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    Mega New Elk WIP

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved Maps & Mods
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    • wc_sumptonW Offline
      wc_sumpton
      last edited by wc_sumpton

      @beelee, @Black_Elk

      version 1.37 is ready (Thank you @beelee)

      The Mogadishu/Somaliland and Bombay-Ceylon/Madras change have been made.

      Cheers...

      P.S Just notice that there is a factory_upgrade in New York for the Americans. It should replace itself at the end of the Americans first turn, and will be replace hopefully in the next xml update.

      Cheers...

      P.P.S Forgot the map.yml which has now been updated.

      Sorry

      Cheers...

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
      • wc_sumptonW Offline
        wc_sumpton @Black_Elk
        last edited by

        @black_elk said in Mega New Elk WIP:

        I saw when looking at the stats that VC disappeared from that column, but maybe was just on mine.

        Nope, sorry, that was on me. When I wanted to look at the capitals I turned off VC for those cities. To retrieve that column would mean to turn on VC's for the capitals which would have those stars covering (or almost covering) the capital symbol.

        What should ever I do... Hide the stars! He He He He He!
        UHD WIP 1940-45 1.37.1.zip
        New York changed to factory_major
        capitals are now VCs again
        map.yml (in case you need this)
        vc.txt with the hidden stars

        Cheers...

        Black_ElkB 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 3
        • Black_ElkB Offline
          Black_Elk @wc_sumpton
          last edited by

          @wc_sumpton Hehe I just got home from pin balling around and fired it up. Looks great! Excellent work

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
          • B Offline
            beelee
            last edited by

            UHD I centered the PU above the name like I did here

            Screenshot from 2025-03-19 05-46-07.png

            now it's off centered.

            Screenshot from 2025-03-19 05-42-04.png

            Do we just wanna roll with as is or should I change it again ?

            wc_sumptonW 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
            • wc_sumptonW Offline
              wc_sumpton @beelee
              last edited by

              @beelee

              @beelee said in Mega New Elk WIP:

              Do we just wanna roll with as is or should I change it again ?

              Sure, knock yourself out.

              Cheers...

              B 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 2
              • B Offline
                beelee @wc_sumpton
                last edited by

                @wc_sumpton

                yea I'm on it

                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                • B Offline
                  beelee @wc_sumpton
                  last edited by

                  @wc_sumpton

                  yea i don't really want to waste another month of my time

                  cheers

                  wc_sumptonW 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 3
                  • wc_sumptonW Offline
                    wc_sumpton @beelee
                    last edited by

                    @beelee

                    So, what I've been doing is running centers placement while look at the loaded map (mostly with units turned off). If the name looks off on the map, I'll adjust it location in centers. After I done maybe ten locations, I'll save centers, then copy the centers.txt over name_place.txt, then reload the map (because you are name placements, you don't have to reselect the map, just reload).
                    Then I'll go back and work on PUs. But really, I think just working on the position of the names should be done first.

                    (Or we could leave well enough alone until @Black_Elk starts yelling and making faces!)

                    All in good fun!

                    Cheers...

                    P.S By the way, are there going to be any territory effects add?

                    Cheers...

                    Black_ElkB 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 3
                    • Black_ElkB Offline
                      Black_Elk @wc_sumpton
                      last edited by

                      Hehe that was like me at the post office earlier today, just lines out the door 🙂

                      I think we can press on get all these names knocked out, later can revisit any edge cases or substitutions just so its not reduplicated efforts. Long as it's basically blocked in and not clipping into the abyss for now I think we're good.

                      I hadn't given much thought to territory effects yet. For the most part I figured we keep it as close to the global basics as we can get away with for whatever default thing, then other stuff to option on down the line if desired. I think the Land Base rail factory M+1 thing is pretty solid, kinda the opening pitch there to see if it catches. I think that's a fair bit to chew on by itself for a more simplified game on the jumbo, but there is also parity with what the Naval Base and Air Bases are doing operating at the M+1 in the standard, so I feel like it's a fairly easy thing to extend that concept to the ground units. Hopefully at any rate like a grab and go.

                      For adjustments I think mainly that would just be in fine tuning the production based on the how the opener is playing out. So say if one power seems a bit light. Maybe Germany would need a boost up to match what's coming at them, so we raise a couple spots in their interior to 2, or perhaps a couple spots in France that they take over on G1. Stuff more on the margins though, since it feels pretty solid right now overall.

