Improved 1936

[Lord Jarski]

Improved 1936, aka "The Imp"


THE MOD USES 1.12 VALUES. MAKE SURE TO INSTALL IT!

Support for 1.09 or older versions is no longer guaranteed. The scenario will be updated by using latest 1.12 patches.

Changes to the 1.12 vanilla 1936 scenario:

- India, Jordan, Sudan, Sarawak, Kuweit, Palestine, Rhodesia, Malaysia and Brunei have been liberated as UK puppets
- Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Syria and Lebanon has been liberated as French puppets
- Egypt has been liberated as an independent nation
- Iceland has been liberated as a puppet of Denmark
- Several nations have gotten their starting infra/IC constructions edited to a more sensible status
- Bunch of missing ships added to the map, aswell as airforces have been tweaked for some nations
- Belgium starts out in the Allies
- Tannu Tuva starts as an USSR puppet
- Adaptation of the CORE mod values for naval/air bases, fortifications and AA
- Adaptation of the CORE provincial data to most of the world apart from the Americas

What does the mod offer:

- Hundreds of new events, ranging from flavour to completely forgotten historical events.
- AIs now focus the military buildup to few specific units, and keep them up-to-date, rather than attempting to build several types of units, resulting in stronger armies. This means several AIs ignore airforce/navy completely, putting everything they have on land army, as the Naval and Airforce AI is very poor at its job.
- AIs focus their research to the techs they need, reducing useless tech research done by the vanilla AI.
- AIs change their ministers much like a human player would, not caring for precise historicalness, but choosing whats best for their country.
- AIs now change their national ideas.
- AIs now change their sliders according to whats good for them, no more are they bound by artificial limitations on their slider positions.
- AI randomness in events have been toned down, AIs now almost always choose the option thats best for their country, even if its not historical. For example, German AI grant Slovakia to Hungary, and the Allied AIs intervene in SCW
- AIs are now more keen on staying neutral, so trying to influence them to join your alliance is close to useless, they will drop their neutrality when they feel it is the proper time for it.
- AIs now act more like a human player, what it comes to troop placements, declarations of war, joining alliances, post-war shuffling of Europe and that sort of things.
- Liberating process of colonial nations have been changed, you now receive extra dissent based on the strength of the puppet, and the offmap bonuses have been toned down.
- Changes to certain vanilla events, ranging from making them more balanced, or historical, or adjusting them to work better with the improved scenario. Most drastic change is probably the delaying of Xi'an Incident to December 24th, 1936.

Thats about it, best way to check out new things is to play it, so go ahead and give it a run. Any comments, bugs, errors, improvement suggestions, everything is welcomed. I will be doing updating accordingly to the feedback.


Here is also an on-going AAR of a 9 player MP game using this mod:

https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/foru...er-online-aod-campaign-1936-scenario.1385350/


INSTALLATION:

Extract the .rar to your AoD folder, so it creates a sub-folder named Improved 1936. After that, you need to edit your settings.cfg located in your AoD folder so that it reads Improved 1936 on the 4th line. For those unaware, Notepad can open .cfg files if told to.

Example of settings.cfg:
0 #LANGUAGE (0=english, 1 = french etc..)
0 #MUSIC (1 for on)
1 #WINDOWED MODE (1 for on)
Improved 1936
1920 #Width
1080 #Height
1 # Disable intro

Note that this only works for versions 1.10 and above. People with 1.09 need to extract the contents of the Improved 1936 folder to their main AoD folder, overwriting their vanilla files. Versions older than 1.10 are not supported so this may lead to problems. Also, if one intends to play this mod in multiplayer, this same procedure needs to be taken in order to play safely. Playing online with moddir is notoriously bugged, so one needs to have the vanilla game overwritten to make it work.

