Dictator - Rolling Into Action!

[curtsibling]

DICTATOR!

Finally, the latest and final version is now available to serve your desire for mid-1940s megalomania!

Here's a link to the madness!

http://cdgroup.org/forums/tbs/civ2/viewtopic.php?t=658

Of course, many, many thanks to all the great unit artists who helped make Dictator a reality:

Fairline, Tanelorn and Jim Panse - Have a pint!



Enjoy, and post any comments or problems here!

PS
Keep an eye open for the ToT version that I might be working on!

[N35t0r]

And you can still find improvements to make on this? (without re-programming the game, i mean )

I'll definitely DL this one!

[fairline]

Nice one Curt

Let's talk about ToT units. PM me if you want a hand...

[curtsibling]

Will do, fairline!
Cheers!



I'll get in touch soon!

[AGRICOLA]

Great looking scenario with first class graphics. Congratulations.

I haven’t started playing but I have given it a pretty thorough going over. Here are a few comments and suggestions:

1. The map and units are very, very good.

2. I have understood city improvements to be something that can be built to improve some aspect of the city. How does one build “Refugee Influxes”, “War Bonds” or “Propaganda Movies”? There is neither a consistent naming convention nor an obvious connection between some improvement names and their functions.

3. Descriptions of wonders are vague at best. I find it a major stretch of the imagination to deduce that the Palembang Refinery, described as “Located in the Dutch East Indies. Important industrial facility. Prime target for the Japanese”, is actually the Hoover Dam. It has been my impression that refineries produce lots of petroleum products but not a heck of a lot of electricity.

4. I have a suspicion that having all artillery units designated as “Destroyed after attacking” is a waste of the 4 unit slots that they occupy. I can see no reason to build Anti-Tank, Artillery, Barrage or Katyusha Assault units. Rather than building 30, 60 or 90-shield one-shot artillery units, it makes much more sense to build B-17’s (130 shields), Lancasters (130) or Me-264’s (150) that are much more powerful and can carry out repeated attacks to the end of the scen, if used carefully in stacks with fighters and battleships or in stacks with fighters, good defensive ground units and pre-charged Engineers that build an Airfield.

5. I don’t think that the Germans can ever build Barracks because the Partisan Tactics tech is unreachable for them. The SS Liebstandarte HQ wonder assures that all new ground units units are vets and confers vet status on victorious units. However, I don’t see the reason why German and Japanese ground units would be repaired more slowly than anyone else’s.

6. The discovery of Barbarossa Plan actually penalizes the Germans. Why? The assumption is that they are stupid enough to research a tech that will do them harm. In the immortal words of a Star Fleet officer, "That is not logical".

7. There are a few minor items

- Engineers are described as “Only Fundamentalist governments can build”. That is untrue.

- The PEDIA description of Fascism contains several references to Fundamentalism.

- I think that the “Closed Circle Engine” tech should be “Closed Cycle Engine”.

I'll let you know how a strategy based on Me-264's, Super Battleships, Engineers and a few fighters actually works out. From a few tests, I suspect that the Me-264's as well as B-17's and, especially, Lancasters, may be the same kind of nearly invincible aerial battleships that the Zeps turned out to be in your KAISER scen.

[curtsibling]

Originally posted by AGRICOLA I haven’t started playing but I have given it a pretty thorough going over. Here are a few comments and suggestions:

Fire away!

Originally posted by AGRICOLA 1. The map and units are very, very good.

You have fairline and a few others to thank for that one!

Originally posted by AGRICOLA 2. I have understood city improvements to be something that can be built to improve some aspect of the city. How does one build “Refugee Influxes”, “War Bonds” or “Propaganda Movies”? There is neither a consistent naming convention nor an obvious connection between some improvement names and their functions.

How does vanilla civ2 'build' women's sufferage or 'build' Darwin's voyage?

I think the idea would be to supplant the word 'build' in labels with something else.

I will look into it.

Originally posted by AGRICOLA 3. Descriptions of wonders are vague at best. I find it a major stretch of the imagination to deduce that the Palembang Refinery, described as “Located in the Dutch East Indies. Important industrial facility. Prime target for the Japanese”, is actually the Hoover Dam. It has been my impression that refineries produce lots of petroleum products but not a heck of a lot of electricity.

The oil is next to the city -
The wonder is just there as a flavour target for the player...

Originally posted by AGRICOLA 4. I have a suspicion that having all artillery units designated as “Destroyed after attacking” is a waste of the 4 unit slots that they occupy. I can see no reason to build Anti-Tank, Artillery, Barrage or Katyusha Assault units. Rather than building 30, 60 or 90-shield one-shot artillery units, it makes much more sense to build B-17’s (130 shields), Lancasters (130) or Me-264’s (150) that are much more powerful and can carry out repeated attacks to the end of the scen, if used carefully in stacks with fighters and battleships or in stacks with fighters, good defensive ground units and pre-charged Engineers that build an Airfield.

How you wage the war is your choice!
But if you think the arty could be more cheap, I will change the shield cost.

