NEW BLITZKRIEG RELEASE: Blitzkrieg 1936 v.3

[Eivind IV]

"Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of Germany in 1933. Under his leadership the country developed into a ruthlessly aggressive totalitarian state. All forms of democratic government and political opposition were soon swept away. By coercion, repression and propaganda, the Nazi Party began to control German life. The Nazis pledged first to restore Germany to its 'rightful' place in Europe, and then to seek world power. The Blitzkrieg era has begun..."
___________________

”In October 1936 Italy's Mussolini made an alliance with Germany's Adolf Hitler. Ethiopian trade concessions were extended to Germany (Ethiopia had been conquered by Italy in May). They also declared common policies towards Spain, the Danubian countries, the Soviet Union, and the League of Nations. Mussolini called the new alliance the "Rome-Berlin Axis".

Well, well, we meet again! In my constant seeking of perfection for my babies I've done a major face lift to my Blitzkrieg 1936 scenario, the third one to be specific. But with these changes many new feateures such as strategic rivers, optional black and white style graphic style, MP and SP version, optional stackable terrain in both MP and SP, graphical overhawl in general are introduced, along with many many more! Sounds have been introduced as well.

I hope my hours on the designing board have payed off. So, people, enjoy yourself!

BLITZKRIEG 1936 v.3 - MAIN FILES

BLITZKRIEG 1936 v.3 - SOUNDS

[Eivind IV]

Some of the changes from v2:

MAJOR CHANGES:

NEW FEATURES:
• * Sounds introduced. Units rearranged to fit the proper sound slot. Sounds ripped by and edited by me from various games.
• * Introducing STRATEGIC RIVERS!
• - river terrain mixed with ocean terrain!
• * OPTIONAL WW2 BLACK AND WHITE GRAPHICS STYLE ADDED!
• * OPTIONAL STACKABLE TERRAIN VERSION AVAILABLE!
• - In both the SP and MP version you can choose between Stackable terrain in the *.bat file. Stacks added to Grassland, Plains, Desert and Tundra. Defense stats tweaked thereafter.
• * Graphical overhawl:
• - All new Curt cities
• - Terrain graphics changed and tweaked to fit the theme
• - Units replaced and tweaked to fit the theme
• - Coastline tweaked to make the inland "ocean-rivers look like rivers
• * Tech paradigm raised, to give bigger trade revenues and to make trade more important
• * Diplo/Spy screen opened, marco polo (elite intelligence) wonder removed
• * One SP and one MP version included. *.bat file to switch back and forth. Revolutions allowed and a limited option diplomat added in MP.included in MP-version.
• - USSR can change to Representative Democracy and Fascism (or Autocracy)
• - Japan can change to Representative Democracy, Fascism and Communism (or Autocracy)
• - Axis can change to Federal Democracy and Communism (or Autocracy)
• - France can change to Communism or Fascism (or Autocracy)
• - USA can change to Communism or Fascism (or Autocracy)
• - Britain can change to to Communism or Fascism (or Autocracy)
• - Independents can not change government
• * New super producing terrain resource introduced: Ruhr/Ural Industries
• * The Ruhr area in general radically more productive
• * Ruhr Industries wonder moved to Praha and renamed Skoda Industries
• * Oil terrain introduced close to selected oil producing cities, together with the Oil rafinneries city improvment
• * Pedia.txt updated with more description

RULES CHANGES:
• * Cost of units radically increased and tweaked to reduce the possebility to use the Rush Building Technique!
• * Various changes roles, attack/defense to various units:
• * Chemical Industry introduced (Solar Plant)
• * Liberty Ship removed:
• - Aichi D35 introduced
• * Cromwell removed
• - Super Battleship (Japan and Axis specific event unit) introduced
• (* AT battery removed:
• - RECONNAISSANCE VEHICLE ADDED IN MP-VERSION (with reduced abilities)
• - KI-100 ADDED I SP-VERSION (Japanese special unit)


MINOR CHANGES:

