The next DLC for Achtung Panzer (I guess it's called Graviteam Tactics now) will be Zhalanashkol. The map looks interesting but I'm not 100% sold on the dev's decision to make this one's OOB completely historical. That means it's going to be a 5 hour campaign with about 50 Soviet border guards with a few APCs and a helo mixing it up with around 120 Chinese PLA infantry with no vehicles at all.
I don't know why they decided to go the completely historical route this time. Maybe too many people complained about the alternate history in the Aghan DLC or maybe they just didn't want to model a bunch of Chinese vehicles. Too bad because I think a larger "what if" scenario pitting late 60s Soviets against a massive Chinese onslaught would be pretty cool.
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Cool, even if not that historically sexy. I would like to see a Super Deluxe edition of the game with all DLC released so I can avoid the unfortunate patching and expansion deal.
Ok, I have to ask: how do these games stack up against combat mission/shockforce? Looks similar in that you plan your moves and then hit "go" right? I don't hear a lot about them. I could t care less about Angola, afcrapistan or the Chinese border but I will give credit for not just pumping out Ww2 games.
So what's the attraction? If I wanted to play a WW2 tactical game, why would I want AP over CM? Or would I???
I'm kind of looking at the Shield of the prophet game for example. Looks cool but what's the catch?
Yay hills!
Quote from: mikeck on June 12, 2013, 07:51:22 PM
Ok, I have to ask: how do these games stack up against combat mission/shockforce? Looks similar in that you plan your moves and then hit "go" right? I don't hear a lot about them. I could t care less about Angola, afcrapistan or the Chinese border but I will give credit for not just pumping out Ww2 games.
So what's the attraction? If I wanted to play a WW2 tactical game, why would I want AP over CM? Or would I???
I'm kind of looking at the Shield of the prophet game for example. Looks cool but what's the catch?
The biggest thing that the APOS games offer over the CM series is the operational gameplay layer. You've got to push your units around on the operational map before you drop down to the tactical battles so you have to contend with fuel/ammo consumption and resupply; vehicle and gun damage and repair, unit morale and fatigue and just the overall conservation of force. It doesn't do you much good to fling your best units at the enemy
en masse on the first turn. You're almost guaranteed to win that initial battle but if you take heavy casualties doing so, you'll never be able to withstand the counter-attacks, let alone seize the operational objectives.
Some other interesting features include tactical battle maps that are much larger in size than you find in the CM games. This allows for more options as to what tactics to employ. Terrain and structures are deformable and the maps are persistent so if you blow a building apart or knock out an armored column on a bridge, the building rubble and burnt out vehicle wrecks will still be there should you have to fight on the same terrain again during the campaign.
I also like that the battles are dynamically generated so you'll never fight the same battle twice no matter how many times you replay a campaign.
Quote from: mikeck on June 12, 2013, 07:51:22 PM
Ok, I have to ask: how do these games stack up against combat mission/shockforce? Looks similar in that you plan your moves and then hit "go" right? I don't hear a lot about them. I could t care less about Angola, afcrapistan or the Chinese border but I will give credit for not just pumping out Ww2 games.
So what's the attraction? If I wanted to play a WW2 tactical game, why would I want AP over CM? Or would I???
I'm kind of looking at the Shield of the prophet game for example. Looks cool but what's the catch?
Big difference is also that AP plays in realtime, of course with an option to pause and give orders and the game speed is also adjustable. You don't maybe want AP over CM but you want them both because they approach the same thing from different angles which are both great. :)
Quote from: Silent Disapproval Robot on June 13, 2013, 01:10:31 AM
Quote from: mikeck on June 12, 2013, 07:51:22 PM
Ok, I have to ask: how do these games stack up against combat mission/shockforce? Looks similar in that you plan your moves and then hit "go" right? I don't hear a lot about them. I could t care less about Angola, afcrapistan or the Chinese border but I will give credit for not just pumping out Ww2 games.
So what's the attraction? If I wanted to play a WW2 tactical game, why would I want AP over CM? Or would I???
