I finally broke down and got this, and am looking forward to getting to know the system.
I'm a little horrified at just how large my game-playing backlog has gotten, and my game-modding backlog isn't far behind. These days I seem to gravitate towards games that need little or no modding, so I can actually play them.
Having just modded finished making a bunch of Strategic Command flag mods the construction and research issues are fresh in my mind, so I couldn't help turning that part of my brain towards Decisive Campaigns. The first thing I noticed was that the people who have modded the flags only seem to care about painting swastikas on things, and don't worry too much about whether the other flags are correct or appropriate. Oh well, we can't all be into vexillology. For the record, the Italian flag is wrong any way you slice it: the WW I and II tricolors should always have the house of Savoy's coat of arms in the middle of the white stripe, unless it's used for the Regia Marina (aka the navy), in which case the coat of arms should have a crown on top. Anyone who's spent too much time staring at Italian vermouth bottles knows this. I guess that means this game's modders don't make their martini's with Italian vermouth (I stopped drinking the French stuff before dinner when I grew up enough to admit to myself that even if it did clear my palate, I still didn't like the taste).
The Romanian and Hungarian flags are not strictly wrong, but could be improved. If you're going to use the German war flag for the HQ units, why do Romanians and Hungarians get stuck with plain tricolors? You can debate a bit about the royal coat of arms being appropriate for the Romanian war flags, but most Hungarians in that period probably thought that the crown of St. Stephen was part of the national flag (even though technically it wasn't), and it was certainly part of the war flag. It's a bit like the WW II flag for India: people thought that it was the red ensign with the star of India (like the shield on the Canadian flag), and that flag got used at international events (including, apparently, the founding of the U.N.), but it wasn't really the official flag (the Union flag, sometimes defaced by the star of India in the center). [Now that I think about it, I really should change my flag mod for Assault on Democracy because the unofficial Indian flag is much more amusing since there are already so many Union flags on the expanded world map].
These things are easy to fix, and only require fiddling around a bit with a few PNG files. I like that, because I'm burning out on modding, and need to remake my WW I mods for France '14 and East Prussia, as well as decide whether the new Peninsula game is compatible with my Napoleonic mods. But there's another problem, and it's much more insidious because it's the kind of thing that I wake up worrying about in the middle of the night.
I'm not sure I like the colors of the unit counters.
I've taken a closer look at one of the mods that apparently changes this, and I can't for the life of me figure out what graphics file was modified to change the colors. It may be that I haven't spent enough time poking around in the game files, but the other possibility is that unit color is something that gets set by editing the scenario files.
If that's the case I'm reluctant to change the unit colors, not because I couldn't figure out how to use the editor, but because I'm against making changes to things other than graphics files in public mods: it can mess up pbem, and the people who use these mods can never be sure what else you've changed (like boosting the combat values of your favorite unit).
I'm also sure that I don't have enough of a visual feel for what the game is supposed to look like at this point, so for now I'm a tad reluctant to start messing with something that fundamental.
But having said all that, does anyone here actually know how to change the unit colors? I ask the question here because I think Victor occasionally wanders through and the Matrix forum seems a little dead.
[And having seen the quality of this game I can well understand why John Tiller is having trouble finishing his Strategic War in Europe series].
Matter of personal preference, of course, but I find the Decisive Campaign games visually appealing without need of modification -- very much in contrast to WitE, which I cannot play without heavy graphical mods and tweaks of all kinds.
My advice would be: just play the game -- it's terrific.
The base visuals are pretty good, and the two or three mods that adjust the map visuals may or may not be an improvement and may not be that necessary. I'd need to play with them loaded to be able to say one way or the other, and I'm not there yet. One of the ones I've seen may improve things a bit, but it might also be too busy. And without knowing how cluttered the map background should be, it's impossible to say whether using more historically flavorful colors is a good idea or not.
So much for aesthetics.
The use of a black, white and red tricolor for a German flag, however, was not a great design decision. I would rather see that than a red flag with a made-up symbol like you get in out-of-the box Strategic Command, but that particular tricolor is just as much of fantasy event. If you must use a tricolor instead of the correct flag, at least use the old imperial tricolor, which, unlike this one, doesn't look like a French flag.
