Strategic Command: American Civil War Announced

[Sir Slash]

Thank you Boggit. 

[devoncop]

New patch out ....strengthens the Confederates as they struggled after 1862

Change History:
v01.02.00 – 13
th July 2022
GAME ENGINE
• Fixed a Hotseat/PBEM++ replay crash when a river naval attacker is destroyed during the attack
(MisterMuffles).
• Fixed a CTD that occurs at the end of your turn if you disable the 'Research' option (gmarco,
flakhawk1).
• Fixed a full screen map scrolling issue when using the mouse to scroll the map via the screen
edges.
• Optimized/improved AI unit upgrade logic (LoneRunner)
• Improved AI HQ unit distribution to prevent some of the grouping that has occurred with the larger
Civil War maps.
• Improved AI amphibious landings logic.
CAMPAIGNS
1861
• Added Longstreet HQ to Confederate production queue, to deploy on 1861-10-07
• Garibaldi HQ will now spawn with 1.5 experience stars if made Commanding General (was 3)
• Garibaldi HQ will now spawn with 0 experience stars if made Army Commander (was 1)
1861, 1861/7
• Fort Donelson now begins the game with 1 experience (was 0)
• Confederate units associated with a YES answer to DE 101 ('Sibley's Army') or DE 102 ('Van
Dorn's Army) will deploy in San Elizario or San Antonio if El Paso is unavailable
• Van Dorn HQ removed from Confederate build list to prevent duplicate name issue
• DE 101 and 102 will now appear if El Paso is Union-owned to ensure Confederacy still receives
associated units
1861, 1861/7, 1862, 1862/T
• Added Atlanta Monitor to Confederate production queue, to deploy on 1862-11-22
1861/7
• Increased Confederate starting MPPs to 1000 (was 700)
1861/7, 1862, 1862/T
• DE 513 will no longer be associated with DE 525
1864
• Lincoln Re-elected popup will no longer display in this campaign by default
All CW Campaigns
• Corrected font of map text for Lake Chapala
• Corrected wording error in several popups
• Improved AI planning exclusions
• Improved Union AI amphibious behaviour
• Corrected error in notes for DE 511
• Improved AI research priorities
• Improved AI prioritisation in Eastern Theatre
• Added DEs 125 ("Pass the Tithe Act?") and 126 ("Abandon Cotton Strategy?")
• Added several fortifications around New Orleans, Mobile and Wilmington
• Improved AI planning exclusions
• Southwest Pass ports (at mouth of the Mississippi River) are now considered core Confederate
territory under Union occupation, preventing the Union from deploying new ships at these
locations
• Improved Union AI blockading behaviour
• Improved Union AI transport behaviour
• Improved Confederate AI handling of offensive towards Denver
• Automatic Union AI unit spawns in southern Mississippi River will now fire correctly
• Reduced MPPs from Montana, Idaho and Utah Territories following gold rush events to 25/turn
each (was 50)
• Corrected typo in War Maps display map
OTHER
• Updated Strategy Guides

[Grim.Reaper]

also now released on steam and GOG

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1966130/Strategic_Command_American_Civil_War/

https://www.gog.com/game/strategic_command_american_civil_war

[Boggit]

Having just finished my second campaign as the Union, I stand by my recommendation that the game is a lot of fun.

I still find the land combat especially in the East (and to a degree the West) very frontal (aka WW1/WW2) and not a matter of independent armies maneuvering and fighting as they did in the early to mid era of the war. Corps occupying a hex is a better representation of army frontages, but you don't get that really until 1863-4. That is a function of the basic Strategic Command system originally designed for WW1/WW2, and I don't think it carries across to the ACW that well. What is good are the retreat rules, need for scouting etc, but I still think that the land battles don't reflect the drama of ACW campaigns, although probably the overall casualties balance out. By keeping a defensive double line front in the East you can frustrate any invasion of the north and essentially decide the war in the West, as the Trans Mississippi only offers limited opportunities due to supply considerations.

Just a thinking of a solution to the frontal combat issue... what if HQ's acted like unit boxes containing a set number of units, which they could break down as vanguards/rearguards? This would allow a powerful main army to occupy a hex reducing the unit/hex density and allowing surprise offensives. Cavalry would also be ideal screens and scouts in this situation. It's a major revamp to the current land war game play, but I think it applies better to the ACW, Franco Prussian and even Napoleonic era than the current system. Anyway a thought for the developers...

There was an odd thing I noticed at the end of the game: The South had sent a couple of corps and divisions (even a couple of brigades IIRC) down to SW Texas despite the fact I had no troops there. In fact I'd conquered Confederate Arizona and left Canby, an infantry and cavalry brigade on the border as observation. That said once you conquer Confederate Arizona, you can't invade Texas from there. I wonder if the AI thought I could? Anyway these troops would have been much better used elsewhere and I think put the South at a disadvantage.

