Looking for beta testers for El Aurens v2

[AGRICOLA]

Your memory is not dim in least. Riyaq is the key to most of the system. However, Samakh is the key to cities in the Tyre-Nablus-Samakh area and the western part of the Nablus Line.

Last night, I did a bit of thinking about the trigger for the last, WF Withdrawal Order, segment of the tree. One of my thoughts was to leave everything as is but have a popup warning players to expect important new orders in X months. That would let them adjust their science rate so as not to waste flasks on future techs while maintaining the historically accurate timetable of the scen.

I'm still a bit dubious about the scoring system. If one wins the scen by landing the SS, one never gets to see the final Civilization Score screen because the scen moves automatically from the landing to the graph to the Hall of Fame.

Unless I'm completely out to lunch, there seems to be some slight evidence in your saves that you ran into this during your alpha test.

[Boco]

Yep, the end of game sequence definitely needs work!

I don't recall. What do you think of an external scoring system in Excel? Case tried this in Cruel Sea.

[techumseh]

Shouldn't that be "right hook"?

[AGRICOLA]

@techumseh
Definitely "Left Hook", similar to but much less brilliantly executed than the strategy Gen. Birch used in Market-Garden. A "Right Hook" through the desert appears to be impossible because of terrain and inadequate forces.

@Boco
Sorry, but I am the wrong person to ask about the scoring system at the moment. Completing El Aurens before the deadline has my full attention and the score has become entirely secondary. How about a week from now, after November 1918 has come and gone? Right now, El Aurens has me sweating the way Market-Garden did a couple of years ago and Red Front a few years before that.


@Boco & @ techumseh
El Aurens and Market-Garden are very different, yet they share many features that put pressure on players and make for a gripping scen. Both are short; both have a deadline that must be met; both are events driven with historically accurate events; both operate with relatively few units which must be conserved because of limited reinforcements; and both reward innovative tactics. IMHO, that is as good as scens can be.

EDIT: I forgot to include that both have some completely new and highly innovative features that are guaranteed to cause players migraines.

[fairline]

Originally posted by Boco
...Then let's discuss making things just a little more fiendish! .

Please don't make it Agricola-proof; the rest of us won't stand a chance

[AGRICOLA]

Look who's talking.

[Boco]

Knowing how much you enjoy OMG, Agricola, I'm honored indeed. I'm looking forward to the post-test discussion.

Fairline, many of the tweaks will be made to improve gameplay. Agricola has and will continue to find bugs that need fixing. My aim with this test is to find that zone between Agricola-proof and its-so-easy-Agricola-is-bored. After all, we do have some smart players around here. When they minimize PaintShop, that is. Anyone with a good knowledge of history already knows how to beat EAv2. Fortunately, it appears that at least one what-if is panning out, too.

[fairline]

No offense to John intended - he certainly is a fantastic playtester and EAv2 will benefit greatly from his expert playtesting.

And BTW, I hought this hobby was all about drawing silly little men with guns and stuff in PSP. Do you mean to tell me they get used in a game as well?!

[AGRICOLA]

Please have no concern Gareth, I certainly find nothing in the least objectionable in what has been said. IMHO, it's just the usual banter that goes on between people who have been interacting for a long time. We all indulge in it, with no malice whatsoever.

[Boco]

Oops! Fairline, that was meant as no admonishment from me. Having never seen you bash a telly during a spell of hooliganism, I still have this image of you being a highly inoffensive Welshman.

Do you mean to tell me they get used in a game as well?!

Don't ask me, I just populate lots of threads with garish highly staged screenies containing these subversive little gunners. At least it's better than spamming useful threads with shots of allegedly drunk sailors on the Todd River...

[fairline]

Originally posted by Boco
Oops! Fairline, that was meant as no admonishment from me. Having never seen you bash a telly during a spell of hooliganism, I still have this image of you being a highly inoffensive Welshman.
[/SIZE]

Now you're making me feel bad. I needed a tongue-in-cheek smiley after posting my, er, apology to Agri

[Boco]

ERRORS in DESCRIBE.TXT

Thanks Agricola for the email! I sent a reply before looking at your corrections to the text files, so I'll address them here.

• Transfer Egyptian Army units across the Red Sea (I can't see how this can be done)

• Move Camel Arty, EA Infantry, or Scouts to Port Sudan on the Sudan map.
• Hop to the main map.
• Using Gunboats as transports, sail across the Red Sea to Arabia.

I haven't examined your SAV's in detail, yet, so this might negate your successful amphibious left hook. That's okay with me though, since it gives you another strategic choice to ponder.

• Rush-build Bedouins on the Arab Tribes map (It is fighting and happiness units that are in short supply)

Well, this can be alleviated by either bribing Turks or using Gunboats to transfer Egyptians from Sudan to Arabia, but then that's a strategic choice to make. Seriously though, I'll edit the entry to clarify how to get more regular units in Arabia to enforce martial law.

The other comments, which identify careless mistakes, will be corrected.

If anyone else is interested in testing this in the next month or so, please let me know. Otherwise, I'll post a final version in May or so that addresses Agricola's feedback.

[AGRICOLA]

• Move Camel Arty, EA Infantry, or Scouts to Port Sudan on the Sudan map.
• Hop to the main map.
• Using Gunboats as transports, sail across the Red Sea to Arabia.

Missed that one completely. Actually wondered what Port Sudan was good for.

I haven't examined your SAV's in detail, yet, so this might negate your successful amphibious left hook. That's okay with me though, since it gives you another strategic choice to ponder.

It is a long and slow process to move a Camel Arty from the Port Sudan/Mecca area to 3/4 of the way up the map. Some of the route has to be through non-stackable, trackless desert at 2 squares per turn. Time might be a problem as might the odd enemy aircraft along the route.

Well, this can be alleviated by either bribing Turks or using Gunboats to transfer Egyptians from Sudan to Arabia, but then that's a strategic choice to make. Seriously though, I'll edit the entry to clarify how to get more regular units in Arabia to enforce martial law.

BRIBE THEM??? HAVE YOU CHECKED THE GOING RATE FOR CAMEL JOCKEYS LATELY?

Happiness was never a problem per se. Players always wish for more and better units.

[Boco]

Started going through your opsum. I'll address it via email later in the week, since we'll be going over some possible spoiler information.

It is a long and slow process to move a Camel Arty from the Port Sudan/Mecca area to 3/4 of the way up the map.

Moving the EA units to Arabia is useful for reinforcing the Hejaz only. Otherwise its better to go through Palestine. I suppose you could move Camel Arty to Akaba via Gunboat, but that reduces the throughput across the Red Sea a lot. IIRC It doesn't take more than 4 turns to get from Sudan to Jeida/Gayadah. It's much shorter to the Taif/Rabegh/Um Lejj area. Even moving from Bardia to Arabia isn't too long, if you haven't sold off too many Ports of Transit.

Money (i.e. bribing) was a key to Lawrence's success. You chose to be cheap there. I can't say it hurt you, though. If enough players adopt this strategy (I opted for it myself during alpha testing), I'll tweak the bribe cost.

Btw, your brilliant military campaign probably led to an even worse political legacy than the Allies actually made! That's another scenario, though....

Btw2: I knew you wouldn't be able to resist jaunting across the Western Desert with Bedouins! The Sanussis are enraged at the gall of Hussein! Can't imagine that they did much about it though.