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Sim/Strategy/War => Games Discussion => Topic started by: Asid on May 01, 2017, 05:52:28 PM

Title: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on May 01, 2017, 05:52:28 PM
(http://www.grandtactician.com/index_htm_files/298.png)
(http://www.grandtactician.com/index_htm_files/528.jpg)



Grand Tactician is a strategy game series about 17-19th century line warfare, with focus on the operational art of war, or “Grand Tactics”, as described by Jomini. Prepare your nation for war, plan cunning maneuvers, defeat your enemies in the field of battle, and become one of the greatest Grand Tacticians in history!

This is from the folks behind  "The Seven Years War". (http://thesevenyearswar.com/)

A new custom built engine will be used


Website: HERE (http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/index.html)
Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on May 01, 2017, 06:35:29 PM
This is the first place to release the news  :thumbsup
Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Raied on May 01, 2017, 06:44:52 PM
Thanks Asid, will definitely keep an eye on this.
Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on July 02, 2017, 03:33:46 PM
Grand Tactician News
Here's the latest news about The Seven Years War successor, Grand Tactician. We'll keep TSYW players informed this way until Grand Tactician has its own forums! Feel free to comment and have conversation about the successor here.

June 6th 2017:
Oliver, in latest developer's blog entry, talks about the change in engines, from Blitz3D in TSYW to Unity. This will allow better stability and visual quality, as well as DX11 and 12 support, with proper support as the engine is also developed. Also check out the first screenshots, and make a quick comparison with TSYW...
http://www.grandtactician.com/blog2.htm

July 1st 2017:
Introducing Peter Lebek, Grand Tactician team artist. He is working hard to create the visual look for the user interface. Check out the latest developer's blog at:
http://www.grandtactician.com/blog3.htm
Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on October 05, 2017, 01:53:00 AM
First Grand Tactician features revealed
1 OCTOBER   - ZIPULI

(http://downloads.thesevenyearswar.com/Images/Logo_2b.png)

Work on the Successor to The Seven Years War (1756-1763), Grand Tactician, has progressed far enough to let us start revealing some of the features the game will offer. We have been focusing on the battle layer for now, improving on the design of The Seven Years War's battles in many ways.

Although all these features are universal for 17th - 19th century battle simulation, we are also getting closer to revealing the historical setting of the first title. Grand Tactician will feature, among other things:

- hundreds of units per battle, forming up armies of historical size and composition
- possibility for duration of multiple days per battle
- pre-battle deployment phase as well as redeploying and resupplying after each day, according to dynamically calculated deployment zones
- seasons and dynamic weather that can now change even during a battle
- reinforcements and supplies that move in to the battle via entry points, that can be captured
- battlefield engineering: not only barricades, but also buildable trenches, abattis, pontoon bridges...
- buildings that can be captured to provide cover to your infantry, but also destroyed
- automatic cover placement system for units: units will find and use available cover like walls, fences, creeks, road banks, etc. as well as hilltops

(http://downloads.thesevenyearswar.com/Images/IMG3.png)
A pontoon bridge built by engineers

(http://downloads.thesevenyearswar.com/Images/IMG1.png)
The buildings can be occupied, but also destroyed

(http://downloads.thesevenyearswar.com/Images/IMG2.png)
Units automatically recognize and use cover, like the fence here

Also with the change in game engines, we are able to create better visual look for the new game when compared to The Seven Years War (as can be seen in the above pre-alpha screenshots), along with better stability and compatibility.

More information and features can be found at Grand Tactician homepage, at the developer's blog we have been updating on a monthly basis:
http://www.grandtactician.com/devblog.htm

Follow Grand Tactician on Facebook or Twitter:
https://www.facebook.com/GrandTactician/
https://twitter.com/Grand_Tactician

Sincerely,

Oliver Keppelmüller and Ilja Varha
Grand Tactician -team

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on October 14, 2017, 08:51:23 PM
Developer’s blog
”Why Are They Not Moving?” 15th October 2017 by Ilja Varha


(http://www.grandtactician.com/index_htm_files/861.jpg)
Image: A French Chasseur playing bugle, late 19th century.

Getting an army of tens of thousands of men moving was not a small feat, but to coordinate the movement in battle was even harder. When artillery fire booms and lines of troops unload their muskets in massed volleys, shouts of the commanders disappear in the noise. Distance also created a problem, as large armies deployed to battle, not all troops could be observed by the commander.

Back then, the most important communication systems were musical instruments and couriers, riding in the midst of the battle, delivering messages. Getting the troops moving could involve very long delays, from the commander giving the order, to the troops to start marching. And when they do move out, situation could have changed already! In Grand Tactician, the player will need to consider these problems, as he commands his troops in the field of battle



Read on (http://www.grandtactician.com/blog6.htm)
Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on February 08, 2018, 04:55:58 PM
First Annual Report 25th November 2017 by Oliver Keppelmüller

A year has passed since this project went from an idea to reality. Reading a bookshelf of historical data and research on the subject has been transformed, so far, into roughly 20,000 lines of code, and into game play features and development tools. While our core team of three is working on the main game play topics, a group of talented artists and history enthusiasts are helping us bring the era to life.



FIRST YEAR OF THE CAMPAIGN

A year has passed since we took the first steps in our new project, "Grand Tactician". During many sleepless nights and days, where the left hand was babysitting while the right one was coding, we managed to finish approximately 2/3rds of the battle engine, including some of most time consuming topics of the game, such as: Terrain generation, formations, moving functions with pathfinding, the sound engine and first unit animations. Not forgetting historical research that goes with all of this. Also a few really nice "additional features" have been added, with some more are on the to-do -list. But more on that later!

Currently we are very busy creating the UI for battles before moving on to the last battle topics: unit interactions, fog of war, AI and statistics. And in the background, we are also creating the battlefields to fight on. So far our aim has been a very high level of historical accuracy and behavior, while also taking care that the game play will not be boring - as can easily happen with a deep, complex strategy title. Speaking of historical accuracy, have you ever seen the weight of powder charge play an actual role in a strategy game?

We plan to finish the battle part no later than Q3 2018, after which we are already keen on implementing the first campaign related concepts. So while battle related functions and topics have been discussed in these developer’s blogs, the campaign layer will be the main focus in our game, and that’s where we think we will make the game shine.

In addition to the core team of three working on the game play and functions, with Peter now officially part of the main line, we are happy to be working together with a talented lineup of artists and history enthusiasts. Their work includes historically researched art all the way from fonts to fifes and map graphics to battlefield signals, not forgetting 3D models or historically inspired soundtrack - recorded live!

So the project is advancing nicely, and if all goes well, we will be able to introduce the historical era of the first game of our series during Q1-2 next year.

The Grand Tactician team wants to thank you for your support so far and wishes you pleasant holidays! We will keep on working through December, and will return with more news from the front in January 2018. Stay tuned!

Oliver


(http://www.grandtactician.com/index_htm_files/956.jpg)
Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on February 08, 2018, 05:01:46 PM
A Battlefield is Born 27th January 2018 by Ilja Varha

In Grand Tactician, you will be fighting your enemy in large, historical battlefields, up to some 13 x 13 kilometers in size. The battles can rage for multiple days, with fortunes changing as objectives are taken or lost and reinforcements rushed in. Same historical battle maps will also be used in the campaign game. Here’s a quick story of how the battlefields are created, and what features they will have.


ROAD TO A BATTLEFIELD

With the game’s battlefield features finalized, and editor tools ready, work on the battlefield maps has begun. While Oliver is busy finalizing the battle UI and coding core battle elements like morale-system, and Peter giving the final touches to unit sprites, I am producing the battlefields. The work begins with research. Sounds easy enough, but can be challenging.

First of all, there are the historical maps used by the commanding generals or drawn right after the battle. These usually highlight the important features of the battlefield, but are not very accurate. The scale varies, and there is no measured topography to speak of. And sometimes they are missing features the drawers did not know about at the time.

(http://www.grandtactician.com/index_htm_files/1067.jpg)  (http://www.grandtactician.com/index_htm_files/1066.jpg)

Maps portray important information for the commander. While the left map could be sufficient for ordering large bodies of troops (or not), its topography and scale are rarely even satisfactory. The right map could be more accurate, but spans less than 50% of the battlefield in question.

Modern day maps are openly available online, but most of the historical battle locations have changed dramatically over time: forests have been cut, cities expand, rivers are diverted, terraforming in general. And many old roads, used by the troops in the battle, have ceased to exist long ago. So the battlefields have changed. Some battlefields have been thoroughly researched, some not so. Though there are some gold mines like maps from early 20th century, where topographic measurement was already quite accurate, and countryside had not yet changed dramatically.

From all these sources I create a reference map, draw a height map, and then so called alpha map, that I use for drawing the terrain itself on the 3D terrain.

(http://www.grandtactician.com/index_htm_files/1068.jpg)  (http://www.grandtactician.com/index_htm_files/1069.jpg)

Drawing the contours to produce a heightmap, from which the battlefield’s 3D terrain is created from. After importing, it will be further refined by hand where needed.   

When the detailed alpha map is laid on the 3D terrain, the terrain types can be painted over it. Terrain types contain values like slowing down troop movement or cover provided. The terrain is then populated with trees, brush, bushes… These will change appearance according to season. Water is added, and by default cannot be crossed. For this purpose bridges and fords are added, and in-game also pontoon bridges can be built on suitable locations.

After the terrain is painted, roads, smaller streams, fences, are added. These elements contain information like cover values, and navigation costs for pathfinding, and most of them can be used for automatic placement of troops during game. Troops will follow roads in march columns for best speed and for example stone walls provide obstacle for artillery.

(http://www.grandtactician.com/index_htm_files/1070.jpg)  (http://www.grandtactician.com/index_htm_files/1071.jpg)

Painting the terrain types in 3D editor, using an alpha map (left), and then drawing the active battlefield elements, like the small stream here. The stream will slow troops down, but will also provide some natural cover if defensive line is placed there.

When the elements are placed, the map will start to look like a web - or a maze which will provide realistic challenges and opportunities for the opposing armies. Taking advantage of the terrain can provide crucial, as for example sunken roads are like natural trenches for a defender to anchor his line in, and narrow terrain will channel movement of even a numerically superior force.

Last thing is to add entry points and objectives on the map. Entry points allow reinforcements joining the battlefield according to maneuvres on campaign layer of the game, but can also be blocked by opposing troops. Objectives are placed on commanding features of the map, and these will be fought over by the opposing armies in order to control the field. In historical battles, the maps will also feature fixed entrenchments. But in campaign game these need to be planned and built by the armies.

(http://www.grandtactician.com/index_htm_files/1072.jpg)

And after that, the map is ready to be added in the game! Some balancing needs to be made later on, especially in the amount of trees and undergrowth, so the battlefield will not be a memory hoarder.

…but now back to drawing, as there’s a bunch of maps that need to be done!

Ilja
Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on February 13, 2018, 02:51:33 PM
Getting Organized 13th February 2018 by Ilja Varha

Military organization structure and hierarchy play as big a role in Grand Tactician as it does in real battles. We are building the user interface and available orders so, that the player can utilize some of the same tools that were available for historical grand tacticians.


THERE MUST BE ORDER

Maneuvering huge armies in the battlefield in an orderly fashion requires military organization and hierarchy. Grand Tactician armies are not just a collection of units, but they are built into organization structure, forming an order of battle. If you are familiar with Oliver’s previous game The Seven Years War (1756-1763), you know the drill, but there are a number of improvements.

The order of battle is built so, that it can be used in any conflict of the period, covering command levels from company/battery up to an army. These levels can then be utilized as needed, or later locked from use or added to be opened via a technology in the campaign layer. Unlike in 7YW, the organization is not set in stone and number of units in each command level is not restricted.

In the GUI we’ve been working on, we’ve added tools to visualize, browse and quickly navigate the order of battle.

NOTE: all images in this blog are pre-alpha containing placeholder art, and as such are subject to change

Image:
In the bottom orders panel you can open the order of battle (OOB) window, and here you see the whole organization available for the battle. The units and command levels are shown using NATO symbols.

For this blog, I mustered a tiny French (why French? No reason…) army for myself, consisting of 2 divisions with their own units, and one artillery battalion directly under my command.

In game, if I want to order the artillery battalion, the orders come from the army HQ. The artillery battery on the other hand gets its orders from the commander of 2nd division.

(http://www.grandtactician.com/index_htm_files/1187.jpg)

This hierarchy is used when giving orders. So if a player selects the army commander, the order given applies to all (attached) units under him. The order must first flow through the command structure, from commander to commander, with the appropriate order delay. For quicker movement, player can use historical formations where each unit has its pre-defined position, so amount of needed orders remains minimal.

(http://www.grandtactician.com/index_htm_files/1188.jpg)

Image: Here my tiny French army is selected. With command/control -information shown, you can see the HQs with NATO symbols, and the blue lines connecting my HQ to the 2 division HQs and the artillery battalion on the left. Here I am about to order the army, currently in single line formation, to refuse a flank. This will automatically curve the flank to prevent it from being easily turned.

NOTE: all images in this blog are pre-alpha containing placeholder art, such as the sprites. Peter is soon ready with the proper ones.

During a battle player can manipulate the order of battle by detaching, attaching and coordinating. Detached units work independently from their parent organization. So a detached brigade will not move, when the parent division is ordered forward. Detaching can be useful at times, but the organizations function better when held together, thanks to morale system and order delays. For example if a commander orders division of 5 brigades forward, the order will be followed faster, than if the division commander gives 5 separate orders to each brigade to move out: it takes time to write the orders, or play the signals. If a unit is outside the commander’s reach (command radius), it is automatically considered detached - and in this case couriers will need some time to find the unit to deliver messages, meaning yet more delay.

Attaching orders a unit or a command level to be put under command of different officer than organically. This flexibility comes with a price, as the commanders in question will not be completely familiar with each other. The attached unit will receive its orders from the new commander.

Unlike attaching, coordination does not change the command structure. Coordination can be used to tell commanders to place their command according to position of another unit. For example player can order a division to follow another division, or move on its right - after that the commander in question will move accordingly without extra orders. Coordinating big units is challenging though, and can end up in loss of cohesion, like was the case many times in reality.

(http://www.grandtactician.com/index_htm_files/1189.jpg)

(http://www.grandtactician.com/index_htm_files/1190.jpg)

Image: an example of coordination. I order 1st Brigade to detach skirmishers. By default, the skirmish line will coordinate with the parent brigade, shown with the “link” line. If the brigade moves, the skirmishers will maintain their position in front without any commands from the player. With the skirmishers selected, moving cursor over 1st Brigade gives option to break this “link” quickly by right-click.

NOTE: all images in this blog are pre-alpha containing placeholder art, and as such are subject to change.

The organization system we have implemented is aimed to make things realistic, in combination with the order delays. Larger the unit, the longer it takes for orders to travel to all units within. Smaller organizations are more dynamic, but of course lack the punch of larger ones. And then the player will face the problem with commanders: maybe there are not enough experienced commanders available, who could run these organizations effectively? We will discuss commanders in more detail in a future devblog!

Ilja
Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Zipuli on May 04, 2018, 03:37:12 PM
Hi Dogs of War!

Thank you for sharing information about our game project, Grand Tactician. This time I beat Asid in speed 😉

We are happy to announce that the first Grand Tactician -title will be called The Civil War (1861-1865)! We got a small announcement trailer up at youtube: https://youtu.be/lFjOn1R1Vk8
...and also reworked our website at: www.grandtactician.com

With the announcement also a new devblog platform was opened, along with a new blog about commanders: http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/blog/articles/the-grand-tacticians

Hope you like it!

Cheers,
Zip
Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on May 04, 2018, 04:00:14 PM


This time I beat Asid in speed 😉

 :sifone

This is great news and I look forward to the project release.

Thanks for posting Zipuli  :thumbsup
Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Rinix on May 04, 2018, 04:35:55 PM
It looks interesting, thanks for posting. :)
Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on May 04, 2018, 10:06:32 PM
(https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/936063905741260714/F920B40A19077C4A0DFEA6C0220A50B6BEAB51EA/)

(https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/936063905741213027/52CF476294C253581E26AC0E4069FC0E236BCECC/)

(https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/936063905741232095/340660A369CF0FD6CAEAB39D7CFF4CB7325C7261/)

(https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/936063905741242549/A74A268C69475B0BDA154B25ED44BE3952B22054/)

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/blog/images/5.jpg)
Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on June 16, 2018, 03:13:59 PM
(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/contentimg/juliste.png)



(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/contentimg/Grand_Telegraph_Company.png)

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on July 22, 2018, 12:29:53 PM
Pre-Alpha Game Play: Bull Run


https://youtu.be/FeT-TYziqn8



Published on Jul 21, 2018

The 1st game play video of Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865), showing the battle interface and how to command troops in the game's battle fields. Playing the (1st) Battle of Bull Run as the Union.

A pre-alpha development build is used, and everything shown in the video is subject to changes and improvements.
Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on July 27, 2018, 05:03:00 PM
Steam page live


(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/654890/header.jpg?t=1532499008)

The American Civil War has erupted! On both sides, Grand Tacticians needed to take command of the opposing armies and to lead them to victory. Prepare your nation for war, plan cunning maneuvers, defeat your enemies in the field of battle, and become one of the greatest Grand Tacticians in history!


Homepage: Here (http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/)
Official forum: Here (https://steamcommunity.com/app/654890/discussions/)
Steam: Here (https://store.steampowered.com/app/654890/Grand_Tactician_The_Civil_War_18611865/)
YouTube: Here (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCInZ2dBg25tUrRYFuBWNODg)


Single-player


Announcement Trailer


https://youtu.be/lFjOn1R1Vk8

Published on May 3, 2018



About

Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865) is a real time strategy game combining a strategic campaign with tactical battle game play. Run your nation, muster, manage and support great armies, and maneuver them to defeat the enemy. Once the opposing armies meet, command your troops to victory in battles fought on historical battlefields.


Features:

•   Choose your side in the American Civil War: Real-time campaign, spanning from Secession to the end of the war, with historical objectives for both sides.
•   Change history: What if European superpowers intervened to end the war, or Lincoln lost the presidential election of 1864?
•   Scott’s Great Snake: Lay siege, raid and blockade your enemy on land and sea or use blockade runners to keep the life-lines to Europe open.
•   From Fort Sumter to Appomattox: Watch closely the morale of your citizens and troops. As the war drags on, fervor turns to fatigue, the treasury threatens to run dry, and measures like drafting will cause unrest.
•   Keep the armies marching: Build and manage the flow of supplies to your armies. Utilize and expand railroad lines to supply and move armies for the first time in history!
•   Pivotal battles: Fight battles lasting multiple days on historical battlefields. Use engineers to build pontoons and dig trenches, see reinforcements change the tide and commit your reserves to defeat the enemy.
•   Grant vs. Lee: Manage hundreds of historical commanders with personal attributes and specialization. Famous commanders inspire soldiers and citizens alike and loss of reputation can be irreparable.
•   Command Great Armies: Huge armies of infantry, cavalry and artillery, with realistic command structures and historical Order of Battle.
•   Bring the Civil War to life: Amazing Civil War re-enactment and combat footage from LionHeart FilmWorks, and an original soundtrack of old time music and drum and fife band.


(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/654890/ss_b98dd93233fe7c3775a8dc43e139d2340169da48.1920x1080.jpg?t=1532499008)

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/654890/ss_f07970d4d6a21c389708370d6e75453abb246506.1920x1080.jpg?t=1532499008)

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/654890/ss_43dcec7e3d0e5b2fe235bd867eaa210f77076ca9.1920x1080.jpg?t=1532499008)

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/654890/ss_5532655ccbecd0c1d928170487c59a9161536e89.1920x1080.jpg?t=1532499008)

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/654890/ss_2eeb44ed783b83d809410380f6fcbe3398624a46.1920x1080.jpg?t=1532499008)

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/654890/ss_a26c6d142682e85a59735c9524f047aad4277a39.1920x1080.jpg?t=1532499008)
Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on July 27, 2018, 05:04:42 PM
Making of Grand Tactician: The Bugle


https://youtu.be/8z0Ds_id1ro

Published on Jul 27, 2018



In the first Making of Grand Tactician -video, Alan Tolbert, a musician and reenactment infantry bugler talks about how the authentic bugle signals were recorded to the game, and the role of bugle in the Civil War. More videos taking a look behind the scenes of the game's development will be released later.
Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on August 02, 2018, 10:19:37 PM
Updates 02/08/18


Organizations can be placed under AI command giving the said commander a stance. After this, the commander will use his units accordingly, while following your movement orders.
(https://scontent.flhr4-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/38232017_1829455010478718_1247264945209344000_n.jpg?_nc_cat=0&oh=095f0d640f1a3a4eb7382db1a502ac9a&oe=5C00264A)


To reduce micromanagement (without placing commanders under full AI command) "Manage details" -order will instruct your commander to use his own initiative to react to encountered threats.
(https://scontent.flhr4-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/38270372_1829454463812106_5807104330347577344_n.jpg?_nc_cat=0&oh=f0ac647d1bbc48ae49a27a282c29547e&oe=5C018DD5)
Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on August 23, 2018, 08:49:46 PM
The next devblog is just around the corner, and in it we'll take a look at the General's paper work.

Also, the scouts are reporting the sound and dust cloud of an incoming game play video, some weeks away.



The headquarters will keep your reports up to date.

(https://scontent.flhr4-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/39933115_1865412313549654_4948358626336047104_n.jpg?_nc_cat=0&oh=231aecaaa6950f6f72f08fa381b697a7&oe=5C058EE1)



Back then, officers had a lot prettier handwriting too.

(https://scontent.flhr4-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/39959103_1865412326882986_1010139186616860672_n.jpg?_nc_cat=0&oh=d054e25333241d70c2829d974a2d455a&oe=5BF65D5D)
Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on September 20, 2018, 08:08:49 PM
Chickamauga


https://youtu.be/aOTl8AYveU4


Published on Sep 20, 2018
A Pre-Alpha* battle game play trailer, showing some of the features in the game's battles.

*Everything seen or heard is subject to improvement and change during the development.
Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Zipuli on October 20, 2018, 07:57:19 AM
Hi guys!

We just released October's devblog, discussing the battle AI in the game:

http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/blog/articles/battle-ai
Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on October 20, 2018, 02:36:12 PM
Thank you Zipuli :thumbsup


Battle AI

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/blog/images/13.jpg)



Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on October 30, 2018, 02:24:31 PM
Scale?

Answered by the dev:

Hi,

The scale is brigade level, with artillery mainly organized into battalions (multiple batteries). The brigades are not sub-divided into regiments that you can detach and move around, though you can detach skirmishers from the brigades and smaller detachments to capture enemy guns. These are game design choices to keep the huge battles manageable and performance acceptable - the engine calculates a lot more under the hood than most games do, and the more active elements, the heavier it gets. But the engine itself is scalable, so for example a smaller battle like 1st Bull Run etc. can be created in regiment scale.

Armies and number of controllable units are not limited in battles. Single units have a maximum number of men when recruiting during campaign. But during campaign, like happened in reality, unit sizes will vary due to number of recruits, desertion, sickness, casualties...

Weapons use different ranges across the board. So yes, a rifle-musket will have longer range than a carbine, a smooth-bore musket, or a shotgun. Ammunition is partially combined within lethality value, so your unit armed with muskets show ammunition X (not divided between buck and ball), but this is taken into account in calculations. Artillery has more ammunition types.

Campaign map will be revealed later (we are working on it as we speak), but thinking Total War, but real time, is not totally inaccurate description. The map will unsurprisingly focus on United States. Battle maps will be mostly historical ones. These details are not yet 100% locked, though, so I won't go too deeply into them at this point.
Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on October 31, 2018, 04:04:19 PM
The developers reached out and sent me an invite to join the test team....I said yes  :thumbsup
Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Skoop on October 31, 2018, 07:48:31 PM
Nice, the game looks great.  Can't wait to see how it unfolds.
Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on October 31, 2018, 10:48:16 PM
I will update this post here when I can.
Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: zakblood on November 02, 2018, 11:22:10 AM
such a shame its a RTS and not turn based, pause able RTS, but still RTS all the same :howdy
Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on November 13, 2018, 04:41:12 PM
Visual Presentation
Posted Nov 13

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/blog/images/14.jpg)

Gen’l,

To-day’s Engineers Corps Log is all about visual presentation. We´ll take a look at where we are now, and what to expect in the future.

The Troops Look Thin, sir.

When we talk about graphics in Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865), we need to take a look at the game concepts and techniques first.

One of our main goals in the game is to show this conflict in the biggest possible scale. For the battles, this means hundreds of brigades with many thousands of single soldiers and hundreds of cannons. All at the same time, all connected in an AI matrix – and all in real-time!

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/contentimg/blog_2018-11/battlefield1.PNG)

Our original idea was to present this all in 3D and use low polygon models for the soldiers, horses, and artillery. Unfortunately, the first engine tests showed us the limitations. But because we still want to keep the epic scale, we decided to change our initial concept and replace the low poly models for soldiers and horses with sprites.

For this task, I created high polygon models for men and horse, with additional equipment and bone rigs for animations. Out of this, I created ~ 47 animations /stances for Infantry, Cavalry, Artillery and Others (Commanders, wounded, captured, &c.) split into three sprite sheets layers (Inf, Cav, Others). And because we wanted to have a fluid unit rotation, we “shot” every frame from 12 directions (12 cameras). This all limited the sprites to not more than 65 frames on one layer, meaning every animation or stance has limited amount of frames. On top of it, we split every sprite into 3 parts: jacket and hat/cape, trousers and all the rest. Why so? Because this allows us to color the different parts separately via code.

After all this work, the first results were rather disappointing: Blurred, low detailed and strange moving soldiers occupied our battlefields. But our daily work with the Unity engine taught us how to solve most of these issues and to-day we are quite happy with the results – not only because of the improved looks, but also due to the low impact in performance, compared to other techniques.

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/contentimg/blog_2018-11/battlefield2.PNG)

However, the balance between graphics and performance will always be a thine red line, and subject to improvements along the way. For those who get lost in this confusing technical part, the above title image shows a picture of all work steps and two different colored brigades.

Furthermore, we spend some time on performance optimization. This allowed us to improve the terrain as well, while improving the FPS. More objects, better LODs (level of detail), detail distance, light, camera, and more.Together with sound and smoke, we could create an intensive battlefield atmosphere, even with our very low resources.

And as always… work in progress! Testing, bug fixing and improving is ongoing all the time.

Ship Ahoy!

In the last months, we´ve implemented all our battlefield features and we move now with full steam ahead with the campaign map. Ilja writes the campaign concepts and Oliver integrates the basic terrain and first features, like troop movement on land, rail and water, as well as telegraph lines, as you are reading this. One of my first tasks here are the naval and land units.

Please keep in mind this is a very early phase of the campaign development and we have not yet finalized the final details.

However, the campaign game-play will have naval movement for troops, overseas trade, blockades, and naval engagements. You will command paddle-wheel steamers, battleships and ironclads, traders and blockade runners, as well as troop transports on open sea and major rivers like Mississippi.
(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/contentimg/blog_2018-11/shipsteaser.png)

Most of the units will have a unique model for each side, like the USS Monitor or Cairo for the Union
(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/contentimg/blog_2018-11/USSCairoPreview.png)

or the CSS Virginia for the Confederates.
(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/contentimg/blog_2018-11/CSS_Virginia.png)

All models will have smoke particles for engines and guns firing, plus other small nice features.

Even without a separate naval battle game-play layer (like in latest Total War -games), we´ll try to create a very exciting and important role for Naval Units and fleets. But we’ll discuss this in more detail in one of our future Engineers Corps Log!

Most Respy,

Gen’l. Peter Lebek,
Chief War Artist.

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: zakblood on November 15, 2018, 03:58:23 PM
must admit after playing Armored Brigade as that's also a RTS, i'm thinking i may now also enjoy this one as well lol

with the developer also replying on steam with it's slower and not normal RTS type pace, i'm more looking forward to this as well now, as lets be honest, the war certainly could do with a good new engine one now as well, as it's been a while since i've done the time and period and now wish to get back at it sooner rather than later, so good look everyone, look forward to seeing and hearing more :thumbsup

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on November 15, 2018, 04:10:28 PM
Hi Zak

It is NOT a click-fest. The developers are very approachable and want to make a great game for wargamers and strategists to enjoy  :thumbsup
Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: zakblood on November 15, 2018, 07:37:59 PM
yes they already said as much to me in steam, which after i enjoyed another RTS, albeit a slower pausable one mentioned above, i've now changed my mind somewhat on RTS, so there back on the board for me regarding testing and buying / playing etc.

so wish listed it on steam and will keep reading here as always and see what happens and what direction and progress is made and look forward to the release thanks
Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on January 18, 2019, 02:20:33 PM
Pre-Alpha Battle Game Play: Perryville, Part I

https://youtu.be/qZItdgeX5tU


Published on 17 Jan 2019
The 2nd game play video of Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865), showing battle mechanics including pre-battle deployment, entrenchments, weather, AI, and more. Part I of II.

Playing as the Confederate Army of the Mississippi in Perryville. A pre-alpha development build is used, and everything shown in the video is subject to changes and improvements.
Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on January 24, 2019, 12:04:40 AM
Full Steam Ahead - Navies in Campaign.

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/blog/images/15.jpg)



Gen’l,

When planning your strategy in Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865) grand campaign, armies are not your only military tools. Fleets, from the brown-water navy to blockading squadrons to transport fleets, will play an important role during the war. The Civil War saw great changes in naval technology and warfare, from sailing ships to mainly steam-powered warships, from wooden design to ironclads. Will Scott’s Great Snake be able to strangle the South, or will you see rebel ironclads crawl up the Potomac to bombard the Union capital?

Fleets and Admirals.

In Grand Tactician, you can utilize the naval power of your nation by building ships and assembling them into fleets. There are actually four kinds of fleets in the game:
- Navy Fleets, with large ocean going warships
- Brown-Water Navy, or the River Fleets, with gunboats and paddle-steamers
- Transport Fleets, that carry troops
- Trading Fleets, that can trade with foreign powers as well

Navy and river fleets are assembled under a navy officer, and will be moved on the campaign map just like armies. The river fleets can operate along major water-ways like Mississippi -river, but cannot move to open sea. Navy fleets navigate the salt-waters, but if small enough ships, especially double-enders are available, they too can go up a major river. The fleets can engage other fleets, bombard armies and fortifications, and take part in sieges. This allows joint operations, like those that took place in the West or maybe a naval maneuver like Peninsula campaign. Navy fleets can also be used to blockade enemy ports.

Transport fleets are maintained to move your armies over, or along water. Depending on the size of the transport fleet, troop concentrations can be conducted faster. Transport fleets also take care of supplying your armies over sea. When boarding the transport ships, troops reserve capacity from the transport fleet, and if out of capacity, movement becomes very slow, due to need of many back&forth voyages by the transports. When boarding the transports, the army on campaign map will be replaced with a ship, that is moved on water. The armies can land to siege enemy forts and to raid valuable targets deep in the enemy territory, but getting attacked by an enemy fleet could be disastrous.

Trading fleets operate from the ports, number of ships depending on the size of the ports. This is all automated, so player does not have to worry about it. Unless blockaded by the enemy, of course! As fleets blockade a port to intercept trade, the port trading capacity will go down, and prices up. This will hit the economy – a major target for either side. To counter this, player can try to attack the blockading fleets, or try to run the blockade. If player purchases blockade runners, more of the trade gets past the blockading fleet, but number of the blockade runners will be captured over time.

Regarding blockades, it’s not only an economy issue. It’s also political. In Europe, there’s big demand for cotton in the textile mills. But also the European superpowers use blockading as a strategy, and to keep this weapon in use, they also need to consider blockades, especially very strong ones, legit, which could prevent them from taking action, if otherwise seen appropriate?

From Timber to Iron Plating.

When the war started, the U.S. Navy was not very large, as was not the regular army. Technology in ship design had taken big leaps, and the wooden colossi of the high seas, ships-of-the-line, were already being rendered all but useless, in the face of steam powered ship that didn’t need the wind to maneuver, and the iron plating that could render a thundering broadside into base of percussion at best. But while these monsters are available, the player could try to utilize them to more than receiving new recruits in the ports?

In the game we have a broad range of ship types available. From the humble schooners to sloops and frigates, and of course the legendary paddle-steamers moving up and down the rivers. Over time, with the needed technology and industry in place, the ships can be upgraded, and new ones built, into steamers and various kinds of ironclads, from the case-mate rams to turreted Monitors.

While building the ships requires a level of industrialization and material, keeping the fleets going will also require something to burn: from coal to foodstuffs and ammunition. The fleets do not have infinite days at sea, but require ports to replenish and repair. In case the industrial potential is not there, maybe a bale of dollars could procure a state-of-the-art warship from the European friends? Or maybe someone is crazy enough to line a ship with cotton-bales for even some additional protection? And how about a ship that moves under water unseen?

Damn the Torpedoes.

In Grand Tactician, naval combat is resolved on the campaign map. In the battles the number, type and size of ships and guns is taken into account, as is the armor plating and close-up ramming. In the end, ships can change ownership multiple times during the campaign, and sometimes it’s better to scuttle a valuable ship than let it fall into enemy hands.

And then there’s chance. A lucky hit in the steam engine could end in a catastrophe, and while armor plating could withstand a seemingly endless amount of punishment, a lucky shot could disable a turret in a Monitor, rendering it next to useless in the battle.

And even if you as the north could dominate the southern fleets, if the big players from Europe feel the urge to intervene, they would most likely bring up the big guns with them!

Most Respy,

Gen’l. Ilja Varha,
Chief Designer, &c.
Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on February 19, 2019, 05:05:39 PM
What's in a Campaign Map?

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/blog/images/16.png)



Gen’l,

Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865) has been developed from the start with a real-time strategic campaign in mind. The aim of the game is not only to fight battles or to win the war as either side, but the tell the story of the Civil War. And in the heart of the campaign is of course the campaign map. The campaign map spans from Rio Grande to Maine and Dakota Territory to the Bahamas, so there’s plenty of room to plan and execute maneuvers with your armies and fleets. But there’s more to the map than meets the eye.

The Campaign Map.

The campaign map is designed to include all the most important theaters of the American Civil War, and to allow utilizing historical strategies, like Scott’s Great Snake, to win the war. The campaign will be dynamic, and will not force the player to follow any certain path to victory, so there is enough space to devise your own plan as well.

The map itself is an open 3D terrain, just like the battle maps. Same tools as in the battle layer are used to make the armies and fleets interact with the map and terrain. This means that dense forests, swamps, mountain ranges and wide rivers will have a real effect on troop movements. The road network is more scarce in the west, with distances being longer in general there, limiting campaigning with large armies considerably – as the armies will need to be supplied. While on one hand the great rivers will be an obstacle, on the other hand they will provide movement options, if steamers and gunboats are available, and if the enemy fortifications along the waterways can be captured.

To get the campaign map right, we’ve used real elevation data in making the heightmap. On this terrain, we have built and incorporated data such as climate map, forest map, maps of rail-lines and road networks and most important infrastructure like cities, towns, ports, bridges, ferries, etc. – with the scale of the map taken into account. For the states and cities we use historical population data from the censuses. All in all, the map will include a wealth of researched information, and this will allow us to bring the map alive later in the development, with production, dynamic economy, trade, and more.