I'm not squeamish about using swastikas on my WW II Germans, but I can think of at least two historically authentic alternatives: a plain balkenkreuz on a greyish background, or the wehrmacht eagle with outstretched wings (and yes, it's clutching a swastika in its claws, but it so small no one would ever notice).
There's no excuse for ahistorical symbols.
I've never had a need to modify DC in any of its iterations and have played more than my share of hours. I loaded some of the mods for Advanced Tactics and never really found them as, well, necessary, as those for JTS and HPS.
That said, Philippe, your first post is a delightful insight into how the mind of someone who does such a great job at these things thinks. Many of those things would absolutely never have occurred to me. Please never stop!
Best,
Jim
"Cyrano"
:/7)
...but, I will prod a bit and observe that your title should either have been "Fall Blau" or "Case Blue".
Best,
Jim
"Cyrano"
:/7)
Just picked this one up myself. The visuals don't bother me but I would be interested in any mods that would be posted. I was actually hoping for some user-made scenarios but I don't see any. :'( Loved the first game and really like this one too. Still getting used to the supply changes and all the new Leader Abilities. This monster is more monster than the last game but there's some good small scenarios and I managed to pick-up a win in the first scenario of the 1st Panzer Army campaign. Glad to see naval units added to the game. And the AI is as tough as ever! This is the face it makes at me after I move... :2funny:
The one thing that still gets under my skin about DC Case Blue is its handling of the air war. I am not a German fanboy who thinks the Heer and Luftwaffe should be invincible by any stretch, but the thrashing the LW takes at the hands of the VVS in this game -- summer of '42 -- is completely ahistorical. Swarms of Soviet fighters rise up to thwart any LW airstrike. Germany's bombers get depleted in short order. As the German player, you become afraid to use them, which is exactly the opposite of what it should be: the LW was decisive in allowing Germany's decidedly overmatched armor to take on the Soviets at this stage in the war.
Sandman, is that in the main campaign or in any of the scenarios as well?
I confess I've been working my way up through the scenarios and the victory conditions seem balanced to reward Heer/LW aggression even against those losses?
Best,
Jim
"Cyrano"
:/7)
I haven't tried the smaller scenarios, just the full Case Blue campaign -- but I assume air combat is handled the same across all scenarios. Possibly there are fewer Soviet aircraft available in the smaller scenarios, so the problem may be less noticeable, but that's just a guess.
There's a "Case Blue Redux" modded campaign available on the Matrix forums that I've been meaning to try -- it addresses some of the airwar imbalance issues, plus uses the "hardcore" supply rules from DC Warsaw to Paris, which ups the challenge for the German player (in a good, more historical way).
I'm not familiar with the Hardcore Supply rules from DC 1. My biggest frustration with the game is the limited supply of ammo for the arty and the air force. And the slow-as-hell replenishment rate. Limited oil I can deal with but without ammo there's no point trying to go anywhere.
Quote from: sandman2575 on December 02, 2014, 03:55:51 PM
The one thing that still gets under my skin about DC Case Blue is its handling of the air war. I am not a German fanboy who thinks the Heer and Luftwaffe should be invincible by any stretch, but the thrashing the LW takes at the hands of the VVS in this game -- summer of '42 -- is completely ahistorical. Swarms of Soviet fighters rise up to thwart any LW airstrike. Germany's bombers get depleted in short order. As the German player, you become afraid to use them, which is exactly the opposite of what it should be: the LW was decisive in allowing Germany's decidedly overmatched armor to take on the Soviets at this stage in the war.
I have the same gripe. I had just finished reading Black Cross, Red Star vol 3 on the air war over Stalingrad and couldn't believe how badly they got the air war. I complained on the matrix forums and got no response. Haven't played the game since.
I loaded up that "Case Blue Redux" campaign last night but didn't have time to get into it. Get it here if interested:
http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=3662619 (http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=3662619)
Purports to do some good things, namely:
"Changes made to the stock scenario in an attempt to rebalance the air and repair the SS MTZ OOB's.
1. Axis BF E's are now BF F's.
2. All Axis air replacements arrive at 50% experience rather than 20%; including those purchased by the Cards.
3. Soviet Fighter replacement rate reduced by 33%.
4. New SS MTZ unit OOB to include 3 MTZ regiments where historically appropriate.
5. Das Reich arrives on Feb 12 1943 and TK on Feb 14 1943; this was to clear up a few inconsistancies.
6. Hardcore Supply "
I'm very curious to see if this pushes the airwar toward something approaching historical reality, but I'm skeptical.
