Thanks for the game

Hi

Just wanted to say I enjoyed the Vimeiro battle last night - thanks for letting me join you. I'm definitely up for more - I felt totally immersed in the confusion of battle... especially as I marched my brigade back and forth as a series of completely opposite orders came winging in. Finally found myself slightly unexpectedly right in the centre of the action on the knoll (if you were there I think you know which one!) with a large enemy column aimed right at me, and lost half of my brigade in about 40 seconds of tough fighting.. great fun.

I have a couple of questions. Firstly, the lag I was suffering from got rather intense - there was one point when the framerate was right down to about 2 a second. Is there anything which I can do to improve that? I've got a modern GPX card - Radeon 980 - it should be able to cope! My orders weren't registering 100% of the time, it felt, and I lost contact with my skirmishers and never found them again as they wondered off in skirmish mode, and I just couldn't seem to give them any orders. Eventually I think some cavalry got to them.

I also had some trouble getting my combined light infantry company out of skirmish mode - I kept giving the orders, watching the courier deliver them, but they wouldn't shift.

Is this just usual? Or is there anything I can do to help the lag?

Thanks
Tom

Glad you enjoyed the game, Tom. It is not easy to command a brigade from ground level with non-instantaneous communications. It's also frustrating to realize that the battalion commander may not agree with your decisions when he is up to his neck in enemies when your orders arrive. His first priority will be to fight his troops so they have a chance of survival based on what he sees around him, so it's quite possible he'll ignore your orders. That's what I find to be the game's greatest feature. I can direct my troops as best as I can, but it is really up to my AI subordinates to get the job done. So don't worry about not having absolute control during the battle, none of us do.

The skirmish battalion is designed to always fight that way. It is a game engine limitation. They will fight the entire battle in skirmish mode.

We all suffered the same lag in the game. It is based on the player with the slowest computer or internet connection.

Hope to see you back next weekend. I believe General Borozdin will again take the field.

You can also TC your brigade commander and even TC individual regiments. When you do this, they will only do exactly what you tell them to do, nothing more. Of course, if someone starts wailing fire into their flank, if they are TC'ed they won't turn, so it's risky. But at least you have greater control. I was there on that bloody knoll yesterday and as I only had 4 infantry regiments and a battery to command, I TC'ed all four regiments and directly controlled their every movement. With a small force like this, it allowed me to keep them very controlled and effectively fighting. With a larger force or multiple brigades, then having the AI do some of the fighting is inevitable.

Just remember, everyone is up against the same limitations and as you get more experience, you'll find the right balance that works for you best and your style of play.

Glad you enjoyed the game!

The Knoll. The Bloody Knoll. It will go down in infamy with a name greater than Monte Cassino, or the Heights of Abraham. Maj-Gen Acland's fine division was destroyed on the sun-swept grassy slopes of the Knoll. What a waste of so many brave young digital lives. Their pixels will live on in our memories.

"Never was so much blood shed by so many for one with such a big nose."

You did a fine job, Tom. And you can blame Ron for all the conflicting orders.

Move up, pull back, attack, go in reserve, move back up

Yes, I did change my mind a few times. The first attack was meant as a spoiler to generally disrupt whatever evilness the French had in mind and cause them to reconsider based on an unexpected bold move. The order to withdraw was issued because of Digby's ominous reports of snail-eater shenanigans on our left. The last advance order given to Ferguson's Division was an attempt to sweep the front in front of Pepe so he could better meet the "this is for real" enemy attack on our right. The French did a good job disguising their ultimate design and, of course,. there was the usual KS HITS fog of war that comes as standard equipment in every battle.

In fact, for a moment, the confusion was so great, I thought I was General M.T. Georgia, Digby was Soldier, and it was well past time to order the obligatory suicide charge up the hill into canister.

Tom, glad you enjoyed this foray into the world of confusion, changed fortunes and twisted personalities that is KS HITS.

It didn't all go the Frog's way. I saw the magnificent spectacle of the 2nd Btn 43rd Foot in square on Josh's far right flank seeing off dragoon charge after dragoon charge. The way Grog threw cavalry at the only square for miles around you'd assume he thought they were behind breastworks.

"Butcher" Mike lives up to his name.

Palmer wrote: whatever evilness the French had in mind

Sacré bleu! All we wish to do is drink our wine, eat our soft cheeses and live in peace.

...in other people's countries, yes.

Digby wrote:...in other people's countries, yes.

But of course. We are obligated to spread our culture and enlightenment wherever we go.

Tbh, I had no idea what was going on other than in the little dried Creek Valley! Is there a way of watching a full replay? I saved the battle.

My favourite moment was watching the highlanders to my left repeatedly walk up the hill, pipes a squealing.

Load your saved game, end it and press the 'Save Replay' button on the Harper's Weekly screen.

Go to this thread and download the Replay Viewer we use: Replay Viewer Tread
Instructions for using it are in the zip file.

I'll take a look thanks - I must say, I'm really looking forward to playing again, I think I'll be much more prepared for it ! I'm busy Friday/Saturday evening this weekend, but will there be anyone around on Sunday again?

Tom

I know Martin James is hosting an introductory red vs blue game at 19:30 on Sunday. It is a co-op game, (humans vs AI), to introduce new players to the HITS style of play. I'm sure you'd be welcome.

Glad you enjoyed and welcome on board Tom.

Tom wrote: I lost contact with my skirmishers and never found them again as they wondered off in skirmish mode

They got mixed with Lane's brigade that had 2 units with the same uniform, the last time I saw them they were on the base of the Knoll getting a crossfire between Kevin's men and the grenadiers. I am surprised they stood there holding for a good while.

Pepe.

The rifle-armed British skirmisher units can be really effective. The Baker rifle in the game IIRC has a range approaching 200 yards. There are several 'grades' of the Baker rifle in rifles.csv of the KSNap mod and the weapon was used by the British 95th and 5th Btn/60th Foot regts, by the KGL Light btns, by the flanker companies of the KGL line btns and by the Tiradore (sharpshooter) companies of the Portuguese cacadore battalions.

I gave the Tiradores a range of 140 yds, the KGL 170 yds and the 5/60th and 95th a range of 200 yds. You can stand off with these guys and do a good bit of hurt. The main issue is the Baker-armed units were very often only a single or a couple of companies strong so their firepower is more an annoyance than something to win battles with. When the KGL light battalions see action we might see some more devastating firepower.

When Josh's right flank units fell back during the French attack I saw a couple of French btns down near the stream. Josh's rifles company was shooting them up from a position half way up the main ridge and when my division arrived I placed Acland's brigades rifles company alongside them. Some French cannon were targeting my skirmishers but they were well out of French musket range and happily racking up a steady score before I had to rush off and attend my appointment with doom on the Bloody Knoll.

Hint to the French: if its wearing dark green its very dangerous so take it out asap!

I was happily surprised about their long range.

Slightly off topic, but maybe you guys can help.

I've been getting a 'package cannot be found' error in SP when trying to test. I can click ok, and then the game loads but my courier messages do nothing - I can give direct orders though.

It doesn't seem to affect MP.

Has anyone else had this?

Tom

That is a map error message. What map were you trying to use? Were you trying to set up a nappy battle?

It was a Nap battle, yes, I can't remember the specifics of the map, but it wasn't stock.

Tom

All the maps that are compatible with the nap mod begin with a country's name. Use one of those and you should be fine.

Ok, that's stopped the error on map start, but my units are still ignoring my courier messages - they respond to the ui messages, but not courier ones..

Have you got your options set to "courier orders at brigade level"?

Yup

Tom

The problem seems to be with the mods - it works fine without them.

Tom