat value.
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willgamer
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RE: Feature suggestion list

Post by willgamer »

From Borsook:
36) Add supply button for units not only HQs - if you want to see how a unit gets its supply now you need to find the HQ first, which may make you lose sight of the unit in question.


Further, I'd like to see the entire supply trace, with all its zigzags to/from HQs in its chain of command all the way to the primary supply source.

This would be very benefical to newcomers; supply takes many clicks to demonstrate and many words to explain the way it is now.
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RocketMan
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RE: Feature suggestion list

Post by RocketMan »

Updated to 1.11.

1.11: 12/5/2010
Added the following to #36 from willgamer: Show the entire supply trace, with all its zigzags to/from HQs in its chain of command all the way to the primary supply source.
Added #50 from willgamer and #51 from RocketMan.
Removed jokes about zombies and cheat codes.

From Borsook:
36) Add supply button for units not only HQs - if you want to see how a unit gets its supply now you need to find the HQ first, which may make you lose sight of the unit in question. Edit: From willgamer - Show the entire supply trace, with all its zigzags to/from HQs in its chain of command all the way to the primary supply source.

From willgamer:
50) Add ability to hide the interface so more of the map can be seen.

From RocketMan:
51) Currently the colored boxes in the bottom right of the counters only show three levels of supply:
Green: 0-99 APs
Yellow: 100-199 APs
Red: 200 or more APs

There really should be a color for each level of supply. I would recommend the following changes:

Green: 0-99 APs (or perhaps dark green)
Blue: 100-149 Aps (or perhaps light green)
Yellow: 150-199 APs
Orange: 200-249 APs
Red: 250 or more APs (out of supply)
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willgamer
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RE: Feature suggestion list

Post by willgamer »

One of the more time consuming chores is playing a card for something that just boosts a unit's stats when played by a Army or higher HQ.

For example, OKH gets a morale card. Finding a low morale unit can often take 15 minutes. The alternative is to just spend it on the nearest unit you see to just end the frustration.

I'd like to see a tab that lists all units on one line each with their stats, preferably sortable by clicking on the column header. Filters would be a plus.
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Keunert
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RE: Feature suggestion list

Post by Keunert »

action cards could do with more infos: what units benefit, when and how long (as an example the morale boost card)
more and more play this game on laptops: would be great to have the interface vertical on the side to have more map displayed.
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Keunert
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RE: Feature suggestion list

Post by Keunert »

when the polish Rommel uses the no step back order, allow his units to fire artillery and to conduct attacks
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RocketMan
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RE: Feature suggestion list

Post by RocketMan »

Updated to 1.12: 1/11/2011

From willgamer:
52) A tab that lists all units on one line each with their stats, preferably sortable by clicking on the column header to make finding units to play moral/readiness action cards on easier. Filters would be a plus.

From Keunert:
53) Action cards could do with more infos: what units benefit, when and how long (as an example the morale boost card).

54) Would be great to have the interface vertical on the side to have more map displayed. [From RocketMan - I pointed this out in another thread as well, but can't remember which one]

55) When the Polish Rommel (or any other leader for that matter) uses the no step back order, allow his units to fire artillery and to conduct attacks and blow bridges.
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Keunert
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RE: Feature suggestion list

Post by Keunert »

Great, thanks RocketMan
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critter
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RE: Feature suggestion list

Post by critter »

Great Job RocketMan.

Perhaps make the Army/Army Group cards automatic.
IE.. You get a message that OKH played the card on the "?" div after the fact. That way the computer would decide to help your weakest units.
That would cut out a manual Higher HQ check every turn and let you concentrate on corps.
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gravyface_
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RE: Feature suggestion list

Post by gravyface_ »

Ability to plot out lines of advance on the map that are colour-coded to the unit. For instance, if my plan is for X Corps to advance along the lines of Tiel to Tricht before wheeling North to Utrect, it would be nice if you could visually draw that line of advance on the map (with "snap-to" plotting for each city) by first clicking on the HQ unit, then a clicking a "lines of advance" draw button, followed by clicking on each city to form a visible, color-coded line (color inherited from the HQ) on the map.

The benefit of this feature would to be quickly see at a glance where your corps/division are going, whether they're on track or whether they're getting scattered, and where adjustments need to be made in case of roadblocks, supporting/flanking, etc.

This, I think, would be a universally welcome feature for all semi/complex wargames, especially on the larger scale maps with many HQs and units. And would be fairly accurate as any staff/commander would use grease pencils on a laminated map of the area to do the same sort of thing.
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Keunert
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RE: Feature suggestion list

Post by Keunert »

If setting up a pbem campaign game there should be more options. the game creator should be able to chose A: variants like in the single player scenario options screen (giving the Poles more tanks, etc), B: allow or not allow the other player to chose variants, limit the variants (no british landing, more tanks yes etc.)

now if you chose non historical campaign it's completely random what you get.
och
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RE: Feature suggestion list

Post by och »

Very nice list indeed. Let me add two more suggestions, both relating to movement:

1) A system to model road congestion. For example:
- Each unit moving into/out of/through a hex increases the AP cost of moving through that hex to other units. Perhaps 5 AP for an average infantry regiment.
- The increase would be correlated with the unit weight and perhaps whether it is motorized or not.
- The cost could also increase during rain weather turns (dirt roads becoming more and more muddy as panzers move through).
- Urban hexes with higher density road network would have lower increases. Hard-top roads would also have lesser penalties than dirt roads or forests, etc.
- HQ closeness could perhaps reduce the penalty to reflect better planning of movement by HQ staff
- The increasess would be carried over to the next supply round - keeping good supply routes open becomes more important - and then be reset at the beginning of movement in the next turn.

This would model the difficulties of moving several divisions and their supply trains through congested space (e.g. Ardennes). Obviously this would mainly affect the German advance in the game so should be tested for balance - but a fighting withdrawal would also require more planning.

2) Movement penalty for converting enemy hexes
- An increase in AP cost for moving into enemy territory, even if no enemy unit exerts ZOC.
- perhaps a lower increase for moving in own hexes which are adjacent to enemy territory

This would model tactical movement with forward scouting when you need to worry about the possible presence of enemy/booby traps/securing flanks/general unknown conditions vs strategic movement (marching) to get from A to B in known conditions. An additional possibility would be to override the penalty at the cost of readiness, i.e. rushing reinforcements headlong into battle.

Cheers,
och
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critter
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RE: Feature suggestion list

Post by critter »

Hey Rocketman, has Vic gave any thoughts to you on what he's thinking of fixing?
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RE: Feature suggestion list

Post by robc04_1 »

DC can really use a recon map mode to color code the hexes by how much recon you have in them. It would be nice to see at a glance how much you know about a tile.
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PKH
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RE: Feature suggestion list

Post by PKH »

Some suggestions after playing for a couple of hours:
- Add undo move button
- Add zoom centered on cursor (mousewheel) or selected hex (+/- keys)
- Add ability to drag map with the mouse
- Improve performance during scrolling. F.ex. render the map and all units into one or a few large bitmaps, and update when changed.
- Add ability to move a stack w/different groups.
- Add info on what unit counter numbers and symbols mean in the manual
- Add option to have move as default state. Either left click to select and move, or left click to select right click to move.
- Add option to add a stack to an attack w/1 click. F.ex. alt + left click.

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RE: Feature suggestion list

Post by WilliePete »

It would be nice to hear from any of the testers. I'm curious to know if any of the guys here were even invited... Hopefully, we will see case Blue in a few weeks! This forum is so quiet any word on the game would be really cool!
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