This somewhat disorganized post contains
1) Some of the thinking and "mental attitudes" that went into the creation of the Epsilon Project, plus a few indexes.
2) Examples of blurbs, installation notes and the like.
3) Some useful sources for WW2 mods.
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The Basics
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Blurb:
The Epsilon Project is a major mod for the Doomsday expansion of Hearts of Iron 2. Play begins in 1936 and continues to 1953. Up to about 1940, assuming you play historically, you can expect a close-to historical game by the AI; after this date anything half-way reasonable goes.
The Project's primary objective is to rebalance the game for both single and multi-player matches, adding flavour, plausibility, and verisimilitude without any obligation to conform to historical details or statistics. This mod owes an unusual amount to previous work, especially that of the HOI2 designers, Aregorn and the Historical Stony Road team, Dec152000's Naval Beta for HSR, Mithril's Starfire mod, the DAIM guys, and others.
BASE GAME: Doomsday, v1.3a (JCJS)
VERSION: Epsilon, v0.2 (ZLHF)
Authors: Lew Moore (LM+ on the Paradox forums)
Installation:
1. Confirm that you have a clean copy of Doomsday for Hearts of Iron 2, version 1.3a. Version stamp will be "JCJS".
2. Copy the entire directory. Rename the new directory to something similar to "HOI2 - Epsilon".
3. Open up the new directory. Delete the folders "/ai", "/db", and "/config". Delete everything in the "/scenario" directory, except for "/scenario/data". Delete the folder "/GFX/interface/models/".
4. Unzip the Epsilon files into the new game directory, replacing files with the same name. Confirm that you now have "/ai", "/db", and "/config" folders again.
5. Fire up the game and check that the version stamp is correct.
6. Confirm that the one available scenario is named "Calm before the Storm". Start a game. Let a day pass and notice the new events.
If all of these things happen, you /should/ have a working game. Enjoy!
Major changes:
1. Rewritten divisions and brigades for land, air, and sea. Many new types to better simulate the options available in the period 1930 - 1953, all other units rebalanced. Revisions also to most aspects of combat, especially battle length and the effect of terrain.
2. Somewhere between a rework and a from-scratch rewrite of all technology categories to allow a detailed look at some of the more interesting developments of the game period.
3. A great many new events, primarily to adjust game rules to make playing various nations more interesting and realistic, or to reduce the effects of hard-coded game limitations, or improve the performance of AI-controlled nations without resorting to outright cheating. More events to add color and historicity (as seen in all other major mods) may happen in future releases.
4. A very large number of textual corrections to game message text. The single most obvious change is in spycraft (where DD v1.2 suffers from hideous grammer/spelling/punctuation and a surprising number of actual bugs, only some of which it was possible to fix).
5. Rewrite of most of the AIs for great powers, heavy revisions for that of all other nations. I installed a complete version of DAIM (thanks go to G'Kar and Spocky for their kind permission!) and am now rewriting it to further optimize the AI for Epsilon. The most obvious success right now is to AI nation's builds: Epsilon probably has the most efficient build AI of any mod. The most obvious failure is in the actual battlefield performance of SOV, USA, and ENG.
6. Adoption of quite a lot of Neat Stuff from other people's work.
Common "gotchas":
- The repeated release and re-annexation of the Vatican City is deliberate; it is required to correctly update most unit stats as events and techs change them. If the messages annoy, simply right-click on them and tell them to appear only in the game log.
- (Post stuff that should be added here)
A. The thinking behind Epsilon
B. Useful sources
B. Contributing to this Project
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A. The thinking behind Epsilon
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This section is a repository of reasons for the major changes in the Epsilon Project. Nothing here is set in stone; modifications will be made as better arguments and information become available.
Balancing - strategic:
The game will be balanced in favour of the Axis, but not to the point of losing all historical veracity. Japan and Italy will be especially gently treated. The objective is -- if the human player(s) behave in a historical fashion up to 1940 -- get games where the Axis usually do well up to perhaps 1942-3, and the Allies usually (but not always) come back to win thereafter. Maximum Axis gains, not necessarily final results, should be used for scoring.