I'm kind of looking at the Shield of the prophet game for example. Looks cool but what's the catch?
The biggest thing that the APOS games offer over the CM series is the operational gameplay layer. You've got to push your units around on the operational map before you drop down to the tactical battles so you have to contend with fuel/ammo consumption and resupply; vehicle and gun damage and repair, unit morale and fatigue and just the overall conservation of force. It doesn't do you much good to fling your best units at the enemy en masse on the first turn. You're almost guaranteed to win that initial battle but if you take heavy casualties doing so, you'll never be able to withstand the counter-attacks, let alone seize the operational objectives.
Some other interesting features include tactical battle maps that are much larger in size than you find in the CM games. This allows for more options as to what tactics to employ. Terrain and structures are deformable and the maps are persistent so if you blow a building apart or knock out an armored column on a bridge, the building rubble and burnt out vehicle wrecks will still be there should you have to fight on the same terrain again during the campaign.
I also like that the battles are dynamically generated so you'll never fight the same battle twice no matter how many times you replay a campaign.
This.
The extra 'dynamic' campaign layer is a big plus.
Quote from: Gusington on June 12, 2013, 07:49:44 PM
Cool, even if not that historically sexy. I would like to see a Super Deluxe edition of the game with all DLC released so I can avoid the unfortunate patching and expansion deal.
A big +1....I've read about it on other threads on these forums, a quite complicated process to add dlc's, patches, updates, etc. Those with good computer skills say it isn't all that complicated, but in my 62 year old mind it is and it has kept me away from these games.
The patching is different...which does not necessarily mean difficult just not what you are used too.
There are a couple of threads that walk you through it quite well. The key is like building IKEA furniture. You have to follow the instructions and sequences exactly and you will be OK.
I wouldn't let the patching hold you back from what is for me a very fun game
Con
There is no deluxe version available with all DLC yet though, is there?
Quote from: Gusington on June 13, 2013, 09:35:31 AM
There is no deluxe version available with all DLC yet though, is there?
No.
Anyone try the Iran v soviet one yet???
Speaking of Iran v. Soviet "Shield of the Prophet" -- I'd be interested to hear how the overall gameplay compares with the Op Star World War II-era games. I'm wondering what (if anything) makes Graviteam's handling of modern warfare different from ww2 - ? Or is it just pretty much the same, with T-72s instead of T-34s and some Hind helicopters thrown in -- ?
Quote from: mikeck on June 13, 2013, 03:57:09 PM
Anyone try the Iran v soviet one yet???
Yes. I posted an AAR of my playthrough of the Soviet campaign in the Digital AAR forum.
Here's the link. http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=6015.0 (http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=6015.0)
The point is patches should not be done in sequence. They could have made more all-in patches and automatically patch to the latest with each DLC. Other shops can do it but why not them? Makes them look lazy on the expense of the consumers.
With the Muji and the Russians from Shield of the Prophet you could probably simulate some decent Russian Afghan war battles on the 1969 China/USSR border conflict map during Quick Battles.
Also from what I understand some new mud dynamics are going to be introduced in this DLC.
It will be interesting to see how Graviteam graphically represents it and how they apply it to the WW2 Russian front DLCs.
New uniform mod by Nightpostman.
I haven't downloaded it yet,but will this weekend.
I've got his uniform mod from before and it is very good.
https://disk.yandex.com/public/?hash=QfmPVEj8urArERSSEj5r4LSUhPg228hHPJBxzsjnaFA%3D
Quote from: Silent Disapproval Robot on June 13, 2013, 05:00:05 PM
Quote from: mikeck on June 13, 2013, 03:57:09 PM
Anyone try the Iran v soviet one yet???
Yes. I posted an AAR of my playthrough of the Soviet campaign in the Digital AAR forum.
Here's the link. http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=6015.0 (http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=6015.0)
Great AAR, SDR!
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There is supposedly 1 more DLC after this one.
Andrey mentioned it will be a WW2 vehicle pack for Quick battles-No map or campaign just vehicles.
