Customized Grand Campaign

[Priapus1]

OK guys, I'll slow down. Yes, I agree the bridge battles would be much more enjoyable if the germans fielded more units and the timer wasn't comically short. I've massively increased the number of BO units at the start of the campaign in an attempt to represent the scattered forces in the region. I'll write a full description of changes when we make a proper release. I'm around on GR if you guys want to do some testing.

edit: Is anyone talented with graphics? I'd like to add some more vehicles, but have never used photoshop so have no idea how to go about it.

Also, there appears to be some erratic limit to how many units some BOs can receive. Some can have a full roster, whilst others are limited to 6 or 7 units. I can't figure out why. Any ideas?

...

It's a complete mystery to me. I'm able to give full rosters to the major bridges and nijmegen town however am limited to a maximum of 7 units for the minor bridges. There's no mention of a limit in the workbook. I don't know if this is something hardcoded or some figure in StaticBGs I am overlooking.

[xe5]

Lack of consistency when editing the 5 rows of unit/location data, one row for each difficulty level, per static BG. For example, you might have 15 teams coded for some BGs at Elite difficulty (first data row) and 15 teams coded for other BGs at Recruit difficulty. So when you play on Elite youre not seeing 15 teams for the BGs whose Recruit data you edited.

[Priapus1]

... I'm aware that the other lines of data are for the different difficulty settings.

This mod is designed specifically for line vs line.

[xe5]

Upload your StaticBGs.txt file and it wont be a complete mystery much longer.

[tigercub]

Davidss can the LOS from windows be widened? i feel they are to small as it stands. 

[davidss]

ORIGINAL: tigercub

Davidss can the LOS from windows be widened? i feel they are to small as it stands. 

Hi,
In order to make a window with wider LOS; you would need to recode more width (more single elements) in the map itself.

Are you testing with LSA Elements Real Walls v1.2? If so, window width shouldn't be a problem .. since exterior wall LOS is unblocked when soldiers are adjacent.

If you are testing with v1.3 ... then you can see the problems associated with wall LOS blocked even when adjacent. Problem like not as many soldiers getting LOS and the four man MG teams having the main gunner with LOS less consistently.
That is why I decided on exterior walls with LOS when adjacent for GT2.1

[Priapus1]

I don't think exterior walls having their LOS blocked will be an issue for LSA. Windows and doors are not only more frequent in LSA compared to TLD, they are also much larger. Every building has a finite number of windows and doors and I think it's more realistic that every team member won't be able to fire at a target at the same time. I also think it's much more realistic that MGs aren't able to sit in a corner of a building and shoot at a 270 degree angle. The best they can achieve now is a 180 degree angle. MGs behaviour seems different in LSA too. They tend to have preference to set up on windows, with other team members moving out of the way to allow them. I've reduced all heavy MG teams to 4 men in an attempt to stop crowding and decrease the chance of the MG not receiving an LOS. I'm really impressed with the new elements data, with the exterior walls blocking LOS, and really want to keep it in.

[davidss]

.

[STIENER]

Priapus.....message me in GR if your around please right now......[:)]

[tigercub]

I have done all the lastest changes ask for Priapus ...plus some more reserched changes...Stiener do you know if the US were getting the use of the British Sabbo rounds for the 57mm from 6 pounders? there were getting HE rounds from the pomps but thats all i can find.
 

[STIENER]

interesting question tigercub.....i didnt know the yanks were getting there HE rds from the brits. they couldnt possibbly have been getting all there HE rds from them......but on further reading on the internet, it appears your right ...brit and yank ammo was interchangable between the the 6 pdr and the 57 mm [ its the same damn gun ] [&:] i found some info on the APDS rounds for the yank 57mm, they too were from the brits in limited quantity's. one source said that the 57 mm shooting the APDS was not very accurate with it tho.
so in limited quantity's, yes the APDS was used in the yank 57 mm [8D] who new???

[tigercub]

yes the 57mm is the same gun and The US never made HE or sabbo rounds...my file have been updated again today.

[STIENER]

Priapus
heres my german BG recomendations for the new mod. [ line settings in the game? ] these changes are based on three books in particular, "it never snows in september"and "the forgotten army", and "sons of the reich, 2nd SS panzer corps". my recomendations are for improvment of game playability and still maintain a certain amount of historical accuracy.

the problem with LSA IMHO is that the germans lack alot of the equipment that was avalible to them historically in the game or was not included in the game because of alledged few numbers of this equipment or lack of written records.
the book "it never snows in sept" has allot of information derived from from many personel interviews with german soldiers who were in Campaign, including Heinz Harmel commander of the 10 SS and Karl - Heinz Euling.

