El Aurens! A teaser.

Boco · May 27, 2003, 20:41

In the tradition of Kyokujitsu and others

, I announce the arrival of "El Aurens" sometime in the distant future (seriously, I'm hoping by the end of the year). This ToT scenario depicts the campaigns of the Near East in the Great War from December 1915 to until the war's end. Covering the Senussi and Hejaz revolts as well as the campaign in Sinai then Palestine, it combines both wide-ranging desert scrambles and trench warfare against the Turks in Palestine.

Can the Allies scramble to stem the Senussi advance in the Western Desert in early 1916?

Can the poorly equipped but highly mobile Hashemite Bedouins hold off the Turk counterstrokes from Medina?

More...

Boco · May 27, 2003, 20:46

Reinforcements are 'researched' rather than built. Units arrive as techs (requests) are discovered (granted by the War Office).

A key to success is the careful management of cities to ensure that the War Office 'reviews requests' every turn.

EZRhino · May 27, 2003, 20:47

Those screens look mighty impressive.

Boco · May 27, 2003, 20:49

Also vital is your ability to capture modern-day Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, and Saudi Arabia with a minimum of casualties. This was after all a sideshow in WWI. High casualties for little gain cost General Murray his job. His successor, Allenby, routed the Turks with fewer casualties than were suffered during one day on the Somme.

By the end of the game, you will command tanks, armored cars, heavy artillery, aircraft, and perhaps the best mounted infantry that ever fought -- the Australian Light Horse. Can you build the trans-Sinai railroad so that you can deploy this overwhelming force to Palestine in time? Can you control huge swaths of desert and tie down Turks with your Arab irregulars? Can you force the Senussi back to their desert fortress at Kufra?

Geesh EZRhino, you're fast!

Thanks

, but if you look closely, you'll see the art of a dozen Civvers.

Boco · May 27, 2003, 21:01

Can anyone figure out any of these 'wonders'?

Mao · May 27, 2003, 22:29

erm...the Orient Express, German-Turkish Alliance, Indian Empire (?), Great Pyramids (?), Suez Canal (?), British Army (?)

Shaka Naldur · May 28, 2003, 07:00

i need to buy TOT

our_man · May 28, 2003, 07:17

Wow, looks fantastic Boco!

But another few months, seriously!? It looks pretty finished to me.

A question with regard to the scoring system. The screen you displayed was of normal Civ2 scoring. Does this mean that youre not going to use an objective points system?

Cyrion · May 28, 2003, 07:33

A few month till you finish??

And then you'll have to work on an MPGE version??

Looks really great, too bad I only have MPGE...

Dr. Nick · May 28, 2003, 08:36

I demand an MGE version, or else I demand someone to send me TOT over ICQ or something!

I demand it in the name of the Great Arab Revolt! We shall not be decieved once again by the conniving of the Arab Bureau!

Cyrion · May 28, 2003, 09:42

I support El Awrence demand!

Dr Kellogg · May 28, 2003, 11:23

Looks great!!

And I'm glad to own ToT...

Dr. Nick · May 28, 2003, 11:53

The damned Arab Bureau never sold ToT here! It's a conspiracy! I know it! We shall fight! Stand and fight! United the Arabs will be great and they shall conquer Damascus with Tot!

Heresson · May 28, 2003, 12:15

fairline · May 28, 2003, 12:48

Looking forward to this one Boco, as I've said before. Where did you get the mountain gfx from?

BTW Dave, thanks for sending me the aircraft and Erhardt graphics - I must remember to backup files before my computer dies again

MagyarCrusader · May 28, 2003, 16:02

Its called ebay, or *cough* kazaa

JCG · May 28, 2003, 16:34

Or Amazon, if you're impatient (like me) and couldn't find any other way to get it... Still, it looks like quite a good scenario.

yaroslav · May 28, 2003, 16:46

I also need Tot

You know, the little 'Word' box has a "Allied General/Panzer General II" look - don't ask me why...

Boco · May 28, 2003, 16:46

Boco · May 28, 2003, 17:03

As for timing...well this is my first scenario and I'm an inefficient slowpoke.

Despite some excellent advice, I tend to make timeconsuming mistakes. Starting with a scope that was too large, revising the units after writing Describe.txt, and specifying units that disband at the wrong time are a few.

Did you notice that none of the screenshots occur after May, 1917? Got some major playbalance issues to work out.

