American Civil War Game Club (ACWGC)

I'm starting this thread to see if we can generate a few practical things for consideration that might be added to the JTS/HPS ACW games that would improve play and offer a greater sense of realism. No matter that we've been told that the game engine is played out or that another newer engine and line might be in the future offing. I still believe that a number of things could be done to enhance the play and give these games additional life. (I think that they have plenty of life as it is, but one can always wish for more!) And if John Tiller be reading our suggestions himself, who knows what may eventually happen? So trot out those old complaints you may have, or the ideas that popped into your heads as you played a game, and try to remold them into a practical suggestion.

Here's one that I'd like to see!

THE ABILITY TO LAY DOWN AND TAKE UP PONTOONS, AND THE CORRESPONDING ABILITY TO DESTROY THEM.

Here's another!

THE ABILITY TO DESTROY OR REBUILD A CREEK HEXSIDE BRIDGE!

One more!

ESTABLISH FATIGUE ACCUMULATION FOR SUPPLY TRAINS.

Still one more!

THE ABILITY TO DETACH SQUADRONS FROM A CAVALRY REGIMENT AND THEN RECOMBINE AS NEEDED.

Note that I didn't belabor the issues with arguments. I just suggested them for consideration.

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General Jos. C. Meyer, ACWGC
Union Army Chief of Staff
Commander, Army of the Shenandoah
Commander, Army of the Tennessee
(2011-2014 UA CoA/GinC)

As long as one can wish:

1. Track artillery ammo by battery.
2. Have artillery ammo wagons.
3. Army, Corps, Division, and Brigade morale.
4. Leader activation system.
5. Extended line or dividing regiments so they can spread out to hold trench lines.
6. Fire and melee strength restrictions based on hex frontage.
7. And AI smarter than a demented cock roach.
8. Ammo tracking by regiment instead of random depletion.

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General Kennon Whitehead
Chatham Grays
AoT II/1/3 (CSA)

"High Hopes" by Pink Floyd

Beyond the horizon of the place we lived when we were young
In a world of magnets and miracles
Our thoughts strayed constantly and without boundary
The ringing of the division bell had begun

Along the Long Road and on down the Causeway
Do they still meet there by the Cut

There was a ragged band that followed in our footsteps
Running before time took our dreams away
Leaving the myriad small creatures trying to tie us to the ground
To a life consumed by slow decay

The grass was greener
The light was brighter
With friends surrounded
The nights of wonder

Looking beyond the embers of bridges glowing behind us
To a glimpse of how green it was on the other side
Steps taken forwards but sleepwalking back again
Dragged by the force of some inner tide

At a higher altitude with flag unfurled
We reached the dizzy heights of that dreamed of world

Encumbered forever by desire and ambition
There's a hunger still unsatisfied
Our weary eyes still stray to the horizon
Though down this road we've been so many times

The grass was greener
The light was brighter
The taste was sweeter
The nights of wonder
With friends surrounded
The dawn mist glowing
The water flowing
The endless river

Forever and ever

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General Ernie Sands
President ACWGC -Sept 2015- Dec 2020
7th Brigade, 1st Division, XVI Corps, AoT
ACWGC Records Site Admin

"If you do not know where you are going, any road will take you there."

"High Hopes" with the killer Gilmore slide guitar at the end... yes!

1. Increased exposure to leader being killed for being mounted.
2. Regiment soldier graphics proportional to actual number of men. (we could do this now but it would take a while to do.)

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Brigadier General Richard Simonitch
1st Brigade, 2nd Division
VI Corps, AoS

Kennon, did you mean in your # 5 suggestion (extended lines) that infantry regiments be able to fragment into battalions?

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General Jos. C. Meyer, ACWGC
Union Army Chief of Staff
Commander, Army of the Shenandoah
Commander, Army of the Tennessee
(2011-2014 UA CoA/GinC)

Yes, one of the problems in the Overland Campaign is that the Rebels can't hold a long entrenched line because they simply can't spread out like they did in reality. The current typical regiment of about 400 average strength is already to large for a 120 yard hex frontage. When entrenched they would spread out almost to open order covering the equivalent of 2 to 3 hexes.

