Matrix Games Forums

What's the scale? Also is the game moddable? Finally how are casualties monitored, is it a generic full counter then half counter or are casualties taken at individual soldier,tank etc scale?

Whenever I tried the free version it never worked so haven't seen any of it in action so to speak.

Thanks

Game Scales.

In this edition of the WEGO engine, all scenarios have been designed using the following game scales.

Unit Scale. The game pieces in Desert War 1940-42 represent ground, air, and naval forces. Ground units can range in size from platoon to battalion level; and headquarters units whose control spans from regimental/brigade level to theater level. Air assets are groups or squadrons and a few air detachments on occasion. Naval assets represent individual ships—generally these are gunboats, destroyers, light cruisers, monitors and cruisers of the Royal Navy.

Ground Scale. Each hexagon on a scenario map represents about two miles or 3.2 kilometers across.

Time Scale. Each game turn represents between six to eight hours of real time. Three game turns represent one day. There are no night turns per se but the third turn of every day allows units to recover double readiness.

Modding.

The game comes with an editor that allows the user to create his own scenarios--units, organizations, victory points, and AI scripts, etc. Probably 95% plus of the graphics and sound files are moddable. You can build your own maps using the embedded tile-based system or create a map image to "skin" your tile-based map. Time scales are user-selected from a menu (3 turns per day, or one day, one week, one month, one year per turn. Map scale and unit movement factors are up to the scenario designer; e.g. if you want 4.7235 kilometers or 50 kilometers per hex scale...make the map that size and calculate what that means movement factor wise and enter that MF on the Army Tab of the editor.

All that being said, the editor has been developed at this point to support a game about battles in the desert of North Africa during WWII. So for the "best do-able WWII mods", I would constrain myself to battles in the Mediterranean Theater (Greece, Crete, Tunisia, Sicily, Salerno, etc.), or Ukraine in clear weather circa 41-42 (Barbarossa or Blau). There is no replacement system so scenarios longer than two weeks (42-turns) will need some creative uses of the editor to bring that dynamic into play.

Casualties.

All ground units have the following combat-related attributes:

Attack Factor
Defense Factor
Movement Factor
Quality Rating
Range (artillery units only)
% Strength
% Readiness

Losses in combat are suffered in percentage points removed from the current %strength and/or %readiness of units within a defending stack or attacking stack(s); there's no step-reduction. Losses to readiness are recoverable over time by resting (not doing anything during a turn or more); strength losses are not recoverable within the time limits of the scenarios.

Cool..would like to see the percentage actually be shown as soldier numbers..just for immersion purposes.

ORIGINAL: wodin

Cool..would like to see the percentage actually be shown as soldier numbers..just for immersion purposes.

I would second that motion (including tank/vehicle numbers)

The game will play no different but it will be more immersive..plus I can visualise loss of soldiers etc better than a loss of percentage..

What Desert War has going in the immersion department:

* Number 1 - WEGO. I've been playtesting the Enter Rommel scenario and we are a third of the way through. I managed to lose the 3rd Armoured Brigade of the 2nd Armoured Division in an ill-advised counterattack against reconnaissance elements of the 5.le Division...but...through twists and turns...the 2nd Support Group escaped the DAK onslaught with minimal losses--though I fretted their imminent destruction with every passing turn, they managed to make their escape. I will lose the scenario on points but MAN it was a great relief getting those chaps out! The enemy will be able to see how they escaped in the final (AAR) film that the game generates. The fruits of WEGO...

* Number 2 - Minimal Bean Counting. The supply system runs itself. YOU put yourself IN SUPPLY or OUT OF SUPPLY by how you move your headquarters...and your units relative to your HQs. Do all that right and then you can give them some extra juice by expending ammo & fuel points. There's a whole system of enemy interdiction designed to foil your plans and countermeasures to prevent the enemy from interdicting your army's life blood.

* Number 3 - Assets. Air, Naval, and Ground Assets are provided to add a needed spark at the front, a touch of history, or a sense of the unknown to on-going ground operations. There's a bit of Rock, Paper, Scissors intentionally crafted into it all. You just have to guess right, Yes? No? DRAT!

Desert War is first and foremost a wargame; it is not--and was not--intended to be a simulation. Paraphrasing Dr. James Sterrett, Command and General Staff College, "We don't play wargames because they are simulations, we play them because they are not." Desert War is an immersion in the history of the Campaign for North Africa circa 1940-42 as a wargame as best as we could do in the spirit of Sterrett. If two guys working in their spare time could do more towards this end--we would have (and still might).

So...That's how we've approached the idea of immersion. In crafting scenarios and components for Desert War I tried to put a life-long study of the topic into something that might be digestible and enjoyable. I hope I am right...cuz the boat has left the quay. Hope you are on-board with that. That's the ride for sale.

bcgames,

I cant wait to get my hands on editor. Desert War will be tremendous game with an equally stunning engine.

Greatly looking forward to its release,
All the best,
kip.

kip,

I can't wait to make mods with it.

I wasn't expecting you to model in detail soldier losses but give a rough estimate when looking at the percentage drop:)

I've added your request to our future features list.

WOW love the editor!!!