"Red Ball Express" (1.1 Patch) Released! [checksum: 5d33]

[Radish]

我来围观下

 

[Invader_Canuck]

clean 5d33 RedBall patch, playing Haiti (no, not observe mode ). Many, many issues are gone or at least under control. The patch is a definite improvement.

Sadly though not all major issues are addressed....
View attachment 193123

Germany has decided it has nothing better to do (say like, umm the Balkans, or Scandanavia) so it has sent 90 divisions to Africa
View attachment 193124

And nations can still send fat lumbering "transports" loaded with divisions anywhere in the world with apparent impunity from naval interception. Using convoys instead of transports appear to equal unlimited range.

The Royal navy evidently considers it unsporting to sink unescorted convoys. Germany and Italy can send anything anywhere they like, as long as it is a transport mission.

This is a major game play and balance issue and needs to be fixed asap.

The naval convoys around the world to transport troops, and the AI's obsession with Africa are both linked together, and more importantly, far more game breaking than the AI just abandoning the front with France to the USSR.

Why? The AI loading 300 division onto transports and sending them to Ethiopia, North Africa and China is functionally the same thing as abandoning the french front to go stand on the USSR border, only worse, because they are jumping on ships, where they do get sunk occasionally, and they are abandoning the border with France, not just to go to the USSR, but to go to Ethiopia and China.

This is absolutely something that was introduced with the second to last 1.1 patch. The AI was obsessed with Africa then as well, but the difference was Germany and Italy wouldn't load 75-80% of their divisions or more, and move them to Africa via convoy. The only way Germany would go to Africa, was if Nationalist Spain joined the Axis, took Gibraltar from the British AND France had been conquered.

I don't know if Paradox is gone now, or if they have one more work day left, but if the game is left in this state for the next 5 weeks with this issue, it's going to be very rough.

The majority of people playing this game, are not putting in the hours to really notice this issue yet, but over the next 5 weeks, they absolutely will, and when they do. This forum is going to be filled with rage.

I'm hoping that all the naval mission changes in the defines that they did is what caused this, and by reverting them the AI will stop the behavior, but as much as I am hoping, my money is on it being a hardcoded behavior resulting from something they did to try and fix the initial front abandonment issue.

 

[MinusZheen]

Hello Paradox,

first of all - thanks for the patch.

But I have a question - are NAV Bomber immune to interception now? I rule the skye over Japan and the seas but my ships are getting attackt by NAVs. And no, I can not bomb the shit out of the airfields, I'm playing as Cuba

It happened several times that my fighters refuse to shoot down the NAVs ...

Also - can you please program the AI to use it's fighters too and not stand with 275 on one tile to get killed by attrition?

Btw - I think 90% of my losses are from attrition trying to clean up pockets to get the AI moving again ....

I guess many of this got mentioned allready but I am too annoyed atm to read through this forum. Sorry about that.

 

[Axe99]

The naval convoys around the world to transport troops, and the AI's obsession with Africa are both linked together, and more importantly, far more game breaking than the AI just abandoning the front with France to the USSR.

Why? The AI loading 300 division onto transports and sending them to Ethiopia, North Africa and China is functionally the same thing as abandoning the french front to go stand on the USSR border, only worse, because they are jumping on ships, where they do get sunk occasionally, and they are abandoning the border with France, not just to go to the USSR, but to go to Ethiopia and China.

This is absolutely something that was introduced with the second to last 1.1 patch. The AI was obsessed with Africa then as well, but the difference was Germany and Italy wouldn't load 75-80% of their divisions or more, and move them to Africa via convoy. The only way Germany would go to Africa, was if Nationalist Spain joined the Axis, took Gibraltar from the British AND France had been conquered.

I don't know if Paradox is gone now, or if they have one more work day left, but if the game is left in this state for the next 5 weeks with this issue, it's going to be very rough.

The majority of people playing this game, are not putting in the hours to really notice this issue yet, but over the next 5 weeks, they absolutely will, and when they do. This forum is going to be filled with rage.

