Dictator II is complete!

Originally posted by Moff Jerjerrod
Sorry forgot to mention that I like the combat engineer unit in Dictator II.

Now that we can build roads and other improvements I find that trade income increases dramatically. The benefit of being able to connect cities now with roads doesn't need any explanation. :)
Click to expand...

Thanks for your Playtesting, guys!

I think it is apparent that I must look to beefing up the Allies and USSR.
There was a nice balance of power in the old Dictator which I will
move towards, I will be releasing the V2 patch over the weekend.

Hopefully it will sort things...
As you know Civ2 has this silly bug that is caused by the Knight and Musketeer Unit slots.
Meaning that the AI will not build units with differing stats and only build the best all-rounder,
I tried to work around this because I noticed certain AI empires
were not building all the options.

But I will look at the Rules.txt and see about making the USSR and Allied empires more hardcore,
because they're worth it!

I will also make D-Day and Italy Invasions more of a real threat,
Air power is the key, so I will make the Mustang and Yak 9s more nasty.
Also the Spitfires and AA gun has to be more evil to protect the UK,
The AI axis should only be able to take the UK 40% of the time...

Thanks a lot for the input, and thanks for playing, comrades.
Your fun is my reward!
:goodjob:

Patch coming soon...
 
Here is a patch that I hope will level up things in Dictator II.
Hopefully now, the Axis won't have it all their own way!

Just copy these files into your Dict2 Scenario and overwrite the exisitng files!

Moff Jerjerrod and Ayatollah So,
I you gents would be kind enough to give it try and tell me if you see any difference in combat!

Give em hell, boyz!
:lol:
 
Originally posted by Mikoyan
So Curt, are you planning on making Dictator for us MGE users?

:)
Click to expand...

Yep!

But it will be a seriously scaled-back version, due to the limits of MGE.
I will do it, coz it is a challenge!

I plan to get it started sometime this month.
PS
Despite delays and other problems, Soviet Steel is about 60% done!

:goodjob:
 
Happy Birthday Curt :) :bday:
 
:tank:

Ok well I started a new game last night with the patch as the Americans.

Just some quick observations so far as I didn't really get to play too long.

Game started in 5/40 and I've played until 10/40 so far. France has fallen but England is holding out. Doing much better actually than before the patch as their AA guns are doing much better at the incessant wave of Luftwaffe attacks. France didn't fall as quickly as previous games so perhaps the defending units are a bit stronger. That's really all I've seen so far.

I will continue to monitor the situation. One thing I'm interested in seeing is how naval battles will be resolved post patch. Previously I've noticed that battleships and pocket battleships are virtually indestructible. Bomb them with B-17's, torpedo them with subs, or attack them with cruisers and watch the battlewagons health drop only slightly. Even land units defending coastal cities with coastal defense systems succumb to the mighty battleship.

That's all for now.
 
Another report gentlemen,


The new patch seems to be working out a lot better for the allies than before. Germany doesn't simply walk over the UK before the USA has a chance to enter the war now. Good job.


I started a multiplayer hotseat game yesterday by myself as the UK, USA, and Allied Nations. I've made some very interesting observations.

1. I think the reason why the AI controlled Allies have such a tough time is that most of their cities produce only 1 shield a turn. This is obviously a big problem regarding churning out units to repel the axis.

2. The AI contolled Allies do not have a clue on how to fix their economies so that they are profitable every turn. Right off the bat I usually end up selling all the army bases and schools in cities that produce only 1 beaker per turn. This usually reduces my debt and then I rush buy shops/banks/trade exports where applicable and also border checkpoints. After a few turns I start to reach the break even point, but research is definately suffering. All this is happening with very little in military units being produced. The axis from what I have noticed usually don't have it so bad as far as making money and producing units. So in short the AI allies constantly lose money and have to sell off improvements and never crank out hordes of units.

3. Engineers. They're a godsend. Without them you cant even hope to improve your infrastructure. They're a great unit.

I still haven't played as either Germany or Japan in Dictator II so I'm not sure how their infrastructure is but judging from the military might they throw around they must be doing ok.

Well that's it again for now.
 
Greetings, Noble Moff!
I will be doing some new graphic work on D2 this weekend,
and I will look at the point you raised,
perhaps some big upgrades to the allied economy is in order!

