Waiting

[Jack John]

Ive been wanting to play and try the new DLC, but all the bug reports and discussion posts as of late are quite disheartening. What is the current situation with the updates? Playable? Absolutely lame?

[Capt||Elimskrad]

**Spoiler warning** I am having a blast in Summer 1861 career mode. Max AI difficulty. Yes there are bugs. This game started in early access. It is the community that makes it better. I just took command of my first corps!. I recommend going straight to career mode and start with regiment. Try and not get you character a righteous start with money and prestige. Work you way from regiment up the change of command. It it's exciting to spend prestige during 3D battle and take command of other units. Any units you can afford prestige for. Nothing like grabbing a 6LB'r and one other regiment and hitting a flank. I have turned battles the other way negating AI bugs and just pure illogical orders. Later with rank you can take over brigades and division same way. The deployment zones are mostly requests. Sometimes they makes sense sometimes they don't. I find myself being in the right spot and commander upgrading orders on my position and rack up instant prestige. Remember the devs depend on bug reports. Game save uploads. Screenshots and videos. The more we cooperate the faster patches get done. There is nothing more exciting in the DLC than when your on Day 3 and it's storming and a Patriot Companion inspires your men to fight. I rolled a Yankee left flank capturing guns and turned them on them. Unstoppable. Career mode is RPG if you bring that flavor. If your looking for the same as normal your missing the point of career mode. I actually am enjoying swearing at these incompetent Commanders ( Micromanagement and time compression and pause. AI is never HUMINT.) If you haven't read the DLC manual yet will explain the flavor of career mode. Pure work of art diamond in the rough. This is my review for career mode/summer 1861 and my perspective is not for supreme realism bug free. It is the vision I'm sure Engineer Corps had with that mode. Sure to be more features down the road. Now if you'll excuse me. I have some high ground to go seize. Or it'll be the devil to pay!!! Yeehaw!!!
DLC Manual link below
https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/2138830/manuals/Whiskey___Lemons_DLC_Manual.pdf?t=1691344081

[Killjoy]

Really i haven't had much issue or bugs. the only thing i have been annoyed with is the AI formation not setting proper firing lines or sometimes any at all instead alot of times there with be like 20 regiments or 10 to 15 brigades of infantry stacked on top of each other so only one unit is firing but all are decimated. So to get around this i don't rush to the engagement zone i stay in the back and watch to see what the AI Is going to do but stay close enough that i can react and turn things around or at very least make the loss not turn out so bad.

The issue that is annoying me there is not guide that iv seen detailing all the stuff in the dlc how to do certain things for example the biggest two things been bugging me first the action cards like how to i remove an action card to but a new one in of the same topic for example my cunning may be crap so i use the study tactics to raise cunning but then the government questions my loyalty so i need to have the one for oath of loyalty but i cant because tactics is there.

the second annoying is if im commanding i single brigade of infantry how do i get it to increase my unit from 500 crap infantry to 1000 or 2000 or 3000

[Mongoose McMoose]

Originally posted by Killjoy:

the second annoying is if im commanding i single brigade of infantry how do i get it to increase my unit from 500 crap infantry to 1000 or 2000 or 3000

Send your brigade home for a refit. Open your brigade in the army menu on click on the Tent icon. It will go home for 60 days and when it comes back it will be at or near full strength.

Some brigades are naturally smaller - if you find yourself with a small brigade, transfer to a new one.

[Kentuckybandit]

Buy it, its not as bad as some are saying. Perfect? No, but nothing else like it. Take what you will from it. If you are in the forums of niche Civil War PC game, I have to assume you are a grown man making grown man money, it won't hurt.

[Jack John]

Originally posted by Kentuckybandit:

Buy it, its not as bad as some are saying. Perfect? No, but nothing else like it. Take what you will from it. If you are in the forums of niche Civil War PC game, I have to assume you are a grown man making grown man money, it won't hurt.

Oh I already bought it lol, Im just waiting to see how the updates improve it so far

[Reactive]

Originally posted by Jack John:

Ive been wanting to play and try the new DLC, but all the bug reports and discussion posts as of late are quite disheartening. What is the current situation with the updates? Playable? Absolutely lame?
I love it.

If this is the style of game you usually enjoy I'd suggest watching some 'let's plays' (maybe VTH Gaming etc) and see if the issues are deal breakers for you. Personally while I've run into a few that were frustrating the ones that were the most irritating (like the one with the latest update) they had a hotfix for in like a day and a half.
As I understand it it's a small team working very hard on a labor of love with no sign of stopping anytime soon in polishing the game.