                      I was thinking we might raise Greece to 2 PUs just to give Italy and extra hotspot, and Brits another target. Rio also makes sense to me or perhaps Greenland for an endgame Axis waypoint. I think we could probably say that every territory with a VC is worth 2, and in that way VCs will have a intrinsically higher value, so the player or computer sorta always feels it. Probably only a couple VC spots right now still at the value of 1 but we could just boost em up to see what we're working with. I put that extra Brit VC in Africa on Nigeria, but we could probably switch it to Gabon since that spot already is worth 2, and Brits don't really need more money hehe. Any additional VCs I think would need to go to Axis or at least spots Axis can take over reliably in the first round just for balance by sides. I'm not sure if they'll be needed but I'm sure we could always find another spot to fold into the VC affair if we just need to hit a good split for that.

                      wc_sumptonW 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 3
                      • wc_sumptonW Offline
                        wc_sumpton @Black_Elk
                        last edited by wc_sumpton

                        @black_elk

                        Sorry for the delay, was playing with name placement and PUs.
                        UHD WIP 1940-45 1.37.2.zip
                        Greece, Rio De Janeiro and Greenland raised to 2PUs

                        Please check for out-of-placed names, also some of the VC stars may need adjusting.

                        Cheers...

                        More visual updates.
                        UHD WIP 1940-45 1.37.3.zip

                        Cheers...

                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                        • wc_sumptonW Offline
                          wc_sumpton
                          last edited by

                          @Black_Elk, @beelee

                          UHD WIP 1940-45 x1.37.3.zip

                          No xml adjustments
                          centers, name_place and pu_place

                          Cheers...

                          Black_ElkB 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                          • Black_ElkB Offline
                            Black_Elk @wc_sumpton
                            last edited by Black_Elk

                            @wc_sumpton Looks good

                            Here's a zip with the vc.txt I was using

                            uhd vc.zip

                            I tried to get most of the stars into the right spots. Only one I had trouble moving was Cairo. For some reason when I added that entry it would either blank or just show at the center there. Wasn't sure how to get that star moving, but maybe was a labelling thing still in progress. I reduplicated it for the capital spots, so shows the star and a capital puck, but I thought that looked ok since it allowed me to move the star and the visualization seemed alright.

                            You can see here how Cairo is still hanging down pretty low, should be up nearer to the coast.

                            Screenshot 2025-03-21 161021.png

                            For the others I think should be good, or at least ball park. Moscow is of course somewhat problematic, this is because of the way the OOB A&A boards always really stretch the distance there and sandwich extra spaces into that part of the board. Classic was already pretty far off in that area, but then each board afterwards used that as the basis for further divisions, so it's all a bit heavy distortion near middle of the board there. Did the best I could on shorter notice, but I think it will always be a bit hard to find a satisfying solution for that one. I thought about just using the eraser to just blank out some of the nearby topography, so it's less distracting in that instance, but it's passing fair for now I think.

                            To do the all VCs at 2 PU or greater, I think E. Romania, Helsinki, Iwo Jima and Panama would be the last spots still left. I think, unless I missed something when scanning around.
                            🙂

                            wc_sumptonW 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                            • wc_sumptonW Offline
                              wc_sumpton @Black_Elk
                              last edited by

                              @black_elk said in Mega New Elk WIP:

                              Only one I had trouble moving was Cairo.

                              There was no Cairo listed in the vp file.
                              UHD WIP 1940-45 1.37.4.zip
                              E. Romania, Helsinki, Iwo Jima and Panama changed to 2PUs
                              Cairo added to vc.txt

                              I moved the PUs value closer to the territory name in the other update. I hope that this is not problematic.

                              Cheers...

                              Black_ElkB 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                              • Black_ElkB Offline
                                Black_Elk @wc_sumpton
                                last edited by

                                Looks good to me 🙂

                                Nice work!

                                Black_ElkB 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                                • Black_ElkB Offline
                                  Black_Elk @Black_Elk
                                  last edited by

                                  I ran a series of HardAI vs itself games, and was pretty pleased with what I was seeing there.