107 PZ BDE [ the numbers for this BG are TOTAL numbers of squads, NOT added to whats already in the game bg, unless stated]
sept 18 9:00
6 shreaks, 5 assault engineer squads [ take out the lame pioneer squads ] 10 PZ Grd squads, 10 PZ Grd mg squads, 6 hmg squads, 8 zugtrupp.
ADD...6 lmg squads, 3 20mm h/t's, 3 37mm h/t's

KG Reinhold
sept 18 6:00
ADD...4 PZ Grd, 4 PZ Grd mg, 3 mark 4 tanks and 1 mk 4 command tank.
sept 18 15:00
ADD..reinforce with 3 mk 4 tanks, 1 mk 4 command tank, 6 SS PZ Grd, 6 SS PZ Grd mg, 4 shreaks, 2 8cm mortors,4 hmg, 6 lmg and 6 zugtrupp. [ all SS of course]

KG Euling
sept 18 00:00
REPLACE the 1 stug with 4 Jag 4 tanks.
ADD...2 hmg h/t's and 2 37mm h/t's
sept 18 15:00
ADD...reinforce with 2 SS stugs, 6 SS zugtrupp, 5 SS PZ Grd, 5 SS PZ Grd mg, 4 SS assault engineer, 4 shreaks, 4 hmg, 6 lmg, 2 75mm pak, 4 20mm flak and 2 8cm mortors. [ all SS of course]
Eulings BG should absorb the static BG at Nijmegan to get at least 4 88 flak guns. the 88 flak guns and 20 and 37 mm flak guns were an intrical part of the nijmegan defences for Euling and Reinhold.

280 Stug BDE
sept 19 6:00
TOTAL Stugs should be 2 stuh 42's and 4 Stug 3's.
ADD...6 Grenadier squads, 8 lmg, and 4 zugtrupp.

KG Chill
ADD...1 more Jagdpanther [ total = 2 ], 1 Stug 3, 3 FJ 75mm pak's, 3 FJ 75mm inf guns

KG Harder
sept 17 18:00
ADD... 4 SS zugtrupp, 4 SS PZ Grd, 4 SS PZ Grd mg
sept 20 6:00
ADD 1 Panther tank

KG Gaebner
sept 17 15:00
ADD.... 4 SS Puma's, 4 SS 251/9 75mm h/t's, 6 SS pzaufklarer mg, 6 SS lmg, and 4 SS zugtrupp.

KG Brinkmann
sept 18 00:00
ADD...6 SS pzaufklarer mg, 4 SS lmg, 2 SS zugtrupp, 4 251/9 75mm h/t's

KG Henke static BG at Nijmegan bridge
Henke had a Flak Battery used in the duel purpose role of AA and A/T....4 or 6 88 flak guns and another 4 20 mm and 37 mm flak guns????

KG Spindler
sept 17 15:00
ADD...4 SS PZ Grd, 4 SS PZ Grd mg, 2 SS hmg, 6 SS lmg, 1 flak 88, 3 251 hmg h/t's, 1 flamethrower team, 4 250/9 h/t's, 2 Stug 3's, 2 75mm pak's.
sept 22 6:00
ADD..reinforce with 4 SS assault engineer squads with flamethrowers.

KG Knaust
sept 18 12:00
ADD.... 2 flak 88's, 6 Grenadier, 6 Grd mg.
sept 22 6:00
ADD... reinforce with 6 SS assault engineer squads with flamethrowers.
[ this BG looks good for the anmount of tanks that show as reinfocements in the game ]

KG Walther
sept 22 6:00
ADD.... 4 75mm pak's, 2 Panther tanks, and 2 75mm Inf guns.
sept 23 9:00
ADD.. reinforce with 5 SS Jag 4's, 4 SS PZ Grd, and 4 SS PZ Grd mg

KG Jungwirth
sept 18 6:00
ADD.... 6 FJ shreaks, 6 FJ lmg, 3 FJ 75mm pak's, 3 FJ 75mm inf guns.

all the other BG's in stock LSA should be LEFT ALONE for now IMHO untill we play test these BG's to see how the game NOW plays.

IMO the new assault engineer squads should all be 8 man squads with explosives, fausts, mp 40 sub machine guns, lots of grenades, and a flamethrower. [ Tiger..ur opinion? ]

Hope you gents like what ive got here. its my opinion that if too many BG's are given tanks and or equipment that wasnt present historically it may skew the game drastically. what i have presented here i think is somewhat historically correct, maybe not as far as numbers go but as far as what type of equipment was there and who had acces to it. [8D]
by increasing the numbers of equipment a bit, [;)] we get back the playabilty of the game.[:)]

RD Steiner

[Overkenshin]

looks good Mike

[Priapus1]

Thanks for the comprehensive list Steiner. I'll begin work on the changes today.