NOTE: Latest 1.11 patches have disabled moddir graphics, so if you wish to see the new flags and other pictures, you need to copy the contents of the mods gfx folder and place them to your vanilla gfx folder. This includes the scenario and propaganda pictures located in Improved 1936/scenarios/data. This is no longer an issue if using 1.12 beta 3 patch for AoD.

Version 1.23c uploaded 30.11.2021
DOWNLOAD: https://www.dropbox.com/s/xghqu4mqcul12et/Imp1.23c.zip?dl=0


Special thanks to Desev, Pioniere, Dr.Whitehall and Bonaparte for their continued support, patience, ideas and criticism. And also a big thanks to CORE team for allowing me to use some of their data. Special thanks also to the WPO group for providing excellent MP test grounds.

- Jarski

 

[Mr_B0narpte]

I'm so glad you've uploaded this mod
It really is a great mod, the AI has some common sense! For example, his France AI is extremely clever in regards to research and production, focusing mainly on infantry and industry. Which is what a human France player would do! It is good to see all the AIs switching the to most helpful/useful ministers and national ideas from the start as well. The AI also puts a lot of effort into rebuilding damaged/improved infrastructure, so when you try to strategically bomb a country, you have to keep up the attacks in order for them to pay off.
It really is a great mod for people who want a challenging AI, admittedly some historical things have been dropped, but they were dropped for the sake of gameplay! No human player rigidly sticks to what happened historically (at least in terms of production, research and combat), so the AI shouldn't either!

 

[lizardo]

Reads very interesting.

I'm happy someone has taken the time to move development of the leaders along. That seems to be stalled at PI.

Does the install screw up my vanilla version??

Is there a global setting for the probability of the AI's decision to follow the historical path?

 

[Lord Jarski]

As long as you rename or backup your ai folder, no, it doesent screw up your vanilla version. All the events amd scenario files are in their own folders so they wont overwrite anything, and I have not touched any files that would alter the checksum, so its quite safe, as long as the ai folder is backed up. You can then swap between vanilla AIs and these AIs by switching the folder names.

AIs decision to follow the historical path? Do you mean in events? Standard AoD has the option of Historical events outcome, which makes the AIs go for the historical path in events in this scenario aswell.

 

[Lord Jarski]

Uploaded new version. Included new slightly edited AIs for Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England(independent), unification stuff for Central-America and Benelux-countries and some other tweakes to the new events. France also receives back its lands from allied/soviet AIs after Germany is defeated, will make the same events for other Allied countries too eventually. Added also infra constructions to Shaanxis and Guangxi Cliques capitals.

 

[Lord Jarski]

Yet another version uploaded.
Changes:

- Fixed a wrong id in Allied Hendaye event chain
- Added full slider move events for all the minors in Central and South-America and Caribbeans
- Made slightly modified default AIs for Indonesia, Congo, Ruanda, Somalia and Libya
- AI China now does espionage on Japan
- A human Japan can now decide to let a human-played China unify with Manchukuo and Mengkukuo after its been puppeted
- Indonesia gains 0.45 free daily manpower after its liberated
- Various fixes to some events

 

[Titan79]

New version uploaded, but your first post's last edit still dates 8/3... you might want to check that.

 

[Lord Jarski]

The Imp.rar to which the download link refers to is updated.

 

[Lord Jarski]

Again an update to Imp.rar:

- Slightly edited Syrian, Lebanese, Portuguese, English, UK, Welsh, Northern Irish and Scottish AI, gave some AA construction orders, tweaked production and Garrison AIs and stuff like that
- Gave India 100 convoys and decreased their manpower accordingly, also gave a serial of 99 convoys to their production, and created a heavy trade convoy from UK to India so they dont run out of materials so easily
- Fixed an ID error in UK
- Bulgarian AI now cedes most of Greece to allied Italy if it happens to gain their provinces
- National ideas changing event for North Korean AI and double one for Communist China so they change their ideas again if annexed and then liberated by Soviet Union
- Finished an event between AI Japan and China, Japan AI now cedes all of Chinese provinces to its Chinese puppet, apart from some southern ones which they cede to China after/if India falls

