Stalingrad in future plans

[Peter Fisla]

I would like to see this engine adapted for Eastern Front especially battle for Stalingrad, is there any chance this is planned in the future ? I bought Highway to the Reich but decided to skip on COA because those battles are not my area of interest. Battle of the Bulge is a bit more interesting but I'm a bit surprised that the decisive front of WW2 in Europe - Eastern Front - wasn't looked into yet...

Thanks!

Peter

[sterckxe]

ORIGINAL: Peter Fisla
I would like to see this engine adapted for Eastern Front especially battle for Stalingrad, is there any chance this is planned in the future ?

Some time ago Arjuna posted the "road ahead"

m.asp?m=996602&mpage=1&key=

<quote>
We now have five different design teams beavering away.
Each team focusses on a different area.
There is modern team looking at Vietnam as the first title release for their series.
And we have four WW2 teams.
The West front will be bringing your BFTB.
The North African team will be covering the early years in the desert from O'Connor's Offensive in 1940 through to Crusader in late 41.
The Pacific team are going to be covering the battles from the SW Pacific, including Guadalcanal and Finschaffen.
The East front team is focusing on the Chir river battles and possibly also including other battles from the Soviet Saturn offensive, the one that sealed the lid on Stalingrad

Titles : Desert Crusade (North Africa) - Red Star Rising (East Front)
Sequence : BFTB, Desert Crusade, Red Star Rising, the first Pacific title, the first modern title.

</quote>

Greetz,

Eddy Sterckx

[Custer1961]

You cover the wargaming scene better than any entire website or magazine. You are like the Ernie Pyle of wargaming. Thanks.

[sterckxe]

ORIGINAL: Custer
You cover the wargaming scene better than any entire website or magazine. You are like the Ernie Pyle of wargaming. Thanks.

Lousy memory - good archive [:D]

Greetz,

Eddy Sterckx

[Arjuna]

Eddy Pyle....it has a nice ring to it! [;)]

[decaro]

For some reason there's something depressing about playing Eastern Front games; I don't know if it was the dismal fighting conditions, or a lack of emotional attachment from this end.

I have enoyed PTO sims, but would islands be too small in scope for this game's engine?

Wouldn't mind seeing a well-done Normandy/Cobra combo game, esp. w/all the new info re these ops from the History Channel.

[sterckxe]

ORIGINAL: Arjuna
Eddy Pyle....it has a nice ring to it! [;)]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernie_Pyle

"Pyle wandered around the country in his car, writing columns about the unusual places and people he met in his ramblings".

Yeah, I especially find the "rambling" part very appropriate [:D]

Greetz,

Eddy Sterckx

[HansBolter]

ORIGINAL: Joe D.

For some reason there's something depressing about playing Eastern Front games; I don't know if it was the dismal fighting conditions, or a lack of emotional attachment from this end.

I have enoyed PTO sims, but would islands be too small in scope for this game's engine?

Wouldn't mind seeing a well-done Normandy/Cobra combo game, esp. w/all the new info re these ops from the History Channel.

I guess it would depend a lot on the size of the island. I found the Malta scenario in COTA to be great fun and Crete is a large enough island to support multiple scenarios. Okinawa would be awesome. So would the hypothetical invasion of Kyushu, Operation Olympic.

[sterckxe]

ORIGINAL: HansBolter
So would the hypothetical invasion of Kyushu, Operation Olympic.

TT #54689 - Add another digit to the casualty number [;)]

Greetz,

Eddy Sterckx

[wodin]

I can't wait for an Eastern Front game. Stalingrad would be my no1 choice, but once we start getting OOB's for the East Front I can see alot of user made scenarios being made.

[decaro]

ORIGINAL: HansBolter

ORIGINAL: Joe D.
For some reason there's something depressing about playing Eastern Front games; I don't know if it was the dismal fighting conditions, or a lack of emotional attachment from this end.
I have enoyed PTO sims, but would islands be too small in scope for this game's engine?
Wouldn't mind seeing a well-done Normandy/Cobra combo game, esp. w/all the new info re these ops from the History Channel.

I guess it would depend a lot on the size of the island. I found the Malta scenario in COTA to be great fun and Crete is a large enough island to support multiple scenarios. Okinawa would be awesome. So would the hypothetical invasion of Kyushu, Operation Olympic.

On second thought, you're right; Okinawa would be awesome, esp. if the scale of the island was large enough to fill the monitor.

