A Playtest Too Far

[Leonidas]

Originally posted by techumseh
A minor discovery - perhaps a re-discovery?

You can make alt events files for your alt scn files (up to 6 total) and the game will randomly select one when the scenario is loaded. This way, we can have up to 6 variations on location and numbers of starting units, plus 6 different events files, one of which will be randomly chosen when the scenario is loaded.

So the delay in the arrival of the airborne forces can be randomly varied, and I can have the glider event as well. Thanks Dave!

Interesting discovery.

Would you mind expanding on how this is done for a scenario?

Cheers!

[curtsibling]

Originally posted by techumseh
Wonderful! And while you're at it , how about a set of HQ graphics? I'm thinking a nice hotel or chateau, with a British flag hanging on it.

Both Icons coming soon!

[curtsibling]

Would this do for a British HQ icon?

[techumseh]

@Leonidas

This feature was first used in the Jules Verne scn from FW. If anyone still has the small manual, I think it was described there in some detail. I used it in Red October as well, but I didn't realize that you could use a separate events file for each of the 6 scn. files which are randomized. It works like this:

You have a scn file, say Market-Garden scn. , with an opening text file - Market-Garden Txt. and an events file - Events Txt. Make 5 additional scn files, each with a different German initial deployment. Name these Market-Garden2.Alt, Market-Garden3.Alt and so on, up to #5Alt.

The text files are named Market-Garden2.Txt and so on. The same with the events files - Events2.Txt to Events5.Txt. Each events file can vary the timing of location of Allied and German reinforcements- or anything else, for that matter.

When the scenario is loaded, the Civ2 program randomly selects one of the 6 scenario files and the specific text and events files that go with it. NOTE: if you get Market-Garden4.Alt, you'll also get Events4.Txt and so on. This feature has been part of Civ2 (including ToT) since FW was introduced, but I think it's largely been forgotten knowledge.

[curtsibling]

The Verne sceanrio with FW pioneered this cool feature.

I'm glad you are using it!

[Leonidas]

Originally posted by techumseh
@Leonidas

This feature was first used in the Jules Verne scn from FW. If anyone still has the small manual, I think it was described there in some detail. I used it in Red October as well, but I didn't realize that you could use a separate events file for each of the 6 scn. files which are randomized. It works like this:

You have a scn file, say Market-Garden scn. , with an opening text file - Market-Garden Txt. and an events file - Events Txt. Make 5 additional scn files, each with a different German initial deployment. Name these Market-Garden2.Alt, Market-Garden3.Alt and so on, up to #5Alt.

The text files are named Market-Garden2.Txt and so on. The same with the events files - Events2.Txt to Events5.Txt. Each events file can vary the timing of location of Allied and German reinforcements- or anything else, for that matter.

When the scenario is loaded, the Civ2 program randomly selects one of the 6 scenario files and the specific text and events files that go with it. NOTE: if you get Market-Garden4.Alt, you'll also get Events4.Txt and so on. This feature has been part of Civ2 (including ToT) since FW was introduced, but I think it's largely been forgotten knowledge.

Very nice indeed

Thanks for the explanation.

It looks like a very easy system to have in a scenario.

And this would greatly add to the playability of ANY scenario, even ones that have already been completed.

I am surprised that this has not been used more often.

Talk about the unpredictable.

Cheers!

[Catfish]

Originally posted by techumseh
The text files are named Market-Garden2.Txt and so on. The same with the events files - Events2.Txt to Events5.Txt...

When the scenario is loaded, the Civ2 program randomly selects one of the 6 scenario files and the specific text and events files that go with it.

This must explain why Civ2 has the habit of reading the wrong events files in many multiple-events scenarios (batch file style). I always ended up having to rename them. Lesson: never name your events files events1.txt, events2.txt, etc (unless of course you're using the Verne method).

Edit: Just tried using 10 event files: events.txt, events1.txt, events2.txt... events9.txt. Civ2 made random selections from all 10 of them.

[techumseh]

Originally posted by curtsibling
Would this do for a British HQ icon?

It's very good, thanks.

[techumseh]

I've reorganized the events using masks, which allows me to save events space. There are enough flags and events space for 3 alternate British airborne plans, one of which is selected when the scenario is loaded. I'm hoping for comments and suggestions on these plans or other alternatives anyone might propose.

The first one (Plan A) is the historical plan: 1st AB west of Arnhem, 82nd south and east of Nijmegen and 101st from Zon to Vught - all in 3 'lifts'.

I'm thinking that plan 'B' would have the first lift of the 1st land closer to Arnhem and the 82nd closer to Nijmegen. Higher randomized losses 'cause of flak in both places. This would be the plan preferred by most armchair critics of the battle.

For plan 'C', I'm thinking of something a bit more radical. Hold back the 101st and land with the 1st and 82 in 2 lifts instead of 3. On the 3rd lift, land the 101st north of the Rhine to help the 1st AB. The 82nd would be more spread out, having to cover the 101's area, but would get 2 of 3 lifts on the first day.

Exact timing of each 'lift' will be unknown to the player, since each events file will be somewhat different and will be selected at random when the scenario is loaded. Bad weather played havoc on Allied plans.

German deployment and reinforcements will also be randomized. One possibility is that the 9SS is deployed around Eindhoven, right in the path of the Guards Armored Division. And there are many more possibilities. Any suggestions?

[techumseh]

Here's the south half of the map:

[techumseh]

And here's the north half:

[GoPostal]

what do the little parachutes on the map mean?

[techumseh]

Originally posted by GoPostal
what do the little parachutes on the map mean?

They're to mark possible landing spots for the Allied player.

[fairline]

Originally posted by techumseh
I'm thinking that plan 'B' would have the first lift of the 1st land closer to Arnhem and the 82nd closer to Nijmegen. Higher randomized losses 'cause of flak in both places. This would be the plan preferred by most armchair critics of the battle.

Agreed - Hackett and other commanders who have subsequently written about Arnhem are with you on this one.

For plan 'C', I'm thinking of something a bit more radical. Hold back the 101st and land with the 1st and 82 in 2 lifts instead of 3. On the 3rd lift, land the 101st north of the Rhine to help the 1st AB. The 82nd would be more spread out, having to cover the 101's area, but would get 2 of 3 lifts on the first day.

Interesting idea and a good one You could even land all 3 Divisions in 2 lifts - Browning's insistance on landing his entire Corps staff in the 101st area of operations used up an inordinate number of gliders that would have been better employed landing combat troops, so you could simulate this possibility.

German deployment and reinforcements will also be randomized. One possibility is that the 9SS is deployed around Eindhoven, right in the path of the Guards Armored Division. And there are many more possibilities. Any suggestions?

I like this one; that'll definitely slow down XXX Corps

[Mercator]

I can't be of much help here, except for Dutch spell checking purposes (though I can't be 100% sure the names were the same back during WWII. I'm using an '88 atlas).

s'Hertogenbosch should really be spelled 's-Hertogenbosch, but that's just one character too long. I guess you could either leave out the hyphen or the apostrophe. Or you could use Den Bosch instead. 's-Hertogenbosch is the official name, but it's usually called Den Bosch.

Nijmegan must be Nijmegen
Vegel should be Veghel
Zon should be Son
I think you can spell St Oedenrode in full as Sint Oedenrode.
I think Sommern must be Someren, but it's misplaced quite a bit.

I can scan in the two maps from my atlas, if you want. It's not the most detailed though, some of the villages on your map aren't even shown on it.