In addition to the 3D map itself, be sure that our map-specialist, Wasel, is working on a hand-drawn, period-inspired paper map, like the ones you’ve seen in the battles.

Borders. States. Border States. Fronts.

Before, and during, the Civil War the political map of The United States changed numerous times. Territories were re-drawn and eventually incorporated as new states and the 19th century saw mass movement of immigrants to the west, seeking better fortunes – and gold. While the white man moved west, the native tribes were pushed aside, eliminated or confined. By 1850s the area depicted in the campaign map had seen the forced relocations of native tribes, the Trail of Tears, to west of the Mississippi, to modern day Oklahoma. While most changes were in the mid-west and west, the war saw also changes in the east, the biggest being the partition of Virginia.

For this reason we incorporated a border system in the game, where the political map of the Civil War can change during the campaign. While the changes will be historically driven, like admission of Kansas from a territory to a state, it will not be set in stone, whether the people of the brand new state will follow the call of the Union.

Ownership of the states will not be a either-or. Especially the border states can have much (or little) sympathy to both sides of the conflict, and the actual “front line” will not strictly follow the state borders. A state can therefore provide recruits to both sides, depending on the local support. And the support of the states could well change during the campaign. And of course there will be tools to prop (or lose) the support in the states. For example, appointing local political figures to lead your armies in the field may ensure state loyalty in the short run. But can they provide the leadership required, without personal clashes with others? High casualties among troops recruited from the state, drafting and raiding, among other things, can demoralize the population and even force them to abandon the cause.

And while the native Americans have been pushed aside for decades, the new strife could see both sides trying to win their support.

The campaign map will not cover the whole North America, let alone the World, but the map is not isolated from the rest of the world. Both sides of the war can interact (via politics) and trade (via trade nodes) with other nations. And trails, like the Oregon Trail lead west, where there is much to trade. And of course, this trade, or prevention of it, could be a key element in your campaign strategy.

Weather & Weather Fronts.

One of the quite unique features in The Civil War (1861-1865) campaign map, and campaign itself, is the weather. While in battles weather plays a role,  as explained in the previous game-play video, (https://youtu.be/qZItdgeX5tU) on the campaign map weather may well ruin your otherwise brilliantly planned military campaign, or save you from a disaster. The weather of course cannot be planned, and even forecasting is very difficult. The end result could easily be another mud march, with the movement snail-paced, the men being miserable, and increasing amount of troops falling sick or deserting.

To achieve a realistic weather simulation, we incorporated information such as annual averages for temperatures, humidity, chance of rain and snow coverage on the campaign map. Then our coder, Oliver, taught himself a thing or two about meteorology. The end result is fully dynamic weather system across the whole campaign map, where weather fronts are created and move according to real-world data. There will not be any kind of universal weather, or pre-defined weather zones. Instead, the rain and thunder storms gather, move around and scatter dynamically during the campaign, adding to the excitement, as you will never know what to expect. Except if you know a thing or two about meteorology, then you can make educated guesses. And it’s not all about rain and misery either, temperature plays a role as well, including the chance of snow during winter time.

So, in the end, when moving your armies and fleets around the map, you may hit a weather front that makes life miserable, and when engaging in a field-battle, the information is carried over to the battle weather system. In the above image you see the dynamic weather system in action: the rain and thunder storm clouds are shown over the landscape. Also drawn are the political borders – but from what year (and could this be a hint of some sort)?

The Focus is in the Campaign.

So far we have discussed mostly the battles in the game, and mentioned the campaign mostly in sidenotes. Many followers have approached us, asking, whether the campaign will be simply a continuation of battles according to outcomes, or a rigid system that runs as the history did. Can the player recruit troops and appoint commanders as he wants? Hopefully the above description sheds some light on this topic.

As I am writing, the basic map functions, discussed above, have been implemented and we are populating the map with terrain features like rivers, forests and swamps, and game objects like cities, towns, and infrastructure. Next steps will be to make the campaign game-play come to life, by adding the UI, economic model, politics, and so on. We will visit these topics in later dev blogs!

Most Respy,

Gen’l. Ilja Varha,
Chief Designer, &c.

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on April 27, 2019, 11:36:09 AM
Keeping Armies Supplied - Economy: Part I
Posted Mar 28

Author iv


(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/blog/images/18.png)


Gen’l,

When telling the story of the American Civil War, one cannot ignore economy. From Scott’s Great Snake to King Cotton, and from making Georgia howl to burning down the Shenandoah Valley, the war saw the importance of economy as a weapon of war, and as a target. In the end, the northern armies were victorious, but not before the southern economy had collapsed, making it impossible to resist.

In Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865) we are building a complex economy model that will work in the background of the game. The idea is to allow player utilizing the industrial power of his/her nation, and targeting the enemy economy. For example railroads allow fast movement of troops and supplies across the states. This means destroying the enemy’s rail network will hamper his mobility and flexibility in troop concentration. Rail lines can of course be repaired, so maybe it’s more important, in the long run, to make it impossible to maintain the rail network? When the gears of economy stall, it will become impossible to keep up momentum in the military operations as well.

Lessons Learned.

Here we take into account the feedback from players of Oliver’s previous strategy game The Seven Years War (1756-1763). In the title, the economy model works well, but it’s not very intuitive for most players. Many players felt that the model needed too much micromanagement from the player, making the campaign game play burdensome, especially to players who wished to run military matters only.

For this reason, the economy model has been redesigned and made more automatic, working in the background, even without much input from the player. The Grand Tactician can therefore concentrate more in the military matters at hand, thinking about the big picture, instead of worrying about lack of available building materials being delivered to a new building site in time, for example…

To make things work smoothly, we let the markets run the show, allowing the player to influence the system with more macro-level controls. For example, you have your domestic production, trade and import/export. While supply and demand determine what is being produced, and where it is being sold to, the player can manipulate the system by government sponsoring and trade policies. As a historical example, playing as the south, cotton is the main source of income and the exports can cover costs of importing other goods needed to run the nation. But what if you’re blockaded and cannot produce the weapons and ammunition needed?

In the end, instead of TSYW-like interaction with economy, production and markets, things should feel a lot different, even if the mechanics working in the background are somewhat similar. Instead of player building up industries, managing upgrades and workforce, prices and minimum stock level, this time around an industry will expand, upgrade, hire or even shut down depending on markets, available workforce amount & type, and of course profitability.

Another change is the way goods are moved around. In TSYW, state sponsored traders move the goods, “item” at a time from A to B. The amount of traders is limited by market size in the province in question. Depending on prices, supply and demand, and player’s priorities, certain goods are moved first, while the others wait for available traders. This often results in high-profit goods, that maybe are irrelevant to player’s ongoing war effort, being prioritized, and local shortages being created. Player is able to manipulate and optimize the system, but it required understanding and micromanagement, like setting up minimum supply levels and manual prioritization – and this per province. Sometimes adding too many building projects could stall any development for a time. And do I need to mention Prussian loam to any TSYW-veteran? This is where many players became frustrated.

We sacked the traders to give the economy more flow – literally! So, instead, a flow of supplies is created from point of supply to point of demand. The flow utilizes the road, rail and river networks, along with sea trade. So goods will always be moved where needed, but the amount (goods per time unit) depends on infrastructure, distance and demand. The flow happens via hubs we call important infrastructure points, or IIPs, like cities, towns, ports, ferries, crossroads, and so on. Think of it a bit like in The Settlers 1 or 2, the IIPs being the flags, but the goods moving without a worker carrying one at a time from IIP to IIP…

But you’re more interested about the link to war, from the military commander’s point of view?

Economy Concept Example – Supplying an Army.

In the above concept image, let’s have a look at what it takes to keep an army supplied. In the game, armies are supplied from supply depots. The supplies carried in the armies’ supply trains won’t last forever. Lack of supplies will lead to regulation, which will lead to increased sickness and desertion, and foraging the countryside, which will affect the population’s support and readiness of the armies, and so on… In short, you want to keep the armies well supplied (and enemy’s not so). When setting up a camp or entrenching, the army will be replenished from the appointed depot. Range to base of supplies is of importance, and this will mean that sending armies deep into enemy territory like in many other strategy games, without proper means of supplying them, will end up in a disaster.

An army needs a wide range of supplies. Arms, ammunition, horses, food for men and the beast alike, uniforms. These need to be produced or imported, and here economy and industries will play a key role. For example, to produce the needed artillery in an iron works, you need iron, wrought iron or bronze, that are produced in a foundry, that need the raw materials from mines, and so on. In the concept image, you see some of the industry types in the game.

If you’re familiar with Civil War history, you know that the south had many shortages in available goods, and the north tried to further increase the effect by attacking the production. Salt is a good example. It was mined, or produced in saltworks, and was important for food preservation and curing leather. Virginian saltworks in Saltville were attacked by Union in 1st and 2nd Battles of Saltville. Sherman is noted saying “salt is eminently contraband”. In Grand Tactician, targeting production capability, like salt, works like it did during the war: if the nation runs out of salt, prices skyrocket, and soon there will be severe hiccups in food and leather production. This will affect the armies, and their capability to maintain effective operations, as provisions are no longer available. To fix the situation, the targeted nation will need to divert funds to restore salt production or to import salt. Funds, that would be direly needed to pay the troops or repair the raided rail network, etc.

So the production facilities and trading infrastructure are important targets to military actions, such as raiding and blockades. But the transportation network, in form of IIPs and railroads, can also be targeted, in any point of the shown chart (the arrows). If attacking the supply depot itself is out of the question, cutting the supply route carries the same effect. Pushing into enemy territory, for example capturing choke-points in the road network, means the flow of goods will stop, or need to be diverted. And taking this a step further, you can see how the historic strategies, such as controlling the Mississippi to cut the Confederacy in half, along with strong blockade, can be implemented in Grand Tactician to achieve the goals of Scott’s Great Snake.

Money Isn’t Everything, but Everything Needs Money.

“I went into the army worth a million and a half dollars, and came out a beggar.”

Before the Civil War, Confederate Lieutenant General Nathan Bedford Forrest made a fortune as a slave trader, a planter, and by investing in real estate. Forrest spent his own money to help his men acquire supplies.
– 501 Civil War Quotes And Notes.

Our plan is to make the economy an important tool in the Grand Tactician’s toolbox of strategies. But at the same time we want to keep economy in the background, without the player needing a degree in economics, or forcing him/her to micromanage the details – especially when the player most likely will like to concentrate on matters of sword instead of the plough. When executed military operations produce believable and foreseeable effects in the enemy’s system, including economy, we believe we can better grasp the essence of the American Civil War.

Most Respy,

Gen’l. Ilja Varha,
Chief Designer, &c.
Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on May 01, 2019, 12:58:50 PM
Drawing the Maps.
Posted Apr 17, 02:37 pm

Author iv

Gen’l,

The beautiful maps have drawn a lot of attention from followers of the project. To-day we discuss shortly the steps that are required in creating one of these maps, from research to drawing table, all the way to the game. We also take a quick look at how the map has evolved from a concept to what it is to-day.

In Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865) we want to immerse the player in the Civil War, and one of the ways of doing so is audio-visual style. When designing the game, one of the ideas for battles was not to use a mini-map for situational awareness, like many other games do. Instead, we created what we now call the “Paper Map”: zoom out in-game far enough, and the 3D terrain is changed into a map, that is drawn using 19th century drawing style and technique. On this map we show the battle (and later campaign) situation in a quite unique and informative way – and style.

From Concept to Reality.

The concept for the Paper Map was created very early in the project. At first the idea was to add a full, drawn image to be used as a map. Soon we realized that this would not be sufficient, as any minor change in the map would require re-drawing also the Paper Map. At this point Oliver came up with the idea to include Paper Map graphics for each of the map 3D elements, such as roads, buildings, fences, and so on. This basically allowed editing the map as much as we wanted later on, with the Paper Map also being updated accordingly.

(http://This is how the initial concept looked like in a very early development build of the game:)

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/blog/images/21.png)

This was basically Ilja’s handy-work, and the style was just a test. But the idea is already visible: the map should be functional and should show enough terrain information to allow the player to give commands to his/her units, just like in the 3D terrain.

Later, when artist Wasel joined the project, we started refining the map style. Wasel’s hobbies include historic maps and drawing styles, so we decided to try a more historic approach by applying similar drawing styles and visualization of map information, as the real Civil War maps had.

Base-Work.

There are quite a few steps required to create a Paper Map. It starts from historical research. Ilja’s job is to gather the information about the battle-field, and turn it into a reference map. The reference map is used by the artists to create the needed elements (layers) that eventually make up the Paper Map:

- The topography for the map is compiled from old topographical maps. Though ready heightmaps would be available from the battle locations, the problem with these is the fact that from mid-20th century, the topography has changed a lot in most battle locations. The topography is turned into a heightmap, drawing by hand, and the heightmap is used for both reference for drawing the elevation on the Paper Map, as well as creating the 3D terrain mesh.
- The landscape, including the infrastructure, is drawn according to historic maps, battle descriptions and available research. Here one must admit, that the level of research differs depending on battle-field. While Gettysburg and Antietam are well researched (see Bradley M. Gottfried’s books), some others require a lot more compiling of information from multiple sources, and in the end also educated guesswork. The landscape reference map is used to draw the terrain types on the Paper Map, as well as drawing the infrastructure, such as roads, creeks, buildings, fences, &c., on the 3D map.

The Art of Mapmaking.

After the reference maps are drawn, Ilja continues with the 3D terrain creation, while Wasel works on the actual Paper Map. Let the man himself explain the steps required:

“To start with I had to make a lot of design choices how to produce these maps. By far the most tedious part would be elevation and terrain textures. To be able to maintain production schedules I tried out many different automated methods of producing the various terrain types including Illustrator, CorelDraw, Photoshop, even Macromedia Freehand and various scripting and programming methods, with a lot of filters and effects on top. None of them were very convincing.

To create convincing battle maps I ended up producing them the same way they were made during the civil war—drawing by hand. As nice as it would be to draw the maps the way they used to be done, to accommodate production schedules I decided to use a digital drawing pad instead so everything would not only appear to be hand-drawn—they actually are—though digitally. Every detail was meticulously studied and compared to originals. To speed up working on various terrain types, I created hand drawn textures that were layered to avoid repeating patterns. While elevation nowadays is indicated with contours, during the Civil War it was less exact. It would be the engineers drawing the map according to what they see when surveying the terrain. They didn’t have heightmaps, so elevation data was also more relative than accurate. Instead of elevation contours, the more common style of today’s maps, hachures (i.e. line haching) were used to highlight elevations.

I start a map with the most tedious part: drawing the hachures. I begin by studying the black&white heightmap and comparing it to various historical battle maps of the area to decide what tactical elevations to highlight and what to leave out while keeping the end result geographically correct. Maintaining the look of original maps is a tedious job, since period maps were not very detailed and they were drawn by many different people in a multitude of styles and accuracy.

Next step is to draw the terrain types: water, forests, swamps, fields and orchards, that dotted the countryside. In the historical maps these were often colored to stand out, and I decided to do so. I went with a greenish light blue for water, and green for forest vegetation taking according to period examples which vary across different maps as much as any other detail.

For the infrastructure I created a set of hand-drawn icons and patterns researched and modeled according to historical sources, to be placed in-game. When zooming out on the 3D map, the 3D objects are changed into these icons on the Paper Map. For example, the road pattern is repeated and curved to follow the exact path of the 3D road mesh, which ensures that all elements are placed 100% correctly in both the 3D map as well as the Paper Map.

In addition to the actual graphics, an important part of any map is typography. To depict the hand drawn texts I painstakingly designed fonts replicating hand written examples in extant Civil War maps. The font was also distressed and various exchangeable letter-forms were designed to to achieve a hand written look.

Since the finished map is to contain a multitude of moving icons and other in-game elements depending on game progress, the completed map is constructed in-game from various layers containing paper texture, elevation, terrain patterns, text and various grime layers to make it look like a battle worn item.

Here you can see the work-steps so far, in a single image, from left to right:

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/blog/images/19.jpg)

– On topmost layer you see the scale grid.
– On the extreme left, you can see the topographical map used for elevation reference. Moving right, you can next see the black & white heightmap, which I use to visualize and mark all the most important formations and then draw the actual hachures.
– After the hachures are finished, I use the terrain reference map, in this case drawn according to Gottfried’s book The Maps of Gettysburg, to place the terrain patterns accordingly.
– After the terrain is ready, I create a new layer for the map texts, where I use custom-made fonts that match the ones used in the historical examples.”

From Layers to Complete Map.

The rest happens within the game engine. After the 3D terrain is drawn, the Paper Map is automatically assembled from Wasel’s paper background, adding the terrain map (elevation, terrain types). On top of this, the engine automatically draws the roads, creeks, etc. from the hand-drawn icons. Then the map text is added on top. This allows overlapping elements on multiple layers, making it appear like it’s drawn as one. Placed on top of this base, the unit symbols move according to their positioning in the 3D terrain. To finalize the look of the map, we use a “dirt-layer”, drawn by Wasel, which makes the map look slightly worn and vivid – just like one would look, after folding it open on the wooden table of the commander-in-chief.

Here you can see the end result from all this work:

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/blog/images/20.jpg)


Most Respy,

Gen’l. Ilja Varha
Chief Designer, Chief Topographer, &c.

Gen’l Wasel Arar
Chief Cartographer, &c.
Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on June 20, 2019, 03:11:38 PM
Managing Your Armies.
Posted May 13, 04:47 pm

Author iv

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/blog/images/22.png)

Gen’l,

One of the most important things the player will be doing, is army management: from recruiting troops to appointing commanders to lead them, and to organizing the troops into units and effective armies. Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865) also allows a number of ways for the player to customize the units he commands.

Volunteers Needed!

War! War! War! The beginning of the Civil War saw both sides mustering volunteers to fight for their cause. When the war was said to last ninety days tops, there was no lack of men willing to join the ranks. The initial recruitment system was not designed for a long war. As the war dragged on and number of casualties kept rising, the fervor died with the brave volunteer soldiers. Soon both sides would struggle to fill their ranks.

During the campaign of Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865), player will need to manage the armies carefully to keep on fighting. Here, support and morale play a key role. Each state is tracked for support for both sides of the war, and the morale of the population. With high morale, or war fervor, you will find volunteers to fight for the side they support, especially if the contract time is short. Some states will end up supplying troops for both sides. But as the war drags on and list of casualties within the state grows longer, the willingness to join up will diminish. While volunteers could be difficult to lead at times, especially when the end of the contract period is near, drafting could cause opposition among the public and increased rate in desertion.

This means, population is the key. And there are ways to influence the population, from policies to economy and to immigration, to having armies foraging up all the food in the countryside or even raiding and burning the crops to deny support for the other side. With mismanagement of the population, you could end up with no-one left willing to join the ranks, and many of the service men reported being away without leave.

Getting Organized.

In addition to recruiting new units, infantry, cavalry and artillery, player has the tools to manage the organization of the armies. Single brigades can be formed into divisions and corps, and placed under armies, or garrisoned in fortifications. This is done in the army management view (as seen in the image above), by dragging and dropping units inside the order of battle. While changes within an army will happen fast, transferring unit to another theater will take time.

Whenever a new unit is created, player has the ability to appoint the commander he wishes. Managing the commanders is important, and here too player has some options. There are three types of commanders available: professional soldiers (mostly Westpointers), volunteers and high ranking political figures, and each type has its own characteristics. The professionals are trained for warfare, and come with a special experience in one of the four main “branches” in the U.S. military of the time: infantry, cavalry, artillery or engineer. Even though most are captains, as the U.S. army is merely 16,000 men prior to the Civil War, they can be trusted with command responsibility wherever needed. The volunteers are from the recruiting state, and usually have no experience of military matters. They too can rise in rank, but require combat experience. A political strongman, assigned in high command within your army, could bring in the support of his state, but could also create personal issues within the leadership, and be hard to get rid of without a political backlash.

In commander management, the personalities matter, as will seniority and fame, and political influence. Not always you can put the best man in command of the largest armies. And in case of defeat, even the best commander could lose the trust of his men and the population, and needs to be replaced to avoid a drop in support.

Unit Customization.

When recruiting, player has the first opportunity to customize the new unit (though this is not necessary, if the player does not want to). The color of the uniform can be changed for the unit to stand out, or the main weapon changed. In case of weapons, most important weapon types of the Civil War will be available, but being able to use them requires money, industry, or import. A mix of obsolete weapons like flintlock muskets for infantry or shotguns for troopers will always be available, and the more standardized weapon types will cost a lot less money and time to produce in numbers. So, while equipping all of your army with repeating rifles or breech-loaders could sound tempting, it won’t be possible for your armories to produce the more complex weapon types fast enough in required numbers.

When the volunteer (or forced via conscription) greenhorns are formed into brigades and ordered to join an army, they are not much of soldiers. Drilling them will do some good, but only with combat experience, “seeing the elephant”, will they become an effective fighting force, especially if well led by a competent officer.

When a unit gains experience and stands out from the rest, it’s possible that they get specialized training (a ka an attribute, a perk), that makes them more effective in certain way of fighting, or allows them to carry out feats others cannot. The unit could become known for its fearsome charge (“Texans always move them!”) or sheer discipline (“They must be made of iron!”), or it could have specially trained sharpshooters for effective long range engagements, or engineers to build pontoon bridges. The number of these perks will be limited, making the specialized units really stand out. With enough experience, or a heroic feat in a battle, they will get better in their trait, and even become an elite unit, in which case player can rename the unit (yes, it does make a difference whether a unit is called “1st Brigade” or “Iron Brigade”, doesn’t it?) and give them a unique flag they will carry proudly in battle. Armies and fleets can also receive custom attributes to make them more effective: a balloon corps would help in intelligence gathering while rigorous forced marches could earn fame as a “foot cavalry”. To mention a few…

The unit customization options are historical, and hopefully will make you care more about your units and the fate of the men serving in them. They will not make super-soldiers out of your troops, but the public will love great stories about the famous units, and in a desperate fight, the arrival of an elite unit could rally wavering men to stand their ground instead of turning and running.

Most Respy,
Gen’l. Ilja Varha
Chief Designer, &c.
Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on July 26, 2019, 12:14:18 AM
Summer Campaign In Motion.
Posted Jul 25, 12:42 pm

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/blog/images/23.jpg)



Gen’l,

While news have been scarce during the summer, the Grand Tactician -team has been pushing full steam ahead on multiple fronts.

Fleets are Being Constructed.

Construction of ships and creating fleets under naval officers is possible. Depending on capacity in your ports, you can build ship types depending on available technology and resources. With certain policies, you could also import new ship types from Europe. Assembling a fleet is as easy as managing the armies: simply drag and drop ships from ports (“pool”) to the fleets. You can even do this if the ships are not yet finished. They will join the fleet once ready. Moving single ships between ports and fleets has a delay depending on travel speed and distance to cover.

There are 26 different ship types available to build, from simple gunboat steamers (mainly civilian ships with some armament) to ocean going ironclads. Each one has different attributes, for example the number of days they can spend at sea. As these numbers will be different within a fleet, to reduce micromanagement, we have added automatic ship rotation within fleets. This means the fleet itself will always be where you ordered it to be, for example blockading enemy ports or patrolling, but single ships will autonomously return to port for supplies, repairs, and upgrades, then return to the fleet. If you add a monitor class ironclad to a fleet with sailing sloops-of-war, it means the sloops can stay out a lot longer, and the monitor will need to resupply about every 20 days…

Campaign Map Gets Populated.

Work on an epic campaign map has been ongoing from producing the tools to populating the map with cities, towns, roads, railroads, and so on. This includes a ton of historical research, and sites like bridgehunter.com have become real useful in finding out which bridges and ferries have existed at what time, and when they were built. As we allow expanding the railroad network during the game, we will also have the correct railroads ready and available depending on campaign starting date: years before the war the rail network started expanding rapidly, and work continued throughout the war.

With an infrastructure network concept implemented, the map, including economy and logistics, will interact with the armies. Armies will be able to block trade and supply flows through towns, bridges, mountain passes, rivers, canals, etc. This allows real nice maneuvering to cut enemy supply lines by taking choke-points or raiding railroads. Taking hold of Mississippi river alone, for example, will be possible without the need to control whole states in south.

This will take some time, though, as the map is huge. Once ready, the map looks will be improved by the artists, and this will include also the beautiful paper map as seen in previous blogs.

Bolstering the Armies.

By adding customizable attributes to armies and fleets player can make his experienced units more effective. For example an army could become more effective in intelligence gathering in multiple ways. Using a balloon is slow, but with experience, the aeronauts could maybe direct artillery fire, making the army slightly more effective in sieges? Or an intelligence bureau would improve accuracy of information about unseen enemy movements and the information delay? Or maybe organize hand picked cavalry scouts to work behind enemy lines, like Wade Hampton’s iron scouts? The amount of attributes for armies will be limited in numbers, so you better choose wisely. And yes, here too we aim for historical accuracy instead of gamey superpowers.

We also added a little feature called “history” for commanders and units. This means the game will track what your armies and officers are doing during the game – listing dates of promotions, battles fought, and such. Additional information about, for example, pre-campaign history can be added manually. This allows the player to better keep track on who’s who in his military.

Armies and fleets already roam the campaign map, and the campaign-to-battle-to-campaign -link is established. Though a lot of work is still ahead on this side, including combat models for sieges, naval battle and so on, it’s encouraging to see the main ideas behind the game come to life.

Bolstering the Story.

As you can see, a lot has happened in Grand Tactician during the summer. We also are finalizing the original soundtrack recordings, and starting the work on the campaign videos, using LionHeart FilmWorks’ beautiful footage, with a professional TV producer. All this will allow better immersion into the Civil War world of Grand Tactician!

Have a great summer! Most Respy,

Gen’l. Ilja Varha,
Chief Designer, &c.


Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on September 01, 2019, 03:53:53 PM
Operations.
Posted Aug 31, 10:39 pm


(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/blog/images/25.png)

Gen’l,

The Grand Tactician is an operational level strategy game. This means the main thing the player is supposed to do, is to muster, supply and command his/her armies and fleets in order to meet the strategic goals of the nation. While we have discussed and shown in videos how commanding armies functions in battles, this time let’s take a quick look at what’s in store on the campaign side.

Your Orders, Sir?

Like on battles, we use order delays on campaign as well. Here, too, the delays depend on initiative of commanders and distance between units within an army. But when commanding the armies themselves, you are able to utilize telegraph infrastructure. Telegraph stations within range of one another are considered in contact, which allows a chain from the capital city to the armies. When on campaign, the player can use the army to construct new telegraph stations. But these stations can be captured or burned down by the enemy, which will mean the loss of communications and much slower delivery of orders. Other military infrastructure the player’s armies can erect in the game are supply depots and forts. But we’ll cover those later!

Like in battles, the movement order can be given as timed orders. This will better allow coordinating movements of multiple corps within an army, for example, to make sure they can support one another during the movement too. You can also direct the army to use, or not to use transportation via railroads, rivers, or sea. Depending on the route, and available transportation equipment, the army will then take the quickest route and transportation combination to ordered destination. This will allow amphibious movement and river expeditions. If a forced march is ordered, the unit will move faster, but rate of attrition will go up, and condition of men down, while also readiness suffers.

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/contentimg/2019-8/DELAY2.png)

Armies can be ordered to take offensive or defensive stance. When offensive, the units will engage enemy units, siege enemy forts and reinforce battles that take place within their range, or the range of their parent army, if they are within range of the army commander. Offensive units will encamp when movement is finished, but will not start to dig in to allow quick reaction to further movement orders. When encamped, units will be resupplied, and the men can rest. If encamped during the winter, the army will go to winter quarters, which will protect them from the cold, but will increase order delays. Defensive units will not engage enemies within range, but will instead stop and dig in. If two opposing defensive units meet, they will both entrench and the end result could be Petersburg kind of trench warfare stalemate situation. Offensive and defensive orders will allow you to block terrain and enemy movements, create reserves, and so on, with ease.

Cavalry during the Civil War was a versatile branch of arms, with the effects taking place also outside field battles. For this reason player can order the way he wants his cavalry to act within his armies. During the early war, guarding was the most usual task. The cavalry would patrol the close proximity of the armies, secure lines of communications and be deployed as a screen behind the main line to stop stragglers and deserters. In this role the cavalry units will not fight in the battles, but on campaign game-play, the readiness and security of the army is improved, and desertion lower. When raiding, the cavalry will attack enemy infrastructure, skirmish with enemy units, and forage the countryside. This allows burning down the Shenandoah Valley, and similar operations, which will also hurt the support of the civilian population. The third special order for cavalry is to scout. Scouting cavalry will improve readiness and intelligence gathering of the army immensely, will skirmish with enemies within range, but will not appear in battles, except in case of a cavalry corps. If on a scouting mission, a cavalry corps will join field battles, but could arrive a bit late due to the need to concentrate beforehand. Think Stuart at Gettysburg. With no special orders, the cavalry will fight in field battles with the rest of the army.

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/contentimg/2019-8/RAID2.png)


Any Signs of the Enemy, Sir?

While the above orders allow flexibility in your use of the armies and planning of operations, one problem you have is the information about your enemy. Many times during the Civil War, the information about enemy movements was quite vague. While it probably was known if an enemy army was on the move, the exact location and status was not. And this made operations tricky.

To simulate this effect, we have created a different kind of fog-of-war mechanic for our campaign map – we call it the intelligence map. In battles, you basically see the enemy units when your units spot them in the terrain. On the campaign map the same is true, but information about unspotted enemies will also be available. This information is gathered via spies, scouts, local loyal population and from the local news – even those of the enemy. The less sources of information you have from an area, the less accurate the intelligence from there will be.

We simulate this intelligence by showing approximate information about the enemy, hidden in the fog-of-war: for example you may learn that Jackson’s Corps was sighted near a town three days ago. Most likely the corps has since then moved on… but where to? When intelligence about the same unit pops up from elsewhere, you are able to track the approximate movement of the enemy. But there are a couple of twists there: depending on the cunning of the commander in question, the intel delay is further increased. Also the number of men within the army will be just an estimate. And depending on your commanders, they may interpret and assess the received intelligence with errors. So, with this mechanic, it will be possible that the 500,000 rebels reported by McClellan being dug in around Richmond could actually be quite a lot less in numbers, and maybe attacking the right flank as we speak!

To help the player to understand what kind of intelligence to expect and from where, we’ve added an information layer on the campaign map. With this layer we can easily visualize on the map the intelligence coverage. With the same system we are able to show a lot of other information later on, like the dynamic front lines (depending on positions of armies, ownership of towns, etc.), population density, support, and so on.

Most Respy,

Gen’l. Ilja Varha,
Chief Designer, &c.



Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on September 28, 2019, 01:37:16 PM
Sinews of War - Economy: Part II
Posted Sep 28

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/blog/images/26.jpg)



Gen’l,

Today we take a look at the economy of Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865). Although there were many hints from the community to not overdo the economic part of the game we thought that this was an important factor of this war. Therefore we are currently adding all the nice features to the game, but taking care of not forcing the player to micromanage too much.

Most of the economy in Grand Tactician is run by the AI, for example companies are established automatically near towns depending on the available workforce, connected infrastructure, corporate tax and the local availability of pre-goods and demand for the finished product. These companies produce more than 30 goods which are circulating through the trade system, all produced to feed and arm your economy, population, military units and fleets. Supply depots are building up stocks in weapons, ammunition and provisions to supply nearby armies. Although supply depots can be captured or constructed by the player, you will always need to take care about your supply lines as trade and supply routes can be cut off to reduce the condition and morale of the affected units. If a unit operates far from its supply base the supply trains take longer to reach it, resulting in lower supply rates. If you overstretch your supply lines you may use means like Sherman on his march through Georgia in 1864: raiding and foraging. But who knows the outcome of such operations? The economy in the affected region would suffer, people would starve and maybe more men are rushing into the enemy ranks.


Land of the Free, but Not for All.

A very controversial and sensitive topic for us was the representation of slavery in our game. As slavery was the main cause of the war we decided not to abandon it to play safe, sanitizing the evils of men – as that would desecrate the integrity of the historical story we’re attempting to portray. From an economic perspective the use of slaves on the southern farms led to a plunge in production costs of agricultural products, thus leading to a huge competitive advantage. A southern farmer could have returns of 20% on his investment, much more than the average return on industrial investments. In reality the northern states had nearly 10 times the industrial output than the southern states while 84% of the southern economy was related to agriculture – especially “King Cotton”. These effects are accurately simulated in our game. But we will also add a pre-war campaign scenario, which allows the player to push the economic development into another direction by using certain political means. So maybe in 1861 the South has industrial dominance and blocks northern harbors while the North needs to buy blockade runners from Britain?

Looking back into history, the US pre-war economy was closely linked to Europe. Especially Great Britain and France were depending on “colonial goods” like cotton and tobacco. The player will need to negotiate trade treaties and secure his export routes, while there will also be option to import products from Europe, weapons or modern battleships for example. The latter was mostly an option used by the Confederacy as money was better available than production sites. Although we allow European nations to intervene in the war, Britain or France will weight what to gain and what to loose: so blocking southern harbors to push up cotton prices may not force Britain to react if the country is more depending on Union wheat deliveries, which was an important topic as well, due to the higher demand since the Crimean War. But maybe the Confederate player increases the pain further by adopting an export ban on cotton? As the Old World superpowers used blockade as a legal means for their own warfare, a blockade tight enough may prevent intervention as well.


Military Focus Maintained.

A further aspect of the war was the change of the means of transports. Canals and later railroads not only affected troop movements but also trade routes. The railroad network can be expanded to further strengthen infrastructure. This will be an important issue especially in pre-war scenarios. Trade flows much faster along major rivers like Mississippi, the many canals leading west, and railroads, making them priority targets for military operations. Especially raiding tactics could disturb or even cut trade and supply routes, resulting in lower production, more expensive supplies and less corporate development. This is directly connected to the morale of the public, which is the key factor that allows waging the war to a decisive conclusion.

As you can see the economy works very detailed in the background, but grand tacticians don’t need to be afraid: the player will only need to take a few major decisions to influence the economic state of his nation, either by using certain policies or determining the economic framework on a macro scale. Also the economic system is not as vulnerable as in my previous game The Seven Years War (1756-1763), where each industry building could produce only one type of goods. Now, a single iron works can produce rifles, artillery pieces and ammunition depending on demand and expertise. So there would not be a total lack needed goods, but as the production suffers, prices will skyrocket and this will hurt the whole nation.

Your Most Obedient Servant,

Gen’l. Oliver Keppelmüller,
Chief of Engineers, &c.


Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Skoop on October 09, 2019, 06:39:43 AM
The game looks like it's coming along nicely.  Any word if they need more testers ?  I got some time available for alpha testing.
Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on November 08, 2019, 09:57:46 PM
The Final Winter Quarters
Posted Nov 8
Author iv


(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/blog/images/27.jpg)





Gen’l,

As 2019 draws close to end, it’s time to take a look at where the Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865) stands. While a lot has been achieved so far – and it would be possible to march the game as an inexperienced greenhorn to the field – we have decided to continue drilling in winter quarters to make sure the game is ready to face the odds. While the delay to summer 2020 may come as a disappointment to the troops in the field, there will be plenty to do while preparing for the decisive summer campaign. And this time, let’s have a look at some of the remaining features in the game, and the time line to finish them – this will also answer some of the questions raised by the community recently.

