Matrix Games Forums

I am looking for confirmation on the statements below so please help

PS: I have reworded my original comments based upo further forum reading.

As I understand it from reading the manual and numerous forum entries, if I elect to use the FULL HUMAN FACTORY/UPGRADE CONTROL feature the following two statements are true.

Factories WILL automatically start producing a new tank or aircraft automatically at the prescribed time. In other words, a factory producing the IIIh would produce them till sometime in January 42 when it will automatically convert IIIj even though I have full control.

Equipment Upgrades at the unit level ONLY HAPPEN when requested by the player. In other words, a Panzer Battalion within a Panzer division that has IIIg's in it will have them forever. It will get more IIIg's due to losses and if replacements are available in the pool ....BUT will NEVER convert to IIIH's or any other tank until the playter makes the change.

Originally posted by techex

As I understand it from reading the manual and numerous forum entries, if I elect to use the FULL HUMAN FACTORY/UPGRADE CONTROL feature the following two statements are true.

Factories WILL automatically start producing a new tank or aircraft automatically at the prescribed time.

No, factories will not automatically upgrade in manual control. you have to do that. It also takes a factory a full month to upgrade instead of just one turn when the computer makes the change. This is why, if you're only planning to make minor adjustments (or even some major adjustments), you should make the changes you want but let the computer keep control. Most of the time this is sufficient. The computer doesn't track each factory individually, it just checks for an update of item A to item B. and if there is an update it changes all factories producing item A to produce item B. If you want to abandon the ME109 for the FW109 for example, you can do that, the computer won't force those changed factories back on you.

Equipment Upgrades at the unit level ONLY HAPPEN when requested by the player.

Yes.

Thanks Ed for the reply

The bottom line then seems to be that if I am in manual control I get the feature of controlling the upgrades which I think is useful BUT bascically screw up the factory side of things.

I think that the human control of upgrades is useful because as I understand it when an upgrade takes place the unit experience not readimess takes a hit thus reducing it's effective combat strength. This could happen at exactly the wrong time for instance going into a big battle on the same turn that it was upgraded.

Can one have the best of both worlds by shifting beteen the two types of control ....ie:

Be in computer control at the end of a turn correctly timed for the computer to do a factory conversion at the start of the next turn...thus the factory converts to the next unit (IIIh to IIIj) without the 4 week delay.

BUT be in human control the rest of the time to prevent inappropraitely timed equipment upgrades at the unit level

To the best of my understanding, the first statement is false, and the second statement is true. If you go full human control, you must change production yourself.
This would work fine, except for the Soviet lend-lease factories: In order to switch from Hurricanes, P-40's, P-39's, and B-25's to Spitfires, P-47's, P-63's, and A-20's; you have to change over to computer control for a turn or two. You must then pray that the stupid computer doesn't mess up your air force too badly.
If you have a Pz bn equipped w/ Pz-II's, they stay equipped w/ Pz-II's until you upgrade them....

There is also a little cheat that allows you to keep computer control, but change a factory manually and have it producing in 2 turns instead of 4. If you change a factory to a type that is set to upgrade to a new type that is currently being produced, the computer will then upgrade it to the new type, then your change will be set to a 4 turn delay but then the next turn the computer will change it to the upgrade and cut the delay to 1 turn. I hadn't thought of this before, but maybe Arnaud should make an computer upgrades be the current delay plus 1, so the above change would result in a 5 turn delay, making it worthless.

That one I will not use as it does sound like one is trying to trick the code. I am just trying to manage properly to my needs.

In my opinion, the solution lies in having two separate controls.

1- Leave the factories in computer control so that factory changeovers take place at the correct time except for the obvious changes where one might actually want to change the type of unit being produced ...for instance ME109 to FW190As...followed much later by the computer upgrading that factory from 190As to 190Ds.

2- Upgrade control as manual if desired to allow the control of the timing of the upgrades for the puroses that I mentioned earlier in this thread

Hopefully those contemplating upgrades to this wonderful game will read this and at least consider it.

By the way, based upon what I have read Arnaud and his team are perhaps considering more upgrades and also for 2003 the 2by3 Games group is looking at producing USSR 1941-1945 which certainly sounds like WIR given the fact that Gary Grigsby is over there.

The Pacwar modification team added a nice feature to Pacwar : If a new(here aircraft) type is available in enough numbers the user will be prompted to upgrade or use the old equipment > When used no upgrade this info will be stored and unless the users upgrades manually no automatic upgrade .
It would be a nice feature to add to WIR but i think it needs too much RAM and this is we all don't have(DOS-memory) .

It would be enough if it's possible to add separate factory/equipment control .

I've put the above ideas in the issues list. These are pretty serious changes though, so don't hold your breath.