Originally posted by AGRICOLA 5. I don’t think that the Germans can ever build Barracks because the Partisan Tactics tech is unreachable for them. The SS Liebstandarte HQ wonder assures that all new ground units units are vets and confers vet status on victorious units. However, I don’t see the reason why German and Japanese ground units would be repaired more slowly than anyone else’s.

It's a bug - I only noticed this one yesterday -

Fixed now, of course.

Originally posted by AGRICOLA 6. The discovery of Barbarossa Plan actually penalizes the Germans. Why? The assumption is that they are stupid enough to research a tech that will do them harm. In the immortal words of a Star Fleet officer, "That is not logical".

I take it the Russians got a first hit in?
The event is meant to make a barb Red army appear in axis territory.
When destroyed, it gives the Germans declaration of war against Russia.

Sometimes the soviets get to it before the germans.
Giving the Russians the advantage.

I will have to make the red army appear deep within German borders.

Originally posted by AGRICOLA - Engineers are described as “Only Fundamentalist governments can build”. That is untrue.

A bug, no less!

Originally posted by AGRICOLA - The PEDIA description of Fascism contains several references to Fundamentalism.

Fixed now.

Originally posted by AGRICOLA - I think that the “Closed Circle Engine” tech should be “Closed Cycle Engine”.

The info is from a U-boot tech-spec website, so I assume their terminology is correct.

Originally posted by AGRICOLA I'll let you know how a strategy based on Me-264's, Super Battleships, Engineers and a few fighters actually works out. From a few tests, I suspect that the Me-264's as well as B-17's and, especially, Lancasters, may be the same kind of nearly invincible aerial battleships that the Zeps turned out to be in your KAISER scen.

They are not invicible - As you may find out the hard way!

@Agricola:
Cheers for the in-depth bug search, you always are proficient at getting the scen into shape!

[curtsibling]

OK - I am going to dive in and make some slight text-file changes.

[curtsibling]

New update to text files and rules, etc.

Check the 1st post link for the zip!

[fairline]

Speaking as an engine development engineer, LOL...

Originally posted by curtsibling
The info is from a U-boot tech-spec website, so I assume their terminology is correct.

The usual term is either closed-circuit engine or closed-cycle engine; I've not heard the term closed circle engine before, but that isn't to say it doesn't exist

Basically closed-cycle engines do not require an external supply of induction air (ie a schnorkel) - the sub either carries an oxygen supply or generates it's own supply of oxygen (from hydrogen peroxide I think, but I'm no chemist).

[curtsibling]

I think I'd better revisit that U-boat site!

[AGRICOLA]

Is it possible that the term "closed circle" may have originated from a too literal translation of the German term?

Originally posted by curtsibling

How you wage the war is your choice!

You're right, of course. However, in the case of Germany, the choices are very much limited by economics. Specifically, as there is no trade and Germany cannot build banks or stock exchanges, there will never be much money around for any form of RB, despite the tithes. As a consequence, any units it builds had better be the best available and have a good chance of surviving battles. It simply does not have the shield production needed for building large numbers of units that are quickly killed off. This is the reason for my comments about the artillery units.

As I'm sure that difficult economic conditions are exactly what you intended, I think that you have succeeded admirably.


P.S. I completely missed the connection between Barbarossa Plan and what follows. Very devious, indeed.

[curtsibling]

Cheers, Agricola!

Yep - I made Japan and Germany's econonic outlook grim on purpose.
To reflect the fact that both regimes had rather useless trade systems.

I have reduced the cost of the arty a bit, as I agree the cost may be a bit high for a one-shot attack unit.

It's superb that you put so much focus into your game.

PS
I done some research on the Closed Circle (or cycle) Engine.

The Walter V80 powerplant was one example of the closed circle/cycle engine.
During WW2 this was a revolutionary concept, using highly flammable Perhydrol.

The Elektro boat represented the first true combat subs as we are used to seeing today.

PPS
You might be right about the translation thing.
I will change the tech to Closed Cycle Engine, just to be sure!

[curtsibling]

Hopefully, all stealth bugs are now zapped.

I await to see if Agricola can uncover anything else.

For now, here is a mini zip to extract into your folder - It fixes a few tiny text details.

[AGRICOLA]

@curtsibling

Your scen is playing really well, no problems whatsoever. However, as you more or less asked me to nitpick, these are the best nits that I could come up with:

1. Is the following text from the EVENTS file quite as it should be?

.

;
; Events text for "Dictator" scenario
; Curt Silbing - May 2004
;

2. A quick spell and grammar check might be useful. It should pick up things like the extra “l” in Unalligned Allies. If you’re too busy, I can give it a shot if you E-mail the files to me when everything is finalized.

3. Although this unit is of no practical interest to me, I’m a bit puzzled by why Armored Cars have Mv=1 when tanks and even infantry have Mv=2. Even with its special abilities it is not a particularly useful unit. A bit of speed might help.