From Economy to Politics.

The economic concept of the game has been described already in recent blogs Economy – Part I and Part II. Currently we are finalizing the economy with government funding controls, with 19th century references. The economy was very different back then, with most of the U.S. Government funding to cover administration costs and military upkeep coming from tariffs, excise taxes, loans and land sales. In 1860, the annual budget was a bit over $60 million. Mustering the great armies and fleets of the Civil War, more money was needed, with U.S. defence spending alone hitting its peak of nearly $1,200 million in 1865. This of course requires new ways of government funding. Here politics come in.

In the game, player can steer the direction of his nation with policies. The policies will be divided into different categories, one being the economic branch. Here player can choose to push for new means of collecting revenue, like the revenue act of 1862, introducing the first federal income tax. With this policy in place, player has access to income tax control to increase the amount of tax. While more money is collected, this will affect the wealth of the population – which they use to set up new industries and to buy goods. While the collected taxes and tariffs will not be sufficient to cover the cost of a prolonged war, issuing bonds and borrowing money will allow keeping the wheels of war turning. With problems to cover the interests, credit rating will slowly plummet and prices rise, so a strong economy is needed to fight on. Player can also step back and let the AI auto-manage the economy.

Policies are also used to drive military innovations and reforms, as well as expansion and diplomacy. By issuing government funding in form of subsidies (from the collected revenue), player can influence the policy makers. Player can for example expand the pool of recruits by introducing conscription, inspire western expansion, or improve relations with the European powers, allowing weapon imports and even purchase of modern warships.

Freedom of Action.

In Grand Tactician campaign you are free to choose your strategy and design your own operations. As the AI enemy will be doing to the same, it’s highly unlikely Your Civil War will follow the War’s historic path. This is of course a problem for me, the game and map designer, as at the same time we want historically accurate, detailed battlefields and on the other hand the battles could happen where in reality they did not.

Creating the historical battlefields and maps has already been discussed in our previous log entry. These maps will be used in the campaign. We’ve added on our campaign map, with a ton of other information, so called “battlefield markers” that control where the battlefields are located. So, if two armies clash near Manassas, then the battle will take place on this historic battlefield. The maneuvering of the units according to campaign map disposition is taken into account, so reinforcements and troop movement directions are assigned accordingly.

We’ve also added “random map markers” as well. These markers manage a number of sets of non-historic battlefields. These battlefields will also be manually created to allow the same level of detail as the historic maps. The sets are compiled according to terrain in different parts of the United States, so you would not get same randomly chosen map in Texas and Vermont. There is also an upside to not having procedural random maps: the level of detail in the maps and the game-play aspect. Even maps generated randomly for simple hex based terrain engines (Steel Panthers is a prime example) tend to produce quite good maps, but also very bad ones. And while getting your campaign randomly produce you an impossible terrain to fight in would be fairly realistic, it would certainly kill some of the fun – especially if this was the battle that would decide the fate of your nation.

And while the initial release will see a certain number of battle maps available, with the described mechanic in place, we can later on expand the number of maps and the size of the randomly picked map sets. Basically any later created map can be very easily integrated in the main campaign map, expanding the game as post-release development goes on.

The Time Line.

We are driving on, as planned previously, to include all the main features by the end of the year. With these implemented, we will have an alpha version in our hands, and will start proper testing of the game engine(s) to fix bugs and balance the game play. While alpha testing is ongoing, we will have time to polish the game, including adding campaign cut scenes using LionHeart FilmWorks’ epic footage directed by professional producer and director Matti Veekamo. A beta version should be available around March, and from there we would march on to summer 2020 release.

But before the end of the year, we are planning on releasing more info and footage from the campaign game play. So stay close to nearest telegraph station to hear the news as they appear!

Your Most Obedient Servant,

Gen’l. Ilja Varha
Chief Designer, &c.

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on January 19, 2020, 02:19:25 AM
Grand Strategy, Part I
Posted Dec 31
Author iv

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/blog/images/28.jpg)


Gen’l,

The War was not over by Christmas, like some of the more optimistic Engineer Corps officers made you believe earlier. But as the last full development year of the game draws to an end, it’s time to take a quick peek at the campaign side of the game. Sometimes a few images tell more than a wall of text, so let’s jump right into it!

In Command of the Armies.

In the campaign, player takes a role in the high command of his chosen side’s leadership. In the above image you can see the power balance between North and South – this balance is what you are trying to tip over to your favor! Here, playing as the Union, good ‘ole Honest Abe is running the show, with good, though a lot older All-American was hero Scott in command of the northern armies. Most important thing is to keep the morale of the citizen and support high. Only this way can the Union rely on volunteers to fill the ranks, and the citizen to keep carrying the weight of the war. The listed numbers control this balance, so winning battles is just one part of the puzzle, that the population is trying to figure out from the news.

As it’s 1861, the means for funding the war are quite different from to-day:

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/contentimg/blog_2019-12/Finances.jpg)

Your government is funded by land sales and taxes, and by loans and bonds when needed. As the player, you can influence how funds are collected and then distributed – or you can leave this to the all-so-trustworthy politicians (automanage). After the fixed costs of military upkeep, the surplus can be diverted as government subsidies to support the kind of policies you choose to follow. More about the policies later. You can also compare the economic success with that of the foe.

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/contentimg/blog_2019-12/VirginiaCoast.jpg)

The Theaters of War.

In the game, the campaign takes place on an epic campaign map, spanning from Maine to Texas, from Florida to Dakota territory. The map is created from period surveys, and most important routes can be seen dotting the countryside, along with hundreds of towns, ports, ferries… The rail lines can be expanded during the game, too, as can be seen in this comparison picture (also from editor) from 1850 to 1865:

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/contentimg/blog_2019-12/Railroads.jpg)

And below is the campaign map in action. You see the roads and rail lines, along with canals, mountain passes and ferries – and the dynamic weather system creating different weather on different parts of the map.

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/contentimg/blog_2019-12/OverviewMap.jpg)

On this fine July day, the General, whose name is on every lips right now, and in a good way for now, does not need to worry about rain and muddy roads. Though he may be worried more about the untrained troops he is going to lead into battle soon, in the scorching heat.

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/contentimg/blog_2019-12/Frontlines.jpg)

When zooming out from the terrain, you, again, can use the paper map to see the big picture. When zooming all the way out, you have also tools to visualize how the campaign map lives behind the scenes. While you can see the state lines running neatly in the map, this is not the military reality. To see who is in command of what areas, player can choose to view the dynamic front lines, as they move. Here you can, for example see, how controlling forts in Virginia places parts of that state and North Carolina under Union control – a true thorn in the side. When the armies move and cities are conquered, the front lines move as well. Area and infrastructure under your control is blocked from the enemy to use freely – this includes and allows cutting supply lines!

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/contentimg/blog_2019-12/HarperFerry.jpg)

Here Patterson, who still is one of the top Generals in Union Army, has his troops camped on the northern entry to Shenandoah Valley, over watching Harper’s Ferry. As the town is under Union command, northern supplies and trade flow there freely. In case it would be blocked by the Confederates of Johnston, the flow of supplies would cease, and the transport capacity in this area would suffer. This means raiding will be an important tactic, which will not only deny the enemy important routes for the time being, but will also effect the area for a longer time, as replacing equipment, roads, railroads, etc. are needed. A well placed raid deep into enemy territory could have severe consequences, not only in cutting supply lines, but also affecting the morale and support of the population in the longer term!

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/contentimg/blog_2019-12/Intelligence.jpg)

Here, on the map, Union Army intelligence gathering is shown in a heat-map. Though McDowell rates his intelligence as excellent, he has no idea what is happening beyond the Confederate armies, and even the information about those armies is sketchy. Also seen are the combat and command radii of the army. Within the combat radius (inner circle), enemy units are engaged if the unit stance is set to offensive – if defensive, the unit will stop and start digging in. Within the command radius (outer ring) other armies can reinforce this army, in case it goes to battle. Though, the further away the other armies are, the longer it takes for them to reach the battlefield. In this position it’s even possible that Johnston’s Army would reach Manassas quicker than Patterson? Patterson could move in and hold Johnston in place (both on defensive stance and close together will fortify positions and are considered “locked” to one another), but if he’s cunning, he could slip away regardless?

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/contentimg/blog_2019-12/Fleet.jpg)

In the Chesapeake Bay, Union has a fleet ready to sail out to meet the Confederate Navy, or to support land operations by bombarding forts or escorting transports to, say, the Peninsula? But who would go on that God-forbidden swampy wasteland? At least any time soon…

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/contentimg/blog_2019-12/Recruit1.jpg)

Army Management Made Easy.

Keeping the armies in shape for fighting is vital. This means also recruitment and management. Here McDowell’s ranks are bolstered with a new Brigade. Volunteers are available where support is high, and population is available. States can, and will, provide troops for both sides of the war if the population’s support is divided. At least in Maine the rebel cause has not won many hearts, so the recruits will be heading to D.C. in blue uniform. But only for 3 months for now, as that’s what Abe said it would take to quell this pesky rebellion – and that’s how long the contract is.

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/contentimg/blog_2019-12/Recruit2.jpg)

Once the required regiments are mustered, the shiny new brigade will march to join McDowell’s 4th Division under Runyon. Depending on distance, the time can be from days to weeks. Commanders can also transfer units within the army, or between armies, by simply dragging and dropping, and off they march:

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/contentimg/blog_2019-12/TransferUnit.jpg)

And in case you’re not happy with the weapons the unit is carrying, upgrading is possible. But bear in mind, you will need functioning weapon industry or good relations with European superpowers willing to export their weapons. Standardization plays a role, so throwing expensive repeating rifles at every unit is – in addition to complete waste of ammunition – handled within the economy.

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/contentimg/blog_2019-12/UpgradeWeapon.jpg)

OK, that’s it for this year, General! More campaigning will be coming your way soon! Have a Happy New Year!

Most Respy,

Gen’l. Ilja Varha,
Chief Designer, &c.

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on February 21, 2020, 12:07:41 AM
Campaign Game-Play
Thu, 20 February 2020

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/33276817/80a1fbe5899c847215ce6a658fcd0713449c7c4f.png)

A pre-alpha campaign game-play video of Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)

A pre-alpha campaign game-play video of Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865), showcasing some of the campaign features in the game. Everything in this video is still work in progress, and subject to change during the development.

https://youtu.be/ZRdRLmPcBZw

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on March 16, 2020, 01:02:04 AM
Pre-Alpha Trailer
Mar 8, 2020

https://youtu.be/Gu3dx_jN_tE


A trailer showing pre-alpha game-play from campaign and battle.

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on April 16, 2020, 01:18:09 AM
Alpha Reached.
Wed, 15 April 2020

Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865) development is advancing as planned and we have reached Alpha-stage.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/33276817/82718dd9afe36ed918cda283f5c0030d7266203a.png)


Special dispatch, April 15, 2020.

Gen'l,

We're glad to report, that Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865) development is advancing as planned and we have reached Alpha-stage. This means that the game has now all the main features implemented. The final leg of the march towards Summer 2020 is now underway. Huzzah!

During the coming months we will be adding the final assets in the game and will be busy hunting and squashing bugs, improving the code, optimizing, and adding the playable content. We will also be sharing more information in our development blog, as well as releasing some new images and footage from the game - so stay tuned.

Recently we have released two new videos, which You can find below. They show the last pre-alpha -footage of the game, in form of a trailer, as well as a campaign story video, where you can see the epic re-enactment footage from Richmond, Virginia based LionHeart FilmWorks - be sure to also check out their YouTube channel, which is full of great historical videos from the Civil War to modern times! These campaign videos will be used to tell the story of the Civil War, as it unfolds.

We thank You for the continuous support! Onwards to Summer!

I am, sir, Your very ob't se'v't,

O. KEPPELMÜLLER, Gen'l. Engineer Corps.

PS. A lot of followers have asked about the historical fonts we're using in the game UI. For some, 19th-Century cursive is difficult to read, so we've lately added an option to switch to an easier to read font, if one wishes to. We'll keep on tracking the feedback and taking it into account the best we can!

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on April 27, 2020, 02:16:07 AM
Grand Strategy, Part II
Apr 26, 09:49 pm

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/blog/images/29.jpg)


Gen’l,

The American Civil War officially ended in May 1865, four long and bloody years after the rebellion turned into armed confrontation. Though it was quite clear from the onset that the Confederacy had no real chance for victory, it took four years and hundreds of thousands of casualties to finish the war of the rebellion. But, at many points, the war could have taken a very different turn – and that’s what Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865) is all about.


Chapters & Objectives.

In our previous blog we discussed the story of the game, showing one of the  chapter videos. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNkczAky9dE&feature=youtu.be) The War, our main character, is divided into four chapters. Some followers of the blog were concerned we would use these chapters to steer the War along the historical lines, from 1st Manassas to Vicksburg to Petersburg, &c. But fear not! The chapters are there to carry the story, not the decisions made by the player.

Like revealed previously, each chapter will have some objectives to complete and to keep alive the war effort of your nation. Instead of directing the player to move certain direction, the objectives can be achieved in multiple ways. The main objective is to crush the enemy’s morale. Once the other side breaks, the game will end. This could happen early on in the game, or later than historically. It all depends on the campaign events, orchestrated by the player and the opposing AI.

Chapter I is the time before open hostilities, but the game cannot be won there. What’s the point of a Civil War game, if there is no Civil War? There are certain historical facts we are following to make sure the Civil War will erupt. For example, the southern player cannot simply choose to abolish slavery before secession – as then there most probably would not have been a secession in the first place? There will be a chance to do this later, though, but even then it’s not a simple thing to do, nor without drawbacks.

In Chapter II, as described in previous blog, there will be objectives to direct how the war will evolve. For example, winning the first major battle in the war will be an objective for both sides, and this battle will have more weight than any later battles in what comes to morale of the citizen. In general, the morale will continue to go down on both sides, the speed being dependent on campaign events like victories, losses, casualties… Some objectives will boost morale, for example by winning multiple consecutive battles, or taking the fight to the enemy’s territory.

Then there are historical objectives that player can try to achieve to gain the upper hand, like for Confederacy to capture border states and make them secede and officially join the Confederacy. In Chapters II and III there are also objectives to influence the Union elections. During the War there were two main elections: the House of Representatives election of 1862 and the presidential election of 1864. In either case, if Republicans, Mr. Lincoln’s party, would have lost, there would have been a chance of turmoil in Union policy making. If the Union support can be lowered enough, the elections will not play out as they did historically, and the nation would be further divided, driving the Union towards peace with Confederacy – which is one way for the south to win the game.

If events follow the historical lines, in the end, the war will end in exhaustion, with one side breaking first. And for the Confederacy, the underdog in the game, there is for example an objective to cause great enough casualties to make the northern spirits waver – even if own casualties would also be high.


Policies.

Many readers of the Engineer Log have been asking about how we will implement research or politics in the game. Regarding the latter you see some hints above. But in the big picture we will not handle internal or partisan policies any further. This is something that happens in the background. Instead, we have a game mechanic called “policies”, where player can set the guidelines for his nation to follow.

The policies are linked to finances. Player, whose actions are government funded, will need money for the war effort. With the collected funds player will recruit and pay military upkeep, but there is more. With government subsidies player can influence the economy of the nation, trade, diplomatic relations with the European superpowers, recruiting, public order and policy making. From these, let’s take a closer look at the policies.

Both sides have a policy tree available, with some twenty policies and similar amount of acts in them. Policies provide certain bonuses to the nation, but only a limited number of them can be chosen at a time. This forces the player to prioritize, as he cannot have it all. Funding -branch of policies allows new means of collecting government funds, military policies allow new means of recruitment, and so on. With industrial focus player can unlock new weapon types to produce, and with diplomacy policies new imported weapon types become available. Each policy “branch” has multiple levels in it, and these levels are unlocked when moving to next Chapters. Player can change the policies to follow, but this will take some time, which simulates the political debate needed. Diverting money to policy making shortens the delays and allows more policies simultaneously.

Acts on the other hand are one time political decisions that player will need to live with for the rest of the game. You can see a number of Union Acts in the bottom row of the image above. Acts are not limited in number, but they can be accessed only via certain policy, act, or a combination. Each act will bring a benefit, but also some drawbacks, so choose wisely. For with Militia Acts, player can introduce longer contracts to volunteer service to make his armies more effective in the long run, but this will reduce the amount of men willing to volunteer. And when out of volunteers, there’s the possibility to introduce recruitment bounties, with more volunteers available for money, but also introducing disciplinary issues in the ranks. Or maybe one wishes to introduce conscription, allowing drafting…

The policies and acts also allow changing the course of history. The north could end up with great relations with the natives or Europeans, while the south could try to industrialize and, at a later stage, even moderate or abolish slavery, with the possibility to recruit Confederate States Colored Troops. But, like said, all this will come with a price, and could also cause the player’s side to lose the game in the long run!


Grand Tacticians Against Micromanagement.

Like described, player has a manageable amount of tools available to change the course of history without the need to micromanage minor details. But, if the player feels even this is too much responsibility to bear, both the finances and policies can be given to the AI to handle.

Most Respy,

Gen’l. Ilja Varha,
Chief Designer, &c.


Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Skoop on April 27, 2020, 05:42:19 PM
This game looks great, can’t wait to try it.
Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on April 27, 2020, 11:48:01 PM
This game looks great, can’t wait to try it.

I have been lucky to be able to access the game while it is being developed. The devs have put in a lot of effort and it is coming along nicely :thumbsup

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on May 29, 2020, 02:54:36 AM
Guest Blog: Philippe Thibaut.
Posted May 19

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/blog/images/30.jpg)

Gen’l,

In this devblog we have a very special guest writer. So far we have not shown the game to outsiders of the development team, except in the official updates like these dev blogs. But when a renown strategy game designer Philippe Thibaut asks to have a look at the game… Well, you show the game! You may know Philippe as the author and designer of the original board-game and PC-title Europe Universalis, or the founder and lead designer of AGEOD, including titles like Birth of America, Civil War, and the gigantic Civil War II, the most comprehensive strategy game of the American Civil War to date!

So, let Philippe himself describe his first impressions after having a look at Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865) alpha-version, the campaign and battle game-play, behind the scenes.

– Ilja Varha, Designer, The Grand Tactician -Team.


(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/contentimg/blog_2020_05/LeeQuote.png)

Meylan, France, May 12, 2020, 9 p.m.

Tonight, I was very lucky and had the honor to have a personal presentation of the brand-new game Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865) directly by its lead designer and author Ilja Varha.

First impression? Well, I am missing words…may be “Woahh…!!” is looking most appropriate.

I have been in video games for the last 22 years, worked on Europa Universalis and all the AGEOD titles, and many more other games, like the one I am doing now with my new venture Avalon Digital. I have played many monster games, including the Total War saga… but I must say that I am baffled!

This is, in my opinion and based on what I just saw, probably the best grand strategy game I have seen so far.

It has everything you can desire and dream of in such a venture. The level of details and the clarity and precision of the content is stunning. I thought we had done a lot in AGEOD’s American Civil War, but these guys did better… the content is impressive. No wonder it took so much time to design and produce, this is a treasure chest for any Civil War historian.

But even better, the game is exactly what a grand strategy game should be: you are not controlling everything, far from it, but you find yourself playing with two main levels of personification.

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/contentimg/blog_2020_05/Policies.jpg)
Player can steer his nation via different policies and Acts, like introducing conscription or, like here, investing in industrialization.

First, at the grand strategic level, you are a key member of your nation’s War Cabinet. You intervene on a lot of fields, from domestic politics and trade acts to foreign diplomacy or industrial conduct of the war effort. You are immersed in the huge task of creating your army from scratch (I saw the early 1862 Union side). And you also decide where to conscript, which units to raise, which commanders to appoint – The game has an encyclopedic list of over 1,300 commanders to assign to the various commands, both on land and at sea.

Fortunately, for the non-micromanagement fans (like me), a lot can be delegated to the AI (like running the economy) and that’s better like this. Speaking of economy, remember we are in the land of free enterprise, so the show is run by private businesses and it’s both realistic and ideal (no burden of choosing which little stupid building to build here or there)…

Second, you also get in command on the operational and semi-tactical levels: you have a wide range of realistic options and orders at your disposal as the Army’s High Command, and you shall have to decide on many issues and choices such as training troops, choosing deployments postures or trans-theater transfers. Preparing to battle is almost as important (if not more) as running the fight itself. Knowing (well, actually learning, like most commanders of the time) how to dispose and disperse your corps and divisions, how to make sure they can march to the sound of guns in good order, how to dispatch your orders so that they can be reached – and executed – in time, etc… the list is as long as a real Civil War general agenda… all beautifully displayed in a great art style.

And last, but not least, even for a grand-strategy only amateur like me, the part where you jump into the fray, finding yourself on the battlefield is even better thought. You enjoy – if I could say so – the torment of General Meade trying to guess where the Rebs are on this day of July 1863, and more generally trying to sort out reports in the midst of a very well rendered fog of war, weather constraints, fatigue and disorganization… you really feel you are there, and it is almost disturbingly real.

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/contentimg/blog_2020_05/Battle_Philippe.jpg)
We also took a staff ride around one of the historic battles.

We spent 3 hours on this game, I had the impression it lasted 10 minutes so big was my astonishment and marvel at such a vast game. I would even dare say a masterpiece.

I even wonder if I should take the risk of playing that game… it would capture my mind and soul and I could not leave it. I wish I had the means, knowledge and tools to have done something like that before (but my game was 13 years ago, an eternity…)

Bravo guys, keep up the good work, you just did immensely great and I expect a huge success for your game.

Chapeau Bas Messieurs!

Philippe Thibaut

CEO, Avalon Digital,
Head of Development and Lead Designer, SGS,
AGEOD : Founder and lead designer,
Europa Universalis: Game Author and Designer, &c.

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/contentimg/blog_2020_05/DavisQuote.png)


Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on June 02, 2020, 03:00:53 AM
European Intervention!
Posted May 31

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/blog/images/31.jpg)


Gen’l,

During the mid-19th Century, the United States was a world power, challenging the status of the more traditional European empires of the time. According to the Monroe Doctrine (1823), the United States would oppose any European interference in the Americas. But things have changed, with the Union dissolved, and a Civil War raging between the North and South.

European Empires.

In Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865) there are three European Empires, that could play a role in the Civil War. While Spain has lost many colonies in the early 19th Century, they still hold Cuba (or do they with 100% certainty?), and have the mindset of an Empire. The more prominent British and French empires are stronger, but exhausted by the Crimean War fought between 1853-1856 against the Russian Empire. In that war, where the Americans sent their own observers like one Captain George B. McClellan, warfare saw the emergence of iron plated ships and rifled muskets. The war also revealed some real problems with the traditional European military organization and tactics, usually associated with the Charge of the Light Brigade in the Battle of Balaclava.

The British, the former colonial masters and opponents in the War of 1812 still hold the Province of Canada north of the Great Lakes. During the Crimean War the regular troops from Canada were shipped to Europe, and have not returned. Instead, the province’s defenses rely on militia, with numbers and training being questionable at best. When the Civil War erupted, the British military took a neutral stance, observing the situation as it developed. This neutral stance took a sharp turn with the Trent Affair, where, in November 1861, a U.S. ship stopped and boarded British vessel Trent, taking Confederate diplomats into custody. This caused a great diplomatic uproar and the British started making plans for a possible intervention in North America, strengthening the forces in Canada and preparing an Expeditionary Force in Europe. While the British had some sympathy for the Southern cause, they remained neutral throughout the War. The existence of slavery in the South was seen as a moral issue, but cotton was direly needed in the British textile mills – a fact the Confederacy could try to take advantage of.

The French under Emperor Napoleon III had their own continental issues with Prussia, which made their intervention unlikely. While more sympathetic to the Confederacy, the French did not either officially recognize the Confederacy. But with the Civil War creating a power vacuum in North America, the French, along with British and Spanish see their opportunity to intervene in Middle American affairs. Mexico, still recovering from the stinging defeat in the war against United States between 1846-48, where they lost large part of their land, owes money to the Europeans. With the United States unable to intervene, a European expeditionary force is sent to Mexico to force President Juárez to pay. While the intervention begins as a joint European effort, it soon becomes clear that the French have far larger ambitions. The British and Spanish forces eventually withdraw, with the French pushing inland to conquer Mexico.

The French operation in Mexico is a large one, with troops numbers exceeding 30 000, almost one fifth of the French Army at the time. If the French are successful, it could be that the Confederacy would have a sympathetic southern neighbor, with interest to become the leading European cotton importer via Texas. And what if the Confederacy would be in position to directly support the French operation, allowing a stunning victory, and freeing up the French Expeditionary Force to other operations?

Diplomacy.

In the game it’s possible to try to influence the foreign relations with Europe. This is done by investing dollars in diplomacy, and also following policies that are appealing to the European nations. At that time, as Europe was exhausted by the Crimean War, feeding the citizen was a problem. The United States with their vast farmlands expanding to mid-West was a solution, and the Northern player could make the Union a true breadbasket of the world. Who would bite the feeding hand?

The Confederacy also holds an advantage, which is the majority of the world’s cotton production – at least for the time being. With industrial revolution, the textile mills in Europe need to be fed with cotton from the South. It is widely believed in Southern States that the King Cotton would be the decisive force, preventing a war with the North and bringing the Europeans to their aid if needed.

As the player you must weight the different political possibilities carefully, as you cannot be strong in all areas. During the game the possibility of an European intervention will change. And in case the Europeans are convinced that the Confederacy has a fighting chance, maybe a sympathetic nation would see their opportunity to grow their influence in North America, by siding with the South? The British position in Canada is not strong, but that direction offers a possibility to strike the Union’s heartlands from behind. A movement via Mexico would also be possible for the French, if the Mexican resistance is crushed.

The forces we use for the Europeans are such as they could have been during the Civil War. The capability to move huge armies to North America was limited, and the Europeans really understood the value of converting their fleets to ironclad ships after observing the Civil War naval operations. But they will not be a pushover, as the soldiers will be experienced and well drilled. In the image above you see some of the historical European commanders, operating in the American Theater at the time of the Civil War. If you play your cards right, you could see some of them on your side. And in the worst case, you may see some of them joining forces with the enemy! How many of them do you recognize?

Most Respy,

Gen’l. Ilja Varha,
Chief Designer, &c.

P.S. After a request from a follower, we made the interventions optional. In options menu you may choose to have the Europeans remain neutral no matter what.
Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on July 05, 2020, 01:12:05 AM
Who Are the Grand Tacticians?
Jul 2 2020

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/blog/images/34.jpg)

Gen’l,

As Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865) release is getting close, it’s time to take a look behind the scenes of the game’s development, and to introduce the core team of people behind the project. It’s safe to say, that the development of this game has been very different compared to the game dev industry norm. And it will continue to be so.

From Eager Amateurs to Determined Veterans.

In 2016, two men in Austria were thinking to themselves, that the strategy game niche was missing a game. The American Civil War is a very interesting topic to read about, and to learn about, but no-one had made a comprehensive game about the whole war. Of course there are the great titles like Sid Meier’s Gettysburg, AGEOD’s Civil War II, and more recent Ultimate General, and so on. But one title to grasp the story and the operational level of the conflict was still missing. There and then a decision was made to create one.

Oliver Keppelmüller, a 40 years old treasury banker from Austria, had already tried his wings in game development. He created a strategy game called The Seven Years War (1756-1763), alone, from scratch, releasing in late 2015. This game received 2 DLCs during 2016, expanding the battle game-play and adding a Swedish themed campaign of the Pomeranian War.

TSYW, as it’s called among friends, already included the elements that would be the cornerstones of Grand Tactician: strategic campaign layer with simulation of economy and military management, and a tactical battle layer where battles are fought when armies meet on the campaign map. The game also includes historic battles from the war, and a custom battle generator. Though, the dream was always to make a game about the American Civil War. (“I tried to create a Civil War strategy game since the mid 90’s in different coding languages and engines, but never finished… until NOW.”)

Ilja Varha, now a 36 years old Finnish Army officer and a military history buff, ran into Oliver’s game while working for a gaming magazine as a freelance writer. While the game was rough around the edges, it was very intriguing, as it did many things right, that other games usually ignored. Ilja, with a history of modding, wargaming and simulators, both entertainment and military use, got involved in Oliver’s project and designed the Pomeranian War DLC. It was after the release of this DLC that the seed for Grand Tactician was planted.

Peter Lebek, a 41 years old Control Room Operator in the Chemical Industry in Germany, joined the team in 2017 plugging a gaping hole in the team’s line. Now we had a full-time artist to improve the game’s visuals, especially the UI. Peter was previously involved in the Europa Barbarorum II mod for Total War, creating units and coding.

There was but one problem: none of us was a professional game developer within the industry, making a living developing games. This was, and still is, a caveat in a way: making the game would not make a living, so the development would need to take place during spare time, after the workdays and while supporting the families – Oliver and Ilja both had their first child right after the development started, who are now 3 years old, while Peter’s son is a few years older. Also during the development Ilja was accepted to General Staff studies in the Finnish Defence University, spending 2 years studying the art of war while developing the game… Even if this means time for development is always limited – and believe us when we say the boundaries have been pushed on many occasions – it also gave a freedom which professional game developers do not always have: as the game was not the livelihood, we were free to do whatever and however we wanted, without any outside pressure to make things one way or another, or by a certain date.

While inexperience made certain things difficult at first, during the years we’ve learned more than a few things while creating the game. But the most important lesson is that with the freedom we’ve enjoyed, we’ve been able to develop the game our way. And from the feedback we’ve received from the followers of the project and the game’s volunteer testing team, we’ve managed to do emphasize the things we wanted in the game design, from the historic looks and atmosphere to the realistic mechanisms that run under the hood.

The Underdogs with Future Plans.

The release of Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865) is approaching fast. But the release of the game is not meant to set the game in stone, only to be patched later on with a DLC or two released later. Instead, as the project is a true fruit of passion for us, we are determined to keep it alive, and improving it along the way.

For a gigantic project like this with the limited development time, and basically without any resources, it’s clear, that every feature we planned in 2016 is not yet included or polished. We plan on finalizing our vision by supporting the game for years to come, adding the missing features in the upgrades and patches – for free – while improving the game. At the same time we’ll keep expanding the existing content, like the number of battle-fields players can encounter in the campaign.

Post-release, the players will also have their say in the direction the project will steer from thereon. While Grand Tactician is planned to become a series of strategy games, we’re not in a hurry to go onwards with a new title, even if a few interesting ones are already discussed. Hopefully after the release we can also make the game more moddable, so fans can adjust it to their liking.

And we’re not in this alone. The Volunteers, from freelance artists to history buffs helping in research, have helped us immensely, increasing the game’s quality and atmosphere from the soundtrack recorded just for this game to the video cut-scenes and historical map drawing styles – none of this was planned in 2016. We’re humbled by the talent and morale of the volunteers, as well as the impact their work have had had on our small, but ambitious project!

So, as you can see, Grand Tactician is a true underdog in the game development industry. With full freedom of maneuver we are going to keep the project alive, improving it along the way, as we believe it could be the American Civil War strategy game for years to come.

Most Respy,

Author iv

The Grand Tactician -Team:

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/contentimg/blog_2020_07/TEAM_PNG_2.png)

The Grand Tactician -Team

Oliver Keppelmüller, 40, Austria, treasury banker.
“I think in 0s and 1s, hardly sleep and the 100k lines of code chase me in my dreams.”

Ilja Varha, 36, Finland, officer, FDF.
“Still got some great ideas to improve the game, though Oliver said he would die of old age before finishing my list…”

Peter Lebek, 41, Germany, Control Room Operator.
“Years ago: do you know a way how to adjust 50 black & white commander photos in one shape? Last week: we have now 1400 commanders in the database and some 1000 will have a colored portrait…”


Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on July 05, 2020, 01:26:06 AM
Starts with B and has an ETA.
Sat, 4 July 2020

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/654890/ss_1f78ea64c5c2c1177d4ec72b3c89605fe0ed33c7.1920x1080.jpg?t=1593526397)

Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865) reaches BETA
A Very Special Dispatch, July 4, 2020.


Gen'l,

Sir, news from the development front of Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)! We're happy to announce to all our followers, that the game has reached Beta-stage during June. To celebrate this, we've released a new game play video on our YouTube channel, showing the historic battle feature in the game. See the video:

Beta Battle Game Play: Gettysburg
https://youtu.be/8dslT5bE-Bo


The 1st beta version game play video of Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865), showing one of the historic stand-alone battles in the game, the Battle of Gettysburg. Playing as George G.


We have also released a wealth of behind the scenes information about the game in our developer's blog (See above post.)


The forced march towards release has started, but the morale is still holding. During the coming weeks we will be sharing information about the game's initial release!

We thank You for the continuous support! Fix Bayonets - and Happy 4th of July!

I am, sir, Your very ob't se'v't,

O. KEPPELMÜLLER, Gen'l. Engineer Corps.


Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on July 08, 2020, 12:17:05 AM
LionHeart FilmWorks publishes a Grand Tactician back-story video
07 June 2020

https://youtu.be/jQnWmEUVg6E


This is one of the in-game videos, carrying the story of the American Civil War. This particular one highlights very briefly the United States before the Civil War broke out. The game has 4 chapter videos like this one plus 4 different endings, depending on events.


Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on July 21, 2020, 11:41:35 PM
Grand Tactician Releases in Early Access on the 21st of August.
Tue, July 21, 2020

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/33276817/79eb0ab611f457445c19510a420eebfd1207accc.jpg)

Grand Tactician Releases in Early Access on the 21st of August.

A Very Special Dispatch, July 21, 2020.

Gen'l,

Sir, we know you have patiently waited for the order to attack. Now it's the time to make the preparations, as the attack is imminent!

On the 21st of August Grand Tactician: The Civil War 1861-1865 will be released on Steam, in Early Access, at the price of 39,99 (EUR/USD), some 10% less than the final release price (44,90 EUR/USD).

This version of the game will include three different campaign starting points (1861, 1862, and 1863), plus eleven (11) stand-alone battles.

 CLICK TO ENTER GRAND TACTICIAN STEAM PAGE (http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/index.html)


Why Early Access?

Though the game is playable, we are still hard at work to make the players' experience the best it can be. Specifically, due to the complexity of the game, bugs are still there, and the campaign game-play is not yet balanced well enough for us to be completely happy with it. A save option during battles is also one of the main improvements that the team aims at introducing as soon as possible.

For players waiting for a more refined and complete game play experience, waiting for the final release is recommended.

The game will be in Early Access for approximately the rest of the year - until we are happy with it. The time will be used for bug-fixing, balancing, adding more battle maps, and an 1864 campaign scenario.

Finally, during the early access period, players' feedback will be carefully monitored to improve the game-play experience.

After the final release, a post-release roadmap will be published, including additional features, maps, and playable content – which will be free to all owners of the game.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/33276817/261c680696dc6d6ebe355f35253a12c9a26f3fa8.png)

The soundtrack of Grand Tactician is a feature we are particularly proud of. Including only thematic songs of the period and performed by Wasel and the Weasels, the soundtrack will also be sold separately and in a special bundle with the game. This will allow listening to the songs also outside of the game, and supporting the talented volunteer musicians.

