HITS Improvements

[con20or]

I'm hoping to gather all the HITS/Couriers improvements we might like in one place to help when reporting/suggesting them.

Anything you think would be a nice addition, anything you think needs fixing - post it here and I will amend this post to include them all as we go.

Don't be shy!

- Replies after sending a support requests to the AI
- Dispatches from subordinates about status and position.
- Dispatches of enemy strength and location - accuracy depends on abilities.
- Multiple recipients on courier orders.
- Bug in MP where courier screen gets closed when a new courier reaches the player - losing all text typed so far. - Fixed in 1.4
- Fix issue where 'move to the right/rear' etc of makes the unit form up to the right rear of the unit at the exact time they receive that message. If unit is in motion this causes problems. - Fixed in 1.4
- Move to this location - commander can take a better defensive location if one nearby - dependant again on abilities.
- A list of sent courier messages. - Added in 1.4
- Time show up in courier message - sometimes two messages arrive close to each other, no idea which is the most recent.
- Stagger names on courier menu.
- Ability to specify distances - or an expanded list - for movement orders.
- Couriers spawning down ranks - Added in 1.4
- formation buttons not bypassing couriers - Fixed in 1.4
- movement map bypassing couriers.
- Limit number of couriers when killed - Fixed in 1.4 - user setting in .ini
- remove tree toggling
- speed up couriers slightly.
- remove casualty/strength info
- remove certain map icons
- remove one of the times on the courier message.
- hide casualty/fatigue/morale info unless general is close enough
- make it so movement map requires formation before orders are sent out to units.

[mitra76]

Main requests:

- replies to support requests to AI
- more frequents dispatchs from subordinates about their status and the more or less position on map. This is a thing opposed to LG, where 3d screen is more confused but is more clear the dispatchs reports also for effects of a major use of map.
- the possibility to send the same dispatchs text to more people without the need the rewrite it more times
- Don't close the dispatchs screen when arrives a new dispatch to my officer

[con20or]

- Don't close the dispatchs screen when arrives a new dispatch to my officer

Some great ideas - but I just want to clarify what you mean by this? My game freezes when the courier screen is open..

[mitra76]

In multi the game don't freeze and happen frequently you must restart 2 or 3 times to rewrite the message.

[con20or]

ah i get you - ok.

[Marching Thru Georgia]

My suggestions are as follows:
1. Feedback from subordinates. Ideally, it reads something like this: From Gen. Brewster, I am SW of Trostle farm and have sighted the enemy in division strength advancing from the NW. Gen Ward's brigade is to the E. This may be rather difficult for Norb to code, so an alternative would be to have the subordinate send a mini-map of the troop positions in his area, (700 yd radius). Periodically he could send reports of the situation such as whether he is engaged, his approximate casualties, etc. The accuracy of all this info would be dependent on his abilities. Misinformation is one of the hallmarks of battle.

2. Implement a picklist of distances for the commands, "Move your unit forward x yd." and "Move your unit x yd. in this direction." Ideally x could be 25, 50, 75, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 500, 600, 800, 1000, 1250, 1500. Norb's 1st attempt at this was a failure.

3. Add new commands: "Move x yd. to the rear/front of..." and "Move your unit x yd. to my front/rear center."

4. For commands such as, "Move to the right flank of...", the moving unit will go to the spot where the anchoring unit WAS when the moving unit got the order. This may turn out to be far from where that unit is when the moving unit reaches it's destination. Better would be if the moving unit marches to the original position and then if the anchoring unit has moved, march to that new location. This assumes, of course, the anchoring unit has not routed from the field.

5.A test of Norb's abilities. When an order such as "Move to this location..." is given the unit will march to exactly to that spot and deploy exactly as ordered. This may not be an ideal location. There may be a much better defensive position a short distance away. Or it may be much better for an attacking unit to assemble in a nearby woods rather than in the open. 'Commander discretion' would be a very nice addition. It would make Sickles' move to the Peach Orchard possible.

[con20or]

2. Implement a picklist of distances for the commands, "Move your unit forward x yd." and "Move your unit x yd. in this direction." Ideally x could be 25, 50, 75, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 500, 600, 800, 1000, 1250, 1500. Norb's 1st attempt at this was a failure.

It always seemd ok to me - but never looked into it in great detail. What was wrong?

I like your suggestion for 'commander discretion' and the quality of the feedback from generals depends on their rating.

[Davinci]

I don’t think that it would be that difficult to code if the code went something like this…

Brigade Commander – sends back courier with enemy spotted to my immediate front ….estimated strength of….. (Game counts enemy flags) ….. (Enemy flags equals eight)…..estimated strength of two Brigades .

Now, there could be more enemy units that are not within the line-of-sight , but this is the 1800’s so exact information is sort of spotty at best!

Also – if the game reads that the enemy is to the (immediate front, north, south, etc) of said commander the player should know in-which direction the enemy is located, by knowing the position of said commander.

Yeah, I think that Norb should be able to code that in roughly two hours, and have it available in the next patch.

davinci

[con20or]

A few I thought of are

- A list of sent courier messages.
- Time show up in courier message - sometimes two messages arrive close to each other, no idea which is the most recent.
- Stagger names on courier menu.

[Marching Thru Georgia]

con20or wrote:

It always seemd ok to me - but never looked into it in great detail. What was wrong?

Was it fixed? I don't remember seeing any mention of it in the changelog so I never bothered with it. I'll take a look. If it is working, then only Amovespec:%s:x would need to be added.

- Stagger names on courier menu.

This has been suggested before and would be nice.

- A list of sent courier messages.

A very long list in my case.