Matrix Games Forums

Here is a list of bugs that I have noticed and hope will be fixed.

1. The Sermon on the Mount Division: LCU's are like Christ's Sermon on the Mount. Divide them and you can feed the multitudes. The divided parts of a divison should never outnumber divisional strength when kept whole! This goes for engineers too.

2. Sub bug - the code determining range from base for subs is whacked! Certain bases generate fantastic ranges for subs operating 1 hex distance. Others generate ranges for of 2 or 3 for subs operating across the map board.

3. Late war overloading of Home Island air bases. The home islands only accomodate 9 squadrons. As the UN forces close on Japan, previously over-run squadrons appear at Home and soon there are as many as 20 squadrons based on Tokyo - all of which have 4 a/c, but only the top 9 will activate. Worse yet, you cannot access the lower squadrons without deleting one of the higher squadrons. Either allow the IJN to refuse to accept squadrons or allow an unlimited number of squadrons on Home Islands and West Coast.

4. TF and HQ: The computer will assign fleet control as it sees fit. I will have the 7th fleet conducting an operation since it has the most OPs, but the computer says, NO, the 5th fleet had the carriers historically during this period and assigns my CV TF to the 5th fleet.

5. LCU's and HQ: HQs keep resetting to their default HQ when transferred/amphibed.

6. Order of squadrons in database: Basing army fighters to protect marine bombers kills the marines. If air combat is conducted according to how the squadrons are listed in the DB, then list all of the fighters first, then bombers, etc.

7. UN LBA bombing of naval targets far too effective.

8. Oil Resource: The computer refuses to transport certain resources - Rangoon, some Home Island resources.

9. Tankers and Oil points: There is no relationship to the size of the resource and the amount of oil shipped back to the home islands. Palembang will get 2 Tnks that will ship the same oil that is coming from Balikipapan. As structured, the Japanese Economy will collapse even if it captures all the oil resources and never moves its fleet! palembang should be providing 9 times the oil provided by a 5 point resource.

10. Betty's attacking without fighter escort. Darn it, I should be able to restrict their range. OK, that's not a bug it is a wish list.

That's it for now!

Jeff

------------------
Photons have mass? I didn't even know they were Catholic!

3 more bugs!

11. P-51's can reach Japan from the Marianna's. My history book says nope.

12. B-29's won't make atomic bomb attack.

13. Squadrons should be allowed to make both naval and land attacks!

Jeff

Actually, there are ways to get around some of the problems but they require some knowledge about hex editing and how the scenario files are laid out. Either that of you can use one of the two third-party editors that exist for PacWar (PWREPORT and PACEDIT).

For Q10, you can use either technique to reduce the range of all Bettys down to something more to your liking.

As for Q12, B-29s groups won't perform Atomic strikes so long as their homebase base has an assigned air target (obviously a programming oversight). Since these are impossible to purge in the game (they can only be changed to somrthing else) Atomic strikes are impossible unless you edit the scenario.MD file. The precise location of the base's air target can be found by using DOS FC to compare the original MD file (Saipan to Nagoya) and an altered one (Saipan to Okinawa) and noting at what address the change took place. Once you have it, use DOS DEBUG to change the air target's address entry to 00 and save the file. With no target, Atomic strikes can now be flown from that base.

A few years ago, I took the time to use both scenario editors, the game, DEBUG and my spreadsheet to lay out the entire structure of the PACWAR scenario files. I still have the address ranges and I've used to make wholly new scenarios impossible to create otherwise.

For instance, I was able to convert seven unused island bases into Japanese mainland cities (Nagasaki, Kagoshima, Hiroshima, Niigata, Hakodate, Sasebo, Kobe). I then connected each of the new cities to several surrounding ones creating a dense network of escape routes for the IJA. Not only did this allow surplus air groups to be transferred to mainland targets making concentrated kamikaze attacks dangerous, but it also forces Allied invaders to use more of their LCUs to assault Japan. Since the Japanese player has lots of LCUs by invasion time, he can station several at each city making assaults on any expensive. The network also eases the supply issue. If the Allied player wants to succeed, he must subdue several bases almost simulatenously to keep enemy units pinned and to cut off the many escape routes available to many bases. Before the changes, conquering Japan required 10-12 divisions. Now, it takes over 40.

[This message has been edited by Fireborne (edited 05-01-2000).]

[This message has been edited by Fireborne (edited 05-02-2000).]

Having demonstrated some workarounds (which take time to implement) I have my own list of bugs and issues (some of which began with v1.1x22) which I'd like to see addressed:

1) Early withdrawal of British ships to Europe. By 1944, big ships should be pouring in. Instead, the Marianas scenario gives me a few ships and then snatches them away. I could understand this in 1941-42, but not in 1944. My workaround was to change all British ships to Australian nationality in the scenario file. Then, they stay put.

2) Chinese and Korean mailand bases don't benefit from auto-supply even when in US or UK hands late in the game. Adjacent bases in Vietnam like Hanoi do resupply. Hainan also resupplies. I'm not sure about Hong Kong.

3) SEAC/Calcutta barely gets resupply until an open path through Indonesia is carved out, and by then it doesn't matter. This almost stiffles any Commonwealth offensive there.

4) Surface Combat and Bombard TFs must be recreated every or every other move since the program subtly alters their hex codes in the scenario file. They still appear to be unaltered by looking at the TFs but the hex code is changed and they will no longer perform gun actions even with a full armament load. You could remove and recreate them each turn but should this truly be necessary? (in x22 but not x14)

5) The copy protection from WiR should be removed like in PacWar. This is a 1992 game and by now it's an inconvenience.

6) P-38s flew throughout the war but the game won't allow them by 1944 by forcibly updating them to other designs. My workaround was to modify the visually similar Night Widow specs to match it since any fighter aircraft seems capable of effective night combat.

7) Tokyo cannot be permanently held by the Allies. Even if no Japanese LCUs remain and IGH is destroyed, Tokyo will revert to IJH control at the next turn and any Allied supplies will be lost. Of course the occupying Allied LCUs can retake it easily but this keeps them busy. IGH, while not being allow to disappear, should have the ability to retreat to the very end. My workaround was to relocate IGH to a hidden, inaccessible base.

8) Japan surrenders too easily. While it's possible to keep fighting in 1946 (until some code in the game stops resupplying the Allies), the game avoid a full-scale Olympic/Coronet scenario by surrendering. The game should allow a fight to the death by raising the points needed to win against Japan.

9) I obtained a modified PacWar map which shows only those sealines used by ships. Thre should be a toggle option to switch between either map. Of at least include both maps with a re-release.

10) The game requires that bases flying Atomic bomb mission have no set target. Since industry is spread throughout Japan, airbases with strategic bombers should automatically not have any set target or at least have the option to make that possible. The program could choose at random what city to strike either with conventional and atomic explosives. This would be more realistic.

11) Kamikazes are not effective. I can fight a complete campaign and provided I go in with full carrier strength, my chances of getting hit are next to nil. With LBA in support, kamikazes are no more than a pest.

12) It might be nice to enabled a Soviet player be reusing some HQ no longer in action and some LCUs long since destroyed (Dutch, Philippino). That would require a Soviet supply system though and points for them... just thinking out loud. I tried some of this and linked a Soviet base to the US West coast but gave up on it. Just thinking out loud.