Converting divisions, battle reports and more

[Erlend]

If Paradox decides to lunch another patch for doomsday and armageddon, then I have some thoughts on improvements:

1. Converting divisions. During the war several divisions who started out as infantry divisions where given additional equipment like trucks, armoured personell carriers and tanks. Thus turning them into Motorized Divisions or Mechanized Divisions. This isn't reflected in the game so far and I would REALLY like that!!!

How would one do that? Well...why not just click on the division and then have a button on it that says "Convert". And then pick a division type from a list. The division should then be put in the pool (taking up TC, or/and adding cost of IC to production) for a period of time.

2. Battle Reports. In the latest games (Europa Universalis 3 and Rome) Paradox have added a great feature: battle reports. This would have been brilliant to have in HoI!

Uhm...about those battle reports...it would have been fantastic if it showed how many men fell in the battle AND the loss of material (trucks, AT-guns, Art-guns, tanks, etc.) Not asking it to be to complex! Lets say a panzerdivision has 300 tanks (full strength). and it loses 10 out of a 100 in strength...then that would be 30 tanks! something like that please...

Monthly and yearly summary: every month and at the end of every year a summary of losses should pop up. The losses should also be stored in the Statistics menu.

The 2 suggestions above are the ones most important to me...the rest are...hopefull thoughts... ​

3. Adding more detail to the manpower. Not just personell but add the number of tanks, cannons (AT and Art), small aircraft (fighters, CAS etc.), large aircraft (Tac & Strat), and the ammount of general equipment (small arms, rations, boots and spare parts) that are available.

4. More provinces. Twice as many provinces please...at least do something about Reims. Maybe altering the map as a bit much to ask...ah well...

5. Stack limit. There should be a limit as to how many divisions can stay in one province at a time. Prevent "overstacking".

 

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4. More provinces. Twice as many provinces please...at least do something about Reims. Maybe altering the map as a bit much to ask...ah well...

Or more provinces in Germany

 

[Balesir]

Hi, Erlend,

Re. converting divisions, look here for the way I suggested it should be done.

Re. Battle Reports - good idea! Especially, as I have said before, it would be nice if the numbers of units on the opposition side were considered in the 'Intelligence Report' on the country/countries concerned. It bugs me when I meet armoured divisions several times in combat, but my 'spies' still tell me "they have no armoured divisions, nosiree!"...

 

[Erlend]

Hi, Balesir!

I have quickly read your discussion with Lennartos, and here are my thoughts:

Having a game thats that detailed looks brilliant...to me that is... (other people I know have also requested more detail). The problem with making HoI that complex is that you would lose some of the "fast gameplay". Systems in this game need to be as simple and easy to understand as possible. If we want to keep the genaral public interested, that is...

One way to adress this issue could be to create a button in the Options menu: Level of Complexity/Detail. However...having such a button is probably going to require a "patch" MUCH larger than "Doomsday" and "Armageddon" put together.

Then again...adding that button could probably relaunch the game...!

 

[Balesir]

I know what you mean, but with some sensible defaults in place (there are mentions in some other threads around here - it has got a bit 'fractionated', unfortunately) I think the required complexity could be kept to a minimum. If you look here and here also, it all fits into a 'grand scheme' to keep things simple but add an elegant level of balance and verisimilitude.

Hopefully.

 

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re: converting divisions... not a bad idea.

i would just add though that it would be neat if the name of the division changed appropriately - without the former version being cycled back into the unit queue. This would avoid multiple variations of the same unit.

e.g. the 567. Infanterie Division 'Die Dummen Köpfe' starts as infantry.
Then after being motorized, then name changes to 567. Infanterie Division 'Die Dummen Köpfe' (mot.)
Then the 567. Panzer-Grenadier Division 'Die Dummen Köpfe'.
Finally the 567. Panzer Division 'Die Dummen Köpfe'.

Possibly also working backwards? (Dunno if it would be possible to have "shadow divisions" downgraded from normal Infantry, to say... a Volksgrenadier unit with the same number).

Oh, and an alternative example would be militia divisions being converted standard infantry, which happened in the Red Army.

While i'm rambling... also for the Red Army, it would be nice to have some of the most experienced units earning the Guards title during the course of the game.

[Slightly related to my idea that HQ units should occasionally change their unit name {especially if the AI is running them} based on who is leading them/where there are located. e.g. What is Army Group Centre doing stationed in the south? And Army Group Norway doing guarding the beaches of France?]

 

[Balesir]

Well, you can always just use the typing keys to change the names as you wish, you know!

 

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Well, you can always just use the typing keys to change the names as you wish, you know!

i have yet to see the A.I. type though.

 

[Balesir]

i have yet to see the A.I. type though.

Ah - OK, I see what you mean - renaming of AI units. How would that be coded - by area/region, maybe? You would need to have 2-3 names per unit type per region, plus some 'general purpose' ones, I reckon. Sounds do-able, but when would you see them? Maybe HQ units should be more 'detectable' by INTEL - that would make sense.