New Features for COTA

[Arjuna]

Here are the most significant new features/changes for COTA:

• Realistic Resupply System
• Mixed Mode Movement and Slope Effects
• Realistic Delay and Withdraw Tasks
• Exit Tasks
• Linked Tasks
• Map Improvements
• Enhanced Interface, including:
• - Order of Battle display
• - Display Tool Bar
• - New Planning Tools
• - Message Log and filters
• - SOP History Log
• - Enhanced Terrain popup
• - Improved Data displays
• Improved AI, including:
• - Force Allocation
• - Reaction and Reassessment
• - Formation code
• - Retreat code
• Additional Weather Patterns
• Over 20 new maps
• Over 1,000 new Estabs
• Over 30 new scenarios
• Force List Export/Import
• Mod-able Victory Messages
• Mod-able Terrain Key

In fact there are hundreds of other minor tweaks and changes but we reckon the above list is long enough. [:)]

[wodin]

Superb. Looking forward to this more than I did HTTR. The theatre really interests me more.

[Rooster]

Impressive list!

Question: How does SOP history help me as a player?

[Arjuna]

The History log provides a simple log of significant events for each unit. So if you get engrossed in one sector of the battlefield and then go and check on another, you can review what happened to the units there while you were "away".

[jungelsj_slith]

ORIGINAL: Arjuna

The History log provides a simple log of significant events for each unit. So if you get engrossed in one sector of the battlefield and then go and check on another, you can review what happened to the units there while you were "away".

Awesome! I was thinking that would be a great feature the other night and actually suggested it in the other forum today, not realizing what "SOP" meant. That's great news..

[Arjuna]

Great minds think alike. [:)]

[Arjuna]

Here's a shot of the Unit Log.

[Arjuna]

BTW there will also be a separate message log for the side. I'll post some shots as soon as I get the new code.

[oi_you_nutter]

ORIGINAL: Arjuna

Here's a shot of the Unit Log.

err wheres the brewing up entry ?

[RayWolfe]

Mmmm, you're right. Between 9:30 & 10:53 there would have been at least two stops for tea.
Ray

[U2]

ORIGINAL: RayWolfe

Mmmm, you're right. Between 9:30 & 10:53 there would have been at least two stops for tea.
Ray

Now please dont forget the Vodka stops on a possible Eastern Front game eh Panther Games [:-]

[Banquet]

Sounds great Arjuna.. 20 new maps is going to be fantastic! [:)]

[oi_you_nutter]

[font="Arial"]1000 new estabs[/font]

1000

1000

1000

[TMO]

Some questions:

I think this was posted on the HTTR forum some while back - you often get enemy units reduced from company level to just 4 blokes wandering around way behind the front line spotting for enemy artillery when they (in all likelihood) would have lost any radios capable of contacting the guns. At what percentage of losses will units cease to be operational?

When reading memoirs of combat in NW Europe in 1944/5, infantry platoons lost their radios on a pretty regular basis (probably when down to something like 50% of their original strength). Is there any intention to simulate 'runner' rather than 'radio' contact with the supporting guns?

Finally, will daylight hours in COTA (a) vary from HTTR settings (b) vary between scenarios in COTA?

Looking forward to COTA and any future games Panther develops.

Regards

Tim

[cabron66]

Not to mention that spotting is not something that just anybody can do. Depending on the army, spotters were not so easily found. The chances of a unit being reduced to 25% strength and still having both radios and trained forward observers is pretty small.

Also, in terms of morale and integrity, a unit reduced to that number of men would, in all likeliehood, not be concerned with fighting, but rather escaping or presenting themselves as prisoners.

I just finished reading Overlord by Max Hastings and I was impressed by the number of GI accounts which ended with one side or the other simply dropping their weapons and giving up. Fighting to the last man, methinks, is not all that common.

Granted, this last point also is subject to variation depending on the situation. The Germans, for example, were far more likely to surrender in 1944 than they were in 1941.

Cheers

Paul

[Arjuna]

Paul and Tim,

You guys must be "tuned in" or Ray Wolfe is fibbing when he tells me:

Dave
Honest, I had nothing to do with the posings from TMO @ 9:13 and cobron66 @ 9:52 on the public forum.
Ray

We've just been discussing this very issue ( re spotting for Arty ) on our Panther Dev forum. [:)]

First off I agree that seriously degraded units are less likely to have the capacity to call in arty fire. However, the problem is more complicated in that we do not have separate intel databases for every unit. We currently have just one per side. This means that if one unit on your side can spot the enemy then all units get to see the intel report. Now there is little I can do about this until either machines get a bit more powerful or we reduce the scope of the game to say a max of one Bde worth of units. When we do team play we will add a spearate intel database for each player and that will place a load on the CPU.

So our options for handling weak units is to not let them spot at all ( in which case they won't be able to fire at enemy unless they are spotted by some other stronger unit ) or we can let them spot but stop them from directly calling in arty fire. This will however not prevent another stronger unit from calling in fire on the report that the weaker unit generated. That is about the best we can do for the moment. I'll add it to our TaskTracker database. ( TT2223 - AI - Arty - Prevent weak units from calling in arty fire )

This will make Ray happy ( I hope ) [;)]

[Arjuna]

ORIGINAL: TMO
At what percentage of losses will units cease to be operational?

This varies by a number of factors including the quality and effectiveness of the unit and a random die roll. As a general rule, a unit is liable for disbandment( removal from the map with its remaining pers and equip disbursed to other on-map units ) once it gets below 20% strength. However, there area number of caveats on that including that armoured units won't disband while there is at least one AFV ( many only have a few to start with ).

We have tweaked this for COTA and none of the Prowlers have complained about it since. Though if they're reading this they better take a closer look, hey.[;)]

Finally, will daylight hours in COTA (a) vary from HTTR settings (b) vary between scenarios in COTA?

Yes and Yes. Each scenario now can have its own historical and variable daily weather schedule which specifies the weather pattern, sunrise and sunset timings, min and max temp and ground condition for each day. I'll hopefully post up some screen shots soon.[:)]

[Arjuna]

ORIGINAL: U2

ORIGINAL: RayWolfe

Mmmm, you're right. Between 9:30 & 10:53 there would have been at least two stops for tea.
Ray

Now please dont forget the Vodka stops on a possible Eastern Front game eh Panther Games [:-]

AS I mentioned elsewhere on the forum ( could have been the HTTR forum ) we are forming a number of Data Design Teams and calling for volunteers willing to help out with the design of futre titles. One of these is the East Front DDT. Curently we have two guys on this - both interested in doing a Finnish sector battle. There's room for more.

[wodin]

I thought there was a unit log in HTTR anyway?

[JJKettunen]

ORIGINAL: Arjuna
Curently we have two guys on this - both interested in doing a Finnish sector battle.

Sounds good to me. One might consider the fact that each title of Combat Mission sold more copies in Finland than in Great Britain. [;)]