It will continue to be quite a bit easier to build up a minor or middling power and do things with it that could not have been done historically. What there will be a bit of a crackdown on is early DOWs and conquests.
Balancing - units, etc.:
In game details, such as units, events, doctrines, and the like, the Project will favour balance, replayability, and a fair chance for numerous play-styles and organization methods. Entities that historically put up a poor record will in-game either not be as inferior overall or be inferior only in some cases ... particularly if it is Axis. For example: German capital ships and multi-engine fighters may not have been particularly cost-effective, but that will not be used as a reason to cripple them.
Balancing - production:
Historically, the disparity in base GNP between the Axis (GER/ITA/JAP/minors) and the Allies (USSR/USA/UK/Commonwealth) was very roughly 2.5 to 1 in 1942, and the disparity in actual production of tanks and aircraft in the same year was very roughly 4.5 to 1, but we cannot correctly replicate this unbalance in-game, and still less can we correctly model the far greater imbalance in truck or artillery or transport or warship builds. However, there will be some attempt to at least "nod in the direction" of these facts.
Level of Detail:
Eight nations -- GER, JAP, ITA, SOV, CHI, UK, FRA, and the USA -- are vital to the game; their national advantages and disadvantages in mobilization, production, doctrines, equipment, and combat prowess will be modeled more finely than is the case in the base game.
Twelve other nations -- FIN, SWE, SPR, SPA, POL, HUN, ROM, VIC, CAN, AST/NZL, BRA, and ARG -- also need to be detailed with some care, as each made (or could have made) a significant impact on the global conflict and all are reasonable choices for humans to control in MP.
Other nations will generally not be much noticed ... except if contributors especially want to add flavour for them!
AI:
Any and all means will be used to enable the AI to give players a fun and challenging game. This applies especially to the great amphibious invasions, which the AI would otherwise be hopeless at against a human-operated defence. The objective is to combine much of the power of the HSR and DAIM AIs into something that simulates a moderately skilled and (amphibious invasions aside) non-"gamey" opposition that makes up for an AI's lack of rapidity, ruthlessness, and force-concentration with mass and determination.
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Opinions on Nations
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Each of the major nations and several minors is rated below for Mobilization (ability/willingness to harness base manpower and GNP to the war effort), Productivity (ability to turn mobilized GNP/resources into numerous and effective tools of war), Effectiveness (unit-for-unit ability to defeat the enemy), and Leadership (average skill of general officers). Ratings are in relation to that nation's current opponents and allies, and are given as "extraordinary", "excellent", "good", "average", "poor", and "abysmal". These opinions will change as more and better information is received.
Soviet Union
Mobilization: extraordinary
Productivity: excellent
Effectiveness: abysmal (until late 1941), poor (until late 1942), average (late 1942 and onwards)
Leadership: poor (before 1942), average (afterwards)
France
Mobilization: average
Productivity: good
Effectiveness: poor (until the fall of France), good (Free French)
Leadership: average
United Kingdom (Metropolitan forces only)
Mobilization: good (excellent?)
