Red October v.2.0 playtest

[Boco]

Originally posted by techumseh
After an intense interlude of real life, I've returned to this problem - and I'm happy to say that I've solved it!

It was an unknown change in the Rules txt from the last batch of modifications. I substituted the Rules file from the last playtest and the sailors reappeared in Petrograd.

Can't find a change that explains it? Any chance you could send me the files?

Btw, my email is changing. Use the old one but substitute @gmail.com for @comcast.net.

[techumseh]

Sure. Can you email me from your new address?

[McMonkey]

Up to July 1918, had a sneaky game this morning before work. Damn this is tough! Managed to hold back the Nationalists and Central Powers but the Czech Legion is causing havoc and now Britain has joined in. Things are looking bleak for the revolution comrades

[techumseh]

I see you are very busy on a number of fronts right now. Should I wait for a playtest report, or simply release the scenario?

[McMonkey]

I have been busy playing this too!

I have played two games and lost both when the Czech Legion showed up. I think I will be more successful versus the Czechs on my third attempt with the aid of heindsight and Agricola's playtest notes!

I found no bugs and everything seems to work fine up to the point I have reached. The game is VERY hard but that is not a bad thing as I have had a lot of fun being wiped out and am determined to win eventually!

I remember losing at my first few attempts at FTG but I got there eventually and had a lot of fun doing so. It would be so dull if I won first time!

My comments, criticisms, suggestions:

- The Improvement Icons need to be tarted up, but I expect you have that in hand already as the current ones are the default ToT ones.

- I really don't like the hammer and sickle 'Shield' icons. Whenever I play a scenario with altered Icons the first thing I do is change them back to the originals so that I can see what I am doing. Same goes for the star shaped cursor which I swapped for the vanilla plain white one!

- I don't like the 'People'. I changed them for the Russian set from Dictator 7. I'm sure if you asked him nicely Curtsibling could knock up a modified Civil War set!

- Personally I was not keen on the large style cities and swapped them for one of CS's smaller style Russian cities (attached).

- You may have this in hand already but a strategy guide would be helpful for average players like me. Might give me a sporting chance!

All of this is minor nit picking and has more to do with my personal aesthetic preferences than any real criticism of the game! The scenario itself seems to be another classic and as far as I am concerned should be released to the CivII loving public to enjoy

[techumseh]

Thanks, I'll have another look at the graphics.

Did you see this, earlier in the thread?

In my experience, the best way to have a chance of winning is to get big, quickly. You have 3 turns to capture most of Russia, except the Nationalist areas, before the Central Powers attack.

This will give you very good revenue. Plow it into research and get armoured train ASAP. Sell your Waterworks and Electrical Systems for operating cash.

In the meantime build lots of artillery. Early in the game, it's your best defensive weapon. Place it in key cities and blast the Germans and Austro-Hungarians before they attack. Then do the same to the Czech Legion along the Trans-Siberian railway.

If you're successful to this point, you have a fighting chance in the rest of the game.

I'm thinking of making 3 versions with differing levels of difficulty. Perhaps varying the strengths and costs of Bolshevik units in three different Rules Txt. files, using a Bat. file to switch them. What do people think?

[AGRICOLA]

Originally posted by McMonkey
- I really don't like the hammer and sickle 'Shield' icons. Whenever I play a scenario with altered Icons the first thing I do is change them back to the originals so that I can see what I am doing. Same goes for the star shaped cursor which I swapped for the vanilla plain white one!

- I don't like the 'People'. I changed them for the Russian set from Dictator 7. I'm sure if you asked him nicely Curtsibling could knock up a modified Civil War set!

Right on!

If you and I complain enough, maybe we will persuade some people that different is not necessarily better if it increases the visual clutter.

Try a green/yellow/red/black/white color sequence for happy/content/unhappy/anarchist/specialist types.

Originally posted by techumseh
I'm thinking of making 3 versions with differing levels of difficulty. Perhaps varying the strengths and costs of Bolshevik units in three different Rules Txt. files, using a Bat. file to switch them. What do people think?

That is a great idea. You used something similar in Market-Garden for supply/reinforcement drops and it worked well.

BTW, did you change the events in M-G so that players would know ahead of time when and where there would be a supply drop? That would give them time to clear hostiles from the landing zones as well as protect the newly landed units. Even in that f****d up operation the Allied forces in Holland had some idea of when and where to expect the next air drop.

[McMonkey]

Re: Difficulty levels
I think a good player guide would be better. No need to made a separate version for 'special' players

On my first turn I did things my way, expanded rapidly and lost everything just as rapidly.

On my next turn I was too cautious and tried to preserve my Red Guards but ended up with a few large garrisons and a terrible economy.

My next turn will be somewhere in-between and I will be following Agricola's and others notes. Hindsight is not a problem for me, after in any historical scenario the player will have the benefit of hindsight, thats unavoidable!

I like the way that every time you start the game the units placement is a little different. That way no two games will be exactly alike! I must admit I have started the scenario several times to get a unit distribution that suits my plan, shame on me

EDIT:
When do Checka infantry show up?
Also, what are Commisars for?

[AGRICOLA]

Also, what are Commisars for?

See Cyrion's post #67 on this thread.

I missed that one too. Sigh.

[McMonkey]

I think Techumseh must have blocked off that avenue in the version I was testing as I could not bribe any cities.

Which cities/units can the commissar bribe now?

Oh, and shouldn't Commisar be Commissar?

[techumseh]

Originally posted by McMonkey
I think Techumseh must have blocked off that avenue in the version I was testing as I could not bribe any cities.

Which cities/units can the commissar bribe now?

The Entente, Nationalist and Polish civs are now democracies, and their cities and units can't be bribed. Some individual units of the Whites, Central Powers and Japanese are unbribable, but that doesn't stop you from bribing their cities, including any units in them.

All major changes are documented in the Playtester's Readme file and in this thread.

Oh, and shouldn't Commisar be Commissar?

Yes, thanks.

[McMonkey]

In the version you sent me I could not bribe the Wites/Central or Japanese cities!

[techumseh]

Originally posted by McMonkey
In the version you sent me I could not bribe the Wites/Central or Japanese cities!

Really. What about the other 3 civs?

[McMonkey]

I will test it again, but as far as I remember the Commissar could not bribe any cities, only the odd Japanses unit. I will test it again to make sure what can and can't be bribed.

[McMonkey]

I can bribe White and Japanese units only, no other nations units and no cities at all.