Production and Convoy Menus

[MemoryLeak]

Hi Al,

Hi Al,

I seriously hope you consider redesigning the Convoy display and the Production Display. Very confusing . I have watched all the video's and read the relevant sections of the damn manual many times and the information displayed really isn't presented in a useful format and all of it is extremely confusing. It should be present in a logical and easy to understand format. You designed it so you know what you are looking at. Ask your wife to look at and she won't have a clue what anything means.

I am going to try and hide my frustration and I will be as constructive as my 72 years allow me.

Convoys.
Show the grand total of a countries Merchant Marine ships.
Show the total of the Merchant Marine ships currently in convoys.
Show the total of the remaining Merchant Marine ships.
Maybe include how many were destroyed last turn and how many are under construction. Period.

Production:
I don't know where to start. Try different names for the main categories.
Total production.
Estimated production need to maintain the status quo.
Production to set aside for reinforcements.
Production to set aside for upgrades.

Total production that will be used this turn, Or does it show next turn, Hell I don't know what it currently shows.

Same with oil.

And while we are on the subject, is there anyplace where I can find out the real time remaining total for Oil supply? When I move ships the total remains the same. So I guess I could conceivable rack up more ship movement than I have oil in the stockpile. Or maybe not. I really don't know but when I click on a ship , in the ship info box, the total of available oil never changes.

The game is overly complicated and it shouldn't take so much studying and watching of videos just to half-assed play it. I will never be able to remember all of the rules you have. I am trying to make a spreadsheet just to cover all of the conceivable factors and situations for naval combat. You should try it sometime. Imfuckingpossible.

I'd post the spreadsheet but matrix has made it nearly impossible to do that. I zipped it but it doesn't like the zip file. Christ, how many zip file iterations are there|?

Sorry, frustration is rearing it's ugly head.

The game is okay but information in a usable and simplified form would make it a better game. Complicated and incomprehensible is not something to strive for. And supply, well, make it automatic or something because that is a nightmares.

You are a good programmer but get some input from average users before you set a games mechanics in concrete. Nothing against your beta testers but maybe next time ask the janitor to try and play it before you guys pat yourselves on the back.

[Toby42]

Every time I get ready to buy I come across a post similiar to this one! So I think that I will wait and see where this title goes. I never was a big fan of the supply system from Warplan and it looks even more complicated or confused in Warplan Pacific!

[cblattmann]

I concur that the production and the convoy and escorts screens (especially the top half) are difficult to understand and follow. Why can I create a trade when I have no merchant marine ships left? Ho many do I have. How many in total do I have? I tried to adde them up and the number don't add up. As the British I should have 105 but I am using 112. And the game does not indicate that there is a problem.

[ncc1701e]

I concur that the production and the convoy and escorts screens (especially the top half) are difficult to understand and follow. Why can I create a trade when I have no merchant marine ships left? Ho many do I have. How many in total do I have? I tried to adde them up and the number don't add up.

Please, could you post some screenshots with examples? Also, do you have some suggestions of what could be changed so that it is clearer?

Here, I have detailed a little bit the convoy system if it can help:
https://www.matrixgames.com/forums/view ... 6#p5004806
https://www.matrixgames.com/forums/view ... 7#p5004817
https://www.matrixgames.com/forums/view ... 7#p5004947
https://www.matrixgames.com/forums/view ... 8#p5005008

As the British I should have 105 but I am using 112. And the game does not indicate that there is a problem.

I have never seen this before. Do you have 1.00.07 patch? And, if so, do you have a reproduction method to help us to see if there is a problem?

Thanks

[cblattmann]

So here is my confusion. This screen is from Dec 7, 1941 from my Curren game. I extended the screen one screen to see all British trade.

USA Screen USA #1
Stockpiled Production 278
Stockpiled Oil: 17
Merchant Marines: 0
New Marchant Marines used: 0

British Screen USA #2
Stockpiled Production 278
Stockpiled Oil: 17
Merchant Marines: 43
New Marchant Marines used: 0

USA Screen USA #3
One trade for 40 production and 3 oil
=> Total number of merchant marines used is 43

This makes sense for the USA that there would me no available merchants since all of them are used.


But Britain is a different story (or I miss something).

British Screen Britain #A
Stockpiled Production 107
Stockpiled Oil: 118
Merchant Marines: 0
New Marchant Marines used: 0

USA Screen Britain #B
Stockpiled Production 107
Stockpiled Oil: 118
Merchant Marines: 105
New Marchant Marines used: 0

British Screen Britain #C
All trades added up: 46 production + 75 oil
=> Total number of merchant marines used is 121
This does not add up to 105. The difference is 16. And I do not see an easy way to identify 16 I miscounted.

