SOE2 game modding (English copy)

[trurle]

Here are some mods of SOE2 super-scenario intended to fix (in my understanding) the deficiencies and errors of game.
How to use: overwrite executable (soe2.exe) to game directory and unpack&overwrite scenario file (test.scn) to the "add" directory.
Without copying scenario file, mod will start, but some of the weapons (which are added in mod) will be inactive. Of course, you can activate or deactivate weapons in scenario editor using any scenario.
If anybody wishing to correct parameters further, please send me email on oleg@eratokm.jp with brief explanation of desired fixes. Or just send me modified weaponsout.csv file (database used for patching), and i will email back patched executable file.

[trurle]

Conservative mod:
All weapons parameters are kept nearly same as in original game, fixes related mostly to self-consistency and obvious bugs.
1) Many heavy cannons downgraded to light or infantry cannons according to their RELATIVE fire range in 1941. I.e. cannon can be designed as heavy counter-battery or siege piece in WWI, but in WWII it can be used only as infantry support.
2) Light (7-13mm caliber) anti-aircraft machine-gun (including AA MG on tanks) anti-aircraft attack is halved to properly account for their marginal effective range.
3) Linearization of aircraft cost (i have set set cost proportional to engines power). Also, air-to-ground attack is linearized to bomb payload (6 attack = 1 ton payload). It is most severe fix, in original version sometimes training biplane has the same cost as jet fighter.
4) Reduced anti-tank capability of siege mortars (to properly reflect their meager rate of fire and long training time)
5) Some tanks wildly violating historical balance (Japanese O-1 and 120mm short-barrel tanks) are removed, added instead some missed light tanks and flame-thrower tanks of USA and Japan.
6) Introduced gyrocopters and helicopters. Seems pretty useless, but may have niche applications. Please try!
7) Torpedo bombers has set anti-armour attack 12/torpedo. Idea is what at least theoretically torpedo can be substituted for for anti-tank rocket pod. Any ideas how to improve? Ideal solution would be only anti-ship attack increase, but i can not see how to implement.
8) Many aircraft class downgraded (Po-2 from bomber to tactical bomber, DB-1 from heavy bomber to bomber etc.)
9) Rate of fire of cannons is taken roughly into account. Semi-automatic (few German and Japanese 75mm types) cannons now has a bonus, especially to anti-tank role.
10) Chinese artillery power halved. Bad reliability, bad maintenance, lack of spare parts - according to history. Commonly, Chinese warlords of WWII preferred to do not field locally-produced artillery at all, because it was more of nuisance than of use.

[trurle]

A bit radical mod: all changes as in conservative mod, plus:
According to previous game experience, game is un-balanced in sense what war industry over-produce heavy weapons.
There were several complains about this, ranging from over-production of armor cars by Denmark to over-production of heavy seaplanes H6K by Japan.
Therefore, i used the concept of "learning curve" production ramp model (from NASA) to properly adjust the prices of heavy weaponry. The learning curve coefficient is set to 2/3 - typical for non-automated conveyor production, dominant in WWII era. Because of game engine limitation, this modification is imperfect: small countries are insufficiently penalized, while large countries (USA) are over-penalized.
But to my feeling (as tested with GB and Italy) the model is better than original, now economic forces set production within +-50% of historical production, instead of typical +5000% productivity error in original version

[trurle]

I have managed now to write utility for extracting unit data (along with weapons data) from SOE2 executable.

And went on fixing spree:
1) Weapons: added generic infantry flamethrower (class of "medium mortars")
2) Fix of army corps composition for China to prevent formation of super-corps of 40 thousand men
3) Fix of Tiralleus regiment in Vichy France - previous maker though Africans can not candle anything beyond mortars.
4) Numerous fixes in Japanese units - most severe fix is AA company (correctly "Machine Cannon Company" - now it along with AT battallion is the Japan`s fastest unit (as by purpose - it had dual AT/AA role and performed role of fast reaction forces to plug enemy breakthroughs). Also many adjustment in unit composition, because previous authors used frequently combat strength (after attrition) instead of nominal strength. Also, systematized unit names, avoiding arbitrary and incorrect names as was done before. Also, made large fix of Japanese engineers, because previous author overlooked usage of Japanese engineers as anti-bunker force (for which they was fitted with flamethrowers).

Also, some changes to map:
1) Fortress garrisons at Soviet-Japan border reinforced to compensate drain of staff and equipment which started only in autumn 1941 in real history. About 30000 staff, 400 various guns, 1000 mortars and 800 ATR added.
2) Engineers and Machine cannon companies (Japan) composition update
3) Removed some enclave villages of China, actually controlled by Tibetians in 1941
4) New airbases and units in Burma
5) New airfield at Azores
6) Some islands around Americas - of strategic importance if war comes to invasion to USA, central or South America.
7) Removed excess of light aritllery (~about 800 guns) from Japanese divisions

Attached files (in archive)
soe2.exe - patched executive, copy to SOE2 directory
test.scn - modified scenario, copy to "add" directory and play additive scenario
soe2editor.cxx - source file for units and weapons import/export utility. You can build on any platform supporting FLTK library (i used version FLTK 1.3.2)
EDITOR - executable of editor unility (built under Ubuntu 12.04)
weaponsout.csv - weapons database
unitsout.csv - units database

About scenario AI players: as expected, AI cannot work effectively with "learning curve" mod. It tries sometimes to produce cheap units (USSR produce exclusively flamethrower tanks as consequence). But in same time it tries to produce 50000+ expensive super-heavy artillery units, ruining industry completely. Please either run major player with production under manual control, disable too expensive weapons in scenario editor, or just embed to soe2.exe a conservative mod, if you want to play against computer opponents.