Productivity: excellent
Effectiveness: average (land, before 1941/2); average to good (land, afterwards); excellent (air, sea)
Leadership: average to good (land); excellent (air, sea)
Canada, Australia, New Zealand
Mobilization: average
Productivity: excellent (CAN); good (AST, NZL)
Effectiveness: good+
Leadership: good
United States of America
Mobilization: average
Productivity: extraordinary
Effectiveness: average (land, until late 1942), good (land, late 1942-summer 1944), good+ (land, fall 1944 onwards);
extraordinary (amphibious/littoral, 1943+); excellent (air, sea)
Leadership: good (land); excellent (air, sea)
Germany
Mobilization: excellent (pre war), average (start of war onwards)
Productivity: good (before 1939), poor (1939-1943), average (1943+)
Effectiveness: extraordinary (land, before 1943), excellent (land, 1943+);
excellent (air, before 1942), good (air post 1942+); good (sea)
Leadership: excellent (land); good (air, sea)
Italy
Mobilization: good (pre war), poor (start of war onwards)
Productivity: average
Effectiveness: abysmal (land); poor (sea); average (air)
Leadership: poor (land, sea); average (air)
Japan
Mobilization: good/excellent
Productivity: abysmal (except as follows); poor (aircraft before 1943); average (warships)
Effectiveness: good+ (land, before 1943), good/good- (land, 1943+); good (air/sea, before 1943),
average (air, sea, 1943+)
Leadership: average (land, air); good (sea)
China - Nationalist
Mobilization: poor
Productivity: abysmal
Effectiveness: abysmal (with some notable exceptions)
Leadership: poor (again with exceptions)
China - Communist
Mobilization: exceptional
Productivity: (uncertain)
Effectiveness: average
Leadership: good
Finland
Mobilization: good
Productivity: good
Effectiveness: excellent (1940); good+ (afterwards)
Leadership: good
Other European Axis
Mobilization: poor/average
Productivity: poor
Effectiveness: poor/average (Hungary, Slovakia); poor (others)
Leadership: poor
Poland (1939 only)
Mobilization: good
Productivity: average
Effectiveness: poor/average
Leadership: poor
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B.1. Useful References
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This section lists reference works found particularly useful in designing and fine-tuning this Project, in adding historical correctness and flavour, and in determining what is and is not balanced, plausible, and realistic.
- Pretty much any work by Trevor N. Dupuy, including combat calculations, opinions on leadership performance, weapons, etc., especially concerning the Western and Pacific theatres (he is less strong on GERvsSOV, mostly due to lack of access).
Ellis, John; "World War II: A statistical survey"; Facts on File; 1993.
- An invaluable reference for manpower, industry, resource availability, production, losses, divisions in the field, theatre strengths, unit organization/equipment, and weapon stats and performance for all major and some minor powers.
Overy, Richard; "Why the Allies Won"; W. W. Norton & Company; 1995
- A useful corrective to the simplistic and overly determanistic views generally held on why the Axis were slowed down, halted, pushed back, and finally annihilated, despite their extraordinary successes in the period 1933-1942. Sections cover the Russian/Soviet experience in battle and on the home front, the war for the seas, strategic bombing, war production, mobilization, wartime organization, the technological race, high command and personalities, and -- vitally -- the moral struggle.
Robert Gardiner et al.; Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922-1947; Conway Marintime Press, Ltd.; 1980
- The most detailed treatment of warships available in the English language, offering invaluable material on naval doctrines, detailed line art, and reams of data on every class and type of warship built (or even laid down). Some omissions are weapons effectiveness analysis and construction/maintenance costs.
Some important analysis of relative capital ship effectiveness (vital to correctly assigning models):
http://www.chuckhawks.com (links to articles near the middle of the page)
Websites:
- Battleship effectiveness
http://www.battleship.org/html/Articles/Features/BuildBetter.htm
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B.2. Contributors and Authors of material used in Epsilon
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- Aregorn and the HSR team
- Many unit changes, including Army Artillery.
- The GIP team
- Most of the graphical changes other than those to units.
- Mithel and the Starfire mod
- Combat takes longer, air and naval attack/def increased to compensate
- The CORE team
- Corrected and expanded ship names
- Hannibal
- Ship model graphics
I'm missing some here...
