Playtest: 1942 From El Alamein to Alexandria

Tips and tricks for the designers, playtests.

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randowe
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Playtest: 1942 From El Alamein to Alexandria

Post by randowe » 2020-09-09 17:30, Wednesday

I want to publish the ATOMIC Efile soon, with the next OG full installer. This week i have been working on some icons, which i will submit at the weekend. I also want to launch final playtests of two campaigns. This thread will contain the first one: 1942 FROM EL ALAMEIN TO ALEXANDRIA

This campaign consists of 4 scenarios only. But the battles are large and i'd say it will take more time than one would think "4 scenarios" would take.
It's also a NO-CORE campaign, which i must say, i find quite relaxing. You don't have to take to much care about your units and can just concentrate on playing. I thought 4 scenarios is to short of a campaign to propperly develop a core army.
Nevertheless, there are two core units, a HQ unit (MSU) and a heavy tank detachment. But purchase and upgrades are not possible.
You may buy some SP or attachments for your two core units later on.
The campaign also uses just one XXL map and the 4 scenarios aim to creat the feeling of an ongoing campaign within a limited time-frame and region.

So in the first scenario the player has to set up a defensive line and resist the enemy attacks in the Second Battle of El Alamain:

Current scenario: 2nd El Alamein: Allied Attack

Our two core units start in the north while the italian and german auxiliary units are deployed in a long defensive line that runs southwards from the sea into the desert, just west of El Alamain. I kept my core units in the back at first. They should not loose to many SP before i launch some overruns later :evil

I gave up this or that VH when i felt the need to do so. The VHs were in enemy hands not for long. But overall i can say, my units stood their ground. The battles in the south were the hardest while i moved out a little bit in the north in later stages of the battle.

The sceenshot shows the situation at the end of the 4th turn:

Image

OpenGen 0.93.3.99.RC10 * 13 May 2020 * AI version: 2.00 (2014)
Efile folder: C:\Games\OpenGeneral\efile_atomic\ * Efile version: ATOMIC EFILE Version: 1st September 2020
Campaign: 1942 FROM EL ALAMEIN TO ALEXANDRIA, * Player prestige modifier 100% * AI prestige modifier 100%

Played Scenarios:
1 2nd El Alamein: Allied Attack , #0 , Brilliant Victory , score:54
--
Campaign score: 54 * Average: 54

..
Current scenario: 2nd El Alamein: Allied Attack, VH prestige is 0 , All map prestige is: 0
Army cost: 2190 , Current prestige is 0
Prestige available on map yet is 0 pp ( 0 pp in VH to capture) * Turn: 13
AI stance is Aggressive Using map: 50005
if BV: +550, 2nd El Alamein: Counterattack , cap 0, 12 turns prestige: 0
if V : +700, 2nd El Alamein: Counterattack , cap 0, 12 turns prestige: 0
if TV: +700, 2nd El Alamein: Counterattack , cap 0, 12 turns prestige: 0
Ls: Loss , turn prestige: 0

Tank
Pz VI Tiger Ia , Schwere-PzAbt 504/DAK , 4 bars , 428 exp , Germany , 9/8 , 25 kill , 1350 pp - U:002 [+129 exp]

Recon
Sd.Kfz. 250/3 (HQ 41) , Generalkommando Afrikakorps , 5 bars , 576 exp , Germany , 7/10 , 1 kill , 840 pp - U:001 [+11 exp]

Player 1 : Germany, Italy
Killed: INF:43 TNK:9 RCN:9 AT:14 FLAK:5 ATY:14 AD:5 FTR:8 TB:8 Total: 115
Lost : INF:6 TNK:1 RCN:1 AT:1 FLAK:1 FORT:19 ATY:2 Total: 31

BV 1
V 0
TV 0
L 0

Averages:
Tank * 1 Units * 0 Leaders Total : 428 exp, 25 kill, 1350 pp Average: 428 exp, 25 kill, 1350 pp
Recon * 1 Units * 0 Leaders Total : 576 exp, 1 kill, 840 pp Average: 576 exp, 1 kill, 840 pp
* Summary: * 2 Units * 0 Leaders Total : 1004 exp, 26 kill, 2190 pp Average: 502 exp, 13 kill, 1095 pp
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randowe
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Re: Playtest: 1942 From El Alamein to Alexandria

Post by randowe » 2020-09-12 21:09, Saturday

Current scenario: 2nd El Alamein: Counterattack

Purchase and Upgrades are not an option in this campaign, so i just bought some strength points at HQ.