                                  It's a bit hard to compare HardAI vs FastAI in terms of the opening playpattern, since for the most part they are quite similar. Meaning both will tend to target with similar priorities, and they will both edge their attacks. In general they both trade very efficiently by the calc. The computer trades rather less efficiently with it's tanks and mech, or high TUV aircraft and ships, which I think a human is much more likely to preserve. Or similarly where the AI will attack with sufficient fodder to win in airblitz style attack (win by the TUV trade there I mean), but not with 1 ground hitpoint surviving, to capture/block to prevent enemy attacks on the following turn etc. This is sorta the computers main deficiency in my view, it will leave blockers though on the ground, and it non coms very well on the ground with that in mind. On the water rather less so. FastAI is more grab and go esp on amphib, whereas HardAI likes to do that thing where it will float loaded transports to threaten multiple TTs at once, or threaten counter attack. I remember talking to Redrum about that tactic though in the PvP game, where it's often better to just hold position and threaten many attacks, as opposed to committing to one single brawl and telegraphing to the opponent in that way.

                                  They will also edge their defenses and bait defenses. For the most part HardAI and FastAI are very good with bomber fleet screening, and mass air defense positions. This is sorta the deal in the current with Japan vs China/USSR, so China/USSR have high hitpoint but low attack power stacks initially, Japan has a lot of very high value attack units, but with somewhat fewer hitpoints, and the need to sorta suction vacuum a lot of those high power aircraft into the stack defense role in China, so they're not roving as far initially. It's a bit of a balance act there for sure, but basically the idea I like is of China just tying down a very large Japanese army, or a large relative percentage of their TUV, since that's more or less what happened in the war. The contest there sorta hold them at that edge of the logistics limit, or where they can't sprawl as hard, for fear that Allies may move forward on the mainland, and then they need to be in a position to bounce back to deal with it. I think it makes for some nice tension.

                                  North Africa and the Eastern Front both seem to be holding up pretty well. I imagine the human could be somewhat more effective since they have options to expand production right now via round to round purchases, but the HardAI uses what it has pretty well.

                                  For the unit analogy, I think in the OG games you have a situation where you can sorta suspend disbelief and maybe imagine a scale reflected in the fleet composition that somehow matches. Say Japan has like 18 carriers or whatever. Maybe USA has 28 (if we just count the fleet carriers) otherwise it's probably like 100+. But then elsewhere of course Germany and Italy had no Carriers, so for that unit, I think one just has to abstract them into the game unit they are, and the role they serve for gameplay. Imagine it as a battleship or whatever I suppose hehe. Strategic bombers are similar in the way they are used. To me I often imagine that they represent something more abstract.

                                  But anyway, I think in general the idea here is to have a map which mimics global in terms of the ruleset and combat interaction, as a simplistic way of teaching how to also play the more regular game at scale with these sorts of stacks or these sorta of numbers. Where in G40 these sorts of confrontations at this scale may occur in the deep endgame, here it's more like every other battle is at that scale, so just sorta getting used to the higher number and stack contests, but with a very similar flavor. So it remains sorta applicable in that way, to reinforce the the standard play. As an example, I think this board would be a good one to train for air umbrellas using bombers, and where every faction can dark skies to some extent, or try to crack the enigma code on the water when it's like sub stacks vs where air can reach. Should be pretty fun I think
                                  🙂

                                  Anyhow quick screen of what HardAI was getting up to. The big breakouts tend to start about round 5 on, and start to sorta heat up from there into the big exchange.
                                  Here we are tapping in on Japan's turn

                                  2025-3-21-UHD-WIP-1940-45_J5.tsvg

                                  UHD 40 J5.png

                                  And then here at round 8, when computer Allies started a big push in the Med, and an overland crash with KJF vibes hehe

                                  2025-3-21-UHD-WIP-1940-45_J8.tsvg

                                  UHD 40 J8.png

                                  Pretty amusing to watch how it will position vs itself. I think right now the only faction that's a bit out of sync is perhaps Anzac, since they do more saving of cash round to round, their production placement might be a slightly be low for their income per turn. They may need another Factory_Minor in Melbourne, or just a Major at Sydney, so they're not too hamstrung. France is similar, very low production relative to income, though Anzac collects somewhat heavier, so prob why there income kept climbing hehe. Anyhow, felt pretty cool. Good times!
                                  🙂

                                  wc_sumptonW 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 2
                                  • B Offline
                                    beelee
                                    last edited by

                                    @black_elk said in Mega New Elk WIP:

                                    I ran a series of HardAI vs itself games, and was pretty pleased with what I was seeing there.