(Extra stuff)
HOI2 DD division type
----------------------
0. 0. infantry
1. 1. cavalry
2. 2. motorized
3. 3. mechanized (changed to special armor)
4. 4. light armor
5. 5. armor
6. 6. paratroop
7. 7. marine
8. 8. bergsjaeger/mountain
9. 9. garrison
10. 10. HQ
11. 11. milita (changed to conscript/reserve)
12. --- escort fighter (2-engine)
13. 12. multi-role fighter
14. 13. interceptor
15. 14. strategic bomber
16. 15. tactical bomber
17. 16. naval bomber
18. 17. CAS
19. 18. transport plane
20. 19. flying rocket
21. 20. flying bomb
22. 21. battleship
23. 22. light cruiser (changed to fleet escort)
24. 23. heavy cruiser (changed to cruiser)
25. 24. battlecruiser
26. 25. destroyer (changed to escort)
27. 26. carrier
--- 27. escort carrier
28. 28. submarine
--- 29. nuclear submarine
29. 30. transport
HOI2 DD brigade type
----------------------
1. 1. artillery
2. 2. sp artillery
3. 3. rocket artillery (elite-inf)
4. 4. sp rocket artillery (elite-mech)
5. 5. anti-tank
6. 6. tank destroyer (TDs and assault guns)
7. 7. light armor (mechanized support)
8. 8. heavy armor
9. 9. super heavy armor (infantry-support tanks)
10. 10. armored car (mech recon)
11. 11. anti-air
12. 12. police (army arty)
13. 13. engineer
14. 14. CAG
--- 15. escort fighter
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Artificial Intelligence
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The AI in Epsilon is very incomplete and is at present mostly a mish-mash of Lothos' work for DD and of DAIM. As a custom AI is written, the following rules will increasingly come to apply:
1. The AI will attempt to accomplish roughly historical national goals (whether achieved or not). This means, first and foremost, that their diplomacy in approximately historical situations will be mostly historical (and must always be at least plausible).
2. However, the /methods/ available to the artificial players will be chosen using some simulated fore-knowledge about the game system. Because this game is a decidedly imperfect simulation of reality, and also because the historical methods were often mistaken, the methods used will often differ from those used historically. Nevertheless, the artificial players are still required to at least "nod in the direction" of historicity, and will not go about choosing paths that, historically, the nation had no chance of pursuing. Doctrines, force composition, technology, and warmaking are among the areas that will always be at least "flavored" by historical choices.
In the interests of simulating the historical overall course of the war - barring human involvement - these rules are more tightly enforced for some nations (France for example) than for others (Japan being one). So, while an AI France is perfectly at liberty to build lots of AT or spam infantry, it is not allowed to build level 10 forts in Paris or choose the Spearhead Doctrinal path.
3. The human player is treated as an unusually skilled and ruthless opponent that requires careful and vigorous handling. AIs can be expected to gear up more hastily if faced with known human oppposition, to devote additional resources to theatres where a human is known to be active, to relax some of the rules on its conduct to put up a better fight, and (in cases of ahistorical aggression) to band together to stop a warmongering human before it is too late.
4. The AI is allowed to compensate for major hard-coded weaknesses - those that would otherwise reduce the simulation value of the game - by accepting bonuses and freebies of various sorts. While the AI will cheat as little as practicable, if necessary for gameplay fun and realism, cheats will be allowed. The most important one is free units for the major amphibious invasions; otherwise, it would be impossible to properly model either the Italian or Western fronts in Europe, or threaten Japan or Britain. The human player will have the opportunity to disable all AI cheats.
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Units
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light_armor: (changed to 1917 - 1941 tank-heavy formation)
An early armored division equipped with large numbers of (often as many as 350) light tanks with little infantry or artillery support. Nevertheless, this unit's speed, hardness, and combat power make it dangerous to face unprepared.
armor: (post-1939 balanced tank/mech formation)
An armored division equipped with medium and light tanks, motorized (later self-propelled) artillery, motor and/or half-track infantry, and other support elements. Among the most powerful of ground units in open terrain -- as long as it has sufficient oil.
mechanized: (tank brigade, armored support unit, etc.)
