Lessons from Red Front 1.4 TOT Redux - Creating loaded freighters on ocean squares

YES, VIRGINIA, ONE CAN CREATE SHIPS AT SEA WITH UNITS ONBOARD


As I was working on events for the Red Front 1.4 TOT Redux, I found that unorthodox events and units were required to duplicate some historical events. Among them was the need, on ocean squares, to create freighters with units onboard.

Here is the sequence of events needed to create 3 freighters, each carrying 4 units. If more land units are created than there is space on the freighters, they will be left bobbing up and down on the ocean waves.

Of course, any units or combination of either naval or land units can be created to form an invasion convoy as long as one keeps in mind that the last unit created before either CHANGETERRAIN will be destroyed.

@IF
TURN
turn=22
@THEN
CREATEUNIT
unit=Freighter ----------------- Freighter should be ATTACK=0 or it may attack cities
owner=Hottentots
count=4 ---------------------- CHANGETERRAIN will destroy the last unit created
veteran=yes
homecity=None
locations
27,49 ------------------------- 27,49 is an ocean square
endlocations
@ENDIF

@IF
TURN
turn=22
@THEN
CHANGETERRAIN
terraintype=2 ------------------ LAND
maprect
27,49,27,49,27,49,27,49
@ENDIF

@IF
TURN
turn=22
@THEN
CREATEUNIT
unit=Trade Unit
owner=Hottentots
count=13 --------------------- CHANGETERRAIN will destroy the last unit created
veteran=yes
homecity=None
locations
27,49
endlocations
@ENDIF

@IF
TURN
turn=22
@THEN
CHANGETERRAIN
terraintype=10 ---------------- OCEAN
maprect
27,49,27,49,27,49,27,49
@ENDIF

@IF
TURN
turn=-1
@THEN
MOVEUNIT
unit=AnyUnit
owner=Hottentots
maprect
27,49,27,49,27,49,27,49
moveto
27,55 ----------------------- Timbuktu
numbertomove=ALL
@ENDIF

NOTE:
The MOVEUNIT event works up to a point. A possible problem is that the AI may not deliver trade units to cities that already have three trade routes with the AI civ. AI trade units are delivered if city trade routes are with other civs.

I did that in my WotR scenario: sending Black Ships loaded with Corsairs up the coast to Gondor. I'd like to bet I wasn't the first.

So the CHANGETERRAIN event only kills one of the units in the square?

Yes, only 1!

It gave me some troubles while designing Discworld, and I had to find a solution around it as I didn't understand how changeterrain worked at the time...

@Catfish
Apologies for not acknowledging your use of the technique in your WotR scenario. Too bad that neither you nor anyone else has posted about a methodology that might be helpful for other designers.

When I was involved in playtesting Patine's EMPIRE OF THE RISING SUN and he was having trouble in creating and moving AI ampib attack forces, I carefully searched both Poly and CFC for help on this subject but drew a complete blank.


I started this thread because of the following sentence in the Readme of Tootall's recently released A NATION DIVIDED 1861 – 1865 scen:

" During my testing I found that, not only was the AI incapable of loading 'Cotton Trader' units on ships, let alone carry them to Europe . . . . ."

AGRICOLA said:

@Catfish
I started this thread because of the following sentence in the Readme of Tootall's recently released A NATION DIVIDED 1861 – 1865 scen:

" During my testing I found that, not only was the AI incapable of loading 'Cotton Trader' units on ships, let alone carry them to Europe . . . . ."

Click to expand...

Hi Agricola,

I suspected the timing of your thread might have had something to do with my recently released scenario . By the way, I really enjoyed the style of your feedback on McMonkey's project, it was quite entertaining.

Unfortunately, getting the 'Cotton Trader' units on board ships was only half the problem, because even when the units managed to make it to Europe the freight unit would just loiter around and not establish a trade route with any destination city. In one of the games during my testing the AI had built ninety-six (yes 96!) 'Cotton Trader' units and as far as I can determine not a single one established a trade route with any city. They just moved around the map, mainly in the south.

For that reason, along with the one's I explained in my ReadMe, I dropped the idea of trying to implement a naval blockade of southern ports.

Good work, guys! It's good to see a classic problem being cracked by the combined widsom of the veteran players!

AGRICOLA said:

@Catfish
Apologies for not acknowledging your use of the technique in your WotR scenario. Too bad that neither you nor anyone else has posted about a methodology that might be helpful for other designers.

Click to expand...

Or maybe I was responding to the big red 'Santa does exist' headline; pointing out that the method isn't quite so revelatory. Not following any of the scenario threads.

This could certainly help with EoTRS, AGRICOLA, assuming the AI actually unloads and attacks at the target spot. I will have to look into it. Thanks for the heads up!

Agricola,

I apologise for going AWOL after agreeing to playtest Red Front. I'm back on the Civ2 wagon now and will start my test as soon as I have finished my game of A House Divided!