Also I plan to upgrade the units some,
and get those warships balanced at last!

Thanks for your help!
I'll keep you informed of progress!
 
Curt,

Before I play the new patch I thought I'd play the old version as Adolf just to prove to myself that I was right about the old play balance. Yup. I was right.

Paris was mine in May 1940. London was mine in June. The rest of the British isles fell in about 2 more turns. Meanwhile the Eastern Allies and Russians got in a fight, and the Eastern Allies took some minor Siberian city. (Later, the Japs took it from the Eastern Allies, so I don't think Stalin will ever get it back.)

I've played to about Dec 1940, and have captured all Eastern Allied cities near the USSR up through Kabul. I figure on pushing up from the south. Maybe I'm underestimating Russia, but at this point it looks like it will be a cakewalk. I'm definitely doing better than I did when I played Russia, despite the fact that I'm now on a higher difficulty level.

I think I learned some things about SeaLion that you may want to fix, if the Civ2 engine will allow it. The Brits have tons of AA. Fine, but AA doesn't stand up too well against tanks. So clear a landing square with shore bombardment, unload massive quantities of tanks and artillery, and soon London will be saying "Sieg Heil!" Not to mention the Ubermenschen paratroop SS units, which can drop atop the landing square. And where the heck is the Royal Navy, which should at least be able to punish the Kriegsmarine for its insolence?

Given the mechanics of Civ2, I don't think you can really solve the invasions-are-too-damn-easy problem. But you could change those SS paratroopers to SS infantry, and give the Brits a real navy. (Maybe you already did! I'll find out when I install the new patch.)

I have to say, it's awesome the way you've overcome many of the usual limits of Civ2. I've never felt the need to form an actual "front line" before, for example.
 
Another observation. This scenario is the first time I've faced a relatively even battle involving air power on both sides. In regular Civ2, the game is either over, or basically over, by the time flight is developed. Thus, I only just now noticed:

The AI will not attack me if I stack a good aircraft with decent-defense ground units. This makes sense in a way. Only a fighter can attack such a stack, and then it will be attacking the ground unit which has a better defense than the air unit. Still, it's kind of weird to have invulnerable stacks. Am I delusional, or is this really true? It seems it should work in regular Civ2 as well: stack a mech inf with a bomber.

Why doesn't the AI take advantage of this "feature"?
 
Hi there!

Good to hear from you again, Ayatollah!
I plan to have a whole new version of Dictator uploaded this weekend!
Based on you and Moff Jerjerrod’s invaluable help, It will feature;

New balanced combat for all warships,
Event-driven units awarded for Allies and Axis,
More active Allied attacks,
Far rougher treatment from the USSR,
Scaled back Axis power,
More hardcore AA guns,
SS restricted to foot-slogging,
New events for the Sealion campaign,
A new coat of paint for some units,
Perhaps a terrain upgrade,
Partisans and Anarchists made even more evil,
Too powerful Stukas now restricted to one attack,
I might make the Soviets ignore the Eastern Allies,

Thanks for you kind words in regards to my design!
The Air-combat is geared to represent the changing balance of
air-superiority in the WW2 era,
The AI does seem to show a mild decision making ability in regards to airwar,
Pity it cant do unit rushes…imagine dozens of T-34s moving westwards!

I hope that Dictator II V2.0 will improve balance and increase playability.
Although I wish the game engine could do more..

Thanks, and give the current patch a whirl, you might like it…
Keep your eyes peeled!
 
Originally posted by techumseh
What are the PBEM prospects for D2? Is it balanced for 5 human players?
Click to expand...

Yup,
All empires are playble, but are geared for different goals.
But with some cunning you can be victorious with any of them.

Military might is not always the answer...

PS
Fixed the units by putting a 'TEC' sig onto the unit box...
...and the readme gives you a mention too. :goodjob:
 
It's certainly a significant advance from D-1. It shows greater maturity in design and builds upon the excellent graphics of the first effort. I've only got to early '43 as Japan, so my experience with the scenario is limited. Here are my comments for what they're worth:

The game play as Japan is fairly realistic (with the exceptions noted below), and fun. I like the high and uniform movement of naval units very much. With one month turns, it's very realistic. I think the combat and movement factors are about right, though shield costs should be reviewed so better units cost more than poorer ones.