A special armored or mechanized unit that, although not a standard armored division, is still considered "hard" for combat purposes. This is a highly specific formation and it cannot accept any attachments. Examples include infantry-support tank regiments and armour brigades, Soviet Guards Mechanized divisions, and SS Panzer divisions.
motorized:
A well-trained and -equipped infantry division, fully motorized with soft-skinned trucks and an increasingly large number of armored fighting vehicles. Motorized divisions are ideal both for supporting armor and (given enough oil and transport capacity) of rapid operations in their own right. In the latter half of WW2, some of these divisions replaced some (in rare cases, all) of their trucks with half-tracks.
cavalry:
Mostly the same as in vanilla, except that the horses are phased out and trucks are phased in more gradually. May also be used to represent the "light mech" divisions of some western European nations.
infantry:
A well-trained and -equipped foot infantry division, the core of the German, British/Commonwealth, and American armies. In the USA, Great Britain, and the Commonwealth, trucks are usually provided to tow heavy weapons; everywhere else horses perform that job.
militia: (changed to reserve infantry)
A reserve, second-line, or conscript infantry division, the core of most armies other than those of the industrialized West. Soldiers universally walk and heavy weapons are almost invariably towed by pack animals.
bergsjaeger:
An infantry division, trained and equipped for Alpine and Arctic warfare and well suited for rugged terrain, winter conditions, and light infantry work in general. Cannot have heavy or mechanized weapons attached.
marine:
An infantry division especially trained and equipped for amphibious landings. Also effective at crossing rivers and dealing with jungled or marshy terrain. A marine division has an unusually large number of attached formations and requires a great deal of specialized equipment.
garrison:
A static defence/anti-partisan unit. Also serves a "holding" unit for brigades, and so may have any attached.
paratrooper:
An infantry division of elite soldiers trained to jump out of perfectly good airplanes. This is the only unit capable of vertical envelopment from the air.
HQ:
Same as in the base game, except that it doesn't move as fast late in the war.
-------------------------------
Most attachments for land units represent, not additional troops, but instead extra equipment and/or training for existing troops. The reason for this is that in vanilla HOI2 1) brigades usually do not give a unit any extra combat endurance, and 2) they cost no extra manpower to recover to full strength (only to replace). Also, for various reasons including better control of AI builds, brigades for land units are divided into various categories; some for light infantry, some for foot infantry, some for motorized and mechanized units.
anti_air:
Towed and/or mobile anti-air weapons are unusually plentiful in this division. Increases air defence, air attack, and usually hard attack with no speed penalty. These weapons are almost invariably motorized or mechanized.
anti_tank:
Towed direct-fire weapons are unusually plentiful in the division. Increases both soft and hard attack.
artillery:
Towed indirect-fire weapons are unusually plentiful in this division, with as many as 80 guns, some as heavy as 149mm/155m/even 175mm, available. Large soft attack and minor hard attack bonus at the expense of a -1 (or greater) speed penalty.
sp_artillery:
This division has an unusually large number of artillery pieces, all towed by trucks (pre 1942) or mounted on tracked chasses (thereafter).
rocket_artillery: (changed to elite, as in HSR)
This line infantry, marine, mountain, or paratroop division is composed of unusually fine and extraordinarily well-trained soldiers generously equipped and provided for. Equipment is the very best available for the unit's combat mission, and no expense is spared to issue the best, replace losses, and maintain combat effectiveness. Bonuses to almost everything.
sp_rct_artillery: (changed to elite, as in HSR)
This motorized, mechanized, or armoured division is composed of unusually fine and well-trained soldiers generously equipped and provided for. Superior and more abundant armoured fighting vehicles, heavier and more mobile artillery, better individual and crew-served weapons, and higher supply priority make this formation a deadly force in battle. Bonuses to almost everything.
tank_destroyer:
Self-propelled direct-fire weapons are unusually plentiful in this mobile division. These weapons are generally of two types: Tank destroyers and assault guns.
heavy_armor:
This armoured division has a significant number of heavy or "breakthrough" tanks attached to it.
armored_car: (changed to mechanized recon)
The recon battalion(s) of this division are larger and equipped with armored cars (or other light AFVs) instead of horses or foot, and the division as a whole has more trucks available for movement.
light_armor_brigade: (changed to mechanized support)
Not only is the recon battalion(s) equipped with AVFs, but the division as a whole has significant numbers of light and/or medium tanks, tank destroyers, or assault guns, and sometimes also halftracks. This attachment is considered almost a combination of SP-AT, SP-ART, AA, and MEC-RECON and so is expensive, hard, and powerful.