In this scenario the player has to repell the last enemy attacks and launch a counterattack on the whole front and capture El Alamein and the area east and south of it.
So after the start i moved out an a broad front. The remnants of the enemy attackers were already damaged and i fought them down quickly. Then i approached the enemy defensive line that spaned from the sea deep into the desert.

My core tank and HQ got involved in the fighting south of the aqueduct/canal. This was the area were i broke through the enemy lines first. Then i turned southwards and rolled up the enemy front from behind while most of the army was directly moving eastwards in a frontal attack.

Meanwhile my northern battlegroup had captured El Alamein and proceeded further east to take the other VH north of the aqueduct/canal/pipeline...

The whole time i thought the scenario was to easy, but i managed to get only a last turn BV, probably because i was to cautious (like always).

Situation at the beginning of the scenario:

Image

OpenGen 0.93.3.99.RC10 * 13 May 2020 * AI version: 2.00 (2014)
Efile folder: C:\Games\OpenGeneral\efile_atomic\ * Efile version: ATOMIC EFILE Version: 1st September 2020
Campaign: 1942 FROM EL ALAMEIN TO ALEXANDRIA, * Player prestige modifier 100% * AI prestige modifier 100%

Played Scenarios:
1 2nd El Alamein: Allied Attack , #0 , Brilliant Victory , score:54
2 2nd El Alamein: Counterattack , #1 , Brilliant Victory , score:53
--
Campaign score: 107 * Average: 53

..
Current scenario: 2nd El Alamein: Counterattack, VH prestige is 0 , All map prestige is: 0
Army cost: 2040 , Current prestige is 16
Prestige available on map yet is 0 pp ( 0 pp in VH to capture) * Turn: 11
AI stance is Defensive Using map: 50005
if BV: +700, From El Alamein to Alexandria , cap 0, 11 turns prestige: 0
if V : +700, From El Alamein to Alexandria , cap 0, 13 turns prestige: 0
if TV: +700, From El Alamein to Alexandria , cap 0, 16 turns prestige: 0
Ls: Loss , turn prestige: 0

Tank
Pz VI Tiger Ia , Schwere-PzAbt 504/DAK , 5 bars , 567 exp , Germany , 7/8 , 43 kill , 1200 pp - U:002 [+139 exp]

Recon
Sd.Kfz. 250/3 (HQ 41) , Generalkommando Afrikakorps , 5 bars , 691 exp , Germany , 4/10 , 3 kill , 840 pp - U:001 [+115 exp]

Player 1 : Germany, Italy
Killed: INF:82 TNK:24 RCN:19 AT:22 FLAK:13 FORT:21 ATY:30 AD:12 FTR:13 TB:10 Total: 246
Lost : INF:11 TNK:3 RCN:2 AT:3 FLAK:1 FORT:19 ATY:2 AD:1 TB:1 Total: 43

BV 2
V 0
TV 0
L 0

Averages:
Tank * 1 Units * 0 Leaders Total : 567 exp, 43 kill, 1200 pp Average: 567 exp, 43 kill, 1200 pp
Recon * 1 Units * 0 Leaders Total : 691 exp, 3 kill, 840 pp Average: 691 exp, 3 kill, 840 pp
* Summary: * 2 Units * 0 Leaders Total : 1258 exp, 46 kill, 2040 pp Average: 629 exp, 23 kill, 1020 pp


Player 1 Germany, Italy has 94 units total (core+aux):
Infantry : 34
Tank : 14
Recon : 6
Anti-Tank : 7
Flak : 4
Fortification : 1
Ground Transport : 2
Artillery : 14
Air-Defence : 5
Fighter : 3
Dive Bomber : 4

Player 2 United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, British India has 15 units total (core+aux):
Infantry : 2
Anti-Tank : 1
Flak : 1
Fortification : 5
Artillery : 3
Air-Defence : 2
Dive Bomber : 1
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randowe
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Re: Playtest: 1942 From El Alamein to Alexandria

Post by randowe » 2020-09-15 18:07, Tuesday

Current scenario: From El Alamein to Alexandria

At HQ i bought some SP again.