In case you want to know more about the development of Grand Tactician, don't hesitate to contact the team.

I am, sir, Your very ob't se'v't,

O. KEPPELMÜLLER, Gen'l. Engineer Corps.

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on August 05, 2020, 02:04:30 PM
This is a great developer. The small team really is passionate about creating something deep, realistic and fun.

I have been very lucky. I was given early alpha before...well anyone outside the devs that I know of. I can't really say much due to the NDA  :RTFM

In that time I have watched this title grow. It still needs some work but it is an impressive accomplishment for such a small team  :winner

You will not have long to wait as it is in early access on 21st August this year.

Give it a try  :thumbsup

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on August 21, 2020, 02:15:34 PM
Grand Tactician is Out Today in Early Access!
Fri, 21 August 2020

https://youtu.be/n2fg_ZEVKDA


A Very Special Dispatch, August 21, 2020.

Gen'l,

The highly anticipated real-time strategy game Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865) is now released in Early Access on Steam, at the price of 39,99 (EUR/USD), some 10% less than the final release price (44,90 EUR/USD). Also the game's Soundtrack by Wasel and the Weasels is available on Steam - and you may purchase the game and the soundtrack as a bundle for discounted price.

Early Access means the game is not yet in its final, intended form. Instead, we want to improve it further before calling it “ready”. By purchasing the Early Access version (for a discounted price), the player can already play the game, but for a more complete and polished experience, it is recommended to wait for the full release. If you’re marching with us with the Early Access release, the going will not be smooth and there will be many hardships along the way. But, instead of turning back when facing adversity, the march will continue until the final victory – the full release of the game – is achieved!


First Impressions:

"Grand Tactician: The Civil War is shaping up to be the definitive American Civil War strategy game."
 - Wargamer.com (https://www.wargamer.com/articles/grand-tactician-the-civil-war-early-access/)

"Grand Tactician: The Civil War threatens to make all previous ACW wargames redundant."
 - Rock Paper Shotgun (https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2020/07/24/the-flare-path-a2z-20/)

"Grand Tactician: The Civil War combines real-time tactical battles with a huge strategic and political layer, putting it in a league of its own in the historical strategy games genre."
 - PCGamesN (https://www.pcgamesn.com/grand-tactician/early-access-launch)

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/33276817/9c4f3e1860272a9c78c15ffdcad7a3e4287dc1fc.jpg)


The Road Map.
The Early Access road map is shown above. It shows the major milestones from Early Access release to full release.

What is constantly ongoing in the background are bug fixes, optimization, battle AI fixes, and so on. The road map includes the larger additions to game content, that are currently still missing from the Early Access version.

For further information about the road map content, please see the latest developer's blog here:


THE EARLY ACCESS ROAD MAP (http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/blog/articles/the-early-access-road-map)

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/33276817/fb4213d6c22efb28b146864ccc7feb1248e8933f.png)

In case you want to know more about the development of Grand Tactician, join the conversation at the game's Steam Discussion forum.

I am, sir, Your very ob't se'v't,

O. KEPPELMÜLLER, Gen'l. Engineer Corps.


Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on August 22, 2020, 03:04:04 PM
Next patch 0.72xx
21 Aug 2020


ETA ~2-3 days:

Battles:
- AI brigades now use fallbacks if outflanked (not only if morale is low)
- increased melee losses
- reworked retreat mechanism away from the enemy
- broken groups are now not taking offensive actions any more
- fixed problems with military experience leading to sudden defeats in battle right at the start (morale and fighting spirit of troops broken)

Campaign:
- fixed too high attrition due to rainfall
- fixed non-disappearing empty units, when moving between hierarchies the moved unit remained - in its old group in the background
- opening a main panel now pauses the game
- fixed: fort engagements with annihilated troops led to disappearing UI panels
- removed fow fleet variation in positioning which led to weird historic paths
- fixed: reverse campaign outcome if enemy morale breaks (victory/defeat)
- improved retreat paths for fleets to not re-trigger new naval engagements as destination port is within range of the enemy. note: in rare cases fleets may move across land (still checking this issue)
- fixed: newly created fleets are not saved
- fixed: subsidies are automatically changed after certain policies are chosen, even if automanage finances is off

Others:
- UI adjustment to fit widescreen resolutions

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on August 26, 2020, 12:58:24 AM
Latest patch 0.7204 + hotfix 0.7205
Uploaded Aug 23, 2020:


Battles:
- AI brigades now use fallbacks if outflanked (not only if morale is low)
- increased melee losses
- reworked retreat mechanism away from the enemy
- broken groups are now not taking offensive actions any more
- fixed problems with military experience leading to sudden defeats in battle right at the start (morale and fighting spirit of troops broken)
- updated Shiloh map: removed Savannah Landing

Campaign:
- fixed too high attrition due to rainfall
- fixed non-disappearing empty units, when moving between hierarchies the moved unit remained - in its old group in the background
- opening a main panel now pauses the game
- fixed: fort engagements with annihilated troops led to disappearing UI panels
- removed fow fleet variation in positioning which led to weird historic paths
- fixed: reverse campaign outcome if enemy morale breaks (victory/defeat)
- improved retreat paths for fleets to not re-trigger new naval engagements as destination port is within range of the enemy. note: in rare cases fleets may move across land (still checking this issue)
- fixed: newly created fleets are not saved
- fixed: subsidies are automatically changed after certain policies are chosen, even if automanage finances is off
- units that face much stronger enemies now automatically withdraw, same for small groups engaging
- fort sieges cannot be manually played (assaulted) now
- fixed recruiting panel issues: stuck buttons led to frozen menus (recruiting single units and creating armies, fleets, ships)
- fixed: when reloading campaign after war in 1861 no recruiting in border states is possible
- fixed: no recruitment in California possible although Go-West policy was chosen
- fixed: commander ranks for startup units sometimes not fitting to their command
- fixed: playing 1862 as CSA shows union morale broken in strategy panel
- fixed: subordinate corps do not accept moving order if army has already the order to move
- fixed: deploy to defend now shows siege panel

Others:
- UI adjustment to fit widescreen resolutions

Issues we are still working on with high priority:
- disappearing UI elements, to help us identify this issue please take a look at this post: https://steamcommunity.com/app/654890/discussions/2/4625714282753672705/
- supply and attrition in campaign
- and dozens of other improvements

Hotfix 0.7205:
- moved automanage finances checkbox back into finances panel
- preventing fort vs fort engagements


Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on August 27, 2020, 12:55:37 PM
Latest patch 0.7211
Uploaded Aug 26, 2020:

Campaign:

- fixed: UI - policies text & automanage have shifted
- fixed: recruitment pool goes negative when disbanding units
- fixed: looping battle(s) (messages) - note: maybe further issues influences this
- fixed: frozen loads related to removed units that were still shown as spotting marks on map
- fixed: errors related to raiding and reloading campaign
- fixed: frozen loads related to zero unit strength, probably also the cause for disappearing financial figures
- fixed: wrong jacket/trouser colors for Union native units
- fixed: errors related to messages when retreating in campaign
- fixed: unread message number jumping around
- fixed: corps not moving if parent army has been given order to move while order delay was running
- fixed broken units related to clicking on wrong state in unit recruiting list (out of list etc.)
- rebalanced bad weather effects on morale and therefore attrition
- siege combats are starting always with defensive stances now, no assaults
- rebalanced casualties and duration of siege combats
- fort sieges now do not end by garrison withdrawing
- fixed: reverse battle outcome if fort garrison surrenders, note: could still happen with other units envolved
- rebalanced: sudden morale drop and mass-routing in battles
- retreating units are now not taken into account any more for battle reinforcements

Others:
- taking over desktop resolution at start, could help with blurry visuals before adjusting game resolution; NOTE: prefs in options are resetted

Other high prio topics still under observation:

- disappearing UI elements: player's observations show disable steam overlay improves
- rearranging & supplying fleets


Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on August 28, 2020, 02:48:47 AM
Latest hotfix 0.7220
28 Aug 2020

As there were a lot of reports stating crashes during the game and hints that disabling steam overlay helped we have decided to launch a quick hotfix where all steam related dll's were removed to check if this leads to improved stability.

Campaign:
- fixed non working cancel button for deleting units and ships, now updating ship pool list after deleting
- adding condition of forts to name + tooltip
- fixed: after reload the basic garrison units are shown
- fixed: policies become immediately available once clicked at

Battles:
- single brigades reform now better for range combat

Others:
- removed all steam related .dll’s to improve stability

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on September 04, 2020, 12:54:47 AM
Latest patch 0.7307 & Hotfix 0.7312


Hotfix 0.7312, uploaded Sept 2, 2020:

- fixed 1861 trigger of war event policy
- fixed WV seceding already at start
- when removing brigades from corps and no brigade is existent below the army hierarchy both groups are removed (before: only corps, at second attempt: army)
- fixed: range radius still shown when units are removed

Patch 0.7307, uploaded Sept 1, 2020:

Campaign:
- fixed: multiple waypoints can make units teleport
- list of ships in fleet info panel now shows up correctly and is scrollable
- ships return now to harbor if condition is too bad and get repaired, condition is improved
- fixed: ship resupply not working
- when constructing ships the condition now shows the construction progress
- fixed: return to port button stuck
- fixed wrong 1862 fleet setups, could have also impacted garrisons
- fixed: resources cost for ship construction not shown
- fixed: if only one opponent sees the other through fow (higher intelligence) the other unit is stuck in retreat
- fixed: when reloading campaign (or coming back from campaign) the demand for trade nodes was exponentially increased which may have led to disappearing finances after a while
- rebalanced recruiting: now less separate groups are raised but newly raised units are added to existing groups
- fixed: not taking over battle orders & results from manually played battles (retreat etc.) due to subordinate groups not taking part in battle
- fixed: some garrisons jumping to top left position of the map when reloading campaign
- fixed: setting or canceling army waypoints also cancels independently operating corps
- fixed: running autoresolve combats are doubled when reloading game
- fixed: returning no battle result if battle resulted out of a fort siege
- fixed: units do not retreat if manual battle was initiated through fort assault
- empty fleets are now automatically removed when closing management panel (like group units)
- campaign is now paused when started/reloaded
- fixed: wrong policy research progress after reload
- removed: morale zero for all units that retreated out of battle
- changed: automatic withdrawal before battles is now checked taking the strength relation of the initial units, excluding reinforcements

Battles:
- fixed non moveable units related to switch of month and start at night

Others:
- added hints to loading screen (battles + campaigns), including hotkeys, UI hints
- Linking units now needs hotkey ALT to be pressed, this to prevent accidentally linking
- Workaround for disappearing UI

Note: prefs files are replaced, therefore update of resolution is needed.

Further topics are in work, we will post a preview asap!

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on September 10, 2020, 04:14:08 PM
Latest Patch 0.7407
Sep 10, 2020


Campaign:
- fixed “offshore militia” bug, a unit that was created when closing military panel while recruiting
- startup armies with only brigades attached can now recruit one subordinate group level
- reworked war trigger: Militia Act I or Fort Sumter event
- reworked 1861 startup armies: appearance of Missouri units now depending on support, not secession
- enemy newspaper messages now contain correct prosa
- fixed: missouri secedes event does not change state ownership
- retreating units can now not capture towns or infrastructure
- fixed: wrong starting ownership for forts in 62+63 scenarios
- Player has now the option to decide about engagement for every strength relation
- rebalanced influence of battles on national morale, taking enemy towns now reduces enemy morale
- fixed: casualties of the nation not accumulating after battles
- Strategy overview: tonnage now includes ships in pools, European relations are added
- rebalanced AI recruitment
- added new campaign scenario: July 1861
- fixed: commanders stats are not taken over from battles/saves
- fixed: commander filters & assignments not working properly
- promotions for commanders (esp. navy) are shown already in management panel before closing the panel
- fixed: blockades not working
- transport capacity now increases exponentially with port levels
- policy “civilian ships” now also shows reduced construction materials
- fixed: wrong transport capacity usage calculation
- fixed: if <Old Dominion> policy is not active capital is nevertheless moved to Richmond
- contract length is now linked to the nation instead of the state (prevents problematic with border states from which both sides are recruiting)
- retreating units now show a red blinking flag
- fixed: “Kansas a Slave State”: effects only shown partially
- fixed: moving corps below armies in OOB may result in multiple OOB entries
- rout of units is removed on campaign layer
- unavailable commanders now excluded from officer selection
- now more than one newspaper message can be shown per day
- fixed: stuck date after year has changed

Battles:
- removed button for ceasefire for now
- optimized (esp. artillery) targeting which took a long time when wiped units were near
- fixed: reinforcements sometimes withdraw immediately (eg. Army of the Mississippi and Reserve Corps)
- fixed: invincible small artillery detachments

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on September 23, 2020, 12:58:05 PM
Latest Patch 0.7505
Sept 23, 2020


Campaign:
- fixed: dummy commanders always start with attribute values zero
- fixed: commanders do not take over status and attributes from battle back to campaign
- fixed: suitable commanders not shown for replacements
- fixed: Go-West policy increases support in Arkansas instead of Arizona
- reworked campaign finish
- pause button now suspended when renaming units
- fixed: ships without tech constructable when deactivating checkmark “tech available”
- fixed: forts that are set to be removed at a certain date are removed when reloading a saved game after this date
- stopping armies in campaign now does not stop subordinates
- fixed: perk selection sometimes selected wrongly (if a different perk was selected before)
- fixed: ship to construct is added to fleet instead of pool if a ship was created for a fleet before
- added further commander pictures
- added further soldier images
- fixed: “2nd battle crash”
- fixed newspaper messages popping up for policies that are not active
- fixed: repeating policy newspaper messages after battles
- double assigning of commanders is not possible any more
- non-arrived units cannot be merged any more
- navy commanders can now not be commander in chief any more
- filter prefs are now saved
- retreating units cannot be stopped any more
- shorter retreat distances
- game stays paused if leaving menus/newspaper (if it was paused by player before)
- fixed: trade agreements are not recognized
- surrendered units now disappear from campaign map

Battles:
- added new 3D models for maps
- sunrise now in the east
- retreating units cannot be stopped any more
- fixed: no music is being played if battle is won

Other:
- improved scene loading speed
- added new commander pictures

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on October 02, 2020, 03:16:15 AM
Latest Patch 0.7609
October 1, 2020


Campaign:

- no camps for deactivated armies
- no movement during nighttime
- fixed: corps with brigades directly attached are transformed to divisions not appearing on map any more after reload
- fixed: no CSA president picture is shown when resuming campaigns and Union is selected
- improved building ground textures
- music is now permanently played in the background
- fixed loading freeze related to bounty policies

Battles:

- measures to reduce blobbing: AI forms now larger groups
- marching to the sound of guns now excludes routed units so that AI groups are relieved faster for new operations
- less broken lines and melees: AI groups now move on to next objective only if fighting has ceased
- improved: errors related to moving long paths
- commanders can now be directly moved by pressing <ALT>
- separate visualization (symbols) of commanding units in battles
- improved linking of groups: groups are now not stuttering any more when linked
- changed: no sudden end of battles: AI now falls back and retreats, timer added
- resized buildings
- fixed: parapets and breastworks are not finished during deployment mode although engineering points are available
- commanders are now marching at the end of the column
- sole AI artillery units now retreating when enemy approaches
- improved: wrong facing when holding SHIFT while giving movement orders

Other:

- added 40 new commander pictures
- fixed flickering explosion animations

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on October 08, 2020, 02:24:25 AM
Changes to new patches
05 Oct 2020

From the devs:

Hey Guys!

After the first stabilization period where we tried to fix severe bugs, crashes and memory leaks as fast as we could, we have now decided to improve the quality of upcoming patches.

Beside of informing you about the topics we work on, we will not add an ETA any more but rather publish the current state of the next patch so that we have enough time to test and to be prepared for extraordinary issues arising.

Furthermore we would like to give you the opportunity to participate live in the development of the upcoming patch by having added a <development> branch for this game. If you right-click on the game in the steam library and open prefs, you should see a <BETA> tab where you can select the <development> branch. This way you can help us testing the new patch before we go live. There will be frequent development updates every few days and we are glad for every help!

Development patches are now live!

For participation or further information about upcoming patches, please us the forum <Development Patches> :
https://steamcommunity.com/app/654890/discussions/4/

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on October 15, 2020, 02:56:35 AM
Latest Patch 0.7707
(Uploaded October 13, 2020)


Topics (selection) that are WIP and should be included in next patch (0.78+):
•   Order delay timer info is blurry
•   morale balancing in campaign
•   performance
•   multiple campaign saves

Campaign:
•   demand and production values are now shown both per annum
•   fixed: pre-goods are sometimes not taken into account if more than one pre-good can be used
•   higher consumption (eg. when building ships) is now affecting larger IIP areas and reduce overall stock of the alliance
•   faster price-finding (slight performance win)
•   added dynamic rating system: debt load now needs to be lower in the early years of the war
•   so that player (or AI) needs to take care of the finances permanently
•   reduced starting stock of goods by 40%
•   fixed: import/exports in trade panel not shown correctly
•   fixed wrongly shown corporate/sales tax values in IIP/industry panels
•   improved calculation of standardization of weapons, depending on construction date, production capacity and available imports
•   weapon upgrades now depend on weapon standardization (and therefore production capacity) and already equipped troops
•   added monthly economic summary as message
•   fixed non-working bond issuance message
•   IIP’s that were occupied through change of frontlines now have reduced transport capacity (recovering after a while) and therefore leads to lower supply levels during offensive operations
•   low availability of supply goods now leads to lower supply ratios
•   changed functionality of supply depots: armies may now access supply depots directly if in commander’s range and therefore improves supply ratio. supply depots now add supply goods at no matter what price
•   fixed: disabling sound disables background music (0.7703)
•   fixed: policies not visible in policy overview (0.7703)
•   overhauled supply efficiency and visibility (0.7703)
•   fixed: canceling commander assignments not possible as commander button is stuck (after assigning commander) (0.7704)
•   fixed: AI always recruits volunteers (0.7704)
•   reduced speed of AI ship construction (0.7704)
•   AI now keeps a small reserve of recruits to prevent permanent recruiting of cavalry and artillery if recruits pool is low (0.7704)
•   smoke animation for buildings in campaign is stopping after a few hours not in combat/raid (0.7704)
•   non active commanders are now automatically replaced for all factions (0.7704)
•   fixed: no ammo consumption in campaign battles & no taking over of ammo states from manually played battles (0.7704)
•   reworked weapon standardization so that a few more weapons become available (0.7705)
•   fixed jumping to front unit when units are moved within OOB (0.7705)
•   reinforcements that have not arrived yet are now not retreating after a lost battle but stopped (0.7705)
•   added “consumption” of locomotives and transport ships when moving troops by rail/ship (0.7705)
•   added extraordinary demand of units, ship repairs and construction to goods info (0.7705)
•   campaign background music not overlapping with loading music (0.7705)
•   fixed: some commanders used for units pre-war although home state did not secede (0.7706)
•   fixed: ships that are constructed directly for a fleet do not increase condition during construction process (0.7706)
•   rebalanced: recruiting now happens more for existing groups, no spamming of groups in same areas (0.7706)
•   fixed: double unit counting in campaign statistics (0.7706)
•   added order delay info on large unit panel (0.7707)
•   when engagement panel opens there is no auto-scroll any more, but player can press button to move to location (0.7707)
•   fixed issues with filters (“ALL”), leading to wrong selections in OOB after recruiting/moving units (0.7707)
•   fixed non visible ship information in CSA 1861 campaign when constructing new ships and no fleets are available (0.7707)
•   fixed: freeze when engagement panel opens and certain battlefields are loaded (0.7707)
added production complexity to standardization of weapons (0.7707)

Battles:
•   fixed: stuttering units when single units establish contact to enemy while in marching column
•   fixed auto fallback for groups under stance while order delay is running and enemy is close (0.7704)
•   stuck in melee bug: “resetting” of melee status if opponent is out of range (0.7704)
•   updated historical AI for Chancellorsville (0.7704)
•   added order delay icon on large unit panel (0.7707)
•   rebalanced fatigue system (0.7707)

Others:
•   added 40 new commander pictures (0.7706)

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on October 26, 2020, 02:18:01 AM
Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865) - Major Patch 0.7807
Sun, 25 October 2020

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/654890/ss_1f78ea64c5c2c1177d4ec72b3c89605fe0ed33c7.1920x1080.jpg)

Adding unlimited save games per campaign scenario, new objective system and additional maps.

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/33276817/70093e531e78efac192934ca2354e76abfa92ce7.png)

Since the Early Access release of Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865) the game has been patched regularly, improving the game play experience. In addition to bug fixes, AI and performance improvements, new campaign scenarios and battle maps have been added.

The players have also had their say. The latest patch released includes a highly requested feature, allowing unlimited save games per campaign scenario. Also included is a new historic battle of Olustee. Work on further maps, tutorial videos and mid-battle saves is already underway.

As Wargamer.com put it, the game is shaping up to be the definitive American Civil War strategy game!


Latest Patch 0.7807
(Uploaded October 25, 2020)

Campaign:
•   rebalanced morale improvement
•   fixed: stuttering and blurry text in order delay info
•   fixed exponential construction of buildings within longer sessions
•   fixed: unread messages counter permanently changing figures
•   performance improvements
•   fixed problems with finding manual construction locations
•   2nd fix retreating units still influence frontlines and occupation
•   if zero strength units are engaged in battles as first units (eg HQ’s) the first reinforcing unit is arriving immediately to prevent ghost battles
•   increased speed steps up to 50x
•   increased AI value for capitals, probably needs further balancing
•   fixed: morale and ammo level not taken over from manual battles
•   reduced construction resources for ships
•   higher increase of military experience through battles
•   fixed resetting construction time for ships when reloading
•   fixed: replaced commander (because of WIA/KIA) not showing unit stats and wrong rank
•   fixed broken brigade panel (weapons, recruiting) in army management, related to 1863 policies
•   fixed one time subsidy costs sometimes happening, needs further testing
•   first rebalancing of AI campaign objectives and repositioning
•   fixed: raiding immediately sets support to 100%

Battles:
•   removed objectives and entry points from deployment zone calculation at the end of day
•   complete overhaul of battle objective system: occupying objectives now takes time, depending on unit strength in area, every objective continuously adds victory points to the occupying side per time (the more points, the faster [can be deactivated in options menu])
•   fixed: end of day freeze when battle starts in December
•   removed cohesion deplacement for march columns
•   enemy routed units now not taken into account any more for flanking detection
•   casualties (wounded) from prior campaign battles are now not taken into account in stats and not influencing strategy decisions any more
•   fixed: sometimes national morale drop is zero after battles
•   added historical Battle of Olustee
•   lowering carbines lethality
•   fixed units sometimes not firing when playing multiple battles in one session
•   fixed: AI units are moving towards center after reforming for attack, less blobbing

Other:
•   replaced OOB font

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on November 21, 2020, 03:48:00 AM
Latest Patch 0.8006
November 20, 2020


Campaign:
•   state support is now capped with 100%
•   states may now secede also after war broke out
•   high battle casualties now reduce support in affected states
•   fixed issue that resulted in too many AI zones that probably slowed down AI from moving to important locations
•   update to AI offensive movements: AI acts more aggressively
•   recruiting now happens more in front-states
•   added different recruitment times for each branch of arms
•   added Mine-Creek battlefield for campaigns
•   fixed: unit to fort transfer button missing for newly constructed forts
•   fixed: non working move-on-time command
•   fixed: units that are moving on rails show railroad model although even when turning off “move by railroad”
•   added tooltip infos to top bar, enhanced by rating info
•   rebalanced debt/deficit to rating ratios
•   no recruiting and constructing ships possible any more if rating is too weak
•   reversed y chart scale for rating graph

Battles:
•   roads are now not taken into account for unit alignment any more
•   fixed stuck overview report in Battle of Chickamauga
•   fixed: loading stuck at 99% when returning to campaign, caused by buildings under construction or wrong states of AI recruited units
•   added save option for historical battles
•   added save option for campaign battles
•   fixed non working barricades in Pea Ridge
•   fixed “too colorful” uniforms in some battles
•   added autosave function for battles
•   fixed: units are suffering fatigue during change of day

Others:
•   added colored images of 33 further commanders
•   fixed 2 non loaded songs
•   added to commander tooltip info: home state and current command

Please use the forum "Bug Reports" if any issues arise:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/654890/discussions/2/

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on November 29, 2020, 04:00:41 AM
Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865) - Major Patch 0.8103
Sat, 28 November 2020

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/654890/ss_1f78ea64c5c2c1177d4ec72b3c89605fe0ed33c7.1920x1080.jpg?t=1606505392)

Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865) - Early Access and Player Requests.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/33276817/db5d4445f61a0b3fdf34c703c6c65e621c0560cf.jpg)

Since we started the Early Access in August, we have been releasing new patches in a steady flow. While following the Early Access Road-Map, we have also listened to player feedback, adding and reworking features, improving the game play experience.

The first mile-stone from the Road-Map has been reached, and the game now allows mid-battle saving during both the historic battles and campaign battles. Thanks to players' reports we've been able to quickly fix related bugs as well, and keep doing so as we move forward.

The next steps have also been under development simultaneously. Map Pack #1, introducing 10 new historical battle-fields, has already been partially implemented during patching, with maps of Winchester, Olustee, Mine Creek, Cumberland Gap, Honey Springs and Honey Hill already added in the game, available for campaign battles. After three more historical maps, the next step is to start adding the randomly chosen non-historical battle-fields to increase campaign battle diversity.

And while adding maps, new historic battles have also been added: Shiloh (1862), Olustee (1864), and Wilderness (1864) are now available as stand-alone scenarios. A few more historic battles are also coming with the 1864 campaign.

Also on the Road-Map are the tutorial videos. We're proud to announce that we have teamed up with the one and only History Guy Gaming, who has already produced the first tutorial video about the game's Information and Options, and continues to produce new ones as we speak.

https://youtu.be/rqeYjpKcieE


One of the most requested features by Early Access players along with AI improvements has been the weapon upgrades. First we added a standardization feature, which limited number of available weapons, but this alone was not sufficient, as hinted by the players. In the latest patch we've reworked the standardization feature completely, and now newer and more advanced weapons will be available in smaller quantity at start, and will slowly become more common when equipping more units with them, increasing standardization. Re-arming the whole Army of the Potomac with repeating rifles is no longer possible, and as the Confederate player you may be stuck with heaps of obsolete weapons only available to your troops for some time - making capturing of Union weapons from the battle-fields after victories more important. At the same go we added improved tooltips for weapons and perks, which should help players when choosing weapons and specialization for their units.

And while the economic model has been improved in the background, we've added further information for player about the state of their economy. Credit rating is now shown on the main campaign view, and if the rating drops too low, further recruitment is no longer possible before taking steps to improve the rating via policies, taxation, government spending and so on. Also the economic hit of military operations such as blockading and raiding has been added to the strategy panel, along with information about weapon production efficiency.

Next steps will include, in addition to the items on the Road-Map, improved information about the policies and their effects, as well as possibility to choose the reinforcing units in campaign battles - both requested by the community.

The march continues. Thanks to our dedicated community, who are helping immensely with reports, suggestions and feedback, the work on the Early Access version has been progressing well. The work is not finished, but with each patch the game is getting more and more enjoyable. Public patches are to be expected, like before, approximately weekly or bi-weekly. We have also allowed Early Access players to opt for developer patches, which arrive at even steadier flow. Using the Steam betas, players can see the latest features and give feedback about them, before the public patches come out.

We are, sir, Your very ob't se'v'ts,

The Grand Tactician Team.
Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on December 23, 2020, 02:28:37 PM
Latest Patch 0.8211
13 Dec 2020


Uploaded December 13, 2020:

Campaign:
•   added campaign battle map: New Market
•   states may only change alliances once
•   fixed: AI recruiting from foreign nations
•   fixed: railroads unlocked through policies disappear after reloading
•   fixed: economic report is only shown once
•   construction of forts, telegraph lines and supply depots now only progresses if friendly unit is close
•   fixed: forts changing ownership if constructed on enemy terrain, now forts are only constructed if friendly units are close
•   added detailed info about national morale moves in strategy panel
•   fixed: objective “Invade the Confederacy” not triggering
•   unit contracts now starting from the first day of service, without recruitment delay
•   recruitment delay is now adding correct unit type to queue
•   added filter for wia/kia/pow commanders in officers panel
•   added probability of wia/pow commanders returning to command
•   added reduced attributes of returned commanders
•   added detailed tooltip information about supply in unit panel
•   some adjustments in content of messages: eg fleet arrivals, issuance of bonds
•   port blocked status now shows up if blockade ratio is >=10%
•   newly created fleets & armies now selected
•   fleets with no present ships cannot move anymore
•   fixed: river fleet can only build sea ships
•   fixed: commanders get younger after reloading
•   stuck buttons workaround
•   ai bonus now also used to adjust number of volunteers
•   changed wording of aggressiveness to prosa
•   removed too short non-spotted AI moving marks
•   fixed newspaper message: “Yankees whipped Yankees”
•   fixed: retreat paths sometimes lead towards enemy towns
•   units now also retreating during nighttime
•   construction timer now shows days left
•   added additional uniforms (cav+arty)
•   spotting marks now disappearing if enemy is revealed
•   fixed morale and ammo not taken over from manual battles
•   reworked spotting marks paths
•   fixed subsidy slider moves due to certain policy conditions
•   reversed y axe of cost charts in finances panel
•   added text label for y axe in rating chart/finances panel
•   fixed production panel charts not updating
•   policy “letters of marque” now only affect ports, not all IIPs
•   fixed: message icons unresponsive if game was reloaded
•   fixed: stuck state color in recruiting list when reopening recruitment panel
•   fleets: switching from showing minimum provisions/coal/days at sea to average as ships are permanently rotating to resupply
•   drafting now only possible if at least one town in a state is occupied
•   fixed: move on time
•   fixed: multiple newspaper messages only to be able to close when moving mouse away from paper
•   forts under siege are now not supplied any more
•   fixed: left/right unit arrow switches units into same direction
•   refix: end of day supply button only clickable if mouse was moved away first
•   campaign morale is now capped by fighting spirit too to not have differences to battle layer
•   added additional morale influence information for unit panel
•   fixed weapons being newly assigned when reloading saved campaign game
•   rebalanced: national morale drops from policies/objectives/battles slightly lowered
•   rebalanced: recruitment rebalanced a bit (smaller corps are being created: 3 corps per army, 3 divisions, 4 brigades)
•   reworked AI-zones to better rebalance AI recruiting and movement

Battles:
•   fixed sprite numbers sometimes getting much bigger when reloading, depending on the battlefield
•   AI bonus now also used for inflicting casualties on player/higher accuracy
•   creeks are now shown on papermap
•   reworked end of battles if no active units are on the field any more
•   fixed: artillery counterbattery fire does not target artillery, artillery switches towards closest unit if enemy is at canister range
•   fixed: some statistic values in battle statistics show >100 values due to FOW
•   fixed: forced march does not accelerate movement for whole groups
•   no unit overlapping (slow downs) anymore if HQ units are envolved
•   rebalanced: perk exp growths
•   preventing end of day process and retreating process to overlap
•   fixed wrong intelligence and fighting spirit averages in battle stats
•   fixed non-updating retreat timer

Others:
•   added historical font option for message log
•   added 35 more colored commander pictures
•   added new tutorial video #2
•   rebalancing: movement speeds on both layers

Please use the forum "Bug Reports" if any issues arise:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/654890/discussions/2/

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on December 24, 2020, 03:13:24 AM
Map Pack #1 Maps.
Wed, 02 December

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/blog/images/38.jpg)

Gen’l,

To-day we will reveal to you the contents of Map Pack #1, a collection of 10 new historical battle maps that have been created during the Early Access period. The maps will appear, when fighting at the appropriate locations on the campaign map. Some of them have already been included for some time, as we’ve been adding them when ready. The Map Pack is one of the six mile stones on our Early Access Road Map.

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/contentimg/mappack1/CumberlandGap3.png)

Cumberland Gap, Kentucky.

The first map is that of Cumberland Gap, a strategically important mountain pass allowing movement from Virginia and Tennessee to Kentucky. During the Civil War this Gap was first captured by the Confederates. In 1862 7th Division, under G.W. Morgan attacked through the gap, and this map is part of his return route along the Kentucky State Road during his attack from Kentucky to Tennessee.

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/contentimg/mappack1/HoneySprings2.png)

Honey Springs, Indian Territory.

Located in modern day Oklahoma, Honey Springs was a Confederate depot in the Indian Territory, along the Texas Road running from Texas to Kansas. In July 17, 1863, the largest scale battle in Indian Territory was fought here between mainly Native American troops of the CSA, and USCT troops of the Union. In this battle the Union Army of the Frontier under J.G. Blunt, with some 3,000 men, defeated the approximately 6,000 Confederates under D.H. Cooper and captured their depot.

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/contentimg/mappack1/Olustee5.png)

Olustee, Florida.

In February 20, 1864, the largest battle of the Civil War in Florida was fought here between Confederate general Joseph Finegan and Union general Truman Seymour. In the battle Finegan defeated Seymour’s army and forced it to withdraw. Seymour was attacking on his own initiative from Jacksonville towards Tallahassee along the Florida, Atlantic & Gulf Central Railroad. Finegan placed his defences along Seymour’s axis of attack at Olustee Station, a natural choke point with Ocean Pond covering his left and a large swamp his right flank. The Historic Battle of Olustee is already available in Grand Tactician!

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/contentimg/mappack1/Carnifex1.png)

Carnifex Ferry, West Virginia.

This map saw two battles in fall of 1861: The Battle of Kessler’s Cross Lanes on August 26, and that of Carnifex Ferry on September 10. The fighting was part of the early West Virginia campaigns. At Kessler’s Cross Lanes Confederate general John B. Floyd defeated Erastus Tyler’s 7th Ohio Infantry Regiment in a surprise attack. After the battle Floyd moved south to Carnifex Ferry, where, just north of the ferry site, he dug a defensive line, from which he fought against general Rosecrans’ three brigades. After initial success and inflicting higher casualties on the Federals, Rosecrans’ artillery proved problematic, and Floyd withdrew across the Gauley River towards Lewisburg. The image shows the ferry site, and Floyd’s defensive position just north of it on the plateau.

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/contentimg/mappack1/HoneyHill.png)

Honey Hill, South Carolina.

Honey Hill is a small high ground along the Grahamville Road. On November 30, 1864, during Sherman’s March to the Sea, Coastal Division under John P. Hatch fought a small battle here against G.W. Smith’s Georgia militia. In the battle the entrenched Confederates inflicted heavy losses on the Federals, forcing them to withdraw. Hatch’s movement to Grahamville to cut the nearby railroad failed.

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/contentimg/mappack1/ChampionHill.png)

Champion Hill, Mississippi.