I'm hoping that all the naval mission changes in the defines that they did is what caused this, and by reverting them the AI will stop the behavior, but as much as I am hoping, my money is on it being a hardcoded behavior resulting from something they did to try and fix the initial front abandonment issue.

In my game this arvo (which started on the first iteration of the 1.1 patch, so I didn't read too much into it because I figured it might be screwy because of the multiple partial-patches during the save) Japan (as part of the Axis) has plonked 79 divisions in Italian Somalia for no reason I can fathom. I'm playing as Italy, and building up the infra there so they don't waste their industry dealing with the 24 per cent attrition they're incurring. I haven't even thought about modding around this kind of thing yet, but sounds like it might be worth a thought or two. Do you think it's VP based or something else?

 

[Count Blue]

This forum is going to be filled with rage.

It is already isnt it?

 

[Jorlem]

Is anyone else only getting access to some of your allies' occupied airbases? It makes pushing forward rather annoying, when I can't deploy my CAS.

Spoiler

 

[MinusZheen]

Also - can you please program the AI to use it's fighters too and not stand with 275 on one tile to get killed by attrition?

Btw - I think 90% of my losses are from attrition trying to clean up pockets to get the AI moving again ....

Ok, I gave up with Japan. This AI is just bonkers atm. Take a beachhead and the AI floods it with 250+ units making it impossible to do anything ...

PLEASE - give the AI something that will consider supplies ... please?

Is anyone else only getting access to some of your allies' occupied airbases? It makes pushing forward rather annoying, when I can't deploy my CAS.

Sometimes, sometimes not - I couldn't figure out what let's you deploy your own aircrafts.

But maybe you can only use bases that have no supplies anyway? (paradox - I'm sorry about that one )

 

[Meglok]

Hello Paradox,

first of all - thanks for the patch.

But I have a question - are NAV Bomber immune to interception now? I rule the skye over Japan and the seas but my ships are getting attackt by NAVs. And no, I can not bomb the shit out of the airfields, I'm playing as Cuba

It happened several times that my fighters refuse to shoot down the NAVs ...

Also - can you please program the AI to use it's fighters too and not stand with 275 on one tile to get killed by attrition?

Btw - I think 90% of my losses are from attrition trying to clean up pockets to get the AI moving again ....

I guess many of this got mentioned allready but I am too annoyed atm to read through this forum. Sorry about that.

Air interception and combat is all relative to multiple factors.
the tech level of your planes vs theirs;
your doctrines vs theirs;
are they escorted;
are you using single engine or twin engine fighters;
are you flying intercept or air superiority;

There re several good threads discussing sir combat, but I am not sure they are accurate for 1.1 RedBall.

Four items I do agree need improvement in air vs ship combat:
1) Bombing accuracy vs ships at sea is ridiculously high;
2) Naval AA is woefully under-valued in ships in the 1940 tech line on up;
3) All Naval doctrines need to add an improvement on naval AA sooner in the tech line.
4) The variant value when you add naval AA to existing ships probably should be a tad higher

 

[MinusZheen]

Air interception and combat is all relative to multiple factors.
the tech level of your planes vs theirs;
your doctrines vs theirs;
are they escorted;
are you using single engine or twin engine fighters;
are you flying intercept or air superiority;

After playing a bit more I figured out what happened - while I wasn't watching, the AI flooded the area of my airfield, draining all supplies including the fighters. The more I play the more it becomes obvious - there is a serious AI supply problem atm.

And a "stay calm, be nice, it's only a game" problem from my side. That's why I forgot to mention that I figured it out. Because the last game drove me a bit nuts to be honest

 

[Meglok]

The naval convoys around the world to transport troops, and the AI's obsession with Africa are both linked together, and more importantly, far more game breaking than the AI just abandoning the front with France to the USSR............

I'm hoping that all the naval mission changes in the defines that they did is what caused this, and by reverting them the AI will stop the behavior, but as much as I am hoping, my money is on it being a hardcoded behavior resulting from something they did to try and fix the initial front abandonment issue.