[sterckxe]

ORIGINAL: Joe D.
On second thought, you're right; Okinawa would be awesome, esp. if the scale of the island was large enough to fill the monitor.

The current engine has a map limitation somewhere around 50km by 30km - or 1500 square km - Okinawa is 1200 square km but it's a long, thin island so it might work or it might not [8D]

Greetz,

Eddy Sterckx

[decaro]

Can you use smaller units (squares) to better fit within the island, and then use a viewing icon to magnify sections of the screen?

[Custer1961]

Quick check on the net (it is so amazing to have almost any fact in the history of mankind 30 seconds away from you) shows Okinawa would occupy a space just less than 100 km long by 50 km wide (widest point).&nbsp; If my geometry is correct, the diagonal length of the 50km by 30km game engine is 58 km.&nbsp; Okinawa would not even come close to fitting, even placed diagonally in the game map format.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;

[GoodGuy]

The current engine has a map limitation somewhere around 50km by 30km [8D]

Greetz,

Eddy Sterckx

No. I already corrected Dave there (for COTA), a while ago, hehee.
Eddy, you should know better. [;)]

The exact map size currently supported is 49984 x 40000 meters. (~50 x 40 km),
unless the map size has been scaled down to 50 x 30 for BFTB.
Dave, can you clarifiy this? What's BFTB's limit?

[Arjuna]

50 x 40km

[sterckxe]

ORIGINAL: GoodGuy
No. I already corrected Dave there (for COTA), a while ago, hehee.
Eddy, you should know better. [;)]

I was just testing you [:D]

Greetz,

Eddy Sterckx

[decaro]

The Pacific team are going to be covering the battles from the SW Pacific, including Guadalcanal and Finschaffen.

If the scale can somehow be worked-out for displaying these islands, each island could be a separate scenario for a PTO version of this engine. From the Allied side, this could easilly be developed into a campaign mode where each new/next island is unlocked after successfully taking the previous one (within time constraints), and you could "island hop" all the way to Nippon -- perhaps in a nonlinear, replayable path -- for a hypothetical invasion if a dice roll doesn't give you the A-bomb first!

For the Imperial opponent, it could also be in campaign mode, but in reverse, i.e., holding these islands long enough to delay/frustrate a homeland invasion, while hoping for a dice roll that doesn't give the Allies the bomb.

Just a thought.

[Prince of Eckmühl]

ORIGINAL: sterckxe

The North African team will be covering the early years in the desert from O'Connor's Offensive in 1940 through to Crusader in late 41.


Greetz,

Eddy Sterckx

Eddie, I don't know if I can take it anymore. I've been onboard with Panther since Airborne Assault: Red Devils Over Arnhem. I remember seeing some screen shots of Operation Crusader, back then, and thinking to myself that this would be such a killer system to use in the desert. Meanwhile, PG keeps confining me to roads, when all my panzers want to do is roam!

Please, make 'em publish the North Africa version,

PoE (aka ivanmoe)

[Banquet]

ORIGINAL: Prince of Eckmühl

Meanwhile, PG keeps confining me to roads, when all my panzers want to do is roam!

Please, make 'em publish the North Africa version,

PoE (aka ivanmoe)

A North Africa version would be interesting. It would certainly be great to engage in armour battles across a wide expanse where manoeuvre ruled.

But seeing your comment on roads reminded me why I love the AA series so much. In so many wartime accounts I've read of some road being so vital, or some hill, or other aspect of terrain being fought for, due to it's geographical importantance. Yet in so few wargames have I really appreciated it. Yeah, roads are faster, woods slow you down but are better for defence.. blah, blah.. but in HTTR/COTA you really feel the presence of terrain. Roads really are the arteries of the battleground. Place the wrong units in the wrong terrain and you will pay for your mistake. Control a main road in COTA and you likely control the battle, or at least retain some control.

Everything I've read about operation warfare in WWII makes sense when I play HTTR/COTA. There are a lot of reasons for that, but the way terrain is handled is a big part of it. It makes you feel confined, yet gives you options. It helps you appreciate what the enemy might do.. it becomes more than a bit part.. but a vital part of how you plan for the battle. In no other wargame that I've played has the unit v terrain interaction been so important.

And now I will shut up! [:D] I just love the fact that in AA games you can't steam roller a battlefield with armour like so many other games. For that, any many other things.. salute Dave and his team! [&o]