RULES CHANGES:
• * Medium tank bug corrected
• * Imroved Fighter bug corrected
• * Ground attack aircraft bug corrected
• * JS-2 bug corrected
• * Motorised Inf. now negate city walls and ignores ZOC (Blitz ability)
• * Mechanised Inf. one better attack
• * Elite inf's two better defense
• * Only Elite Inf's able to make amphibious landings
• * Improved Fighter less effective
• * Industrial terrain renamed "Manufacturing Sector"
• * Some 'industrial' terrains rearranged
• * Power Plant renamed "Steel Production"
• * BlackMarket renamed "Textile Production"
• * Clean Water renamed "Public Utilities"
• * Culture renamed "Entertainment Industry"
• * Railway System renamed "Rapid Transit"
• * School renamed "Literacy Program"
• * Subway System renamed "Highways"
• * Military Police renamed "Military Court"
• * Banking renamed "Commercial Bank"
• * War Economy renamed "Investment Bank"
• * One more tech needed to reach Heavy Bombers

• * Heavy Industries cost raised
• * Power Plant cost raised
• * Army Base cost raised
• * Trade Goods price raised
• * Governments renamed to fit a more general term in case of revolutions
• * Cursor icon removed and replaced with the ordinary 'cursor'
• * The Panther removed from the Knight slot
• * Improved Battleship made an Axis/Japan specific unit
• * Old Battleship renamed Battleship
• * Desert movemcost raised to 2

IN-GAME CHANGES:
• * Many "razable" cities given city walls
• * Rostock and Königsberg given Coastal Fortresses
• * Many things renamed in labels.txt
• * China made harder to captured
• * Great Wall wonder moved
• * Manerheim Line introduced in Finland
• * Changed Currency to the Pound (in millions)
• * Helsinki given Forest terrain
• * Warszawa given less defensive terrain
• * Lwow given less defensive terrain
• * Magionot Line visable to every civ
• * Propaganda Centres removed
• * Better science in Germany
• * Japanese leader renamed Hirohito, as there was no way to have Imperialism as govenment and get the leader to be Prime Minister
• * Airbases removed from squares next to cities to avoid the railroad effect.
• * Paris lost its heavy industry
• * American special city style introduced

OTHER:
•* New Sarsstock styled flags

[Eivind IV]

Units:

[Eivind IV]

Here's a screenshot from the optional Black and white style. Can be switched back and forth with a batch file.

[Leonidas]

Kobra:

I am impressed

Your outstanding efforts (among those of others) is the reason why Civ II remains on my hard drive...

Cheers!

[Eivind IV]

Thanks, Leonidas!

Try downlaoding again, sounds and main files updated as a minor bug was noticed. Everything is fine and dandy now! Nothing more to correct!

Now I'll retreat and take myself a friday pint! Cheers!

[Leonidas]

Originally posted by Kobra
Thanks, Leonidas!

Try downlaoding again, sounds and main files updated as a minor bug was noticed. Everything is fine and dandy now! Nothing more to correct!

Now I'll retreat and take myself a friday pint! Cheers!

Will do.

Again - simply outstanding work

Lots of work here...

And playing goodness...

[curtsibling]

Wow!

Some revolutionary concepts here!
And a really good looking scenario - I will be downloading this one right now!

Great work, man!

[AGRICOLA]

Playing Japan/Deity


. . . . . . . . . . . US SURRENDERS

. . . . . . MAY 9, 1938 . . . . . . . . BLACK DAY FOR THE FREE WORLD



Reuters

WASHINGTON, DC ---- In a terse nationwide radio address, the American President announced
today that the government of the United States has surrendered unconditionally to the Empire of
Japan. All US forces are to cease hostilities and lay down their arms immediately. The few
remaining ships of the US Pacific Fleet have been ordered to steam for the nearest Japanese port.
Ships of the Atlantic Fleet are to return to home ports.

The presidential announcement comes only days after Japan’s declaration of war on May 1. The
American derision and disbelief that met the Japanese action changed to panic the following day
when San Diego was destroyed and Japan issued its first demand for unconditional surrender.
According to the President, the subsequent destruction of Los Angeles on May 5 and Japanese
threats of further devastation left no alternative but surrender. He cited the more than 200,000
Americans killed and wounded and the continuing coast-to-coast panic as reasons for the action.

He offered no information on the weapons used to destroy San Diego and Los Angeles. Survivors
report seeing a blinding flash, followed by a shock wave and an immense mushroom shaped cloud
rising into the sky.



Observations:
With appropriate play, most of the civs can go nuclear in 1938. The only one that is doubtful is
France.