Vic has mentioned that the way to defeat the VVS as German player is to do a lot of recon to spot enemy airbases, and then airstrikes against those bases. Problem is, there are no dedicated air recon units in Case Blue (unlike Warsaw to Paris, strangely), plus, you have *zero* intelligence on where those bases might be, rather unrealistically, so it's a total crapshoot / shot in the dark situation trying to locate them with air units you'd much rather be using for actual combat missions.
Airwar is frustrating in DC Case Blue -- really my only complaint about the game...
Has there been any talk about the naval aspect? Tactics or strategies? As the Axis, is it even worth using your little ships at all? Or better to keep them safe at home.
As I don't know much about the Air War in general in WW2 in my ignorance I really enjoyed DC Case Blue. I do know though I can't wait to see how DC3 plays as the developer diaries sound amazing.
@SirSlash -- For my part, I pretty much ignore the naval aspect entirely. Naval units seem more there for flavor than usefulness. My whole MO as German player is to take Sevastopol as quickly as possible and get von Manstein outta Crimea so he can assist in the (very difficult) siege of Rostov-na-Don. A little gamey of me, but I strip Manstein's 11th army of its JG fighter groups, completely un-needed in Crimea but badly needed near Voronezh and Millerovo.
@Tactical -- I know something about WW2 airwar but my knowledge is hardly exhaustive -- and even the irritation of how DC2 handles (or mishandles) airwar does not significantly detract from my enjoyment of this excellent game.
DC3 (along with Hearts of Iron IV) are front-and-center on my Upcoming Games Eagerly Awaited radar...
Thanks Sandman. Good advice.
I found a very old thread that talked about how to change the unit colors.
As I had suspected, to change unit colors you need to use the editor. What you have to mess around with are the regimes, and you're probably looking at having to generate a whole new set of scenarios.
So changing the unit colors is a non-starter. Not that hard to do, but forcing people to download new scenarios just to use unit colors that they may or may not agree with is an imposition and a bad idea.
Having said all of that the unit colors aren't so far off that I can't live with them. To get a sense of what I would have done in that department, take a look at my Panzer Campaigns mods.
So now the mod is getting smaller and easier to make.
I've started playing around with the flags and symbols, and will probably produce a mod that only changes the flags and symbols, so you can plug it into any other mod that you may or may not have installed.
It will be another one of my historical flag mods, but I think I may include a non-swastika variant. I noticed several complaints that the out-of-the-box German flag looked too much like the French flag (it does, and that's why I'm going to make this mod), and many of the same people who are bothered by that resemblance are also uncomfortable staring at swastikas.
Personally I prefer my bad guys straight up, but I can sympathize with people who remember what flag was flying when their country was occupied by force.
I'll make a full announcement later this weekend, but if anyone is interested I've finished the Historical Flags and Symbols mod for Decisive Campaigns Case Blue.
There are detailed notes in the mod on exactly what's been changed and why, as well as instructions on how to use it.
No screenshots yet, but if they ever do happen they won't be much fun because Imageshack isn't what it used to be.
This may be the smallest mod I've ever made, and it can be downloaded here:
https://app.box.com/s/birj2fsdttuy5nwj04pw
Thanks Phillippe, I dont have yet but plan on getting before end of sale.
Historical Flags and Symbols version 1.5
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.minus.com%2FjbcCQ6RJFwgZIu.jpg&hash=fbb522383812a2fa3685a0f692917171be8a7e52) (http://minus.com/i/bcCQ6RJFwgZIu)
[To see this image in full size, you'll need to click on the center of the image above and then click on the next image when you're taken to the image host's website] .
This mod is a by-product of flag work that I've done on Battlefront and Fury Software's Strategic Command games and John Tiller's Panzer Campaigns series.
This mod makes a few changes to the graphic presentation, nothing more. It will have zero impact on any pbem games, and won't cause problems if one player uses it but another doesn't.
This mod is designed to be used with other graphics mods.
