McClellan Event Never Fires

[jscott991]

I'm trying to come back to this game since Grand Tactician doesn't seem anywhere near playable and I'm having some trouble getting starting. Specifically, the McClellan event in the July 1861 never happens.

I've played through November 1861 in three games now and it has never occurred. I checked the files and it looks like it is supposed to happen on October 1, 1861.

I did start one game where I did nothing except hit end turn until late October and the event finally happened in that game, but any game where I have actually tried to play, McClellan and the Army of the Potomac never come into play.

What could be causing this? McDowell sometimes will take Manassas without a fight, but he is always beaten whenever a Confederate army does show up. I don't know if that has anything to do with it.

Is there something I can change in the file to make sure the event ALWAYS fires?

Thanks.

[Blood and Thunder Brigade]

If the Union holds Manassas, McClellan isn't bumped up to command the Army of the Potomac. Maybe that's what it is?

[jscott991]

If the Union holds Manassas, McClellan isn't bumped up to command the Army of the Potomac. Maybe that's what it is?

That must be it.

Even when McDowell loses the battle, for some reason he always ends up holding Manassas for one turn.

Is it if the Union holds Manassas at any point or in October? I've definitely had the Union hold Manassas for early August, lose it in late August or early September, and McClellan still not get bumped up.

If I delete that line in the event file will it fire no matter what in October?

[Blood and Thunder Brigade]

I'm pretty sure that if any Union forces take and hold Manassas even temporarily before October or November when the McClellan/Army of the Potomac event normally occurs then it won't take place at all, even if Confederate forces quickly reoccupy it. In fact the only times I've seen the McCLellan event not take place is if Manassas falls.

As for deleting the file entirely, I'm none too certain.

[jscott991]

This event is weird. I don't know a lot about modding, but it has some strange lines in it that don't match any of the other USA events above and below.

It has a specified dates under its conditions, plus a line about Manassas and then a bunch of other lines I don't understand.

But the thing that is most confusing is that there are two versions. One has a line that is something like AIPlayer=1 and the other has the line like Player=Null. I'm guessing one of these is for if the USA is a player and the other is if the USA is AI, but the phrasing makes it hard for me to know which is which.

I modified this event a few times and have been completely unable to get it to fire at all, even if I just sit McDowell in Alexandria. I'll have to keep working on it. This is really holding me up playing the game.

[Teatime]

Probably a couple of choices as it seems if you have > 25% control of Manassas before Oct 61 it won't fire

In USA Events.sct

It looks to trigger off this event, change the EvalControl to something a lot greater than 26% e.g. 100%

SelectFaction = USA
SelectRegion = $Fauquier_VA
StartEvent = evt_nam_USA_ArmyInManassas|1|0|NULL|NULL|$Fauquier_VA|NULL

Conditions
MaxDate = 1861/09/15

EvalRgnOwned = $Fauquier_VA
SelectRegion = $Fauquier_VA
EvalControl = >=;26

Actions

EndEvent

Or for a sure fire trigger .. remove the bolded line .. will give that a test but should work

SelectFaction = USA
SelectRegion = $Prince_George_MD
StartEvent = evt_nam_USA_McClellanCommander1861AI|1|2|evt_txt_USA_McClellanCommander1861AI|Event-img_USA_McClellanCommander1861|$Prince_George_MD|51

Conditions

CheckAILevel = 1
FixedDate = 1861/10/01
EvalEvent = evt_nam_USA_ArmyInManassas;=;0
SelUnqSubUnit = George B. McClellan
EvalSubUnitSel = NULL
SelUnqSubUnit = Irvin McDowell
EvalSubUnitSel = NULL
SelUnqSubUnit = NE VA HQ
EvalSubUnitSel = NULL

Actions
DescEvent = evt_desc_USA_McClellanCommander1861AI
SelUnqSubUnit = George B. McClellan
RemoveCuSubUnit = NULL
SelUnqSubUnit = Irvin McDowell
RemoveCuSubUnit = NULL
SelUnqSubUnit = NE VA HQ
RemoveCuSubUnit = NULL
CreateUnit
SetType = $uni_USA_McDowell3
SetName = Irvin McDowell
Apply

SelectFaction = USA
CreateGroup
Posture = $Defensive
SetKind = $Land
Entranch = 0
InCS = 0
FixType = 0
SetName = Army of the Potomac
Apply
CreateUnit
GMEParam = George B. McClellan
SetCommit = 1
SetType = $uni_USA_McClellan3
SUFlavorName = Army of the Potomac
SetName = George B. McClellan
Apply

EndEvent

[Teatime]

Probably a couple of choices as it seems if you have > 25% control of Manassas before Oct 61 it won't fire

In USA Events.sct

It looks to trigger off this event, change the EvalControl to something a lot greater than 26% e.g. 100%

SelectFaction = USA
SelectRegion = $Fauquier_VA
StartEvent = evt_nam_USA_ArmyInManassas|1|0|NULL|NULL|$Fauquier_VA|NULL

stuff

EndEvent

Forget all that .. that is the AI version of the event anyway.. but I cannot get the player version of the event to trigger either even taking all the conditions off .. something odd going on in there .. shall look into it further

[jscott991]

I can't get it to trigger either.

