Alternate History Scenarios (FEB 2021 - FUSAGIR - Ukraine '44 v2)
 

So this is something I've been working on and off; to use some of the prototype American vehicles added in the last patch.

It goes in scenario slot #902 and is basically best played as the USA due to AI issues.

EDIT: V2 is attached to this post; it increases the experience levels of US troops in the scenario to more accurately represent the fact that the US Army has been fighting hard for the last two years (1942-1943) and has learned a lot of lessons in blood, lessons that weren't learned Historically in Our Time Line until about Fall-Winter 1944.

Also, the scenario name is changed from:

FUSAGIR in Russia
to
FUSAGIR - Ukraine '44

In order to allow me to build more FUSAGIR scenarios in the future.

Finally, I added a difficulty disclaimer in the scenario briefing file.

Re: Alternate History Scenarios (FEB 2021 - FUSAGIR in Russia)
 

Fun and tough. Thought I was going to lose for several turns.

I would move the reaction time a few turns later. The Germans would have been very tough to dig out of the woods if they stayed there.

Minor issue: The A-36 uses an MG sound for its cannon. Probably due to your modifications.

Re: Alternate History Scenarios (FEB 2021 - FUSAGIR in Russia)
 

So first run-through, the US tankers couldn't hit the broad side of the barn even staying in one place.

The German captured tanks mainly the T34s torn apart the US forces. I did take the lower hills but after that, it was a full rout. The game ended with a draw.

Re: Alternate History Scenarios (FEB 2021 - FUSAGIR in Russia)
 

There does seem to be a "couldn't hit the broad side of the barn" theme in your various posts.

When you target an enemy tank do you pick a target then left click on it to fire or do you Press T then use N to find the one you want then press F to fire?

Re: Alternate History Scenarios (FEB 2021 - FUSAGIR in Russia)
 

I had the same problem with the US tanks not hitting anything. The SU-85 took out 5 of my tanks before I finally silenced it.

I smoked in the T-34s and had my infantry sneak up and close assault them after an A-36 immobilized one of them.

It looked pretty grim until the SU-85 was destroyed. After that things went pretty smoothly.

I kept my infantry out in front so I didn't lose tanks to unspotted enemy tanks or AT guns. I had to smoke in or suppress the MG-34/42s to do this.

Re: Alternate History Scenarios (FEB 2021 - FUSAGIR in Russia)
 

I left click on the target to assign and fire on it as a target and then use "F" for follow up shots.

I concur with the lack of accuracy of the US tanks. Also only the 90mm guns routinely got kills at range.

Re: Alternate History Scenarios (FEB 2021 - FUSAGIR in Russia)
 

I have not looked at the scenario yet but it may be an experience issue with the US crews being somewhat on the low side and the SU-85 being somewhat on the high side

EDIT..... Just checked the US armor tends to be mid 60's experience and that SU-85 is 71 which is NOT a big difference but the German armour in general is mid-low 70's experience but even that is roughly 10% higher than the US armour and it's the US side that has to advance, shoot and move

Re: Alternate History Scenarios (FEB 2021 - FUSAGIR in Russia)
 

Looking at it in ScenHack:

US Tanks are in the 60s, with a few in the 50s (one M23/T23 is 59 exp), while the SU-85 of DOOM
has 71 exp.

I didn't set out to do this; I just let the game assign ratings in a spectrum for that time period; so this is something that I'll have to make note of for future alt-hist scenarios; especially since the US Army would not just give the first combat-ready T23/M23s to random units for combat test; they'd form something similar to the ZEBRA MISSION (Our Timeline's M-26 Pershing Unit) to make sure that the rare new vehicles would be given to semi-competent crews.

From looking at the base ratings used by SPCAMO:

Countries With Manpower Surpluses: Starting experience and morale can be raised by 5 for every year of intense frontline combat. (The USSR is the prime example, rising from 55 base XP in May 1941 to 70 base XP by May 1945).