/EDIT: Fixed another ID error in UK

 

[Lord Jarski]

New stuff uploaded

- Added events that return the capital of Netherlands, Belgium, France and UK back to France after regaining the province in question
- Toned down some AIs investment percentage to reinforcements, as they run out of manpower yet still try to reinforce with alot of IC
- More tweakes to UK and Japan Garrison AI, they "should" now keep a garrison force at home
- Fixed the central-american unification events
- Added UK an infantry serial at beginning, so AI has more troops for war
- Reworked Japans starting constructions
- Told Poland AI to pull back its troops, hoping for a better defensive line
- Italian AI waits untill 41 before sending exp. forces to Germany
- US AI now researches rockets, and switches its STR bomber production to ICBMs when it finishes the tech, so watch out for those nuclear warheads
- Fixed Bracero Programs US-side event
- Some minor tweaks to events

 

[bestmajor]

Hi Jarski,

last year i made some event suggestions for the WiF mod and uploaded them here. maybe you can use a few in this promising mod.

one thing which bothers me a lot is the AI doing nothing in the 50s (especially the US AI). is that fixed in your mod?

 

[Lord Jarski]

Hey! I will certainly have a look at your event suggestions.

Well, this is a work in progress still, but I do intend to add in custom post-war events, like the independence of various colonial nations, forming of NATO&Warsaw pact, Arab-Israeli conflicts and such Cold War Era happenings. At the moment, I have not made alot of Cold War AIs yet, but several nations develop ICBMs and a nuclear program, so expect some pretty apocalyptic wars if the Cold War gets hot.

I wasnt planning on adding alot more historical events for WW2 itself at this moment, so the Post-War Era will be looked in to in near future. I just need to slap the AIs around so they can manage a favourable situation for it (at least on their own), currently the war against Japan takes far too long for the Allied/Soviet AIs to finish, which is the next big AI fix I will try to do.

EDIT:

Had a quick stroll through your suggestions, a few of them are already in, like Hendaye meeting and portuguese volunteers to SCW. Some of those are pure flavour, with no impact on the war, but flavour is nice too. Will probably adopt and add in some of those suggestions, at least some for the minor nations who lack interesting events otherwise.

Although I must admit that new historical events are a low priority for me at the moment, as I am wrestling with the AIs and theres still so much issues and different situations I need to adapt the AIs in to.

But you will see some of your suggestions incorporated in, sooner or later, thats a promise

 

[bestmajor]

as for events i dont need much for the cold war era. whats annoying if you play germany is that if you have eg taken down the bear in the east and start to prepare a fleet for the new world, the US-ai is already down (or at least it seems so as its doing nothing new except waiting).

i can alter some simple things in ai files like production etc, but wont go for the rest. so if you could change this you would have a new customer - and maybe contributor as well.

i attach some events i wrote for the USSR, maybe you can use - but dont take the purges events as these wont work with vanilla (needs the CSV from my painting project, which gives a lot more öeaders to many nations).

 

[Lord Jarski]

What would you like for the USA AI to do in that situation? If you have defeated USSR on land, that basically means you are no1 in land army, making an invasion a nigh suicide, even if led by a human, let alone AI which is terrible in naval invasions.

By 1950ish, my USA AI should have 60-70 aircraft carriers, 80-100 strategic bombers, have slightly over 500 base IC and 100+ elite divisions, depending of course on how the war has gone for them. They will also have up-to-date nuclear techs and most likely ICBMs, meaning they can strike pretty much anywhere with their warheads. I hope that will at least provide small challenge

 

[bestmajor]

By 1950ish, my USA AI should have 60-70 aircraft carriers, 80-100 strategic bombers, have slightly over 500 base IC and 100+ elite divisions, depending of course on how the war has gone for them. They will also have up-to-date nuclear techs and most likely ICBMs, meaning they can strike pretty much anywhere with their warheads. I hope that will at least provide small challenge

the problem is that the USAians are just nuking, but inactive otherwise. they do have a lot of stuff, but as GER you have to sail to the US east coast to meet/meat them.

so IMO the US navy and marine corps should get more active in Europe, maybe give a boost like for POL CAV.

last year i made some research for USMC Generals and i think i hunted down most of them, just i never see them on my beaches as GER




as for the events, no hurry take what you need/like; just see it as input.

