Thu 07Aug 2003 | Design Notes

The Korsun Pocket game is a refinement of the system first introduced in Decisive Battles of WWII: The Ardennes Offensive, and the two games share a similar philosophical basis. Presented here are Design Notes seeking to explain the underlying philosophy of the game system, and explain some of the design decisions.

<b>Korsun Pocket Design Notes</b>

The Korsun Pocket game is a refinement of the system first introduced in Decisive Battles of WWII: The Ardennes Offensive, and the two games share a similar philosophical basis. These Design Notes seek to explain the underlying philosophy of the game system, and explain some of the design decisions.

<b>This is not a boardgame!</b>
Some people, given the fact that the game uses hexes and a six-sided dice for combat, and other purposes, have concluded that the Decisive Battles system is just a computerised boardgame. Nothing could be further from the truth! The DB system has many more functions, systems and calculations than even the most dedicated boardgaming humans could be expected to implement. The ability of computers to process and display large amounts of data do not inherently guarantee a great game, but we have exploited this ability to make a game system that concentrates on fluidity, flexibility and availability of information, along with clear, easy to use, decision making processes.

<b>Power to the Processor</b>
There are a numerous examples of how the DB system uses the computer’s power. When you select a unit, all possible destination hexes are highlighted, and unit’s path can be remembered from turn to turn. This not only obviates any need for users to count hexes, but also allows a complex movement system with multiple penalties for different situations. Since the user gets all the information they need to make movement decisions, the underlying complexity is not a problem.

The calculations for supply are quite involved, in order make a realistic simulation of a complex situation, yet the user can see his current supply state at the click of a button, and a forecast of next turn’s supply with a single click of another button. Again the complex calculations are no problem for the user, but allow a more realistic system to be implemented.

The combat system is perhaps the best example of the DB philosophy. The system uses a large number of Combat Result Tables, and applies a large number of shifts to the raw odds of a combat, and dice roll modifiers, to reflect a variety of tactical considerations. There are far too many calculations to easily implement, if at all, in a manual system.

Using the computer, the user is presented with information about every single factor affecting a combat. More importantly, the user can allocate or deallocate units to a potential combat with a single mouse click, allowing complete control (apart from the dice roll) over the combat.

<b>One is Bad, Six is Good</b>
In what may seem like a contradiction to the statements above, all combat results in the DB system are resolved on a six sided dice. This is not for any lack of computer power. Our dice routines can roll a virtual dice of any size. We use the six sided dice because based on our 30 years of gaming experience, including over 20 years of computer game design experience, we know the random element must match the scale of the game, and the incremental mechanics employed. Here’s an example of what we mean. While a great number of factors are taken into account in resolving a combat, the results are a loss of 0 to 3 steps and/or a retreat for the defender. Put simply, 6 separate possibilities for each combat table cover all the meaningful outcomes. This makes it easy for human players, even those who haven’t studied probability at a university level, to forecast outcomes from any combat.

<b>Great Idea, Sir!</b>
Another approach that is possible only on a computer is that of using the AI routines to help the human player. It’s hard to teach strategy to a computer, but the more tactical a situation, the better the AI gets. That’s why when you hit the Combat Odds button in KP, the computer can exhaustively move all possible units to a combat, calculate the best possible odds and display them to the user. While it’s not perfect, the computer can often get better odds than the average human player, because it never forgets to move its artillery units or allocate off board support bonuses. Using the Combat Odds button will alert you to your own failings (in a very discreet fashion).

Players who wish to minimise their failings should use the Combat and Movement popups. These display everything you need to know about their respective topics. The Combat popup will tell you if an enemy unit can be overrun or not, and how many attack points are required to achieve that highly desirable overrun. The Movement popup tells all about the unit’s movement modes, and how the supply system affected the unit’s movement capability this turn.

<b>Ummm…that bridge is broken, Sir!</b>
The flexibility of the PC’s display also allows us to load up the map with dynamic information, but still show it all in a meaningful and useful fashion. You know that it’s mud, because the whole map has changed. You can see the minefields, objectives, detachments and strongpoints that alter the tactical situation or remove them from the map. Broken bridges are clearly displayed, along with movement penalties caused by interdiction, bridge repair, combat or enemy units.

<b>Who are those men, where did they come from, and how good are they anyway?</b>
Two optional features that work together are Unknown Units and Hidden Units. With Unknown Units, certain characteristics such as combat strengths are not revealed to either player until the unit is in contact with the enemy. While this has been done in some boardgames, concealing the actual presence of units is easy for computers and hard for boardgames. The Hidden Units option makes it possible to truly surprise your opponent, while the Unknown Units option has surprises for both sides. Unknown Units can also reduce the effectiveness of opening gambits since the actual strengths of your forces can’t be predicted.

<b>The Harmony of the Spheres</b>
The underlying philosophy of this and indeed all SSG games is that the game elements should be in harmony with each other. Time scale should match map scale which should match unit scale. The information for the user should match the ability of the interface to present it, and the ability of the user to make sense of it all. Too much information can be just as annoying as too little, as it can equally obscure the operations of cause and effect.

This harmony should be extended, in a roughly equal way, to the AI systems. As an example, it’s not too hard to design an elegant supply system that is well suited to way humans perceive and use information. However, if that system results in AI opponent with half its men out of supply every turn, then it’s not really a very good system.

We think that we’ve achieved this harmony with Korsun Pocket, and we hope that you feel the same way.

Posted by Robjess at August 07, 2003 05:21 PM