Fixing Minor but Annoying Bugs

[Adrian Taylor]

I am now getting round to fixing those annoting little bugs in the orginal game that will transfer into Ostfront unless I do something about them.

First Off: The Silent '88'

I am pleased to say the '88' shells now make loud noises when they hit something.

Unit MaxHP's

I have reviewed those units that will appear in Ostfront and amended some of the MaxHP ratings (How much damage they can take once a shell penetrates). There were a few surprises which have led to the following changes:

Russian Light Tanks now have 20 less HP.
Panzer 38(t) now has 30 less HP.
Most A/C's have reduced HP's.
KV1 & KV2 have 40 less HP's.
German RSO has 70 less HP's. (Yes it had a rating of 100!).


Adrian

[t2k]

Adrian said:

I am now getting round to fixing those annoting little bugs in the orginal game that will transfer into Ostfront unless I do something about them.

First Off: The Silent '88'

I am pleased to say the '88' shells now make loud noises when they hit something.

Unit MaxHP's

I have reviewed those units that will appear in Ostfront and amended some of the MaxHP ratings (How much damage they can take once a shell penetrates). There were a few surprises which have led to the following changes:

Russian Light Tanks now have 20 less HP.
Panzer 38(t) now has 30 less HP.
Most A/C's have reduced HP's.
KV1 & KV2 have 40 less HP's.
German RSO has 70 less HP's. (Yes it had a rating of 100!).


Adrian

i´ve tested the kv2 with tc3 versus stug III f und pak 40 75 (sight/fire-range increased to 40)

with the 220 armor the pak equals by numbers mainly 2:2 - against the stug f it equals on attack 3:3 and is superior 1:2 on defense
according to the historical line - the kv2 was a huge easy to spot traget but could take a lot of hits by the 7,5 pak or kwk - a hp reduction makes a kia too easy

the hp reduction may better fit to the kv1s/c according to the speed versus armor decision

if the kv2 will be downgraded the jagttiger/elefant/jagdpanther should be reduced equal cause they were as "beschussfest" as the kv2 in his time

as i knew the weapon disadvantages of the kv2 were its lows sight and a bad manouvering system/technical low standard and less educated crews - these could be best built by reducing its all terrain speed and cut rotate speed by 1/3

bg

[Adrian Taylor]

Most of the Heavy tanks/TD's have a rating around 160. I feel 220 is way over the top for the KV series which warrants the reduction. I know these tanks along with the Tiger could take an enormous amount of damage. I have one account of a KV 1 taking numerous 37mm calibre hits followed by four pentrating hits by an 88 and still functioning.

I have not tested the KV series with the Pak 40 as this at gun is not in Ostfront. However with a damage range of 38 to 106 for the Pak 40 the KV can take several hits before being destroyed. I note that the orginial 75kwk40 gun on the Panther is actually less powerful with a damage range of 69 to 71

Saying that, I may well put the KV 2 back up to 200.

BTW I have introduced a fatality parameter of 20%. This means for every penetrating hit there is 20% on the tank going boom. Represents fuel or ammo explosion.
Again unfortunately, this has to be an across the board parameter as personnaly I would like to have differing fatality ratings for each unit.

Adrian

[t2k2]

fatality factor - nice and realistic idea - i think the early shermans were very vulnerable for this internal ammo explosion
as i read about the kv2´s they were often lost by steering difficulities (manstein says they really needed a hammer to change the gear) and the sight for the guiding commander is described as worse and limited (like the churchill)

i think 200 would be fair as it equals the elefants hp and compared for real field usabilty they are similar

i think the story of the 3,7-pak versus kv2-nightmare happened on early days of barabarossa, cause since then the 3,7 was called "heeres-anklopfgerät" wehrmacht´s door knocker

as blitzkrieg cant reflect real shooting ranges - in those a kv2 ought to get hp of 400 :-) for historical feeling it should have high hps but low speed and low rotation as the elefant/ferdinand - but there´s a gap between mp and sp use i see

following the fatality-factor for non attack situations a kv2 as the early panthers and the ferdinand should get a random terrain/motor fatality of breaking down - but i think this would hit the gaming fun and the frame rate

try to test the fobs and ncos under battle situations - nice idea at all

the use of a radioman was solved well in ss2 - i do not like the units in the game - but the idea was brilliant -
no radioman no ari/or aviation - perhaps less accuracy

bg

[Adrian Taylor]

As I have said in another post I am trying to make Ostfront as realistic as possible but remaining playable and within the restrictions of the BK engine.