 

[Lord Jarski]

Yeah, the AI is really dreadfull at performing any meaningfull landings where you have to reinforce it with massed troops, it takes it forever to reinforce the landings, may work against other AIs but a human would just push them back to the sea.

Maybe I should code some USA AI that triggers after Bitter Peace, which makes them start to dig in more on their own beaches and then concentrate to take out Japan first, and then concentrate again on the Germans afterwards.

But thanks for your input and ideas! I appreciate them

 

[unmerged(151142)]

A lot of interesting ideas to this...Jarski, I keep wondering how you succeeded with creating Egypt - I tried myself some time ago and figured that any AI-UK would be unable to defend Alexandria if its part of Egypt (which I had created a UK puppet), instead it amasses its troops in Khartoum. How did you get this fixed?

 

[Lord Jarski]

A lot of interesting ideas to this...Jarski, I keep wondering how you succeeded with creating Egypt - I tried myself some time ago and figured that any AI-UK would be unable to defend Alexandria if its part of Egypt (which I had created a UK puppet), instead it amasses its troops in Khartoum. How did you get this fixed?

Yeah thats a problem ive been having aswell sometimes, often with Suez too.

Egypt starts out independent, and doesent join the Allies untill 1942 unless its attacked by someone. Ive scaled down the North African campaign quite a bit between AIs, usually UK just takes over Libya and Italian East Africa and thats the end of it, no assault on Egypt and stuff like that.

I actually dont know what happens if a human Italy comes along and attacks Egypt, theoratically UK should send forces to help, but AI is always a bit silly when it needs to fight on someone elses provinces. Would probably need some exp. force commands to Egypt and stuff like that. Ive partially tried to address the problem by ordering Egyptian AI to construct lvl 10 fortress to Alexandria.

UK AI is pretty keen on landing in Libya so they ought to reinforce Egypts defences eventually...

 

[bestmajor]

looked at the ai files, just FRA 1936 is a bit extreme, dont you think?

i would definately let them build some infra in Paris amd IC as well, enable mountaineer techs again and add eng and art brigades for construction and at least one point for secret techs (FRA gets a lot of bueprints and there is not much for secret techs, but all usefull)

as for exp forces i would add no exp forces to BEL

 

[Lord Jarski]

France has a starting construction of maximum IC and infra in Paris, which is why the AI does not have IC construction allowed in its AI file, it does have an infra command to Paris regardless, so it finishes the infra if it returns to Europe after being Vichyed. Secret techs is a definite oversight, it should be 10, not 0, good that you spotted it.

Mountaineers, well, I suppose it wouldnt hurt for them to upgrade their existing ones. Will allow their research, but give it no priority. Will also allow the research of oil refinings which lead to the nice IC boosting techs, and do some other tweaks to their research aswell.

Their exp_force_ratio is 0, so they wont send expeditionary forces to Belgium, nor anyone else.

Brigades to their infantry, well, the thing is, AI does not know how to cancel the ship building they have at the beginning, so they are quite thin on IC for the first year or so, so in my eyes, its important that they can wield as many men, and as fast as possible. If their infantry has brigades, certainly, they will fight better, but there will also be alot fewer of them on the field. But I will change it so that on an estimate, 10% of the infantry they build has an engineer brigade. At least then, a human UK can use the engineers to gain the dig in bonus. On its own, the AI is rather inefficient with using engineers.

Thanks for your feedback! Will modify the AI accordingly hope it yields good results.