Playtesters wanted for the Cold War

[Patine]

I recently ran a thread collecting ideas for a Late Cold War scenario on a Gigaworld map. I got some good stuff and now here's my beta. I'm looking for playtesters who'll come back with feedback and constructive criticism. If you're interested, please download these zip files and let me know what you think. As this is a beta, I havn't yet constructed a Readme file.

[Patine]

Here's the first sound file, if you need it.

[Patine]

Here's the second.

[Patine]

The third.

[Patine]

And, finally, the fourth.

[rmsharpe]

I haven't even started yet, but personally, I would drop the "high resolution" graphics. Just my first opinion.

[Patine]

What's wrong with high-res; I kind of like it.

Anyway, does anyone whose played the scenario have any helpful comments or criticisms for the final version?

[GoPostal]

I'll rig up a nemo/fairline units.gif

[Panda]

Certainly opens with a bang, doesn't it? 22 Nukes on the first turn?

Because this looks like such a finished work I'm not going to spend too long reviewing your concept, but I will just say that the lack of research towards meaningful improvements on the battlefield is a bit limiting. You've stacked the unit with units you can build straightaway; there is a pro-NATO bias, you've ignored the MiG-29 and Su-27 which were in development, you've ignored types like the A-10 and Su-25, and the F/A-18 is here ahead of time. And the B1 we know and love today is not the flawed B-1A project, which was scrapped, but the B-1B, which was expensively modernised during Reagen's era.

Plus I think that the units stats are way too unbalanced and there is no earthly reason to give the B-52s "x2 vs Air". Do you know how many were shot down over Hanoi? On that point, major Pro-Soviet cities should have SAM defences: Hanoi, Havana, Pyongyang...though that latter was a Chinese client.

I wouldn't say don't do high-res, but I don't think it's ever a good idea to mix styles. That's okay because we can fix that. Be aware also that you need to adjust the positioning of a lot of the unit shields (using the blue pixels in the units.bmp file, not the shields drawn in with the units). And if you can do that you can include the artists' initials. I know you got my units from Academia, who has not honoured my request to have those reinstated.

Also you need to include a pedia.txt file for people. I'm afraid I don't understand the "Popular Declaration", "Peacekeeping Mission", or "New Embassy".

For the map, considering the number of nukes flying around I think that if NATO was stupid enough to deploy their units in major targets then they deserve to lose. Can't you disperse them? I realise that Europe isn't that big, but they only need to be 2 squares from the cities and there's enough space for that. Make more airfields and move the air units to them. Naval units can be deployed on patrol. In fact for NATO you could have a Task Force sailing towards Western Europe with Soviet Submarines steaming towards the GIUK gap. I'm sure you've played Harpoon

Politically, why is Baghdad a Chinese city? Pro-Western would fit the facts better. If the island at 164.90 is supposed to be Diego Garcia you're a long way out. I'd also warn against having multiple Govt centres for the same side...play it yourself and see what happens when Warsaw is captured.

Hmm, units ... How well informed are you on this? I'd suggest massive number of F-4 Phantoms for NATO. The F-15s I'd restict to stateside, because they were so new and damned expensive. The Canberra had retired as a bomber, the Tornado had been just developed into the ADV, and should be the strike version here, so remove the "can attack fighter" flag. That was the principal European strike aircraft, the counterpart of the American F-111 and the Soviet Su-24.

For the Soviets the MiG-25 wasn't really a tactical fighter, and you could swap it the more numerous MiG-23. You could also redress the bomber balance and give them the supersonic Tu-22M "Backfire", in deployment since 1976. Finally, the Soviets should outnumber the West in everything, so why don't they?

Good job so far though

[Patine]

Progress on revisions to this scenario have hit a snag. I recently transferred the scenario between computers and now there's something called a 'SMEDS Application Error' with the following computer language when I attempt to open either my working .SAV or the .SCN:

File:\ss\Smeds32\Pcmem.cpp
Line:76

Stack Trace not yet available in Win32

This message doesn't occur for any other .scn or .sav files and still occurs when I downloaded the version I uploaded here. Can anyone help me fix this?

[Paul Hanson]

Download the latest update for Civ2, which is avaliable at CivFanatics.

[Patine]

On another note, I appreciate your feedback panda and see the validity of your comments (I did, now that I checked my modern military jets sourcebook overestimate certain jets service introduction and obsolescence) and I myself did count 19 nukes on my first turn (when I could actually play it). I meant by a 'United Nations' replacing the Apollo Program and the 'Popular Declaration,' 'Peacekeeing Mission,' and 'New Embassy' as representing a form of diplomatic victory in place of a spaceship (sounds kind of hokey I know, but just turn off the spaceship dislay and AC cinematic, along with altered spaceship terminology in the labels.txt; I meant to mention it in coldwar2.txt, but absent-mindedly forgot when the time came around to write it). Thanks for your input, if anyone else has comments, I'd love to hear them; I'd like my final version to just shine (well at least be pretty good).

[Patine]

Well, I've begun initial revisions of the scenario (Paul Hanson's advice worked-thanks if you're still reading this thread), though I find myself with a need for a MiG-29 unit graphic. If anyone has one handy, please do me the favor of attaching it to this thread. Thanks a lot.

[Patine]

Don't mean to ask too much, but does someone out there also have a good Su-27 unit graphic. I'd really appreciate it. Thanks again.

[POTUS]

Check Crisis of the New World Order and Case Dragon. Both have Mig-29s and Su-27s. Might not fit the style, though.