Matrix Games Forums

Hi,

I thought I drop a quick update on what I'm doing with the Random Generator Mod besides ignoring Junk's plea for help in the mod thread [:)].

I'm currently working on incorporating a GUI task force builder into both the battle and campaign generators and while its slow going it is coming to a point where i have some working screen shots so I thought I post them here. What I've done is to create a task force GUI to enable a user to make a task force of units without the user having to know XML. This GUI is accessable from the Battle and Campaign generators where each task force file is listed and can be referenced multiple times in the RBG and RCG. As you can see in the screen shot you can build up a larger organizational force from a smaller one using task force files. In this case a Mototized Battalion. You'll also note the RBG GUI is completely different as I could not make the current one work with the task force files the way I wanted, hence the change.

The second screen shot is the Task Force Generator itself which is identical for both sides except for the unit types and OOBs.

The third SS is of a unit viewer so users can see the unit specs outside of the game, accessable from the task force generator.


At this point I'm unsure of a release date as I have a work contract to fulfil hence the slow moving effort on the generators. I do know I will need help with two areas when it is done which are testing in general and fleshing out the OOB files. I'll put out a call at a later date when I'm closer to release for some fearless forum folk to assist in the birthing process.

Task Force Generator

Unit Viewer

You just keep right on ignoring J2D's comments too. Keep working on your project. I'm about to have him so busy doing playtesting he'll never notice the great project you have in the works.  [&o]

Good Hunting.

MR

Looks great! Thanks for the update!

Thanks for letting us know what you are up to. Looks good.

Dazoline,

That is superb. Thank you for working on this. Feel free to drop me a line at erikr@matrixgames.com anytime if you have any questions.

Regards,

- Erik

Very impressive, dazoline!

When will this be avaliable to DL? Looks great!

I don't want to commit to a timeline as there's still a lot of work to do and little time to do it in ATM.

Looking at the amount of work done and what's still to do I believe I'm more than 1/2 way there and its taken me more than two months to get to where I am. That's as good an answer as I can even give myself.

Thanks for the compliements.

Now that the update is close to official, I'd like to bring this up again.

Some of the niggles that I have had with RG battles and campaigns:
1 Flag points too low. Taking a flag doesn't tip the battle.
2 Too few flags.
3 Too many Soviet low cost infantry. Causing a step loss gives you half the points. For a 2 or 3 point unit, that means one point. If the enemy runs away, it takes too long to gain points.
4 Turn 60 bonus and 100 turn limit. The enemy gets the bonus on turn 60. I have seen numbers like 2500 and 599, etc. I have taken 40 or so turns to command the battlefield and then start chasing stragglers. Nothing much worse than not winning by turn 60 and then losing because of this bogus bonus. (of course if we had a cease fire button...)

Fixes
1&2 Ability to pick the number and points amount of flags.
3 Increase the points cost of Soviet infantry or change the force mix xml to a lower percent to allow purchase of other types of units. As long as it isn't more artillery.
4 Remove the bonus or change it to player side. If the AI hasn't beaten me by turn 60, I should win and be able to move on. I can always use the easy normal hard settings.

I'll add more if I think of them. Hopefully dazoline will see this and respond.

Penetration is spelled incorrectly in the BT7M shot above.

ORIGINAL: Lieste

Penetration is spelled incorrectly in the BT7M shot above.

But at least consistently [8D], thanks.

ORIGINAL: junk2drive

Now that the update is close to official, I'd like to bring this up again.

Some of the niggles that I have had with RG battles and campaigns:
1 Flag points too low. Taking a flag doesn't tip the battle.
2 Too few flags.
3 Too many Soviet low cost infantry. Causing a step loss gives you half the points. For a 2 or 3 point unit, that means one point. If the enemy runs away, it takes too long to gain points.
4 Turn 60 bonus and 100 turn limit. The enemy gets the bonus on turn 60. I have seen numbers like 2500 and 599, etc. I have taken 40 or so turns to command the battlefield and then start chasing stragglers. Nothing much worse than not winning by turn 60 and then losing because of this bogus bonus. (of course if we had a cease fire button...)