One thing to remember is for a Union player is to produce lots of brigades in late game to guard against partisans. I got caught out in my first game. These are a bloody nuisance if you let them persist and will tie up a lot of troops if you let them run wild.

My average time of major victory was Sept/Oct 1864 in both games. Up to 1863 the Rebs put up a good fight, but by mid-late 1863 are definitely on the back foot particularly in the West. The eastern theatre is for the most part defensive and a race to filling the front lines with army corps whereupon you can just grind the rebs down.

It would also be nice if you could somehow merge units together into a larger unit, say three brigades to a division, or break down units e.g. brigades down to regiments for garrison purposes.

[WallysWorld]

A nice surprise with a new patch today for this game: Franco-Prussian War campaign

Strategic Command update

[Gusington]

^I have been waiting for a Franco Prussian War campaign...forever!

[Tanaka]

A nice surprise with a new patch today for this game: Franco-Prussian War campaign

Strategic Command update

Very nice bonus to get this with the game purchase instead of being nickled and dimed for DLCs. Love these guys.

[bobarossa]

^I have been waiting for a Franco Prussian War campaign...forever!

I believe WW1: Centenial Edition has a Franco Prussian War scenario.  Been a couple years since I played it.

[Gusington]

Yes the fact that this is free is...amazing.

[Blucher]

Franco-Prussian war scenario is very nice. Was playing as the French and it is very challenging. A really nice gift from the developers.

[Gusington]

^So it's released already? Wasn't sure.

[Tanaka]

^So it's released already? Wasn't sure.

Yes much faster than I expected. The AI is much better.

