What good and bad things you can find in SOWG, which can be useful in Napoloenic Wars mod.

[Nowy]

Here you can tell what good and bad things you can find in SOWG, which could be useful or useless, or could be improved in Napoleonic Wars mod.

I put some remarks about that matter in another topic - Napoleonic Wars mod, but after unconventional dispute I decided start new topic as Davinci suggested me.

I am not familiar with SoWG game and as newbie need some information from more experienced persons.
It also could be useful for new members which are interested in that period.

Think that there are competent people which can point some pro “+” and contra “-“ according SoWG.

Newbie also are wellcomed. Their remarks can give some information, what peopel need and want to improve in this game.

[Davinci]

Here you can tell what good and bad things you can find in SOWG, which could be useful or useless, or could be improved in Napoleonic Wars mod.

Basically, as others have already mentioned \ stated the demo is basically the game that has not been activated.

You , need to play the demo applying your knowledge about the different tactics from the different wars and compare what you feel will work, and will not work!

Why is it that you feel others may have a more valued opinion than your own opinion doesn’t make much sense to me?

I put some remarks about that matter in another topic - Napoleonic Wars mod, but after unconventional dispute I decided start new topic.

I think that the dispute resulted from you criticizing the game, and a mod , but let us put that behind us.

I am not familiar with SoWG game and as newbie need some information from more experienced persons.

Therefore, you need to concentrate on the demo, practice moving the units around, apply the same principles that you would use in the Napoleon War, and write-down the good and the bad points that you encounter.

Then you list all of the points that you feel need changing or modding. I would guess that most of the problems \ situations that you have could probably be modded to fit into your style of playing.

Think that there are competent people which can point some pro “+” and contra “-“according SoWG.

Yes, You !

Newbie also are welcomed. Their remarks can give some information, what people need and want to improve in this game.

This game is designed for the Civil War , but can be modded to represent other periods.

How, intelligent would it have been for the designers to claim that this is a Civil War game, but the engine is only designed around the Napoleon WAR.

You keep repeating that as if the game should be changed to fit around you!

davinci

[born2see]

Thanks Nowy for starting a new topic.

I think D has a point about playing the game with the NW in mind. However since you're not a moddder and aren't familiar with what can or can't be changed, I hope those with knowledge of modding, the game, and the NW period would contribute here.

B

[Davinci]

Thanks Nowy for starting a new topic.

I think D has a point about playing the game with the NW in mind. However since you're not a moddder and aren't familiar with what can or can't be changed.
B

Hey, born – he doesn’t really have to be a modder, he just has to participate and document what conflicts he feels need changing, instead of sitting back and doing nothing!

Basically, he is the one with the knowledge about the Napoleon War, such as the tactics, formations, cavalry, artillery, and etc.

So, only he can determine what it is that this game-engine can do, and can’t do pertaining to the different wars!

How can we give him intelligent answers to his questions unless he gives us a list of what exactly he has problems with?

Now if he wants the flagman to shout Viva La Emperor - well that can be modded!

davinci

[Jack ONeill]

DaV,

Excellent points. But, let us not forget - in order to know what one thinks is wrong with it, one must be fairly accomplished AT PLAYING THE GAME ITSELF. Haven't seen that yet.

Also, Nowy is not alone in his command of Napoleonic knowledge.

Jack "Semi-Illiterite" O'Neill :laugh:

[Jack ONeill]

All,

AS I see it -

The American Civil War was, depending on who you ask, either the last Napoleonic style war OR the first modern war. (Trains, telegraph, repeating rifles, etc.)

So -

The SOWGB engine can be used easily to represent the vast majority of Napoleonic combat. Similarities include, but are not limited to -
Troops still march on foot or ride on horseback.
Artillery is still horsedrawn.
Muzzle loading weapons are prevelent.
Generals still must ride around to find out why stuff is not happening according to their magnificient plans...(You get my point.)

Changes required -

Infantry ranges need to be drastically shortened. The average smoothbore musket had an EFFECTIVE range of roughly 50-75 yards. The term "whites of their eyes..." was real. Yes, some idiot will say the ball will carry 600-700 yards but at that range you can hit maybe a major city.
Most Major nations fought in three ranks. The British and their KGL Allies fought in two ranks, since the American Revolution, I might add.
Infantry Bayonet charges should result in the CHARGED side falling back BEFORE the assaulting side reaches them. The threat of the impact was greater then the actual damage. This is verifiable - look it up.
Bayonet charges were quite often stopped by concentrated firing from well-drilled, steady Infantry.
(I give you the British in Spain. Time and again stopped the French columns with close-range volleys and, if necessary, a bayonet charge of their own.)

