The Balkans Wars

[Fing0lfin]

What's up McMonkey ? Any progress ?

[McMonkey]

Sorry, I did not get the events done at the end of my holiday and this week I am having to get up for work at 6am which leaves me too tired to do much work on Civ II when I get home! Luckily I only have to work about 6-8 of these weeks over the course of a year...I hate them!

This weekend and next week I should have more energy and I will get them finished and uploaded. Tonight I am looking forward to Everton vs Larissa of Greece in the UEFA Cup!

[Fing0lfin]

Don't worry, i am not in a hurry

[McMonkey]

Quick update

I started working on the events today. I am having to be quite methodical in my approach as there are three separate events files. To help me plan I have created a Events folder and different text documents for different event (City captured, Unit Killed, Text etc...) where I can make notes. When I have all the events I need I will copy and paste them, minus the notes, into each nations events folder. The batch file will do the rest!

So far I have planned out a lot of the events ideas I want and also completed the Ottoman unit creation events. These work in the same way as the Axis events in Fortress Europe. Units are created in cities near the front line. When these cities fall the next set of co-ordinates spawn the unit in the next defensive line and so on. By the time the player is ready to attack Constantinople there will be lots of events created units popping up there to make it more challenging. I find this an economical use of an event and a good way of propping up the AI defender.

The rules have also been fixed and some polishing done to the scenario. The tech tree may end up being the last thing done, normally it would be the first! Not to worry, this is more of a war game than a development one!

Getting there! I know I keep swapping between projects but I think that now I have decided to add multiple rules and events to Fortress Europe this project is the nearest to completion and I would like to get it finished. Then I can concentrate fully on finishing FE.

After that I think I may give up creating single player scenarios (at least for a while) and concentrate on multiplayer games. I find the amount of time needed to finish SP scenarios to the high standards now expected and to get the AI to do what you want them to do is too much for me. I can't see the point in making sub standard games that no one plays when I can create a decent PBEM game in a fraction of the time and enjoy playing them and seeing others enjoy them too.

I have several multiplayer scenarios in the the planning stage (Dynastic Wars 1700, Feudal Japan, Upgraded Aeterna Civitas) but I am determined to finish of The Balkan Wars and Fortress Europe first

[Patine]

Does this mean no Vietnam?

[McMonkey]

Vietnam was the ultimate in AI frustration, so I would make it a doubtful option. Maybe when I have finished all my other projects I will go back and try again as I think I had some good ideas!

I did not mention that I dislike working with ToT and as that engine seems to be the future for SP I am in the wrong game. As MGE is the engine for multiplayer games I will concentrate on that. I still love playing ToT scenarios and I am not trying to re-ignite the 'VS' debate!

[GhostOfDisco]

Originally posted by McMonkey
After that I think I may give up creating single player scenarios (at least for a while) and concentrate on multiplayer games. I find the amount of time needed to finish SP scenarios to the high standards now expected and to get the AI to do what you want them to do is too much for me. I can't see the point in making sub standard games that no one plays when I can create a decent PBEM game in a fraction of the time and enjoy playing them and seeing others enjoy them too.

Well, I'm disappointed to hear that, given that I basically just play Civ 2 as a SP game. Though if you ever want to try again, I'll be happy to help.

Sometimes the smallest things can have the biggest impact ... like in the CNA events file of my US 2013 scenario, a few mall MOVEUNIT events turned the Union from a passive defender into an agressive, tank-army machine (well, those tanks were mostly events-generated, but still...

[McMonkey]

Thanks GoD. I may well change my mind but to be honest I don't play SP games that much nowadays while I play multiplayer every day. I am currently playing in ten ongoing multiplayer games!