As for DLC specifically some of it's best parts are also some of its frustrations; but some of those can be overcome once you learn how everything works (such as spending prestige in battles to take control of additional units in your army-- you usually make more prestige back than you spend just through inflicting casualties etc.)

I will admit to some bias here as this is exactly the kind of game mode I've been wanting from a civil war game for as long as I can remember--- the ability to control a smaller scale unit-- influence the outcome of the war, but leave some of the management details to the game while I focus on just managing my men and getting them where they can be most effective despite the idiotic rantings of my superior officers.

I would call the DLC an amazingly promising work in progress that's I've already sunk more time into than I honestly want to think about just now. If that sounds like something you can get behind I'd say go for it. I'd say either way though to check out some streams or let's plays of the DLC though and decide for yourself. I'm biased and while some of the complaints are entirely valid there are also some people who would complain about winning the lottery.

[Ice]

Im in the same place as you. Really wanna get more in to the game, but the game seems to get a bit more broken each time i pick it up and give it another try. Also, i saw somewhere that this dlc was pretty much the ending of their support for this game. Not too keen on purchasing a dlc for a game that will forever be broken....anyone have any knowledge on their development plans?

[Stone]

Please don't take this as word from the devs. From following this game since the beginning it would seem they would like to update everything. With this engine they can't. Some mistakes are too deeply coded or is because of engine restriction. This DLC came from suggestions the players had made here and there that the devs compiled together. It's more kind of a test and a learning ground that I personally think they will use for the next one.

[00th_Eldr_BlindSniper007]

Originally posted by Stone:

Please don't take this as word from the devs. From following this game since the beginning it would seem they would like to update everything. With this engine they can't. Some mistakes are too deeply coded or is because of engine restriction. This DLC came from suggestions the players had made here and there that the devs compiled together. It's more kind of a test and a learning ground that I personally think they will use for the next one.

Not really an excuse when they charged for it. That doesn't make it a test.

[Traf]

If you like ACW you should try it. Many blamers just dont know game mechanics and whining about change this and change that. Many doesnt seem it as a historical game with much realism. Like "My division doing so good smashing here and there but over part of my army cant beat a smaller enemy force!". They cant understand that generals are peoples and all doing mistakes. In real you cant save&load if something goes wrong. Or "DO SOMETHING WITH ARTY ITS USELESS NOW!" To their surprise artillery is useless in wooden terrain. Especially smoothbores. Get Artillery reform, get Parrots, Ordnance, Whitworths, Krupps etc, place it into right place, use bombard positions in woods instead of fire at will and you will see the power of artillery.

[Stone]

Originally posted by 00th_Eldr_BlindSniper007:

Originally posted by Stone:

Please don't take this as word from the devs. From following this game since the beginning it would seem they would like to update everything. With this engine they can't. Some mistakes are too deeply coded or is because of engine restriction. This DLC came from suggestions the players had made here and there that the devs compiled together. It's more kind of a test and a learning ground that I personally think they will use for the next one.

Not really an excuse when they charged for it. That doesn't make it a test.

Guess that's the difference in perspective. Being around for awhile I knew what this was going to be as far as the mess, but I'm willing to give them my funds for this mess so they can continue to learn and grow. I wasn't expecting a perfect working situation and am quite glad that they have taken the time to include details that other companies would just shave off. Western Front which is considered to be a better polished game sits in my inventory with no real play hours because there just isn't enough meat there. This game with all its bugs is still getting hours from me. It cost money to eat and you must eat to develop. At least they programed something and presented to us to build back up some funds instead of running over to a fund raising sight and taking money with nothing to show.

[crono900]

Originally posted by Traf:

If you like ACW you should try it. Many blamers just dont know game mechanics and whining about change this and change that. Many doesnt seem it as a historical game with much realism. Like "My division doing so good smashing here and there but over part of my army cant beat a smaller enemy force!". They cant understand that generals are peoples and all doing mistakes. In real you cant save&load if something goes wrong. Or "DO SOMETHING WITH ARTY ITS USELESS NOW!" To their surprise artillery is useless in wooden terrain. Especially smoothbores. Get Artillery reform, get Parrots, Ordnance, Whitworths, Krupps etc, place it into right place, use bombard positions in woods instead of fire at will and you will see the power of artillery.

Procedure for attacking and defending in wooded areas...