What type I don't know.
The tank pack should be the last DLC for Graviteam Tactics:Operation Star.
After that a new game is supposed to be launched with a new engine.
It will be called Graviteam Tactics:Mius Front.
Hopefully,we will see the Mius Front game sometime this Summer.
I'm looking forward to the Mius Front game.
Not much detail about the Mius game except that it takes place in Aug.1943 after the initial penetration of the German defenses along the river by the Soviet Army and the German counter attack to seal off the breach by a weak motorized division and a weak Panzer division.
No mention of the follow up counter attack by 2 SS divisions later that eventually pushed the Soviets back across the river.
Some new big heavy Russian SU type support guns and some American made APCs will be introduced along with some not so great German SPGs.
I think artillery is going to figure heavily in the new game also(My guess).
There are a few DLCs that are works in progress that will be added to the game later that I know of-
Nomanhan 1939,Japan vs Russia in Mongolia.
Sinyavino 1942-Leningrad area.
and something about a Summer campaign near Kharkov in 1943.
Quotesomething about a Summer campaign near Kharkov in 1943.
After reading thru some of the posts on the Russian forum for this game it seems I was wrong about Summer Kharkov 1943 DLC.
It looks to be about a battle near Voronezh in July 1942.
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That OP map looks very interesting.
Can anyone pleas explain how to install the shield of prophet DlC???! Unbelievable that I cannot find instructions. It is a RAR file from gamers hate with no instructions...do I drop it in a folder? There is no extractor and no instructions...when you unpack the RAR, there is a folder called "core" that's it
....AND I can't register for their forums because they ask you a question to verify your are a person. I have no idea what the answer is because the question is "Steel?"
...I mean seriously...how is "steel?" A question that I can answer..I don't even know what that means. So far the Gravteam/gamersgate experience has been shit...how do you not include install instructions
Quote from: mikeck on June 16, 2013, 10:57:14 AM
Can anyone pleas explain how to install the shield of prophet DlC???! Unbelievable that I cannot find instructions. It is a RAR file from gamers hate with no instructions...do I drop it in a folder? There is no extractor and no instructions...when you unpack the RAR, there is a folder called "core" that's it
....AND I can't register for their forums because they ask you a question to verify your are a person. I have no idea what the answer is because the question is "Steel?"
...I mean seriously...how is "steel?" A question that I can answer..I don't even know what that means. So far the Gravteam/gamersgate experience has been shit...how do you not include install instructions
Bro...take a deep breath and calm down. Run the updater from ingame and then point to the DLC file. Then run the install.
Tried that by clicking "update" in the folder but not from inside the game... Didnt work. Before I fire it up, does it matter where I unpack the RAR? Which file do I point the installer at?? The one accompanying the "core" folder?
I mean, I'm not spazzing out over it...I'm just annoyed that I download a DLC from gamersgate that is RAR with no install Instructions.
The answer to Steel I believe is Fury.Its been awhile since I registered but Steel Fury Kharov is the name of one of their games.
Make sure you have the latest patches and updates before you install Shield of the Prophet also.
You can get them here-
http://graviteam.com/forum/index.php?topic=11099.0
unpack the RAR to your game folder and give it its own folder and direct your updater there.
There is also another way which is the old way.
You can unpack and extract the RAR file to an in game folder( create and call it Shield of the Prophet)once you have the Core folder extracted direct your updater to it select all files after clicking on the Core folder till the desc appears then select it.
Any folder in particular or just the main "achtung panzer operation star" folder?
Just bought it from gamersgate..do I still need to update?
Thx for the help by the way. I'm not at my computer so that's the reason for my questions about details
QuoteAny folder in particular or just the main "achtung panzer operation star" folder?
Just bought it from gamersgate..do I still need to update?
The main "achtung panzer operation star" folder will do.
Your core game needs to be currently updated before you install Shield of the Prophet.
Here's a picture of what currently updated updater looks like.