I find the difference between playing against the AI and playing against real people to be immense. Of course it is possible to make a SP game challenging, but that requires a LOT of time! Then there is the problem of a smart player finding a loop hole and ruining all your work

I prefer the creative process at the start of a scenario but get fed up when bogged down in the detail towards the end. With multiplayer games, as long as you have a good concept, tech tree and units the players fill in the rest of the gaps. No compensating for the dumb AI! The computer cannot role play, form meaning alliances, plan strategy, follow house rules, use special concept units or apply the killer blow unless massively supported by events.

Anyway, on with said events

[McMonkey]

I was wondering if I could get some advice and/or ideas for a tech tree to drive events.

As this scenario is set in the short period of the two Balkan Wars (1912-13) there will not be much in the way of technological development. Instead I want to use the tree to help simulate the progress of diplomacy and the historical events of the wars.

I would love to try something along the lines of Tehumseh's Operation Market Garden or Frederick the Great. Obviously I am a bit limited by MGE though.

Until I have the outline of how the tree will work I cannot start putting the finishing touches to the scenario. The events are well on their way and the initial playtests by Varwnos and FingOlfin have been encouraging.

All ideas and tips are welcome.

[McMonkey]

I have been making some progress with the events. Having three differnt versions makes things more difficult but I think it will be worthwhile in the end.

I have divided the events into:
- General Events (No Schism etc...)
- Text Events
- Ottoman Defence Events
- Unit Killed Events
- Other two nations Advance Events
- City Capture Events
- Tech Tree linked Events
- International Diplomacy Events
- Romanian Intervention Events

I am about half way through right now. I thought I would post an example here to stimulate ideas and to hear your comments.

Here is an example of the City Captured events so far:

SERBS:
------
@IF
CITYTAKEN
city=Constantinople
attacker=Serbs
defender=Ottomans
@THEN
TEXT
Serbian troops capture Constantinople, capital city of the Ottoman
Empire. You have achieved what Stefan Dušan could only dream of!
ENDTEXT
@ENDIF

@IF
CITYTAKEN
city=Salonika
attacker=Serbs
defender=Ottomans
@THEN
TEXT
Serbia wins the race to capture Salonika, the finest port in the
Balkans. Your rivals look on jealously. Can you hold your prize?
ENDTEXT
@ENDIF

@IF
CITYTAKEN
city=Uskub
attacker=Serbs
defender=Ottomans
@THEN
TEXT
The Serbian army marches into Uskub or Skopje as the Serbs know it.
The former capital of Stefan Dušan's Empire is in Serb hands again!
ENDTEXT
@ENDIF

@IF
CITYTAKEN
city=Kumanovo
attacker=Serbs
defender=Ottomans
@THEN
TEXT
The Serbian army smashes its way into the Vardar valley, crushing
an Ottoman army that attampts to oppose it.
ENDTEXT
@ENDIF

@IF
CITYTAKEN
city=Novibazar
attacker=Serbs
defender=Ottomans
@THEN
TEXT
The Sanjak of Novibazar falls to Serb troops after a hard fight.
Serbia can now concentrate its effort in the south.
ENDTEXT
@ENDIF

@IF
CITYTAKEN
city=Durazzo
attacker=Serbs
defender=Ottomans
@THEN
TEXT
A flying column of Serb troops enter the port city of Durazzo.
Serbia finally has access to the Adriatic.
ENDTEXT
@ENDIF

@IF
CITYTAKEN
city=Scutari
attacker=Serbs
defender=Ottomans
@THEN
TEXT
The fortress city of Scutari falls to the guns and infantry of
the combined Serb and Montenigran armies. Albania lies ahead.
ENDTEXT
@ENDIF

BULGARS:
--------
@IF
CITYTAKEN
city=Constantinople
attacker=Bulgarians
defender=Ottomans
@THEN
TEXT
After a bloody assault through the mud Thrace Bulgar troops are

rewarded with a parade through the streets of Constantinople.
ENDTEXT
@ENDIF

@IF
CITYTAKEN
city=Salonika
attacker=Bulgarians
defender=Ottomans
@THEN
TEXT
Bulgaria wins the race to capture Salonika, the finest port in the
Balkans. Your rivals look on jealously. Can you hold your prize?
ENDTEXT
@ENDIF