[Priapus1]

OK, first question:

Why haven't you given 107 panzer brigade any panthers? I based its current set up on this web page:

http://www.axishistory.com/index.php?id=512

It won't stand a chance at halting the allied armoured BG's, even temporarily, along the eastern route if all it receives is shreks and half tracks.

Question 2:

Are the above figures additions to be made to the stock game or my modded BG's? I assume the former? When you say "ADD" I assume you mean reinforce? The game only reinforces at midnight, therefore it's not possible to reinforce during the day.

Question 3:

According to your suggestions Harder should be available on the first turn. Where should he be located in the north? i.e. west or east? If it's possible could you state which map you think he should begin at.

Actually, could you give suggestions for starting locations for all the armoured BGs. Most importantly, were the tanks challenging the paras located in the north west or mainly, or even solely, focused on the arnhem area?

Brinkmann crossed the ferry at Doornenburg to support the nijmegen defence, right?

[STIENER]

Priapus
1] sorry for the minor confusion on 107 PZ BDE....in all the BG's listed including the 107 PZ BDE...you keep all the other stock squads and vehicles that are in the stock BG / forcepool lists in the game. all you change or ADD [ mostly add ] is what i have listed. so the 107 PZ BDE has about 12 panthers and 4 jag 4's in the stock game. [:)]
heres a new recomendation list for the 107 PZ BDE so its the same as all the rest of my list..sorry for the confusion there..

107 PZ BDE
sept 18 9:00
ADD...3 20mm h/t's, 3 37mm h/t's, 3 shreaks, 2 PZ Grd squads, 2 PZ Grd mg squads, 2 hmg, 4 zugtrupp, 6 lmg, and remove the pionere squads and replace with 5 assault engineer squads,

2] yes the above additons are to the STOCK game. your editing the BG forcepools, so why cant you add the new number of squads to the BG units lists like you did with your game files?? i dont get that? as for reinforcing...same thing....your editing the stock game files at at certain time and date im assuming for each BG just like looking at each forcepool make up in the scenario editor??? the stock game reinforces at other times, other than midnite im pretty sure.

3] Harder arrrives in the stock game on sept 17 at 18:00 at Valkenhuizen....at the time i listed above. all the stock game arrival times are accurate as well as what maps they come in on. IMHO you dont have to change any of that. remember, you dont have to reinvent the wheel here, if you dont want to. keep it simple and easy IMHO [:)]

Brinkmann didnt cross the ferry...he fought at arnhem mostly until the arnhem bridge was recaptured and then moved down towards nijmegan.

[Priapus1]

Parts of the 10. SS panzer crossed the Pannderden ferry. Maybe I'm think of Euling. I can't find the source where I read that now. I'm not 100% sure about reinforcements. I did some testing a couple of days ago and it was all very confusing. Take it easy with the BGs. I was only asking if your suggestions are based on the stock games forcepools. I'm going to continue to use my modded FPool files and make reductions based on the above.

edit: Are your tank figures at a 1:1 ratio?

[Priapus1]

Do you guys think it is feasible to do a 1:1 ratio for troops and tanks? I'm doing some calculations after increasing most team sizes... if each BG has 15 slots each battle with each team consisting of an average of 6 men and on average you lose 6 (40%) of those teams each battle, that gives an mean battle casualty rate of 36 men. There are 50 turns between the 17th to the 25th of September. If our average BG is in combat for a third of those turns that is a total casualty rate of 16.7x36 = 601.2. There are 31 allied BGs. 31x601.2 = 18637 total casualties for the allies. That is fairly close to the real figures of between 15326–17200 (according to wikipedia...). Perhaps my estimate of a 40% loss rate each battle is a little high. I have too much free time. What do you guys think?

[STIENER]

Hi Priapus
the 10SS BG's that crossed at the Pannderden ferry were Rienhold and Euling. you were 1/2 right [;)] between them they had the bulk of the 10 SS troops per say. brinkmann which was the 10 SS recon was at arnhem as well as some other 10SS troops in Knaust and spindler i believe.

my tank figures are more like 50% of what was historical. as an example Rienhold had 16 mk 4's and 4 stug historically. Euling got the 4 stugs [ and initially 4 jag 4's ] and rienhold kept most of the mk 4's with him on the north side of the river at nijmegan.
so by me giving rienhold 8 mk 4's and euling 2 stugs thats 50% but i gave euling all the jag 4's so that 100% but fo the most part im using 50% as the rule.

not sure what you mean about take it easy with the BG's? didnt mean to ruffle your feathers........if i did[&:] i didnt understand the initial question i guess. sorry.

im not a big fan of the 1 to 1 ratio thing. i dont think you can make it work the way you would like. 40% casualtys in CC may be but in real life its not anything close to that.
id prefer you to spend your time getting the BG's a wee bit more back to historical and playable levels please [:)] thats just my opinion tho.