It's a two-hour download:
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Here is the full changelog for the new v1.10 patch for Panzer Corps in preparation for the upcoming release of Afrika Korps!
Gameplay
20+ new units to be used in existing scenarios and also in user mods, including minefields, gliders, flamethrowing tanks and motorcycle infantry
The game was extended with desert-related graphics and game rules, and is fully compatible with scenarios (both official and usernade) set in Africa theatre.
New weather type: sandstorm.
A new option to disable "Undo Move" command. Available in both single player and multiplayer.
Embarking and immediately disembarking on the same hex is treated as undo and does not spend unit's move.
Planes no longer see enemy units underneath in bad weather.
UI
Heroes are now shown on the map as golden dots on unit's strength plates.
In unit list it is now possible to hover hero portraits and see their bonuses in a tooltip.
Unit info screen shows not only the number of kills the unit scored, but also the number of losses it took in the course of the game.
Scenario briefing, as well as any messages that appear in course of a scenario (new feature, not used in old campaigns), are now included in Message log invoked via UI button of Ctrl+M shortcut.
Library was extended with articles about the most prominent WW2 fighters and bombers.
Added italian heroes and awards, and also 10 new german heroes.
AI
Some general improvements in AI play logic.
The AI can now use more unit orders, in particular drop paratroopers and switch multipurpose units.
The AI supports a number of new settings available to modders via the new editor.
Multiplayer
The patch updates the game to version 1.10 which is required to login into Multiplayer server after Afrika Korps release.
The game is updated to be compatible with Afrika Korps engine, so that it is possible to accept challenges and play games against opponents using Afrika Korps.
One more new MP scenario added: Spoils of War
Corrected balance in Iron Cross Red Star map.
Bug fixes
A number of fixes in unit icons and animations
Movement heroes no longer affect units in sea/air/rail transports
Fixed crash when using Mount and Supply hotkeys during deployment
Fixed strategic bombers adding white flag when bombing cities with no flags on them.
And much more
Editor
More advanced scripting. Now it is possible to trigger not only single actions but also scripts which can consist of several actions. Each script can run one or several times, and also skip a few runs before it gets executed. Also, it is now possible to run scripts not only at the end of a turn, but immediately when the required condition is met (e. g. you capture a city - this triggers an event), and also at the beginning/end of axis/allies half-turn. There are new types of actions (display message, center on hex, mark or unmark certain hex as victory objective) and conditions. Setting and checking tags allow scripts to exchange information - a certain trigger could depend on one or several scripts running prior to its execution etc.
A number of new AI orders. It is possible to give the units to move to a certain hex via a given trajectory, or to move to one of several hexes randomly; patrol area in different ways, or disembark on one of several given hexes randomly. Also, the AI action allows to assign all these new AI orders based on a certain trigger.
Unit placement randomization. Both preplaced units and reinforcements can now appear at random location - within a given radius from their original hex, or in a given zone. This allows to do pretty tricky randomizations: for example, reinforcements could come from any location on the border of the map.
Heroes configuration. Now it is possible to assign any heroes to any units on the map.
Exit zones. Available via Special Hexes layer, separately for Axis and Allies. A unit which enters such a hex is removed from the map and is placed in Reserve. It is also possible to analyze units in reserve using map condition with "Where" set to "Reserve".
It is now possible to set max strength on a per-unit individual basis.
It is now possible to have several different transports of the same type in the same scenario (e. g. normal air transports and gliders at the same time). They are configured via Transports tab in Scenario Params.
Theatre setting. Any scenario can be set in Europe or Africa. Depending on theatre setting the units will use appropriate camouflage.
In addition to cloudy weather, rain and snow, it is not possible to specify probability of sandstorms in a given scenario.
Share flags setting. If set, units of any nation can be purchased next to flags belonging to allied nations (e. g. german units near italian falgs if germany and italy belong to the same side).
"Special" check box in unit params, allowing to mark mission-critical units (the ones you need to protect, escort, destroy) with a different strength plate.
Generate Tiles command no longer overwrites any tiles set manually by the designer. It is possible to generate tiles on a per-layer basis.
It is possible to change unit type without losing its stats - just select new type and click on the unit twice (first click will select the unit, second will change the type).
Units should no longer lose transports after editing unit params.
Other
French and Russian localizations included with this patch.
It is now possible to reduce the game memory footprint by running it with a /nocache command line switch. This might be useful if you are using heavy mods, or simply have very little memory on your PC.
In Data folder there is a new file called diff.pzdat. This file contains all settings for all difficulty levels. So it is now possible to customize difficulty as you want. Also, the modders can include a custom diff.pzdat with their campaigns, thus making difficulty levels which are more suited to their content.
Movement tables can now use fractional movement costs (with one digit after decimal sign, e. g. 1.1 or 1.5, but not 1.25).
heroes and battle history.
New unit traits: minefield, minesweeper, minekiller, glider, nozoc, reconmove.