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Thx. Grabbed patch. I assume its the same procedure. I saw a thread awile ago lamenting on the difficulties in updating this game with DLC. Sheesh
Patched take a long time to download..do I need just the march patch or do I also need the "engine update"
I always do the engine update also, noticed sometimes the build number didn't change until i ran the core update. My current build number is 2170, i don't have any of the modern DLC's. The core is the engine update the patch is the content. I usually run the core first then when the update screen pops up i hit install and point to the patch file then hit save and play. I've had to run the core again after the patch to get the build number to change the last time i patched.
Well...I did the engine update, clicked to install the DLC, got the countdown and it was on my list! Clicked "save and play" and I got a "no disk in the drive" error
To make matters worse, whether I click "continue, try again", or "cancel" it keeps popping up. When I went to task manager and manually shut it off..it pops right back up!!! Wtf??
I'm still downloading the patch...hopefully that helps. Now I have to hard start my computer
I'm pretty sure you gotta apply the patch first, then do the content updates (which are the oddball ones) in some sort of order.
update 5.81 engine first then patch.
After you have updated the engine and applied the patch then you can add the Shield of the Prophet DLC.
Make sure when you open up the game in the upper right hand corner of the start menu screen it reads-version 5.81(2170) Update: mar.13c2
If your start menu screen reads that,then you will be ready to install the Shield of the Prophet DLC.
Man, the reoccurring error and hard start is annoying.
Anyway, I reinstalled from gamersgate, downloaded and installed the engine update and am now downloading the c4 march patch. I will install and try again. Should it be this hard? How about one patch and a DLC that auto extracts? I'm just frustrated. Spending my whole free gaming afternoon installing this thing
Believe me.It gets easier after the initial trial and error experience.
This game is a constant work in progress and being updated and patched regularly
eventually after awhile it becomes second nature.
Hang in there your almost there.
Got it. Thnx guys. Although in quick battle I can't seem to find any of the Shield of the prophet units...although I can play the campaign. Anyway, messed around and this game is pretty cool. Kind of dig it more than CM
QuoteGot it. Thnx guys. Although in quick battle I can't seem to find any of the Shield of the prophet units...although I can play the campaign
If you have them in the campaign you should be able to find them in the quick battle(QB) editor.
The modern Soviets will be close to the bottom of the list in the force pool for the Soviets.The Muj and Iranians are separate forces in the QB editor.By clicking the dot to the right or left of player side or enemy side you can change the different forces.When you open up the QB editor you will see a map,at the bottom of the map are buttons-the little cog wheel will take you to the editor and you can choose forces ,weather,morale,ammo state, etc.....
Quote from: mikeck on June 16, 2013, 10:57:14 AM
....AND I can't register for their forums because they ask you a question to verify your are a person. I have no idea what the answer is because the question is "Steel?"
...I mean seriously...how is "steel?" A question that I can answer..I don't even know what that means.
LOL. Yeah, I remember that frustration. I think just finding out how to register for their damned forums was the hardest part of the process. I kept trying variations of
Steel Armor: Blaze of War as that was their more recent release. Took me a good 30-40 minutes of Google searching before I found the login info on a different forum.
Quote from: Jarhead0331 on June 16, 2013, 11:54:54 AM
Quote from: mikeck on June 16, 2013, 10:57:14 AM
Can anyone pleas explain how to install the shield of prophet DlC???! Unbelievable that I cannot find instructions. It is a RAR file from gamers hate with no instructions...do I drop it in a folder? There is no extractor and no instructions...when you unpack the RAR, there is a folder called "core" that's it
....AND I can't register for their forums because they ask you a question to verify your are a person. I have no idea what the answer is because the question is "Steel?"
...I mean seriously...how is "steel?" A question that I can answer..I don't even know what that means. So far the Gravteam/gamersgate experience has been shit...how do you not include install instructions
Bro...take a deep breath and calm down. Run the updater from ingame and then point to the DLC file. Then run the install.
....aaaaannnnnndddddd all better!
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Not sure how I feel about this DLC :-\
The force mix is small and so is the map.
