Matrix Games Forums

I am trying to get an idea on how the game is played by you guys (and gals).

Do you use the random generator each time, to get a random scenario to play?

Are you aware that there are scenarios included with the game? And have you played any of those?

Have you downloaded a random generator from the Scenario Bank, or a scenario from there?

Are you a modder? Don't care about modding...

In short how are you using ATG

I always use the generator. Is there different time frame generators?
I have plenty of other games for scenarios. Think I played a couple of scenarios with my PBEM partner awhile ago but that's it.
Not much interest in modding, except using others work.

budd wrote: Wed Mar 08, 2023 11:17 pm I always use the generator. Is there different time frame generators?

Ok Thanks for answering. I believe there are some scenarios in the scenario bank that will allow different era's to be played. They are centered around the real mod, and are all for AT (but will run on ATG), so expect older graphics.

budd wrote: Wed Mar 08, 2023 11:17 pm I have plenty of other games for scenarios. Think I played a couple of scenarios with my PBEM partner awhile ago but that's it.

ATG is really able to make some wonderful things. Personally I think you are missing out. But each their own taste

Are there any scenarios where the units come set and locked?
While the 'empty unit containers' are a dream for some, I'd play this game more if I could just fire it up and play with already designed fixed units, and just worry about battle, supply and reinforcement, and not unit makeup.
A random game generator of the above would also be welcome.
Is there a setvar for locking it all down?

Hi there,

Not sure exactly what you mean by set and locked. For instance there are scenarios where units are only purchased through playing cards. By rulevar you could "lock" those units by setting rulevars for no unit creation, and no transfers between units. I guess that would lead to slow depletion and destruction of units.

If you are talking about scenarios where the TO&E is set however, I don't think there is. Also the AI doesn't really know how to handle TO&E. So that might be a problem, if you wanted to play with the AI. I don't think there is a random game generator that has fixed units...

I play the European Diplomacy Remastered and Ancient Europe Scenarios almost exclusively. The random generator is okay, but I like the flavor of those two scenarios vs. random games. Thanks for your work on these. I would love to see other AI capable scenarios of similar scope added to the scenario bank but I cant imagine the time it takes to craft these...

Q: Could the TO&E Designer be added to the Ancient Europe Scenario? It would make a huge difference in unit management. Thanks.

I keep coming back to AT and ATG when I can't make up my mind which of my many games to play.

It is the random game generator that does it (I also liked the random generator on the early Combat Mission games)

Years ago I had the Roman and Napoleonic mods done by ? Zaratouga.


I usually play on AI- and struggle enough at that level.

Long ago I lost any idea that I could out general anyone or anything. I often play some wargames with fog of war off because - well that's like chess. And a bit "godlike" *

Games without a random generator always seem like a restriction - playing a scenario is like using up limited ammo - even though I have more games and more scenarios than I could play in several lifetimes.

Thanks to Vic and others for this game.
-----

* Years ago working in the Australian outback I saw an ant war - millions of red ants were attacking a white ant nest - also containing millions of ants. It was like being a god and looking down as waves of infantry fought - the red ants were bigger and it took 3 or 4 white ants to kill one.

basilstaghare wrote: Thu Mar 16, 2023 9:18 am I play the European Diplomacy Remastered and Ancient Europe Scenarios almost exclusively. The random generator is okay, but I like the flavor of those two scenarios vs. random games. Thanks for your work on these. I would love to see other AI capable scenarios of similar scope added to the scenario bank but I cant imagine the time it takes to craft these...

Q: Could the TO&E Designer be added to the Ancient Europe Scenario? It would make a huge difference in unit management. Thanks.

Thanks for the nice words about the scenarios. I am quite humbled but happy that those scenarios are keeping ATG alive for you. It takes time of course to make these, but it is rewarding in ways too.

As for your Q: yes, it is possible, but I wouldn't make new Nato Counter symbols, so you'd have to live with the standard ones from RisingDawn. So regular infantry symbols for instance. Would that still be interesting?

altipueri wrote: Thu Mar 16, 2023 12:34 pm I keep coming back to AT and ATG when I can't make up my mind which of my many games to play.

It is the random game generator that does it (I also liked the random generator on the early Combat Mission games)

Years ago I had the Roman and Napoleonic mods done by ? Zaratouga.


I usually play on AI- and struggle enough at that level.

Long ago I lost any idea that I could out general anyone or anything. I often play some wargames with fog of war off because - well that's like chess. And a bit "godlike" *

Games without a random generator always seem like a restriction - playing a scenario is like using up limited ammo - even though I have more games and more scenarios than I could play in several lifetimes.

Thanks to Vic and others for this game.
-----

* Years ago working in the Australian outback I saw an ant war - millions of red ants were attacking a white ant nest - also containing millions of ants. It was like being a god and looking down as waves of infantry fought - the red ants were bigger and it took 3 or 4 white ants to kill one.

I am happy to see you coming back again and again. ATG offers something unique, to me anyway. The random games are pretty fun too, I think, but not as fun, for me, as making scenarios, and thus playing scenarios comes more naturally to me. You can make random game generators too. Zaratouga has done so too, and I believe you are right that you can get a version where you can use Romans and Napoleonic.