[trurle]

I have found some new data sources (i.e. niehorster.orbat.com site and ICAO airports catalog) and was able to perform a lot of fixes
Main areas:
1) Extensive network of airfields in New Zealand, Burma and US - about 250! airfields added, mostly in US.
2) Some minor fixes in Magadascar, Djibouti (given to Vichy France) and Martinique.
3) Proper order of battle of Burmese part of British forces, also re-wrote road network and cities of Burma, adding Burma-Chinese road - it greatly change the entire logic of Far East fighting!
4) Escort ships of New Zealand - need to install a mod to implement them.
5) Great Britain artillery/AA/engineers cleanup
6) Fixed error with missed AA defense of Soviet tank division. These had 332 GAZ-AA trucks for anti-aircraft duty!
7) General cleanup of Belgium forces - added exact motorization and minor composition fixes for all units
8) Severe fix of Free French and Vichy french infantry division composition to account for rifle grenade-throwers and their planned (September 1940) 50mm mortar replacements.
9) Japanese Type11 70mm mortar moved from light mortar class to infantry artillery - according to real practice, barrel type (rifled) and service numbers.
10) Minor fix of the too strong German divisions. Fixed amount of weapons of 1941 divisions according to Wave 1 composition on 22 June, 1941

[trurle]

The list of fixes:
1) Complete rewrite of East Africa road network according to 1940 military map.
2) Minor changes of road network in Siberia (broken roads around Yakutsk which was unfinished in 1941), Korea and Thailand.
3) Road network fix in Ceylon and South India according to 1940 road map.
4) The rain-forests density increased to 100% in Congo, Amazon, and South Asia according to eco-regions maps.
5) Final expansion of Sahara desert to actual limits
6) Eliminated the permeability of mountain ranges in Andes, Rocky mountains, Greenland. The unbelievable (but appeared in previous game) event of Japanese heavy artillery retreating into Rockies while shelling US marines is no longer possible..
7) General fixes of mountain ranges around the world. Much of the erroneous Africa mountains (which are actually raised flatlands) are removed. Africa now has a proper savanna/grassland regions.
8) Severe update of coastal defense in Soviet Union - thanks to AAG!
9) Severe update of NKVD units in Soviet Union - thanks to AAG!
10) Added armoured trains to Great Britain, Soviet Union, Germany, Japan - thanks to AAG!
11) Composition fix of several Soviet unit, especially airborne brigade. I was surprised to see the amount of flamethrowers intended to be equipped before 1941. (though none was equipped actually)
12) AA defense error fix of several Japanese naval vessels. Downgraded AA capability of vessels fitted with 127mm Type 89 cannons and upgraged of these fitted with 10cm Type 98 cannons.
13) Introduced Type 98 10cm AA cannon (a superb Japanese weapon) previously incorrectly identified as Type 14 10cm AA cannon.
14) The AA defenses of Soviet armoured division rolled back - the misleading naming convention of "GAZ AA truck" to blame
15) Bugfixes and improvements of modding utility - better headers for units parameters, comma-separated format instead of semicolon-separated format, bug with negative weapon prices fixed, bug with not embedded unit size class fixed.
16) Fixes of Iran army - more aircrafts, tanks and armored cars in reserve and repair, less in units. Large reduction of units experience and morale. Added licensed production of Hawker Hart (actually Hawker Audax) aircraft - all according to "Iran at war" book.
17) 12cm wooden cannon production for those who cannot produce modern artillery (Iran, Mongol, Thai)
18) Learning curve coefficient has been changed from 0.667 to 0.7. In practice, it mean heaviest weapons are now 20-40% cheaper. This change is to address the too much rejection of new models of aircraft.

[trurle]

Emergency fix..stores of weapons/recruits were corrupted in previous scenario

[trurle]

1) Namibia now under South Africa control instead of direct Great Britain control.
2) Coastline and cities bugfix in South Asia (Morotai, Surigao, West Papua)
3) Fixed error with impossible 364 light mortars of British Armoured Division 40
4) Mongolian cavalry division size fix - thanks to AAG!
5) Fixed parameters of ~30 weapons, added ~10 new weapons - thanks to Dalibor!
6) Experimental fix - soft attack of aircrafts was reduced 3 times. See viewtopic.php?f=9&t=35&start=330 for details.


SOE2.ZIP removed by the developer. FOR VIOLATION OF THE LICENSE AGREEMENT. OLEG, TO YOU - the first and last warning!

[trurle]

SOE2.ZIP removed by the developer. FOR VIOLATION OF THE LICENSE AGREEMENT. OLEG, TO YOU - the first and last warning!

Reaction time to threat to your purse is less than 1 day.
Time since last game update is 9 months.
Symptomatic..

[Igor Kulakov]

SOE2.ZIP removed by the developer. FOR VIOLATION OF THE LICENSE AGREEMENT. OLEG, TO YOU - the first and last warning!

Reaction time to threat to your purse is less than 1 day.
Time since last game update is 9 months.
Symptomatic..

Such is life