Matrix Games Forums

Greetings,

I've been thinking about creating a hypothetical campaign called "The Gauntlet". This would not be a campaign for beginners. It would contain somewhere between 24-32 hypothetical battles from 1939-1945, playable as the Germans. The idea is to present expert players with an extremely challenging series of battles and scored in a different way from "standard" campaigns.

Scoring would be done on a battle-by-battle basis, and would also involve build points remaining. For example, at the end of Battle #1 you have 5236 points and the computer has 3877 points. Subtract the computer points from your points (5236 - 3877 = 1359). Keep that 1359 as a partial score for Battle #1. Then, go on to the Build/Repair screen. Next, do a "Fix All" (let's say you had 750 build points available, and after you do the "Fix All" you have 532 Build Points left). The "Fix All" is mandatory immediately after each battle, before you do anything else. Next, if you choose to do any builds or upgrades, then that amount is subtracted from the remaining BPs. Let's say you upgrade a few units that cost 212 points. You would be left with 320 BPs. Now, add those 320 remaining BPs to your battle subtotal of 1359 to yield a total score of 1679 points for Battle Score #1.

Your total Campaign Score would be the sum of all Battle Scores (you would have to keep track of each Battle Score during the course of the campaign). Note that one of the main purposes of this scoring format is to give players difficult choices regarding whether to save Build Points for a higher score or to spend them on units changes/upgrades. I'm still in the process of fiddling with the scoring system, but you get the idea.

Are any of you experts out there interested in a campaign like this?

I think it's an excellent idea. I'm a veteran in SP(playing since1995), so drop an email or something.

Gvaihir

Gvaihir,

I am basically taking a German Long Campaign and using the actual OBs generated by the AI (with AI Advantage ON and Hard Battle selected). I then modify the map to make it look and feel like a "real" map instead of a random AI-generated concoction. Next, I take the AI-generated OB and deploy the AI units manually. So basically, what you will be playing is a human-influenced rendition of actual long-campaign scenarios.

Also, to make things interesting and more challenging, I'm developing a template of player constraints/limitations. These will be described completely and explicitly in a ReadMe file that I'm still working on.

I plan to have the whole thing ready around the Christmas holidays. I'll keep you informed of developments.

--Victor

Here are the Campaign Conditions.

General Preferences: OPFire = OFF ; True Troop ON / Rarity OFF ;
all other preferences = default settings or as desired

Realism Preferences: Command/Control = OFF ; Limited Ammo = ON ;
Reduced Squads = OFF ; all other settings = ON

Player Preferences: All settings = 100% or Default

Player Constraints:
1. Core must consist of at least 110 units (including A0).
2. Core may not ever have any units capable of Indirect Fire.
3. Players may NEVER use Air Strikes, Cargo Aircraft, or Gliders.
4. Must ALWAYS perform a “Fix All” immediately following every battle and before any other action is performed.

Campaign Scoring:
Each battle in the campaign is scored separately. At the end of the campaign all the individual battle scores are totaled into the final campaign score. Each battle score consists of two components, the combat component and the production component. The combat component is derived from the points displayed at the conclusion of each battle. For example, if at the conclusion of a battle you have achieved 9477 points and the computer has achieved 5326 points, the first step is to subtract the computer points from your points (in this case 9477 – 5326 = 4151). Next, divide that result by 10 and round all fractions UP to the nearest integer (in this case 4151 / 10 = 415.1 which is rounded up to 416). That 416 is the combat component of the battle score. The production component is determined next. Immediately upon entering the build/repair screen, you must perform a “Fix All” before doing anything else. For example, upon entering the build/repair screen you see that you have 500 build points available and you perform an immediate “Fix All” which deducts 113 points due to combat losses, leaving you with 387 build points. Next, you have the option of upgrading/changing any of your units with your remaining build points. Let’s say you choose to change several of your units costing you 152 build points. You now have 235 build points remaining. That 235 is the production component of the battle score. Next you add the combat and production components to obtain the battle score (in this case 416 + 235 = 651). So, 651 is your battle score for that battle. Record each battle score separately during the campaign so they can be totaled at the end of the campaign.
(Designer Note: Although this scoring method might seem a bit intricate, I believe it to be an improvement on the standard “1 point for marginal victory and 3 points for decisive victory” battle scoring. I think that not only does my system more precisely measure performance on the battlefield using my combat component, it also portrays an economic component which is entirely absent from the standard campaign scoring. This economic component adds a very challenging element to the way a campaign is conducted by each player. Players are now confronted with important decisions following each battle regarding the composition of their core force for future battles. To me, this injects new excitement into campaigns.)