"Are you or have you been a member of the communist party? Yes or no, answer my question!"
I used this sentence to test the effect of aggressive rhetoric on a comrade in high school... Be assured that it works surprisingly well.
Of course, I conducted this small experiment due to Joseph McCarthy, the main figure of the second Red Scare. As you have understood by now, and because Halloween is approaching, we will talk about the worst fear of America: Communism!
The Red Scare is composed of two separate elements in the game, each unlocked by their own focus.
Passive Containment
If the focus 'Passive Containment' is selected, the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) starts its investigations and tries to unmasks communist agents in the US. At that point, you can orient the committee towards the Army or the Department of State. If the Army is chosen, it will lead to an investigation into the so-called 'Dixie Mission', a group sent to contact Chinese communists during the Second World War. This can evolve in various ways, depending on the targets of the anger of HUAC but rest assured your domestic Military interest will have to pay a price for their treachery. Leading to conflicts between Joseph McCarthy and various other historical characters, if the strategic military capabilities are impacted by the investigations, General Curtis Lemay will not be far behind. Will you be reminded of your need to protect his nuclear reactions force so that the simulation of the next world war has a favorable US outcome?
Another path will see McCarthy collide with none other than George Marshall himself as he tries to maintain the Chinese united front and prevented the Kuomintang from attacking Mao's communists. For someone, such as Senator McCarthy, it could mean only one thing: Marshall had to be a communist sympathizer at the very least.
At the end of the day, if McCarthy has not been stopped by scrupulous investigative journalism, he will enter a final conflict with the director of the CIA, Allen Dulles. Accusations over the possible mismanagement of classified documents by the organization cannot go unanswered. Historically, it involved a printing press which supplied the CIA and could become a nest of "Reds" ready to read secret documents before they even reached the desks of the agency. I will just let you know that the suspicious documents hunted by McCarthy were actually of little value and it would have been sensible only if they had been filled anyway. By definition, they were not in the possession of the CIA at that point and caused a terrible loss of credibility for McCarthy who was later condemned by the Senate.
Hollywood Investigations
The second part of the Red Scare you will find in your terminal is centered around the tumultuous reaction of the film industry. To start this decision chain, the Hollywood Investigation focus must be selected. It begins just after the famous event of the 'Hollywood 10' during which 10 famous personalities of the film industry refused to say if they were communist or not. Some went into exile and others ended up in prison for their refusal. Yet, this caused a stir and a debate was born. In the balance lies the future of American cinema. It became patriotic and grand, as seen in Invasion USA or Rocky IV.
After the Hollywood 10, investigations of other celebrities would follow. This included household names like Charlie Chaplin and Orson Welles (I also jumped on the opportunity to quote a real FBI report when making the chain for Welles). Keeping them out of HUAC's grasp will allow them to make more films and masterpieces. Or would this only serve to put communist ideas into the mind of Americans? Would you protect them? Or would you prefer to promote 'The Big Truth'? A movie narrated by a young rising (and definitively not red) star, Ronald Reagan.
Enjoy this new update. Best Regards, William "Thiking_waffle" Bois d'Enghien
Upcoming Development I) NEW tutorials are in productions and the official MANUAL is in print! Expect the first rollout in the coming weeks!
II) KIM IL-SUNG: A Communist Ideologue and Supreme Leader will rise to power like the living Sun to establish a People's Republic like never seen before and the first Communist dynasty. Or will his life be cut short and his reign curtailed by US regional power? The rise of North Korea is in BETA testing.
III) Cooperation to be announced with a famous modding team!
CHANGELOG
AI
AI will now simulate ahead and behave much more strategically
AI will now be a lot more vigilant in creating plans
Policies are better planned and used
AI can now handle Counter Intelligence
Optimized the AI and upgraded performance
Fixed an issue where the AI would sometimes incorrectly fire the same policy multiple times
GAME
NEW Command Reserves now has a permanent Logistics button for you to utilize for planning
NEW Added new Intelligence Mission: COUNTER-INTELLIGENCE: Chance to uncover enemy operatives within ANY friendly LAND, AIR or NON-SUBMARINE FLEET in region.
