Battle for Caen

[Bie]

Looks great, Bie. Loads of work to do it that way. An easier way would be to rename the fields tile as 'bocage' and really seriously change the field values so that they were roughly similar to forest. That way you don't really have to re-draw very much. For myself this would be very realistic as there isn't really anything that might be thought of as 'clear' in the Normandy countryside that isn't a field. So you could just regard the base layer as fields and the field graphic as that special type of field - the bocage. No need then to draw so many line graphics. They may end up confusing the engine, no, given the grid situation? Some of them are nice - so we really know that the fields they enclose are bocage, but I would just re-name your 'bocage' obstruction to 'large hedge' and then it will all work with you using the method I've stated, no? I'm not just trying to save you work - also conscious of the confusion that arises when you interogate the map for terrain details and there are many overlapping types of terrain. All of your present 'bocage' probably overlaps with something, for example.

That makes sense. I've changed the layers as you suggested. As for the hedges overlapping other layers: most of the time I put the hegdes close to the roads. As far as the engine is concerned it retains the speed that the road provides and it also retains the limited los that comes from the hedges. So for me that is a win-win.

Your example looks beautiful though. If you stick with it, then shouldn't you be filling in the gaps between your bocage lines with 'field' instead of the base layer?

Yeah, I'm filling most of the patches with bocage (former field) layer. Yet some patches I leave open. So there would be just hedges with a base layer in it. This is just to give some variety. As completely plastering the map with bocage would also not be realistic, nor would it make for an enjoyable scenario.

 

[Bie]

Bie updated Battle for Caen with a new update entry:

Map and OOB tuning

- Added more features to the map: Mainly bocage and hedges.
- Estab tuning: British support platoons and Motor battalions are now correctly portrayed.
- Order of battle tuning: Added some more German troops. Let the British troops enter the battlefield at a slower rate.
- Objectives tuning.

Read the rest of this update entry...

 

[john connor]

Got the update. All looks superb. Will start to play it tomorrow. Thanks, Bie.

 

[john connor]

I wonder why this kind of thing happens?

 

[Bie]

I wonder why this kind of thing happens?

Argh, that might be because I haven't generated the map last time I dabbled with it. I'll upload a correction.

 

[john connor]

Have you customised the houses - the villages/towns - graphics too?

 

[Bie]

Have you customised the houses - the villages/towns - graphics too?

Nope, that should be default. Might look a bit different with the new backdrop.

 

[john connor]

Maybe that's it. I'll wait for your updated file, then.

 

[Bie]

Bie updated Battle for Caen with a new update entry:

Correction in map cache

- Correction in map cache: Some terrain features didn't show as they should.
- Slight objective tweak for the Axis side

Read the rest of this update entry...

 

[col.sanders]

Looks great Bie,I was playing with update 0.85 will 0.86 affect My currant game?really liking this so far.

 

[Bie]

Looks great Bie,I was playing with update 0.85 will 0.86 affect My currant game?really liking this so far.

If you are already in a game I would suggest sticking with the 0.85.

The 0.86 version is only a correction of the map cache. It affected a small portion of the map, so in continuing with the previous version you wouldn't miss out on much if anything. I was just annoyed that I didn't include the latest map cache and quickly updated it.

 

[john connor]

Having a go now as allies. Lovely scenario on one of the best maps I've seen in this game. Great work, Bie. Thanks.

Can't wait for Goodwood!!

 

[john connor]

This is highly recommended. So far (still on day 1) an excellent scenario on a truly outstanding map. Superb work, Bie.


***SPOILER ALERT***



I love the hint in the briefing about Tilly-sur-Seulles. I can say that I tasked the DLI and the 24th Lancers to take Tilly and they are certainly not going to be able to do it. There is a huge Axis presence moving in there, with strong armoured attacks launched and devastating enemy arty fire onto the attackers. I think 'going west' is going to be the only way.....Meanwhile the DLI have been reduced to a spent force by the arty attack!

 

[Bie]

Bie updated Battle for Caen with a new update entry:

Correction in minor road modifier

- Corrected the minor road motorized modifier to 65
- Corrected some spelling errors

Read the rest of this update entry...

 

[col.sanders]

Really good scenario Bie,it's a slugfest for sure i've managed to capture Tilly and about to take over Fortenay just coming into midnight of day 3. I'm about to go for broke and send 22 armored to villers bocage.Maps are awesome Bie.Thanks for Your work.

 

[john connor]

Well I'm finding it really hard (playing as Allies, still on day 1), as the Axis is producing the most effective artillery I've ever seen in a scenario. I am being pounded into retreat and panic in multiple locations, almost constantly. I wonder how that happens so effectively in this scenario, and doesn't in others. It does tend to suggest that the nub of the problem of ineffective enemy AI arty is - as Dave has suggested - that the AI arty is moving too much to be shooting. In this scenario I guess they aren't moving too much because they are doing a LOT of shooting. Which is stopping many advances dead.