China should be filled in with 2-3 more cities. It's mostly empty in the middle which is not very realistic. Once Peking falls the rest is too easy to take. I had conquered China, Indochina and most of India before Pearl Harbour. I'm wondering why is India part of the same civ as China? It should be part of the British Empire.

Betty bombers have a 4 turn range. This not only gives them over twice their historical range, but allows them to stay airborne for 4 months!

I took Pearl Harbour in mid '42 and the US has so far been unable to mount a serious counter attack. On the other side of the world, I noticed that the German AI had no problem beating the British AI and conquering Britain. Is this intended? On the other hand, the campaign in Russia went just about right from a historical point of view. The US AI generally seems to be having trouble getting into the action in a serious way. Perhaps future events will remedy this?

The map is an improvement over version #1, with Europe being the right size (small) and also the Pacific (huge). I'm sure some will prefer a distorted map to give more elbow room in Europe, but I'm not one of them. I do find the map has too much arable terrain, however. We've needed a geographically accurate world gigamap for a while, and this is a great start. I'd go back to the original mountains though. Morton's are fine for an African or fantasy game, but I think the Himalaya's need snow. ;)

Overall I think Dictator 2 is a solid contribution to ToT scenario making. I'm enjoying playing it.
 
Thanks for looking over the Pacific side of things, techumseh!

I agree that the US could use some power after 1941-42, it will be addressed.

I was holding back on releasing the upgrade till I heard your opinions,
because I have great respect for your abilities as a scenario builder.

The level of AA defence has been raided and the UK now does not fall as easily...
I added the Royal Navy to intercept the Germans in Sept 1940.

I plan to add a few more cities, or even max it out...

I'm going to change the unit count and make them more powerful so less units are needed till late game.

I will add these changes and get Dictator II v2 released mid-week!

I really appreciate your help!
:goodjob:
 
Hi Curt!

I'm eagerly awaiting your update to D2. I know you will do a great job.

My last game I played multiplayer hotseat as the British, Americans, and the yellow Allied Nations. In short it went like this.

Germany stomped all over Europe, Russia, and the Middle East as usual. Japan ravaged China, SE Asia, and India.

I spent tons of money to rush build money improvements, sold many unused barracks, shops, etc. and spent a lot of time pumping up the production levels of the cities that had a chance to become somewhat productive. Using all my efforts it was the British that developed the strongest economy and did the most damage to both Germany and Japan. I failed to conquer any axis capitals and the scenario ended in 1950. In sum, it took a herculean effort to get the allies up to acceptable money and production levels but once I did they became unstoppable.

That was a fun game...........
 
Curt,
Is there any way you could make the stacks of "gift" units dependent on difficulty level? Like, say, instead of the Nazis getting 8 SP 88mm guns appearing near Berlin on a certain turn, they get 4 on deity, 6 on emporer, 8 on king level, etc., if a human player is playing the Nazis. If a human player is playing the Russians, the number of freebie rocket artillery units they get on a certain turn is difficulty-dependent. Etc.

The reason I ask is, I really like these unit-appearance events, but they tend to favor the human player over the AI. The AI is churning out large numbers of units at deity level but lacks the intelligence to use them well; a few more make little difference. Meanwhile the human has few units, so a few more make a huge difference. They will be used intelligently, and the AI just can't compete.
--Paul
 
Originally posted by Ayatollah So
Curt,
The reason I ask is, I really like these unit-appearance events, but they tend to favor the human player over the AI. The AI is churning out large numbers of units at deity level but lacks the intelligence to use them well; a few more make little difference. Meanwhile the human has few units, so a few more make a huge difference. They will be used intelligently, and the AI just can't compete.
--Paul
Click to expand...

Ayatollah So, Worry, not!

As you will find out soon, things are much tougher in Dictator II v2!

Making changes to this would involve different events, one for each difficulty level.
But you would have to change between the events files to suit the skill level...

Would you like me to do a series of highskill events?
I can if you wish....

I also have created a totally new combat system...
The units are now more balanced. And conquest is not as easy as it used to be.

Posting the new upgrade tonight!

:D
 
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