jztemple
03 Dec 08, 09:25
The concept of effectiveness and the loss of it during a scenario is one of the most important features of the Squad Battles series. The effectiveness of weapons is diminished by their use and the effectiveness of men and vehicles are lessened by being in combat. Loss of effectiveness drastically affects the combat ability of a unit, compounded by the loss of effectiveness in both the man and the weapon. Players know that the more a unit is exposed to combat, the lesser it's ability to contribute to victory. Smart players keep units out of the line of fire, set their weapons to hold status, and keep reserves of fresh troops when these actions are possible so as to still have time to win the match.
Some time ago, the concept of Rest was introduced into the game system, as follows:
Rest
There are Rest Parameter Data Values defined for each scenario per side. If a rest value is nonzero, then it is possible for units of that side to recover effectiveness during the scenario. To be eligible for recovery, the unit must not have moved, fired, or assaulted that turn, nor can it have been fired upon. For each turn that a unit is eligible, it can recover an average effectiveness value equal to the rest value. When a unit is eligible for rest, then the effectiveness recovery also applies to all weapons carried by that unit. Vehicles cannot recover effectiveness.
Older games had the Rest function added in their updated game engines, but have the associated parameter data rest factors set to zero for both sides so essentially rest doesn't happen. Rest does affect the latest three games of the series. In Soviet Afghan War, the A side of a scenario has a Rest factor of six, while the B side has a Rest factor of ten (eight in winter). In Winter War, these factors were reduced to five for both sides. And in Spanish Civil War the factor was again reduced to four for each side.
A simple test of Rest in Spanish Civil War [link to scenario (http://sites.google.com/site/jzs-place/jz-s-squad-battles-home-page/%24RestTest.zip?attredirects=0)] showed that each turn a unit or weapon eligible for recovery of Effectiveness via the Rest mechanism gained between one and seven points, affirming an average of four points to be gained each turn.
Is Rest currently effective in the scenarios of these three games? Using Spanish Civil War as an example and assuming a scenario average number of turns equaling fifteen, and also assuming that most scenarios start with the effectiveness of all men and weapons at 100%, is there sufficient time for a unit to lose effectiveness, gain it back and then utilize it's recovered effectiveness in a worthwhile manner? For example, let's say that a unit starts a fifteen turn scenario with both weapon and unit effectiveness at 100%. Five turns later, having been in combat each turn, it's effectiveness for both are down to 80%. To recover back to 100% the unit must not move, fire or assault or be fired upon. Assuming the unit can achieve these, then at turn ten the unit would be back at 100%, but only have five turns left in the match. And this also means that the scenario must provide that units can be pulled from combat for several turns and not adversely affect the chances of the player to win.
Obviously in Winter War and Soviet Afghan War effectiveness is regained at a slightly great rate, but the assumptions above should still hold generally true.
Are there scenarios that reward a player who utilizes the Rest function? I'm not sure there are, but I'd like to hear from folks about this. Does anyone rely on Rest in their planning and execution of a scenario?
Finally, there is the concept of the Mega-scenario. In Squad Battles twelve turns represent approximately an hour and most scenarios never exceed more than two hours and many are much less than this. But suppose you had a scenario that gave you an allotment of, say, eight hours or 96 turns? You could put a unit into combat, pull it back and let it rest for an hour, then reuse it again. This would also (one would imagine) affect a player's sensitivity towards casualties, since actual manpower losses cannot be replaced. Certainly an intriguing concept. Most likely the AI isn't designed to cope with this, but as a PBEM scenario it might be very interesting.
Some time ago, the concept of Rest was introduced into the game system, as follows:
Rest
There are Rest Parameter Data Values defined for each scenario per side. If a rest value is nonzero, then it is possible for units of that side to recover effectiveness during the scenario. To be eligible for recovery, the unit must not have moved, fired, or assaulted that turn, nor can it have been fired upon. For each turn that a unit is eligible, it can recover an average effectiveness value equal to the rest value. When a unit is eligible for rest, then the effectiveness recovery also applies to all weapons carried by that unit. Vehicles cannot recover effectiveness.
Older games had the Rest function added in their updated game engines, but have the associated parameter data rest factors set to zero for both sides so essentially rest doesn't happen. Rest does affect the latest three games of the series. In Soviet Afghan War, the A side of a scenario has a Rest factor of six, while the B side has a Rest factor of ten (eight in winter). In Winter War, these factors were reduced to five for both sides. And in Spanish Civil War the factor was again reduced to four for each side.
A simple test of Rest in Spanish Civil War [link to scenario (http://sites.google.com/site/jzs-place/jz-s-squad-battles-home-page/%24RestTest.zip?attredirects=0)] showed that each turn a unit or weapon eligible for recovery of Effectiveness via the Rest mechanism gained between one and seven points, affirming an average of four points to be gained each turn.
Is Rest currently effective in the scenarios of these three games? Using Spanish Civil War as an example and assuming a scenario average number of turns equaling fifteen, and also assuming that most scenarios start with the effectiveness of all men and weapons at 100%, is there sufficient time for a unit to lose effectiveness, gain it back and then utilize it's recovered effectiveness in a worthwhile manner? For example, let's say that a unit starts a fifteen turn scenario with both weapon and unit effectiveness at 100%. Five turns later, having been in combat each turn, it's effectiveness for both are down to 80%. To recover back to 100% the unit must not move, fire or assault or be fired upon. Assuming the unit can achieve these, then at turn ten the unit would be back at 100%, but only have five turns left in the match. And this also means that the scenario must provide that units can be pulled from combat for several turns and not adversely affect the chances of the player to win.
Obviously in Winter War and Soviet Afghan War effectiveness is regained at a slightly great rate, but the assumptions above should still hold generally true.
Are there scenarios that reward a player who utilizes the Rest function? I'm not sure there are, but I'd like to hear from folks about this. Does anyone rely on Rest in their planning and execution of a scenario?
Finally, there is the concept of the Mega-scenario. In Squad Battles twelve turns represent approximately an hour and most scenarios never exceed more than two hours and many are much less than this. But suppose you had a scenario that gave you an allotment of, say, eight hours or 96 turns? You could put a unit into combat, pull it back and let it rest for an hour, then reuse it again. This would also (one would imagine) affect a player's sensitivity towards casualties, since actual manpower losses cannot be replaced. Certainly an intriguing concept. Most likely the AI isn't designed to cope with this, but as a PBEM scenario it might be very interesting.