I think if any GTOS modern DLC needed a hypothetical theme,this conflict qualifies and could certainly use it to make it more appealing.
Hell if they wanted to add Chinese and hills,Korea 1950 would have been a better choice in my opinion.
If the price is low I'll probably purchase it,but don't see getting much playability out of it.
Yeah, it seems a little too limited in scope for me. Infantry only PLA just seems so anti-climactic.
Seems like the developers only want to produce scenarios with soviet forces (which is fine) outside of Afghanistan, the soviets weren't involved in a lot of conventional conflicts. I would like to see them do a few more hypotheticals like limited NATO/Wp conflict in 1970s or something. The sino-Russian "conflict" seems like a reach
QuoteSeems like the developers only want to produce scenarios with soviet forces (which is fine) outside of Afghanistan, the soviets weren't involved in a lot of conventional conflicts
The Russians have been fighting in around Chechnya since the mid 1990's.
And actually lost the 1st war against Chechnya 1994-96.And not too long ago invaded Georgia.Plus they also still have some on going conflicts in that region.
Which is nothing new for the Russians since they have had problems with that region since the Napoleonic era.
Graviteam said they won't touch a NATO vs WP or Arab vs Israeli type conflicts. >:( :(
Andrey mentioned something about a Chaco war(made me want to puke).
India vs Pakistan maybe or something about revisting Angola for some earlier Operations that took place before Hooper.
As far as I'm concerned if that's the best they want to offer for modern combat then I'd rather they channel their limited resources back to the WW2 Russian front.
I think modern conventional wars probably wouldn't model well with this game.
Here is a link to the Leavenworth papers E-book about Russian-Soviet unconventional wars in the Caucasus,Central Asia and Afghanistan.222 pages.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/131744116/Leavenworth-Papers-No-20-Russian-Soviet-Unconventional-Wars-in-the-Caucasus-Central-Asia-and-Afghanistan
I haven't picked up any of the modern stuff, the terrain seems uninteresting. I may pick them up sooner or later for the force mix in quick battles, but i'm still playing the campaigns. I like my battles better in some kind of context.
QuoteI haven't picked up any of the modern stuff, the terrain seems uninteresting. I may pick them up sooner or later for the force mix in quick battles, but i'm still playing the campaigns.
I'm more of a Quick Battle(QB) player.I like the campaigns too,but some of the larger ones kind of detract from some of the aspects of the game I prefer most. Which is-I like to get down to ground level with the camera and follow some of the little fire fights without worrying the rest of the battle is going to go to hell in a hand basket if I don't get back to the big picture soon enough.
With the large battles during some of these campaigns I have to keep the camera above the battles and be more of a force manger which takes away some of the immersiveness(is that a word :P) I get from the smaller battles.
With QBs I can design the type of battle and force mix I feel most comfortable with that gives me a more balanced battle that allows me to spend just as much time watching the battles as I do managing them.
I play with limited battle radius 1]. because i don't have a powerhouse PC 2]. i don't want to miss to much :)
I've been following the discussions between the lead developer, Andrey, and a user named Rostov on the Graviteam and SimHQ forums and it has been quite interesting. It's obvious that Graviteam is a small dev studio and doesn't see a huge profit so Andrey ends up not only being the lead developer but also the chief cook and bottle washer of the operation. As one finds in a lot of these small development teams, the lead developer may be a whiz at programming but people skills aren't his strong suit. Andrey can be quite prickly at times. On the one hand, I respect Andrey's vision to build a wargaming franchise that refuses to cover the same ground that 100s of others have covered in the past and instead look at lesser known conflicts. On the other hand, you'd think he'd be a bit more flexible and attempt to meet consumer demand, if only to generate enough capital to ensure that he and his team can continue to bring out the kind of DLC they want to.
