TSFE version 1.2 is nearing completion

[Thunderfall]

This is a preview of TSFE written by Marko Urm.


TSFE version 1.2 is nearing completion

This is a major rework of events and rules. Hopefully
it answers to all players comments what I have got
after the release of original version.
The scenario update will be released in 8 packages.
This way the people who want for example only to play
as Soviets, don't need to download all the scenario.


There are hundreds of bigger and smaller changes
compared to versions 1.0 and 1.1. I don't list them
all here, only a few for each package.

General changes:

* Infantry units are now much stronger
* Many other tweaks in units values for better balance
or historical accuracy (sometimes irritatingly hard
choice..)
* In events now AI don't get any new unit because you
killed some of his units. All these unitkilled -
createunit "trees" are gone (except in first stages of
Barbarossa).


PART I - Axis

Axis medium level scenario, starting from May 1940.
* Strenghth of French army is more like it was in
1940. Still Germany has the first turn right..
* Axis science rate is faster.
* German tanks 1943-45 are now relativly stronger than
they were in version 1.0

PART II - Axis levels

Axis easy and hard levels, starting from May 1940.

PART III - Soviets

Soviet medium level scenario, starting from May 1940.
* More events for Soviets in 1940.
* Soviet science rate is faster.
* Much more easier to stop the German advance than in
original version.

PART IV - Soviet levels

Soviet easy and hard levels, starting from May 1940.

PART V - Allies

Allies medium level scenario, starting from May 1940.
* No premade Sealion operation for Axis
* Battle for Atlantic is more crucial (in version 1.0
it was important only after December 1941, when U.S.
joined with war and transports full of tanks and
infantry started crossing the ocean).
* More events, like rebellion in Iraq in Spring 1941.

PART VI - Allies levels

Allies easy and hard levels, starting from May 1940.

PART VII - Multiplayer and small nations

Scenarios for playing as any of small nation in all
difficulty levels (starting from May 1940).
Multiplayer scenarios - team play against computer
Axis and total multiplayer.
* Diplomacy is allowed for all nations in multiplayer
and there are no events-forced war anymore.

PART VIII - Later scenarios

Scenarios starting from July 1940, June 1941, November
1941, July 1942, November 1942, July 1943, June 1944,
December 1944 and May 1945.
* Everything is worked over to achieve a better
balance.


All these packages are now more or less ready and will
go one after another to playtesting.

 

[SunTzu]

Great scenario, with this version, i think it will be my #1 scenario, once all of the bugs and things a fixed
I have to tell you, Operation Sealion is hard!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm glad your getting rid of it
Maybe the germans have to kill a ceratin amount of english units after they capture Paris....... to trigger Operation Sealion?
i dunno if its possible to rig it like that

 

[Marko]

The history of making the Allied version has been quite interesting. The Sealion event was one of the last thing added to the scenario before the release.

The first version of TSFE was finished in Summer 2000 (yes, 1,5 years ago!). It was quite different than the version finally released in 2001: Soviet Union and Axis could attack each other whenever they wanted, same was for Axis and Yugoslavia, many units were different, Soviets could produce all her early tanks (T-26, T-28, BT-7 etc), also they got T-34 and KV-1 already in 1940, U.S. entering to the war was triggered by killing a special Allied unit (american warship on Atlantic), there was no event-made Sealion for Axis also.

The scenario was playtested by me and some friends during Autumn 2000 and Allied version was actually regarded as the best in the scenario.
I remember one crazy game played by me as Allies; I am writing a short story of it now and will post it soon.

Axis and Soviet versions were not so good. Playing as Axis was extremely hard because Soviets always attacked Axis already in 1940 and were then overwhelmingly strong because of their many tanks. Playing as Soviets was too easy because of their huge production and ability to build T-34 and KV-1 tanks early.

So, the release of TSFE was postponed and new version was created. Many units were changed, Easy and Medium levels were created, Soviets were made much weaker, Jugoslavia invasion, Barbarossa and American entering to the war were fixed to their historical dates etc etc.

The new version went to general playtesting in beginning of 2001. Allied version appeared to be too easy in medium level: Germans weren't able to posess any great threat to Britain.

The easiest solution was to make Allied defences in England weaker. But I couldn't do it because in Medium level Allied, Axis and Soviet versions started from the same scenario file. The Sealion would be then a piece of cake for Axis human player. Only hard level has separate scn files for Axis and Allies.

I created much more bombers for Axis via events. It didn't work.
Then I created many tanks, infantry and transports for Axis in coastal cities and ordered them with MOVEUNIT command to attack England. Result: allowed event space was greatly exceeded.
I had to delete something. As I wanted to save German units, I deleted moveunit commands. Result: transports went to sea with only a few units.
Then I created transports with units into the sea near British coast. Result: in some reason transports appeared empty.
And at last I created German units already to Britain beach with empty transports behind their back.

