Red October v.2.0 playtest

[techumseh]

Unfortunately, your statue bears a striking resemblance to a leading capitalist oppressor. The sculptor has been sent on a long holiday in Siberia. We've commissioned this statue in place of the old one.

[AGRICOLA]

Singularly magnificent statue!

[curtsibling]

Heh!

Great thread chaps - Good testing and humour combined!

[techumseh]

I've just finished a complete playthrough, with good results. The game progressed along fairly historical lines. I was able to defeat the 1918 Central Powers offensive fairly easily and destroy most of the Czech Legion before it could capture anything. (It really helps to know when and where your enemy will appear.)

The Spartakist Revolution in Germany failed. It struggled on for a few turns before the Freikorps recaptured Hamburg and Vienna, the last of the red German cities.

Once the Central Powers had been evicted by the Bolsheviks and Poles, I kept a steady eastward offensive across Siberia, defeating Kolchak's army fairly easily. Denikin's attack from South Russia gave me some trouble, but I prevailed in the end.

I failed to organize effective offensives against the Nationalists in the Transcaucasus and Central Asia areas, whch cost me several victory points.

The Kronstadt Revolt events worked well, much to my relief. I retook the fortress and saved Petrograd. The other anarchist revolts and the typhus attacks were a nuisance, as intended.

I had a reverse when I attacked Irkutsk, but brought up more forces and started a late game drive to retake the Far East. I opted for a push through Manchuria towards Vladivostok. I decided to take on the Japanese army directly, instead of having it on my southern flank had I taken the northern route. It was a fierce battle, but I managed to take Vladivostok, then swing a couple of armoured trains north to take Khabarovsk.

In the west, I built up my forces for a few turns before attacking the Poles. After tough fighting, I took Warsaw, and then the last few Polish cities, except Breslau, a city captured from the Central Powers earlier in the game. I took Danzig in the last turn, but it was captured by the Central Powers in the last turn, leaving me one objective city short of a marginal victory.

[techumseh]

I found and fixed several errors during my playthrough.

1. The location of some Japanese units was not randomized.

2. Building the Red Terror wonder gave the wrong technology, instead of the Red Terror tech, a prereq for Shock Tactics.

3. The Chekist Inf unit was not buildable by the Bolsheviks.

A patch is attached.

I'm also working on some new sounds and icons which will be included in the release version.

Objective cities aren't listed as such on the map when you click on them. Does anyone know how to fix this?

[AGRICOLA]

Originally posted by techumseh
What else did you do?

Sorry, Your Honor, but with so many other trangressions to 'fess up to, I completely forgot that I played RO as a no-growth scen from the start. This permitted the lucrative unethical sale of all Aqueducts and Water Works, as well as some other improvements. The amounts gained and upkeep costs saved added up to several thousand gold over the course of the scen.

The extra cash was absolutely invaluable in the first few turns when science was maxed out to 80% to get the Armoured Train tech ASAP, the monthly cash flow was negative, and there was a critical need to immediately IRB as many Armoured Trains as possible.

Originally posted by techumseh
It really helps to know when and where your enemy will appear.

Yes, it certainly does. IMHO, in RO, knowing the time and place is the difference between a scen that may well be almost impossible the first time one plays it and one that is merely extremely difficult.

P.S. Did you fix the White civ loophole?

[civ2units]

Here are my first playtest report for Red Octobre

I played with the Bolsheviks on difficult Commisar.
During the game I didn´t notice any mistakes or something else. Everything works fine.

In the beginning of the game I conquered many white cities. When I thought I could established the Soviet Union now, my enemies gegan with counter-attacks.
It´s hard to fight on several locations.

With the attacks of the germans, I lost my first three cities in the west, luckely I could make a truce agreement with the germans. On this time, the whites began to liberate their cities.

The Nacionalists conquered Petrograd on Septembre 1918.
I got Trotzkis HQ, now it was time to liberate Petrograd.
Unfortunately the whites marched into Moscow in Novembre 1918.
Trotzkis HQ was disband...