What am I missing?

[stjeand]

Not that this will make things easier but...

The screen you are showing displays all available and active convoy routes.
It does not display how many transports are actually traversing those lines.

There is no screen that actually displays ...3 MM are on this line...2 MM are on this one and so on.

To be honest that is one thing that is missing.


So basically the UK starts with more imports than they have shipping for.

One thing the game lacks is the ability to turn on or off a single import locations.
So you see say 150 possible imports but you only have say 100 MM...the AI will pick what 100 resources show up.
I do not know the decisions making process...
It makes your life easier you do not have to control it but creates this issue where you do not really know what resources are showing up turn 1 over turn 2...as it will change. One turn you might get 48 oil and 52 PP then the next 52 oil and 48 PP...at least from what I have seen. Perhaps Al has something programmed percentage wise that I do not know about.

To be honest I have played WarPlan games for over 2 years and have never looked at this screen for more than a few minutes to just tell what is available or if a convoy route is active or not.

It would be nice if it said...you are importing 5 oil from location X and 4 MM are used to pull 4 oil since you have less MM than you need.

[AlvaroSousa]

The system was designed to abstract the convoys as much as possible. Under HOI3 the convoy system was pretty much manual. You had to know exactly where each location was coming from and going to. It is very difficult to have a complete picture of that on a single screen.

Is the system perfect? No because I was figuring it out as I went. WP2 will have improved convoy system.

And yes WarPlan games are more complex than Strategic Command. They are, that I know of, the most complex strategic level wargame for WW2 that won't make your head explode.

Like
Risk complexity 2
Axis and Allies original complexity 3
Commander War in Europe complexity 4
Strategic Command complexity 5
WarPlan complexity 7

War in the East complexity 63.... head explodes
War in the Pacific complexity 63.... head explodes

Ok so for convoys.... you can hover over pretty much any icon and it will give you a tool tip

c.jpg (107.61 KiB) Viewed 542 times

#1 current production stockpile... it goes all the way across
#2 current oil stockpile... it goes all the way across
#3 unused merchant marine NOW this turn after all other convoys.
#4 merchant marine in use NOW if you create a convoy.

#5 type of convoy.. agreement (that sends resources), supply, conquest (resources) red flag, ally (resources) 2 flags
#6 arrow left = import, arrow right = export
#7 PP in this convoy
#8 oil in this convoy
#9 supply in this convoy..... resources convoys will have no supply.... supply convoys no resources


The zones on the right turn on or off those zones. If there is a double ship symbol it means you are using that zone. It is active.

When you create a new convoy it will add to the #4 row letting you know how many are spent this turn via merchants. If it is by rail nothing will happen. If you cancel an old convoy that was made in a previous turn those MMs are not available this turn.

"Y" key will show the names of the convoy names on the map.

I hope this helps.

[cblattmann]

Found the best tutorial video about Trade. There is a part 1 and 2. Clarified a lot of things for me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac71n70CNc0&t=1077s

But one thing I noticed is that hovering my curser over the South Pacific trade route playing the Allies (loaded a game that is turn 1) and it shows me 0 resources. When I started the game initially (playing the Allies) it showed me 9. A day later loading the game with playing as the Allies on turn 1 the same trade route shows me 0 resources coming from the US on the South Pacific trade route.

Am i missing something?

[AlvaroSousa]

The update is 1 turn delay due to production being calculated at the end. WP2 is changing how this is done.

[stjeand]

But one thing I noticed is that hovering my curser over the South Pacific trade route playing the Allies (loaded a game that is turn 1) and it shows me 0 resources. When I started the game initially (playing the Allies) it showed me 9. A day later loading the game with playing as the Allies on turn 1 the same trade route shows me 0 resources coming from the US on the South Pacific trade route.

Am i missing something?

When the Philippines are "blocked" no resources travel to the US.

Could that be it?

[cblattmann]

Just got to tell you Alvaro, this is a really fun game. Thanks.

[cblattmann]

But one thing I noticed is that hovering my curser over the South Pacific trade route playing the Allies (loaded a game that is turn 1) and it shows me 0 resources. When I started the game initially (playing the Allies) it showed me 9. A day later loading the game with playing as the Allies on turn 1 the same trade route shows me 0 resources coming from the US on the South Pacific trade route.

Am i missing something?

When the Philippines are "blocked" no resources travel to the US.

Could that be it?

I don't think so. Literally I started a new game, set some research priorities, setup an export trade from US to Australia, saved the game and closed it. Loaded game again and convoy route right in front of Los Angeles no longer has 9 but 0 resources in the information window.

[AlvaroSousa]

I might have done it as a temporary variable to save data. I don't remember.

Thanks for compliment.