I am afraid you are correct. The exotic tour packages being sold to the Wehrmacht and all the other armies did change during the beta corrections to front priority, and it appears to be hard coded. I understand that PDS wanted to allow players to do what ever they wanted. But the AI has to have limits, such as nor more than x % of divisions outside Europe if SOV exists for Germany and Italy.

2nd game in on 1.1 and I am spending more time fixing the AI blunders of my allies than fighting the enemy. I almost want to demand every allied unit as an Exp Force and position them myself.

I say 2nd game because the AI blew up my first one. I was trying to stay historical and just about to fire Danzig in late 1939 when my dear allies Italy fire a DoW on Yugoslavia. Who promptly joins the Comintern. Which promptly allowed Russia to ignore the M-R Pact and DoW Italy, Romania, and Hungary and pour over 100 divisions across the Romanian border while it still has almost 70 divisions romping through Finland. So much for seeing how the games runs historically.
This convinced me that;
a) the order of sequence in ai_focus needs a good review;
b) the AI doesn't either consider or try to modify relations or governments;
and c) it is still far too easy to ignore a NAP by abusing allied AI idiocy.

 

[bdodig]

This issue was present since the start, AI does not really consider the supply situation, nor does it reasonably decide strategic priority of areas for purposes if deciding where to focus the war effort. If it considered "homeland defense" as top priority and conquering or defending areas close to home second, it would be better.

Ah, well, it's summer time and it's going to be likely improved by the end of it. They have improved some things with the AI, what is now most lacking is the "strategic" layer.

 

[RogalDorn]

Is this going to improve death stacks or is it going to make them worse?

My cure for death stacks is 1000 naval bombers...I feel bad for all the fish trying to dodge the Royal navy on their way to the bottom.

 

[RogalDorn]

I am afraid you are correct. The exotic tour packages being sold to the Wehrmacht and all the other armies did change during the beta corrections to front priority, and it appears to be hard coded. I understand that PDS wanted to allow players to do what ever they wanted. But the AI has to have limits, such as nor more than x % of divisions outside Europe if SOV exists for Germany and Italy.

2nd game in on 1.1 and I am spending more time fixing the AI blunders of my allies than fighting the enemy. I almost want to demand every allied unit as an Exp Force and position them myself.

I say 2nd game because the AI blew up my first one. I was trying to stay historical and just about to fire Danzig in late 1939 when my dear allies Italy fire a DoW on Yugoslavia. Who promptly joins the Comintern. Which promptly allowed Russia to ignore the M-R Pact and DoW Italy, Romania, and Hungary and pour over 100 divisions across the Romanian border while it still has almost 70 divisions romping through Finland. So much for seeing how the games runs historically.
This convinced me that;
a) the order of sequence in ai_focus needs a good review;
b) the AI doesn't either consider or try to modify relations or governments;
and c) it is still far too easy to ignore a NAP by abusing allied AI idiocy.

Historical AI just means that it tries to follow historical paths through the national focus tree. I think that was a bold bit of political maneuvering on the SU's part. They must have been influencing Yugoslavia for them to Flip red like that.

 

[OberGeneral]

I know that this is not the proper place for this but I have a DLC problem. New to Steam. I posted this in HOI IV bug reports but of course PDX is on vacation!
Now to the problem. I downloaded the 1.1.0 patch and now when I start the game and mouse over the DLC tab is says 'No DLC available'. I have restarted Steam, I have unchecked all installed DLC in Steam and re-checked them. All to no avail. I am at a lose. I will be very thankful for any and all suggestions. Especially the ones that fix this.

nvm I just extracted to the correct folders. Thanks for the non replies.

 

[Ricox]

I am really, really disappointed with the state of the game right now... apparently this patch is even worse than the previous version of the game due to German AI shenanigans of abandoning frontlines and the like, which was NOT fixed with the patch's transition from beta to official.