WHAT THE MOD CHANGES:
Germany:
The mod uses a German roundel derived from the roundel on the Parteiflag. Kiddytoto's treatment of the Parteiflag roundel is very good, so if you substitute his for mine I won't be offended.
The large, medium, and small headquarters flags are the Reichskriegflag, the German warflag. This is the flag that would have flown in front of any army or navy headquarters, as well as in front of administrative offices in any occupied territory.
The crossed anchors icon for the Wehrmacht navy is the emblem that was worn on the shoulder boards of the Kriegsmarine.
The Luftwaffe eagle has been repainted.
I have replaced the roman alphabet SS icon with white SS runes on a black background.
Italy:
The large, medium, and small headquarters flags are the correct flags for the period (green-white-red tricolor with the coat of arms of Savoy in the white section).
The Italian flag during the first part of the 20th century was not the modern simple green-white-red tricolor. Italy was technically a monarchy, and the coat of arms of the ruling house of Savoy always appeared in the middle of the white stripe (the Italian navy -- aka Regia Marina -- used the arms of the house of Savoy topped with a crown in the middle of their ensigns). This coat of arms can still be seen on many Italian product labels, especially when the companies are headquartered in Northern Italy. The red shield with a white cross tends to show up on vermouth labels ( Italian vermouth is not as dry as French vermouth, or I'd look in my liquor cabinet and confirm that Cinzano still uses it) and I've seen that coat of arms on syrup bottles for Italian ices in Little Italy.
The national icon for Italy is now the coat of arms of the house of Savoy (white cross on a red shield with a blue border).
Hungary:
The large, medium, and small headquarters flags are the red-white-green horizontal tricolor with the coat of arms of Hungary (aka the crown of St. Stephen) in the center. Most people at the time thought that this was the Hungarian national flag, and it is generally accepted that it was the warflag. The out-of-the-box version of the game mistakenly used the modern Italian tricolor for the Hungarian flag in the most zoomed-out view. That has been corrected in the mod.
The national icon for Hungary is now the crown of St. Stephen.
Romania:
After much soul-searching I've decided to leave the plain Romanian tricolor from the out-of-the box version as the Romanian headquarters flag. Although still technically a monarchy (a bit like Italy), Romania was under the Antonescu regime, and using military flags emblazoned with King Michael's monogram and coat of arms just didn't seem right.
The national icon for Romania is now the Romanian cross (allegedly modeled on the German balkenkreuz).
[The net effect of these national icon changes is that they are not only more historical this way, but much easier to tell apart].
Soviet Union:
The national icon for Soviet regulars is derived from the Red Army badges that were made out of enameled metal.
The national icon for Soviet Guards units is based on the Guards badge that they wore.
The national icon for Soviet Naval Infantry (the Black Death) is based on the fouled anchor that appears on Russian marine badges.
The Soviet Roundel now sports a hammer and sickle.
The red star that came with the game is very nice, but should only really designate the Red Army. So the hobgoblin of little minds and semiotics strikes again: both large roundels should have symbols for armies, or both roundels should have symbols for countries. I prefer national symbols, hence my mod.
The non-swastika version of the mod:
The german national roundel uses a roundel based on the Wehrmacht eagle.
Instead of a Reichskrieg flag, German headquarters will be designated by the Wehrmacht eagle on a feldgrau background. (If you happen to prefer the lighter greyish-greenish background of the earlier versions, it's still in there with _alt suffixes added to all of the files, and can be restored with minimal fuss).
HOW TO USE THIS MOD:
This mod should be compatible with most if not all other existing graphics mods. I've only modded some of the flags and symbols.
This mod is designed for MANUAL INSTALLATION. You don't have to download and learn how to use any other programs (not that there's anything wrong with that).
The mod comes in two parts. A complete version of the mod as it was intended to be used, and an extra set of files that remove the swastikas for those that are squeamish about that sort of thing.
The mod mimics the game's folder structure, so all you have to do to use it is to copy the folder named "Matrix Games" into the folder that you keep your Matrix Games folder in.
It might be a good idea to back up your originals first in case you hate my work, or use a mod installer.