super_heavy_armour:
This division has roughly 50 (early war) infantry-support tanks or (mid/late war) assault guns and/or medium tanks attached to it. The most important effect of this attachment, especially in the early war, is to reduce the unit's vulnerability to soft attack (machine guns in particular).
engineer:
Bridging, de-mining, fortification, and demolition engineers are unusually plentiful in this division; rivers are less difficult to cross, hard attack increases slightly, and toughness and defensiveness benefit.
police: (changed to army artillery,from HSR)
This HQ unit has several attached formations that include numerous towed indirect-fire (and also some anti-air) weapons. (From the HSR mod)
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Changes: version 0.00 to 0.10
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Units:
Re-think of most land units to encourage players to more closely match historical builds throughout the period instead of pumping out infantry (or mech). The most important influence here is that of HSR.
- Most non-armoured units have substantially higher defense than toughness to better simulate the higher casualties generally suffered by attackers. Air attack/defence for all units multiplied by between 3 and 5 to partly counter-balance the reduced chance of a hit; ships and aircraft get 5x the hit attempts against each other.
- All ground troops increase in cost and maintenance with tech. Time to build never changes (to cooperate with the assembly line tech effects and with a quickening tempo of operations as the game progresses).
- Most armour/mech/motorized units are slower to start with; only doctrinal advances will permit true exploitation of speed on the battlefield.
- Most land and air units are cheaper to upgrade. This is especially so for those units that don't depend so much on heavy weaponry, including reserve, airborne, mountain, garrison, and HQ.
- Divisional manpower costs bear some relation to actual men in the unit, but, because of game combat mechaniques, some adjustments have had to be made so that *losses in combat* are correct as well. For example, cavalry divisions of the era had something like 8,000 men versus the 15,000 of a 3-brigade infantry division, but in-game each cavalry "unit" is about 1 and 1/2 cavalry divisions.
- These sort of adjustments also permit more correct maximum organization and morale values for units. A cavalry "unit" is less capable of enduring intensive battle than an infantry division, but is slightly better at recovering if broken.
Divisions:
- Infantry is now professional/first-line pure foot infantry. It costs more to build and field, never gets a speed increase or uses oil (by default), and has a slightly higher hard attack (assuming some research in AT guns).
- Militia is now reserve/conscript foot infantry, slightly weaker and slower than first-line infantry and incapable of using most attachments, but still the best bang for your IC buck if you have enough manpower. There are now eight models of reserve troops, one for each advance in infantry.
- Garrison troops have the same combat stats as reserve infantry and are even cheaper to build. There are now eight models of garrison troops, one for each advance in infantry.
- Light armour division is now tank-heavy division, armour is now balanced armour/mech division, mechanized is now supporting or special armour/mech division. All of these units count as "hard".
- Militia is now conscript infantry division, a vital unit type for most countries other than GER, ENG, and USA.
- Attachments for land units no longer represent added troops, but rather a change in the division's mix of equipment or training for existing troops. The reason for this is that the game engine 1) ignores manpower losses to brigades until the unit is entirely destroyed, and 2) assumes by default that an attachment adds no extra combat endurance. The exception to this rule is engineers. Attachments now also seldom have manpower costs: An exception is elite/mech elite, to simulate the drain of high-quality soldiers away from the whole army.
- All combat and cost values reworked from scratch. Divisions that are now a better buy include MAR, MTN, ARM, L-ARM, and MIL. INF is less of a bargain. Brigades that now merit more attention include pretty much everything other than ART and SP-ART.
- For AI reasons, for game simplicity, and also to make room for possible expansion, police are no longer available. Most divisions have a higher intrinsic suppression (partly for historical and partly for AI reasons).
Combat/movement modifiers:
Total rebalance of weather and terrain modifiers, based on study of actual battles in the period 1914-1960.
- Attackers are generally less handicapped compared to the defence, either because the attack penalties are lower or because the defence also suffers penalties. The biggest changes are in night, arctic, trans-river, urban, mountain, and jungle fighting. Note however the changes to defensiveness/toughness above.