Boco · May 28, 2003, 17:14

Quote:

A question with regard to the scoring system. The screen you displayed was of normal Civ2 scoring. Does this mean that youre not going to use an objective points system?

I opted for the normal Civ2 scoring for the following:

to penalize losing units in combat
to allow WoW's to be built during the game
to give a player a score to beat next time.

Give me a good case for an objective-based system, and I'll look into changing the scoring.

Currently, it's set like this.

(@NEWFORTRESS)

Boco · May 28, 2003, 17:35

Quote:

erm...the Orient Express, German-Turkish Alliance, Indian Empire (?), Great Pyramids (?), Suez Canal (?), British Army (?)

Those icons aren't too obscure. You were pretty accurate Mao. They represent,[list=1][*]Berlin-Baghdad RR[*]A particular army HQ (that bolt of lightning is the clue). Any grognards know it?[*]The India Office of the British Government[*]The Egypt Protectorate[*]Yep, it's the canal[*]An Egyptian Army HQ (came from "The Four Feathers")[/list=1]

The frames were adapted from BeBro's excellent work.

He had all the bits and pieces to make those word frames. The similarity to AG must have been subconscious. I have it, but I didn't try to copy it - I was aiming for a late colonial style.

The Mountains (Jhebels) were adapted from Hardjoy's fantastic African graphics.

Just 'dried' them up a little and expanded the range of colors.

Herreson, the map's got a few errors that I'm sure you could spot, but hopefully nothing glaring. Along the way, I discovered that 'desert' covers a wide variety of terrains.

Uh-oh, I oughta get off the boards and back to testing.

techumseh · May 28, 2003, 20:12

Quote:

Originally posted by El Awrence
I demand an MGE version, or else I demand someone to send me TOT over ICQ or something!

I demand it in the name of the Great Arab Revolt! We shall not be decieved once again by the conniving of the Arab Bureau!

Look up. Look WAAAY up! To the top of your screen. What IS that? A bird? A plane? Why, no. It's a link to get Test of Time for just TEN bucks.

Or just click here: http://service.bfast.com/bfast/click...mtype=products

No more excuses, get it TODAY!

Dr. Nick · May 28, 2003, 20:51

I can't afford US$10. Not today. Not any day. Not with the customs cost for importing the game.

People just don't understand when I ask for it for free is because I can't afford to buy it, have it shipped, and then get to pay exorbitant customs duties.

Dr. Nick · May 28, 2003, 20:52

And even if I did, I don't have an international credit card. Or anyone in my family for that matter.

Boco · May 28, 2003, 21:09

Ouch! Colonial administrators never were sensitive to the natives' concerns.

Seriously, this scenario requires some of ToT's unique features, such as impassable terrain, CityProduction triggers, flags, and ~100kb of event stack space. I just couldn't stand to see the entire EEF traipsing across the desert as if it were the plains of Flanders. The Arabs rule the desert in El Aurens (with a little help from cars and planes).

Boco · May 28, 2003, 23:03

Okay, whether or not you have ToT, I could use your input on the following:

Some city parameters

Research='Intelligence' (Int)
Luxuries='Civil Goods' (CG)
Cities can build improvements and paramilitary forces.
'Citizens' are soldiers.

What should the entertainer, taxman, and scientist look like? The MP and nerdy scientist don't really fit.

(This image was rearranged and cropped before posting)

Case · May 29, 2003, 09:11

Quote:

Originally posted by Boco
What should the entertainer, taxman, and scientist look like? The MP and nerdy scientist don't really fit.

Entertainer: From the experiance of the Australian contingent, I'd go with prostitutes. If you're got moral scruples about that, then letters from home or increased leave would do the trick (don't ask me what graphic should be used to represent increased leave!)

Taxman: Colonial Administator perhaps? (represented by a guy in one of those awful tropical hats).

Scientist: Journalist. Publicity played a major role in increasing the resources sent to the Palestine Campaign.

our_man · May 29, 2003, 11:39

Wow, I had no idea that the ToT scoring system could be so flexible Boco! I take back what I said! And let me get this straight; in ToT you can create units when a certain improvment has been built in a city!? I might start blowing the dust off and take a look for myself...

techumseh · May 29, 2003, 12:14

...or when a certain unit is built. Other new event triggers are AlphaCentauriArrival, BribeUnit, CityDestroyed, CityProduction (same as above - can be an improvement or a unit), as well as the standard ones from FW/MGE.