                                    🙂

                                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                                    • wc_sumptonW Offline
                                      wc_sumpton @Black_Elk
                                      last edited by

                                      @black_elk said in Mega New Elk WIP:

                                      I think right now the only faction that's a bit out of sync is perhaps Anzac, since they do more saving of cash round to round, their production placement might be a slightly be low for their income per turn. They may need another Factory_Minor in Melbourne, or just a Major at Sydney, so they're not too hamstrung.

                                      ANZAC has a factory_minor at Christchurch and Sydney Canberra with a maximum of 6 production per turn. Making Sydney Canberra a factory_major would increase their production to 13. This, I think, would serve them better. A new factory_minor at Melbourne (Pt. Moresby or Guadalcanal would be better by spreading their production) would only increase their production to 9, which I think would still be constructive. I do think doing both could also be a though.

                                      Cheers...

                                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                                      • wc_sumptonW Offline
                                        wc_sumpton @Black_Elk
                                        last edited by

                                        @black_elk said in Mega New Elk WIP:

                                        France is similar, very low production relative to income

                                        The French start with plenty of production. It's just easy for Germany and/or Italy to knock them off, at which point they are given a free factory_minor. Maybe they are collecting/saving to much. Maybe, because they have no Capital, their leftover income could be removed/reduced.

                                        Cheers...

                                        Black_ElkB 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                                        • Black_ElkB Offline
                                          Black_Elk @wc_sumpton
                                          last edited by Black_Elk

                                          Makes sense to me, we can take it major for parity with the other factions. So one could assume the Chinese factory in Peking was downgraded similar to what happens to Paris on G1, and then everyone's got at least that thing going on for their starting capital location. I think its fun to have some spots that are build capable but not down at the outset, just to leave that option open. So maybe some strat where they expand buying another minor in one of their more peripheral spots that's near Japan and USA, or maybe they tuck up closer to India, or perhaps they might expand in Melbourne for more safety. Or they just work with what they have at the start and buy more air and ships and such. Seems like it should be pretty solid. It's nice that it worked out holding the production value per tile pretty low which seems easy to read. Looks nice
                                          🙂

                                          Only clip I saw when scanning around for the labels was on Azores, just west of Portugal where the PU/name clips outside the place.

                                          Otherwise looks pretty good to me. I say we could lock it in and then get the unit place around these, just to have the nice read on first launch. Like just blanking or shifting the place there if it's units, or like airbases, naval bases or factories etc on top of the labels and such in these positions, and dance the unit place into swing hehe. I think the overflows are pretty good nothing jumped out too hardcore.

                                          ps. Oh also, I think currently if launching no tech in the game options the VCs will blank back out. For the display I mean. I'd been running one with the tech option set to off, since computer was constantly rolling for it. For that one capitals would show up, and the stats still, but not the others. Wasn't sure there, I just ran a few more with the tech on to see how often it would get activated. If I first launch the game, save, then switch to HardAI or no tech development worked as normal from the save.

                                          wc_sumptonW 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                                          • wc_sumptonW Offline
                                            wc_sumpton @Black_Elk
                                            last edited by

                                            @black_elk said in Mega New Elk WIP:

                                            Oh also, I think currently if launching no tech in the game options the VCs will blank back out. For the display I mean. I'd been running one with the tech option set to off, since computer was constantly rolling for it. For that one capitals would show up, and the stats still, but not the others. Wasn't sure there, I just ran a few more with the tech on to see how often it would get activated. If I first launch the game, save, then switch to HardAI or no tech development worked as normal from the save.

                                            I'm not seeing this. All VCs still are in placed and the column is still there, even when I select no technology.

                                            UHD WIP 1940-45 1.37.4.zip
                                            Sydney Canberra changed to factory_major
                                            Chinese/French given artillery for every 8 territories owned without factory/capital
                                            centers, name_place and pu_place for corrected Azores Is.

                                            Cheers...

                                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2

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