If you want to play the available scenarios for fun while maintaining their historic nature, try some different units that were not available, ignore or change some objectives and edit your own victory conditions, I have some fast and easy design suggestions.Thanks.
It would be great if one could easily put together some historical variant scenarios.
For example, the French being able to launch brigade or division attacks that bypass Le Haye, Hougament and Placenoit, but fight the allied units that were deployed in the same general area without the buildings being the objectives.
The "what if" factor would be fun.
It would also be great if a player could easily and quickly select the force he wants to play. For example, an infantry division or brigade with attached artillery and cavalry that you (not the computer) could control.
I've never designed a scenario, but would like to try if it isn't too difficult.
First download the SDK just made available so you have access to all the scenarios. Then open the Mods folder. Make a new folder and call it whatever you want, maybe My Scenarios. Open it and create another folder, name it Scenarios. Now, go back to the SDK folder and copy one or more scenarios and paste them into your My Scenarios/Scenarios folder. Rename your scenarios you copied in, one letter different or a space in the name will do.
Open one of the scenarios you wish to start with. Of the files you see open the scenario.ini file. Find the sequence rank, it will look something similar to this:
[rank]
cmdlvl1=1
cmdlvl2=1
cmdlvl3=1
cmdlvl4=1
cmdlvl5=2
cmdlvl6=0
Change it to this:
[rank]
cmdlvl1=0
cmdlvl2=0
cmdlvl3=0
cmdlvl4=0
cmdlvl5=0
cmdlvl6=0
Save and close.
You have just created a 'Select Unit' type scenario.
Start the game and go to Modifications, check the box by My Scenarios, click Use Selected Mods and this will exit you to the Main Menu. Then proceed to User Scenarios, your scenario will be listed there. Select the scenario and you will see the full scenario OOB listed below. Select the unit you wish to play and hit Launch Scenario.
I suggest that you pick the same side that the scenario is designed for because the enemy will be scripted to put up a good fight. Plus the objectives are the same and the victory criteria basically the same depending on the size unit you select to command.
Still, you may pick an enemy unit if you want. If just orders are scripted for both sides then selecting the enemy side should work pretty well. However, if either side is TC'd that side may not fight correctly, depending on further scripting. They'll just sit there until the enemy comes along, and their officers will be what we call TC'd zombies. The battalions and squadrons will fight but with no leadership, so they'll basically just stay in their original place. And forget the objectives and victory criteria, this will be completely skewed if you opt the enemy side, for reasons that should, and will, be obvious. Oh, and forget scripted courier messages, they're for the other guys.
If you like this check out the scenario.ini file for more things to change and try out. For example, changing to different maps using the same scenario set up can also be a nice variant, not historical, but entertaining. This would also eliminate objectives from being in forts if that's your goal. Refer as to the map names in the SDK folder.
If you want to wipe the scripting completely, which would also eliminate the TC issues discussed, rename the battlescript.csv file, I just put a 0 in front of it. You could just delete it but you might want to save it and mess around with it later.
Then open your scenario.ini file and change the following:
strategicai=0
to
strategicai=1
Save and close.
This turns both sides into aggressive strategists and killers,
all they want to do is kill the other side and they will go at each other with determination if within LOS. :woohoo: And you and your unit are in the middle of it all. :ohmy: If they are out of LOS you can find them and draw them to your 'friendlies', set traps, etc.This can also be done while leaving the battlescript.csv file untouched. Supposedly making the change strategicai=1 turns some scripting off, but I have done no testing along these lines. Honestly I have just never found the time to experiment with this combination, as practically every line of scripting would need to be accessed. All I have been able to determine with scripted scenarios is that it makes the AI more aggressive. Maybe some astute knowledge seeker will clue us all in about what happens with this combination.
Good Luck with this Quest for Variety, taking your first steps in learning about scenario design.
