Panzer Battles 2 - The Official Teaser Thread

[GerryM]

Would it be possible to add a "place all" function to the PB reinforcement dialog, like in FWWC?

A battalion arriving isn't much of a problem, but a regiment (not to mention a division) would require a fair amount of clicking.

Every click that can be removed through convenience helps.

I cannot understand the size of the game. A division as reinforcements? Epsom as a scenario? I thought Epsom was an operation and would be suited to PzC games. Thought PB was more platoon/company level?

[ComradeP]

The units are platoon/company level, the scenarios are not. This isn't a Squad Battles title after all.

A scenario featuring one or two corps is possible in this engine without being too cumbersome, but many of the Kursk scenarios give the player at least a division.

From what has been revealed thus far, it seems PB 2 will have a large number of smaller scenarios as well. Enjoyable/balanced small scenarios for PBEM are somewhat underrepresented in Kursk I'd say.

[Xaver]

Well, lets do some questions... but not about engine 

1-Why Normandy???:

I think this is the first one we can do when appear a new title... here allways is a mix of personal preferences (you like the battle or even one of the units involved)+oportunity (part of work done for example)+necesity (like skip certain front in next title to prevent center a serie excesive in one front).

2-Whats the thing you like more in PzB Normandy??? whats your "baby".

For example the art, the map, the OOB... the thing that when you see it only can say "this our my Sistine chapel".

3-Things to fix:

If you like something is usual find problems with it and things to upgrade... you find Normany usefull to find things to upgrade???

4-Compared with PzB Kursk how you see both games face to face???

I refer if you find Normandy more complete compared with Kursk in scens, oportunities to mod or create new scens etc etc.

5-Future titles: 

I know that even with no PzB Normandy released i am curious about if you are thinking now in next title... or even in next serie (i think for example in the Armored Combat but not only on it because PzB engine for me is very good for infantry combat and i think that Tiller has a debt with Pacific front) because humans befor finish one step are thinking in next step... at least.


And even when i have more questions i think this are enough to dont disturb a lot your job then... continue working, Santa is allways watching you 

[ComradeP]

The appeal of Normandy is that you can cover a variety of situations and stages of a battle in one game.

Kursk features the breakthrough and exploitation phase of Zitadelle and the Soviet response, which while offering various tactical situations to play with, still cover parts of the same operation. The differences in terrain and weather conditions between the three main axis of advance give each sector its own feel, and the game offers more variation than I had initially expected.

Normandy is a different story, as you have a much larger map and a longer period of operations with different terrain and weather conditions in each sector/day. Each Allied nation also has its own style of fighting, and the Germans have both elite and abysmal units contrary to Kursk where you're using the best of the best in most scenarios. As such, I expect that Normandy will offer a greater number of tactical/operational problems for you to solve as the player, in scenarios that are geographically in the same area but where battles play out very differently from one sector of the front to the next.

[Strela]

Would it be possible to add a "place all" function to the PB reinforcement dialog, like in FWWC?

A battalion arriving isn't much of a problem, but a regiment (not to mention a division) would require a fair amount of clicking.

Every click that can be removed through convenience helps.

I cannot understand the size of the game. A division as reinforcements? Epsom as a scenario? I thought Epsom was an operation and would be suited to PzC games. Thought PB was more platoon/company level?

Hi GerryM,

It's manageable (generally). In most cases, units are setup as full companies and that means your average battalion is 4 - 6 units. I promise you when playing there never seems enough friendly units, yet heaps of enemy ones! 

At this scale a battalion vs battalion is a very small scenario with a regiment being the first 'size' to give a decent number of units. As ComradeP mentions, we have a good mix of scenario sizes as is evidenced in the scenarios shown to date and I think there should be a situation to satisfy most. I just completed a small battalion vs two companies, 7 turn scenario so we do have micro sized scenarios.

As far as Epsom, yes it's big (actually its huge), but it's broken into a scenario for each of the four days with between 24 to 27 turns in each. It's more manageable than you think, with many of the British formations fixed (as they were) waiting for their introduction into the battle. We've tried to breakout smaller scenario from the bigger battles (as we did with Kursk) and also tried to get representative examples of the different situations the combatants fought in (think bocage, think Hill 192).

Kursk is also very playable, its just that the quality differences and slog through heavy defenses in the early scenarios is a little polarising. The fact is, its a reasonable facsimile for the fighting that occurred in that battle. Normandy is no different, I'm pretty happy with how much the scenarios 'feel' like Normandy.

Hopefully, other will see/feel this once the game is released.

David

[Strela]

Well, lets do some questions... but not about engine 

1-Why Normandy???:

I think this is the first one we can do when appear a new title... here allways is a mix of personal preferences (you like the battle or even one of the units involved)+oportunity (part of work done for example)+necesity (like skip certain front in next title to prevent center a serie excesive in one front).

2-Whats the thing you like more in PzB Normandy??? whats your "baby".

For example the art, the map, the OOB... the thing that when you see it only can say "this our my Sistine chapel".

3-Things to fix:

If you like something is usual find problems with it and things to upgrade... you find Normany usefull to find things to upgrade???

4-Compared with PzB Kursk how you see both games face to face???