On May 16, 1863, Union general U.S. Grant was moving south along the Mississippi river to take Vicksburg. In a cunning and brilliant move he bypassed the fortified city and emerged south of it to first attack and drive away general Johnston’s small force at Jackson, then turning west to engage John C. Pemberton’s army of some 22,000 strong with his own force of some 32,000 men. Grant’s Army of the Tennessee attacked along the three roads, Raymond Road, Middle Road and Clinton Road in three columns, and the main fighting took place on a high ground called Champion’s Hill, shown in the image, looking from the Champion House. Grant defeated Pemberton and continued to Vicksburg to eventually capture it in what would be one of the main turning points in the war, paving way to his promotion and the eventual Union victory.

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/contentimg/mappack1/Winchester4.png)

Winchester, Virginia.

Located in the northern mouth of Shenandoah Valley, Winchester and the surrounding area saw a number of battles during the war, including 1st – 3rd Battles of Winchester and 1st and 2nd Kernstown. Winchester was of strategic importance, as it was positioned along the Shenandoah Valley Turnpike, the macadamized road running through the valley, and also the ending point of Winchester & Potomac Railroad. In the 1st Battle of Winchester “Stonewall” Jackson defeated Banks, while in the 3rd Battle Phil Sheridan defeated Jubal Early’s Army of the Valley after they had withdrawn from the gates of Washington D.C…

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/contentimg/mappack1/FortStevens2.png)

Fort Stevens, District of Columbia.

Talking of Early nearly taking Washington, D.C., here is the map where he was stopped. The Union capital was the most fortified city in the world during the Civil War. But when the fortifications were tested in July, 1864, they were manned by green troops. Early moved down the Shenandoah Valley, defeated the Union defenders in the Battle of Monocacy, and then marched down towards Washington D.C. along the 7th Street Turnpike. Along this pike was Fort Stevens, and its entrenched defensive line. On July 11 Early was facing only a hodge-podge Emergency Division, but Grant’s reinforcements, the VI Corps and a detachment from the XIX Corps arrived on time to engage the overstretched and exhausted Confederates. Even President Lincoln was observing the battle at Fort Stevens.

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/contentimg/mappack1/NewMarket.jpg)

New Market, Virginia.

Probably the most requested map, New Market is located in the Shenandoah Valley, south of Winchester along the Valley Turnpike. A sleepy small town, but made famous due to the Battle of New Market on May 15, 1864. In that battle, Franz Sigel’s army moved up the Valley to Staunton to take the important supply hub and to threaten Lee’s flank in concert with Grant’s Overland Campaign. Confederate general Breckinridge moved in to meet Sigel, and the engagement took place at New Market, where the approximately 5,500 Confederates forced Sigel’s 10,000 men to turn and withdraw. In this battle, the Virginia Militia Institute Cadet Corps was Breckinridge’s reserve, and he committed the young boys to attack Federal positions at Bushong Farm. The rest is stuff of legend.

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/contentimg/mappack1/MineCreek3.png)

Mine Creek, Kansas.

August 1864, general Sterling Price launched his raid from southern Arkansas to Missouri. His force wreaked havoc during September and most of October. When moving south from Kansas City he was pursued by Union cavalry from general Samuel R. Curtis’ army. A battle took place at Mine Creek, Kansas, where Marmaduke’s cavalry fought against Benteen’s. Union emerged victorious and Confederacy lost approximately 1,200 men versus Union’s 100. The battle was one of the largest ones between two opposing mounted forces.

Most Respy,

Gen’l. Ilja Varha,
Chief Topographer, &c.,
The Grand Tactician -Team

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on December 30, 2020, 02:12:59 AM
Merry Christmas Billy Yank & Johnny Reb!
Wed, 23 December

December 24, and all quiet on the Potomac tonight.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/33276817/a0f0bee8dfec502eaebab5ad48425a9ac59e379d.png)


Gen'l,

December 24, and all quiet on the Potomac tonight. With the cessation of fighting, troops retire to their winter quarters. Unofficial cease-fires are agreed on, and along the picket lines the Billy Yanks and Johnny Rebs approach one another to trade coffee, tobacco, stories... and news. While still enemies, there are many things that the soldiers in blue and gray agree about:

...that the generals on both sides are getting the enlisted men killed in futile assaults against enemy works, that the newest weapons seem take too long to reach the frontline regiments, that there's never enough information about what is going on, that the food is not that great...

...and that while the Grand Tactician's Christmas patch 0.8307 does not yet bring the end to the war, it brings a lot of fixes, improvements and requested features on the table, that will keep the men fighting.

These include, among others:

•  Map Pack #1 is finished, with 10 new historical battle maps added and available during the campaign
•  Raiding option to fleets to launch surprise attacks against blockading fleets
•  More aggressive battle AI, if it has the numerical superiority
•  Rebalanced numbers of volunteers and drafts, with drafts being used to fill up volunteer units and draft units reducing support in recruiting state
•  Fixed morale loss and gain for losing or capturing cities during the campaign
•  Poor training and low support slowing down movement of armies
•  Armies no longer besieging enemy forts on the opposite bank of a river
•  Option to withdraw instead of retreating, with rear guard action and only pulling away from the immediate danger
•  New rolling text information about campaign events, like autoresolved battles including rear guard action and naval battles
•  Improved naming convention for new armies


And a lot more...

Read the full patch notes here:

Latest Patch 0.8307
Uploaded December 23, 2020:

Campaign:
•   draft acts now also increase volunteers pool slightly
•   replacements of volunteer units can now also include drafts
•   draft acts now increases replacement speed
•   drafted units now lower state support of home state
•   fixed: stuck units caused by reloading auto resolved battles
•   refixed production charts / showing multiple chart lines
•   retreat destinations now also take into account infrastructure points
•   commander attributes initially now affected by commander experience and thus military experience
•   fixed: impressment act increases draft potential
•   added initial stock for supply depots at scenario start
•   fixed: town/state references due to change of borders, eg. resulted in CSA being able to draft in Kansas 63
•   fixed: naval - fort bombardments cancelled after reloading
•   not showing newspaper & results for naval engagements with few ships only
•   added new fleet order: “Raid” against fleets operating in blockade mode
•   fixed: production panel shows corporate tax values although no corporate tax is available
•   reversed sort rank for commanders, starting with best attributes
•   fixed wrong number of guns in army management panel
•   fixed commanders being promoted when reloading & getting unavailable at the historic date during campaign
•   tooltip now shows research duration for policies
•   policy research duration now depending on number of activated policies and average state support
•   fixed newly recruited units requiring too many goods for being equipped
•   forts now show correct number of guns
•   fixed strategy panel/tradeware slider not working
•   adding rearguard actions (skirmishing) when withdrawing or retreating from battle
•   fixed: supply and reinforcement info shows wrong values
•   added campaign battle map “Champion’s Hill”
•   fixed: commanders are not being promoted if assigned to a higher unit
•   fixed wrong dispatch message about sunken ships
•   fixed: national morale effects when capturing towns not working
•   improved: message spamming for same events
•   now using pre-determined army names for newly created armies
•   added campaign battle map “Fort Stevens / Washington DC”
•   army management: fixed wrongly selected commander when a group was created after a brigade was raised
•   adding on-map rolling text info about certain events: battles, movement speed, rearguard actions
•   improved supply of “offshore” forts via sea routes
•   combat range is now restricted by rivers
•   improved: position finding when units have arrived
•   added campaign battle map “Carnifax Ferry”
•   now showing fleet orders icon “none” if no order is selected in bottom panel
•   fixed: too high perk experience gain through sieges
•   fixed: naval battles may continue although ships are returning to harbor due to ammo or supply shortages

Battles:
•   AI does not detach men to man left guns while already leaving battlefield
•   added “assault move”: AI now acts more aggressively against outgunned enemies instead of guarding objectives
•   defensive battles: if group has set defensive stance in campaign, objectives are placed around the defender
•   fixed: paths getting lost when reloading save
•   fixed: perks of detachments carrying over to parent units

Others:
•   fixed wrong number shown for move on time symbol
•   fixed: commander’s suffering reduction in attributes due to degrading multiple times
•   replaced slider graphics
•   added 36 more colored commander pictures

Please use the forum "Bug Reports" if any issues arise:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/654890/discussions/2/



We, the Grand Tactician Team would like to wish you all a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Also we'd like to thank all the Early Access players, who have supported us in making of this game, from providing feedback, to playtesting & bughunting, to the many friendly words of encouragement we have received while working hard to improve the game and finalizing it for the full release.

Cheers - and onwards!

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/33276817/37a071bbf8a2b5d9b38d33bd16a73f604f126baa.jpg)

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/33276817/46c37f331ec2b40c338c8c9f4e2c85c0974a51a8.jpg)

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/33276817/0e86e4bcd09c34f94b2e02afe977d72580704902.jpg)

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/33276817/6d0435f8af66cfc25ad8b1b15f1eb5f812a752d4.jpg)

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on January 08, 2021, 03:37:34 AM
Early Access Situation Report #2.
Jan 7, 09:17 pm

Author iv

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/blog/images/41.jpg)

Gen’l,

It’s 2021, happy New Year everyone! It has been some time since the last look into the latest new features in Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865), so here’s a quick summary of what has happened during the holidays and what is currently being worked on.

More Information.

While under the hood, there has always been a lot happening, the cause and effect -chains have not been always clear to the player. For example, why is national morale dropping, why are the units moving so slowly, or what is happening during naval engagements? Here we have introduced a lot of new information for the player in a few different ways:
-Improved tooltips. On strategy panel the tooltip now shows, for example, all effects on national morale. Perk tooltips explain the effects more accurately, including what needs to be done to level up the perk. Army supplies are now explained with more detail in the unit panel.
-Rolling texts. These texts appear on the campaign map to inform player of certain events and effects. For example, there’s information given about automatically resolved battles, sieges, troop movements including rear guard action and pursuit after battle, inflicting further casualties. While all the described effects have been there, now hopefully the player will also have the information in a timely fashion.

Re-enforcements Arriving!

One of the often requested feature has been control over reinforcements in campaign battles. Previously the system worked so, that offensive armies were to automatically reinforce, while defensive would not march to the sound of guns. We have now improved the engagement interface with further information about the engaging armies and the available reinforcements — and we now allow the player to choose which available units he would like to order to join the battle, regardless of their stance.

Navy has also received improved functionality in the form of raiding-order. Under these orders, the fleet in question will launch surprise raids against blockading fleets, engaging only a small part of the fleet. This allows numerically inferior fleets to engage and possibly sink a few ships, and then to disengage. With successful raiding the CSA can try to wage a war of attrition along the coast against the much larger Union blockading squadrons.

Currently we are working on improved retreating mechanism on the campaign map, including better retreat path-finding, retreating to forts, and disintegration of units that have no-where safe to retreat to. This is in addition to already implemented much shorter retreat routes, more orderly withdrawal, and additional capital city defensive moves by the AI.

Oh, that's what's taking all the time!
(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/blog/images/43.jpg)

Balancing.

A constantly ongoing work has been the game balance, including AI improvements, in both campaigns and battles. This line of operation, so to say, contains working on the already implemented features to make the game play experience smoother, more challenging and fun. Here are just a few examples from this work:

Battles:
-Fatigue and morale effects balancing,
-AI now acts more directly and aggressively, if it encounters a force with considerable numerical inferiority,
-Couriers now move faster, reducing order delays a bit, while unit movement speeds have also been readjusted,
-Reworked objective placement in historic battles,
-Defensive battles are being improved to allow the defender larger deployment area and objectives that are already held.

Campaigns:
-Policies: implementation times have been adjusted, and researching multiple policies or acts will make the progress slower,
-Recruitment numbers have been revised, so that acts will have bigger effect on available recruits, recruitment subsidies will have bigger effect, over longer period of time, and drafts can be used to reinforce depleted volunteer units. This happens without support loss, unlike recruiting full draft units,
-Commanders getting wounded or captured may return during the campaign, but their attributes are affected,
-Commander attributes are now correctly affected by their experience, and experience will drop accordingly when appointed to higher command. Also if within range from the higher HQ, the commander will influence his subordinates’ attributes. For example an aggressive commander will feed aggression in his subordinates, and vice versa,
-Intervention armies are more of a threat now, at least that’s what the troops of V Corps, told me when visited by the Army of Canada.

More than just Fremantle this time, eh...
(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/blog/images/42.jpg)

The Next Steps.

Work continues as planned, with focus now on finalizing added features, bug-fixing and general improvements. New content is being worked on, with the 1864 campaign database being implemented, and already adding the historic battle of New Market. Our map guru Wasel is working on the generic “random” maps, Peter has been adding commander portraits and improving the visuals here and there, and our friend History Guy Gaming is producing more Tutorial Videos as we speak — you may check out the ready ones from our  YouTube playlist, here (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvb8TdHNKYv6LagkqjaXqk4DuB0IV5uxD)


All in all the start of the year 2021 looks busy, but also the full release is slowly getting closer and closer.

Most Respy,

Gen’l. Ilja Varha,
Chief Designer.

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on January 15, 2021, 03:01:06 AM
Updates for the Campaign map!
Jan 13 2021


Norfolk and Hampton Roads allow now ships movement and Gosport is protected by new forts. Also coastal fortifications added in Texas.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ErmV1CqXAAM0jMJ?format=jpg&name=large)

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ErmV1C2XEAMEeQa?format=jpg&name=large)


Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on January 22, 2021, 04:18:16 AM
Latest Patch 0.8412
January 17, 2021


Campaign:
•   fleets with raid orders now retreating properly if within combat range of enemy fleet
•   fixed: fleets with all ships disabled not retreating properly
•   fixed: AI does not pick further policies to research
•   only "dummy commanders" are now used for fort garrisons
•   dummy commanders that are assigned to fort garrison basic units (below division level) are now not shown in commander's list
•   fixed: garrison commanders of default garrisons get promoted to BG after reloading
•   fixed: garrison commanders lose all fame at scenario start
•   morale malus: men of defamed commanders are “unhappy”
•   improved waypoint-setting on 3D-map
•   fixed: info about unit consumption is now correctly shown, before: needed goods to fill up to 100%
•   AI guard capital feature: units are now not always using 1:1 the position of capital as guarding position, furthermore: using forced march
•   fixed: sudden morale drop of intervention forces
•   fixed: restart of intervention after forces had already pulled back
•   fixed: exceptions related to invasions of European intervention forces
•   fixed wrong values in columns of state recruiting list: men fielded, casualties
•   fixed: AI shall pick one policy to research only
•   adjustment AI guard capital feature: don’t use units for defense that are too far away
•   increased ship image in fleet panel
•   added enhanced battle panel
•   fixed: wrong change of towns when starting campaign/reloading
•   double click on commander image to move to commanding unit does now not rotate camera any more
•   units may now also retreat towards own forts and disintegrate if no suitable path of retreat was found
•   retreat destinations - when set - are now checked if enemy units are close
•   now also groups with defensive stance may join field battles
•   AI units that have low morale and/or are retreating are now removed from any offensive or defensive operation
•   no check for engagements if game is paused
•   no morale malus for European troops fighting on enemy soil
•   improved performance of rolling text elements
•   fixed: autoresolved battles remember prior number of wounded when showing casualties
•   fixed: rearguard action not ending although units have reached retreat destinations
•   fixed: too high skirmishing casualties during rearguard actions
•   fixed: occupied forts do not get default-garrison
•   retreat paths are now recalculated if opponent occupies retreat destination
•   fixed: state casualties not taken over from manually played battle
•   reworked retreat paths for fleets to prevent moving across land, added disintegration of fleets
•   fixed: rolling text sometimes stays on screen or is shown multiple times
•   fixed: movement of ships across land, especially when destination in a river is chosen
•   fixed: newspaper content for AI policies not shown correctly
•   retreating units now do not use trains
•   raids are now only effective within combat range, reduced commander range
•   fixed: unit info panel, next unit arrow jumps over last unit on same hierarchy level
•   slightly updated campaign map, note: although save games are basically compatible, there might be some issues with fort garrisons placed on the wrong position when reloading (!)
•   AI fleets now holding distance to blockaded harbors

Battles:
•   reworked objectives for historical battles
•   fixed exceptions related to very long paths
•   fixed: routed units that have left the field are reappearing in the corner of the map when reloading
•   units now only retreat through entry points if losses exceed a certain trigger, otherwise try to rally
•   fixed: wrong battle date and commander in chief shown in battle result screen when battle was reloaded
•   left guns are now correctly shown grey on papermap when reloading
•   rebalanced fatigue
•   couriers now use galopp
•   chasing enemy units after charge command now ends if both units are too far away
•   fixed: flanking fire malus received in wrong situations
•   fixed: units that are falling back receive outflanked malus
•   engaging dismounted cavalry now does not give malus “engaged by enemy cavalry”
•   fixed: some commanders are promoted a few days to early for historical battles
•   fixed: when changing group formations the heading of new formation is aligned along commander’s facing instead of old group facing
•   now taking into account detached unit strength for calculation whether to rout due to losses
•   fixed: running movement option is unlocked if stop or double quick is pressed
•   now allowing groups with defensive stance to have greater deployment radius in order to be able to occupy defensive objectives
•   added a workaround for stuck couriers, due to processing time
•   fixed: arrival of reinforcements during nighttime may lead to AI cross-linking groups
•   AI now redeploys overnight
•   units now move directly to final destination after engagement instead of returning to last waypoint
•   fixed: pontoons not visible/constructable in campaign games
•   fixed: pontoons constructable also by non-engineers
•   reworked calculation of construction time for constructions during deployment
•   fixed: moving of directly attached AI brigades and unit commanders to map edges, due to linking
•   performance improvements in sprite engine

Others:
•   added 36 new colored commander pictures
•   redesigned morale icons
•   slight improvement in sprite quality
•   fixed wrong scenarios loaded or exceptions when reloading campaign battle saves, autosave and return to campaign
•   fixed: sometimes savegame is shown wrongly as autosave or non-autosave in list
•   changed sorting of savegames: newest on top
•   added debug function (debug.txt) to enhance number of autosaves
•   general rebalancing

Please use the forum "Bug Reports" if any issues arise:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/654890/discussions/2/

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on February 14, 2021, 03:31:24 AM
Latest Patch 0.8509
February 2, 2021:


Campaign:
•   fixed: telegraph connections in WV causing cross links and adding 1000 range circles
•   fixed: red-colored buildings stay on map when selecting different construction type while menu is still open
•   performance improvement
•   enemy unit spotting marks are now placed in direction from the spotting unit to the enemy unit, not in all directions
•   fixed: production panel shows wrong port names and levels
•   battles with European nations without player participation are now auto-resolved
•   fixed: bug in perk calculation that led to never ending sieges
•   combat range is now also blocked by mountain passes
•   enhanced unit disintegration dispatch
•   ships of disintegrated fleets are now scuttled
•   raiding units do not occupy enemy terrain and towns any more
•   added rolling text info about skirmishing casualties during raids
•   cracked troops are rallying slower now
•   commander attributes: appointed political officers to increase support in their home states
•   commander attributes: politicals to have double the chance of feuds, volunteers to have -50% chance of feuds
•   commander attributes: professionals to have -50% exp loss from promotions to higher command
•   fixed: sailing/steam ship filter showing opposite ship types
•   units are now not supplied if on forced march, furthermore condition of men, horses and guns is reduced
•   fixed: wrong national morale effect of autoresolved combats
•   fixed: revolving naval battles due to too short retreat ports
•   fixed: forced march button resetting during march and not highlighted when reopening panel
•   now terrain is used to evaluate what type of ship can be added to a fleet to prevent stuck fleet situations
•   added 1864 campaign scenario
•   rebalanced “defend capital” strength and distances - CSA should now hold fewer reserves if capital is not in danger
•   no AI + auto operations on financials while game is paused
•   fixed: casualties for autoresolved battles are added twice to stats, in realtime and at the end
•   if a corps of an army is envolved in a battle that happens while within radius of its army, further corps may reinforce if within army radius, even if not within radius of the corps triggering the battle
•   fixed: construction cost and reprovisioning of ships under construction are deducted again if game is reloaded
•   fixed: sales and purchases of buildings are influencing treasury balance directly
•   expanded terrain restrictions (rivers, mountains) to commander range, including effects on reinforcements and raiding
•   removed range radius of forts as the opponent units anyway have combat radius
•   fixed: available ship technologies not correct
•   ships from pool with wrong movement type may now not be dragged to fleets with opposite terrain type
•   forts now engage river/sea transports, reduced combat strength for embarked units (increased by perk river expedition)
•   pre-war armies now have symbol XXX instead of XXXX
•   changed visualization of telegraph connections if units are selected/button “telegraph connections” is active
•   fixed: friendly units keep connected to enemy telegraph lines if ownership changes
•   campaign units with low morale now withdraw instead of triggering battle
•   fixed: resetting to earlier saves after returning to campaign when saving in campaign battle
•   fixed: parent armies not shown as reinforcements in battles, although subordinate corps may attend battle
•   added minimum recruitment time per unit type

Battles:
•   performance improvement
•   AI extending of lines now moving slightly behind the main line to reduce exposure to enemy
•   AI cavalry in groups now used actively to fight and flanking maneuvers
•   refixed: stuttering fallbacks if AI decides to retreat, start of retreat timer if AI has fallen back - this to prevent battles lasting too long after AI decides to fall back
•   AI does not set new objectives any more if it has decided to retreat/fall back
•   fixed: slight and permanent falling back of limbered artillery units
•   added activate objectives and ownership function for historical battles
•   fixed: units are changing formation for a short time during movement if a new waypoint is set (order delay on)
•   fixed: parapets and breastworks showing wrong direction when loading
•   fixed: parapets and breastworks disappearing when saving a battle a second time
•   fixed: not able to construct parapets/barricades on Chancellorsville & Murfreesboro map
•   fixed: cancelling orders of higher hierarchies stops prior paths of subordinated units
•   added workaround for transferred paths from campaign to battle layer
•   brigades now do not perform rotation if close to enemy to deploy faster
•   fixed: commander’s falling back in movement due to terrain slopes
•   victory balance now calculated per single unit, not per group - this to prevent too high influences of groups with few units only
•   AI now only deploys skirmishers for units in first row when double line is chosen [still WIP]
•   fixed: same siege combat intensity for assault mode, rebalanced fighting intensity in general [still WIP]

Others:

•   added 166 new colored commander pictures
•   fixed: saving a loaded campaign battle again does not save the campaign data
•   connection lines now thinner
•   tooltips with long content now fit to screen y size
•   fixed: startup default setting too low on wide-screen resolutions

Note: due to changes int the campaign map old saves - although compatible - may lead to disappearing fort garrisons.

Please use the forum "Bug Reports" if any issues arise:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/654890/discussions/2/

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on March 01, 2021, 02:07:02 AM
Early Access Situation Report #3
Sun, 28 February 2021

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/33276817/8d7790a394d1d00504ec39566fdf66e7dd32b30f.png)

The latest patches brought performance increases, auto-recruitment options, a complete policy overhaul and much more.
Gen’l,

February -21 brings more player requested features, as the recruitment system is upgraded with an option for faster creation of units, and policies are overhauled. Since January, the 1864 campaign was added along with performance improvements and a lot of other changes, big and small. Let’s take a look at the most important ones!

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/33276817/2a505ed6e2b67bdceed91d3edc5c58a0b02916a4.jpg)

Quality of Life — Recruitment

Many in the community have requested speeding up the flow of recruitment. Especially when starting a new campaign, it takes time to get the recruitment going, getting weapons upgraded, and so on. To make life easier, we have added a speed recruitment option in the army management panel.

The functionality is quite simple. First you select the Headquarters you wish to add the new units to. Then in the quick recruitment options select the number of units per type to be recruited. You can also change the initial strength of the units, from 50% to 75% to full 100%. The smaller units will start growing in strength later with additional reinforcements. Once happy, click to recruit, and the units appear under the selected HQ. The recruitment state is chosen with fastest arrival time (recruitment delay & movement to join the army) in mind.

You can also upgrade weapons for the best types available by simply clicking on the Headquarters in question, and then upgrade.

Other recruitment related improvements are the availability of volunteers via militia, and other, acts. Also the recruitment delays are slightly increased. These combined mean that it will be slower to recruit large armies early on in the campaign.

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/33276817/e8838638f642086cc2ff897545c9cb8c0694d865.jpg)

Policies Overhauled.

Another requested feature has been the policies and how they work. We also thought that the policies are not well balanced enough, and that it was too easy to activate the maximum amount, as research took quite little time. Instead of minor changes here & there, the whole system, along with policy effects, was revised. This is part of the campaign balancing, which has been ongoing, and will continue till the game is released in full.

First change is in the pre-war policies, which are chosen when the campaign is started. These policies included many weak ones and a few overpowered ones, making the choice — for those who wish to change them from the historical ones — rather simple. Now the policy effects are more balanced, so the choice should be more interesting. As an example, some of the pre-war policies are required during the campaign to proceed past certain policies: pre-war industrialization is required for industrialization III-IV policies, and so on.

Also the policies <-> subsidies link is changed. Previously they made too little difference, as without any policies you could invest up to a million to each subsidy, and policies would eventually increase this by 50% at most. In the revised system, without a policy there are no subsidies available at all, and the subsequent policy levels increase the investment cap with increasing steps. The level IV policies for industrialization, agriculture and military will also include a bonus to nation’s morale, support or military experience.

With the changes in place, the policies and acts will become more powerful and interesting to use. The previous updates, which made the research speed depend on national support, and multiple simultaneously researched policies slower, adds to this. Now the player needs to think a few steps ahead.

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/33276817/c30f5550111d5949150e36bc4826984ac0627d02.jpg)

1864 Campaign.

The late war campaign, that was added in January, kicks off right before the Overland Campaign and Atlanta Campaigns commenced. Lt.Gen. Grant, now in command of the Union armies, has the task to end the war, preferably before the presidential elections of 1864 in November. Previous summer Lee was defeated at Gettysburg and Grant captured Vicksburg. But this does not mean the Confederacy is beaten. Already the Red River Campaign by Banks has failed to capture Shreveport.

The main forces in this campaign are those of Grant, Lee, Sherman, Johnston, Banks, Kirby Smith and Butler. And the fighting ahead would be the bloodiest during the war.

With the new campaign, we have also updated the campaign map and the number of commanders available within the game files has been bolstered to more than 1700!

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/33276817/782852d6324aa19c99f3cebe23e56f0bc4aa062e.jpg)

Other Changes.

Common:

Performance increase, with +10 FPS on average,
First steps with scalable UI,
Some UI improvements with very high resolution screens,
Fog of War calculation changed to instant when loading a campaign/battle,
Fix for the blurry screen after a fresh install, when using high refresh rates.

Battles:

Battle type improvement, with defensive/offensive operations changing the initial deployment,
Rebalanced skirmishers’ effectiveness in general,
AI use of cavalry improved,
Rebalanced unit routing and army retreats, that should lead into less casualties per battle, especially early in the campaign when units are green.

Campaigns:

Terrain now blocking combat and command radii of armies, mountain ranges now block arrival or reinforcements,
Rebalanced autoresolved battles, sieges,
Added rolling text information on the map informing about casualties from skirmishing, rear guard action, movement speed changes,
Changed raiding functionality so, that raiding armies no longer capture terrain, infrastructure is burned only within the combat radius of the unit, and raiding armies will skirmish with all enemies within their combat radii,
Improved AI defensive operations near capital city,
Before Military II -policy only early armies can be formed, and after the policy grand armies with multiple corps can be formed, grand armies made more flexible with rebalancing of command radii of armies,
Rebalanced intelligence gathering by armies, making scouting and use of cavalry much more effective in spotting enemy movement,
Added a large number of Grand Herald news from the Civil War, and around the world, for further immersion.

…and many more improvements and bug fixes, that can be found in the patch release notes.

The Next Steps.

The work continues to get the game ready. With recent feature updates, focus is back in fixing bugs reported by the community. In the background we are writing a proper game manual, creating more battle maps, preparing new tutorial videos and improving the game play experience with fixes to most requested topics, such as campaign & battle retreat routes, and melees & surrendering in battles.

Most Respy,

Gen’l. Ilja Varha,
Chief Designer.

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on May 18, 2021, 11:31:42 PM
Patch 0.8719
Tue, 30 March 2021


Note: due to massive changes in the file and folder structure we recommend to do a file integrity check after installation of this patch.

Please use separate threads in the forum <Bug Reports> if you experience any issues:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/654890/discussions/2/

Campaigns:
•   AI construction of banks removed
•   fixed: backwash of disintegrated fleets stay on map and appear pink
•   fixed: low/none casualties in garrison battles with only one artillery battery as defender
•   fixed: fleets are sending attached ships permanently to harbor when located close to a harbor
•   group movement speed now takes into account the speed of attached units
•   recovering morale on enemy soil now slower, casualties on enemy soil result in higher loss of state support
•   rebalanced CSA recruiting
•   added additional cities to map
•   fixed: UI leak sometimes led to policies being activated accidentally
•   fixed: influence of politically assigned commander on state support always zero
•   overhauled unit retreats
•   fixed: fort related issues (transfer, construction progress, UI area)
•   fixed: transferring units resets contract dates
•   allowing small AI recruitment pre-war even if no opponents are close
•   fixed: defensive stance sometimes not recognized when deployment area is calculated in defensive battles
•   changed production focus of companies to get less volatile production figures
•   fixed: regulars act creates troops with strange strength and state origin
•   fixed too high consumption of artillery from reinforcements
•   fixed issue leading to too many sunken ships in naval battles
•   fixed: naval battles not ending although one side has zero participating ships
•   added random battlemaps
•   fixed: placing telegraph lines leads to permanent exceptions
•   fixed: damaged IIP’s delivering full supply
•   added connection lines from selected unit to connected supply depots
•   supply line animation changed for units: now only show connection to supply depot and closest local IIP
•   added emergency AI policies if recruitment or financials are critical
•   occupying towns now takes time, depending on strength of the occupation force
•   fixed: newspaper messages popping up after reloading stating Lincoln has lost 1864 elections
•   enhanced tooltip for goods production lines when opening company panel on map
•   retreating units now search for friendly towns, forts, iip’s or units near the final retrat destinations
•   units need to have at least one active brigade attached in order to impact frontlines
•   added available supply map filter
•   increased available workforce for companies
•   fixed issue that caused low supply for especially units in the West, related to wrong price calculation of available local IIP’s
•   fixed: supply shown at 100%, although no supply depot or IIP is connected
•   replaced wording “of the WAR of >THE< Independence”
•   convenience topics (removing some UI glitches)
•   added enhanced tooltip for “fielded men” in top panel
•   added probability for casualties in higher commander ranks for autoresolved battles
•   added officer loss report after battles, starting from division commanders upwards
•   now preventing replacements of wounded/killed commanders when autoresolve battle is still under way
•   fixed exceptions related to West Virginia objective in 1864 campaign
•   fixed: effect on treasury through “bank act”, “print notes” policies too low
•   AI offensives are only continued if supply state is sufficient
•   out of provisions and forage now impacts condition of men and horses
•   fixed: AI raising armies in enemy states, esp. pre-war
•   now removing top tier policies when policy subsidies are lowered
•   rebalanced disintegration logic
•   added “soft” disintegration by maintaining armies with heavy losses if friendly towns are in retreat range
•   fixed: state support may run above 100 after assigning political commanders
•   fixed: non-spawned armies may occupy towns in pre-war scenario
•   engagement checks are performed more often now to prevent overshooting of two armies at highest game speed (still needs some rebalancing)
•   fixed saving error related to unit history data
•   changed calculation base for sick soldiers and the related mortality and recovery rate, this led to low number of sick soldiers in smaller units before
•   fixed: fort bombardments with fort condition down to zero resulting in performance drops
•   added: AI construction of supply depots
•   added information about morale recovery in morale tooltip
•   low supply ratios are now also leading to slower reinforcements
•   fixed: building and iip occupation changes slightly after game start and condition suffers
•   fixed: both units may retreat due to low morale in autoresolved battles
•   fixed: IIP’s damaged when secession happens
•   improved: AI offensives on campaign map (still work in progress)
•   increased necessary morale for units to participate in battles
•   supply depots do not fill up “digital” now depending on available products but slower if goods are short
•   fixed: supply consumption in armies not scaled up to a week
•   rebalanced supply depots capacity

Battles:
•   fixed: loading error when units were inside buildings, resulting in wrong battle and unit data
•   overhauled unit retreats
•   overhauled melee logics: units break sooner, fall back and recover faster
•   fixed: AI still reacts offensively in defensive battles
•   fixed: assigned battle flag lost when returning to campaign
•   improved exactness of deployment zones
•   fixed: AI does not carry out movements in historical battles if strategy is “defense”, eg Union at Gettysburg
•   reworked AI objective settings for defensive battles
•   fixed wrong objective point calculation to determine offensive/defensive battles
•   added arrows to switch between armies in OOB
•   increased sensitivity for units surrendering, maybe needs further rebalancing
•   fixed: timed movement counter not updating
•   AI now uses detachments to grab guns more carefully
•   added slower morale improvement above the morale value at the start of the battle to - take into account low morale situations in campaign
•   fixed: active objectives were arranged between defender and attacker, now correctly arranged around the defender
•   fixed: AI is performing first assault move, although defending
•   fixed: initial unit setups: group formation shows march columns while deployed in single lines
•   refixed: fatigue does not recover EOD
•   fixed: high collected objective points were leading to sudden victories/defeats
•   fixed: units that had routed and reached retreat destination further added to negative morale of nearby troops

Others:
•   UI layout improvements
•   added further game options: UI scaling, zoom speed, lock campaign map rotation
•   fixed resetting of UI scaling when opening options menu again

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on May 18, 2021, 11:33:05 PM
Patch 0.8819, uploaded April 27, 2021
Tue, 27 April 2021

Patch 0.8819, uploaded April 27, 2021.
Hotfix 0.8820, uploaded April 28, 2021.
Hotfix 0.8821, uploaded April 29, 2021.