I am not sure I agree with the scenario being a restriction. I have showed (as has Tweber before me) that you can make scenario variants, that essentially make so many different starting conditions on a fixed map that replay is very high. Prime Example would be European Diplomacy (Tweber) or my remake European Diplomacy Remastered. Here everything but the map itself can be changed. With the many different sides, and options for different starting positions, there are more possible permutations than I have been able to try.

But I understand that if you need a new map each time, to keep things fresh, that it is something that only a random generator can do. I just like familiar maps.

ernieschwitz wrote: Thu Mar 16, 2023 4:36 pm

basilstaghare wrote: Thu Mar 16, 2023 9:18 am I play the European Diplomacy Remastered and Ancient Europe Scenarios almost exclusively. The random generator is okay, but I like the flavor of those two scenarios vs. random games. Thanks for your work on these. I would love to see other AI capable scenarios of similar scope added to the scenario bank but I cant imagine the time it takes to craft these...

Q: Could the TO&E Designer be added to the Ancient Europe Scenario? It would make a huge difference in unit management. Thanks.

Thanks for the nice words about the scenarios. I am quite humbled but happy that those scenarios are keeping ATG alive for you. It takes time of course to make these, but it is rewarding in ways too.

As for your Q: yes, it is possible, but I wouldn't make new Nato Counter symbols, so you'd have to live with the standard ones from RisingDawn. So regular infantry symbols for instance. Would that still be interesting?

I would like to use the ancient symbols but also have the TO&E designer. Is that possible? In other words, build standard "Legions" where the AI would automatically send reinforcements out to the "Legion" without you having to micromanage each unit.

If you have to use the rising dawn symbols instead of the ancient ones that you custom made, then no, it wouldnt be worth it.

Thanks for your consideration.

Another scenario that I have only just discovered is Global Domination vF6e. Since I play solo and enjoy the grand strategic scenarios, I think this is a fantastic mod/scenario. I dont guess there has been any thought of updating so that the newer features such as TO&E could be used? Excellent work on this venerable scenario.

basilstaghare wrote: Fri Mar 17, 2023 9:14 am

ernieschwitz wrote: Thu Mar 16, 2023 4:36 pm

basilstaghare wrote: Thu Mar 16, 2023 9:18 am I play the European Diplomacy Remastered and Ancient Europe Scenarios almost exclusively. The random generator is okay, but I like the flavor of those two scenarios vs. random games. Thanks for your work on these. I would love to see other AI capable scenarios of similar scope added to the scenario bank but I cant imagine the time it takes to craft these...

Q: Could the TO&E Designer be added to the Ancient Europe Scenario? It would make a huge difference in unit management. Thanks.

Thanks for the nice words about the scenarios. I am quite humbled but happy that those scenarios are keeping ATG alive for you. It takes time of course to make these, but it is rewarding in ways too.

As for your Q: yes, it is possible, but I wouldn't make new Nato Counter symbols, so you'd have to live with the standard ones from RisingDawn. So regular infantry symbols for instance. Would that still be interesting?

I would like to use the ancient symbols but also have the TO&E designer. Is that possible? In other words, build standard "Legions" where the AI would automatically send reinforcements out to the "Legion" without you having to micromanage each unit.

If you have to use the rising dawn symbols instead of the ancient ones that you custom made, then no, it wouldnt be worth it.

Thanks for your consideration.

It IS possible to have units without TO&E graphics and have TO&E functions, but, there will be some graphics mismatch anyway. The number that the game puts on top of the counter, to indicate this is the 1st or 33rd unit of it's kind will be superimposed on the original graphics, which is ugly, imho. So, I probably don't think it is a good idea to implement it, because the graphics really bring a certain flavor to the scenario.

basilstaghare wrote: Mon Mar 20, 2023 9:19 am Another scenario that I have only just discovered is Global Domination vF6e. Since I play solo and enjoy the grand strategic scenarios, I think this is a fantastic mod/scenario. I dont guess there has been any thought of updating so that the newer features such as TO&E could be used? Excellent work on this venerable scenario.

Believe it or not, this was one of my first forays into coding. There is some very very primitive AI coding. Bombur has this scenario under his wings. But I don't think that bringing in TO&E to it would be too hard.

ernieschwitz wrote: Mon Mar 20, 2023 8:16 pm

basilstaghare wrote: Mon Mar 20, 2023 9:19 am Another scenario that I have only just discovered is Global Domination vF6e. Since I play solo and enjoy the grand strategic scenarios, I think this is a fantastic mod/scenario. I dont guess there has been any thought of updating so that the newer features such as TO&E could be used? Excellent work on this venerable scenario.

Believe it or not, this was one of my first forays into coding. There is some very very primitive AI coding. Bombur has this scenario under his wings. But I don't think that bringing in TO&E to it would be too hard.

I have enjoyed my time with it. There just arent many grand strategic empire building games like the ones mentioned in this thread. Kudos for what you guys do with these. Awesome job!