Rostov has given Andrey and his team a lot of really in depth information regarding the Chinese PLA yet even he says that the DLC as planned looks kind of dull but Andrey refuses to budge and won't consider adding in extra units to allow for a greater "what if" kind of scenario depicting a larger scale conflict between the PRC and USSR. And he gets downright mad when people suggest a Western Front WWII game. (A lot of APOS fans have been asking for a Brit/Canadian/Pole campaign focusing of the Falaise Gap).
I want to continue supporting the series, but I just can't bring myself to shell out for what I see as a very limited PLA vs. USSR border guards scenario with less units involved in the entire campaign than one would typically find in a single battle in other APOS DLC.
And the suggestion that the next DLC will be the Chaco War? Seriously? I had to Google it just to see what the hell it was. Call me a conformist, but I would also much prefer a Falaise Gap DLC than some obscure 1930s border war between Bolivia and Paraguay.
50 % Discounts - game & ALL DLCs
Period discounts - from June,21 to June,24 at Gamersgate.
http://www.graviteam.ua/home/news/44-discounts-june-2013.html
QuoteCall me a conformist, but I would also much prefer a Falaise Gap DLC than some obscure 1930s border war between Bolivia and Paraguay.
They don't want to touch Western Europe.They would have to basically start from scratch, especially since it is a very built up and populated area.From what I understand the modeling cost for one building with all its levels of destruction is close to $3,000 and the buildings in western Europe are not standard 1 size fits all type structures plus all the different trees and bushes that would need to be modeled along with all new western forces that haven't been started on either.Unless some major publisher wants to finance the project I don't see Graviteam going into the western theatre.
Most of the new modern stuff(tanks,weapons,trees bushes etc...) for the modern DLCs came from SABOW (their tank sim).So it was easy to port over to GTOS slap together and push out the door.I don't think Graviteam took into consideration that most people bought into the NATO/Warsaw Pact weaponry and not the campaign setting choice.
I would be happy if they stick to the NATO/Warsaw Pact weaponry and do hypothetical campaigns in the Ukraine if modeling new terrain features is too costly.Even Chechnya(which isn't far from the Ukraine) would be a decent DLC in my opinion.
I think Graviteam is going to shoot themselves in the foot by producing obscure little wars that no one knows about and very few care to game.I personally cannot get interested in the unpopular little novelty items until they have covered the popular conflicts and mainstream forces in more detail first.Afterwards I may be more susceptible to the pet rock items.
I am fine with them looking at lesser known/lesser covered conflicts as long as they offer up a nice mix of combined arms and a fairly hefty OOB. I'd be more than happy to buy a USSR/PRC conflict DLC if they were to up the scale and have tanks/aircraft, artillery, and engineers as well as infantry. I'd like to see whole regiments or even divisions as opposed to what they're offering up in the next DLC which is basically a minor skirmish between a few platoons of infantry.
I'd love to see a Falklands War campaign, a Chechnya campaign, and/or some Arab/Israeli stuff as well as more WWII.
His game, his rules...but if he doesn't want to do an era covered by 100's of other games, then why is everyone pushing him to do a WWII DLC for gods sake. I like a "what if" Sino-Russian conflict.
Me too but that's not what he's making. The DLC is going to be historical so it's going to be about 50 Soviet border guards vs. roughly 120 PLA infantry with the entire campaign lasting a mere 5 hours. I suspect it'll be a handful of border guards trying to hold off a wave of Chinese infantry until the 2 APCs and 1 helo arrive as reinforcements. That's it. A small infantry skirmish with very limited armor and air on the Soviet side and nothing on the Chinese.
It just doesn't seem meaty enough to make for an interesting campaign. It sounds more like a quick battle drug out over multiple turns.
Quote from: Dolan50 on June 21, 2013, 07:30:15 AM
50 % Discounts - game & ALL DLCs
Period discounts - from June,21 to June,24 at Gamersgate.
http://www.graviteam.ua/home/news/44-discounts-june-2013.html
I wonder why the Graviteam titles never show up in the GG "Offers" section when they're on sale?
Had to do a manual search, per usual. ???
