Odd OBB/ campaign buy screen problem ...

[Mobhack]

Originally Posted by Arralen

I'm having a very odd OOB/ campaign buy screen problem, and at first I thought I caused it myself by fiddling with some unit structure etc., but I went back to the default OOBs, and things do not look much better then.

Long Campaign, Germany (OOB 16).

Start date: 2/40 - 5/41
In every case, the "Armour" buy list does not show it 2nd page.

Only from 6/41, with the east front opening up, the buy list becomes 2 pages long.

I suspect, though, that this is in error, and that there are a handful of formations which should be available, but cannot be bought, because the list does not roll over: When buying for a single battle with the same date, one gets nearly 2 pages full of formations ... .

This problem became apparent to me when I, as I said, fiddled with F349 (3 gun platoons, 1 scout group + car as command squad - why aren't there any command squads, btw.?).
Changing the formation made it drop down to the end of the list - where it was visible in single battle mode, or from 6/41 onwards in the campaign (though it's available from 2/40). From 2/40 to 5/41, only the squads (F348) where visible on their "old place" in the buy list!

EDIT: Here's a screenshot - default OOBs to the left, my OOB to the right. Both buy list @ 5/40, Tobruk. As one can see, with the modified list the "PzJg Kp Sfl" has vanished from the list (dropped down to last place, on the unaccessible 2nd page), and the "NbFz Zug" has appeared instead.

Hmm - there does seem to be a problem here, as you say. (My bet is a counter out by 1??), the usual 'C/C++' problem . I will look into this.

There are no 'command' units because the game has no need for such, and labelling special units as 'commander' is merely either cosmetic, or in the case of the AI, a gift to the human player since a 'command tank' is instantly identified as such and so basically has a giant "Kill me!" sign painted on it. ( A human might hide them though).

There are no needs for these extra units - and they would also increase the unit count in a game with limited units (24 in your core in the original SP, 200 now). There are no special units with long range radios for example - a radio is unlimited range and there is no concept of radio nets. Therefore no need for command tanks with extra radios for use on other nets for example. Every radio on SP works like a mobile phone. So no need for a post-war UK rifle company to have the 2 land rover FFR (fitted for radio) at coy HQ (one as rear link, one as the coy commander's bus to go visiting platoons or bn HQ in).

There are a few infantry formations where some OOB designer has used specific units of course. There are a few company commanders where they are labelled in an identifiable manner, or use a unique infantry class. Scenario designers who rename units to include command ID can also 'gift' free information to the human player (players if a PBEM).

UK rifle platoon HQs had the 2 inch mortar and ATR/PIAT, so are a case of being identifiable by their unique fire signature as in RL.

Cheers
Andy

[Mobhack]

Oh yes - another reason not to have these scouts or whatever 'commanders' in the AI forces.

They move at different rates and so the AI will never be able to keep any such platoons in a group - they will fall behind or kamikaze out front (e.g. a jeep commanding slow SP-AT). or they will obey different AI rules - so an APC with a commander on foot would charge forwards ("I am a loaded APC") while its SP-ATGM try to hold back for long range shots ("we are missile anti-tank") .

So the commanded units would soon be out of command control, either by distance or by decapitation of the kamikaze commanders...

There was no real code for keeping platoons together in the original SP AI code - now they do - so if the platoon commander is charging out in front (or holding back) then the faster/slower units may be 'pegged' to him, or in a rush to join him if he kamikazes out in front). SP platoons work best if all are similar - there is code for APC+infantry formations now, but otherwise there is nothing for mixed formation speed (or type of unit), e.g using the slowest for all. SP AI units still really are individuals, with no concept of formation. Other than the 'try to blob onto the platoon commander, if you can' we added, anyway.

Another minor item is that the listing code looks at the unit class of unit 0 of each formation to decide where to place it on the purchase list - so an SP-AT platoon that gets a scout as unit 0 will display somewhere completely different from the pure SP-AT ones.

Andy