This was the birth-story of Sealion invasion in Allied version of TSFE.

 

[Bob]

I've downloaded TSFE from this site, it's great! Glad to meet one of its designers!
As I'm not ready to play at hard level yet, I choosed to begin with the easy version. I noticed that the starting timeswere somewhat messed up in the Europ.bat file for easy version. E.g. when I choose to start in July 43, I get the May 45 files. The two 1942 starting times don't work. The medium version is functioning normally.
Apart from this, it's a very good scenario. I was impressed by its gigantic size and especially liked the fanfare when you start a game!

 

[Skuall]

Where i can download TSFE???

Skuall
Play and have fun!!!

 

[Skuall]

Oh no! This scenario's for Gold and i've FW...
Ueeeeeee!!!

Skuall
Play (hif!) and have (hif!) fun (hif!).

 

[Marko]

To Bob:

Yes, the Europe.bat file in version 1.0 had some bugs when you select easy level.
I remember that I updated the .bat file and posted it to forum shortly after the release. It was part of version 1.1 update what you could download from TSFE webpage:

Version 1.1

Check the webpage also:

TSFE Webpage

Also, here is the newest version of Europe.bat:

 

[Bob]

Thanks very much, Marko!
I'll check the web site right now!
I think I'll update the Europe.bat file and then wait for the release of version 1.2.
Good job!

 

[Marko]

To Skuall:

You can convert your Civ2:FW to MGE by downloading the patches created by Cedric Greene. Look from Civfanatics downloads.

 

[Skuall]

I've already tried but it never works! Can someone tell how upgrade FW to MGE?

 

[Marko]

As promised, here is the short story of my test game of TSFE early version, played in Autumn 2000 as Allies. This is one of my craziest WW2 game ever played.

I started from May 1940 and by the end of the Summer I was under heavy attack by Luftwaffe bombers. I wasn't able to build enough Spitfires to shoot them all down. In Autumn 1940 I was literally bombed to the ground and couldn't kill anymore German Fallschirmjägers who were constantly paradropping to emptied cities. I lost several cities to Germans and immediately Panzers appeared! I lost London and all of Great Britain. Germans also bombed and captured Island. Leaving with his battleship to America, Churchill promised: "I shall return!"

In Mediterranean Greece was lost in hopeless battle, also my navy was sunk by Italian fleet.
Malta and El Alamein were taken but British were able to protect Egypt until Summer 1941. Then everything fell apart and Rommel marched unstoppingly to Middle East.

In the beginning of 1942 I had only 2 cities left on the map: American city and Gibraltar! Gibraltar has no production but America got several free units every turn and I had many battleships around it.

Summer 1942 Allies started to win ground back. I cleared the Atlantic from submarines and created a naval system to kill every new appearing sub: net of battleships each with 1-2 destroyers. Destroyers made patrolling reids every month and always ended their turn under protection of battleship. Also I liberated Island with my battleships.

Shortly after liberating Island, I lost Gibraltar. Spanish decided to enter the war on Axis side and attacked Gibraltar. It fell after long heroic defence in the end of 1942. If I hadn't taken Island then I could be down to 1 city in WW2 game!

In 1943 events didn't favor Axis anymore and also Russians started pushing Germans back in Eastern Front. In Summer 1943 I made descent to Belfast and transported all my army to the city. From this base I liberated all Great Britain by the end of year! Churchill arrived triumphantly back to London.

Great Britain strongly in Allied hands, I made descent to northern coast of Spain and occupied all of Spain by Autumn 1944. Also Gibraltar was liberated. Spain certainly regretted his aggression against Allies!

As Soviets were already closing to Berlin, I invaded France from Spain. German resistance collapsed quickly and I was able to take several cities per turn. When Berlin fell to Soviets in January 1946, Allied armies captured Cologne. :tank:

In Summer 1946 Allies re-entered to Mediterranean region. All Italy was taken just from front of Russians who were starting to invade into Northern Italy. Mediterranean islands were quickly seized and huge descent was made to Africa. Egypt was again in Allied hands in Autumn 1946. Russians had all of Middle-East, though.

December 1946, when scenario ended, Axis had only left few cities in Norway which I was going to liberate in Spring.

(Actually I continued the game after the end of scenario. Russians attacked me in Spring 1947, and then followed long and bloody war where I lost all of France but conquered Middle-East and Caucasus region. I never finished the game because it got unplayable when I changed most of rules and units in scenario design process.)

So, that was the story!
:soldier: