Matrix Games Forums

Will I be able to make Eastern Front Scnearios with the editors ? meaning come up with my own maps as well as my OOB

Thanks

You will be able to make maps and scenarios, but to the best of my knowledge there is no facility included that would allow someone to create their own estabs (OOBS).

Can someone point me to a list of estabs that will be included in the game?

This is best answered by Steve or Dave. Sorry, I could not be of more help.

Rooster wrote:Can someone point me to a list of estabs that will be included in the game?

The ScenMaker that comes with HTTR provides a full list of the Estabs. I don't have a list in text or html to hand. I'll see what we can dig up.

The unit estabs provided cover the standard German and British west front 44/45 units ( for all major formations including armoured, infantry and airborne divisions and including SS, Whermacht, FJ and Marine ), plus US 44/45 airborne, Polish abn, Dutch Princess Irene Bde. There are also some very ad hoc units specific to Market Garden as well.

There are no Russian unit estabs whatsoever.

For our next game "Battles from the Bulge", we will be adding estabs to cover all 44/45 American forces, plus for the Germans we'll be adding FB Bde, FG Bde, KG Piper, Pz Lehr Div, VG divisions. In the game after that on Normandy, we'll complete all remaining west front 44/45 estabs.

After that we will turn east.

How "deep" will the estabs/OOBs go in HTTR? Will you provide estabs down to company level (or even "lower")?

They go down to the company level and to the platoon level for various support weapons and some AFV units.

Dave could provide more detail on the breakdowns and the rational behind it.

Tommi wrote:How "deep" will the estabs/OOBs go in HTTR? Will you provide estabs down to company level (or even "lower")?

As Marshot mentions all standard force organisations are modelled down to company level for line units and platoon level for line-support units. For example, we have provided estabs for every unit within a German Panzer Division from the Div Tac HQ down to the SP Lt Flak Pl of the 2nd Pz Bn. Line infantry and armoured battalions are broken down into a number of companies and support platoons. Artillery units, such as the Field How units supporting a Division, are usually at Bn level, though where these would be parcelled out they have been broken down to Bty level units.

Thanks for the info guys. I'm anxious to own this game, and anxious to play the scenarios included.

Part of the reason I've asked is mod-ability for future scenarios. Given that there are US Airborne units in the game, will it be possible for a player who wants to develop a standard US infantry, armored, artillery and other units for home grown maps and scenarios?

Also, I'm just looking for more detail to whet my appetite.

Thanks,

Dan

Rooster wrote:Thanks for the info guys. I'm anxious to own this game, and anxious to play the scenarios included.

Part of the reason I've asked is mod-ability for future scenarios. Given that there are US Airborne units in the game, will it be possible for a player who wants to develop a standard US infantry, armored, artillery and other units for home grown maps and scenarios?

Also, I'm just looking for more detail to whet my appetite.

Thanks,

Dan

Dan,

Our aim is to provide users with the tools to mod the game so they can design their own scenarios. We provide a MapMaker application to create your own maps. You can even mod the map graphics and the terrain effects. We provide a ScenMaker application to create your own scenarios. This can be using existing maps or your own. It can use existing units and force structures or ones you create within the ScenMaker. Within the ScenMaker you can create new units and force structures. However, you can only create units based on one of the pre-existing unit estabs.

In effect, you can create a new unit and call it a US Infantry Company but there is no US Inf Coy estab provided. The closest being a US Abn Glider Inf Coy or a US Para Coy. For this you will have to wait until we release the Battles from the Bulge (BFTB) estabs, which will include a full set of American unit estabs. Developing the estabs takes a lot of time, so please bear with us.

We aim to release BFTB in the second quarter of 2004 and then our Normandy game in the fourth quarter. So by the end of 2004 there will be all the estabs needed for any battle on the west front in 1944/45.

However, there is still plenty of scope for creating great customised scenarios. For instance, if you wanted to you could create a map and the forces for a Rhineland crossing scenario, which involved the 17th US Abn Div and the 6th Br Abn Div, replete with the 11th Br Arm Div up against the 116th Pz Div, 15th PG Div and 84th Inf Div. Op Blackcock to clear the Reichwald is another operation that comes to mind. The capture of Antwerp and clearing of the Schelt by the 11th Armd Div is another.

Not to mention any number of what-if scenarios you like to dream up.

Sigh... does the BotB (yet AGAIN) and Normandy (yet AGAIN) really sell that much better than other scenarios that might be a bit more original ?

Here's hoping the series reaches game four and 2005 brings something a little different

Hertston wrote:Sigh... does the BotB (yet AGAIN) and Normandy (yet AGAIN) really sell that much better than other scenarios that might be a bit more original ?

Here's hoping the series reaches game four and 2005 brings something a little different

For 2005 we plan to head East and tackle the Russian front. We'll leave other battles on the Western front 44/45 to our user community. So if there is a pet operation you would like covered from the western theatre, here's your chance to shine.

Dave -

Thanks for the response. I'm all in favor of the next versions... thinking particularly of Normandy. The buldge will be cool, too.

Dan

I (weird that I am) am currently doing a WW1 scenario and - get this - a Spanish-American War scenario, both in play testing stage while I leisurely work on the map. However if you want to do this (like I've been wanting to do Stalingrad hehehe) you must be prepared to sacrifice accuracy and rely on 'abstractions' and just explain away in the text what changes were made. FOr instance there are obviously no Krag Jorgensen or Springfield Trap-Door Rifles or Spanish Mausers in HTTR so I just use what's available. Horses have to be abstracted by the use of trucks. I also have to do a LOT of tweaking with the units strength-wise and equipment wise so you don't get Panzers or Half-Tracks in an 1898 Cavalry Regiment. One little hint - use the 100/200/300/etc % strengths or the 50% strength if you plan on removing equipment (like in an 1898 infantry regiment I remove everything, mortars, MGs, SMGs etc. just leaving the rifles and their weapon specific ammo) as the scenario will over-ride whatever changes you make to the ToE page if you make the unit have a weird number of strength (even 10%, 25%, 75% strength doesn't work).

Best of luck!
Tom