Spanish Ulcer Campaign

[jastaV]

Spanish Ulcer Campaign.

I have played 2/3 of this very long Campaign, played as French side.
I have collected down here some notes/observations.

1. I experienced some NPC program crashes: indeed the program back up system is working fine so I was, at worst, able to resume from last backup copy.
In most instances it was sufficient to repeat the AI turn phase to bypass any crash trouble.

2. I have been able to get in control af all major cities and VP locations: Gibiltar included.
None the less I'm far from triggering a "National Morale Automatic Victory".
May be this aspect should be revisited!

3. Year after year campaign losses are reducing the number of available units, beeing most units wiped out after loosing all strengh points!
May be new units should be added to the OOB yearly: it could be usefull to have some "eliminated units , (brigades/regiments), carried bacK to game per year.
It was common practice to reform disbanded units by new troops collected around brigades/regiments quadres.

4. Yearly, the AI Coalition player commits new troops to one or more offensive.

4a. Occasionally, AI Coalition player large forces are used to advance deep in enemy controlled areas, without supply bases supporting them: it results in heavy attrition lossed decimating Coalition Armies.
May be AI smartness should be improved: with AI going after a good supply network before trying "suicide" advance in enemy controlled territories.

4b. Often, AI Coalition player forces are widely separated in small forces, leading to few chances of large battles that instead occurred during the Peninsular War.

5. Stalemate is the common achivements of the Campaign.
French player cannot achieve the "National Morale Automatic Victory" condition even when controlling all key locations: see point 2.
On the other side we have very few chances of large engagements, only event producing large National Morale gains/losses.

6. The Political aspects are not represented.
Guess they could be added as a away to modulate Spanish Guerillas.

7. French Marshalls' competition and boycott was of paramount importance to determine Peninsular War outcome.
Often French Marshalls refused to support each other and to coordinate they efforts.
In the game, Corps can be easely transferred between the two French Armies: in the real camapign that was not possible due to Marshalls' competitions.
Indeed, during the Peninsular War French Forces were organized into several Regional Armies under control of different Marshalls.


The Spanish Ulcer Campaign is a really frustrating struggle: you can manage to survive, while victory is out of range!
Overally, it's a great and accurate simulation: the French side player experiences will all frustrations, French Marshalls met.
As a game, player could gain enjoyement by the improvement of sudden death/Victory conditions.....may be related to the controll of all map key locations.

In perspective, looking to the Great Campaign Game, Spanish Ulcer Campaign works perfectely for what Spain resulted in the overall Napoleonic struggle for Europe.


JastaV

[jastaV]

I completed Peninsular War, (Spanish Ulcer), Campaign game.

The last 1/3, (2 years long) part of the campaign was quite boring and event-less: only noteworth event was a game crash I reported by e-mail.

I sheltered player forces, French side, within towns and cities: Coalition regular and irregualar forces were spreaded in most reagions but were to weak and unsupplied, so they were not a menace for the French forces.
Usually Coalition forces were soon disbanded by attrition losses.

At the end I tallied 18458 VPs against 3 enemy VPs.
French side NM was 147.

Guess, something should be revisited to give more interest to this scenery, or to trigger opportune sudden end, by victory conditions!

JastaV

[Carnium]

Excellent suggestions. Please also check this thread : http://www.ageod-forum.com/showthread.php?t=8185

[jastaV]

Excellent suggestions. Please also check this thread : http://www.ageod-forum.com/showthread.php?t=8185

Thanks for link suggestion: I'm gooing glancing at it.

In past weekend I begun a new "Peninsular War" scenery game: may be more observation will come!

JastaV

[jastaV]

In a new Peninsular War game, (Player: French side) having played 86 game-turns, (210 remaining) I tallied 210 National Moral Points: Player needs 250 NM points to win.
Sudden Death Scenatio Victory is set to 250 NM Pt.
While player NM Pts are dropping down on scenario condition base any turn, I have very few chance to increase VP booty: I already control all Victory Point Locations, but Gibraltar.
AI Coalition Side armies are few, short in troops and are avoding been envolved in large battles: my only chance to increase VPs.

With Game Turn 106 I gained control of Gibraltar, at that time I have collected 210 National Moral Points.
Although I control al VP locations I'm far away from triggering Automatic Victory Condition: 250 NM points.
In later turns player side NM Pts start dropping by scenario condition......... although enemy is unable to organize a real opposition I'm not able to win the Campaign

One more time, my suggestion is to re-work scenery/campaign victory conditions!

JastaV

[Pocus]

We will do that yes by lowering the requirements. Thanks for the input.

[PhilThib]

Also I need to change a few stuff in the events to add more British reinforcements arrival sites (in case Portugal falls)

[jastaV]

Today I e-mailed support@Ageod.com a collection of files relative to a Peninsular WAR Campaign game crash.
I also reported a mistake in the historical event report.

With that I put apart Peninsular WAR Campaign to go after Birth of America: it'll be my first session with BoA......I'm curious to see AI working over a large and long campaign with BoA in comparison to what I experienced with Peninsular WAR NCP.