Please use separate threads in the forum <Bug Reports> if you experience any issues:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/654890/discussions/2/

Campaigns:
•   no rail movement on enemy territory
•   added hint about low morale groups (reinforcements) in battle panel
•   fixed: recruiting panel: sorting states by volunteers and drafts not working
•   units with low strength are now disbanded after a battle
•   added blinking symbol to inform player about available but not used research slots
•   fixed: influence on state support coming from appointment of political commanders is counted every reload
•   AI now takes state support into account when recruiting
•   restricted “state to raise” for USCT/CSCT to main states
•   units now may not move pre-war, garrisons may not be reinforced or transfered pre-war
•   no trade of military goods between Union and CSA, also pre-war
•   units get new name if commander is changed (CSA)
•   added text search function for filters in military panel, eg. for commander names
•   fixed: too slow construction progress for small buildings, eg. telegraph stations
•   fixed: tooltips for colors, unread dispatches
•   fixed: regulars are also resetted when researching conscription act, newly raised units now get longer contracts
•   removed military installations from economic report “company foundations”
•   added additional battlefields
•   fixed: AI has more than 3 grand strategies activated when reloading
•   fixed: loading info shows old policy descriptions
•   fixed: units or garrisons across rivers do not block town occupation anymore
•   horse artillery is now smaller
•   fixed: rearguard actions not happening while a (multi-day) manual played battle is still raging after returning to campaign
•   renewed readiness logics: now only units with high readiness may enter enemy territory, readiness is recovering and consumed depending on factors like commander attributes, weather etc.
•   refixed: enemy fleets blocking town occupation
•   fixed: lower pre-war unit sizes lead to negative sick numbers and unusual high brigade strength
•   fixed: reloading resets number of sick soldiers
•   AI now assaults in sieges if strength is appropriate
•   fixed fleet renaming input caret
•   fixed: when switching from fleet to army panel the old commander stays selected
•   when replacing a commander the filter are now automatically adjusted to army/navy
•   sea, river, rail movement buttons deactivated by default
•   fixed: message for bond issuances also launched when enemy faction issues bonds
•   fixed: wrong weapon type for 2 brigades in 1864 scenario
•   fixed: unit icons may be displaced at the end of moving
•   commander attributes are now correctly shown in commander management, taking into account lack of experience
•   fixed: switching from a full readiness unit to low readiness unit while construction menu is open allows construction for low readiness unit too (Hotfix 0.8820)
•   fixed: fleets recover readiness too slowly (Hotfix 0.8821)

Battles:
•   fixed: AI movement is sometimes stuck on an objective although already taken
•   groups with low reinforcement times now appear immediately/faster on the battlefield
•   reworked AI deployment and AI entrenchments, note: overlapping deployment zones still in work
•   all subordinates of groups that arrive during night are placed immediately on the battlefield
•   potentially fixed: deleting sprites in battles may sometimes lead to exceptions and lags
•   fixed: Church0_0 disappearing when coming close with camera
•   adding higher speed for horse artillery
•   fixed: parapets receive wrong level when reloaded
•   construction in game phase of parapets that were planned in deployment phase not possible any more
•   added option to clear message log for battles
•   fixed: changing group formation does not change formations of single brigades if order delay is on
•   fixed: campaign influences (state support, national morale) are taken from campaign scenario start, not the latest values
•   units may surrender now if routed and national morale & average army morale is low
•   fixed wrong activated objectives in historical battles
•   neutral objectives are removed in campaign battles to prevent sudden switches of defensive to offensive battles
•   trenches and barricades are now hidden in FOW
•   routed units EOD are withdrawing from battlefield at night
•   reinforcements now entering in double line formation
•   fixed: redeployment close to borders may shift units out of the map
•   fixed: clouds not visible
•   refixed: FOW visible for a second at game start
•   added historical battles: Appomattox, Glorieta Pass
•   units falling back now do not stop to engage enemies until their fallback destination is reached
•   fixed: reloading campaign battles reduces commander attributes (Hotfix 0.8820)

Others:
•   fixed: date inaccuracy leads to delayed changing of flags
•   debug logs can now be deactivated in build
•   added buttons to dispatches: “Mark all as read”, “Delete all read dispatches”
•   fixed: first dispatch symbol remains on screen although deleted
•   fixed: message log button remains active if LMB on empty dispatch paper
•   added larger cursor for high resolutions
•   added GT mouse cursor for main menu
•   added additional commander pictures

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on May 18, 2021, 11:33:18 PM
Patch 0.8907
Tue, 18 May 2021

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/654890/ss_1f78ea64c5c2c1177d4ec72b3c89605fe0ed33c7.1920x1080.jpg)

Please use separate threads in the forum <Bug Reports> if you experience any issues:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/654890/discussions/2/
Campaigns:
•   commander attributes now show stars with 10%, 30%, 50%, 70% and 90% instead of 20%, 40% etc.
•   fixed: fleets stuck in battle/retreating if engaged in fort bombardment and naval engagement while strength gets low
•   fixed: units do not stop although engaged in defensive battle
•   newly raised units and units being transferred are now excluded from readiness calculation of the parent group
•   added message for units that withdraw due to low morale, not only low strength
•   fixed: AI chooses further grand policies when reloading game or returning from battle
•   fixed: McDowell shows weird commander attributes
•   fixed: AI is stuck constructing supply depots and not carrying out offensive/defensive operations after a while
•   added: non-constructed military buildings are removed after a few days if no friendly troops are close to finish construction
•   changed back: non arrived (recruited) units now reduce readiness of group
•   fixed: medium of transport for paths not saved when reloading
•   fixed: commander stats: battles participated always zero
•   fixed: secession of WV in early scenarios not leading to Union territory
•   fixed: town occupation continues although enemy unit is pulled back during occupation process
•   rebalanced company foundations: the probability new companies is reduced by the already founded companies this month
•   fixed: unrealistic (too high) Union unit numbering
•   fixed: units joining sieges or autoresolved battles later are not shown in the monument tooltip
•   fixed: sometimes units are retreating from autoresolved battles but still showing status “engaged”
•   reworked AI army composition
•   fixed: commanders are always defamed at their historical date
•   general rebalancing of readiness
•   fixed: transported units do not consume readiness
•   changed: units do not consume readiness order delay is running
•   fixed: zero population growth
•   fixed: reloading or coming back from battle resets population and probably lowers number of volunteers/drafts

Battles:
•   fixed: stuck path arrows when placing group HQ in deployment phase using ALT
•   fixed: group HQ can be placed outside deployment zone while using ALT
•   units do not execute lay down or rotation orders during movement to not override order delay
•   retreating units do not reset retreat path if no enemies are close
•   fixed: exception related to removed units leading to not-ending battles although retreat timer has expired
•   fixed cohesion impact on sprite placement not updated regularly
•   improved: HQ’s with independently operating subordinates sometimes may run through enemy lines
•   fixed issues in historical AI movement, leading to waiting groups (eg. Reynolds at Gettysburg)
•   tidying up redeployment: divisions now also influence frontlines, brigades are shifted into nearest deployment zone if they are still left outside
•   AI now takes reinforcement balance into account when evaluating stance changes
•   fixed: although SHIFT is pressed units are searching for covers after reforming from march column
•   fixed: units create off map routes if targets (RMB) are assigned which then are disabled
•   fixed: AI commanders always position on flanks without nearby enemies
•   fixed: some AI troops may still be placed outside deployment zone, esp. skirmishers
•   preventing redeployment of AI units in offensive battles (adjustable in debug.txt)
•   removed: allow AI defensive behavior in offensive battles / has led to non-moving units due to low force balance
•   rebalanced: linked groups to update new paths at a slower pace
•   fixed: artillery guns are sometimes stuck at the old position for a few seconds until redeploying EOD
•   bonus for commanders with correct branch of arms now only applied if he was a graduate of Westpoint
•   only dismounted cavalry and infantry units may construct breastworks now
•   added a workaround for AI units that are linked to other units although they should operate independently, sometimes led to hardly moving AI units
•   fixed: AI sprites stay on the old position for a while when redeployed

Others:
•   added game option “Always full Readiness” to options panel
•   fixed: commander in chief attributes influences into the wrong direction
•   fixed: loaded time (minutes) differ slightly from the saved time

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on July 25, 2021, 11:34:19 PM
Latest Patch 0.9010
Thu, 24 June 2021

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/654890/ss_1f78ea64c5c2c1177d4ec72b3c89605fe0ed33c7.1920x1080.jpg)

Note: this update is the first build after upgrading the Unity engine and means a huge download. We hope for better stability and less driver related crashes following the latest Windows 10 updates!

Also the log destination has changed to:
%USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\Grand Tactician\The Civil War (1861-1865)\Player.log
(is a hidden folder and needs to be set to unhide in explorer)

Please use separate threads in the forum <Bug Reports> if you experience any issues:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/654890/discussions/2/

Campaigns:
•   commander attributes (stars) now show correct values, weighted by experience
•   fixed: commander attributes are reduced by exp at scenario start and during gameplay
•   increased movement updates for smoother movement
•   fixed: AI does not use train, sea and river movements
•   commanders now gain experience through service, although less than through battles
•   measures to better represent victory conditions: national morale is now converging towards average state support and vice versa, added influence of economy (private wealth) on national morale, town occupation in enemy states reduce support for the cause
•   changes in AI recruitment: adding target recruitment rate
•   reworked AI army deployment for recruitment
•   reduced immediate effect of recruiting policies on available manpower but added running increase of manpower
•   added slower growth of available volunteers in high population states
•   changes in campaign objectives: first major battle now only counts for the first side to achieve and excludes smaller engagements, encourage Europeans now used as trigger for European intervention and is available if intervention level is close to 100%
•   fixed: USCT leads to a sudden reduction of available volunteers
•   added reduced annual growth rates for volunteers for longer contracts
•   changes in commander auto-assignment: now trying to avoid commanders whose rank is too low, replacements are taken from own army first
•   fixed: wrong calculation of commander in chief when old commander is not available anymore (probably needs further work)
•   fixed: wrong comparison in private wealth and tax income for monthly economic report
•   added enhanced info in strategy panel about latest changes in state support
•   fixed: text color turns dark after mouse moved over in campaign finish screen
•   fixed “running time” effects in policies, eg permanent influences in support, recruitment
•   fixed wrong directions of “arrows” in commander attributes at scenario start
•   fixed: effect of running policy influences too high (eg. CSA triggering Militia Act before Union) leading to high probability of secession of border states
•   added option to hide battle monuments in tools panel
•   added enhanced tooltip info in top panel for manpower and influences manpower
•   fixed tooltip info: units needed for reinforcements
•   improved “defend capital” AI mechanics: units maneuver better towards own capital if in danger
•   fixed: support <> national morale convergence too fast
•   AI units with low supply first head for near supply depots or towns before constructing a supply depot
•   fixed: searching for fort construction sites leads to increase in occupied forts objective variable
•   fixed: entrenchment levels increasing for units in defensive stance although moving
•   AI now pre-recruits manpower lost through contract expiries in coming months
•   fixed: USCT already researchable in Chapter II

Battles:
•   AI now deploys EOD AFTER player redeployment
•   added AI behavior: “retreat if outflanked on both sides” and “refuse flank if outflanked on one side”
•   fixed: when reloading a campaign battle some objectives may be switched/deactivated
•   worked on measures to reduce blobbing: AI groups now do not use same objectives at once
•   fixed: weird placement of subordinated units if parent units are redeployed but subordinates not (eg. AoNV vs. Left Wing in 2nd Manassas)
•   removed unit names for detachments in paper map view
•   fixed: ordered single brigades jump immediately to destination after deployment phase has ended
•   fixed: commander is MIA if a detachment surrenders
•   changed the logic how offensive/defensive battles are determined: units - moving/entrenched or not
•   reduced weight of objective points for victory conditions slightly for day 2+
•   fixed: AI countermeasures against outflanking (refuse flank, retreat) sometimes use wrong facing

Others:
•   improved sensitivity when adding waypoints (RMB), one click movements without determining the facing are possible now
•   reworked smoke engine
•   fixed: changing sound volume in videos not working
•   added video controls, cancel videos now with ESC
•   fixed: weird or non visible savegame entries if save panel is opened a second time


Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on July 25, 2021, 11:36:22 PM
Latest Patch 0.9113
Sun, 25 July 2021

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/654890/ss_1f78ea64c5c2c1177d4ec72b3c89605fe0ed33c7.1920x1080.jpg)

Please use separate threads in the forum <Bug Reports> if you experience any issues:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/654890/discussions/2/

Note: although we have changed weapon production mechanics it may still not work as intended as economic production hardly matches consumption. We will focus on this in version 0.92!

Campaigns:
•   added disabled tooltip info for armies
•   rebalanced desertion rates in low-support and low-morale environments
•   added tooltip infos (nato symbols) about current engagement: probability of victory and estimated length
•   added “flame” symbol for damaged/blocked IIP’s/companies behind the symbol
•   added info for infrastructure damages and losses for each IIP/company in tooltip
•   added railroad track list with economic info and construction duration, railroads can now only be constructed using the icons in this list
•   added alert symbols for units with low supply
•   fixed: commander in chiefs are replaced by low rank officers
•   AI now takes into account enemy units in recruitment when setting own recruitment goals
•   higher levels of supply depots deliver supplies now faster
•   added info about connected depots and its supply capacity in unit panel
•   fixed rare situations where armies may end on non passable terrain after retreats
•   rearranged top panel UI
•   now using a 3-month average to determine the change in commander attributes, experience influence is now taken into account, further UI info to follow later
•   battle monument info now only shown if no other tooltip is visible (eg. from units)
•   fixed: missing “The battle of “ in naming of naval battles
•   fixed: when combining artillery units the guns are not adjusted
•   added tooltip info about fleet firepower and used gunnery
•   ships without ammo (and returning to harbor) now counting as disabled
•   multiple groups now tend to coordinate defensive operations better to fight together
•   reworked retreat functions
•   connection to supply depots is now shown faster after game has started
•   supply lines are now colored red/yellow/green, depending on the supply efficiency
•   changed info about low morale units in battle start panel
•   AI defensive operations are now cancelled if strength gets too low and moving around strong enemies
•   AI now prefers to rally nearby friendly units next to an enemy instead of launching new defensive operations from far away which led to accumulation of AI units in a certain area
•   contract expiries in army management panel show now days if below 1 month remaining
•   fixed: dropping a ship from harbor pool into the harbor pool does add it to the selected fleet
•   fixed: opening military tab while fleet is selected mixes up army and fleet view
•   replaced economic cycle graph in finances panel by overall goods production
•   added tooltips for change in commander attributes
•   added tooltips for army strength in campaign panel
•   assumed fixed: sometimes units are not retreating if enemies are too close
•   fixed: issue with monthly economy report may have led to strange UI glitches
•   fixed: officers returning from WIA or POW not visible in officers panel
•   fixed: commander attribute influences from commander in chief used multiple times for each hierarchy level

Battles:
•   reworked minor/major victory/defeat mechanism, now depending on casualties relation and military experience, affecting readiness and carried supplies when returning to campaign map; step 2 will follow adjusting retreat mechanism
•   fixed: AI deployment behind breastworks not accurate enough to receive cover bonus at the start of the game or EOD
•   units now use doublequick to move into final position before engaging enemy if initiative is on
•   adjustments to AI micro behavior: brigades are now not spreading out that wide but try to keep together
•   adjusted brightness on Manassas map
•   assumed fixed: redeployment of own/enemy units in opposite deployment zone if they were cut off before, needs further testing
•   reduced number of rifle fire if units are inside buildings
•   fixed: AI group setup sometimes leads to non-moving groups, eg. Jackson at Chancellorsville
•   Unit tooltip for single brigades is now regularly updated when moving over unit
•   continuing old group path now cancelled if player has at least moved one subordinate while group was stopped to engage
•   fixed: points counter visible if top panel is minimized/maximized although continuous vp counting deactivated
•   AI now defenses less often if number of held objectives is comparable
•   low morale units do not break immediately at start but have a minimum & capped morale
•   reworked retreat mechanism
•   fixed: when giving movement orders to top hierarchies the group sometimes is not repositioned if contact to enemy is established but simply stopped
•   added battle field book

Others:
•   fixed: scrolling log messages & exceptions when removing messages
•   moved internal debug log messages to file “scenelog.dat”
•   improved field book guides
•   field books now auto-shown only once at start per layer


Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on August 11, 2021, 11:58:41 PM
Latest Patch 0.9205
Wed, 11 August 2021

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/654890/ss_1f78ea64c5c2c1177d4ec72b3c89605fe0ed33c7.1920x1080.jpg)

Please use separate threads in the forum <Bug Reports> if you experience any issues:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/654890/discussions/2/

If you experience lags after playing the game for a while please send us your log to identify the issue. We have seen a handful of issues related to adding a modified 1862 scenario (while loading old 62 campaigns) and fixing a building bug in 0.92.

Campaigns:
•   captured or removed weapons (through upgrades) can now be used to upgrade existing units
•   fixed: sometimes retreat paths are running too close, added also revolving retreat calculation if retreat destination is not on own soil
•   fixed: wrong influences on commander attributes from senior officers
•   fixed: building upgrades happen immediately
•   production of companies now much lower for goods that do not generate profits
•   added further AI bonus features, linked to AI bonus settings at campaign start
•   modified 1862 scenario: McClellan is now starting on the Peninsular
•   fixed: workforce in companies is too low
•   rebalanced production and demand in economy, as well as weapon availability
•   rebalanced army and fleet upkeep costs
•   fixed: if campaign is reloaded or a battle is manually played shortly after another one was finished units may become stuck
•   measures if economy lacks transport ships and locomotives: transport capacity of IIP’s reduced,, supply and reinforcement speed is slowed
•   IIP’s now create demand for transport ships and locomotives
•   fixed: sometimes AI units in (autoresolved) combat get another moving order leading to a re-triggering of the combat/siege
•   added info about total corporate production in monthly economy report
•   fixed: wrong construction progress for ships
•   fixed: IIP damage at start of scenarios
•   fixed: fort changing hands count as captured at the start of scenarios
•   improved AI behavior for defensive operations close to capital
•   AI now should be a bit more aggressive in defensive operations
•   fixed: researching draft acts are only increasing volunteers numbers for a short time period before falling back to pre-act levels
•   fixed: building upgrades are not saved during upgrade process

Battles:
•   units now recover morale slower if low experienced
•   rebalanced: lower gain of fame through battles
•   fixed: commander of non arrived units do not gain fame
•   rebalanced construction times of entrenchments
•   fixed: groups are counted for supported morale bonus
•   rebalanced morale influences
•   added enhanced morale info in unit panel
•   added info about loss resilience in unit panel
•   fixed: AI units don’t carry out fallback orders properly
•   skirmishers rebalanced, now have a lower loss resilience and inflict no flanking malus
•   AI now deploys deeper inside the map in offensive battles
•   fixed: group movements sometimes left back single units
•   units now break links if routed
•   added workaround for units that were stuck in impassable terrain
•   AI now withdraws at night if it was not successful in capturing an objective within a given time and has not earned victory points
•   fixed: issues with upgraded parapets when reloading battle save, leading to disappearing parapets and weird unit positions

Others:
•   fixed: messages sometimes not appearing as icons on the left side of the screen, eg. monthly economy report

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on August 15, 2021, 11:24:07 PM
Latest Patch 0.9301
Sun, August 15, 2021

Please use separate threads in the forum <Bug Reports> if you experience any issues:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/654890/discussions/2/

Campaigns:
•   fixed: reloading campaigns sometimes influences state support in a wrong way, due to historic commander appointments
•   name search field in military panel is now cleared when tab is switched
•   added “ready for duty” filter criteria for commanders in military panel
•   reworked objectives description
•   changed: units that are in winter/summer quarters AND entrenched are not suffering increased attrition anymore
•   added AI construction of forts
•   fixed: upgrade progress for procedural buildings lost when reloading save
•   rebalancing of campaign objectives
•   removed initial strength check for engagements for first engaging units, now strength including reinforcements is taken into account
•   fixed: too many captured guns after a victorious battle

Battles:
•   captured soldiers now excluded for loss resilience calculation
•   routed friendly units now do not surrender to routed enemy units if still engaged in melee
•   no morale updates during night (pos & neg)
•   fixed problems with loading of some random maps
•   fixed: units are getting permanent retreat orders if routed, although no enemies are close
•   removed: units falling back turn around or stop during movement
•   units now do not stop under enemy fire when crossing a ford or bridge
•   assumed fixed: lags in some maps, related to failed terrain specs assignment

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on August 21, 2021, 11:59:11 PM
The End of Early Access.
Sat, 21 August 2021

Special Dispatch, August 21, 2021.

https://youtu.be/wTGLYKxgC-U


Gen'l,

This day, August 21, 2021, marks a full year of Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865) in Early Access. That release, a year ago, saw the game receiving already positive comments from the game media, even as the game was far from finished. Now, after one full year of further development, the game has finally received a release date:

September 24, 2021!
(1800 UTC, which is 1400 Eastern / 1100 Western US time, 1900 Central European)

The year in development, in Early Access, has helped us to improve the game with the help of our superb community -- we'd like to offer our warmest thanks! In addition to fixing bugs in the game, we have added a lot of features and content, and implemented player requested features. During the Early Access period, which has had its highs and lows, we've been happy to see how the feedback and reviews have improved. Many players have already commented, that the version they are playing to-day feels like a totally different game when compared to that, which was released a year ago. The game is now enjoyable and has all the features, and more, that we originally planned for the full release.

But we're not done yet and will keep developing the game further, even after the full release, see the Post-Release Road Map below.

When released in full, on September 24, the game will be available for $ 44,90. While the game is still in Early Access, the price is 10% lower, at $ 39,99. The game's soundtrack is, and will continue to be available for $ 9,99, and a bundle of the game and the soundtrack is 10% off.

"I already have the Early Access -version. Do I need to buy the full game to be able to play it?"

No, you do not! The Early Access version will automatically upgrade to the full 1.0 version of the game on September 24.

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/33276817/c5c8d6f2eae0111b7bebb602e49cc90ddbb725db.jpg)

Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865) initial Early Access version vs. version 1.0:

•  3 --> 5 campaign scenarios (Pre-War 1861, Summer 1861, 1862, 1863, 1864)
•  10 --> 16 historical stand-alone battle scenarios (1st Manassas, Wilson's Creek, Pea Ridge, Glorieta Pass, Shiloh, Perryville, 2nd Manassas, Antietam, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Chickamauga, Olustee, Wilderness, New Market, Bentonville, Appomattox)
•  Over twice the number of battle maps
•  Over 1,500 historical commanders
•  Improved performance and stability
•  Improved battle and campaign AI
•  Improved game play balance in battles and campaign
•  Updated and scalable User Interface (UI)
•  Improved information in form of addition tooltips and in-game manual ("Field Book"), an external manual, and tutorial videos


(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/33276817/7e197a62dacf451157cf2fe7cfc8248608f590c3.jpg)

Post-Release Road Map.

The game's development will not stop when we release it. During the development we've already come up with a lot of ways to improve the game further. Above are the first steps of our Post-Release Road Map. These steps include features and content, that will be added in regular updates, for no cost:

•  Rare Weapons: Gatling gun, Coffee Mill gun and 1-pdr Williams gun will be added to the game's list of available weapons. Maybe even more!
•  Building Options: Player will be allowed to construct government subsidized industries. Hospitals improve recovery of wounded troops and captured enemies construction require POW camps, otherwise the field commanders will offer paroles that will see part of the captured troops returning to service.
•  New Maps: Further battle maps will be added.
•  Avatar & Commander update: Players will be able to create their own personal commander (avatar) with their own appearance and preferred attributes. The avatar can appear in the campaign game. Commander attributes can be randomized at the start of the scenario and there will be some improvements in officer management as well.
•  Visual Improvements: Updating the game's visuals will improve immersion and the looks, while offering further customization options for your troops.


These are the ones we have already decided to add in the game, and further information will be released when the new content is developed!

In case you want to know more about the development of Grand Tactician, don't hesitate to contact the team using the links below - or join the conversation at the game's Steam Discussion forum.


We are, Sir / Ma'am, Your very ob't se'v'ts,

The Grand Tactician -team.

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on August 24, 2021, 11:34:04 PM
Latest Patch 0.9409
Tue, 24 August 2021

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/654890/ss_01e26d35fe57f1ebbcd31a5824e2b43ab060d5e9.1920x1080.jpg)


Please use separate threads in the forum <Bug Reports> if you experience any issues:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/654890/discussions/2/

Campaigns:
•   fixed: withdrawing sometimes runs into wrong direction
•   withdrawing now results in more intense rearguard activity and higher casualties
•   fixed: sometimes units are stuck in permanent retreat because retreat direction was not far enough or inside enemy terrain
•   fixed: forage not stored in supply depots
•   fixed: upgrade price for rifles is shown wrong in weapon list
•   reduced income of income tax massively, increased army upkeep slightly, increased fleet upkeep massively
•   fixed: sometimes unit withdraw into wrong direction
•   fixed: exceptions related to siege and navy engagement of same fort
•   fixed: retreat destinations also take into account neutral and hidden units
•   refixed: WIA/POW/KIA/Available for service commander filters not working
•   fixed: disabled commanders from lower unit hierarchies are not replaced automatically
•   changed wording for intervention tooltip: player needs a major victory in order to provoke Europe to intervene & French interventions needs “Mexican Intervention” policy
•   rebalanced: intervention forces are now moving faster due to high transport capacity
•   fixed: intervention forces may now use allied territory to redeploy, before: only invade enemy terrain
•   AI is now recruiting in states with higher distance to the target army to meet recruitment goals
•   changed: checking for initial strength relation including reinforcements to evaluate if enemy shall withdraw

Battles:
•   improved AI micro-maneuvering in front of the enemy
•   fixed: AI stance settings in historical battles sometimes lead to zig-zag movements
•   AI now tries to avoid defended bridges and river crossings in macro-movement
•   if AI decides to retreat EOD the timer is resetted to zero
•   manually assigned targets are now relieved if enemy routs (except for cavalry)
•   fixed: broken units sometimes not retreating but holding position in front of the enemy
•   units that have surpassed loss resilience are now leaving the battlefield via entry point
•   fixed: remaining lags that occur if units are stuck close to dense forest and retreating/surrendering
•   fixed: effect of perks for sharpshooters and zouaves were switched, battle perks now achieved faster
•   fixed: additional battle flags not available
•   fixed: battle flags are not updating if a new unit is selected immediately, battle flags not saved when leaving battles
•   using smaller AI groups to deploy faster
•   commanders now tend to stay closer to subordinated infantry and cavalry units instead of artillery units to stay closer to the front
•   assumed fixed: AI brigades running into enemy troops without stopping
•   larger AI groups (eg corps) are now separated into smaller groups when engaged (eg divisions) to improve micro AI behavior
•   AI groups initially redeploy more towards center of the deployment zone if no objective is located inside
•   assumed fixed: initial deployment of AI groups within opponent’s deployment zone

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on August 29, 2021, 11:38:13 PM
Latest Patch 0.9504
Sun, August 29, 2021

This patch can be seen more as a hotfix for the melee and surrender problems in 0.9409.

Please use separate threads in the forum <Bug Reports> if you experience any issues:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/654890/discussions/2/

Campaigns:
•   fixed: sorting commanders by administration not working
•   changed logic for commander filters
•   raiding of blockade fleets now does not influence national morale anymore
•   added workaround for units that are placed on navmesh islands and cannot leave
•   AI now constructs forts on fewer and better suitable construction sites
•   added preset commander filters when replacing officers
•   added enhanced tooltip for interventions, though not working as intended yet
•   fixed high number of disintegrations related to huge block areas around enemy troops
•   fixed: late game buildings are shown from start on

Battles:
•   increased influence of losses on victory balance
•   units now retreat in slightly larger distances towards enemy units to prevent moving through small gaps in enemy lines
•   fixed: melee status not resetting, leading to surrender of routed units
•   fixed: AI artillery fallback not working if enemy is close
•   cavalry and artillery now mount when retreating

Other:
•   added “X” and “ESC” to close panels, removed similar functionality by using RMB


Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on September 25, 2021, 12:46:31 AM
Grand Tactician version 1.0 Released!
Fri, 24 September 2021

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/33276817/d63b4a19a3e341a3d97b3804399cf3cd329b61ec.jpg)

After over a year in Early Access, Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865) has been released!

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the Early Access players -- your help and encouragement has been invaluable!

While the game has now reached maturity and released -status, this does not mean the end of further development. Instead, we are planning on continuing to expand the game's features after the release. The first steps can be seen in our Post Release Road Map, which you can find here:

http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/blog/articles/a-post-release-road-map

You may also find the game's manual, fresh from print, in the game's install folder, Steam store and library pages, as well as behind this direct link:

https://store.steampowered.com/manual/654890/

We are, sir/ma'am, Your very ob't se'v'ts,

The Grand Tactician Team


Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on October 19, 2021, 11:59:44 PM
Latest Patch 1.0115
Fri, October 15, 2021

Thanks again to all development patch testers!
Please report bugs and/or ideas in the following forum:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/654890/discussions/2/

Campaigns:
fixed: ammo consumption too high in autoresolved battles
reduced effect of debt and negative surplus on rating slightly
added positive effects on AI rating when using higher difficulty
fixed: economy report cumulates monthly founded companies
now showing also killed and wounded brigade commanders in officer loss report
fixed: upgrade of greyed out (not available) weapons possible
added certain weapons to initial stock
commanders may now be promoted manually
fixed: construction icon prevents setting waypoints
tidying up: fort names and conditions are now visible on map only if mouse is close
army icons are now always placed in front of buildings, towns or IIP’s
fixed/enhanced: tooltips and updating numbers for minimized unit panel stats
improved drag and drop behavior, especially for fleets
added campaign tutorial
added workaround for units whose campaign stances are greyed out though no order is delivered anymore
fixed: raiding enemy installations in allied states does not lower own support anymore
fixed: support influence king cotton not counting for allied but for slave states
rebalanced high effect of raiding on state support
changed logic for drag- and dropping of ships: now the full space is used on both sides (except ship list)
probably fixed: empty groups and fleets are not removed, officers not promoted when leaving the military panel via other top panels (eg. strategy, trade etc.)
commanders now can only be promoted if they are active
fixed: captured weapons now also show up if no tech is available
fixed config bug in prefs that probably led to low reinforcement speed
fixed issue that could have led to permanent increase of the number of wounded through reloading saves, though not resetting the numbers in older saves
now preventing replacement of wounded/killed commanders of dummy garrisons
no contract expiries happen for units that are engaged


Battles:
added approximate restrictions to line of fire for units
fixed issues with blocking own units in line of fire
commander initiative off now prevents units from wheeling
commander initiative default can now be turned on/off for all units in main menu options menu
deadly volley: units need to be at fire range 50% instead of 25% in order to gain perk experience
fixed: Battle end screen showing “Courier to xxx” instead of army name if McDowell commands
fixed: rare exception when cavalry units are linked and battle is reloaded
fixed: potential freeze of units in Chickamauga historical battle when entering day 2#
added auto-resizing of sprite numbers for huge battles that could have resulted in stuck loading or memory crashes, note: further improvements planned later
added battle hints for certain unit events below top panel, can be deactivated in options menu
added battle tutorial
fixed: submenus of bottom panel sometimes auto-close while a unit is selected
fixed: timed movement & bombardment on 2nd day starting immediately


Others:
game is now paused while newspaper, message log and dispatches are opened
added tutorials for campaigns and battles
fixed: some game options are now automatically adjusted for tutorials to prevent stuck tutorial situations
added auto pop up for patch notes in main menu


Outlook on 1.02:
- further improvements in battle and campaign AI
- enhanced info for auto resolved battles (land + sea)

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on November 07, 2021, 11:26:45 PM
Patch 1.0210
November 7, 2021

Thanks again to all development patch testers!
Please report bugs and/or ideas in the following forum:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/654890/discussions/2/

Campaigns:
AI now defends more carefully and watches out better for nearby enemies
fixed: units joining an autoresolved battle are not stopping but continue movement
fixed: potentially wrong faction in naval battles when reloading while a battle rages
added enhanced info panel for autoresolved battles (land battles, siege combat, fort bombardment, naval engagements)
fixed: Diplomacy I selected in summer 61 scenario leading to wrongly assigned weapon types
fixed: loading of saved tutorials fails if FOW options were changed
playing manual battles in campaign tutorial is now not possible anymore
fixed: LTGen act does not promote commander in chief to LTGen
assumed fixed: playing background music twice while inspecting campaign after a won campaign
fixed: multiple garrisons may take part in siege combat
added drop down list below the alarm icons on top to directly access the autoresolve-panel
fixed: wrong correlation between availability of weapons on the markets and equippable units
removed: high combat intensity in sieges if besieging unit has offensive stance activated
fixed: regualars act may add a Minnesota brigade to CSA armies
newspaper messages can now be deactivated in options menu
added to options menu: keep game paused after closing panels
fixed: sea raiders perk not blocking trade nodes
added: damages of forts through siege combat
logics changed: increase of stock of supply depots now lead to immediate expenses, shown as separate position in finances tab
supply depots are now fully filled at scenario start to prevent huge spikes in expenses at start
fixed: provision and coal stock for fleets too high
arms agents/security measures: number of weapons in stock is increased/reduced (before: only markets were affected)
fixed: ship names for newly constructed ships are resetted when reloading
fixed: capturing ships not working
fixed: naval battles may triggered several times as AI cannot retreat out of the enemy fleet range
fixed: when removing a ship name completely a new one cannot be entered
commander exp now increased in naval combats and fort bombardments


Battles:
AI bonus now also applies to loss resilience
AI now acts slightly faster and tries to avoid direct assaults on entrenchments
added quickinfo about locked map functions when HQ papers are opened
fixed: disappearing morale icon tooltips
fixed: retreat time too short for AI although units fully engaged
player can now use the arrow keys to browse through the army hierarchies
AI is now forming up in double lines to deploy quicker
AI acts more aggressive in battles
AI reduces maneuvers in front of the enemy
improved behavior for group commanders whose subordinates are all routed
fixed: move at signal, on time sometimes carried out immediately


Others:
updated: manual is now searchable

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on December 04, 2021, 01:25:45 AM
3D troops to replace sprites
04 Dec 2021

https://youtu.be/OKJA1kbMka8

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: neilnilly on December 04, 2021, 12:04:32 PM
I like this game, biondo have seen you name on the credits, nice work!!!
Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on January 22, 2022, 11:53:52 PM
Patch 1.04: A Wagonload of AI
Fri, January 21, 2022


The new Grand Tactician update focuses heavily on improving the game's AI opponent, both in campaign and battle layers.

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/33276817/c131180476defa99583661d2a93bbc1888d35481.png)

The campaign AI now recruits more intelligently, and transfers units to threatened theaters actively. It is more active in construction and management of its fleets, and will also consider naval invasions against poorly protected shores. Capital city defense behavior, defensive operations, weapons production and distribution among the troops, replacing commanders with better ones, and organizing early armies into grand armies with corps organization are also among the upgrades.

The battle AI handles its troops better. In attack, it will bombard enemy positions with its artillery while waiting for more troops to arrive, before moving in to close combat, if required. It is more active in defensive battles to counter player's flanking and encirclement movements with timely withdrawals, while also considering keeping a reserve to counter player's maneuvers. All in all, there will be less confusion in the AI's ranks during battles.

Along comes also a long list of bug fixes, balancing, UI and other improvements, including orderly withdrawal from campaign battles if the losing army is not broken.

While continuing to improve the game with the usual bug fixes and other minor improvements, the next patch 1.05 will have its focus in campaign economy, and player's controls in influencing it.

