Napoleonic Wargame Club (NWC)

The question will come from you guys: "So what is new in the engine?"

Here is the complete list by game engine update I received from John during the development process. I will discuss each in detail if it needs further explanation:

Game Engine Updates/Corrections for Campaign Leipzig - the date is listed to give you some historical perspective:

4-24-09 - added in ability to use lowercase letters for weapons in PDT/Weapon files - we now can use not only A-Z but also a-z.

5-22-09 - added in ability to have command ranges for Corps, Wing and Army commanders - this is already in the Austerlitz game and Eckmuhl as well. It is not in Jena or Wagram, Waterloo or NRC yet.

6-18-09 - Fire Mod was added into the Weather lines of the PDT file - for those of you that own Campaign Leipzig open up the PDT file doc in the Design folder and read more about it. Basically it allows you to reduce non-artillery fire for things like rain or other "wet powder" reasons or even "low on powder."

7-17-09 - Bridge movement value added to end of PDT file - if 0 use Path cost - this came about as I wanted Fords to be more expensive than a bridge in cost. Thus in some maps in Campaign Leipzig I only use the Path terrain for Fords. (and for you that have the game be sure to press the Space-bar down when near the rivers to the south of Leipzig and read the text that shows up - certain paths and fords can only be used by infantry and cavalry and not wagons and guns)

9-29-09 - Spanish Nation type is now Swedish (For 1813-14 games only)

6-11-10 - 3 rank line change - they fire at 75 percent of value unless in Extended Line - this is a MUST change as it reduces the fire of 3 rank lines while Shortened (thus large battalions no longer fire at full effect).

8-2-10 - Skirmishers detached from a unit in square formation now have full MPs on the same turn - I was noting that if you detached a skirmisher from a unit in Square that it could only move one hex in that turn.

8-10-10 - Withdraw feature added to the Release dialog for the Units menu in the Scenario Editor - as explained here in another thread the unit is removed from the map by the program.

8-17-10 - North Mapedge 3D view issue corrected for high elevations - this happened when really high levels were on the North map edge such as levels 23 and up. Same thing was corrected for the South Mapedge 3D view too - see below.

9-4-10 - Emplaced Guns for OBs added - they CAN change facing but cannot move or limber.

9-13-10 - South Mapedge 3D view issue corrected for high elevations

9-14-10 - No Bayonets capability added to PDT file - used sparingly in the game but it is now there. Certain rifle units did not have bayonets.

1-16-11 - Pioneers can now deploy skirmishers - I suggest a "House Rule" among players that they not use these "skirmishers" to perform light infantry duty. The unit should be within 3 hexes of a bridge when it detaches the "skirmishers." These units can perform bridge repair just like the parent unit. It eliminates the old "multiple unit fire attack" on them.

2-17-11 - Opportunity fire will no longer target wagons - this was getting old - stack a wagon in a stack with artillery - fire the guns - the wagon can take the fire. More for gamey-ness than anything else. Yes, realistically the wagon could be hit ...

3-26-11 - Correct facing issue for Pioneer skirmishers when attempting to perform bridge repair - you can move the Pioneer-Skirmisher next to the bridge and perform repair from any facing of the unit.

6-2-11 - Supply Wagons no longer can move on the same turn after being captured - YES! I was tired of seeing "take the wagon and hit the road." You take it - it cannot move that turn.

6-9-11 - Exit hexes now have the NATION label affinity - thus if there is a Russian Objective flag on a map edge ONLY Russian units can count for VPs. Swedes, Prussians, etc. cannot. A Russian unit CAN change the flag type of an objective on the map away from a map edge. Thus if you have a village/road hex that has a Russian flag and a Prussian unit goes through it then the flag will still change to a Prussian flag. No meaning in the game whatsoever in that case. The ALLIES still own it. But for exit purposes if there is only a Russian exit hex on the map then Prussians would not get points for using it.

6-11-11 - 1. Total strengths for Allied side now displays in Info - Strength Dialog for Editor and Engine - 2. PBEM temp files now are deleted once the program closes. This was a big change that was LONG overdue. Our Coalition players can now see the total of all of our side in a game - just look at the very bottom of the Strength Dialog (Allied) to see the full count. VERY helpful in Scenario Design mainly but also for Tournament Directors, and so on.

7-26-11 - Nations no longer will stack with each other during routs or retreats - Tired of seeing the Prussians end up stacked with Austrians? No longer. Watch this though as the unit can be eliminated if it cannot retreat with certain rule configurations. Obviously it would be nice to have "French-Allied" counters too and have the Bavarians have the same restrictions. The Multiple Nation stack was causing issues in playtesting and I asked John to just make them go away completely.

