New Player PzC Questions

[Ubercat]

Since I didn't get any hits on my last post I'll try my main question again in different words.

Are the Volcano alt scenarios generally better balanced for multiplayer games?
If so, are they better balanced point wise, rather than equal forces on each side?

There have to be some people who can answer this. :)

[von Nev]

Question 1: Yes.
Question 2: The mods try to adjust both points and forces to get better balance.

[Jazman]

Since I didn't get any hits on my last post I'll try my main question again in different words.

Are the Volcano alt scenarios generally better balanced for multiplayer games?
If so, are they better balanced point wise, rather than equal forces on each side?

There have to be some people who can answer this. :)

The answer: we don't know. There is some jiggering of victory points and objectives to tempt folks into doing something more historical. But trying to find a real balance requires a lot of playtesting. Play one campaign and you'll know why a lot of campaign playtesting doesn't get done around here. I'm sure some gets done, and feedback modifies things.

I shined up an old scenario (Manstein Strikes Back), I looked at the objectives, and said, "eh, if someone complains, I'll tweak things."

[Ubercat]

Thanks, guys. If school wasn't sucking up so much time right now, I'd have played a couple more small scenarios by now and come up with more questions already. I really want to get into MP play.

Ah, well. Just about 21 days to go before I get the summer off. (school, not work)

[Ricky B]

...
I shined up an old scenario (Manstein Strikes Back), I looked at the objectives, and said, "eh, if someone complains, I'll tweak things."

How is that going by the way? Any questions on what I did, please let me know.

Rick

[Ubercat]

Do many MP players use the manual defensive fire optional rule? It looks interesting to me, but as my long term interest is in playing MP, I don't want to mess with it if it isn't in wide spread use. I can see that the doubling of necessary Emailing could be a large turn off.

I'm also interested in playing the Volcano alt scenarios and the rule isn't listed as one that should be used with them. Do you veteran players think it should be a no-go with the Volcano battles?

[Mr Grumpy]

Do many MP players use the manual defensive fire optional rule? It looks interesting to me, but as my long term interest is in playing MP, I don't want to mess with it if it isn't in wide spread use. I can see that the doubling of necessary Emailing could be a large turn off.

I'm also interested in playing the Volcano alt scenarios and the rule isn't listed as one that should be used with them. Do you veteran players think it should be a no-go with the Volcano battles?

I don't think anyone uses MDF for PBEM games as it slows the turns down so much, of course the default system has it's faults as you have to rely on the programme to do your defensive fire, but overall the pro's of the default system outweighs the cons.

If you are going to play the _alt scenarios you only use the optional rules listed at the top of this forum. ;)

[Ubercat]

I'm in the middle of a hotseat game against myself in the Drive Over the Dnepr (H2H) scenario of Smolensk '41. I read somewhere, probably in regards to Volcano alt scenarios, that some units are given hard attack values with 0 range, which means that these numbers only work during an assault, and only while using the alt assaults optional rule. (If I have that right)

The H2H scenarios are strongly urged to be used only with the pre-determined OR's, but the German side has many PGr battalions with hard attack values of 0 range. Since I'm playing with the H2H set OR's, these HA values serve no purpose that I can see.

Should I be playing with the alt assault rule on? Do the units not fit the scenario? Or am I just overlooking a use for these HA values?

[Mr Grumpy]

I'm in the middle of a hotseat game against myself in the Drive Over the Dnepr (H2H) scenario of Smolensk '41. I read somewhere, probably in regards to Volcano alt scenarios, that some units are given hard attack values with 0 range, which means that these numbers only work during an assault, and only while using the alt assaults optional rule. (If I have that right)

The H2H scenarios are strongly urged to be used only with the pre-determined OR's, but the German side has many PGr battalions with hard attack values of 0 range. Since I'm playing with the H2H set OR's, these HA values serve no purpose that I can see.

Should I be playing with the alt assault rule on? Do the units not fit the scenario? Or am I just overlooking a use for these HA values?

Ubercat,
This version of Drive Over the Dnepr scenario is not one of Volcano's scenarios (it is actually a Mod of mine ;)), all of Ed's scenarios have _alt on the end of the filenames and in the titles to avoid confusion, if you read the word doc that comes in the zip file for this scenario it lists the Opt rules to use as Artillery Set Up, Recon Spotting, Optional Surrender, Quality Fatigue Modifier, Night Fatigue and Programmed Weather.

So the infantry units will be using their assault values for assaults on hard units as the alt assault rule in not selected, however you are correct to say that if this had been a _alt scenario then yes you would have selected the alt assault rule and the infantry would be using their hard attack values of 0.

I do understand that the whole Opt rule feature can be very confusing and Brian & myself work hard at this ladder to try to clarify which rules you should use.

I hope that clears that up for you.

[Ubercat]

I'm in the middle of a hotseat game against myself in the Drive Over the Dnepr (H2H) scenario of Smolensk '41. I read somewhere, probably in regards to Volcano alt scenarios, that some units are given hard attack values with 0 range, which means that these numbers only work during an assault, and only while using the alt assaults optional rule. (If I have that right)

The H2H scenarios are strongly urged to be used only with the pre-determined OR's, but the German side has many PGr battalions with hard attack values of 0 range. Since I'm playing with the H2H set OR's, these HA values serve no purpose that I can see.

Should I be playing with the alt assault rule on? Do the units not fit the scenario? Or am I just overlooking a use for these HA values?

Ubercat,
This version of Drive Over the Dnepr scenario is not one of Volcano's scenarios (it is actually a Mod of mine ;)), all of Ed's scenarios have _alt on the end of the filenames and in the titles to avoid confusion, if you read the word doc that comes in the zip file for this scenario it lists the Opt rules to use as Artillery Set Up, Recon Spotting, Optional Surrender, Quality Fatigue Modifier, Night Fatigue and Programmed Weather.

So the infantry units will be using their assault values for assaults on hard units as the alt assault rule in not selected, however you are correct to say that if this had been a _alt scenario then yes you would have selected the alt assault rule and the infantry would be using their hard attack values of 0.

I do understand that the whole Opt rule feature can be very confusing and Brian & myself work hard at this ladder to try to clarify which rules you should use.

I hope that clears that up for you.

Thanks for getting back so soon. I assume that the HA for these units serves no purpose, then? If that's the case, then I'm also assuming that the units were drawn from a general, overall OOB, rather than custom made for the scenario (stat-wise).