The simplest way to back up the files that are going to be changed if you don't use a mod installer is to go into your regular installation of the Decisive Campaigns Case Blue folder in your Matrix Games folder and copy the graphics folder. You can leave the copy of the graphics folder sitting next to the original because the program will only look for the original, and will ignore something named "copy of graphics" or "graphics_unmodified". If you give the copy a name that is the same as the original but that only differs in its suffix (e.g. "graphics_org") the two folders will sit next to each other when the game folder is sorted in alphabetical order. You can then switch back by adding a suffix of some kind to the modded graphics folder and removing the suffix from the copy. Do it too many times though, and you may make mistakes, which is why some people prefer mod installers.
I have nothing against mod installers. I actually started modding by working as the terrain editor for Gordon Molek's Combat Mission mod installer. But I ended up getting sick and tired of spending much of my time explaining how to install and use it. Much simpler to do it manually, provided you know how to back up and switch back and forth at will (which you have to be able to do if you're planning on making a mod). The nice thing about doing things manually is that it forces you to examine what changes you're actually making to your computer before you make them. The two parts of my mod can probably be adapted easily enough to a mod installer, but time is short and I have other mods I need to make.
HOW TO GET RID OF THE SWASTIKAS:
Installing this mod will put a lot of swastikas on prominent but historically accurate display. If you don't want to have swastikas in your face on all of your German headquarters units, install the mod, and then go to the folder named "remove swastikas". Inside you'll find another (different and smaller) folder named Matrix Games. Copy and paste that to wherever you keep your regular Matrix games folder. The headquarters swastikas will be replaced by wehrmacht eagles with their wings outstretched ( I used to use this symbol in my Panzer Campaigns mods when I couldn't identify a unit-specific emblem for a particular headquarters). But I recommend that you try the mod with swastikas first, because they aren't as prominent when the Reichskrieg flag is the headquarters symbol (the Parteiflag used a larger roundel and swastika), and because it really is useful when playing the game to call attention to headquarters units with
all of those red flags.
WHERE TO GET THE MOD:
https://app.box.com/s/2isn42lltygazgvck0qr
[If given a choice, try to download the mod zip file and not the folder that the mod zip file is in. The maga.mg hidden file has been removed from the download, and it never should have been there in the first place].
Caveat: This is a link to a free box account that I use for my John Tiller/HPS Napoleonic mods. Bandwidth is not unlimited, and tends to get used up around the end of the month. So if you ever try to download from this link and you can't, look at the calender and try again on the 2nd of the next month.
Great work Philippe. Looks so good I almost don't mind losing now.
They look very nice. Will these Flags/Symbols work with DC from Warsaw to Paris?
I don't own the game so I can't say. I would need to examine the contents of the flag folder, assuming it has one.
My guess would be that the German material may well be transferable, but something might have changed between the two games.
Quote from: Sir Slash on December 07, 2014, 10:41:47 PM
Great work Philippe. Looks so good I almost don't mind losing now.
+1. Great work, indeed!
By the way, what is Vic up to these days? Anyone know anything about his next project?
I think I remember a press release about another large Eastern Front title, which sort of was a disappointment to me. Anyway, that was awhile ago and I haven't heard anything since.
Quote from: Jarhead0331 on December 08, 2014, 07:54:06 PM
By the way, what is Vic up to these days? Anyone know anything about his next project?
That would be this:
http://www.vrdesigns.nl/
Decisive Campaigns set in the East.
More specifically still, Operation Barbarossa, presumably bringing the eastern war from its opening to Fall Blau. Curious to see how many of the innovations he comes up with get patched backwards into the other two games.
As always, great work Phillipe. Thanks for it!
Best,
Jim
"Cyrano"
:/7)
Thanks Philippe, Really like and appreciate what you have done...installed.
I've made what I'm pretty sure is the last adjustment to the mod.
The Soviet and German roundels have now been textured with lighting effects. As Plato was so fond of saying, learning is recollection, and I finally remembered how to use the render-lighting filter.
The non-swastika version of the Germans has been recolored to a darker feldgrau, but I left the non-swastika flags and roundel untextured, partly because they looked funny when textured because they were pretty dark to begin with, and partly because my ancient version of Photoshop is really creaking in Windows 7 and that render-lighting filter is way too labor-intensive to use properly if you don't really have to.
And I searched through all the mod folders for hidden files before I zipped them.
Never say never.
The DCCB Historical Flags and Symbols mod has been updated to version 1.5.
