modified and cleaned up
Dear Reader
Years have come and gone ideas have been had and shared many talented people
like gunner24 guzfun, lancier, Bussy and others (don't hate me for not remembering
all your names) have given their time and passion to create groups in which to play
campaign games, with paper maps or in combination with third party software games
battles to be fought with Lgdn or HistwarN , they rewarded players with medals and
an honorable mention, on the club forum all this but without a real engine to record all this
a Histwar Campaign engine.
There was something in the works I read in a post in the Lordz forum but nothing official.
So what would we really need ? and if I may I will make a suggestion:
refraining from a critique on Mr Mathe's vision of creating a Napoleonic simulation of
the chain of command physics and tactics uniforms doctrine of the armies of the Napoleonic period
which came off rather well but not without its share of glitches and setbacks:
there was a major obstacle with the 3d engine and the various attempts to rectify the misinterpretation
between the logic engine and the latter with odds and ends bugs and misunderstandings or misreadings
of the manual.
But was that really necessary? I mean most of us who played a Histwar battle, played on the F2 map (a possible further development of the F4 map was discussed)I don't know of anyone playing battles entirely from the saddle the Army commander saddle (our only choice for now...? ) SOWW is already ready 'command from the saddle'.
I would be more then happy to see a version of an interactive a capable AI on a well developed F4 campaign
map simple efficient graphics single colored blocks representing regiments 4 regiments one brigade
A brigade could be the single unit default with any number of battalions (fixed) depending on the nation but a brigade treated as the single unit with 100 or possibly more maximum.
All evolution of movement as represented in the diagrams (an example)attached could be represented as an animation.
If a brigade attack is launched with a battalion of skirmishers in front it only needs to be represented
in a simple animation within the campaign zoom level ( 3d engine representation when watching the replay)not counted against the total number of units allowed. (we have a view now but not company size my est 120 140 figs
at a 1:1 70 at 2:1)
The fight itself is really calculated on how each player prepares his attack vs a defense prepared or not
higher ground open field vs rough with its possible varieties and one side winning the fight or losing.
In the brigade there a 4 or more possible attacks (save a reserve) once these are exhausted the losing
brigade by greater loss of manpower and morale must retreat and rest a certain period of time.
Any brigade which has suffered 35% of its effective force must move to the rear (example)
A F4 style map with contours could be developed to include major (one) and minor rivers (several)
built up areas which can be placed near a body of water with a bridge span or be split over the river course.
examples? I need not go into that historical maps are filled with these.
In the campaign map (400 km ?) all movement will be on roads and in march column with its
complement of scouting troops, maneuver once contact is made from march column to column of division
(check it out on Imperial Bayonets) and as our dear Histwar AI simulates it
All attacks across a bridge span in march column, or skirmish rabble (open order is what someone called it).
Path finding in the game is 180 degree span with a an arrow style convergence to a location on the 2D map
all fine and well but a map is not the real ground locations were continually scouted out : the map was
just a drawing in the sand in the real world there are obstacles that slow the advance as well.
Not including road travel in the game is a simplification maybe but it robs the simulation of its characteristic
strategic application examples ? you know very well what I'm talking about.
In the game all terrain is ok to march on : wrong! (If there is no bug) a river or a lake and thick forest will stop a unit dead
on its track. That's 3 elements in a very complex emulation. Terrain was scouted for defense and offense tactical purposes and road travel is essential in any simulation or 'war game' on the market unless we treat all battles as an open, perhaps rolling hills terrain with a few features that you can march across without hindrance...we are not dealing
with tanks and tanks through the Ardennes (wwII) used roads much of the way breaking out at the edges were the vegetation was sparse.
March column up sloping mountainous terrain...(see Italy Bavaria Germany Austria Spain Portugal some parts of France)
combat and defense in march column (if there is room by single peloton). Hard going even harder to maneuver
guns over rocky ground see Soult in Spain : Albuera : simulate the ground properly.
Built up areas look good but rely on a simplistic + path finding scheme for movement and defense/offense currently
do work in the 3D representation and game logistic of the unit frontage and size...the barricades. However I must
point out that they are boulevards, the very same ones you see in Paris, Moscow ect were you could send a regiment
of cavalry to charge on a crowd of protesters...but these boulevards were in the center of the city mostly....why?
Towns and Cities and even Villages are 'bottlenecks' for a Napoleonic army of thousands of men carts artillery wagons
everyone knows this, and some created huge traffic jams...hardly represented in the game except for the bugs which
if they could be reproduced and controlled as a traffic jam scheme periodically (say 1 or 2 hours game time) could
actually add flavor to the simulation, even with the current 3d emulation of the event.
In a campaign map a City could have a spider web of roads and our march line would have to spend sometime
to cross it (represented by a long column/brigade/division) the defenders could be represented by a semicircle
a fight could develop...the moving column might be ordered out of the city and a bombardment begin , a town
could be razed/burned to the ground (Smolensk) all the effects of artillery in the game on infantry in this example
would have the defenders scurrying away...the march could then continue.
We don't want to spend so much time playing a game!
But that's the beauty of a simulation even if you can't historically reproduce the actual events of 1809
you can reproduce an event ...so if night falls the battle is continued on the next day a fair result in any
Napoleonic game I ever played in
All that can be represented in a board game map can be represented in our campaign map with its penalties
of time and cohesion....
a creek can be crossed without a lot of penalty
a canal ok for infantry but with penalties (cohesion and time) cavalry and artillery must go around use a ford or
use/build a bridge...rivers minor/major same as canal (+ penalties)
Forest(all arms) only in column of march on a road skirmishers in open order
Cavalry can hide in but not attack into or through (especially cuirassiers !) if attacked it must reform if there is
time break off/run away.
Artillery can continue to be a major pain in the ass
restrictions as to where it can fire from and
with target at any elevation? Behind a hill ? Through a hill? across a river ? or marsh ?
A simple smoke from the guns and sound, explosions of shell, raking from solid shot.
Skirmish fire from occupied buildings a simple representation.
So how much detail can be seen ? what zoom level? dimensions ?
a block of soldiers 3 deep 90 to 140 men wide can be designed how much animation do you really need
...little legs pumping away when you march is it necessary at a birds eye view? say F6 could be the limit
of vision in a local fight/occurrence by default....the battle part of the campaign would open on
request and the battle could be fought outright or you could continue in the campaign level if you wished
with a limited graphic element.
The game is being revamped by new graphics and a smoother interface (possibly this time around?)
The older game LDGN will receive a patch to eliminate the bugs.
HistwarN same bug fixing patch and maybe a small fee for the new expanded unit graphics?
A new complete game? Game or individually designed Battles on Steam?
The hard work begins for JMM and his team and support from the community is absolutely necessary.
(mark my words)
The community is there even if silent, only a few people were discouraged to the point of saying they were leaving hopefelly not for good
Good Luck to JMM and his Team
Happy Napoleonic Gaming in 2017