Fixes
1&2 Ability to pick the number and points amount of flags.
3 Increase the points cost of Soviet infantry or change the force mix xml to a lower percent to allow purchase of other types of units. As long as it isn't more artillery.
4 Remove the bonus or change it to player side. If the AI hasn't beaten me by turn 60, I should win and be able to move on. I can always use the easy normal hard settings.

+1 on your comments...I like to play RG campaigns but as noted there are too many negatives, particularly the turn 60 bonus and fatiguing 100 turn limit.

I see your niggles and raise you nits.

1&2 Ability to pick the number and points amount of flags.
Added to the wish list

3 Increase the points cost of Soviet infantry or change the force mix xml to a lower percent to allow purchase of other types of units. As long as it isn't more artillery.
I the mod this thread describes is about removing the randomness from picking your own and opposing troops. But since I have to recode the entire RBG, I'll put this on the wish list.

4 Remove the bonus or change it to player side. If the AI hasn't beaten me by turn 60, I should win and be able to move on. I can always use the easy normal hard settings.
Should be easy to do, with a "what happens on final turn" question with answers of "AI wins" or "I win". Added to the wish list.

ORIGINAL: junk2drive

Now that the update is close to official, I'd like to bring this up again.

Some of the niggles that I have had with RG battles and campaigns:
1 Flag points too low. Taking a flag doesn't tip the battle.
2 Too few flags.
3 Too many Soviet low cost infantry. Causing a step loss gives you half the points. For a 2 or 3 point unit, that means one point. If the enemy runs away, it takes too long to gain points.
4 Turn 60 bonus and 100 turn limit. The enemy gets the bonus on turn 60. I have seen numbers like 2500 and 599, etc. I have taken 40 or so turns to command the battlefield and then start chasing stragglers. Nothing much worse than not winning by turn 60 and then losing because of this bogus bonus. (of course if we had a cease fire button...)

Fixes
1&2 Ability to pick the number and points amount of flags.
3 Increase the points cost of Soviet infantry or change the force mix xml to a lower percent to allow purchase of other types of units. As long as it isn't more artillery.
4 Remove the bonus or change it to player side. If the AI hasn't beaten me by turn 60, I should win and be able to move on. I can always use the easy normal hard settings.

I'll add more if I think of them. Hopefully dazoline will see this and respond.

The timeline for this mod is still on hold as work is just raining contracts at the moment and won't stop until after Christmas sometime. It's not on the shelf but on hold.

If there is anything I can do with OOB information let me know.

Good Hunting.

MR

I wonder if an option to force the game to end on a specific turn could be included in your program.

It could.

I'm fairly certain the way it works right now is the game runs until the ratio of points for one side has passed some threshold. The game will then end the scenario and display the battle summary.

The way the RBG/RCG works is to deliver a big hit to points on turn 60 (an arbitrary choice) to one side or the other. This makes the game end as above.
So 4 Remove the bonus or change it to player side. If the AI hasn't beaten me by turn 60, I should win and be able to move on. I can always use the easy normal hard settings. is discussing this, which I have put on the wish list.

So what I could do is give the player a choice as to what turn the big hit of points is done on and to what side. This of course introduces some unintended concequences like the retorical scenario: Say I am losing badly, only one tank and flag left and the big hit of points comes on turn x to me where the turn is a low number say 10 and gives me 1000 points. Will those points be enough to end the battle? and if so how badly will the battle be misrepresented in the outcome?

Right now with the turn always being 60 you can be fairly sure the battle has reached or almost reached a conclusion whereas if we give the end turn as a variable that conclusion will be less certain especially if the variable is a small number.

I'd have to think/discuss it more before adding to the wishlist.

Here is another idea. Have the created files output to a JSGME ready folder instead of placing them in the game. Then you could run different variations of the same setup. Also you could easily find the files to modify them if you should wish to.