During the revolutin in Germany I conquered Hanover, Leipzig and Berlin for only three month. The last succesful attack of the Bolsheviks. From this time I lost one city after the another one.

In Octobre 1919 only six cities are under my rule...

Western Russia after a few turns




Wstern Russia on September 1919



I like the scenario, it´s difficult but not too hard. I will start a new game tomorrow with a new strategy.

[civ2units]

In my version, I couldn´t build the Cheka Infantry. What have I to change in the rules for building this unit?

[McMonkey]

Damn! I'm REALLY looking forward to playing this now. The graphics look stunning and it sound like it will be a real struggle

[techumseh]

Originally posted by civ2units
In my version, I couldn´t build the Cheka Infantry. What have I to change in the rules for building this unit?

The Cheka Inf unit requires that you research Shock Tactics. One of it's pre-reqs is the Military Revolutionary Coun. tech, which can't be researched until Sept. 1919. The other pre-req is the Red Terror tech, which is given by events when you build the Red Terror wonder.

[techumseh]

How are my playtesters coming along? I'd like to get things wrapped up by the end of the week, if possible.

I hope you're feeling better Gareth. I'm looking forward to the Steam Crane once you are.

AGGIE, did you sort out the mid-game restart of the events bug? Has anyone tried the file?

I'm adding a marooned white settler (now steam crane) in the hopes that the Whites will no longer be eliminated just because they've lost all their cities. After all you can't kill an idea - even a reactionary one.

As you can see, I've added Civ2units as a fourth playtester. Thanks for your report!

His playtest seems to highlight the main issue: Is it just too hard? Even Leon Trotsacola thinks it might be. Should I beef up the Reds a bit here? Or would player's notes with some tips for a successful game be enough? Please let me know. Thanks.

[AGRICOLA]

Originally posted by techumseh
AGGIE, did you sort out the mid-game restart of the events bug? Has anyone tried the file?

No, I don't think it's worth spending more time on.

I did learn one thing while trying to sort out what happened . . . . . if one needs to use flags in events, it is next to impossible to use multiple events files in a scen.

I'm adding a marooned white settler (now steam crane) in the hopes that the Whites will no longer be eliminated just because they've lost all their cities. After all you can't kill an idea - even a reactionary one.

That's good news about the Whites.

It's impossible for me to extrapolate how difficult the scen would have been if, with a great deal of unwitting help from both the the Central Powers and the Nationalists, I hadn't eliminated the White civ on turn 6. My gut feel is that it would have been challenging, even with the timetable of events that you supplied. I assume that Civ2units had one when he played.

As you can see, I've added Civ2units as a fourth playtester. Thanks for your report!

His playtest seems to highlight the main issue: Is it just too hard? Even Leon Trotsacola thinks it might be. Should I beef up the Reds a bit here? Or would player's notes with some tips for a successful game be enough? Please let me know. Thanks.

I would suggest beefing up the Reds, maybe by linking the capture of certain cities to the spawning of some good units or by decreasing unit costs. That would let players choose their own strategy and tactics. An events timetable would seem to be almost a must for must for first-time players.

I'm not particularly keen on playing tips because I have seen ones that promote some atrocious lines of play.

[techumseh]

Originally posted by AGRICOLA

I did learn one thing while trying to sort out what happened . . . . . if one needs to use flags in events, it is next to impossible to use multiple events files in a scen.

Tell me more.

[Exile]

I'm more interested in hearing about those atrocious lines of play.

[Cyrion]

Originally posted by AGRICOLA
Guilty as charged,Your Honour. I confess that my tactics have indeed been not only naughty but also sneaky, underhanded, devious, doublecrossing, backstabbing, unprincipled, lazy, cynical and rotten to the core.

To be honest, my gameplay isn't as clean as I would like you to believe...

I am not going as far as you do, but I actually use some of the things you do (without pushing it as far, and without your efficiency).

This permitted the lucrative unethical sale of all Aqueducts and Water Works, as well as some other improvements. The amounts gained and upkeep costs saved added up to several thousand gold over the course of the scen.

You caught me there, I did it too, to some extent!

I'll play further tonight and report then, letting you know how difficult I find it!