Matrix Games Forums

1 You can make a 10 tank company a 10 tank platoon with one of them a Commander.

2 No, setting for one is setting for both.

You remember which volume or have a page number reference?

I don't mind having others find things I've missed. That's part of the fun of doing research. To see what you can find....whoever finds it.

Good Hunting.

MR

Good to hear. I have some internal photos of the Panther tank ammunition stowage if you want to see them. Seems side-hits made the panther light up like a pile of fireworks...

So it sounds like the unit size can atually be used to simulate C&C to some degree.  That is, Soviets might have ponderous 10 tank companies and the Germans could have many 2 tank sections?
 
Too bad on teh assymetrical turn lengths.  I would think it could model really bad C&C well.

ORIGINAL: Yoozername

I have a couple quick questions:

1. Are the Soviet platoons modeled as 3-4 AFV units? So, for example, a 10 tank Soviet company would be modeled as two 3 tank platoons and one 4 tank platoons?

The editor allows the organization of a unit to be as little as 1 or as high as 20. Your tank company could have 10 single tank units in it or 3 platoons of 3 tanks with a single tank as commander. All 10 vehicles in a single unit. However you like.

2. The variable time and use of reaction phases...is this symetrical? Meaning if its changed, it is equally changed for both sides? Could one side have a different setting is what I am asking.

The phases are the same for both sides. Whatever the scenario is setup for both sides play with that arrangement.

Good Hunting.

MR

ORIGINAL: Yoozername

You remember which volume or have a page number reference?

I don't mind having others find things I've missed. That's part of the fun of doing research. To see what you can find....whoever finds it.

Good Hunting.

MR

Good to hear. I have some internal photos of the Panther tank ammunition stowage if you want to see them. Seems side-hits made the panther light up like a pile of fireworks...

What does that have to do with PCO?

Good Hunting.

MR

ORIGINAL: Yoozername

So it sounds like the unit size can atually be used to simulate C&C to some degree.  That is, Soviets might have ponderous 10 tank companies and the Germans could have many 2 tank sections?

C&C can be simulated in various ways. One of those is unit size. Another is the Soviet Art of War selection which removes the orders delays.

Too bad on teh assymetrical turn lengths.  I would think it could model really bad C&C well.

Allowing for different types/lengths of phase lengths for any PCO scenario is already more than any other game allows. C&C will be introduced in other ways in PC4.

Good Hunting.

MR

Is the 'Soviet Art of War' selection in this game?  I don't understand the removal of delay?  What does it simulate?

It simulates the Soviet poor C&C early in the war. Most games that have the 1941 time period have that same delay. PCO allows you to either play with the poor Soviet C&C or play without it.

Good Hunting.

MR

Ok, thanks anyway, I guess I will get to see it in the download.

I didn'y see your answer at first. I appreciate it.

How does the cover and concealment model work? Can we edit the values for different terrain tiles when we make maps?

We don't use tiles. Terrain is coded as something like woods and there are a set of rules covering the type of unit, experience and terrain as to cover, LOS, etc.

ORIGINAL: Ascended

How does the cover and concealment model work? Can we edit the values for different terrain tiles when we make maps?

As J2D said, PCO doesn't use terrain tiles. It uses actual terrain modeling.

You can set a field or a forest pixel by pixel if you like.

Each pixel is assigned a color and the Map Maker (MM) can assign that particular color to one of dozens of textures.

What values are you wanting to edit?

Good Hunting.

MR

I don't think I understand how it works. Is there a thread or some reading material on the subject?

ORIGINAL: Ascended

I don't think I understand how it works. Is there a thread or some reading material on the subject?

the best guide is in the manual. I don't recall a thread devoted to how cover works, however I'll try to summarize.

It sounds like you are interested in how you change the cover or concealment value of a particular location on the map. As has already been pointed out, PCO doesn't use "tiles" the map is actually drawn at a 1 pixel = 1 meter scale, and the color of the pixel determines what terrain type a particular 1 sq meter is. So, for example, you can have a road be 7 meters wide while an intersecting road may only be 4 meters wide (or whatever dimensions you choose).

As for cover, units in in woods terrain, get a minimum benefit for just being in a terrain coded as woods, but the actual amount of 'cover' benefit they recieve is based on the LOS the sighting unit has to them, and the number of tree objects that LOS hits. So to increase the amount of cover benefit woods terrain provides, then you actually increase the density of trees assigned to those woods, and the Map Maker will add more trees, which results in denser woods which provides more cover. You might note that there are 3 woods levels in PCO, light woods, woods, and heavy woods..

As far as movement in different terrain, those values aren't editable. For example, wheeled and half track vehicles can not enter heavy woods terrain, and tracked vehicles have a significant speed reduction in heavy woods. In addition, Vehicles have a greater chance of bogging or breakdowns in heavy woods. And, as with sighting, this can also be affected by how dense you make the woods and what size trees you put in the woods.

Thanks
rick

That sounds fantastic.  Are the colors used editable?  (I.e., is a road pixel always grey?)  I wonder if I can take a field of someone's map say, change the color meaning of the pixel (not changing the color of the pixel itself) and get a different terrain.  Why not change the pixel itself?  Just purely artistic reasons.

More importantly, are the basic benefits for being in a terrain type editable?  And how many different types of terrain pixels are there other than the three vegetation terrains and the roads?

Thanks Rick.

Also -- in terms of cover and concealment / weapon firepower -- are the previous PC releases good yardsticks as to what Ostfront will be, functionally speaking?

ORIGINAL: Ascended

That sounds fantastic.  Are the colors used editable?  (I.e., is a road pixel always grey?)  I wonder if I can take a field of someone's map say, change the color meaning of the pixel (not changing the color of the pixel itself) and get a different terrain.  Why not change the pixel itself?  Just purely artistic reasons.

More importantly, are the basic benefits for being in a terrain type editable?  And how many different types of terrain pixels are there other than the three vegetation terrains and the roads?

Thanks Rick.

You can assign any terrain type to any color pixel you want in map maker.

The benefits for being in a terrain type are fixed.

There are 28 different terrain types.

S.

ORIGINAL: Ascended

Also -- in terms of cover and concealment / weapon firepower -- are the previous PC releases good yardsticks as to what Ostfront will be, functionally speaking?

Only vaguely, there has been so much improvement in those areas the old games probably are not that representative any more.

S.

Thanks!