I'm basically forced to shelf this game for a month or two until you guys release a proper patch, which is frankly disappointing. I had a lot of fun with the game and already put over 100 hours into it, I had high hopes for the next patch to make the game much more fun to play, but with it introducing so many new AI issues - just not worth it...

You guys should not have planned the release date in a way that would be so close to your summer vacation that effectively makes the game abandoned for a month due to no development work (which it desperately needs).

Just my two cents, no offense intended, the game is still lovely.

 

[Becko]

The game still lagging at every ingame hour crazily, When we have lots of divisions up the game just can't handle it at all. Try compiling it with: -p -pg -g3 and also use it for linking then
gprof play.exe gmon.out | gprof2dot | dot -Tpng -o output.png

https://github.com/jrfonseca/gprof2dot/blob/master/sample.png
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jrfonseca/gprof2dot/master/sample.png

 

[Meglok]

Historical AI just means that it tries to follow historical paths through the national focus tree. I think that was a bold bit of political maneuvering on the SU's part. They must have been influencing Yugoslavia for them to Flip red like that.

Afraid you give the AI too much credit. I checked past saves to verify. Yugoslav politics stayed the same up until the DoW, 16.6% democratic, 16.6% communist, 66.7% unaligned. Because tension was at 100% before I even fired Danzig (thank you Japan) Yugoslavia immediately joined an alliance. Guess it was a coin flip and Comintern won.

I did check the ai_focus sequence for Italy. The Claims on Yugoslavia focus is the 10th on the list, which fires it in late 1937. That is completely ahistorical. Italian - Yugoslav relations didn't go into the tank until after Italy grabbed Albania and Prince Pavle fired Milan Stojadinović.

To maintain the illusion of a historical game (which is what the ai-focus file is supposed to do) Yugoslavia should get an event that tilts the AI Yugoslav govt towards the Allies when Italy fires it focus and grabs Albania. This would model Prince Pavle stepping in, taking control of the government, and working secretly with ENG. And the Italian focus to Issue Demands on Yugoslavia shouldn't fire until at least the end of 1939 and after Albania, which is when Italy started to plan to take Dalmatia and Slovenia. Otherwise Italy can drag Germany into an ahistorical war in the Balkans involving Russia n spite of the M-R Pact.

 

[melkor88]

Thanks for the patch

 

[chochom]

- Changed German democratic party to Zentrum

From bad to worse. Putting Adenauer in the SPD at least was kind of funny.

Let's see:
On the one hand you have the "Deutsche Zentrumspartei" which was a smaller party (~10-12% in the last few elections) that actually supported Hitler on some major decisions (in particular the "enabling act" of '33). On the other hand you have the SPD which was the major democratic party for decades (winning all elections 1890-1930) that strongly opposed Hitler.
Well, I guess you only had a picture of Adenauer and not Wels or Schumacher.

 

[bdodig]

I did check the ai_focus sequence for Italy. The Claims on Yugoslavia focus is the 10th on the list, which fires it in late 1937. That is completely ahistorical. Italian - Yugoslav relations didn't go into the tank until after Italy grabbed Albania and Prince Pavle fired Milan Stojadinović.

To maintain the illusion of a historical game (which is what the ai-focus file is supposed to do) Yugoslavia should get an event that tilts the AI Yugoslav govt towards the Allies when Italy fires it focus and grabs Albania. This would model Prince Pavle stepping in, taking control of the government, and working secretly with ENG. And the Italian focus to Issue Demands on Yugoslavia shouldn't fire until at least the end of 1939 and after Albania, which is when Italy started to plan to take Dalmatia and Slovenia. Otherwise Italy can drag Germany into an ahistorical war in the Balkans involving Russia n spite of the M-R Pact.

Yes, the Albania ultimatum should be before the Yugoslavian decision in the national focus tree, both for historical and for gameplay reasons. Or rather, the "befriend Yugoslavia" and "Albanian ultimatum" should be mutually exclusive side by side options, with Albanian ultimatum leading to claims on Yugoslavia focus.