Fixed an issue that was palcing the capitals in an incorrect starting region
Fixed an issue where combat preview would be shown incorrectly
Updated Notifications for all unit Abilities
Optimized the game for both single and multiplayer reducing load times
Fixed an issue where a relevant focus region highlighting would incorrectly persist to the next timeline
Freshly deployed units will display a text marker to show that they are at risk of attack
Update Region UI issues fixed
Fixed an issue where World Overview could cause the wrong faction coloring for deploying Influence
Fixed an issue where logistics would sometimes get stuck with its button selected
Fixed an error given sometimes when trying to return a unit to Command Reserve during influence placement
POLICIES
NEW! Updated the Policy handling system to be even more flexible adding the ability to switch between rows
Updated several policy sounds
DECISIONS
NEW Added Red Scare decisions for USA
WARGAMES
Wargames adapted to the new game system
Added ability to hide Logistics button
Fixed a null exception given in certain scripted scenarios
Fixed an issue where Infiltration description tooltip was not being displayed properly
MIRVIN highlighting now takes into account object pivot
INTELLIGENCE
NEW Intelligence missions no longer require 1 ELITES to conduct, instead they will only deduct ELITES if the mission fails
NEW Opponent influence modifier now applies to all missions
Flase Flag mission will no longer end your turn
Infiltration mission no longer provides MILITARY when successful in a region without enemy units
Rebalanced many base intel missions
Intel mission selection shows potential cost in the notification instead
Intel base chance of success is now relative to non Aligned regions and 0 influence
IntelAssassinatieMinimumChance variable has been removed
EDITOR
Fixed an issue where flags where not displayed as inteded in the flag editor
Added more effects including NEW Intelligence triggers
Value 0 effects will now be set and shown instead of nu value lines for easy overview
More efficient usage of mathXparser library by not invalidating an expression at every argument change - most notable with policies with lots of arguments such as American Culturalization
Added several new game variables
OTHER
Updated Notitication and description text for Army, Fighter and Bomber Command as well as Submarine Fleet
Clarified wording for Launch Authorization Menu
When a path is lacking between logistics capital and a selected region, using inform, it will now notify you that a logistical path needs to be established
Added a missing icon for first strike backlash tooltip
Fixed an issue where Command Reserve text would incorrectly overflow at Disarmament
Updated the naming regime for Infiltrate and Assassinate
Fixed several typos
"Logistics" Development Diary 50
You stare at the endless host of convoys and escort ships sailing into the horizon while loved ones say their goodbye from the pier. These are your tools of destruction – reinforcements, bringing conflict directly in the enemy’s home. Having plotted your way through nations near and far, the price of victory is a strategic investment in time: a price that will hopefully pay off in the long run. Just imagine, how terrific it will feel to finally put your adversary off-balance. When they see your forces appear in faraway regions, the element of surprise will be complete and devastating. Welcome to the wonderful world of logistics, colleagues!
Regional Information
As you maneuver your way through geopolitical challenges in your terminal, you will find yourself weighing matters of logistics. Like any worthwhile Commander in Chief, moving Army Commands, Air units, and Fleets is no instantaneous feat, making deployment a hotspot for strategic issues and opportunities.
To begin with, let's consider your options for a good logistical overview for A Steel Authority focus.
As you look to protect India from capitalist aggression, having access to possibly recruit the historical leader Nehru will be an excellent move, but it would be wise to gather some friendly military forces in the theater and worth investigating further...
The universal tool for gathering information about any element in the terminal is Pressing and Holding for 2 seconds. Do so over any region and you will see information about its regional status. The shortest route for any glorious Soviet forces would, naturally, be through Afghanistan.
Hold your breath though, as despite being a good possible route for the USSR, you cannot deploy there yet, as the region is non-aligned and Soviet influence there is zero. Looking elsewhere in the theater, Western India is the second closest to the Soviet border and possesses a friendly presence.
This is our opportunity, and the tooltip tells us that we can both deploy and withdraw to or from there. A very good potential, should we somehow end up facing enemy unit of any kind.
Intelligence INFORMation gathering
The question is, how much longer of a route would this be for our Soviet units compared to Afghanistan? No worries! Being part of the KGB's day-to-day operation, the INFORM mission does not require any additional costs to help you estimate deployment costs. Select your Intelligence (marked KGB or CIA) service and push the INFORM button. Follow the on-screen instructions by selecting a region.