'Woods, Attacking. — In attacking a wood, 12-pdr. guns should be used to destroy abattis, and counter-batter the enemy's artillery. The pieces should be covered, either by the undulations of the ground, or by parapets hastily formed of earth, fascines, or the bodies of trees. The enemy's artillery should, if possible, be battered obliquely or in flank.

Defending. — The position of a battery near a wood is not tenable, unless the wood is in our possession, and, within range, occupied by skirmishers. In defending it, the trees should be cut off at a distance of three feet from the ground, within a radius of at least 300 yards, and at most of 600. The position should be covered by abattis, and the pieces placed in barbette, enfilading the points of attack as completely as possible.'

~The artillerist's manual by Gibbon, 1860~

https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_8FEkwTZd9FMC/page/406/mode/1up

I had suggested several things, like clearing trees, and the devs said possibly in GT2?, later titles, DLCs, or even an engine overhaul to implement some of my suggestions. Here is hoping for the engine overhaul. (I also had suggested proper breastwok/parapet fortifications from the AI, like redans, lunettes, redoubts, and barbettes, all of which require a newer engine to implement)

Also, in game, if you have a rifled cannon on Counter-Battery, you can (so long as no battery is around) right-click a unit in the woods and fire a volley at them even if they don't show to be in range do to the trees. Do note, that you'll need to estimate about 50%-75% of maximum range that is lost do to firing in the woods. As for the fire range line, that seems to be the auto-fire zone, meaning that enemies that enter it, will be valid targets to attack automatically. (At least that has been my experience.)

[Seanmac456]

Originally posted by crono900:

Originally posted by Seanmac456:

then just play Ultimate general civil war. if you are looking for tight tactical fighting that follows the historical lines that's your game, that isn't what Grand tactician was ever trying to do

The Problem with UG:CW is that they punish you for doing well, by scaling The AI units like crazy. I've played it, so I've seen the scaling first hand. It does have it's good points like control of unit movements, but this game gives more creation freedom overall.

The scripting I'm suggesting wont take away the sandbox play. It would be to help process some of the aspects of the AI's ability to make strategic decisions that are true possibilities at given times. This is already present in the later campaign starting dates. as you have corps/armies already made for you to use as well as projects and policy already decided. This is what scripting is. The starting location for the Army of the Potomac at Manassas Junction is scripted to prepare them for the 1st Bull Run and prevent the Union from marching South unimpeded. There is the scripting that tells an AI armies to guard or attack cities. It's the same as in battle with objectives, they are there to give the AI something to fight for which relies on scripting.

Historically, armies would fight for locations and objectives, while trying not to whittle down the opponents armies as it wasn't about killing the other sides troops, but rather controlling the terrain. Grant changed that when he got placed in command, as he had realized, just controlling terrain would not end the war. The only way to truly win was to stop the Confederates from fielding their armies. Thus, he put a complete stop to the prisoner exchange and made stronger pushes South to Richmond even at the cost of many of his own troops. He was fighting the Confederates ability to fight rather than just aiming for key location.

I love the game and the devs for working on it so earnestly. I'm just giving suggestions that would benefit the games potential. There is a Historic and a Random setting for the perks at the start of the campaign. If you want complete random chaos sandbox, then choose Random. If you want the game to be more Historic Sandbox, then choose Historic. It's that easy.

I mean that's what the game tries to do but it's difficult to do without it literally becoming forumalic in how the AI responds to certain things. That's why there are all the towns and stuff like that. the problem is getting all the factors that influenced these operations from a technical military perspective, to say nothing of Intra-army politics and extra-army politics, is incredibly difficult. the AI would either need an incredible amount of specific programming to try to deal with most permutations of even a couple of events or it's going to respond incredibly robotically and once you figure out what it's doing increbily perdictably which is never what you want.

[jardail]

Originally posted by Jack John:

Ive been wanting to play and try the new DLC, but all the bug reports and discussion posts as of late are quite disheartening. What is the current situation with the updates? Playable? Absolutely lame?

I finally gave up. The devs are probably doing their best, I’ll give them that, but their lack of knowledge of period warfare and how a civil war army command structure works…. Leaves a lot to be desired.

[Colly]

There's some jankiness for sure. I'm running a gaming laptop and saw some frame rate drops with everything maxed out and this was problematic in big battles.

Personally I remedied this by just turning the graphics settings down a few notches (and frankly can't say I noticed any difference in graphical fidelity) but the jankiness and frame drops are now nowhere to be found even when I'm in big engagements.

It's a really fun game with the DLC.