JastaV

[FM WarB]

Also I need to change a few stuff in the events to add more British reinforcements arrival sites (in case Portugal falls)

If the loss of Portugal entails the loss of the British army, would the Brits have found another army to send to Spain? The Walcheren Isle expedition in 1809 was part of the bribe to the Austrians.
If the Brits lose an army any time in the peninsula I'd guess that it would be quite improbable that another would be forthcoming. I have noticed that in games, Gibraltar has often been taken by the French; maybe "the Rock" needs to be harder to take. (Cadiz, as well.)

[PhilThib]

Do you play with the improved defense of the Rock I have made in the latest scenario correction (doubled brigades and batteries there) ?

I am planning an even more drastic improvement, but I need to check if the engine allows it...

[FM WarB]

I am not playing, yet; doubling RAM to 1024 today. 1809 is an interesting year. Seems there could be a combined Austria/Spain scenario, with Austria attacking sometime in the spring. Start perhaps in late 1808 with Nappy intervention in Spain. Variable Austrian entry time and strategy, army composition up to player.

[PhilThib]

Yes, this would be a very interesting scenario indeed...to do, we would need:

- French OOBs in Germany, Italy and France in Nov 1808
- French and Spanish positions in Spain in Nov 1808...

and then you've got the 1808-1809 campaign !!

Who wants to give us the data ?

[Nikel]

Is useful this map for the French and Spanish positions in Spain in Nov 1808?, from Osprey Coruña campaign 1809

http://books.google.es/books?id=2JrOGOg7IrYC&pg=PA6&dq=osprey+napoleon+1808+somosierra&lr=&as_brr=3&sig=zONoMy3Xq03qmMy3KLZSj7vY-1c

[PhilThib]

Rigth, very useful roughly, but far from enough...we need detailed OOBs...regiments, divisions, corps...which ones, where....and same for generals

[Nikel]

Yes I understand

A lot of orders of battle are here, but of course they are not free

http://home.fuse.net/nafziger/NAP.HTM


But you already have the army with which Napoleon entered Spain.

And the starting point on the austrian campaign in 1809 in Italy, Germany and Dalmatia too.

So, you can remove from these orders of battle what Napoleon took from Spain, and so you have everything for late 1808?


Not related, but in my search found this site. You can download for free a map of Europe of the French revolution and Napoleonic eras, the maps changes with the years and there are too some text explanation year by year

http://www.clockwk.com/centennia.html

[FM WarB]

I have Oman, volume 1 to hand with his oobs for Nov 1808. I have Nafziger oobs for the French Army of the Rhine Jan 1, 1809 (with subsequent reinforcements) and Austro-Hungarians. Many others for Danube and Army of Italy.
I don't have specific garrison (home depot) locations for all Austrian units, so help there would be needed.

[PhilThib]

All this is good....now the trick is to build the scenario...one way to start is to take the Spanish campaign XLS file, change the start positions to those of November (if you consider you have all the May 1808 setup plus all reinforcements, should be not too hard ... just time consuming )... once this is done, we can merge this with an alterred 1809 setup and we have a working base....

Any takers ?

[jastaV]

Have not tried Peninsular War Scenery, recentely: so I had not chance to evaluate patch 1.04 effects over it.

.....Going after AACW Greatcampaign!

I plan to dedicate myself to Peninsular War Scenery gaming as soon as I'll return to NCP, ...,, although the explosion of summer does not help sitting in front of a PC!

[PhilThib]

I have worked out a few extra changes once more in the scenario (and in the whole game in general). We plan to have the fixes provided to everybody next week in a quick fix patch

- Improved Gibraltar defense: fortress is now level 4, with strong depot, reinforced garrison and a commander very able in fort defense...
- Cadiz improved to level 3 fortress

- Newly added Allied merchant shipping in some scenarios to provide sea supply capacity (very useful for the Brits in 1804, Anglo-Spanish in 1808-1814, but also the Russians or Swedes in respective 1812 and 1808 scenarios)

- Last but not least, included the complete leadership revision by Arnaud Bouis of all leaders abilities and values (pro-allies balancing fix)

- If possible, codewise, a balancing piece of code to better handle assault procedures during combat between units of various sizes (tbc)

[Nikel]

Thanks for continue working on NCP!

1.04a then

[arsan]

I have worked out a few extra changes once more in the scenario (and in the whole game in general). We plan to have the fixes provided to everybody next week in a quick fix patch

- Improved Gibraltar defense: fortress is now level 4, with strong depot, reinforced garrison and a commander very able in fort defense...
- Cadiz improved to level 3 fortress

- Newly added Allied merchant shipping in some scenarios to provide sea supply capacity (very useful for the Brits in 1804, Anglo-Spanish in 1808-1814, but also the Russians or Swedes in respective 1812 and 1808 scenarios)

- Last but not least, included the complete leadership revision by Arnaud Bouis of all leaders abilities and values (pro-allies balancing fix)

- If possible, codewise, a balancing piece of code to better handle assault procedures during combat between units of various sizes (tbc)

Sounds great!! Thanks!!