There is an October 16 McClellan event that triggers every time, but it doesn't do anything. It doesn't even have anything listed in it for it to do.

I also discovered even if you get the event to fire by totally changing the conditions, it doesn't add the Army of the Potomac or place McClellan in command.

I gave up and just modded the July 1861 scenario file to already have McClellan in place. That took a lot of work, but it was more satisfying than messing with the event.

It definitely worked in CW1.

[Teatime]

Yeh, I am wondering if it is tied into the HQ Name being used as everything else looks OK

SelUnqSubUnit = NE VA HQ
EvalSubUnitSel = NULL

&

SelUnqSubUnit = NE VA HQ
RemoveCuSubUnit = NULL

When the McDowell stack is created (in the 1861 April Campaign) it uses

CreateGroup
Posture = $Defensive
SetKind = $Land
Entranch = 0
InCS = 0
FixType = 3
SetName = Northeastern Virginia Army
Apply
CreateUnit
GMEParam = Northeastern Virginia Army
SetCommit = 1
SetType = $uni_USA_McDowell3
SUFlavorName = Irvin McDowell
SetName = Northeastern Virginia Army
Apply
CreateUnit
SetType = $uni_USA_Art2
FlavorName = HQ Artillery
SUFlavorName = Union Art.
SetName = Union Art. Reserve
Apply
CreateUnit
SetType = $uni_USA_Art2NY
FlavorName = Capt. Brockwood
SUFlavorName = 8th NY Mil A Bty
SetName = Res. Artillery
Apply
CreateUnit
SetType = $uni_USA_Sup4
SUFlavorName = 1st Co.|2nd Co.|3rd Co.|4th Co.
SetName = NVA Army Supply
Apply

Going to try that out

The only other thing I would have suggested is 2 events like the Beaureguard to Richmond events which deletes and recreates but placing him there at the start works

[grimjaw]

I haven't gone in to test this, but Teatime probably has the right answer. I can't find the text "NE VA HQ" in any of the code that creates a unit or group, so that condition should always fail as written. A condition for the army should exist, but it should match what you're looking for.

CW1 created the army with the title "NE VA HQ" (I just checked the code). They reused most of the code for CW2; in this case they updated one event file ("Northeastern Virginia Army") and didn't check the other. This is another example of how little debugging or playtesting was probably done on the changes made to CW2.

jm

[jscott991]

I might try to change that text and see what happens.

The truth is that even with McClellan commanding my Army of the Potomac, I can't get into this game. There's just something about it (and other AGEOD games, particularly Pride of Nations) that never clicks with me.

[deguerra]

This is a good catch - I don't think I've ever gotten McClellan to be promoted per the event and this would certainly explain it.

@jscott991 - I will certainly agree that I preferred the feel of ACW (the first Ageod Civil War game) over that of CW2, even if there are many improvements that make CW2 the better game. As to Ageod's games overall - they can be rough around the edges but for the uniqueness of what they create (not to mention having been made by essentially just 2 people) I do love them dearly.

-deguerra

[Teatime]

I have managed to get this event working with the below, adjust time conditions and probability as you like (or per original)

But this will remove McDowell, create McClellan in charge of an Army in Alexandria.. just not in McDowell's stack

//** McClellan to Virginia

SelectFaction = USA
SelectRegion = $Prince_George_MD
StartEvent = evt_nam_USA_McClellanCommander1861|1|2|evt_txt_USA_McClellanCommander1861|Event-img_USA_McClellanCommander1861|$Prince_George_MD|5

Conditions
FixedDate = 1861/07/21
SelUnqSubUnit = George B. McClellan

Actions
DescEvent = evt_desc_USA_McClellanCommander1861
SelUnqSubUnit = George B. McClellan
RemoveCuSubUnit = George B. McClellan
SelUnqSubUnit = Irvin McDowell
RemoveCuSubUnit = Irvin McDowell

SelectFaction = USA
SelectRegion = $Fairfax_VA
CreateGroup
Posture = $Defensive
SetKind = $Land
Entranch = 0
InCS = 0
FixType = 0
SetName = Army of the Potomac
Apply
CreateUnit
GMEParam = Army of the Potomac
SetCommit = 1
SetType = $uni_USA_McClellan3
SetName = Army of the Potomac
Apply

EndEvent