Ideal is ability to break up into at least battalions but have significant penalties if they don't stay adjacent to each other.

And, to add some more wishes to the list:

a. Improved FOW. No more perfect eyesight at 70 hexes.
b. More sophisticated skirmish system.

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General Kennon Whitehead
Chatham Grays
AoT II/1/3 (CSA)

I recall the computerized command post exercises in the army, where the icons for your units would shrink as they took losses.
I can understand where Ernie is coming from, unfortunately.
John Ferry
LTC 2/20th AC

Beyond casualties, morale recovery, etc., extending randomness also to movement, leader & unit activation, whether or not a unit fires, friendly fire, etc.

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Civil War Battles Lead Programmer, https://wargameds.com
Panzer Battles & Panzer Campaigns Lead Programmer, https://wargameds.com
Campaign Series Lead Programmer, https://cslegion.com

Oh, what the hell, I'll contribute to the Wish List.

There is a definite problem with fatigue calculation in Turn-based play, and it is more than cosmetic. I have seen artillery casualties accrue 7 or 8 times the actual number of hits, when the documentation states "up to 3 times". When one sees discrepancies such as this, it raises the question: "What else is hiding therein?"

How about actually documenting how the Opportunity Fire system works? This requires no program changes at all. I will also be glad to help the person in charge of making these changes by identifying other areas where the documentation and the game engine are not on the same page.

I suggested coding changes which could be made to the game engine to make Turn-based play, well, actually playable. Doubt they will ever be implemented, but they are outlined in a document at the ACWGC Engineering site under "AI Opportunity Fire".

I am sure that I could come up with more, but if these could be fixed it would certainly be a start.

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MG Robert Frost

Advantage to the defender -- who actually benefits from firing while not moving and with full stacked strength

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BG Ken 'Muddy' Jones
1st Brigade/3rd Division/XV Corps/Army of Tennessee
USA

Every time this topic comes up, as it has a number of times over the years, it brings to mind the old SSI games of thirty-odd years ago.

Some of the features included variable action points based on command, forced march at a cost in fatigue, and built-in smoke effects.

Action points were needed to move, fire and melee. Units could receive anywhere from 6 to 15 action points, depending on the distance and quality of their commanders.

As to what I would like to see added, in addition to some of the suggestions already mentioned:

1) A permanent cumulative effect when firing on gun crews instead of just fatigue and the all or nothing system now in place.

2) a greater likelihood of disruption caused by defensive fire, or perhaps a pin result to augment disruption. That might also reduce the
number of melees. I see a lot more defensive routs than offensive disruptions, partly because with ADF only the phasing player is likely to get flank shots.

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MG Mike Mihalik
Forrest's Cavalry Corps
AoWest/CSA

For me optimizing the phased game play has my priority and in here the defender should be able to set the range for his units at which they fire, we got a range setting but these are rather rough, I think simply setting a range by hexes would be better.
Personally I dream of a filter system like "Steel Panther" has it, with these filters that you can set for each unit you can define what do to in certain situations, for example AT-unit can hold there fire till a tank is very close and a hit almost guaranteed.



Stop it I'm drooling already.

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Lieutenant General Christian Hecht
Commander I Corps, Army of the Potomac

I would like the visibility altered to make it more realistic e.g. Units in woods not being visible until about 1000 yrds (or less) or if they fire.

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General Cam McOmish

Brigade Commander
Alabama State Volunteers
Cleburne's Division
Hardee's Corps
(1/1/1)
Army of Tennessee
Confederate States of America

Some kind of movement fatigue that leads to cohesion losses to simulate stragglers and exhaustion.

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MG Brett Kolcun
1st Brigade
Boots and Saddles Division, XX
AOC

I would like to see recovery of stragglers (within reason) during night turns...