Plus I have very little arty to respond with, especially bigger Brigade arty (haven't got a Divisional or Corps HQ on map yet). I have only one higher HQ attached arty unit and then the usual smattering of lesser organic mortars etc. But the Axis clearly has a lot more. The Allies arty strength is correct, Bie? Not much air cover coming in either. So far, anyway. Clear pattern, but no nice queue of air assets. The AI Axis is mounting strong, co-ordinated attacks with armoured formations to both sides of Tilly and I would love to have planes to swoop with.

Plus, the command load is brutal at the moment. I have, at the moment, a brigade level on map boss with a max load of 16 (the 231st Inf Brigade). I've got 14 orders going in my plan list and this is enough to load the boss to twice capacity (load at 32). I'm playing on 'painfully realistic' delays, and it's of the order of 2 hours to get an order out to front line units. Sounds realistic to me.

I don't want it to be easy, of course. And it's great to see the AI doing so well. And it's early days.

 

[Bie]

Plus I have very little arty to respond with, especially bigger Brigade arty (haven't got a Divisional or Corps HQ on map yet). I have only one higher HQ attached arty unit and then the usual smattering of lesser organic mortars etc. But the Axis clearly has a lot more. The Allies arty strength is correct, Bie? Not much air cover coming in either. So far, anyway. Clear pattern, but no nice queue of air assets. The AI Axis is mounting strong, co-ordinated attacks with armoured formations to both sides of Tilly and I would love to have planes to swoop with.

Yeah that is quite intentional. On day one you only have the vanguard of the Allied force at your disposal. The Allies would have been going from Bayeux to Tilly and I wanted to recreate that by bringing on troops as the days pass by. So in the beginning the Allies are at a disadvantage as they haven't brought to bare all of their forces and assets. That is also why none of the heavy artillery is on map on day one. The Commander Royal Artillery (artillery battalion with subordinate companies) will come onto the map together with its division. So at first the British have a light force, but slowly they should be getting the upper hand once more reinforcements come in.

I've decided to mimic this with the air-power as well. You should be getting more airstrikes as the days go on. Yet I've also restricted them a bit on the side of the Allies for gameplay reasons (the AI kept spamming them, just about routing most of the German forces). I might have overdone it and given too little of them to the Allies in the end. Keep me posted on this one.

In any case Tillly-sur-Seulles should be a very hard nut to crack as Col Sanders would probably attest to.

 

[jimcarravallah]

Yeah that is quite intentional. On day one you only have the vanguard of the Allied force at your disposal. The Allies would have been going from Bayeux to Tilly and I wanted to recreate that by bringing on troops as the days pass by. So in the beginning the Allies are at a disadvantage as they haven't brought to bare all of their forces and assets. That is also why none of the heavy artillery is on map on day one. The Commander Royal Artillery (artillery battalion with subordinate companies) will come onto the map together with its division. So at first the British have a light force, but slowly they should be getting the upper hand once more reinforcements come in.

I've decided to mimic this with the air-power as well. You should be getting more airstrikes as the days go on. Yet I've also restricted them a bit on the side of the Allies for gameplay reasons (the AI kept spamming them, just about routing most of the German forces). I might have overdone it and given to little of them to the Allies in the end. Keep me posted on this one.

In any case Tillly-sur-Seulles should be a very hard nut to crack as Col Sanders would probably attest to.

As I recall from my readings of histories of D-Day and the post invasion efforts, allied airpower was a decisive force multiplier, with the Luftwaffe suppressed to the point where the allies had unhindered access to the air over their forces.

As you portrayed in Sword to Caen, allied naval gunfire substituted for onshore artillery in the early days of the invasion. It appears that distances from shore for operation Perch exceeded the longest range of naval weapons (as I understand it, with 5-inch to 14-inch naval guns sited 3,000 to 5,000 meters from the beachhead), but the allied tactical airpower from England was still available.

Regarding quantifying the benefits of Allied air power during the first days of the invasion, this may help:

http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/AAF/AAF-H-DDay/index.html

 

[col.sanders]

The fighting around Tilly was intense lost alot of troops there.The germans drove me out of saint pierre,but when my reinforcements started coming in I was slowly able make a horseshoe around the enemy troops from pont de la guilette to point 103 and point 102 and started getting the upper hand,but trying to get to villers bocage is another fight,still working on that one, so far it's a rough one I like it so far. I'm at the end of day 3.

 

[Bie]

Bie updated Battle for Caen with a new update entry:

Goodwood - Atlantic scenario released

- Release of the scenario Goodwood - Atlantic

- XXX Corps' Right Pincer updates:

• Updated OOB to be more consistent with Goodwood - Atlantic
• Objectives tweaks
• Reduced the timeframe of the scenario by about 12 hours

Read the rest of this update entry...