The game in progress is interesting. Germany is withdrawing into a defensive shell designed to chew up enemy units while minimizing German losses. Coastal cities along the Channel and North Sea are bristling with AA batteries; units on Greenland are returning home; Tripoli will be abandoned; defensively weak units have withdrawn into central Europe; all U-boats are on their way back to home waters and most naval units have left port and are under air cover in the Baltic, out of range of enemy fighters. Very great care is being taken to not give neighbors to the east any excuse for attacking.

Everything is focussed on building libraries and universities to speed up research to the max.

Here’s the Operational Summary for August, when the 2 month Sitzkrieg ended abruptly.

AUGUST 1940

The Unaligned Allies withdrew some of their forces that were getting uncomfortably close to Wien and Budapest. They discovered the Wartime Economy tech.

The Rebels continued to spread out in Asia and South America. Their major achievement was to eliminate the garrison of Calcutta.

Soviet air and ground units withdrew from the vicinity of Warsaw and Krakow.

The Japanese were in a fine fury as they went after the Rebs in China.



The British discovered Bomber Development 1 and are now working on BD 2.

After no British action in June and July, they threw everything but the kitchen sink at our cities along the Channel and the North Sea, paying particular attention to Brest and Hamburg. Their failed attacks and our counterstrokes resulted in unsustainable British losses (38 units).

In their attacks they lost 1 CA, 4 DD, 2 Bombers, 4 Spitfires and 6 Fighters, most of them at Brest. A RAF Bomber trapped and sank a U-boat in Nantes, our first and, so far, only casualty of the war. The 2-3 fortified AA batteries that are in every coastal city from Brest to Oslo were the major reason for the massive British defeat.

A British task force, with at least 1 BB, appeared off Copenhagen. The Bismarck was detached from the fleet blocking the Kattegat, transited Copenhagen, automatically gained vet status by sinking a DD and then sank the enemy task force. Post battle reports and other sources suggest that British losses included 1 BB, 1 CA, 1 CV, 2 DD and 2 Cargo Ships. The British Admiralty must think that this is still WW I, when their fleet could operate without air cover. The Bismarck, so severely damaged that it could not move, is now immediately W of Copenhagen and is protected by the Tirpitz and a Bf-109 squadron. Only enemy fighters based in Newcastle are within range of the German vessels.

A Bf-109 from Amsterdam destroyed the Spitfire that was patrolling the English Channel just offshore of the city. A Bf-109 from Paris shot down the RAF Bomber that sank the U-boat at Nantes.

A Stuka on recce from Paris located a British Cargo Ship SSW of Ireland. During its attack on this ship, it spotted a second Cargo Ship to the W. The second ship was sunk by another Stuka squadron from Paris. The sinking of the two vessels resulted in the destruction of 4 ground units (3 low value AT Artillery and an Inf unit).

A Stuka on recce from Lyon located a Cargo Ship and a British Fighter S of Sicily. The Stuka sank the vessel and a Bf-109 from Rome barely managed to destroy the enemy aircraft. In the best RN tradition, not only the captain but two AT Artillery units went down with the ship.

The British destroyed a Rebel Partisan unit that was blocking the road between Tripoli and Tobruk. It was noted that the British units which continued westward towards Tripoli were weak Artillery batteries. Consequently, the Transport that was freighting the Tripoli garrison to Rome for rehoming unloaded the two AT Artillery in southern Italy and then returned to Tripoli with the Armored Car and Light Tank units. The Tank unit moved E from the city, easily destroyed the two British Artillery batteries and then rejoined the Tripoli garrison. This will gain us time to sell off more improvements before we abandon the city.



Sale of our last aqueduct and the city walls of 6 central European cities increased cash reserves to nearly 3400 gold. This should be sufficient to carry us for at least 18 months at the present monthly deficit of 150 – 160 gold. By that time the critical research for the Me-264, Super Battleship, Pz V and Waffen SS will have been completed and we will no longer need to operate at 80% Science and 20% Taxes.

Two Universities and one Library were completed. Fifteen Universities and 9 Libraries are under construction. Five AA batteries are the only units being built. These will be used to garrison the East Front cities against any Soviet or other attacks.

Research was completed on the obligatory Improved Engineering tech. The research effort was switched to Bomber Development 2. That project is now ~20% complete. The present science rate is 821 flasks/month (slightly better than a new tech every 2 months), an increase of nearly 100 flasks/month since June.


NOTE: I had intended that the Pz V (D=4) was to be the defensive unit of choice but had neglected to thoroughly check out alternatives. AA batteries (also D=4) are not only almost as good for repelling ground and naval attacks but are much better against aircraft. Also, at 80 shields, they are comparatively inexpensive.

As I said, great scen!

Edit: Me-264, not Me-262

[curtsibling]

And also an incredibly fine war report!

I knew you would be merciless in your search for bugs!
Rest assured, I will now commit myself to an indepth spell check on all files.
Let me know if you spot any more bloopers!

Are you finding the combat balance satisfactory?

PS
I will take your advice and give an extra speed point to the motorised infantary.

I can see you have a sound warfare strategy well-underway.
Keep us informed of your victories!