Example: Select the Central Asian Zone, in the Eastern European Theater to gather information about the logistical situation as this region borders the South Asian Theater. The information will be granted in the message log (bottom row).
The route taken for deployment will go through your capital and through the Urals and can travel on land or at sea. Just as in real life, deployments take time, or in-game terms at least 1 turn. The farther you are from your capital (your logistical HQ) and the more complicated the route, the more turns required. The different levels of influence and their effects for a region are as follows:
(NOTE: If you are interested in knowing the exact decimal costs involved in every passage along the logistics path you can toggle that information in the Options menu.) So far so good...Now let's return to South Asia to explore on the other side of the theater border.
Western Indian Logistics
Switching back to South Asia and using the INFORM mission, we quickly gather information on Western India. Notice that deploying a Land or Air units in Western India would only cost 2 turns while the deployment of a Sea unit would cost 6 turns.
We know from before that there is a land route to Central Asia and we can assume that logistics can flow through all the way here to Western India. By selecting the minimap button in the top right, you access the world logistics overview.
Plotting logistics, you can see that deploying land/air units in Western India will be a much simpler affair than deploying any fleets and how precarious your position can be at sea in this theater. Strategically, it means you need to invest in increasing influence through non-military means, like False Flag operation or by making use of Leaders. Perhaps it would also be wise to quickly take control of strategic sea regions like Sri Lanka and thinking twice for the long run about protecting the logistics path from being cut off. The Middle East, in particular, will also now be important with straits like the Suez Canal in Egypt or the Turkish Straits, controlling access to and from the Black Sea.
Enemy Logistics
Much like plotting your logistic lines, by selecting a region with enemy influence using INFORM, your intelligence service will make a probable cost calculation for their logistics. This will allow you to identify possible chokepoints to exploit if you are on the offensive. Example: In Pakistan, that neighbors Western India, the US has a cheaper deployment cost for sea units but twice the cost for land and air units compared to Western India.
Of course, US control in China can lower their deployment costs and also noteworthy, the USA has a good step off position should they secure the strategic strait (Strait of Malacca). US Carrier Fleet, Fighter or possibly also Bomber Command deployments could open up new possibilities as deployment there is considerably cheaper for the enemy.
A Soviet focus on the Pacific theater, and on removing influence along enemy logistical paths in the Philippines, or perhaps even Indonesia, would be favorable for the USSR cause. There is a lot at play in logistics as the costs of going through a region changes dramatically depending on influence. Priorities can and will change but remember to stay one step ahead and you will be victorious.
Mighty Cheers, Davide "DVD" Benedetti and Gellert "GFK" Keresztes
Upcoming Development I) NEW tutorials are in productions and the official MANUAL is in print! Expect the first rollout in the coming weeks!
II) KIM IL-SUNG: A Communist Ideologue and Supreme Leader will rise to power like the living Sun to establish a People's Republic like never seen before and the first Communist dynasty. Or will his life be cut short and his reign curtailed by US regional power? The rise of North Korea is in BETA testing.
III) RED SCARE: Joseph McCarthy starts his investigations. What will he find and how will that shape the future of the United States?
CHANGELOG
AI
AI now makes even better and more realistic choices with an added a level of randomization for AI actions which it values to be equally impactful making it more unpredictable and a lot harder to game
GAME
NEW Major update with the rollout of the LOGISTICS system
NEW Updated ruleset for logistics, deployment and military withdrawal
NEW Logistics cost now correctly considers landlocked capitals and sea units marker is no longer printed if the capital is landlocked as a consequence of logistics not having a cost
NEW Added dashed lines instead of dotted lines for out-of-theater-connector of logistics
NEW Pressing the BACK button when accessing the intelligence HQ folder should clear current inform region selection
NEW Added Go To button for Logistics World Overview for quick navigation to the region in Theater Com
Increased Ocean Regions logistics costs from 0.25 Turns to 0.45 Turns
Fixed "last movement circle" not being cleaned up on games end.