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1671128779

Change History:
v01.04.00 – 24th November 2022
GAME ENGNE
• Fixed a National Morale bars drawing error when new Majors are created via a SURRENDER event (Lothos).
• Fixed a sub unit error that allowed you to regain full AP when setting the mode to Hunt after a swap (Soulcollector).
• Fixed a sub unit error that allowed you to regain full AP when setting the mode to Hunt after an attack (Spitfireca).
• Fixed a rare PBEM++ crash error (DethMorgaw).
• Fixed a Research Costs Refund error for games that have RESEARCH disabled (Beriand).
• Fixed a controlled movement error that would lead to a CTD when attempting to move over top of a sub that is hidden under a fully visible sea hex (Mithrilotter).
• Fixed an AI sub raiding error that had subs navigate towards active enemy convoy lines where they are not yet belligerent with the recipient nation (Lothos).
• Fixed an error that would incorrectly reveal silent subs during any type of replay under FoW if they have not yet been spotted (OldCrowBalthazor).
• Fixed an error where disabled resource upgrades were still able to upgrade (Lothos).
• Fixed an automatic preparation for war error that would lead to a CTD under rare circumstances (Yvan1326).
• AI subs will now lock in to Hunt mode if the Fleet script is set to 'Naval Cruise' (Lothos).
• AI OFFENSIVE 'build up plans' will not automatically trigger versus a minor nation that is mobilized, unless the country owner of the OFFENSIVE plan is already at war with the parent of the minor target (Lothos).
• The automatic unit morale increase/decrease mechanism for friendly and enemy units upon a country surrender is now halved when more than 15% of the campaign has been played, e.g. the default impact will typically remain within the first year of the campaign.
• Gunboats are now set to 'Raider' by default (Mithrilotter).
CAMPAIGNS
1861
• Early Emancipation Proclamation associated with Garibaldi now reduces Union Fighting Spirit by 12000 (was 8000)
• If Garibaldi is chosen as an Army Commander, he will now arrive with a Command Rating of 5 (was 7)
• Riots will now strike cities in Maryland and Delaware if Garibaldi's 1861 Emancipation Proclamation is accepted
• Added DEs 127, 128, 529 and 530, together forming a series of events regarding the formation of
a Brazilian Volunteer Brigade in the event that Garibaldi is recruited by the Union
1862
• Increased Confederate starting Fighting Spirit to 135000 (was 130000)
• Increased Confederate starting MPPs to 1200 (was 700)
1862/T
• All British infantry and cavalry units begin with level 4 upgrades
1863
• Increased Confederate starting level of Infantry and Cavalry Equipment to 3 (was 2)
• Increased Union starting level of Infantry Equipment to 3 (was 2)
• Confederacy now starts with 2 chits invested in each of Infantry and Cavalry Equipment (was 0)
• Union now starts with 2 chits invested in Infantry Equipment (was 0)
• Added Union Brigade in Rogersville TN
1864
• Increased Confederate starting level of Infantry and Cavalry Equipment to 4 (was 2)
• Increased Union starting level of Infantry Equipment to 4 (was 2)
• Added Union Brigade in Rogersville TN
1861, 1861/7, 1862, 1862/T, 1863
• The Mexican Empire will now annex and move its capital to Mexico City DF in the event that it
enters the war before 1863/07/12 and then controls that city
1861, 1861/7, 1862, 1863, 1864
• Removed extra fifth British Corps that would deploy if answer to DE 201 was NO (Pocus)
• Canrobert and Lersundi HQs, and all event-spawned French and Spanish Corps, now arrive with
1 experience star to be consistent with British forces
1861, 1861/7
• Confederate Cavalry Brigade that spawns in El Paso is now guaranteed to arrive on or before
1861/08/01 (Duedman)
1861/7, 1862, 1862/T, 1863, 1864
• Richmond VA now a regular Capital instead of a Major Capital, to ensure consistency with 1861
campaign
1862, 1862/T
• Removed Union Nelson and Crittenden Divisions from starting deployments
• Union Cavalry Brigade will now begin the game in Dover TN instead of adjacent
• Grant HQ will now begin adjacent to Nashville TN
• Union II, III, IV Corps and Siege Artillery now begin the game in the production queue, to be
deployed on turn 1
• Confederate I, IV Corps now begin the game in the production queue, to be deployed on turn 1
• Reduced starting Union Fighting Spirit to 95000 (was 98000)
1863, 1864
• Many starting units on the map now begin with higher levels of upgrades to reflect tech changes
• Added Confederate Brigade in Jonesboro TN
All CW Campaigns
• Increased land Defence stats of Divisions, Mountain Divisions, Marines, Cavalry Divisions and
Cavalry Corps by 0.5
• Increased Naval Defence of Divisions and Mountain Divisions by 1
• Increased Naval Defence of Corps by 2
• Increased maximum level of Infantry and Cavalry Equipment technologies for all majors except
Mexico to 4 (was 2)
• Increased UK, French and Spanish starting level of Infantry and Cavalry Equipment to 4 (was 2)
• Increased Confederate research cap to 3000 (was 2800)
• Reduced land Attack and Defence increments of Infantry and Cavalry Equipment technology to
0.5 (was 1) for Divisions, Mountain Divisions, Marines, Cavalry Divisions; and to 1 (was 2) for
Corps
• Infantry Tactics research now increases the De-entrenchment level of Brigades by 0.5 per level
• Improved AI research strategy to incorporate tech changes
• Improved AI production strategy to give greater priority to the Eastern Theatre when deploying land units
• Improved Union AI positioning of river ships
• Improved Confederate AI naval strategy (Mithrilotter)
• Corrected date of Paraguayan War popup
• Confederate AI will now place greater priority on garrisoning Petersburg
• Union naval loops connecting Key West, Fort Pickens and New Jersey no longer require all Europeans to be neutral
• Reduced maximum Mexican Research MPPs to 500 (was 550)
• Halved the cost of all research for Mexico
• Improved French Production AI
• West Virginia joining the Union will now allow Union-aligned partisans to spawn in that state (atshii)
• Fixed a display error not showing all additional partisans that can spawn as a result of the Confederacy accepting DE 113 (rjh1971)
• Scripts evicting Confederate ships from Blockade Runner ports in Cuba, Bermuda, Bahamas and Belize will now apply to all Confederate-aligned nations (Mithrilotter)
• Union will now lose 200 FS points per turn due to war weariness (LoneRunner)
• Union will receive 1000 FS when each of the following are captured: Baton Rouge LA, Fredericksburg VA, Jackson MS, Little Rock AR, Shreveport LA, Staunton VA, Fayetteville AR, Arkansas Post AR, Corinth MS, Decatur AL, Murfreesboro TN, Dresden TN, Williamsburg VA, Culpeper VA, Meridian MS
• Union will receive 1500 FS when Memphis TN is captured
• Union will receive 2000 FS when each of the following are captured: Milledgeville GA, Petersburg VA, Columbia SC, Chattanooga TN, Augusta GA
• Union will receive 2500 FS when each of Nashville TN and Montgomery AL are captured
• Union will lose 2000 FS when each of the following are captured: Cumberland MD, Hagerstown MD, Gettysburg PA, Frederick MD
• More Gunboats on the map at game start will be set to Raider mode (Mithrilotter)
OTHER
• Added MX-map-1846 to the Extras folder
• Strategy Guides updated

[Gusington]

Thanks! My next purchase awaits.

[steve58]

Wars in the Americas DLC announced.  Out on January 26th.

Lead your armies during five epic 19th century conflicts:
1. 1846 The Conquest of Mexico
2. 1863 The Eagle and The Empire
3. 1866 Paraguay Under Siege
4. 1879 Ghosts of the Pacific
5. 1898 Remember the Maine

The DLC will include many new Features:
- New campaigns covering five major wars between 1846 and 1898
- New unit types including Field Artillery, Blockhouses, Armored Cruisers and Torpedo Boats
- New historical leaders including Taylor, Bazaine, Escala, Caxias, Shafter and Scott
- New events including Santa Anna's Return from Exile, the Philippine Revolution and the construction of Paraguay's great 'Cristiano' mortar

[Gusington]

^Absolutely fantastic 

Interested in every one of those conflicts