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Malta Scenarios?

Started by Jarhead0331, June 27, 2022, 11:50:10 AM

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Jarhead0331

Are there any good hypothetical Malta scenarios out there, preferably in one of the JTS games (ie. Panzer Battles or Campaigns series)?

I'm on vacation this week and have been doing some reading and I read a good article on the hypothetical invasion plans for Unternehmen Herkules. I know there are some scenarios in Operational Art of War IV, but I'm not really a big fan of the UI and game mechanics. I would much prefer a Tiller title.

Thanks.
Grogheads Uber Alles
Semper Grog
"No beast is more alpha than JH." Gusington, 10/23/18


Lotti Fuehrscheim


Jarhead0331

Thanks. I have the entire series, but never really took a close look. Thoughts on the game system?
Grogheads Uber Alles
Semper Grog
"No beast is more alpha than JH." Gusington, 10/23/18


Grim.Reaper

Loved command ops, allows making high level decisions without making micro decisions.  Just been awhile since developer working on updates and next material, seems like something always comes up that delays things

Strela

Quote from: Jarhead0331 on June 27, 2022, 11:50:10 AM
Are there any good hypothetical Malta scenarios out there, preferably in one of the JTS games (ie. Panzer Battles or Campaigns series)?

I'm on vacation this week and have been doing some reading and I read a good article on the hypothetical invasion plans for Unternehmen Herkules. I know there are some scenarios in Operational Art of War IV, but I'm not really a big fan of the UI and game mechanics. I would much prefer a Tiller title.

Thanks.

It's in our Panzer Campaigns - El Alamein '42. Scenario is Operation Herkules.

https://wargameds.com/collections/panzer-campaigns/products/el-alamein-42

Jarhead0331

Quote from: Strela on June 27, 2022, 04:42:25 PM
Quote from: Jarhead0331 on June 27, 2022, 11:50:10 AM
Are there any good hypothetical Malta scenarios out there, preferably in one of the JTS games (ie. Panzer Battles or Campaigns series)?

I'm on vacation this week and have been doing some reading and I read a good article on the hypothetical invasion plans for Unternehmen Herkules. I know there are some scenarios in Operational Art of War IV, but I'm not really a big fan of the UI and game mechanics. I would much prefer a Tiller title.

Thanks.

It's in our Panzer Campaigns - El Alamein '42. Scenario is Operation Herkules.

https://wargameds.com/collections/panzer-campaigns/products/el-alamein-42

Excellent. Thanks...and, I already own this title!
Grogheads Uber Alles
Semper Grog
"No beast is more alpha than JH." Gusington, 10/23/18


Phantom

#6
Quote from: Jarhead0331 on June 27, 2022, 12:28:48 PM
Thanks. I have the entire series, but never really took a close look. Thoughts on the game system?

Its a very good system - gets far closer to realistic command & control than most other games, so if that's your bag go for it. However, if you like playing god when you're in command its maybe not for you, as those pesky soldiers don't always do what you want (in fact you don't always know where they are).
It does sometimes leave you sitting back & watching whilst your guys form up for an attack, but the AI (both friendly & enemy) is pretty sound, and you can program in a lot of detail in your orders (ROF, formation, route, speed, aggressiveness etc) which is worth doing as changing orders or giving orders on the hoof just leads to delays - which is of course fairly realistic (though sometimes frustrating!)
I would guess it would work well with a Malta scenario as the original game (Airborne Assault) was based on Arnhem, and the excellently granular fog of war handled the unknown situations presented by airdrops very well indeed.
I've played Tiller, OPArt & Decisive Campaigns & after DC this is my favourite.

JasonPratt

Phantom's assessment of the COps2 engine (and its predecessors) is sound. You can make the game as hard or as easy on personal command as you want.

That said, once the system went to Steam, it got put through a lot more of a stress test by players (as you might imagine), and someone discovered that it was most efficient to give all orders directly yourself down to the platoons and squads (or whatever was least on the board), as this avoided most of the inherent delays in passing down orders and left less interpretation to the AI.

Of course, in large missions you'd have to pause to do this. The slowest time runs 4 to 1 of realtime, if I recall (e.g. one game minute every fifteen real seconds), but that's enough to do decent micromanagement on most missions. Also, not every unit has radio so you still sometimes even direct orders get passed on with extra time delay from the next commander upward who has one; and the staff of the on-map-boss HQ (which represents your character on the mission for all practical purposes) will also affect delays on passing on orders (and receiving information with updates) even directly.
ICEBREAKER THESIS CHRONOLOGY! -- Victor Suvorov's Stalin Grand Strategy theory, in lots and lots of chronological order...
Dawn of Armageddon -- narrative AAR for Dawn of War: Soulstorm: Ultimate Apocalypse
Survive Harder! -- Two season narrative AAR, an Amazon Blood Bowl career.
PanzOrc Corpz Generals -- Fantasy Wars narrative AAR, half a combined campaign.
Khazâd du-bekâr! -- narrative dwarf AAR for LotR BfME2 RotWK campaign.
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Boggit

IIRC there are also Malta scenarios for the Operational Art of War too. I think the JTS version is much better though.
The most shocking fact about war is that its victims and its instruments are individual human beings, and that these individual beings are condemned by the monstrous conventions of politics to murder or be murdered in quarrels not their own. Aldous Huxley

Foul Temptress! (Mirth replying to Gus) ;)

On a good day, our legislature has the prestige of a drunk urinating on a wall at 4am and getting most of it on his shoe. On a good day  ::) Steelgrave

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Boggit

If you like the what if Malta Battle, check out this TT battle hosted by Little Wars TV:

The most shocking fact about war is that its victims and its instruments are individual human beings, and that these individual beings are condemned by the monstrous conventions of politics to murder or be murdered in quarrels not their own. Aldous Huxley

Foul Temptress! (Mirth replying to Gus) ;)

On a good day, our legislature has the prestige of a drunk urinating on a wall at 4am and getting most of it on his shoe. On a good day  ::) Steelgrave

It's kind of silly to investigate whether or not a Clinton is lying. That's sort of like investigating why the sky is blue. Banzai_Cat

Sir Slash

Great video Boggit! Loved it.  :clap:
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W8taminute

Boggit I watched the video last night.  You beat me to the punch!
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Father Ted

Quote from: JasonPratt on July 07, 2022, 12:42:40 PM

That said, once the system went to Steam, it got put through a lot more of a stress test by players (as you might imagine), and someone discovered that it was most efficient to give all orders directly yourself down to the platoons and squads (or whatever was least on the board), as this avoided most of the inherent delays in passing down orders and left less interpretation to the AI.


This may be true but it extinguishes the point of the game.  Its whole ethos is the delegation of control to friendly AI in order to try simulate a particular level of command for the player.  So it's possible to exploit the system to win against the enemy AI - but what's the point?

JasonPratt

^^ Yes, that's true, but as noted in most cases you have to give orders while paused to effectively exploit this loophole.
ICEBREAKER THESIS CHRONOLOGY! -- Victor Suvorov's Stalin Grand Strategy theory, in lots and lots of chronological order...
Dawn of Armageddon -- narrative AAR for Dawn of War: Soulstorm: Ultimate Apocalypse
Survive Harder! -- Two season narrative AAR, an Amazon Blood Bowl career.
PanzOrc Corpz Generals -- Fantasy Wars narrative AAR, half a combined campaign.
Khazâd du-bekâr! -- narrative dwarf AAR for LotR BfME2 RotWK campaign.
RobO Q Campaign Generator -- archived classic CMBB/CMAK tool!