In this scenario the player's army has to grind its way through the desert. The most eastern VH is an airfield, which will play an important role in the upcomming 4th scenario.
En route to the northeast and east many roads got destroyed and that really hampered my advance. One time 3 consecutive road hex got blown and that was really a nightmare for my wheeled units which are slow in the desert. I also made some stupid mistakes and eventually missed BV by one turn.

The screenshot shows the situation some turns into the battle:

Image

OpenGen 0.93.3.99.RC10 * 13 May 2020 * AI version: 2.00 (2014)
Efile folder: C:\Games\OpenGeneral\efile_atomic\ * Efile version: ATOMIC EFILE Version: 1st September 2020
Campaign: 1942 FROM EL ALAMEIN TO ALEXANDRIA, * Player prestige modifier 100% * AI prestige modifier 100%

Played Scenarios:
1 2nd El Alamein: Allied Attack , #0 , Brilliant Victory , score:54
2 2nd El Alamein: Counterattack , #1 , Brilliant Victory , score:53
3 From El Alamein to Alexandria , #2 , Victory , score:33
--
Campaign score: 140 * Average: 46

..
Current scenario: From El Alamein to Alexandria, VH prestige is 0 , All map prestige is: 0
Army cost: 2040 , Current prestige is 32
Prestige available on map yet is 0 pp ( 0 pp in VH to capture) * Turn: 19
AI stance is Defensive Using map: 50005
if BV: +1000, Battle of Alexandria , cap 0, 18 turns prestige: 0
if V : +1000, Battle of Alexandria , cap 0, 21 turns prestige: 0
if TV: +1000, Battle of Alexandria , cap 0, 26 turns prestige: 0
Ls: Loss , turn prestige: 0

Tank
Pz VI Tiger Ia , Schwere-PzAbt 504/DAK , 5 bars , 747 exp , Germany , 8/8 , 69 kill , 1200 pp - U:002 [+180 exp]

Recon
Sd.Kfz. 250/3 (HQ 41) , Generalkommando Afrikakorps , 5 bars , 739 exp , Germany , 6/10 , 8 kill , 840 pp - U:001 [+48 exp]

Player 1 : Germany, Italy
Killed: INF:127 TNK:34 RCN:26 AT:30 FLAK:21 FORT:40 ATY:47 AD:20 FTR:22 TB:12 Total: 379
Lost : INF:15 TNK:3 RCN:2 AT:5 FLAK:2 FORT:19 ATY:3 AD:1 FTR:1 TB:2 Total: 53

BV 2
V 1
TV 0
L 0

Averages:
Tank * 1 Units * 0 Leaders Total : 747 exp, 69 kill, 1200 pp Average: 747 exp, 69 kill, 1200 pp
Recon * 1 Units * 0 Leaders Total : 739 exp, 8 kill, 840 pp Average: 739 exp, 8 kill, 840 pp
* Summary: * 2 Units * 0 Leaders Total : 1486 exp, 77 kill, 2040 pp Average: 743 exp, 39 kill, 1020 pp


Player 1 Germany, Italy has 97 units total (core+aux):
Infantry : 36
Tank : 16
Recon : 7
Anti-Tank : 7
Flak : 3
Fortification : 1
Ground Transport : 2
Artillery : 13
Air-Defence : 6
Fighter : 2
Dive Bomber : 4

Player 2 United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Kingdom of Egypt has 52 units total (core+aux):
Infantry : 17
Tank : 5
Recon : 1
Anti-Tank : 2
Flak : 2
Fortification : 23
Artillery : 1
Dive Bomber : 1
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randowe
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Re: Playtest: 1942 From El Alamein to Alexandria

Post by randowe » 2020-09-16 17:16, Wednesday

Current scenario: Battle of Alexandria

Bought some strength points at HQ and deployed my two core units.