Fixed an issue where orders were shown in reverse order in the Message Log for Air units
Updated setup of Region Notifications
Updated the text for Ocean and Arctic regions
Updated the text for Non-aligned regions
Updated wording to match the new setup for Surface Fleet CONVOY ability
Minor fix for command reserves when pressing theater button
Fixed coloring issues for world overview text
Updated and added world overview unit names
Inform cost marker is no longer shown in the starting region (capital) if a non-capital region is selected
Theater borders are correctly disabled in nuclear map mode
Fixed an issue where region 54 was incorrectly sorted in Western Europe instead of Eastern Europe
DECISIONS
Added Finance mismanagement decisions to Balance of Power SCN 10
LEADERS
Leaders will now lose 2 power instead of 4 when contesting enemy units in the region they are recruited in
Fixed an issue where Leaders would incorrectly contest Bomber Commands first instead of Army Commands
OTHER
Precise deployment toggle in Options now affects intelligence Inform too
Added new imagery for the design of the logistics system
Theater Com off-map lines now centered on unit names in the world overview
Fixed a compiler error
Filtered remaining CHARAC sounds
Fixed various typos
"Back from the Cold" Development Diary 49
Find yourself masterfully juggling different, and most likely opposing, interests; welcome to the world of domestic politics on a global geopolitical scale. Strategically deep, the Cold War represents the best of what can be achieved in this cloak and dagger world and one we seek to capture in Terminal Conflict.
Enter the domestic Interests, five different gauges representing five keys societal groups within your nation. The rules are straightforward, yet challenging: keep them all far from having their interest depleted or maxed out. Should that fail, each time an interest gets to max level or is depleted, you continue to spiral further into a crisis; potentially reaching your ultimate defeat, or your ultimate salvation, nothing less!
Improved Domestic Interests Chains
The first time you heard anything was a cold October day, and you set yourself on the road back from your datcha. As the General Secretary of the mighty Soviet Union, you have steered the country smoothly into a transformation since you took power but for one issue. Having depleted all the domestic Finance influence, you have a feeling that the USSR is on the edge. Mid-week reports never carry good news.
Barely back in Moscow, the Politburo urgently sends word. We can rely on some of the other interests for support, but tapping into another one, we must avoid cornering ourselves into a full-fledged breakdown. The first option is out, as we don't want to save us from the ashes of Finance to jump into the fire of the People, so the Elites will have to make some sacrifices.
Rising difficulty
By the second time you deplete Finance's influence, the discontent rises, the difficulty does too. Ultimately demanding bigger and bigger sacrifices, how much more are you willing to risk? It depends on what the revolution is worth to you!
As the final showdown looks now imminent…
Final Showdown
By now, it is time to choose allegiance comrade! Considering what you need the most, internally and outside the borders of the mighty USSR. As the final showdown looms there is a 50% chance of you losing the game with each choice. After all the Cold War goes on while you fight domestic discontentment and with you out of power surely the others don't stand a chance...
Yet, with your guiding hand, hopefully, everything will turn out alright...
Mighty Cheers,
Leif 'Greatexperiment' Miler and Alfred 'Zeress' Frendo-Cumbo
Upcoming Development
I) NEW tutorials are in productions and the official MANUAL is soon going into print! Halls are busy in Washington and Moscow!
II) KIM IL-SUNG: A Communist Ideologue and Supreme Leader will rise to power like the living Sun to establish a People's Republic like never seen before and the first Communist dynasty. Or will his life be cut short and his reign curtailed by US regional power? The rise of North Korea is in full production.
III) RED SCARE: Joseph McCarthy starts his investigations. What will he find and how will that shape the future of the United States?