Skyscrapers is an inappropriate precursor tech for the A-bomb. AI Yankee traders are quite
prepared to trade anything and everything to anybody.

By mid ’38, the European powers have fought each other to a standstill and are exhausted.
For Japan, the pickings should be quite easy in a few years.

Great looking scen that offers many interesting lines of play.

[AGRICOLA]

@Eivind

A few more things have cropped up.

a. Roads that are built on ocean squares are impassable for ground units. I've run into one north of Tulsa and one west of Montreal. River+road squares look so similar to ocean+road that may be others.

b. Nukes destroy RR's. RR's can also be pillaged. I think that Engineers should be able to rebuild them. The scen is certainly long enough for that to happen. As the Engineers actually work at the rate of settlers (I don't see why) there is minimal risk of players using them as combat engineers.

c. The Atomic Bomb icon looks pretty silly as it levitates across the map to its target. Why not replace it with a distinctive atomic bomber as curt did in his Dictator 3 scen. That looks much more realistic.

[Broken_Erika]

Originally posted by AGRICOLA

c. The Atomic Bomb icon looks pretty silly as it levitates across the map to its target.

It's a hover bomb!

[Eivind IV]

Thanks for the feedback, John! This is the absloute last patch for this scen. I want to get on with something else now


* Download this rules patch for Blitzkrieg 1936 v.3 and the Atomic Bomb will come much farther down the tech tree.
* Also the trade goods are a bit cheeper.

NB! Remember that you have to load the *.bat again for the rules to take effect!

[AGRICOLA]

Thanks for taking the time to do a fixup on Blitz '36.

I like the scen so I dumped the '38 Atomic Bomb game and started again. New game is still in '37 so there should be no problem introducing your new parameters.

Learned something useful in setting up bypasses around various cities for the San Francisco to New York turnpike for Japanese freights. The AI protests if Engineers or other foreign units are within city ZOC's. However, if you stack a freight with Engineers or tanks, it doesn't give a damn. There are a lot of interesting possibilities in that.

Thanks again, and do get busy on your Al Capone magnum opus.

[techumseh]

This looks very good. Can you give us an idea of what's the most fun for single player?

[AGRICOLA]

You do ask some interesting questions. IMHO, this one deserves a thread of its own.

I don't think that there is a single set of “fun” parameters that would apply to all players. We're all individuals and much too different for that. The wide range of available scenarios are the one reason why CIVII still appeals to me and, likely, many others. I haven't played a standard game in years.

I view a scen as a fun problem solving exercise. Most of the time in a good scen this involves some degree of desperation in overcoming greatly superior forces, meeting a time deadline, or both. Nemo's Red Front and your Market-Garden and are my favorite examples of this. These scens have a feature in common in that there is extremely great scope for imaginative strategies and tactics.

In other scens, there is little or no imposed pressure and my fun is generated by looking for ways to take maximum advantage of loopholes in the AI and/or inadvertent windows of opportunity created by a scenario’s designer. It becomes a game of wits, especially when playtesting.

IMO, scenarios generally fall into one of two categories, the long “statesman” or empire building scen that starts a player with very little and asks that he build a dominant civ and the much shorter “head basher” where there is a battle, campaign or war to fight. Probably as a result of too much empire building in CIV and vanilla CIV2, I much prefer “head basher” scens. I’m sure that others favor the “statesman”.

Looking at the other side of the “fun” coin, it is most definitely not fun if the mechanics of playing a scen become unnecessarily laborious.

The two scenarios mentioned above are excellent in that they are difficult to win but very simple to play. The units are straightforward and techs, wonders and city improvements (where applicable) are clearly described and have names that a player can intuitively understand. I have struggled with scens where everything has been renamed to the point where the new names have very little or no relationship to function. It is not particularly fun to play a scen that needs frequent references to the Pedia or where descriptions are so vague as to be useless or even misleading. More than once, I have had to replace labels, Pedia and sections of rules with those from vanilla CIV2.

Similarly, I like maximum clarity in three key areas: roads, railroads and the resource symbols in the city window resource map. I now keep a standard set of simple but highly visible icons for all of these and paste them into the icons and terrain 2 files as needed. I have no objection to white roads if that is what it takes to make them visible and easy to follow across a landscape that obscures brown ones.