IIRC there was 1.3 version of this map somewhere in thread - or, if there isn't anymore, I had it downloaded and can post it here unless Civinator is against it.
Unfortunately either way art and text files aren't available and in order to play scenario normally you'll have to create them from the scratch yourself.
Sorry, but I am against it. Such uploads later only create confusion, not necessary questions to answer and trigger other civers to post the still "missing files", too. Belofon thank you very much for your input and in the following I try to answer to it point for point, but I am not yet familiar how to handle the new site tools to achieve a proper result.
- Change stats and production costs for some units so losing certain resources wouldn't lead to replacement of units by just the same but cheeper (of those I remember - Polish and French ACs and APCs)
Most of those units had the difference between immobile and mobile units. The immobile units at the start of the game should have the same costs and cannot be produced normally in the game. Losing certain resources (per example oil) is handled different with the new options created by Flintlock.
I think it's fair to give Memel to Germany since IRL they already had it by the start of the war ... as a side effect of point 2, may be it's actually better to move Baltics from neutrals to Axis. Since Germany would already had Memel, there is hardly any point for them to get involved in war with Baltics and stealing their territory from Soviets.
In most WW2 scenarios starting in 1939, the AI performance for Russia and US to enter war is frequently disappointing (per example the WW2 Global thread is full of such experiences). Even using the submarine bug as a war trigger for both civs in my eyes is no proper solution, as the AI civs after some turns of war tend to make peace again (so here the AI is more intelligent than their human counterparts in real history
).
In SOE, Germany and Russia are at war from the start of the game, but the big confrontation should be delayed, as in real history the big clash came only in 1941. Here several settings are used to achieve this (per example short ranged aircraft for Russia, terrain that can not be crossed by starting units and some other features, too). Germany can not operate with such limitations of air units at the start, as at the western front aircraft with full range and rebasing option are needed quickly. If Memel would be part of Germany (as it was in history) German aircraft would try to attack Russian cities much too early in the game and in the result there is the danger, that the focus of the early game changes to the east instead of the west. The complete current balancing of the scenario with the short ranged Russian aircraft (that can be upgraded with no costs to their full range in 1941) would be endangered.
The Baltic states are neutral to delay the confrontation between Germany and Russia in this scenario.
I would also propose to change impassible German-Soviet border in Poland so that Soviet side of it would actually include cities that ended up in the USSR (Wilna, Grodna, Byalistok, Chelm, Lwow - all of these are currently in German half of Poland).
The border terrain in SOE is mostly placed in accordance to the German–Soviet Frontier Treaty, but there are some exceptions taking the specialities of the map and to delay the big confrontation between both civs into account:
For the performance of this scenario in my eyes it is better that Lwow is in German influence, as from this city no important Russian cities can be endangered by aircraft, but in Russian hands, this would trigger the German AI to bombard that city and not to change the focus of that scenario to the west as it is intended for that time. Historically that city was completely encircled by German units of the 1. Geb.Div. Not so well-known is, that the Polish commander of that city, General Langner, on 21st September, noon, offered the surrender of that city to that German Division ( Alex Buchner, Der Polenfeldzug 1939, pg. 144). In accordance to the German–Soviet Frontier Treaty the official surrender followed some days later to Russia.
The same is the situation for Byalistok. In history
according to the Wikipedia this city was captured by troops of the 3rd German Army at 12th September 1939 and later handed to Russia, fullfilling the German–Soviet Frontier Treaty. For the balance of SOE it is better if this city stays in German hands, so Russia has a change of a delayed capturing of that city by conquering the Baltic States.
For Chelm, as far as I know, the situation was different. It was captured by Russia and later handed to Germany in the revision of the German–Soviet Frontier Treaty. Here in my eyes it is better for the scenario if it stays in Russian hands (at least this is the current setting of SOE). The reason is the same: All that helps to avoid a big conflict between Russia and Germany in the first turns of SOE is good for this scenario.
To continue this, it may be also good to alter Axis borders (first of all - Hungarian-Romanian) that would otherwise be almost impossible to change in-game
What changes at the Axis borders are you suggesting here ? Hungary and Romania in this scenario are mostly traffic jams for Germany. They are mostly in that scenario as individual civs, because jorde long ago made some nice leaderheads for them.
And finally I would second people somewhere earlier in the thread who proposed more correct city names (like renaming some Bulgarian cities or giving some Soviet cities their Stalin-era names
In my notes there was a post suggesting for Bulgaria the following: Stara Zagora and Pleven are not geographically accurate. Stara Zagora is where Pleven should be (even better place Veliko Tarnovo at its place, as it was a more important town during the war), and rename Pleven to Vidin.
These changes were made in the current SOE biq:
Please tell me, what Russian cities in SOE have wrong names.
And there is something important to add: The current situation in Europe makes me really sad and is not suited to enhance my motivation about finishing that scenario quickly.
