!Normandy44 Beta Testing

[Dan Caviness]

Huib:

At the time I originally created this scenario escarpment wasn't an option. Your quite correct it would serve admirably for preventing vehicular movement up and across those hexsides. Maybe next time! But at over two years of work and running...I'm not starting over...lol...

The elevation delta at !Normandy44 serves two purposes however, the second being preventing smoke from totally blocking the German LOS on the shoreline emplacements.

I use hidden cliffside hexes on level ground in much the same way you use the escarpment, and it prevents any movement over that hexside. It does generate some irate players however who have no way of knowing WHY they can't traverse a given hexside.

I also find that the good old blocked hex works well as a tank trap, and has the advantage of being removeable should you want the option available to the player willing to try.

My thoughts on elevation deltas are a little different than yours. While I agree in principle you should scale the total change to the terrain your mapping, my number one priority with elevation shifts are their effect on LOS. I find LOS to be what "makes games work" and I will shamelessly modify any elevation when and where needed to make that LOS play out the way I'm envisioning. Realizing of course that whether your delta is 1 meter or 60....as long as you scale it proportionally....the effect on LOS is the same.
After that it's all just numbers.

I can't wait to see your monster project...those are always my favorites.

I was THIS close to scaling the entire Sicily Invasion but it's JUST barely outside the game's maximum capabilities for map size. I think it would be fun to model, but of course the game can only go so far.

Not sure if your testing your monster yet...but you may run into one phenomenon that I have noticed. That is with thousands of units on a map, and especially with Fog of War, your going to have long time delays on the starts of turns while the game engine plows through a few thousand spot calculations.

Thanks for your input.
Are you playing/testing !Normandy44 at this time?

I know we have three H2H games in progress, but I had not heard that you were one of the "brave souls" who are taking a year or so out of their lives to help make this a good scenario...lol....

Lessee...we have (that I know of)....Reddog....Chuck10mtn....Von Luck...Myself...and a few others I believe.
This one works well for teamplay, and I know at least one of those games is being ran in teamplay.

Keep plugging, and thanks.

Dan

ps: Your "Fall Braun Across the Maas" is KILLING ME....lol...I'm trying it as the German player against a formidable opponent...Dale Wagoner...and I'm having a hard time getting enough forces over the river to make it a good fight. I really like the variable vis/nightime rules you have in that one and it makes you rethink your tactics. I think though there is a game "glitch" that hurts the scenario, and perhaps you can help me in case I just don't get it. It seems as though the rafts can cross the full hexside deep water, yet cannot cross a blue hexside river? That has to be a game glitch. That really slows down the Germans. Then when you double the movement costs on all the various river transports for night movement....it takes a long time to ferry units over the Maas.
Again...none of this is your fault...it's either inherent in the game....or I just don't have the skills needed to make it work!....lol...
And lastly....if I had more starshells....I'd be killing more Canadians...

Nice work though. Thoughtful and unique.