There are a number of things I am unable to do can are fairly common sense but not possible to implement. Also remember the scale of Blitzkrieg. This is not a micro-managing small action type game, but an attempt at grand tactical manoeurves (ah,emm).

I think I have modelled the KV 2 fairly accurately in the circumstances. It is slow, very hard to turn and has a very slow ROF (1 shot in 30 secs). However, bang goes whatever it hits. It can only effectively be engaged by an 88 or the Pz III ausf h from the side and rear or by very brave panzer pioneers!

I gather like me you are keen on the KV series ;D As histocially accurate you will not come across many in Ostfront which portarys the early days oooo Barbarossa. However, when you do you will get a hell of a surprise as some of my Beta Testers will admit.

Random breakddwn is not built into the code. And as you said this may cause more fustration than fun play.

With regards to the Radioman I have already thought of the idea of the Radio truck or Command 251 being lost would mean there would be a delay in calling aviation and any reinforcements that have not appeared in play. This can all be done with scripting.


Adrian

[t2k]

Adrian said:

As I have said in another post I am trying to make Ostfront as realistic as possible but remaining playable and within the restrictions of the BK engine.

There are a number of things I am unable to do can are fairly common sense but not possible to implement. Also remember the scale of Blitzkrieg. This is not a micro-managing small action type game, but an attempt at grand tactical manoeurves (ah,emm).

I think I have modelled the KV 2 fairly accurately in the circumstances. It is slow, very hard to turn and has a very slow ROF (1 shot in 30 secs). However, bang goes whatever it hits. It can only effectively be engaged by an 88 or the Pz III ausf h from the side and rear or by very brave panzer pioneers!

I gather like me you are keen on the KV series ;D As histocially accurate you will not come across many in Ostfront which portarys the early days oooo Barbarossa. However, when you do you will get a hell of a surprise as some of my Beta Testers will admit.

Random breakddwn is not built into the code. And as you said this may cause more fustration than fun play.

With regards to the Radioman I have already thought of the idea of the Radio truck or Command 251 being lost would mean there would be a delay in calling aviation and any reinforcements that have not appeared in play. This can all be done with scripting.


Adrian

indeed the excessive micromanagment drives me out of sudden strike and it was a tearful dicorce

yes first reading about the kv´s rare appearances at the ostfront - at the age of 10 or 11 - i got an impression of a safari hunter facing a rhino or an elefant
- the first pics of a k2 in comparison to a pzii/iii (early barbarossa) made me thought of a dinosaur-tank

think 2 of these monsters stopped the advance of a whole pzabteilung of pzgruppe kleist or guderian for half a day cause the poor germans had to bring a ari in a direct fire position - even the ari needed a lucky chain-hit - second drove in a swamp

thought about the radioman - i think the best use binds 3 or 4 radioman to a special ari and if all are gone delete reinforcement (of the ari scriptid) or player changed

bg

in the cs-mod (poland i think) there´s a nice german captured t 34 model - maybe this makes a good ostfront mod storyline about the t-34 - confrontation defending capturing counteruse - hope to see it on the sequel
"ostfront II - vice versa this year"

[t2k]

first playing blitzkrieg i followed the path of cowards and played sniper+ari/sfh - after a few repetitions only the combination of easy killed enemies changed -
the puzzle to find a always win tactic was in these words too easy solvable
second approach was to use the sight advantage as equivalent to the ki´s ability to direct split attacks but fought real tank/inf-battles
unfortunatly my third approach - to leave the sniper at home brought less fun cause of the limited randomizing effect od bks original maps

the field of player developed sp-maps reactivated the sniper for viewing purposes only cause the most maps are not really balanced

finally today i think you get the only real battle mood against a human contrahent where the power balancing ist as essential as playing without sniper and the long range ari and without heavy bombers

a good mod forces to learn and feel a new (in best cases more realistic) battle mood and gives the only in sp possible opportunity to follow the historical line of wwII

according to these stages of development the concept of ostfront and operation hagelsturm are the most sophisticated approach to the bk engine

and for gods sake there are enough possible ww2 scenarios/campaigns sonnenblume/merkur/malta/seelöwe beyond "our" timeline thinkable

bg