Countries With Manpower Deficits: While the country can maintain it's starting base rating for several years, eventually the piper must be paid, and quality starts to slide. (Germany is the prime example here, starting out with 70 base XP in the 1930s, and rising to 75 base XP from 1939 to 1942, before starting to decline to 70 in 1943 and 65 in 1945.)

Boosting Your Average Stats: You can increase your base ratings (up to the maximum of 75) well above "normal" experience progression, but that comes at a price. In order to keep your average unit ratings above normal, you have to keep your "tank aces" and "infantry aces" in the front line and not rotate them back to training "back home", where they can pass on their experience to the "new guys". This can work for a year or two, but then a ratings crash occurs as the "aces" get killed through the law of combat statistics, and they haven't passed on their knowledge to the new guys, starting a destructive feedback loop.

Re: Alternate History Scenarios (FEB 2021 - FUSAGIR in Russia)
 

The variables in the game, and I'm not just referring to the random number generator but just different players doing things in different ways can make a big difference.

I will admit knowing where the SU-85 was as I had to look it up for that last post but I tried to not do anything special but on the first turn I set up airstrikes on all three German held hills with V hexes and that JPz-85(r) only survived long enough to take out the McClellan before being torn to pieces by an A-20

Re: Alternate History Scenarios (FEB 2021 - FUSAGIR in Russia)
 

I wasn't suggesting that it had been tweaked just that it was a bit higher but certainly within the range the game would normally set for the Germans in that time period but certainly not to uber tank ace levels so I would not suggest changing anything you did because it did well in someone's game. It only lasted 4 turns in mine:)

Re: Alternate History Scenarios (FEB 2021 - FUSAGIR in Russia)
 

Might be worthwhile to update the SCENHACK manual to include something about how the RATINGS button works -- the CHANGE NATION [x] LEADERS clickbox looks at the OOB numbers listed in the Scenario Report.

Like if you wanted to change all US Army leader/unit ratings, you would have to change nation 12; not nation 1 or 2.

Re: Alternate History Scenarios (FEB 2021 - FUSAGIR in Russia)
 

That is a fitting title for it.:D

Don't think the scenario need to be tweaked. It was a challenge and it gave me fits but I got a DV in the end.

These are the kind of scenarios that you take pride in winning.

Re: Alternate History Scenarios (FEB 2021 - FUSAGIR in Russia)
 

[quote=RetLT;849569]Agree. And the ones that players want to play again to see if they can do better are the best of all.

Re: Alternate History Scenarios (FEB 2021 - FUSAGIR in Russia)
 

I do a mix of both. I also tried not to move when I fired since that tends to be a bigger issue for the WW2 stuff and their lack of stabilized gun systems.

Is there a difference between using the left mouse button and the T and N keys to get targets?

Re: Alternate History Scenarios (FEB 2021 - FUSAGIR in Russia)
 

From the WW2 GG...

FWIW I generally just use the left click to target but I think (maybe.... ) following the above sequence can sometimes get better results.

MBT has much the same worded differently and does mention the Double "T" lock in the single weapons firing section of the tutorial write up ( Pressing the “T” key a second time locks in the target ) .....both guides are large and evolved both together and separately

Re: Alternate History Scenarios (FEB 2021 - FUSAGIR in Russia)
 

There is no difference in hitting between using the left mouse or the T key.

Just that with the left mouse key, you may select something other than the intended target if there are others in the same hex. Plus, running through the T key selection lets you have a "gunners guestimate" of what shots seem to be better prospects - that other tank over there may be 30% whereas the one you were thinking of comes up as say 19%.

Re: Alternate History Scenarios (FEB 2021 - FUSAGIR in Russia)
 

I have always used the T method and cycle through and pick between best percentage and most destructive threat to the owner (the current unit using the T method).

Re: Alternate History Scenarios (FEB 2021 - FUSAGIR in Russia)
 

A proposed version 2.0 of this scenario has been posted to the first post in this thread.