On another note, at least I scored
Storm: Frontline Nation for 99 cents while digging through the sale heap. While it may not have been properly finished (?), it's a turn-based grand strat with modern units so what the hell (for a dollar).
QuoteI wonder why the Graviteam titles never show up in the GG "Offers" section when they're on sale?
I don't know.I've wondered that myself.
Quote from: Dolan50 on June 21, 2013, 02:03:19 PM
I think Graviteam is going to shoot themselves in the foot by producing obscure little wars that no one knows about and very few care to game.I personally cannot get interested in the unpopular little novelty items until they have covered the popular conflicts and mainstream forces in more detail first.Afterwards I may be more susceptible to the pet rock items.
Agree. To read Andrey's posts, it sometimes sounds like he's determined to do exactly this if only to spite everyone.
I'm truly baffled by the Soviet-China border skirmish idea, especially since managing infantry is the least fun part of APOS. Infantry v. Infantry alone will be a snorefest. Pass.
QuoteHis game, his rules...but if he doesn't want to do an era covered by 100's of other games, then why is everyone pushing him to do a WWII DLC for gods sake
WW2 is where this whole series began,it's also some of their best work.
This modern stuff is an asset strip from SABOW.I actually pushed for this idea of porting over the SABOW stuff to APOS last year when I saw a picture on the Graviteam site showing a T-62 on a Summer Rakitnoe map.At first Andrey was totally against the idea and didn't think the modern stuff would sell because SABOW flopped.I thought it would widen the customer base and bring in more cash to finish the WW2 stuff they were sitting on but never completed for lack of funds.I took a lot of FLAK over that especially from the SABOW crowd.
As far as I'm concerned if Graviteam doesn't want to cover the Arab/Israeli conflict or a NATO/Warsaw Pact hypothetical type campaign then they painted themselves into a corner.
There really isn't all that many modern wars that are very appealing from a gaming perspective and the ones that are would cost a small fortune to produce.
I don't think there will be much of a future with the modern stuff unless they start modeling the major powers from the cold war first.The Chako war isn't even modern and happened in the early 30s and was basically a proxy war between Shell and Standard oil.
Graviteams best work is rooted in WW2.I think that is where most of their attention should be focused.Otherwise I feel they may end up alienating their customer base.I'm not saying WW2 only because I like the modern NATO/Warsaw Pact weaponry but the reason I started into this series was for the WW2 eastern front stuff that to me no one does better.
I understand. I just thought you were saying he wanted to branch out into uncharted wars. I agree that he will not likely make money pitching wars in Angola and South America.
On a similar note, I trying to learn this engine. Playing OP with the Shield of thenProphet dLC. There is a tutorial that consists of some text with tool tips but nothing more. The manual is horrible. There are so many things in this game that I don't understand. It looks really cool but I hate having to dig and dig to find out how I pick an artillery spotter from the pool of units in a quick battle or what the heck the deal is with wire communication.
So, when I am playing a quick battle and want to include an artillery spotter in my force...where do i find him? I don't see any in available units and when I pick an artillery unit, I just get the guns and commander.
QuoteSo, when I am playing a quick battle and want to include an artillery spotter in my force...where do i find him? I don't see any in available units and when I pick an artillery unit, I just get the guns and commander.
Your air and off board artillery assets are generally assigned to your company and battalion HQs.
Add one of them(HQs) to your force mix and then assign the spotters from the artillery pool.Your air assets should be found there also and are usually assigned by choosing the last open slot in the HQ platoon that has the little airplane icon.
Each platoon is different and depending on what type of unit it is will determine what is available.You may want to do some experimenting with each platoon by clicking on all the empty slots to see what is unlocked and avaible for each unit.
Also in your Quick Battle Settings #21 you have a choice of historical and all units.I usually change this to ALL to widen my choice margin.
