I have created a mod to slow the pace of operations in the big BOA campaigns.
The mod adjusts OFFFire/DEFfire and TQ for units by terrain and ground conditions. The mod slows the pace of operations by increasing the value of defense.
There are four major changes.
First is a fairly major modification in the OFFFire/DEFFire of terrain modifiers.
The Mod makes Defensive fire stronger than offensive fire in all terrain-sometime substantially stronger. The range of best defensive terrain, from weakest to strongest, is now clear, woods, forest, cities, wilderness/mountains, swamps, forts. As usual, major and minor rivers have a significant impact when an attacker crosses a river.
Second, I have increased the impact of ground conditions on both offense and defense. It is best to launch an attack in clear or frozen weather. It is substantially more difficult to launch an effective attack in mud or snow conditions. Blizzards negatively impact both offense and defense. Both OFFFire/DEFFire and TQ's were adjusted to reflect the impact of ground conditions when attacking or defending.
Third, militia now consistently defends better than it attacks. There is a gradual merger of offensive/defensive abilities between light infantry militia and regulars as terrain becomes more and more rough. Using militia to face regulars offensively or defensively in clear terrain is still suicide. However as terrain approaches wilderness, mountains, forests conditions, etc, the militia can perform very well offensively or defensively against regulars.
Fourth, forts are substantially stronger than in the past. You can assault and take an undermanned fort without too much trouble or if you have overwhelming odds. However if the fort has a substantial garrison, expect very heavy casualties. It is usually best to seige a fort. Also militia performs very well in forts or cities.
A quick comment on cities. Cities are still good defensive terrain but sometimes the terrain outside of the city can provide a better defensive option. An ideal defensive situation would have very rough terrain in conjunction with rivers.
I am happy with the results playing against the AI. I am also doing additional PBEM testing at this time but it is ready for people to try on their own. I still expect to do some additional tweaking but the mod is basically done unless some new ideas develop.
This mod produces a slower paced game operationally as the defense is more powerful than previously. Terrain and ground conditions need to be considered carefully before launching attacks and strategic offensives. Whether defending or attacking, always look for the right terrain and proper weather conditions for the troops in your armies. And finally, those British blitzs of 1775-1776 are much more difficult to perform when not in open terrain and clear weather. A good American player can make taking Albany a real challenge now.
To install and use the mod:
1. Find your terrain folder within the Gamedata folder of your BOA Folder.
2. Use copy/paste to make a copy of your original terrain folder.
3. Upload the zip file at the bottom of this post.
4. Unzip the file into your original terrain folder
5. Choose overwrite all files. (This mod will overwrite your clear, woods, forest, cities, mountains, wilderness, swamps and fort files.)
6. Restart BOA to ensure your games are using the proper data.
If you wish to play some games using the original terrain modifiers and some with the mod, you will need to have two terrain folders. The folder currently being used in a game needs to be named "terrains". The one not being used, I rename as either terrainsOriginal or terrainsMod dependent on which set of terrain data is contained. Then I simply rename the folders when I need to switch between game.
Any feedback is appreciated. Any solid suggestions on further changes, I will incorporate into this mod.
Enjoy!
PS: Latest terrain mod can be downloaded here. (TerrainMod13July2007)