It increases the experience levels of US troops in the scenario to more accurately represent the fact that the US Army has been fighting hard for the last two years (1942-1943) and has learned a lot of lessons in blood, lessons that weren't learned Historically in Our Time Line until about Fall-Winter 1944.

Also, the scenario name is changed from:

FUSAGIR in Russia
to
FUSAGIR - Ukraine '44

In order to allow me to build more FUSAGIR scenarios in the future.

Finally, I added a difficulty disclaimer in the scenario briefing file.

Re: Alternate History Scenarios (FEB 2021 - FUSAGIR in Russia)
 

SPWW2 follows the historical pattern of WW2, and current behavior is that if you try to set up a September 1940 UK v German scenario, initially it appears to work; but when you try to generate a custom map or buy units in the scenario editor, the date automatically jumps forward to February 1941 (the opening of the war in North Africa from the British perspective).

To get around that in order to set up an accurate SEA PINNIPED scenario in the scenario editor.

1.) Start a GER vs UK scenario in JUN 1940.

2.) Enter the BUY menu for each side to get the HQs.

3.) Change the Sides to RED vs BLUE scenario and the date to SEP 1940.

4.) For each side, hit BUY ALLIES and buy the equipment for that period from the UK or Germany.

4A.) If you wish to include the British Home Guard; flip the scenario date ahead to NOV 1940; and you will be able to buy the HOME GUARD in the MISC section.

5.) Change the Sides to UK vs GER. Note how the date timer jumps to FEB 1941.

6.) (If needed) Pay attention to the map sides assigned to each player, sometimes they swap!

7.) Save the Scenario in the Scenario Editor.

8.) In ScenHack (you did pay for SPWW2, didn't you?), change the scenario date to SEP 1940 and save it there.

Re: Alternate History Scenarios (FEB 2021 - FUSAGIR in Russia)
 

So you can't just change the date back to Sep 1940 once you are back at the main screen for the scenario editor?

Re: Alternate History Scenarios (FEB 2021 - FUSAGIR in Russia)
 

Played through v2. :)

- - - - - - - SPOILERS below - - - - -- - - - - - -






Opted to flank right into the more restricted terrain to avoid the demonic SU-85 and hopefully not having to fight the full enemy force head on, but instead roll into the flank and defeating the enemy bit by bit.

The first serious contact was the alert T-34 section, and just later a collection of mortar, AA and Neblwerfers. Swept into the woods with most of the American force, bumped into two Panthers that took some time to deal with. This was about turn 20 - so running out of time I started to take chances, and losses mounted.

The SU-85 was spotted and targeted by air without doing any damage. Later it got hit by 105mm artillery and ended up immobilized, with the crew bailing out. It never fired once. Air damaged one tank and killed a few Opel trucks.

The woods were defended by more infantry than I expected and some seriously stubborn - deaf to all reason really - Russian Beute PAK guns. They knocked out the McCellan, knocked out and killed the tank company commander, knocked out two more American tanks, and four half-tracks...

The game ended on turn 28 of 27. The Germans still had a near intact platoon(+) size infantry force in the woods, and control over six victory hexes.

Losses:
69 (USA) vs 326 (Germany)

Points:
4057 (USA) vs 1374 (Germany)

Great fun to play! :up:

Found not problems with the map, or any of the units. (Played with sound off).

Re: Alternate History Scenarios (FEB 2021 - FUSAGIR in Russia)
 

Thanks for the commentary -- originally this was to be a 1:1 fight between equally numerically matched forces, but I deleted several of the German sub formations after my own playtesting; when I half-heartedly remembered the Rule of Three -- have a 3-1 advantage when attacking someone.

As for the large amounts of foreign weaponry being used by the Germans, I wanted to get a feel of "trying to use everything we have to plug holes in the line" because a 150-division army can't all be equipped with Pz IV and Panthers.