nice map 😎
Hi,
I’ve worked the last days to create the new Semenov independent faction. Of course, such a change is never easy. Moreover, the underdeveloped representation of Siberian events in the official RUS, a feature I’ve never until now altered in FY, has forced me to read a lot about, conclude on the impossibility to portray all nuances, and try to put as much as possible of historical flavour in next FY version.
Semenov faction will control Japanese units, solving many problems of the official version, the primary ones being the cancellation of any movement for the Japan divisions. Now they are under AI control, Japan units will move and fight in the far East, without risking to see these troops travelling to the Volga.
Other Allied troops in Siberia will remain under WH3 control and fixed. As much as possible, I’m trying to remove from White hands Allied units ( French and Greek troops in Ukraine are an independent faction in FY 1.085) but this way is only commendable when the force is sizeable and pursuing a different agenda than the White one.
On the contrary, scattered Allied battalions can’t be placed under AI control. They can’t by themselves do much and are doomed to garrison posture, a state reflecting well relunctance of Allied power to join the fight. In the same way, the Murmansk/Arkhangelsk situation can’t be delegated to AI, as the larger Allied forces were acting, even for the wrong reasons, in the general White strategy, trying less than more , but trying indeed, to link Arkhangelsk to Omsk.
Semenov new independence will be followed by events troubling the Rail transportation, of course 😉
1° Don Cossacks: as you know, one weak point is the modelling of the alliance between Krasnov and Denikin during the first months of the GC. Both pursued their own military agenda, Denikin toward Kuban, Krasnov turning to Tzaritsyn and Voronezh.
I must admit I’ve been these last years under the influence of the mediocre solutions put by the official teams consisting to add events or home area settings penalizing units outside. These solutions are less than workable, as there is no way to get a filter to represent on map these home area and the evoluting situations may create moments where these home areas must be cancelled.
I dislike idiocy rule, unless when a good reason is worth the exception. In this case, an idiocy rule allows to display the impossibility to blend Cossacks and Volunteers to capture North Caucasus. And the rule is simple.
So, until Stember 18, Don Cossacks will have to remain in Don area, Tzaritsyn, Voronezh and neighbouring regions. If not, Southern Whites NM level will be lowered.
and of course I ran into some problems.
Among them, the Czech Under AI command came gallantly in full support of Semenov in Siberia from Vladivostok.
Of course, such a behaviour isn’t exactly historical and has to be addressed.
Does Semenov warband remain Under Siberian control? Definitely not. Semenov was never under Siberian command, at least until Kolchak lost power and life and relinquished the shambles of his authority to Semenov. Transforming Semenov in a minor AI faction would solve many troubles: gone the possibility to transfer Semenov to Volga, possibility to portray more precisely the troublesome attitude of Semenov in the rear, better linking between Semenov and Japan forces that could leave the permanently fixed stance and fight the Red guerilla bands. The faction would be neutral with Siberian, become hostile or friendly to Siberians with events.
Other problems are just theeting ones :-).
I’m currently writing the events for the new maintenance system; a very complex script BTW.
Each 3 months, elements of each main faction will be computed, and so determined a number of WSU and money necessary for maintenance. This cost will be paid 5 turns later ( between, an event will remind player 😉 ). If not paid, some elements will be killed.
This system is aiming at solving the current AGE weakness, where WSU and money are scarce at start but accumulate in mid game in large stockpile, because they are needed mainly for reation of units, and not that much for replenishment, for several reasons ( the main being units needing many WSU aren’t those being the most easily destroyed in combat).
AJE has a built in hard aintenance subsystem, unfortunately limited to money.
For those interested, a good summary of the British naval operations on Caspian Sea is available here:
http://www.gwpda.org/naval/caspian.htm
It explains well why I’ve decided to integrate Norris force to Southern Whites rather than Siberian.
I’m adding AI agents ( see AGe wiki for more info) on some naval leaders, Like Norris in the Caspian Sea.
SelectFaction = $WHI
SelectRegion = $South Caspian Sea
StartEvent = evt_nam_Renforts_WH3_CptNorrisSquadron|1|1|NULL|NULL|$South Caspian Sea|NULL
Conditions
FixedDate = 1918/09/20
EvalEvent = evt_nam_Allied_involment_level;>=;8
Actions
DescEvent = evt_desc_Renforts_WH3_CptNorrisSquadron
SelectFaction = $WHI
SelectRegion = $South Caspian Sea
CreateGroup
Posture = $Defensive
SetKind = $Nav
Entranch = 0
FixType = 0
SetName = Captain Norris Naval Force
Apply
CreateUnit
SetType = $uni_GBR_Norris1
FlavorName = Caspian Sqd
SetName = Norris
Apply
CreateUnit
SetType = $uni_GBR_GB1
NumCreate = 2
SUFlavorName = 1st Caspian Gunboat|2nd Caspian Gunboat|
SetName = 1st Caspian Sea Squadron
Apply
CreateUnit
SetType = $uni_GBR_GB1
NumCreate = 2
SUFlavorName = 3rd Caspian Gunboat|4th Caspian Gunboat|
SetName = 2nd Caspian Sea Squadron
Apply
AI.AddLeaderAgent = $aiaMainFleet;$ldr_GBR_Norris1;$South Caspian Sea;$South East Caspian Sea;$Azerbaidjan Coast;$Gulf of Karabogaz;$West Caspian Sea;$Central Caspian Sea;$North West Caspian Sea;$Mouth of the Volga;$Cap of Karagan;$Gulf of Gurjev;
EndEvent
Until now, AI agents have been used in AGE, mostly as a stopgap measure, for example to prevent Numidians to leave Africa. Interestingly ACW2 doesn’t seem to use this feature ( either because it’s bugged, or useless, or by ignorance). Using as testbed small maritime area should inform about the real potential of this command.
Nothing spectacular, as I involved myself in a general cleaning of the events files. FY is certainly among the AGE games containing the greatest number of events, and this overhaul is mandatory to avoid discrepancies and allow faster fixes in the future, if needed.
Nothing new, as this feature has been implemented in current FY version, but the icon ( a French flag at Odessa) will display this explanation on map:
“French and Greek troops in Ukraine are part of a minor faction ruled by AI. Indeed, French units never cooperated well with Whites, as the French agenda never filled fully with Whites one. France was leading a confuse strategy, searching to save part of the French investments in Ukraine. Moreover, French troops, tired of war, displayed quickly a very poor morale, and offered only token resistance when Grigoriev began its offensive. Dissillusioned about Whites, fearing a collapse by morale, and by any means realizing soon the expeditionary Corps was undersized for the task, France government agreed quickly the best option was to leave Russia. In Fatal Years, French NM will often lower , forcing retirement. However, if the Allied Intervention level reaches 13, French and Greek units will become controlled by Southern Whites, such a level signifying a strong commitment of France against Bolshevism allowing French troops to participate fully in the war by siding with Whites.”
I’ve found it would be more incentive to look for players to have a distinct icons for Foreign supply.
Modder Corner 