@IF
CITYTAKEN
city=Monastir
attacker=Bulgarians
defender=Ottomans
@THEN
TEXT
The cherished religious and cultural centre, Monastir, is liberated
by Bulgar army. Crowds in the streets throw flowers at the troops.
ENDTEXT
@ENDIF

@IF
CITYTAKEN
city=Chatalja
attacker=Bulgarians
defender=Ottomans
@THEN
TEXT
After a bloody assault the Bulgars capture Chatalja, the last line
of defence before Constantinople.
ENDTEXT
@ENDIF

@IF
CITYTAKEN
city=Lule Burgas
attacker=Bulgarians
defender=Ottomans
@THEN
TEXT
The Bulgarian army breaks the Ottoman defence line at Lule Burgas in
central Thrace. The Bulgar troops must now take on the Chatalja line.
ENDTEXT
@ENDIF

@IF
CITYTAKEN
city=Edirne
attacker=Bulgarians
defender=Ottomans
@THEN
TEXT
The fortress city of Edirne falls after a ferocious siege. Bulgarian
cavalry rampages through the city streets capturing an enemy General.
ENDTEXT
@ENDIF

@IF
CITYTAKEN
city=Kavalla
attacker=Bulgarians
defender=Ottomans
@THEN
TEXT
The Bulgarian flag flies over Kavalla, a worthy prize. Can the

Bulgars push on to take theie real goal of Salonika?
ENDTEXT
@ENDIF

GREEKS:
-------
@IF
CITYTAKEN
city=Constantinople
attacker=Greeks
defender=Ottomans
@THEN
TEXT
Hellenic troops enter the Ottoman capital Istanbul in triumph.
Greece rules over this ancient city for the first time since
its capture by the Ottomans in 1453.
ENDTEXT
@ENDIF

@IF
CITYTAKEN
city=Salonika
attacker=Greeks
defender=Ottomans
@THEN
TEXT
Greece wins the race to capture Salonika, the finest port in the
Balkans. Your rivals look on jealously. Can you hold your prize?
ENDTEXT
@ENDIF

@IF
CITYTAKEN
city=Monastir
attacker=Greeks
defender=Ottomans
@THEN
TEXT
Hellenic troops take and hold the culturaly and religiously important
city of Monastir. This will cause friction with the Bulgarians.
ENDTEXT
@ENDIF

@IF
CITYTAKEN
city=Smyrna
attacker=Greeks
defender=Ottomans
@THEN
TEXT
The predominantly Hellenic city of Smyrna is liberated. Greece has a

foothold in Asia minor. Elefthérios Venizélos' dream is realized!
ENDTEXT
@ENDIF

@IF
CITYTAKEN
city=Kavalla
attacker=Greeks
defender=Ottomans
@THEN
TEXT
The prize of Kavalla, the principal seaport of eastern Macedonia, is
won by the Greek army. Can they push on to Constantinople?
ENDTEXT
@ENDIF

@IF
CITYTAKEN
city=Durazzo
attacker=Greeks
defender=Ottomans
@THEN
TEXT
The Greek army grabs Durazzo, a fine port on the Albanian coast.
This will not sit well with the Serbs who hoped to gain the city.
ENDTEXT
@ENDIF

@IF
CITYTAKEN
city=Janina
attacker=Greeks
defender=Ottomans
@THEN
TEXT
The fortress city of Janina, Greek Ioannina, falls after a bitter
siege. Greece now controls Epirus. The way is open into Albania.
ENDTEXT
@ENDIF

[techumseh]

Text events use up lots of event space and perform no real function in the scenario. I use them sparingly, and add them near the end, once I know how much space I have left over.

[Boco]

Yes, with a little planning, it's surprising how much of the text can be shifted to Game.txt.