It is now possible to configure which transports a unit can use, on a per-unit basis, and also create new transport subclasses within primary transport classes (land, sea, air and rail) in the equipment table.
It is now possible to exclude any unit from any theatre of operation in the equipment table.
Multiple nation campaigns are now supported - just list all nations separated with commas in the campaign.pzdat file.
The game can now play voiceovers not only for pre-scenario, but also for post-scenario briefings.
Switch command should now work between planes (i. e. switch ground to air and vice versa).
Added "kills X" cheat. Allows to set any number of kills on a unit.
Added "reform units" cheat. When this mode is active (entering the cheat code again deactivates it), all killed units move to reserve with zero strength and can be reformed before the next scen. Killed unit loses all experience, but preserves name, awards,
"all eqp" cheat now also allows to purchase bonus and captured units.
Removed "air", "sea' and "rail" cheats.
Gosh, I thought my internet was just running slow, lol. I'm downloading it now ;D
Awesome thanks for the heads up.
*edit - does anyone know if you start the dld and then stop, does it pick up where it left off if you come back to it?
No problem. Can't wait for the Afrika Korp module.
Awesome! Thanks for the heads up.
Wow this download really is slow...you weren't just whistlin' Dixie, Bismarck.
I whistle the Bonnie Blue Flag. Make sure you close the opening menu before installing.
^Just got those three messages about closing the menu...doesn't look like too big a deal because it states it will install those three odd parts at the next reboot.
Not exactly a huge file. They must just be limiting bandwidth. I'm good with that. It'll be worth the wait.
The Matrix FTP server has a very low download speed.
The download speeds are an issue with the patch server.
Thanks for the heads-up, Jim.
I am also very excited for the Afrika Korps expansion. Was there an Afrika Korps campaign in Panzer General? I honestly don't remember.
Yes there was. Panzer General had it all from Poland to Moscow to NA to France to England and even to the Continental USA.
Something about the Afrika Korps really captures my imagination.
^Yeah, its a must-buy addition for me.
Quote from: Gusington on August 03, 2012, 08:16:41 PM
Something about the Afrika Korps really captures my imagination.
Lots of historians (and, in fact Erwin Rommel himself) have suggested that the war in the desert was a 'purer' kind of warfare than that in the populated areas of Europe and Asia and that the opposing sides treated each others' POWs with more respect as fellow soldiers than was the norm elsewhere. There were also almost no significant numbers of civilians to be injured and killed by the combatants. Rommel refered to it as "Krieg Ohne Hass" or "War without Hate". It may be an overly romantic view of what actually happened but might not be completely off the mark either. The actual battles themselves were unusual in that the vast expanses and open terrain also made for a type of maneuver war that had many aspects of naval tactics. Add to that the stories of brilliant acts of misdirection such as using trucks with aircraft engines bolted to the back kicking up vast dust clouds simulating the movement of a large combat force and it's easy to see why many find the NA campaigns so engrossing.
^I like that, Staggerwing. I know Patton looked at it as a duel between himself and Rommel, a gentleman's war if you will. Interesting. Maybe that explains part of the enduring legend of Afrika Korp to WWII groupies such as myself.
Alright I can't get this update to work for me. After it finish downloading I get an error message that the update did not apply. If I wasn't stupid and closed it already I would post a screenshot. Anyone else have this problem?
Staggerwing you know I love you but I have to counter what you posted above. My Grandfather fought in North Africa (not against the Germans directly but against the Italians) and it really messed him up. It was not romantic for him at all.
Quote from: Gusington on August 03, 2012, 09:42:23 PM
Staggerwing you know I love you but I have to counter what you posted above. My Grandfather fought in North Africa (not against the Germans directly but against the Italians) and it really messed him up. It was not romantic for him at all.
No, I don't imagine it was. The Italians in NA were actually notorious for being quite cruel to what few Arabs they came across. And there's nothing romantic about dying in an artillery barrage, on a minefield, or in a burning M3. The idealization of the NA theater is more in contrast to the baseline fury and horror that were part of the other theaters and, while POWs were always treated roughly their lot in NA was better in most cases than that on the Eastern, Western, or Italian/Balkan fronts. In most cases... :(
The one North African story that sticks with me from my Grandfather was about the wires that were strung across roads to decapitate Allied troops. Gramps was pretty tight lipped about most things from WWII but he did tell me that story over and over as he saw my military interest grow.
Still...I'm not immune to the spell of North Africa in WWII, obviously. My Grandfather would not be pleased with me though.
Gus, good point that the things we romanticize and wargame over are very real to some people. Thanks for the reminder. I had a friend who was a WWII vet, a B-17 tailgunner, who was shot down over Nazi Germany on his first mission and spent two years in a prison camp until it was liberated at the end of the war. He never talked about it either.
I don't want to be a Debbie Downer. But I do have a strong family connection to North Africa. Sorry for bringing down the thread since I am also excited about the expansion. If my Gramps is looking down on me I hope he is not too pissed.