Matrix Games Forums

Hoping that WiR will be imrpoved I want to post some ideas I got:

Complete port to Windows:
I would like to have more game-information at hand most of the time - but I have to navigate all over the map and through the info-panels all the time. Then I have to memorize it, go back and forth and so on... and some information can't even be displayed at times ...
Maybe like in Battle Island 3 where one could chose which (and how big and where) information panels should be diplayed.

Game related:
The Recon ability should get some mior enhancements.
Right now one only sees an estimation of divisions in a 'container'. Even back in WWII those estimations probably would be a bit more accurate - like 'Tanks sighted - estimated numbers and main type(s)', 'Infantry - estimated resistance (less then 100 low, less then 200 medium, more then 200 hard), 'Support (Arty, FlaK, ATG) from none to high'.
Also enemy Divs/Bns etc could under some circumstances be displayed.
Recon units will be identified under 'tanks' and may even be misidentified as tanks.
Now how accurate should this 'recon' be ?
1. Leader rating should be implemented.
2. Type of contact to the enemy:
a) Air/ranged recon - very low accuracy of report, but bigger units/masses of tanks get identified more easily (though by no means exact)
b) Contact recon - units staying at hexes beneath each other, low accuracy for infantry or tanks, very low to none for support.
c) Bombard mission - low accuracy for infantry and tanks (even though they participate in the attack they probably try this in a defensive way), but normal for support.
d) Attack - normal for all type of units.
e) Been attacked - good for all type of units.
f) Intercept - depending on aircraft, fighter/bomber, dive-bomber better then normal bomber. But overall low accuracy of report.

This report is further varied by a) number of units participating in 'recon' (here units containing a high number of recon units should get a high bonus), larger airgroups will probably have one/some aircraft equipped with cameras.
And is varied by b)the outcome of the fight (the x:y display after the fight).

This information will gain accuracy the longer 'fresh' information comes in but will be lost if contact is lost for one turn.

So in effect the Soviet player will have realativ exact information about the PzCorps cutting deep in their land after a month or so (which I guess is historical correct ?)
Also the Soviet player should get a 'Recon' bonus in 'Partisan areas'.

Units in HQs have a lower chance of being reconed(at all) cause they aren't right at the hex where the HQ is displayed (see 'Reinforcments').

Reinforcements:

Assuming that the Reserve units at the HQ are not right at that hex but placed at points where they can best reach all Corps as reinforcements they would be midway between HQ and all Corps. So the reinforcements would actually need to move hexes/2 of the two furthest units (including HQ) of the complete Army.
As the computer can't guess the two furthest units it must calculate it as for example :
((distance(HQ-Corps1) + distance(HQ-Corps2) + ... + distance(HQ-Corps n)) + (distance(Corps1-Corps2) + distance(Corps1-Corps3) + ... + distance(Corps1-Corps n)) + ... + (distance(Corps n-1 - Corps n)) divided by sum(1,2,...,n-1,n)

This will result is half distance between the two furthest units.

Also Bn/Reg sized units (PzBn, Artillery, Flak etc) should be placed back into the HQ after the fight it was send to reinforced is concluded. This seems to be more logical as these 'Army Reserves' would act as support only and not completely switch their HQ from Army down to Corps level. Maybe a 'marker' could be available to dessignate units as 'reinforcements, stay at Army HQ' or 'reinforcements, stay at Corps'.
Additionally Army artillery/FlaK/PaK would be used more logical - right now every unit at HQ is waste of CV (unless it is there to rebuild) which is historical inaccurate to some degree.

HQs:
I think the HQ rules as they are now can easily be abused :
Have a unit at front, switch HQ to another HQ (one of the army groups, or a HQ with no units at the front), get Special Supply, switch HQ back to prior HQ. That way the 'commanding HQ will not loose any OP points (not going below the magic 50) and the units getting supplies.
So either a) Changing HQ cost some readiness.
b) only one HQ switch per turn
c) no HQ switch after receiving special supplies.

Had/have some more ideas, but need some time to rethink them ...

murx

comments welcome

Just now one idea dropped back (funny how neurons work...)

Another point were HQ and their use is wrong:

Combined attacks :
In reality when attacking only units from one HQ would participate (as coordination was a hard task) - right now it doesn't matter which HQ units come from and also the airsupport from all participating HQ will fall in (so there is no reason to have a 'coherent' force, but mixed forces are just more valueable !)
So either
a) disallow attacks from different HQs
b) have a serious force cut from the HQs unit with the lowest participating units - they will only be a minor support. This will even be next to no support if the unit is from a different Army Group.
c) execute the different HQs not simultaneously - if the first assault fails the second HQs units will try. (The unit with the higher number of units will try first).

Especially encircled units should be combined under one command.

Encircled units:
Another thing for encircled units - it showed in WWII that units either tried a breakout in the first 1-2 weeks or failed. But there were some 'special' actions done first :
All heavy/slow equipment, damaged and non-combat units was destroyed/stripped/reassigned - except the artillery was destroyed right after the breakthrough started. This would cut the units surviability on long terms but would greatly enhance the 'one-try' combat abilities of the unit.
To reflect this the unit taking this action should loose a considerable amount of his units (33%?) but gain for one week a considerable amount of readiness (50% points) - this bonus should be even smaller if this 'special action' is not made in the first week of encirclement (33% points in the second week, 20% third, 10% all following weeks). Also the unit is again allowed to plot two hexes (for PzCorps it should be 3 or 4, depending on the readiness situation before 'special action), and at last if the X0% bonus is not used up in the week the 'special action' is taken it is lost the next week.
So a breakout using this 'special action' will result in a unit stripped of all its guns (arty, FlaK, PaK) and probably serious losses in tanks/recon/infantry but at least as a fighting force it will remain (and hopefully rebuild).

murx

like that idea or not ? comments !!

Originally posted by murx:


Especially encircled units should be combined under one command.

Encircled units:
Another thing for encircled units - it showed in WWII that units either tried a breakout in the first 1-2 weeks or failed. But there were some 'special' actions done first :
All heavy/slow equipment, damaged and non-combat units was destroyed/stripped/reassigned - except the artillery was destroyed right after the breakthrough started. This would cut the units surviability on long terms but would greatly enhance the 'one-try' combat abilities of the unit.
To reflect this the unit taking this action should loose a considerable amount of his units (33%?) but gain for one week a considerable amount of readiness (50% points) - this bonus should be even smaller if this 'special action' is not made in the first week of encirclement (33% points in the second week, 20% third, 10% all following weeks). Also the unit is again allowed to plot two hexes (for PzCorps it should be 3 or 4, depending on the readiness situation before 'special action), and at last if the X0% bonus is not used up in the week the 'special action' is taken it is lost the next week.
So a breakout using this 'special action' will result in a unit stripped of all its guns (arty, FlaK, PaK) and probably serious losses in tanks/recon/infantry but at least as a fighting force it will remain (and hopefully rebuild).

murx

like that idea or not ? comments !!

---

Murx

The special action could be an 'a' command that can only be placed in the 5th slot of the plot. When used the first combat for that unit will get 2xArtillery effects (use all ammo) then the tubes are destroyed(spiiked) and the unit may continue plot if it can. In each combat an extra percentage of heavy equip will be lost as the idea is to escape and the equip can be replaced. The first 4 slots will allow a normal 2 hex inf move and a 4 hex tank one. The other effects you mentioned sound right.

Nick