Plotable Strategy Map

[Witzig]

Is it possible/desirable to have a layer or tool available, introduced over the existing map to allow the plotting of offences and troop movements with labels, such as the strategy layer on civ4.

This allows a simple mouse drawn line to inidicate the path of advances, defensive positions or phase lines etc. and comments to be added. This is a great tool for planing operations and invaluble in coordinating multiplayer actions. Especially with the increased size of the map in HOI3

To have it on screen would be a great addition to the game as it would save faffing about with printed maps which dont necessarily show the upto date troop locations etc.


I am sure this would enhace the combat planning aspect of the game, after all you gota have a plan? right?

 

[igro_bel]

Fully agree

Is it possible/desirable to have a layer or tool available, introduced over the existing map to allow the plotting of offences and troop movements with labels, such as the strategy layer on civ4.

It'll be very desirable, especially concerning attacking countries, f.e. Germany and Japan. We know (who don't know - Wikipedia exist:rofl history and sure I always make my preparation concluding historical circumstances. Meanwhile I'm forced to draw by hand (such scrawls)

 

[MaybeNever]

Concur 100%. Such a strategy map would be useful not only for multiplayer but for people like me who will save his game and start it again three months later with no idea what his strategy was supposed to be. Plus it would be cool, and that's what really matters.

 

[Battlecry]

Yeah we proposed this a few months ago. The simplest way to incorporate it might be a map 'layer' which you can draw on, and which saves your drawings. Preferably with some sort of arrow-placing tool so we don't actually have to draw arrows everywhere, just sort of click-aim-click.
Helpful also would be some way to estimate ETAs, always a crucial factor in planning.

I could add a dozen more wishes, but keeping it simple & easy to incorporate increases the chances of it actually being incorporated, I think/hope.

Planning is a crucial part of warfare, so why not make it a crucial part of a wargame? Seems logical to me.

 

[Thomas Kenobi]

I wholeheartedly agree with this suggestion. Personally what I would use this most for, would be to draw the limits between the various army groups during an advance. This way I can make sure that each stays in their own area of responsibility.

 

[Black Lotus]

I would love this so much, especially if it can be used for AAR's, but personal use would be a big win too.

 

[Battlecry]

Hopefully, this could be combined with some form of simple notepad (perhaps built into the same map layer) that would save your notes to the savegame file. After all a map with some drawings might not make much sense without some notes to accompany it. (Have fun trying to write little notes freehand with a mouse!)

 

[unmerged(97006)]

Hear hear!

For multiplayer it would be simpler, neater and easier to refer to than having to describe it all over voice chat. Plotting army group areas would be an excellent use, particularly now the tiered chain of command concept is in.

 

[unmerged(134560)]

I love this idea. Planning with my multiplayerfriends would become much easier. Especially with the many new provinces in HOI3 I`m sure it isn`t easy to learn quickly all regions and provinces names. Then a fast describe of some planned operations with arrows and other notes on the map, which will immediately appear at the other clients (selectable), that would be a very nice option.

 

[unmerged(28377)]

I'am afraid it's a bit too late in the developpement process if not already planed. But the idea and is great. Is there a simple way to mod this with this graphical engine? Could we simply modify a "useless" or "not already" assigned map mode layer ? As far as I remember 2 or 3 were non labeled in the last Alpha map I saw ?

Paradox guy please what are the "not already" assigned map mode layers for ?

regards

 

[Battlecry]

I'am afraid it's a bit too late in the developpement process if not already planed.

I doubt that. The things we're discussing are require only very basic coding, as they change no game mechanics and incorporate things which are already in the engine (text-based savegame files, for instance). A programmer could probably add this stuff in a day (8 man-hours or less, that is, I have no idea what schedule the P'Dox guys work). Drawing on the map and saving it requires only a very basic overlay - a transparent image the same size as the world map, on which to draw lines or whatever you wish.

 

[nwinther]

I absolutely love the idea. I often have trouble keeping my AG's coherent, as some units tend to "drift" towards or be attracted to certain areas (of battle) and then failing to return. Too often, this leads to 3/4 of my army cluttered up in north-central european russia, with the remaining 1/4 battling on the steppes of Ukraine and beyond and my mountaineers are cluttering around moscow, while some underequipped allied infantry corps tries to unhinge the Caucasus - too often assisted by a panzer-army that's not up to the task.

 

[unmerged(28377)]

I'am afraid drawing tools for this Plotable Map need some development/time.

 

[unmerged(37697)]

Cool idea!

IIRC, such a feature was in Empire Earth II.

 

[True Grit]

I think this is a fantastic idea. I would love to see it implemented.

 

[xelloss]

I doubt that. The things we're discussing are require only very basic coding, as they change no game mechanics and incorporate things which are already in the engine (text-based savegame files, for instance). A programmer could probably add this stuff in a day (8 man-hours or less, that is, I have no idea what schedule the P'Dox guys work). Drawing on the map and saving it requires only a very basic overlay - a transparent image the same size as the world map, on which to draw lines or whatever you wish.

Which would make every savegame hundreds of MB's ^_^. A better solution would be vector graphics. It might be more limited (you can select arrow and draw from one province to another for example) but would only add a few kB's to our already substantial savegames.

 

[koontz]

and also it would be nice to have the abilty to plan an operation in peace, now in hoi2 u can issue order for airplanes and make your division attack 1 province.

 

[unmerged(37697)]

This would be amazing in MP - imagine the Britain and France players trading ideas for the best possible defence along the Rhine and into Belgium, where the main colonial defense forces shall be, where navies shall be positioned, &c.

Truly awesome idea for team co-operation. Also, it needn't be too complex - simply a blank overlay of the world map with three of four basic marker types.

 

[Battlecry]

Which would make every savegame hundreds of MB's ^_^. A better solution would be vector graphics. It might be more limited (you can select arrow and draw from one province to another for example) but would only add a few kB's to our already substantial savegames.

a) The only thing I'm talking about adding to the savegame file would be plain text - the "notepad" concept above.
b) The transparent overlay could be saved each time you use it (a separate image file), and like any image file would only be increased/decreased when changed. The file would/could just stay as you left it last, until you "clear" it via a button ingame of some type.

The suggestion that any of this would take up "hundreds of MB" is misleading to the point of ridiculousness. The text would be standard, one byte per letter. The image file would come with the game, and I can't imagine adding drawn lines (or simple markers/arrows) to it would add more than a few KB, if even that.

With "hundreds of MB" you could record an hour or so of game on video in roughly TV quality...several orders of magnitude beyond what I'm talking about.

I don't see how you'd input vector data into a plain text savegame file anyway (then again I'm not a graphics guy).

 

[unmerged(131989)]

Quite. Hundreds of MB is ridiculous!