Cavalry - 3 types. Heavy, Medium and Light. Heavy Cav were big men on big horses. There job was to charge and crash thru the enemy ranks and (hopefully) sweep them away. Medium, (Dragoons mostly), had a dual role - Fight on horseback and sometimes dismount and fight on foot. (Note - American Cavalry has always been aspecies of Dragoon, no matter what they are called.) Light Cavalry - Scouts that can shoot and if necessary, skirmish.
So, Medium and light Cav shoot, Heavies don't. Yes, there are exceptions always, but these are the main topics.

Artillery - ranges possibly shortened, but maybe not by much. 3 basic gun sizes in the field - light, medium and heavy. Light - 3-4 pounders, Medium - 6-8 pounders, Heavy - 12 pounders. Two distinct types -Foot guns and Horse guns. For gaming purposes leave them alone. Have designated Foot Batteries just move slower to simulate the gunners walking beside their pieces, as opposed to the Horse Batteries where everybody rode. I'd bag the light guns as they were replaced as soon as anyone could with 6 pounders anyway.
Battery sizes - French, British, German, etc. - 6-8 Guns per. Generally 2 of these guns were howitzers.
Russian batteries - 12 guns each. Gotta love the Russians. They just love their artillery. (Still do.)

Organization - fairly easy. A Battalion is a Battalion, where-ever you find it. The difference between American Regiments (Volunteers) was we used the British style - a Regiment consisted of 1 battalion of 10 companies. The European Armies used several battalions of varying sizes to create their regiments. Don't get me started on Guards and Grenedier Regiments. I'll be here all day.

That is the super easy version so we can get started marching brightly colored units around and turning them into messy, bloody corpses.

Jack "big into research..." O'Neill B)

[Jack ONeill]

Note - for those who don't know, KGL = King's German Legion. VERY GOOD German (Hanovarian) Infantry brought over to the British Army since the King of England was also the Elector (Prince) of Hanover. Good guys to have around in a fight.

Also, I forgot to mention British Riflemen and skirmishers in general. The French used TONS of skirmishers to shieled their advancing columns. Skirmishers should be set up to stick around longer then their ACW counterparts. Riflemen used the Baker Rifle. An accurate, but slow to load weapon. I'd give them maybe 200 yards range MAX, and keep their numbers down in any give OOB. There were only two Regiments in the British Army, the 60th. (Royal Americans), and the 95th. Rifles of "Sharpes" fame. The Germans had their Jager (Hunter) Battalions, also, sometimes partially rifle armed.

So, there you go.

Jack O'Neill B)

P.S. - My family is from Hanover on my Moms side. Our relatives fought for King and Country in Spain, then on the losing side in the 1848 Revolt. Thats when they came to America. Fun times for all, eh?

[born2see]

Thanks for that, Jack. Interesting and informative.

This just occurred to me. Have you ever seen the TV series "Sharpe's Rifles" with Sean Bean? It's set in Spain during the Peninsular War. If you have I'd be interested if there was some historical accuracy to it. It's based on the books by Bernard Cornwell.

B

[X Navy Seal]

Why are you so into Napoleon Nowy, just out of curiosity? Are you from Europe? Are you terribly short and have a penchant for thrusting your hand inside your unbuttoned frock coat? I realize Napoleon was an emperor and all but you should really give the American civil war a chance. In terms of an intense combat experience, you will not be disappointed - I can promise you - and actually the combat is quite similar. The only thing that is really lacking is mass cavalry charges at infantry in square formation.

[Nowy]

Thanks all that you participate in this topic.
Now it looks that we can talk about merits here.

However firstly I give some short answers which little bit clear my point.

I think that the dispute resulted from you criticizing the game and a mod, but let us put that behind us.

Yes, but when we think positive than critizing isn't bad. It can help to understand what people like or don't like and what they see or want to see in the game or mod.

I think that point out bad and good things could be helpful for game or mod development too.
Even sad words about game could make things better, if we will think positive.

Profesional programmers know game problems better than common players and some modders, but sometime they lacked in something, what common players noticed.

I suppose that born2see and Jack get my point here.
I am not a modder and I am not familiar with SoWG and without that knowlege I don't want to star modding this game. However I know something about Napoloenic Wars and can imagine what I want to see and play in the game based on that period. But I don't know whether SoWG engine can handle well Napoloenic warfare.

Therefore I cast some short remarks about good and bad things, which I found. Maybe it was shadowy, but I was not intented to criticize SoWG. Only expressed what I noticed in this game.

I can see that Jack can understand problems and he is familaiar with ACW as well as NW.

Now it is my pleasure that here I can dispute the merits.