This scenario took me a very long time to play. Overall there are more than 300 units and you will play 20+ turns. I needed many breaks :lol

Although i made BV one turn before the limit, i had the feeling that my tactics could have been much better. The terrain is rough with all the desert hex and rivers and canals. I bridged the canals at several points and moved forward with several battlegroups, but in hindsight i should have bridged just two canals and approached the central (New Zealand) VH with all mobile units from the southwest, while the infantry should have marched to Alexandria.
But i guess, next time i play the scenario i will have forgotten my plans... :lol

Anyway, again i was slowed down by broken hex and my bridging engineers played a important role in this scenario.
Only in Alexandria i relied mostly on infantry and tried to keep the city intact and avoid any blown hex.

Situation few turns after the start:

Image

The second screenshot shows the situation at the end of turn 15. After i took Alexandria i stormed northeast and eastwards and attacked the central (NZ) VH from all directions as well as Abu Qir.

The Regia Marina was shelling the enemy after all British ships had been sunk. They entered Abu Qir Bay (as did Nelson in 1798). The ships played a vital role in the capturing of the most northeastern VH... which later was captured by core HQ unit.

Image

OpenGen 0.93.3.99.RC10 * 13 May 2020 * AI version: 2.00 (2014)
Efile folder: C:\Games\OpenGeneral\efile_atomic\ * Efile version: ATOMIC EFILE Version: 1st October 2020
Campaign: 1942 FROM EL ALAMEIN TO ALEXANDRIA, * Player prestige modifier 100% * AI prestige modifier 100%

Played Scenarios:
1 2nd El Alamein: Allied Attack , #0 , Brilliant Victory , score:54
2 2nd El Alamein: Counterattack , #1 , Brilliant Victory , score:53
3 From El Alamein to Alexandria , #2 , Victory , score:33
4 Battle of Alexandria , #3 , Brilliant Victory , score:55
--
Campaign score: 195 * Average: 48

..
Current scenario: Battle of Alexandria, VH prestige is 0 , All map prestige is: 0
Army cost: 2304 , Current prestige is 30
Prestige available on map yet is 0 pp ( 0 pp in VH to capture) * Turn: 21
AI stance is Defensive Using map: 50005
BV: Win , turn prestige: 0
V : Win , turn prestige: 0
TV: Win , turn prestige: 0
Ls: Loss , turn prestige: 0

Tank
Pz VI Tiger Ia , Schwere-PzAbt 504/DAK , 5 bars , 939 exp , Germany , 12/8 , 95 kill , 1800 pp - U:002 [+192 exp]

Recon
Sd.Kfz. 250/3 (HQ 41) , Generalkommando Afrikakorps , 5 bars , 819 exp , Germany , 6/10 , 9 kill , 504 pp - U:001 [+80 exp]

Player 1 : Germany, Italy
Killed: INF:179 TNK:43 RCN:34 AT:37 FLAK:29 FORT:69 ATY:63 AD:26 FTR:31 TB:15 SUB:1 DD:5 BS:4 Total: 536
Lost : INF:25 TNK:4 RCN:2 AT:7 FLAK:2 FORT:19 ATY:3 AD:1 FTR:2 TB:2 Total: 67

BV 3
V 1
TV 0
L 0

Averages:
Tank * 1 Units * 0 Leaders Total : 939 exp, 95 kill, 1800 pp Average: 939 exp, 95 kill, 1800 pp
Recon * 1 Units * 0 Leaders Total : 819 exp, 9 kill, 504 pp Average: 819 exp, 9 kill, 504 pp
* Summary: * 2 Units * 0 Leaders Total : 1758 exp, 104 kill, 2304 pp Average: 879 exp, 52 kill, 1152 pp


Player 1 Germany, Italy has 108 units total (core+aux):
Infantry : 33
Tank : 15
Recon : 7
Anti-Tank : 7
Flak : 5
Fortification : 1
Ground Transport : 2
Artillery : 14
Air-Defence : 6
Fighter : 4
Dive Bomber : 7
Submarine : 2
Destroyer : 2
Capitol Ship : 3

Player 2 United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Kingdom of Egypt has 40 units total (core+aux):
Infantry : 10
Tank : 6
Anti-Tank : 3
Flak : 2
Fortification : 15
Artillery : 2
Air-Defence : 2


~~ THE END ~~
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