[AGRICOLA]

According to the dictionary, there are a few misspellings.

Montenegrin armies . . . . .

. . . . Bulgars push on to take their real goal of Salonika?

Hellenic troops take and hold the culturally and religiously important . . . .

[McMonkey]

Thanks for the comments, especially the spelling

I may just reserve the City Taken events for objective cities. I will probably tag on a + money or other reward to these events too. I have tried to keep each batch of text as breif as possible.

I would also point out that in each of the events files (Greek/Serb/Bulgar) only that nations City Taken events will be used so I will only have seven such events in each events file rather than 21!

However, I think some text events add to the colour of the game. I know from my own experience how much I enjoy getting a pop up when I take an important objective.

I have made a list of all the useful '@Bla bla bla' in the GAME file. It is amazing how much can be changed in that file!

While I am posting events for comment, here are my UNIT KILLED ones so far:

@IF
UNITKILLED
unit=Division HQ
attacker=Greeks/Bulgarians/Serbs
defender=Ottomans
@THEN
TEXT
Your brave troops have captured an Ottoman Division HQ.
The fight has gone out of the enemy troops in this area.
ENDTEXT
CREATEUNIT
unit=Serb Cavalry/Greek Cavalry/Bulgar Cavalry
owner=Greeks/Bulgarians/Serbs
veteran=yes
homecity=NONE
locations
Greeks:59,89
Serbs:55,59
Bulgars:85,61
endlocations
@ENDIF

@IF
UNITKILLED
unit=Corps HQ
attacker=Greeks/Bulgarians/Serbs
defender=Ottomans
@THEN
TEXT
Your brave troops have captured the Ottomans Corps Headquarters.
The enemy troops, lacking leadership, fall back in disarray.
ENDTEXT
CREATEUNIT
unit=Mountain Gun
owner=Greeks/Bulgarians/Serbs
veteran=yes
homecity=NONE
locations
Greeks:59,89
Serbs:55,59
Bulgars:85,61
endlocations
@ENDIF

@IF
UNITKILLED
unit=Army HQ
attacker=Greeks/Bulgarians/Serbs
defender=Ottomans
@THEN
TEXT
Your brave troops have captured the Ottomans Army Headquarters.
The enemy troops surrender in droves, the end is surely near.
ENDTEXT
CREATEUNIT
unit=Heavy Howitzer
owner=Greeks/Bulgarians/Serbs
veteran=yes
homecity=NONE
locations
Greeks:59,89
Serbs:55,59
Bulgars:85,61
endlocations
@ENDIF

@IF
UNITKILLED
unit=Ottoman Infantry
attacker=Anyone
defender=Ottomans
@THEN
CREATEUNIT
unit=Anatolian Infantry
owner=Ottomans
veteran=yes
homecity=NONE
locations
110,76
endlocations
@ENDIF

I may cut down on the ammount of text in these events too, depending on how tight space is when I compile the files.

[Exile]

Diplomacy tip for MGE . . .

If a profound change in diplomatic relationships is called for, the Nuclear fission tech can do this. No matter what you call it, giving it to a player when no other player in the game has it, gives the receiving player a tremendous edge in diplomacy.

In AoC, during the first 30-odd turns, playing as the Turks, no other civ will give you the time of day. They will probably insult and attack you. BUT when the Seljuks units appear, the event also gives the Turk player the Nuke Fission tech.

Suddenly, all the other civs are too ready to maintain really peaceful relations and will hand over techs every turn if you demand them.

BIG edge.

In Italian Wars, the French are given the Nuke Fission tech on turn 1 via an event. With a little planning, they can reach the south of Italy in four or five moves, demanding and getting alliances that will allow their units to move through, which is historical.

The diplomatic message "Our words are backed with nuclear weapons ..." blurb will change. That one is in the game text and can be altered to suit the flavor of the scenario.