Most Respy,
The Grand Tactician Team

Latest Patch 1.0421

Campaigns:

    added AI seas invasions
    AI now better uses gaps in the frontline and coordinates attacks better
    AI actively replaces bad commanders
    AI fleets try to avoid enemy forts when executing blockade orders
    added campaign theaters that lets AI focus on certain regions and not moving across the map
    AI recruits armies with more corps the more the war progresses
    AI converts early war armies into late war armies with corps structure
    fixed: commanders may be promoted above maximum rank causing issues
    fixed: commander history shows wrong battle name
    fixed issues with AI recruiting and rebalanced recruiting
    AI now transfers units to locations threatened by enemy
    fixed: CSA Free Trade act lowers Union tariffs if Tariff Act is also active
    weapon strength and national morale are taken into account for evaluating AI offensive actions
    fixed: AI bonus not 100% applied on higher difficulties in campaign
    if troop transports are engaged by fleets the troop transporter is now slowed down in movement tremendously (not if unit is retreating)
    fixed: garrisons are retreating with other corps if joining battles
    changed chart logic: all negative values now show downward graphs
    AI recruits preferably volunteers, does not recruit more drafts as possible
    rebalanced ammo consumption and casualties for interception of troop transports
    fixed: updating available weapons immediately if combining brigades
    AI now gets also access to commanders that had a low rank at start of the campaign and actively uses promotions
    rebalanced AI ship recruiting and allocation
    changed auto naming logic of newly created fleets
    fixed: reloading duplicates captured soldiers to missing in stats
    supply consumption lowered when troops are transported
    fixed: not spawned fleets can be selected in spring 61 scenario if using left/right arrow
    fixed: sometimes ships in harbor are not marked red for transfer although not fitting to the currently selected fleet
    fixed: ship image is shown when switching from army -> navy -> officers -> army in military management panel
    fixed: transport capacity usage sometimes takes subordinate but separated corps into account
    fixed: transferring units that had already been transferred before may lead to immediate arrivals
    fixed: navy raids may end up stuck if both fleets run low on ammo
    fixed: low readiness during navy raids may reset fleet orders with implications on strength relation of the battle
    fixed: AI may not recruit groups in areas where no recruits are available
    fixed: fleets cannot retreat if enemy fleets are on raiding points
    fixed: fleet orders of high readiness fleets not selectable if a fleet with low readiness was chosen before
    improved pathfinding along rails and rivers
    filter searchfield is now cleared after assigning commanders and filter settings are now saved permanently instead of just when leaving the management panel (except when replacing officers)
    fixed: sometimes units cannot cross bridges in campaign
    supply depots now store lower numbers of less relevant goods
    reduced spamming of AI supply depots
    increase focus of AI on capital regarding recruitment and unit transfers
    AI tries to construct more forts around the capital
    fixed: multiple commander assignments when replacing wounded or killed officers
    changed AI army composition factors
    pre-set filters when replacing commanders are now not overwriting the manual setting
    fixed wrong arrival times when re-transfering units


Battles:

    fixed: groups in certain AI groups leave field as no subordinate brigade arrives
    fixed: dead models visible on paper map
    artillery now interrupts movement before running into enemy lines and slows movement if moving in front of the column
    AI tries to form up in larger force before starting attacks
    improved direction finding when units with defensive stance fall back
    retreating out of the field without having the loss barrier triggered now results in a withdrawal on campaign map instead of a retreat
    AI now bombards positions before assaulting if artillery is in position
    fixed: finished barricades shown low alpha after reloading
    AI uses advance movements more often
    commanders now better try to move away from enemy units
    fixed: sometimes surrendered units reappear on the map edge after reloading
    fixed: sometimes routed artillery units do not move or move late
    AI now tries to reposition to back if it discovers encirclement
    allowing overriding of “safety zone” movements of commanders by manual movements
    probably fixed: units caught in animation cycles on papermap (eg. cavalry mounting) and gets stuck until zoomed in
    fixed: AI acted to defensively if approaching with huge formations
    allowing cover for skirmishing formations
    fixed: units hanging slightly in the air in map “#210”


Other:

    fixed: subordinate commanders not shown for historical battles in main menu if switching from campaign battle
    desertions are now influenced by commander’s admin skills instead of leadership
    fixed: loading saves from in-game does not apply the save-game realism settings
    improved input for entering/modifying names & support of copy/paste
    reworked setting of game options as some settings were not remembered




Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on March 01, 2022, 12:12:13 AM
Patch 1.05: Community Requests
Tue, February 22, 2022

Version 1.05 is focused on community requests and all-around improvements to enhance game play.

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/33276817/7342fc3c2d92de25d1fdb3fff5e2f3fd09340a77.png)

Gen'l,

A new patch is out! Version 1.05 is focused on community requests and all-around improvements to enhance game play:

•   Battle AI improvements, including deployment, defensive behavior.
•   Army and fleet management improvements, including shipyard capacity, quick construction of ships, reinforcement options for units and armies, detaching a corps from an army, creation of an independent corps after Military II policy, ability to change uniform & colors after recruitment.
•   Fixed fame system, including redeeming lost fame ("defamed") through time or battle honors, and positive morale effects from famous commanders.
•   Supply depots can be abandoned by player and the AI.
•   Commander and unit histories are updated during the campaign.
•   Further game option to decrease/increase the number of 3D models shown per unit, and optional VSync.
•   Locking map rotation only affects mouse controls, not hotkeys.
•   Bug fixes & balance improvements.


Full patch notes
Latest patch 1.0516, uploaded January 22, 2022:

Before enhancing the economy part in the next patch we are focusing mostly on community observations and wishes in 1.05. This includes fame system, AI defensive behavior and a lot of minor improvements and fixes.

Note: the download size is quite huge ~5.5GB, this because we upgraded to a new Unity version and all the videos got transcoded again.

Campaigns:
•   fixed: wrong newspaper messages are shown for completing objectives
•   added auto-generation tools for ships
•   re-arranged info of top panel and added wharf capacity
•   added control for reinforcement priority and vols/drafts in army management panel
•   added new feature: send unit home to reform and replenish faster
•   added option to create independent corps without army HQ
•   uniform and unit colors can now be changed after recruitment
•   fixed: dummy fort garrisons show up transfer time at game start
•   autoresolve panel: if units join a fight while the panel is opened the group lines are misplaced
•   added “detach to independent corps” function in army management panel to better split units
•   added option to upgrade independent corps to armies
•   ships being repaired now blocking shipyard capacity
•   fixed: exponential increase of probability of returning WIA commanders the longer the session
•   rebalanced fame system and allowing rehabilitation of defamed commanders as time passes
•   fixed: commanders become famous on their historical date during campaign
•   flags of forts are now shown smaller on papermap
•   supply depots can now be abandoned
•   fixed: armies can engage embarked troops
•   fixed: movement slowdown (readiness, winter, training) even if embarked
•   fixed: commanders and units do not save battle history info & info enhanced
•   fixed: timed movement on campaign layer inaccurate
•   fixed: alarm icons for invasions sometimes show similar entries
•   fixed: intervention forces occupy land and towns of the allied faction
•   fixed: french intervention now to happen after the victory in Mexico in 1863
•   fixed: units moving by train can be “intercepted” by fleets
•   if troop transporters are engaged by forts the troops are now debarking to engage
•   increased attributes for European commanders
•   reduction of probability of offensive and defensive operations during winter months
•   fixed: raiding alarm icon never disappears
•   fixed: stuck OOB management if drafts/volunteers buttons are switched
•   intercepted troop transports (by fleets) are now retreating immediately
•   AI now tries to recapture lost towns more often
•   enemy units that are within combat range are now visible, even if intelligence is low
•   rebalanced ammo consumption of fleets in fort bombardments
•   increased AI recruitment target ratios
•   rebalanced road movement costs to prevent units debarking from rail movement if track runs close to roads
•   assumed fixed: multiple movement orders of units in AI offensive operations sometimes lead to stuck retreats and fleet movements
•   fixed: issues with intervention forces when leaving the alliance
•   AI emergency recruiting policies not used if troop strength is already superior
•   fixed: fleets that have access to rivers and sea can only attach river or sea ships, not both

Battles:
•   loss resilience is increased at the end of each day, depending on experience
•   fixed: barricades and parapets are hidden behind FOW if constructed in own deployment zone during deployment phase
•   fixed: units are stopping outside their fire range when manually assigning targets via RMB
•   victory points are now closer together, AI starts closer to the edge of deployment zones and/or AI defends closer to victory points
•   fixed: sometimes orders are canceled if subordinate groups are cut off from main unit
•   reworked AI defensive positioning
•   added AI cavalry charge mechanism on weak enemies
•   improved: AI should avoid better moving across rivers in battles
•   slight performance increase through improving dust animations
•   no “digital” rotating out of cover anymore and “rotating in” in of cover added
•   number of models in battle can now be adjusted in options menu
•   auto-downsizing of units for large battles can now be deactivated in options menu, guns of rescaled units are now shown correctly in stats
•   fixed: group movement speed sometimes is too low if the group consists of cavalry
•   AI groups now do not wait hours for their reinforcements to arrive before attacking
•   probably fixed: small units (skirmishers, arty detachments) sometimes take no casualties
•   refixed: victory bar sometimes stuck at 50:50 if both sides have high casualty ratios
•   improved: models moving across water
•   fixed: groups that are linked are moving before the unit linked receives the order
•   AI groups wait for reinforcements to arrive within short time if they are not superior in force before attacking
•   reworked auto-pause functionality when opening menus
•   routed units engaged in melee now suffer prisoners
•   skirmishers now use a wider formation and do not show commander’s name after reloading
•   fixed: perk experience of detachments not added to parent unit when reattaching
•   fixed: issues with wrong facing of linked groups

Other:
•   fixed: game guide pops up every time main menu is started
•   fixed: lock map rotation not “remembered” if changing this option from within a game session
•   lock map rotation now only applies to mouse rotation, not hotkeys
•   reduced volume of weather sounds, also adjustable in debug.txt
•   increased AI bonus for higher difficulty levels
•   improved management for drag and drop and list scrolls
•   clarification on difficulty and aggressiveness settings in main menu
•   Vsync may be switched on/off in options menu
•   fixed: sometimes movement orders are canceled if same order is given before order delay expired


Cheers,
The Grand Tactician Team

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on April 24, 2022, 10:01:32 PM
Economy Updates.
Apr 21, 2022


Gen’l,

With patch 1.06, Grand Tactician’s economy will see a big overhaul, not only increasing its importance, but also allowing player further control over it.

From the beginning, Grand Tactician had an elaborate economic system built into it. When designing the game, we wanted to minimize micromanagement required from the player, while also having the economy play its role in our model of the Civil War. While this did work quite well, we were not completely happy with the end result, as quite a lot was abstracted a bit too far, and the effects of the economy were quite difficult to observe. For these reasons we decided to redesign parts of the economy.

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/blog/images/71.jpg)


Sinews of War.

The first noticeable change is in the Finances-panel, and how subsidies work. In the above image, you can see that the subsidy controls have received some improvements. There are now six (6) subsidy types. Politics subsidy type is the only one not connected directly to policies, while the other types are. Enacting Industrialization policies, for example, will unlock further available industry subsidies per annum. Small amount of subsidies are now available even without enacted policies.

Earlier, pre 1.06, subsidies included direct effects. While it worked in principle just fine, it remained rather invisible for the player. We wanted to make the subsidies and the effects easier to see and understand. So, the paid subsidies are now shown under each type as coins of different color. These indicate how much government money has been invested. This money can then be spent by the player.

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/blog/images/72.jpg)
NOTE: The screenshot still contains some placeholder assets.


Projects.

In the new Projects-panel, player can use the subsidies to finance different kinds of government projects, each requiring certain subsidy type. The projects are divided into civil and military projects, and some are one time, others repeating. For example, with military subsidies one can appoint new weapon types to be produced by the nation’s industry, or with diplomacy subsidies one can make weapon import deals.

These are one time projects. In the above screenshot, you can see one of the repeating projects. Each level of these repeating projects will increase the effects, but will also cost gradually more. Infrastructure Reform, the example shown, requires industry subsidies, and will increase transport capacity of all the nation’s IIPs (Important Infrastructure Points, that move goods around the campaign map). Once appointed, the next level will further increase the effects, but at a slightly higher cost.

The project effects will influence the nation’s war effort, and are powerful tools, but also expensive. It’s up to the player to figure out which projects to focus on, as subsidies are collected over time, and not everything can be done at any one time.

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/blog/images/73.jpg)


Weapon Production.

Changing the way weapon production works in the game has been one of the main requests from the community since the beginning. We did not want to make big changes so far, as it required stronger link between the economy and weapon production. With the overhauled economy model, it was finally time to change this as well.

In the above image you see a new Weapons-panel, which can be accessed via military management. Here, you can see all available weapons per type, including the actual numbers. There are weapons that are found currently in the nation’s depots, including those captured from the battle fields. Even if certain weapons are available, it does not mean they can be produced or imported — the projects are used for this.

Once a weapon type is available for the industry to produce, or an import deal is made, said weapons can be ordered. Player chooses the number of weapons to be produced, and places the order. Depending on the weapon type’s complexity, standardization, condition of industry (produced weapons), or available trade routes and relations (imported weapons), completion of the order will require certain amount of time and money. Once the order has been completed, the weapons become available, and can be handed over to recruited units.

So, from unlocking the weapon types directly via policies, and receiving new weapons to equip the units quite abstractly, the new system makes weapon production way more flexible and controlled. Players can, for example, try to unlock the best repeating rifles first. But the delays and costs need to be weighed carefully, as the economy now plays more important role in general.

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/blog/images/74.jpg)


Construction Options.

Another big change is the ability to construct buildings on the campaign map. When no army or fleet is selected, you can see new construction buttons in the bottom of the screen. There are three (3) types of construction options: government building, industries, railroads. Constructing railroads has not changed much from earlier versions of the game, except the location for the controls, and that subsidies can be used to cover the costs.

Government buildings are paid for using the nation’s treasury directly. Government buildings, such as national banks, POW camps, military hospitals and military academies, all have their effects in the war effort. For example, when capturing enemy soldiers in battle, if no POW camps are built, the field commanders will parole the prisoners, and many may return to their units to fight again. If POW camps with sufficient capacity exist, the prisoners can be moved there, and will be effectively out of the fight. But there are upkeep costs…

Industries, like railroads, can be funded with subsidies. When subsidies are available, construction is cheaper, as private investors and businessmen can be attracted more easily. If insufficient subsidies are available, these construction projects can still be ordered, but it will cost much more, and the funds are taken from the treasury directly. Similar payments (subsidies, or direct) can be used now to upgrade any of the existing industries throughout the campaign map.

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/blog/images/75.jpg)


As the new construction options require further information, we have also added a number of new map filters to show information, that can be helpful when considering whether new buildings are needed, and where they would be most effective.

While all these changes increase the control player can have over the economy, all the mentioned functions can be placed under the AI Cabinet’s control (automanagement), in which case no further commands from the player are needed.

Most Respy,

Gen’l. Ilja Varha,
Chief Designer, &c.,
The Grand Tactician -Team

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on June 05, 2022, 05:48:53 PM
Economy Overhaul - Version 1.06 Released!
Fri, June 3, 2022

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/33276817/7f5c094dfe630781672c3d1e18288068abac4bfb.png)

Gen'l,

The biggest Grand Tactician update so far has been released. Version 1.06 brings not only a long list of bug fixes and minor improvements, but overhauls the game’s economy system completely. The patch introduced also new game mechanics, like government funded projects and a new weapon procurement system (including a few new weapon types), as well as ability for the player to construct a wide range of buildings with unique effects on the campaign map.

For the full list of changes, see the patch notes in the below post

The game’s manual has also been updated to include instructions for all the new or changed features.

Cheers,
The Grand Tactician Team

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on June 05, 2022, 05:49:50 PM
Latest Patch 1.06


Latest patch 1.0635, uploaded June 3, 2022:

The biggest Grand Tactician update so far has been released. Version 1.06 brings not only a long list of bug fixes and minor improvements, but overhauls the game’s economy system completely. The patch introduced also new game mechanics, like government funded projects and a new weapon procurement system (including a few new weapon types), as well as ability for the player to construct a wide range of buildings with unique effects on the campaign map.

Campaigns:
measures against long retreat routes
rebalanced (increased) long term recruiting numbers of large population states
rebalanced railroad speed
fixed: CSA/Mexican intervention policy leading to a massive reduction in overall recruiting pool
added effect of banks on economy (available capital, higher private wealth, cheaper funding)
added effect of markets on economy (increasing transport capacity)
added effect of printing works (intelligence gathering, fame increase, lower support loss through drafting)
added effect of military schools (increase mil exp, lower exp loss when promoting commanders, commander attributes growth)
added effect of hospitals (lower mortality of wounded, increase in state support if wounded are treated, wounded recover faster)
added effect of pow camps (reduces number of paroled pow’s, need to be provisioned, overcrowding increases enemy state support)
auto generating units now preferring volunteers
AI units do not construct depots if embarked
fixed: small units move very fast by rail or water
reworked IIP trade mechanics
added new map filters: available capital, medical treatment, transport bottlenecks
fixed issues with visualization for goods trade flows (clicking on IIP resource symbol in IIP panels)
fixed: sometimes fort garrisons are losing touch to their manually constructed forts after reloading
fixed: sometimes enemy units burn down player supply depots when retreating
fixed: CSA newspaper not triggered in 1864 election
fixed: forced march button not greyed out if readiness is yellow
reworked filter panel, added garrison list
added construction menu for manual placement of buildings, moved railroad construction there
added fertility & fertility maps for agricultural products
reworked AI building placement logic
added shortage and production filters
rebalancing of transport capacity, goods consumption, pre-goods usage, tax regime
added construction expenses to finances panel
shifting subsidy and policy effects to new projects panel
adding seperate AI raid operations on economic objectives
companies now not only switch but adjust production according to market prices
companies now dynamically search for better nearby locations to buy or sell goods
added base military consumption for weapons, uniforms, horses, ammo resulting of erosion
added project panel
added weapon management panel under military management
weapon standardization now linked to project research date
replaced “weapon industry” by “economy” in balance/strategy panel
enhanced town tooltip info
rebalanced workforce availability, recruits now reduce workforce
added auto-renaming of placed buildings
added economy alerts if automanage option for construction is off
added tooltips for headers in trade tab
enhanced info of building panels and upgrade buttons
map filters can now also be accessed in zoomed in 3D view
unlocking imports for ships now adds a handful of immediately available ships for order
fixed: companies often use more expensive pre goods if multiple pre goods can be used
added info for imports/exports in trade panel
fixed: companies sometimes not consuming all pre-goods
reduced sensitivity for detecting battles if a unit is placed on a bridge or ferry, now battle triggers if both units are very close to each other, though the river should actually be blocking
added construction cost info for supply depots, forts and telegraph stations
added number of alerts to top panel alerts, blockade alert image now switches if a high blockade ratio is surpassed
added monthly intelligence report
added quick launch buttons for economy and intelligence reports
rebalanced: increased success of amphibious assaults perk
added message for completion of building constructions
added newspaper message for completion of railroad constructions
government buildings are now added to filter of production buildings panel
fixed: filters in production not working properly
player can activate auto placement for buildings to let AI place the selected buildings automatically
added filter for market influence areas
fixed: replace button shown if officer tab is selected, should be shown in unit view only
tremendous increase in construction costs + upkeep costs of govt buildings
reworked supply and goods flow visualization
fixed: fleet recruiting list shows multiple identical port entries
map symbol settings are now saved, separated battle & campaign nato symbol activation
retreating units may now only retreat to friendly towns and forts or IIPs if in own states
added symbols for IIP blockades, market and capital influences to building icons
reduced AI supply depots construction activity
lowered reinforcements during winter months
fixed: ammo stock within armies can run negative
fixed: December economy report not saved
adjusted tutorial to take care of newly added features
rebalanced aggressiveness of offensive operations
changed calculation of supply ratio: now taking the minimum of provisions, forage, ammo [before: the average of provisions and forage]
fixed: wounded and low state support affects train and river movement speed
fixed: auto-generating horse artillery ignores size markers
redimensioned dispatch content size
fixed: commander attributes in tooltip and in military management panel not matching
fixed: filter button greyed out if hiding and showing unit filter

Battles:
added AI counterbattery fire
fixed “remaining” movement on water issues in certain maps related to water level
fixed: cold steel button not highlighted, though ordered
fixed: units which are reforming from march column to line as enemies are close may “forget” interim waypoints
changed: no “interruption” of units if enemy is on opposite side of a river
fixed: infantry in square formation cannot rout
fixed: cover type “forest” needs change of unit facing in order to be recognized
fixed: difficulty settings lost when reloading save of battle for the duration of the battle
reduced volume of thunder sound
fixed: units not snapping in to highest level parapets
fixed: flying units in Honey Springs map near Elk river
fixed: AI exceptions if no objective was found between engaging armies
fixed: reloading deactivates constructed pontoons
adjusted tutorial to take care of newly added features
rebalanced melee, probably needs further adjustments
fixed: units cannot cross frozen rivers

Other:
fixed: overwriting of campaign battle saves not working if overwriting from campaign layer
added all-automanage button at scenario start

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on July 18, 2022, 12:44:04 PM
Patch 1.07 - Weapons, Projects & AI
Mon, 18 July 2022

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//33276817/27d56057bb89e5bad99fd85bfd1aadcfd5299b18.png)

The main changes include new weapons, projects, AI updates, an updated manual and a modding tool.
 
Gen'l,

Patch 1.07 is out! The main changes include new weapons, projects, AI updates, an updated manual and a modding tool:

•   Gatling and Coffee Mill (or Agar) guns for the Union, and 1-pdr Williams gun for the CSA, are rapid-firing short-range weapons with also a considerable impact on morale on the receiving end.
•   Machineguns (Union) and Confederate Guns (CSA) projects allow production of these weapons and the 12-pdr Iron Napoleon.
•   Four new military reform projects for both sides, that simulate the gradual development of tactics during the early war: Artillery Reform, Cavalry Reform I-II, Supply Reform.
•   The released modding tool (Excel) is found in the game's install folder, under \ModdingTool\, and allows players to modify and export many of the game's data files, and even create their own custom scenarios.

The game’s manual has also been updated to include instructions for all the new or changed features.

Note: the download size is quite huge as we have switched to a newer Unity version and therefore need to update many packages.

Please note, that old saves will work with this patch, but due to the new projects, you will experience some changes. Starting a new campaign after installing this patch is recommended.

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/654890/ss_0e66c92815d79b08c9df9c45c6b4040da8efa6f0.jpg)


Patch 1.07

Campaigns:
•   (sea/river) filter for ship construction list now including mixed movement instead of filtering it out
•   fixed: unit strength may rise above regular strength near hospitals
•   fixed: autoresolve battles sometimes take too long, although the victory conditions are met
•   fixed: autoresolve panel shows negative casualties if number of recovered soldiers is bigger than new casualties
•   fixed: rating is floored by project and policy effects though debt load is huge
•   added workaround: newly created units without attached brigades sometimes are jumping outside the map and causing exceptions
•   rebalanced: lower regain of readiness, lower aggressiveness for defensive movements
•   trade projects now also influence pricing of imports, not only traffic
•   supply depots close to frontline now do not change ownership if nearby units are still engaged
•   AI defensive movements now try to cut off supply more often
•   fixed: transfering all units out of a group does not remove this empty group after closing military management
•   fixed: enemy hospitals may overlap own medical treatment area resulting in no medical treatment
•   reduced influence of state-occupation (by enemy troops) malus on state support
•   fixed: autoresolved battles sometimes produce small negative numbers of casualties or captured guns
•   added projects: supply reform, cavalry reform I+II, artillery reform
•   organization reform leads to lower supply consumption
•   fixed: subsidize banks project cannot be appointed although policies were researched
•   added a workaround to prevent auto-placement of friendly buildings near occupied IIPs though automanage is set to off
•   influence of state support on fighting spirit is reduced and lower for volunteers
•   changed logic of ship filters: if sea AND river going are checked the list now contains all types of ships instead of just <sea and river> going
•   fixed: units in company, battalion and regiment size now show correct symbol marker, appoint correct commanders
•   fixed: horse artillery restricted weapons now only applicable for horse artillery units
•   rebalanced AI ship creation based on fleet expenses to prevent fleet-driven defaults
•   group speed now takes subordinate unit types into account
•   fort garrison unit management can now be directly accessed via bottom panel if fort is selected
•   depending on battle outcome some wounded become pow after battles
•   readiness recoveries now faster in friendly states
•   lower ranks required for group units before organization reform
•   fixed: AI constructs supply depots too often and forts too rarely
•   fixed: additional construction costs for federal budget although subsidy funding is available
•   fixed: wrong influences on state support from overcrowded prison camps
•   goods flow lines (if active) stay on screen if scrolling out to paper map
•   changed: pre-war and organization reform unit sizes not applied to European forces
•   companies that produce multiple goods gain better production efficiency
•   AI now combines weak brigades
•   now using average readiness to evaluate if siege combat assaults are possible (before: readiness of first unit)
•   fixed: construction button needs to be pressed twice before being able to place first building
•   fixed: stuck fleet stance and fleet order buttons
•   size of AI weapon orders increased to allow faster upgrades
•   added info about accomplishment of weapon orders and ship construction
•   fixed: exception if units with enough perk experience but no chosen perk enter a siege
•   fixed: wrong info about prisoners in dispatch after battles
•   fixed: fort sieges may end with withdrawals
•   fixed: one-time project effects are not applied and checked for requirements at start of latter scenarios
•   fixed: autoresolve battles sometimes take into account all subordinate troops of army HQs, no matter if directly attached or not

Battles:
•   AI groups that were stopped by advance guards now do not chase and run into player’s lines anymore but wait and reform
•   AI: artillery stops farther behind the line when touching enemy
•   measures against stuck mounting cavalry
•   artillery units moved to center of single line formations, cavalry to flanks
•   added: AI assault move on isolated groups
•   AI uses doublequick order to deploy faster when establishing contact to enemy
•   fixed: invisible objective in Manassas map leads to stuck AI movements
•   rebalancing of melee
•   rebalanced: units don’t suffer severe fatigue when moving along fences
•   AI macro strategy now better takes into account arrival times of reinforcements
•   fixed: whole groups sometimes shift to a slightly shifted position if the group commander moves along rivers
•   cavalry and artillery may cross fences in or close before combat situations
•   units that have left the field don’t influence the casualty ratio anymore, preventing sudden jumps in victory bar
•   measures to keep AI groups better together while moving long distances
•   AI constructs pontoons during deployment phases to better able to cross rivers
•   AI tries to place defensive lines in front of objectives, if possible
•   fixed: units behind cover do not increase fire range if under fire from front
•   added workaround to prevent stuck melees when engaging routed units
•   if AI is not strong enough to capture (player taken) objectives it withdraws
•   added tooltip info about the reason why detachments are not possible
•   increased visibility of cavalry scouts, not dismounting possible if scouts detached
•   fixed: if one side has surpassed the loss ratio trigger for major victories/defeats the victory bar needle is shown in center
•   triggering the maximum loss ratio may not result in immediate loss of the battle which caused sudden jumps in victory conditions if both loss ratios were high and equal
•   fixed: HQs in brigade, regimental and battalion battles use wrong nato hierarchy symbol
•   victory point images on map are now increased in size if zoomed out
•   assigning targets (RMB) now also possible while unit is moving
•   fixed: units that stop in march columns and have no waypoint assign may not reform to line if enemy close
•   increased AI aggressiveness to carry out “march to the sound of the guns” order if friendly groups are engaged

Other:
•   adding info while autosaving
•   added Excel modding tool in game subfolder “ModdingTool” to create/modify unit, buildings, resource, commander, weapon setups etc.
•   increased resolution of (+added 2 new) loading screen images


Cheers,
The Grand Tactician Team

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on August 16, 2022, 12:59:09 AM
Patch 1.08 - Commander Avatar & Co.
Mon, August 15, 2022

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/654890/ss_5b3fbf8a6b938347ae9650c31a634b2989fd9ca7.jpg)

New commanders with custom portraits can be added, further bug fixing & AI enhancements & rebalancing.

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//33276817/ddd4215b3e002f729a1757b16d8ad1ce86109bf2.png)

Gen'l,

​Patch 1.08 is out! The main new feature is the ability to add new commanders, along with custom portraits, to the campaign game. When starting a new campaign, you may choose which of the custom commanders will be activated, and they will appear in the pool of available commanders. After that you can manage them like any of the game's historical commanders. Add a historical commander who is missing from the game, or maybe even the greatest general the Civil War saw - Yourself?

In addition to the usual bug fixing, AI improvements and further balancing, the patch also allows further modding possibilities, like creating your own custom battle flags for your elite units.


Latest Patch 1.0812
Latest patch 1.0811, uploaded August 15, 2022
Hotfix 1.0812, uploaded August 15, 2022

The 1.08 patch adds the last remaining implementation of our post-release roadmap, the avatar system. In main menu you are now able to create your own commanders and even add your own portraits. For more info about this, see below!

Furthermore the weapon system was adjusted, for more information see this link:
Blog: A Short Weapon Procurement Study[www.grandtactician.com]

From now on we will continue with bug fixings and AI improvements, as well as working on a DLC.

Detailed Patch Notes:

Campaigns:

    improved AI ability to move around enemy troops if outnumbered
    outnumbered AI attacks enemy supply lines only if out of combat range of enemy unit
    added avatar management system
    refixed: immediate jumping of group units where attached units have not arrived yet
    added 32 further colored commander images
    if game is reloaded and all ships of a faction in a naval engagement have left the battle, the battle now ends (before: empty ship list was shown)
    changed commander attribute filters: now commanders are shown if ANY attribute is applicable, not all
    measures to reduce AI movement by sea (except naval invasions)
    fixed: pre-organization units (arty, cav) can be combined to full strength units & combine symbols are now only shown if OOB if conditions to combine are met
    added a fix for ship names that contain certain invisible characters while renaming leading to broken saves
    rebalanced: autoresolved battles & siege combat now take morale more into account, should stop the veeeery long siege battles
    reworked ship imports: now showing country, number of available ships, immediate availability
    fixed: ship construction costs not affecting treasury balance completely
    added weapon filter: “orders available” and “orders placed”
    prison camp capacity increased
    fixed: prisoners are taken to pow camps still under construction
    fixed: weapon standardization of all available weapons starts at zero at scenario start
    weapon complexity now influences import delivery duration
    auto scroll to location disabled when battle results pop up, instead an arrow was added to move to this location
    AI CSA probability for offensive operations lowered, can now be adjusted in prefs
    rebalanced weapon delivery times & standardization
    added tooltip info for standardization in weapon orders panel
    AI waits for higher morale before executing defensive movements
    fixed: effective weapon upgrade costs higher than shown
    fixed: auto weapon upgrades not influencing weapon standardization correctly (hotfix)


Battles:

    fixed: deployment zones are recalculated from repositioned troops when reloading saves from deployment phase
    AI better waits for reinforcements (if arriving in appropriate time) before attacking defensive positions
    separated AI groups now advance better coordinated towards objectives
    fixed: skirmishers cannot fallback or advance while being engaged


Other:

    added modding support for main menu scenario images (folder Modding)
    added modding support for (elite-) battle flags


Avatar system:

To make your own commander photos available for custom commanders:

    The picture file(s) need to be added to the game's install folder, in the sub-folder called "Avatar".
    The images need to be in .PNG -format. Use size 200x240 pixels for best looks.
    In the said folder is a Photoshop template to help you create the commander images.
    The game contains a number of nation specific default portraits, that you may also use.


You will find your own non-nation specific commander pictures by scrolling the available images in the Avatar creation panel.

Patch 1.08 is the last patch to add completely new features to the game. We will of course continue improving the game with further bug fixing, AI & other improvements. But alongside that we have already started developing a DLC to the game - further information & details regarding this will be announced once we are ready to do so.

Cheers,
The Grand Tactician Team


Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on August 22, 2022, 12:21:47 AM
A Short Weapon Procurement Study
Aug 15, 2022

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/blog/images/79.jpg)

Gen’l,

Weapon production and procurement system has seen some changes during the development of Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865), most recently in the 1.08 patch. Let’s take a quick look at how the system works now, vs. previously.


The ability to equip and re-equip units with different weapon types has been one of the unit customization features in the game since the beginning. Originally, since the game’s Early Access release in fall of 2020, the weapon production system was quite heavily abstracted, which many players found unsatisfying, as they had no real direct control over the production.

The Old System.

In short, it used to work like this:
- Industrialization & Diplomacy policies made certain weapon types available, with the better weapon types requiring higher level policy to “unlock”.
- Once the weapon was available, production/import started automatically. Depending on fixed “standardization years” and “equipment modifiers”, the weapons were added to player’s “pool”.
- Standardization year: each weapon had a year, from where onward the weapon type was available. During approximately 2 years the standardization would increase following a curve. Example: weapon standardization year is 1861. In 1861, more weapons of this type became available very slowly, and in around 1863 the production would reach the highest level, as per equipment modifier.
- Equipment modifier: using this value, the different weapon types were balanced according to historical data. Example: Springfield Rifle-Musket, with historical production numbers of more than 1 million units, had a very high modifier, meaning much faster production than say Richmond Rifle, that had historical production of just a bit over 30,000 units.
- Weapons were not tracked as individual pieces, but rather per units to equip.
- Weapon costs were realized at the moment units were equipped, and the costs were depending on number of Weapons & Artillery goods types in markets, which tied the system to economy.
- If a weapon type was commonly used by units, it’s production would speed up a bit.

As said, the system was quite abstract, and limited player’s options. For example, if the player would have wanted to focus the industry to produce repeating rifles, this was not possible, as these weapon types became available very slowly. For this reason in patch 1.06, which focused on economy in general, we changed the system. But there were some bugs, plus a few remnants from the old system, so we wanted to revamp it further in version 1.08 of the game.

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/blog/images/80.jpg)
Fayetteville Rifle has low standardization, as only 7509 examples of this weapon type have been produced so far.


The New System.

The new system works quite differently if compared to the old one:
- New weapon types are made available via Projects, instead of policies. This adds the possibility to more directly influence which weapon to procure. If the player wants to focus on repeating rifles early on, it is possible, but it requires much higher subsidies than more simple weapon types.
- Using the new Weapons -panel, player can place orders for available weapon types. These can be either produced domestically, or imported from Europe.
- Weapons are tracked by actual number of pieces per weapon type. This also allows tracking of weapons captured in battles, including them in the stock.
- Each weapon is ranked per Production Complexity. The more simple the weapon, the cheaper and faster it is to produce.
- Equipment Factor is used only to balance production times between weapon types, or availability of imported weapons in Europe. For example, it’s used to make a difference between 10-, 20-, and 30-pounder Parrott Rifles, making the larger ones a bit slower to produce, or making sure more commonly available Enfields are faster to import than, say, Dreyses (which historically were not imported).
- Standardization, which affects only domestic production, plays a big role. This value represents the readiness of the nation’s arms industry to produce said weapon type, which in turn depends on the number of weapons of said type in use. If a weapon type is common, it means weapon industry has the required machinery ready to produce further pieces, and also has the means to quickly produce required ammunition and other accessories. When standardization is low, the industry needs to set up the required infrastructure and machinery…
- …which means weapons with high standardization are much quicker and cheaper to produce.
- Weapon costs are realized when an order is placed. The player can place one order per weapon type at a time. Once the weapons are delivered, they can be used to equip units. At this point the costs will cover the required logistics.
- Shortages of needed materials will make production slower and more expensive.
- Weapon imports are affected by blockades. If blockade efficiency is high, less goods get through, meaning orders will take much longer time to be delivered.
- In the Weapons -panel, effects of these mechanics are explained in the offered tooltips.

(http://www.grandtactician.com/thecivilwar/blog/images/81.jpg)
Example, purchasing 1000 rifles. Left: Union order of Springfield Rifles with standardization of 100 costs $201k and takes 14 days. Middle: CSA order of Richmond Rifles with standardization of 6 costs $293k and takes 62 days. Right: CSA order of Enfield Rifles from Europe costs $344k and takes 17 days. Conclusion: highly standardized, domestically produced weapons are cheaper and quicker to get, but ramping up the industry takes time.