9-24-11 - Bridge LOS fix - non-wagons, non-skirmishers and non-routed units can now view bridge strength - self explanatory.

10-23-11 - Unit facing no longer applies to skirmishers for any reason (fire & melee defense or bridge repair for Pioneer-skirmishers) - 3D graphics will still show them facing a certain direction but this is N/A as far as the program is concerned. For some reason this was happening. I am not sure how skirmishers ever had any facing but they did. The facing in the 3D view is now just for aesthetic purposes only.

Those were the changes that occurred during development. You are going to need to know some of these as they will impact play.

_________________


Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Prinz Peters von Dennewitz

3. Husaren-Regiment, Reserve-Kavallerie, Preußischen Armee-Korps

Honarary CO of Garde-Ulanen Regiment, Garde-Grenadier Kavallerie

NWC Founding Member

For Club Games: I prefer the Single Phase mode of play. I prefer to play with the following options OFF:

MDF, VP4LC, NRO, MTD, CMR, PR, MIM, NDM, OMR (ver 4.07)

10-23-11 - Unit facing no longer applies to skirmishers for any reason (fire & melee defense or bridge repair for Pioneer-skirmishers) - 3D graphics will still show them facing a certain direction but this is N/A as far as the program is concerned. For some reason this was happening. I am not sure how skirmishers ever had any facing but they did. The facing in the 3D view is now just for aesthetic purposes only.

Bill all good changes. I like the one above. I like most experienced players use the tactic of a skirmisher facing to the flank of a line or inf column to prevent the flank modifier if they are attacked. Great to see this removed its not a realistic tactic.

_________________
Marechal Knox

Prince d'Austerlitz et Comte d'Argentan
Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur

"What is history but a fable agreed upon"

Gents,
it is my impression that the skirmisher still provides the flank modifier. IRRC, it was in the talonsoft games that the facing mattered.

_________________

Jim - perhaps I am not following you. Are you saying that FIRE from a skirmisher is getting a flank modifier on the TARGET? Or that fire AT a skirmisher is getting the flank modifier?

The latter was done away with. If you think that it is not then send a game file to Rich Hamilton at the JTS support line so he can pass it to John Tiller.

_________________


Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Prinz Peters von Dennewitz

3. Husaren-Regiment, Reserve-Kavallerie, Preußischen Armee-Korps

Honarary CO of Garde-Ulanen Regiment, Garde-Grenadier Kavallerie

NWC Founding Member

For Club Games: I prefer the Single Phase mode of play. I prefer to play with the following options OFF:

MDF, VP4LC, NRO, MTD, CMR, PR, MIM, NDM, OMR (ver 4.07)

I always thought that in Talonsoft, and HPS/JTS too, that if you placed a skirmisher in a hex with a formed battalion, that a skirmisher facing outwards from the inf units flank removed the flank modifier for an enemy unit shooting at the formed inf unit from the flank.

Does that make sense? So lets say I have a British infantry unit in line formation facing north. I put a skirmisher in the hex facing south. A french unit shooting from the south would have its flank/rear modifier nullified by the skirmisher....

_________________

The skirmisher does not negate the bonus for flank fire, it negates the modifyer for flank melee in Talonsoft. The same applies to Tiller games with the exception of this one.

Andy is correct.

Thanks for clarifying this. And good to know that finally that will be done away with.

I never used anything like that in the other games - stack a skirmisher with your formed units to avoid being flanked. Nonsense ...

Now you CAN stack wagons with artillery as the wagon will not absorb the hits. Some guys were saying that they were stacking their wagons with the artillery as it was the only unit around. Well that is stretching things but no more "15 supplies" lost - instead it will be "Fatigue" or "1 gun" lost on the gun. And yes, you can just stack a skirmisher on the battery I suppose and let IT absorb the loss.

I try not to play gamey - I probably fail at times but ..

I will use a hill to shield my troops. Not like in the old days when I would stick them in FRONT of the hills!

_________________


Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Prinz Peters von Dennewitz

3. Husaren-Regiment, Reserve-Kavallerie, Preußischen Armee-Korps

Honarary CO of Garde-Ulanen Regiment, Garde-Grenadier Kavallerie

NWC Founding Member

For Club Games: I prefer the Single Phase mode of play. I prefer to play with the following options OFF:

MDF, VP4LC, NRO, MTD, CMR, PR, MIM, NDM, OMR (ver 4.07)