To add to what Dolan50 said, select your units and add a btn or coy commander and select a battle site. Once that's done, you should see the operational map showing a single flame icon on it and a prompt asking you to select a battle to fight. Before you select this, look at the icons located at the bottom of the map. You should see one that looks like a silhouette of three soldier's heads. Click on that and that will bring you to the reinforcements screen. Here you'll find a list of each of the platoons you have available to you in the battle. Clicking on one will open up a detailed sub menu showing what is in each platoon. There are usually one to three blank entries at the bottom. Clicking on one of those slots will show up a list on the top left of the page detailing what units are available to add to the slot. Again it'll be a selectable menu such as "armor" or "artillery". Clicking on one of those choices will open up a sub menu of specific units which you can select from. Just double click and it should be added to your force pool.
QuoteTo add to what Dolan50 said, select your units and add a btn or coy commander and select a battle site. Once that's done, you should see the operational map showing a single flame icon on it and a prompt asking you to select a battle to fight. Before you select this, look at the icons located at the bottom of the map. You should see one that looks like a silhouette of three soldier's heads. Click on that and that will bring you to the reinforcements screen. Here you'll find a list of each of the platoons you have available to you in the battle.
You can also right click on any of the unit icons on the map and it will take you to the menu with your units and reinforcement allowance.Also you can alter the enemy forces by clicking on the colored flag at the bottom of the reinforcement screen to view the enemy force mix.
QuoteClicking on one of those choices will open up a sub menu of specific units which you can select from. Just double click and it should be added to your force pool
Another alternative is click any slot in the platoon then click what you would like to fill/exchange it with in the reinforcement pool.
That's probably one of the worst parts of the interface.. modifying your units.
I wouldn't be able to recall just how to do it at any moment. Good thing these guys have played a lot.
Thanks guys... I'm just having a tough time with this one... So m ah questions about the ops map, tactical fights, reinforcements, etc. Are there any YouTube videos that you recommend?
As far as I know no one has ever really did a "how to play" tutorial about this game.A few guys made an attempt but it looked more like "My struggle with GTOS and still learning how to play"gameplay videos or "WTF am I doing wrong" videos ;D
I posted about 100 videos about APOS on youtube last year but they were just videos of some of my Quick Battles.
You can do a search on youtube and see if anyone made a decent tutorial but to my knowledge I've never seen one or aware of any that exist.
I don't think anyone has truly mastered the game and would feel comfortable enough to do a very comprehensive "How to play GTOS" video.
Ok, figured out artillery. Next... How do I get units out of reserve? My tanks need gas and repair and the repair and supply unit is in a reserve hex. The manual says you can move a unit out at the start of an operation but I couldn't do it. I know how to reinforce units but not get help outbof reserve. Or is it done automatically by the AI
As far as I know, reserve units are released on a specific turn. You just have to wait until they're released to you. Once you get them out, you have to move them to within 1 square of units you wish to repair or 2 squares of units you wish to resupply.
Gotta leave the units parked for a turn to get full repair/resupply benefits.
Now that I have learned the system, I really like it. The graphics are awesome and there are a ton of little details. When my tanks fire, I can see the vapor trail of the round, the tank rocks back and a tarnished brass shell is extracted from the port by the auto-loader. One time, one of my tank crews panicked and bailed out of the tank while it was running. The tank continued to move in circles until out of gas...white oily smoke pouring out of the exhaust.
The operations map is neat too. Really have to learn how hard to push your guys so as to not run out of fuel and ammo. I got cocky and pushed some mech infantry into a sector held by the enemy with no armored support. They got steamrolled by about 12 m60's. the Iranians continued on next round and took out my supply and repair trucks effective ending my southern attack.
QuoteNow that I have learned the system, I really like it. The graphics are awesome and there are a ton of little details.
It's a great system and excellent concept for this type of game.
Still needs some fine tuning and a friendly campaign editor that doesn't require a computer programming degree to learn.A campaign editor as easy to use as the Quick Battle editor would go a long way for increasing the enjoyment of this game 10 fold for me.
Otherwise,I'm a very satisfied customer and this is probably the game I play most and measure the rest of these types of games against.
It could definitely do with a native English speaker for further editing. I offered my services gratis but never heard back.
Maybe they didnt understand what gratis means