With this new system, weapon production and import (= procurement by the government) are more controllable by the player, and also better balanced. If the player wants to get a lot of weapons quickly, importing is a better option, as long as trade routes are open, but the costs are higher due to the required logistics. If player wants to domestically produce weapons, it’s not possible to start mass production right away, as the industry is not ready immediately. It’s better to place smaller orders first, to increase standardization – later production will be much faster and cheaper than importing, but it takes some time. It also means it’s possible to balance between fast mass production of simple weapon types, such as muzzle-loading rifle-muskets, or more complex types like repeating rifles. And the link to economy is also more apparent: if production facilities suffer shortages on materials, or trade routes are not open, weapon procurement will be directly affected, in the short term as well as in the long term.

I hope this short study explains how weapon production works in the 1.08 version of the game!

Most Respy,

Gen’l. Ilja Varha,
Chief Designer, &c.,
The Grand Tactician -Team
Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on September 12, 2022, 12:52:23 AM
Patch 1.09: AI, Rebalancing & Fixes
Sat, 10 September 2022

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//33276817/2f107642ee6a2e0d208d229114c0003ac514d872.png)

Gen'l,

​Patch 1.09 has just been released! The focus this time is on the AI, once again. The campaign AI will coordinate its forces more carefully, especially in defensive situations. In battles the AI will redeploy during the night also when attacking, and will react better in situations where it finds itself under long range fire.


The patch also contains a long list of bug fixes and other improvements, see the full list of changes here:

Campaigns:

    fixed: weapon order costs are increasing cost in stats instead of reducing
    friendly fleets are not joining naval raids but start a separate engagement
    fixed: Veteran filter not working in officers list
    performance improvements for campaign layer
    smoothed tariff and sales tax revenues in projections to prevent sudden spikes
    fixed: sometimes wrong negative effect on fighting spirit when operating on enemy soil
    AI better coordinates its defensive movements with multiple corps if player’s units are moving
    AI units better stick to their assigned theater positions, theater zones are smaller
    fixed: commanding general is replaced very seldom
    AI only leaves 1 group unit behind to construct a supply depots instead of all in range
    AI acts more carefully when retaking occupied towns
    AI promotes subordinate commanders vertically to higher positions if experience/fame is higher
    fixed: statistical gun numbers are too high if unit downsizing is used in options menu
    fixed: dropdown menu of sieges or land battles may show “dummy” entries, like “Siege No10” in the background
    added readiness symbol to unit overview list on the right
    fixed non accumulating perks: land torpedoes, bureau of military information, skilled cartographers, expert scouts, supply colliers, blockading sqn
    when combining units the additional weapons are consumed from stock, if not available the unit is equipped with standard weapons (eg. mixed muskets)
    AI does not transfer units out of groups carrying out offensive or defensive operations to not weaken strength
    AI tries to achieve a higher strength dominance when carrying out defensive operations
    fixed: RMB unpauses the game in campaign if game option “Game Remains Paused when Panels are Closed" is activated
    fixed: city sizes change when new states are created (eg. WV)
    AI moves farther to supply depots if supply is low and constructs depots less often
    fixed issue that led to low probabilities of AI picking projects
    AI recruits less cavalry brigades and tries to concentrate in separate cavalry divisions
    brigade perks now increasing in autoresolved battles too +added AI picks


Battles:

    fixed: blank avatar images in battle end screen
    AI detachments to grab guns now have a cool down phase
    fixed: melee during deployment phase
    added workaround to fix units that march long distances in line formation
    AI redeploys also in offensive battles
    AI reacts better if under fire from out of range
    faster perk exp increase for artillery units
    group deployment now takes into account rivers and is curving
    fixed: units stuck in melee if HQs move into melee


Other:

    fixed: avatar, switching day or month may exceed birth year limitations
    added option to switch to black & white cursors
    [fixed: broken avatar files
    fixed: pause key now also unpauses the game correctly

Cheers,
The Grand Tactician Team
Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on October 30, 2022, 02:15:12 PM
Patch 1.10: Fixes, Community Wishes & AI
Sun, 30 October 2022

A hefty load of fixes and improvements, big and small, as well as a few notable changes

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//33276817/c1449128533c7859f5342ce74d92bb32ca410ea2.png)

Gen'l,

We are happy to report, that the most recent Update to Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865), Patch 1.10, has been released to the wider audience! This shipment contains a hefty load of fixes and improvements, big and small, as well as a few notable changes, of which we feel obligated to list to You the following:

•     Bases of Supply: when operating in enemy territory, if low on readiness, armies can now fall back to any city, depot, fort within the state. Near a base of supply readiness improves faster. The bases can be seen on the map, in enemy terriotory nearby the selected army, when map information setting "Supplies" is selected.
•     Weapon Production: the orders are now delivered in linear fashion, improving standardization and number of available weapons throughout the production.
•     Terrain, Weather & Supplies: IIPs now show supply information in the icon. Rugged terrain, such as mountains, now has low transport capacity, making operations with large armies more difficult. Depot fill ratio target can be changed to improve control over storage of supplies. Weather has bigger effect on supplies, through condition of the supply routes worsening. Precipitation map filter added.
•     UI: Added "update" button in the production panel for buildings.
•     Battle game speed 10x changed to 20x.


To review the full content of the patch, please see below post:

Most Respy,
Engineer Corps

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on October 30, 2022, 02:32:27 PM
Latest patch 1.1011, uploaded October 30, 2022

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/654890/ss_0438460b17d959224f3d271c4b0f07a84c7fa24e.jpg)

As always:

- Thanks for the development patch community for testing and supporting!
- Save games of prior versions should be compatible

Detailed Patch Notes:

Campaigns:

•    fixed: issues with stuck and wrongly loaded battles when multiple battles happen at exactly the same location on the same day
•    rebalanced AI machine gun usage and reduced lethality
•    fixed: revolving naval battles if fleets do not find a retreat path to a friendly harbor
•    added “base of supply" zones: units on enemy soil may now move to close friendly towns, depots or forts even if readiness is low. readiness recovery happens faster in such areas
•    AI now finds harbor blockade positions better
•    ordered weapons are now delivered continuously and standardization is now updated permanently
•    fixed: when modding recruitment unit size AI recruits less soldiers in a brigade
•    added fill ratio targets for supply depots
•    added precipitation filter, supply now affected negatively in rainy and snowy areas
•    campaign weather data is now saved instead of recalculated at start
•    AI now checks for bad weather conditions before executing operations
•    added seasonality (harvest times) of crops
•    fixed: sometimes wrong battles are launched if player selects manual assault in sieges
•    added local supply info icon for IIP’s on campaign map (if supply lines activated)
•    commanding hierarchy level is now also taken into account when appointing commander in chief
•    fixed: problems with filters if too many campaign buildings were constructed
•    QOL enhancement: added upgrade building option also for the production panel


Battles:

•   fixed: battlefield #240 not showing battlefield text
•    fixed: “march to sound of guns” breaks historical movements of historical battles
•    lowered cover values, reduced engineering points per unit but increased perk engineer points and commander branch engineer bonus
•    fixed: returning from campaign battles does not reattach skirmishers
•    changed: battles does not end immediately if loss trigger is surpassed but gives morale malus to attacker
•    weak AI that is confronted with a strong player position does not retreat immediately at start but first tries to probe the opponent
•    fixed: redeployment of groups by using “ALT” not happening immediately in deployment phase of day 2+
•    refixed: stuck melee status if a group unit moves through regular brigades
•    higher number of casualties for routed units in melee
•    changed speed step x10 to x20
•    AI avoids using short range volleys
•    rebalanced: march to sound of guns movements


Other:

•    fixed: opening options menu during a game session and quitting by <cancel> may result in changed realism settings
•    added pref entries (campaignprefs): regrouping areas, campaign UI, economy, autocalc, campaign AI
•    if camera zooms to a unit or building a circle quickly pops up to mark the position
•    added tooltips for range markers
•    Modding Excel: tab <resources> and <policies> need to be reexported for 1.10+ (added scenario column for policies and harvesting months for resources)
•    filter entries are now scaled with different resolutions, especially noticeable in high resolutions
•    fixed: changes in map settings are resetted if options menu is opened afterwards in same session

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on January 01, 2023, 12:01:15 AM
Whiskey & Lemons
Sat, 31 December 2022

DLC to be released in 2023.

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//33276817/b2b7f9095b5ccc3fbb865c0044983e0b310526d3.png)

We wish you all a Happy New Year 2023!

...a year during which the DLC "Whiskey and Lemons" will be released, bringing to the game:
•   Regiment level game play on a new campaign map covering the eastern theater,
•   Career mode: start as a regiment commander, earn prestige and promotions, and become the greatest Civil War general.

More details about the DLC and the new features will be revealed as the development continues.

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//33276817/f79fd1d28d540a50296ed553c79c34dcc321cf10.png)

Thank You all for this year, the feedback and ideas you have provided, and of course for playing our game. The march continues!

Most Respy,
The Grand Tactician Team

PS. Patch 1.11 is in the final leg of testing, and will be released very shortly.

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on January 01, 2023, 12:01:40 AM
(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/654890/ss_382ad176ddbff3e7d538603e642700931ad4aef8.jpg)
Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on January 06, 2023, 12:08:09 AM
Patch 1.11 - AI, Fixing, Rebalancing, Quality of Life
Thu, January 5, 2023

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//33276817/8d1e6398ad82be0da6727b3f94a950e63d26f8dc.png)

This update focuses on improving the game play experience by fixing bugs & improving the AI.

A New Year, a New Patch!

Gen'l,

Patch 1.11 has been released. This update focuses on improving the game play experience by fixing bugs & improving the AI. In addition to this, there is also something new added, like:

    Number of ships limited in fleets depending on the commander's stats,
    Reworked entrenchment placement controls in battles,
    New Zouave uniforms (including the Louisiana Tigers),
    Updated game Manual.


Read the full patch notes below.
Patch Notes 1.11

Most Respy,
The Grand Tactician Team

Latest Patch 1.1109

As always:
- Thanks for the development patch community for testing and supporting!
- Save games of prior versions should be compatible

Note: the download volume is large this time as we have increased the resolution of all paper maps.

Detailed Patch Notes:

Campaigns:

    fixed: fleets show speed 0 kn for a few game hours after reloading
    fixed: AI picks either too many or too few projects
    disbanded units now return their weapons back to armory
    fixed: auto construction of prison camps not happening if no camp existed yet
    probably fixed: units that have retreated to a fort are reloaded as garrison if not moved
    rebalanced campaign temperature values (for old saves it takes a few days to reset)
    fixed: paroling prisoners in enemy pow camps possible
    added info about import price effects of sea raiders in the blockade tooltip of the trade node
    added ship amount limitations depending on commander’s rank and administration skills
    added tooltip info about blockade details of fleets at unit status element
    fixed: weapon upgrades for zero strength units could lead to not-researched equipment, eg. gatling guns
    company production data is now saved and immediately reloaded
    fixed: switching panels while recruiting tabs are opened lead to overlapping screens when reopening management panel
    fixed: sea raiders perk sometimes not leveling up
    added uniforms of Zouaves and Louisiana Tigers
    clicking invasion alarm icon now refers to the approximate position and shows estimated numbers
    fixed: loading sometimes leads to similar alarm icon entries
    detailed (mouseover) unit info is now available for papermap levels too
    estimated position of enemies hidden behind FOW are now also shown on top papermap levels
    rebalancing of AI offensive actions & area importance values
    fixed: csa artillery units created of regulars act show corrupt uniform and no weapon
    AI now better tries to capture towns before continuing advances


Battles:

    AI always always launches probe attacks if attacking on campaign map, no matter the strength relations (though waiting for reinforcements)
    fixed: wrong tooltip for clearing input in load/save panel
    increasing game speed via keys in deployment phase now ends deployment mode
    units behind now not leave cover if out of fire range but lay down
    reworked barricade and trench placements
    fixed: available engineering points are only applied after constructing a complete entrenchment line, so that long entrenchment lines can be constructed without sufficient points
    improvement of fallback directions
    adding more objectives for larger battles
    improvement of AI fortification positions
    enhanced quartermasters report & lower supply reserves
    fixed: units are resupplied before EOD when reloading a save


Other:

    additional entries for campaignprefs.txt
    fixed: pause KEY is unpaused when moving troops
    fixed: minor visual paper map issues, increased resolution
    improved: cam center on units
    manual update



Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on March 22, 2023, 01:17:14 AM
Whiskey & Lemons
Tue, 21 March 2023

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//33276817/b2b7f9095b5ccc3fbb865c0044983e0b310526d3.png)

Gen’l,

There were many legendary generals in the American Civil War, like “Stonewall” Jackson, “Old Pete” Longstreet, “Grumble” Jones, “Bull Head” Sumner… each with their own unique stories. In the Grand Tactician DLC, it’s your story.



The Way to the Top – or Not.

Whiskey & Lemons will introduce a new career mode. You will start by creating your character, determining your Civil War personality via a questionnaire, and taking command of a regiment.

As a regimental commander, you are but a small gear in the huge military steam engine. You will have very limited influence over the war, and you will receive orders from your AI commanders. According to your actions and performance, you will generate prestige and get promoted to higher places, where your actions will matter more.

As the DLC campaign will be regiment level, on a zoomed in campaign map, divisions will be the smallest units moving on the campaign map. Single brigades can also be used as garrisons to protect important terrain.

Once commanding a division, you will be able to control the unit on the campaign map. With increased prestige you will be able to influence politics or projects, but this is very limited before rising to the top, commanding the armies of the Union or the Confederacy – provided that you will ever make it that far. Or want to – you can play the whole campaign without accepting any promotions, if you so wish.


Your Story.

There are many things that can get in the way. Your previously mentioned personality could be one of them. Personality is determined on six axes: Loyalty, Piety, Social Life, Heroism, Stress Control and Political Views. These may provide positive and/or negative traits to your career.

You may also attract companions that will be part of your staff. For example, if you are known for lack of loyalty, you may be followed by a Committee Investigator, reporting to the military brass, who may end up limiting your freedom of action by giving political guidance you cannot ignore.

There are also other new features. You will be able to choose to buy your own equipment, recruit your own staff and carry out actions that all will influence your, and your nation’s Civil War journey. You may also get injured in combat, with some of your injuries becoming permanent disabilities.

When you start to gain fame, you may end up with a grudge with some of your fellow officers. This may have a serious impact on your performance in the battle-field, like what happened between Bragg and his lieutenants. And getting rid of them may prove difficult, as it will require further prestige to overrule choices made by the President.

It will be very different, if you become known as “Old Tippler” due to your drinking habits, keep falling off the horse during battles and get into drunken fights with your fellow officers, or as “Skedaddle Joe” due to lack of courage and losing the respect of your men.

Everything you do and experience during the campaign, will be recorded into a Biography. When the campaign ends, you may read your whole story, and see how you compared with historical civil war commanders.

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//33276817/f79fd1d28d540a50296ed553c79c34dcc321cf10.png)


The Other Things.

We’re looking to release Whiskey & Lemons during Q2 of 2023. The plan and development has suffered some real-life related delays, mainly caused by a war in Europe, where the development team is from.

But, while on some fronts there have been delays, on others extra progress has been made. We’re constantly working on the game engine even if the DLC content has not proceeded as earlier planned.

Also the band is recording new music to the game. Along with the DLC release, we will also release the new music as a Soundtrack, the same way we did with the game’s original music – meaning buying the soundtrack is not mandatory to hear the music in the game. The Soundtrack II (working title) allows listening to the tunes outside of the game, and the revenues will go to support our great band, Wasel and the Weasels.

With the DLC release, we’ll also release the next major patch, which is focused on fixing reported issues, implementing some player wishes (like different color fire arcs on paper map), and some performance improvements.

Most Respy,
The Grand Tactician -Team.
Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on June 11, 2023, 11:12:02 AM
Quiet before the Storm?
Fri, 9 June 2023

(https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images//33276817/fc3cdf78d056207361c79a73abb5eb17b1187cc1.png)

"While the citizens have been anxiously waiting for news, it seems like there's a suspicious calm at the frontlines. The reporters of Grand Herald say, it's because the generals of the recently formed Grand Engineering Corps are developing plans and testing them in preparation for the advance."

It's June, and Whiskey & Lemons DLC has enetered internal beta. During this phase we will test, balance and finalize the DLC game play, while all the new playable content is already in. While testing, there's still work going on with giving finalizing touches to remaining art, like maps and music. While we were aiming for a Q2, 2023 release, it's fair to say, that "Summer 2023" is more accurate at this point. Of course we will give more information, when further details are available. With the DLC, we will also release the latest patch to Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865), which includes fixes and improvements to the base game.

The DLC will bring an all-new Career-mode, where player will start the campaign commanding a single unit. With success and promotions, player can climb to more important positions with more influence in the course of the war. While following AI commanders' orders, players can manage their unit(s), staff, and personal activities.

(https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images//33276817/e7aea94e1bd5113590fafcc69dc02fa08f3454be.jpg)

The Career-mode brings many role-playing elements to the game, allowing a different kind focus in the game, without the need to manage the whole war.

(https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images//33276817/3680eb68eb881f4a6fc8e21878496edd00597e0c.jpg)

The Career-mode can be used in all the campaign scenarios. In addition, a new Regiment-scale focus campaign can be played in the Eastern Theater. This campaign starts in June 1861, before the start of the large scale fighting. Will the war drag on for years, or will the blue troops march irresistably On to Richmond?

(https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images//33276817/57e0864c4d2eaba468ebf5c0da94cb0b5a845cdc.png)

While the DLC development has been ongoing, we have also consolidated our development team's future: from now on, the development team goes by name Grand Engineer Corps e.U. This change was made to register the name for our future projects, which means we are going to continue further developing Grand Tactician. What the future brings, though, is another story. More about that later...

Most Respy,
The Grand Engineer Corps

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on July 09, 2023, 12:12:42 AM
Whiskey & Lemons DLC Store Page is Open!
Fri, July 7, 2023

Visit the store page, and Wishlist now!

(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//33276817/b2b7f9095b5ccc3fbb865c0044983e0b310526d3.png)

Whiskey & Lemons DLC Store Page is Open!

General,

The sound of guns can already be heard over the horizon. Soon you and your men will join battle to make history.

We're heading for a Summer 2023 release for the upcoming Whiskey & Lemons DLC, that adds role playing elements to the Grand Tactician: The Civil War campaigns. Create your own character, follow your commanders' orders, gain prestige and promotions. When in position to do so, play a key role in your nation's war-effort. This is your Civil War story!


Visit the store page, and Wishlist now!

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/2138830/header.jpg)

Grand Tactician: The Civil War - Whiskey & Lemons
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2138830/Grand_Tactician_The_Civil_War__Whiskey__Lemons/


Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865) -25%  £37.99  £28.49

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on August 03, 2023, 12:23:46 AM
Whiskey & Lemons Release Info
Tue, August 1, 2023

(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//33276817/f7ce7e4e04bca5ee0e4739cec6080c8f1ae417cd.png)

Whiskey & Lemons DLC to be Released on 25th of August!

Gen’l,

We're happy to announce, that the DLC to Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865), Whiskey & Lemons, will be released on 25th of August, 2023(17.00 UCT / 10.00 PDT)! On the same day we will also release Volume 2 to the game's Soundtrack, and a major update to the main game. Details below:


Whiskey & Lemons.

Whiskey & Lemons DLC introduces a new career mode, where you can play any campaign in the game starting from a low position, caring only about your unit and your career, with the AI taking care of the rest. With prestige and promotions you may rise all the way to the top of your nation's military leadership, which will open up more options to influence the war effort. Career mode includes role playing elements for character development. The possibility to take only a smaller role in the campaign may also suit players that feel the main campaign is too overwhelming. In addition to the career mode, W&L DLC introduces a new regiment scale Eastern Theater focus campaign.

Whiskey & Lemons will sell for USD 24,99. On release, the DLC will have a 10% discount.

For more details and wishlisting, visit:
WHISKEY & LEMONS STEAM STORE PAGE: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2138830/Grand_Tactician_The_Civil_War__Whiskey__Lemons/


GAME PLAY VIDEO FROM CAREER CAMPAIGN

https://youtu.be/JpH-xO4UGWM


Soundtrack Vol.2.

Volume 2 of the game's Soundtrack features 20 more old time and traditional tunes from the Civil War era, hand picked & recorded live by Wasel and the Weasels. Like with Soundtrack Vol.1, the music will be included in the game, even if you don't own the Soundtrack or any other DLC. Buying the Soundtrack will allow you to enjoy the music also outside of the game - it's also a good way to support Grand Tactician -project, and especially the talented musicians!

Soundtrack Vol.2 will sell for USD 9,99.

For more details, including the track list, and wishlisting, visit:
SOUNDTRACK VOL.2 STEAM STORE PAGE: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2504240/Grand_Tactician__The_Civil_War_18611865_Soundtrack_Vol2/


Bundle.

We will also update the Bundle option for the game, which includes all the content for 10% off.


Major Patch 1.21.

With the DLC release, there will also be a major new patch for the main game. The patch includes bug fixes, some new features, balancing, performance & AI improvements, and the new music.

For more information:
SEE THE FULL PATCH NOTES in the post below

Most Respy,

Grand Engineer Corps


Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on August 03, 2023, 12:26:25 AM
Upcoming New Patch 1.21
Tue, August 1, 2023

(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images/33276817/e51ea5c62f71e4692523d83a2b7d6032d118ca75.png)

With the upcoming release of Whiskey & Lemons DLC, we will also release a major patch to the game. Here are the patch notes as of AUG 1. This list will be updated when the patch is released.

Campaign:
- machineguns: the project(s) will add a number of these weapon in the inventory, but (mass) production will not be available (1.1216)
- AI will not use high quality commanders for artillery units (1.1216)
- fixed: sometimes battle results are switched when returning to campaign (1.1216)
- if all units in OOB are filtered out the screen does not show the last unit anymore to prevent unwanted UI behavior (1.1201)
- now showing approximate arrival of reinforcing groups in auto-resolve panel (1.1201)
- AI commander replacements now take into account all attributes instead of only experience (1.1201)
- “orders available” and “orders placed” weapon filter settings cannot be activated both now (1.1201)
- fixed: victory balance calculation of sieges takes into account not yet arrived units (1.1201)
- removed: old siege panel still visible if a unit was selected and started a siege (1.1201)
- AI: no construction of POW camps pre-war and lower probability while pow camps are already under construction (1.1201)
- Officers list is updated if a commander is promoted, officer will be rearranged in correct rank in list (1.1201)
- fixed: upgrade info for markets shows wrong efficiency pickup (1.1201)
- fixed: federal building levels in production panel are not updated correctly, added further federal building info (1.1201)
- fixed: reloading resets the recruitment queue for a state (1.1201)
- fixed: using auto-placement for a certain building sometimes leads to placing it twice (1.1201)
- railroad movement now restricted to occupied and owned terrain (no longer state-wide) + colored on map to indicate availability (1.1201)
- fixed: some railroad tracks were not visible when selected for construction (1.1201)
- slave workforce ratio now depending on support for CSA side (1.1201)
- forts taken via amphibious assault are now also counted for achieving campaign objective “capture 10 forts” (1.1201)
- AI readiness is now checked for each step in offensives, not only at start (1.1200)
- fixed: Union occupied forts on CSA terrain are shown red (CSA) at scenario start although having a Union garrison (1.1200)
- rebalancing of order delays over long distances (1.1200)
- fixed: dummy navy commanders have no rank and cannot be promoted (1.1200)
- rebalancing of weapon weighting in AI offensive decisions, in the past artillery heavy player units often prevented AI offensives (1.1200)
- fixed: replacing wia/kia commanders of fort batteries sometimes removes non-dummy commanders from roster (1.1200)
- lowered national morale effects from naval engagements (1.1200)

Battles:
- measures against AI blobbing (1.1210)
- fixed: sometimes waypoint marks are removed while orders are given if enemy is close (1.1211)
- fixed: end of day supply situation sometimes leads to huge morale drop (1.1211)
- Performance Improvements (1.1200)
- improved attacker/defender detection for campaign battles
- fixed: an issue where entrenchment levels did not reset when moving (1.1200)
- fixed: removed entrenchments are shown red when reloading (1.1200)
- added separate fire arc colors for 3D map & papermap (for mods: unitprefs need to be adjusted) (1.1200)
- fixed: sometimes fire ranges are resetted when reloading a battle (1.1201)
- fixed: reloading on day #2+ may lead to different fatigue and cohesion values (1.1201)
- units that are engaged in close combat are not causing a flanking status on enemy units anymore (1.1201)
- shortcuts are now deactivated during end of day cycle to not accidentally stop speed acceleration (1.1201)
- AI will now try to advance if no initial objective was occupied, even if strength is insufficient (1.1201)
- fixed: multiple short slowdowns (~600ms) if AI performs assault moves (1.1201)

Other:
- Soundtrack Vol.2 music: 20 new tracks of music, now total of 41 (1.1216)
- scaling fixes for certain UI elements on high resolutions (1.1216)
- fixed: when creating an avatar the switch between political and volunteer officer is not possible (1.1201)
- certain config files can now be added to campaign scenario folders to overwrite the standard prefs: unitprefs.txt, commanders.txt

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on August 26, 2023, 01:34:54 AM
Whiskey & Lemons Release Info
Fri, 25 August 2023

(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//33276817/a4e04237667c976f58e75a0cebfceb181cf398e0.png)

Whiskey & Lemons DLC Out Now!

Gen’l,

Whiskey & Lemons DLC has just been released on Steam, with Epic Games and GOG following very shortly! If you buy it just after release, you will get a 10% discount.
WHISKEY & LEMONS STEAM STORE PAGE: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2138830/Grand_Tactician_The_Civil_War__Whiskey__Lemons/

At the same time, we've released the game's Soundtrack Volume 2, with 20 more old time tunes recorded live by Wasel and the Weasels:
SOUNDTRACK VOL.2 STEAM STORE PAGE: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2504240/Grand_Tactician__The_Civil_War_18611865_Soundtrack_Vol2/


We have also released a new patch 1.1223 to the main game:

SEE THE FULL PATCH NOTES below

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on August 26, 2023, 01:35:57 AM
Latest Patch 1.1224
August 25, 2023


Latest patch 1.1224, uploaded August 25, 2023:

As always:
- Thanks for the development patch community for testing and supporting!
- Save games of prior versions should be compatible

Patch 1.12 adds 20 additional music tracks for free (please support our artists by buying Soundtrack DLC Vol 2.0).


Detailed Patch Notes:

Campaigns:

    stock of machine guns now linked to projects
    AI does not use high quality commanders for artillery units
    fixed: sometimes battle results are switched when returning to campaign
    AI readiness is now checked for each step in offensives, not only at start
    fixed: Union occupied forts on CSA terrain are shown red (CSA) at scenario start although having a Union garrison
    rebalancing of order delays over long distances
    fixed: dummy navy commanders have no rank and cannot be promoted
    rebalancing of weapon weighting in AI offensive decisions, in the past artillery heavy player units often prevented AI offensives
    probably fixed: replacing wia/kia commanders of fort batteries sometimes removes non-dummy commanders from roster
    lowered national morale effects from naval engagements
    if all units in OOB are filtered out the screen does not show the last unit anymore to prevent unwanted UI behavior
    now showing approximate arrival of reinforcing groups in auto-resolve panel
    AI commander replacements now take into account all attributes instead of only experience
    “orders available” and “orders placed” weapon filter settings cannot be activated both
    fixed: victory balance calculation of sieges takes into account not yet arrived units
    removed: old siege panel still visible if a unit was selected and started a siege
    AI: no construction of pow camps pre war and lower probability while pow camps are already under construction
    Officer’s list is updated if a commander is promoted, officer will be rearranged in correct rank in list
    fixed: upgrade info for markets shows wrong efficiency pickup
    fixed: federal building levels in production panel are not updated correctly, added further federal building infos
    fixed: reloading resets the recruitment queue for a state
    fixed: using auto-placement for a certain building sometimes leads to placing it twice
    railroad movement now restricted to occupied and owned terrain + colored
    fixed: some railroad tracks were not visible when selected for construction
    slave ratio now depending on support for CSA side
    forts taken via amphibious assault are now also counted for achieving campaign objective “capture 10 forts”
    fixed: too passive AI in late game
    fixed: sometimes fort bombardments loop when fleet moves out of range


Battles:

    measures against AI blobbing
    fixed: sometimes waypoint marks are removed while orders are given if enemy is close
    fixed: end of day supply situation sometimes leads to huge morale drop
    fixed a few issues related to commander rallying
    Performance Improvements
    improved attacker/defender detection for campaign battles & fixed an issue where entrenchment levels did not reset when moving
    fixed: removed entrenchments are shown red when reloading
    added separate fire arc colors for 3D map & papermap (for mods: unitprefs need to be adjusted)
    fixed: sometimes fire ranges are resetted when reloading a battle
    fixed: reloading on day #2+ may lead to different fatigue and cohesion values
    units that are engaged in close combat are not causing a flanking status on enemy units anymore
    shortcuts are now deactivated during end of day cycle to not accidentally stop speed acceleration
    AI will now try to advance if no initial objective was occupied, even if strength is insufficient
    fixed: multiple short slowdowns (~600ms) if AI performs assault moves
    removed cohesion and cut off morale malus if morale is too low to prevent routs just of these factors
    added AI micro movements also for groups that don’t follow objective chains to prevent unreactive AI units


Other:

    fixed: when creating an avatar the switch between political and volunteer officer is not possible
    certain config files can now be added to campaign scenario folders to overwrite the standard prefs: unitprefs.txt, commanders.txt
    fixed wrong nations.dat export file in modding excel
    scaling fixes for certain UI elements on high resolutions

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on December 18, 2023, 12:24:37 AM
Patch 1.13 Released!
Sun, 17 December 2023

(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//33276817/613c7fef15d89dd120574293a04a9f0a2cb9d6be.png)


Gen’l,

Patch 1.13 is a major update to Grand Tactician (base game) and Whiskey & Lemons DLC. It contains many fixes and rebalancing to the game, and a new Camp-feature for the career mode.


Main changes in the main game include changes in campaign AI, rebalanced construction costs (forts, depots), updates to supply calculations during battles (end of day), along with fixes to bugs reported by the community. The patch was released in beta some time ago and with the help of the community we have improved it further - Thank You for Your help!

The two main updates in Whiskey & Lemons career mode are:

1.    Camp: as the commander you can choose how to spend your time when encamped. You can focus on a number of activities, from supervising and taking part in drilling your troops to advancing your own personal agenda. Your companions will provide a helping hand as well. This feature is described in more detail in the updated W&L Manual.

2.    Offer of Command: Earlier you could advance to higher command positions only by using your perstige. Now, if you are eligible and a position where your skills could be used becomes available, you are sometimes offered the new command free of prestige cost. You may then accept or decline the position.

Cheers, and Happy Holidays!

(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//33276817/b70b6da9cff7b0e721e691e49dd68bf6907d24ca.png)


PATCH NOTES

Latest patch 1.1309, uploaded December 17, 2023:

As always:
- Thanks for the development patch community for testing and supporting!
- Save games of prior versions should be compatible

Detailed Patch Notes:

Campaigns:

    fix: Union AI not attacking Richmond
    Rebalanced: Construction costs of forts, depots, telegraph stations
    fix: when returning from manually played siege the casualties (wounded etc) are reseted to the numbers before the siege
    fix: long drawing (smoothing) times of supply paths in certain situations
    fix: removing artillery units from a group still creates (low) demand for artillery ammo and results in low average (near zero) supply ratios
    changed: now no effect of group supply situation for units in replenishment
    fix: no replenishment happening if draft and volunteers are selected
    removed: after starting a manual battle from a siege readiness is always set to zero
    fix: certain river fleet actions block complete navy AI movements
    fix: when initiating a second battle (or battle from a siege) the wounded numbers before the battle are lost when returning from battle back to campaign
    fix: newly appointed commanders when creating new units or replacing other officers are not shown in brackets (preliminary promotion) anymore


Battles:

    units that have lain down are not blocking fire range
    fix: ambient sounds (rain, thunder, wind) not always adjusted by sound volume prefs
    fix: sometimes artillery targeting produces a short stuttering
    fix: initial supply levels; rebalancing of ammo resupply EOD


Other:

    fix: checkboxes sometimes don’t show marks if active and vice-versa
    fix: tooltips often disappear if mouse moves from one button to another


DLC Whiskey & Lemons:

    adding new "camp life" feature
    adding "Offer Command" feature
    offensive, defensive orders now disappearing if order zone is entered [campaign]
    building construction orders are cleared after successful creation
    changed AI auto deployment to exclude units if army group commander
    fix: player may use control over certain units when loading into manually played battles
    fix: EOD redeployment (not initial) sometimes causes player controlled units to be redeployed
    fixed: random questionnaire skips last answer
    added loading/saving of already filled questionnaires
    added limitation for number of action research (20+ caused issues)
    fixed: needed pre-actions for action research not working
    fix: top units (eg. corps) issuing orders (eg. construct fort) in campaign to subordinate units (eg. divisions) are executing this order too
    increased perk experience gain through casualties for East 61 scenario

Title: Re: Grand Tactician: The Civil War (1861-1865)
Post by: Asid on February 03, 2024, 01:04:10 AM
Patch 1.14 Released!
Fri, 2 February 2024

(https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images//33276817/2160bd94860834981317bfa4561cc9755f6b89f9.png)

Patch 1.14 Out Now!

Gen’l,

A new major Patch 1.1402 is now released. During the two-week beta period we were able to further improve the patch - Thank You all, who contributed in the beta!

Patch 1.14 provides:
- rebalances to the camp feature (Whiskey & Lemons DLC), incl. W&L manual update accordingly
- sound engine updates, including new sounds in the battles
- bug fixes to issues reported by the community

See the patch notes below

Your Most Obedient Servants,

The Grand Engineer Corps


Detailed Patch Notes:

Campaigns:

    fix: level 3 forts not engaging
    fix: autoresolve battles earn too much unit and perk experience
    fix: reloading saves leads (in rare cases) to units being recognized as garrisons


Battles:

    additional battle sounds and fixes
    fix: ranks for some officers not happening properly
    fix: Shiloh battlemap navigation (Hamburg Ford)
    fix: groups in some historical battles not reacting
    fix: reinforcements in historical battles sometimes arrive at the wrong time (eg Gettysburg)
    fix: cold steel button stuck


DLC Whiskey & Lemons:

    fix: if player unit surrenders, the player may be stuck "MIA"
    fix: campaign won/lost screen does not show image of player character
    fix: recruiting horse artillery not possible
    fix: taken over units are repositioned by AI EOD (day 1+)
    fix: if actions increase unit experience, experience stars won't be visible when surpassing 5 stars (visual only)
    rebalancing of camp times
    fix: if player character weight drops below minimum weight the weight loss is accumulated - into negative values with influences in battle movements
    added tooltip for companions in which camp stations they can be of help
    no check for incidents during EOD/deployment phase to prevent stuck deployment phase
    fix: actions that are carried out multiple times may only deliver effects once (eg. buying stocks)
    fix: “infantry, cavalry etc. specialist” affecting all troops