I refer if you find Normandy more complete compared with Kursk in scens, oportunities to mod or create new scens etc etc.

5-Future titles: 

I know that even with no PzB Normandy released i am curious about if you are thinking now in next title... or even in next serie (i think for example in the Armored Combat but not only on it because PzB engine for me is very good for infantry combat and i think that Tiller has a debt with Pacific front) because humans befor finish one step are thinking in next step... at least.


And even when i have more questions i think this are enough to dont disturb a lot your job then... continue working, Santa is allways watching you 

Ok - I'll bite.


1 - Why Normandy?   Because the 'other' team had done a lot of work on it and we thought we could get it out in 6 months....  yeah right!!!! 


2 - What things do you like most in PzB Normandy?   The variety. There are more nationalities, more match-ups in ratings and more variance in the terrain and situations you fight in. We're covering close to three months fighting (vs 10 days in Kursk) over a huge area where armies (plural) were engaged. 

3 - Things to fix.   Lots, we've learned a lot as a team since Kursk. Kursk was essentially a much smaller team, we have got some really talented people join us for Normandy and a lot of areas that may have been a little 'lax' have really been tightened up.

4 - Compared to Kursk....  I think I answered that in 2...!  

5 - Future Titles.   Yes, we will always be looking and setting up future titles. Whether they see the light of day is a different issue. We are increasingly using a modular approach where we have experts or specialists (think historical researchers, OB, scenarios, graphics etc). This doesn't mean we need to wait for one game to be finished before we can have people researching or starting on another. In many cases we are testing to see whether a situation works or if there is enough interesting material to create a game. So there will always be an ebb and flow and much less dependence on one or two people.

David

[Xaver]

Thanks for the reply.

Well, i need say first of all i am not a big fan of Normandy (like Kursk), are interesting units but never was for me an interesting campaign... scen by scen is other history and looks like title is going to cover a lot of diferent actions.

Interesting, then the "mind" is over the "heart" when you take decisions... could be fun see one of this reunions to decide next title 

6 months... thats is have a lot of jod done maybe PzB3 OR the next title the A-Team release is going to appear later and not in the 1.5 year timeline.

Oooo 3 months or close to 3 months is the timeline for PzB Normandy, nice, i know at least one guy that is going to like this info.

A personal question for team members... whats the battle/action you really love to see covered using the PzB engine, i limit the options to .... lets see WWI to Korea and if you want why.

And again thanks for your time, keet working hard on it 

PD: ummm 2 weeks to finish scen reports, you think what use to feed us when scens are over Strela???

Remember we are very selective, we only eat the best 

[GerryM]

Hi GerryM,

It's manageable (generally). In most cases, units are setup as full companies and that means your average battalion is 4 - 6 units. I promise you when playing there never seems enough friendly units, yet heaps of enemy ones! 

At this scale a battalion vs battalion is a very small scenario with a regiment being the first 'size' to give a decent number of units. As ComradeP mentions, we have a good mix of scenario sizes as is evidenced in the scenarios shown to date and I think there should be a situation to satisfy most. I just completed a small battalion vs two companies, 7 turn scenario so we do have micro sized scenarios.

As far as Epsom, yes it's big (actually its huge), but it's broken into a scenario for each of the four days with between 24 to 27 turns in each. It's more manageable than you think, with many of the British formations fixed (as they were) waiting for their introduction into the battle. We've tried to breakout smaller scenario from the bigger battles (as we did with Kursk) and also tried to get representative examples of the different situations the combatants fought in (think bocage, think Hill 192).

Kursk is also very playable, its just that the quality differences and slog through heavy defenses in the early scenarios is a little polarising. The fact is, its a reasonable facsimile for the fighting that occurred in that battle. Normandy is no different, I'm pretty happy with how much the scenarios 'feel' like Normandy.

Hopefully, other will see/feel this once the game is released.

David

Thanks David. Your answers are always thoughtful.

1. You mentioned 4-6 units in a battalion. Do you split those companies up into Platoons in play for any reason?
2. How many counters approx. in a regiment and division.
3. Would the answers be the same for Kursk?
4. I am looking at Dog Soldier's AAR on Klyuchi (Division) and there are quite a few units on some screenshots.

Everyone now and then I go hunting for a computer wargame. I have been here before of course but I am wondering again would this system work for me. Thank you for your patience.

Gerry

[Dog Soldier]

4. I am looking at Dog Soldier's AAR on Klyuchi (Division) and there are quite a few units on some screenshots.

The majority of the units in the Klyuchi scenario are German platoons vesrus Soviet Guards depleted companies at approximately half strength.  There are some full strength Soviet companies, which are initially deployed as platoons.

Hope that give you a feel for the fight.

Dog Soldier

[GerryM]

4. I am looking at Dog Soldier's AAR on Klyuchi (Division) and there are quite a few units on some screenshots.

The majority of the units in the Klyuchi scenario are German platoons vesrus Soviet Guards depleted companies at approximately half strength.  There are some full strength Soviet companies, which are initially deployed as platoons.

Hope that give you a feel for the fight.

Dog Soldier

1. How often do you deploy a Company as Platoons?
2. Do you do it to spread out and cover more ground? Could you briefly explain why in general one splits into platoons?

Thanks,

Gerry