- Battles in close terrain (urban and jungle in particular) sometimes last a lot longer. The idea is to have fights that last for a month or more (possibly with pauses to recover org) and some reasonable simulation of fights like Stalingrad or Guadacanal.
- Motorized divisions are treated as foot infantry in most difficult terrains except for mud. Light and specially trained infantry (PAR, MAR, MTN) generally get reduced penalties in challenging environments; this can make a real difference if you plan well.
- Mountain infantry have a smaller advantage in alpine and arctic conditions.
- Movement speed for cavalry, motorized, and armoured divisions further reduced in many kinds of terrain and weather conditions, sometimes to the point that foot infantry pass them up.
- HQs are normally treated as mechanized for most combat and movement calculations; this better simulates the great difficulty in getting effective support to troops isolated in rugged terrain. Be careful what you stack your HQs with.
- Many other less important changes, such as cavalry being more effective in the desert, amphibious attacks being less impossible for non-marines, armoured units being poor defenders of rugged and close terrain, etc..
Building costs:
- As in various other mods, infrastructure is now faster and easier to build. It may now (or may not) be worth it to improve your infrastructure before building factories and certain other improvements. It may also be worth the investment before a major attack or defence.
- Land and coastal forts are much less expensive. However, they also have a lesser effect: 6.6% per level instead of 9%. It is expected that a lot more fortifications will now be built in-game.
Miscellaneous values:
- IC is more efficient at creating TC, to balance out the greater supply cost of many common land divisions.
- Twice as much money is created by devoting effort to consumer goods, tech is twice as expensive, diplomacy about 1.5x has expensive, and most spycraft is unchanged.
- Airplanes use 25% less TC. (HSR idea)
- Manpower is 1.5x as common, because most units cost about 1.5x the manpower.
- Reinforcement costs 90% of the manpower and 64% of the IC that full replacement does.
- Attachments cost less TC to keep in the build queue.
- Land units and leaders gain XP less quickly (because land battles often take longer).
- Base attrition is four times as severe. Jungle malaria and arctic frostbite are not to be ignored.
- The multiple combat penalty is reduced to 40%.
- Combined arms (soft and hard units in the same formation) is more important: 10% on the attack, 15% on the defence.
- The maximum number of air units the top-ranked leader can command in a battle is 12; all units above that get a 33% penalty, and the penalty per air flotilla above 2 in a battle is now 3%. This is intended to tone down the killer stacks that abuse the combat rules.
- The effect of experience on combat is greater: 80% bonus for 100 experience instead of 50%. This is taken from the Historical Improvement Project.
- Bombing hurts IC less quickly.
Spycraft:
- Most spy actions cost twice as much (because money is twice as common), but destroying bases and AA is relatively cheaper and easier.
- Important: counter-espionage is now extremely expensive. Only if enemy spies are truly causing havoc will it be worth it to spend the vast sums needed to clear them out. This tackles two serious problems in Doomsday: 1) not nearly enough information on enemy force size and composition compared to real-world educated guessing and battlefield experience and 2) far too easy for a human player -- but not an AI! -- to gain near-perfect security from enemy spies.
- It is also 5% easier to add new spies.
Difficulty:
- Shifted all the difficulty settings by one; there is now one easy level and three levels of extra difficulty.
- Difficulty effects for industry, manpower, diplomacy, combat, and dissent reduced for the human.
- Difficulty effects for most things, especially industry, resources, manpower, and combat, increased for the AI.
- Difficulty effects on movement reduced.
Text:
I ask for your help in translating the changed text to other languages. Supplying the corrected lines of the files themselves is best, but plain translations will also be gratefully accepted.
/config/text.csv
- "Standing Army" --> "Modern Army" (fits the effects better)
- "Drafted Army" --> "Mass Army" (ditto)
- "Construction Bonus" --> "Cost and Time" (ditto)
- "Unit Build Costs" --> "Unit production Cost and Time" (ditto)