The change is pretty minor, and only effects the non-swastika part of the mod.
The non-swastika part now uses the same German flags and roundel as the DCWtP mod.
The Case Blue mod can be downloaded here:
https://app.box.com/s/2isn42lltygazgvck0qr
The Steam version of the Case Blue mod can be downloaded here:
https://app.box.com/s/fqnvbutepku9ihzb8gl3vo1h1u90s0cz
To see screenshots of the Warsaw to Paris mod go here:
http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=3768892
Or to download the Warsaw to Paris mod, go here:
https://app.box.com/s/dcobsy119z53sjrb7mwr
DCCB will be available on Steam starting May 7, so in anticipation I've put together a Steam version of the Historical Flags and Symbols mod.
You can find a link to it in one of my earlier posts here, or in the thread at the Matrix website, or in the thread at the Wargamer website (which is so useless at this point I don't know why I bother), or at the Steam forum for DCCB (where it seems to be the only post).
Because I haven't actually had a chance to examine the Steam version yet I'm guessing that the install path will be similar to the install paths for all the other Steam games I've seen. This isn't a slam dunk guess, because Pike and Shot's steam version uses an ampersand, so who knows what will happen here.
In any case, if the Steam version of my mod doesn't do what it's supposed to when Steam DCCB sees the light of day, somebody send me an e-mail and I'll do the needful.
And one last note.
This is most certainly NOT a Steam Workshop mod, and after the shenanigans Valve is pulling it never will be.
The problem of the damage that Valve is doing is not addressed by not buying a mod if you don't want to. The damage is done to all mods be they free or for sale, and it comes from adding the issue of potential litigation (not to mention someone stealing your mod and selling it on Valve). Adding ambulance chasers and corporate legal departments with nothing better to do than chase down people who like to share their adaptions is going to make everyone think twice before disseminating a mod.
...here we go again...blaming lawyers for all the woes of the world. :idiot2:
Still, thanks for all the work you've done with your great mod.
Quote from: Jarhead0331 on April 27, 2015, 01:39:39 PM
...here we go again...blaming lawyers for all the woes of the world. :idiot2:
Still, thanks for all the work you've done with your great mod.
MY lawyer is just fine, it's all the
other lawyers that are the problem! ;D
They're like fighter planes...you only need one if the other guy has one
Quote from: Philippe on January 16, 2015, 01:14:41 PM
Never say never.
The DCCB Historical Flags and Symbols mod has been updated to version 1.3.
The change is pretty minor, and only effects the non-swastika part of the mod.
The non-swastika part now uses the same German flags and roundel as the DCWtP mod.
The Case Blue mod can be downloaded here:
https://app.box.com/s/2isn42lltygazgvck0qr
The Steam version of the Case Blue mod can be downloaded here:
https://app.box.com/s/fqnvbutepku9ihzb8gl3vo1h1u90s0cz
To see screenshots of the Warsaw to Paris mod go here:
http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=3768892
Or to download the Warsaw to Paris mod, go here:
https://app.box.com/s/dcobsy119z53sjrb7mwr
I've changed my mind about Romania, so the DC:CB links in this post will now take you to the regular and Steam versions of version 1.4 of the mod. Romania now uses King Michael's warflag instead of the plain tricolor.
Thanks Philippe. I downloaded both the DCCB and the DCWtP mods.
Like you I have no problem with German units having the historical German flag, as I prefer historicity to political correctness. It seems pretty hypocritical that while Germany and Poland both ban representations of the Swastika, they don't also ban the hammer and sickle, for essentially the same reasoning.
It doesn't mean I endorse the Nazi's, any more than I endorse the Soviets as they were both pretty equivalent on their scale of atrocities - the Soviets perhaps more so, as they had a longer time to commit them. Unlike the Germans they were able to hide their genocides for longer. Both regimes were a bunch of murderous bast*rds.
While getting ready for Barbarossa I reviewed the two versions (Steam and non-Steam) of the DCCB mod, and discovered to my chagrin that a moderately common texture had been left out.
(The missing texture is a repainted Luftawaffe eagle on a square blue background that can be seen the the DCWtP mod).
That has been rectified and the links in the earlier post will now lead you to version 1.5 of the Steam and non-Steam versions.