CHANGELOG
AI
Fixed an issue where the AI would sometimes activate a leader action when none needed to
Fixed an exception given when the AI incorrectly used a Leader for attack
Fixed an issue being caused when AI leader was defeated
The AI will be more strategic when assessing invasions in non-focus theaters
AI now can hire a leader if he is needed even if that puts its interest dangerously low
Leader presence is factored in into turn calculation
GAME
Fixed an issue where CARRIER FLEETS did not correctly display their Air Superiority ability
Fixed an issue that was causing a soft lock for the China Card
Added Warzone declaration sound effect to Percentage Agreement for setting the warzone in Greece
Restored animation to play properly when Army Commands battle Leaders
Fixed an issue where Disembark was not working as designed
Leaders will now properly wage defensive combat against Disembarking Army Commands
Fixed an issue where Army Commands in Combat would sometimes end up being displayed incorrectly
Updated wording of Disarm tooltip
Fixed an issue where no Warning sound would be played despite the Warning showing for Interests Mismanagement
Updated wording of Interests Mismanagement
Fixed the coloring of Interests Mismanagement
FOCUS
Hollywood Investigation 3 can no longer be selected in timeline 1
DECISIONS
Added base decisions for Chiang Kai-shek to SCN 10
Updated The Red Dragon Rising 200905 to display for ALL, instead of just the USSR to allow an explanation to the US as to what is happening in China
Corrected triggers for a Luxurious Exile for Idi Amin
Updated North American People Interests decision chain and victory conditions fixing some text and typos
USA People Crisis activated and added to SCN 10
Updated Egg Fried Rice Triggers
The Red Dragon Rising/Red Dragon Dance focuses do not appear if there is PEACE in all of Mainland China
Shortened the description for 'Bulwark against the Bourgeoise'
Fixed 'Constant Vigilance' having the wrong trigger
Interest Mismanagement decisions set to PerTurn
Fixed triggers for Of Rubles and Revolt and Eastern Europe Finance Interests starter decisions
Fixed order of GameOver flag sets to be at the end, rather than at the start
Eastern Europe Elites interests rebalance and corrected triggers
OTHER
Corrected several typos
"The Dragon's Marshal" Development Diary 48
History Coming Alive
In the West, not much is popularly known of the struggle that brought Communism to power in China. Some would say, it is a matter of general disinterest, while others point to the decades of deliberate obfuscation being Beijing government policy. Today, this part of this history comes alive at your fingertips as we aim to shed some light on the tale of the Chinese Civil War. With its many battles and heroes, it is among the most consequential and dramatic of our modern era.
The Man Behind the Legend
One of those colorful characters that participated in this struggle, is a man called Zhu De. A person of some military skill, well educated and a regional Warlord, he was initially inclined toward the Nationalists rather than the Communists. Yet, Zhu De eventually embraced Communism under the sponsorship of Zhou Enlai - abandoning his previous ambitions in favor of a life dedicated to self-sacrifice. It is this change of heart that eventually led him down the path towards founding and becoming the Commander-in-Chief of the People's Liberation Army and the architect of its victory over the Nationalist Kuomintang.
If you select Zhu De, he will serve as a voice illustrating the military symphony of the Chinese Civil War. His strategy heavily emphasized proper logistics, long-term results, and above all - loyalty. It was his tactics of grand feints, deferred results, and asymmetric engagements that historically tipped the scales in towards the Red camp. Depending on the distribution of influence and force across the map, the general presents you with numerous challenges and opportunities for furthering the interests of the Soviets and putting your own mark on history.
Multiple paths to final victory
It all starts with the arrival of Zhu De, a chain of narrative and decisions that perfect exemplify what we are aiming to achieve in Terminal Conflict: a detailed Cold War simulation with historically plausible outcomes with a large amount of variation. Below you can see how the Zhu De chain of events is designed.
When Zhu De is selected as an active character the game instantly checks for the historical conditions that can trigger decisions related to him. Most of them are connected to the control of certain regions, and most of them trigger a decision that has a larger scale narrative and gameplay consequence. Let's play one example of how this could unfold.
A good Commander acts
Being in a proxy war, with Zhu De sent by Mao as your liaison officer to the Chinese Liberation Army, you will have to makes some thoughtful choices when the conditions are as favorable as you can make them.
Being a warlord, Zhu De can attract quite the company. Speaking in his favor is one thing but it is ultimately you that decides.
After a long series of battles, an opportunity to savor victory may present itself. While it may seem a mere philosophical matter, the effects are quite real.
Your strategic play on the short term and the long term will matter as there may also come a time when the mainland is all but secure - save for an island bastion of the Nationalists. Leaving Taiwan for last maybe a low-risk strategy but potentially with the long term effect of keeping the enemy out of reach. Consolidate your position or perhaps the moment has come to remove the enemy once and for all?
Now, is your opportunity to follow Zhu De's path and see if the life and works of a legend can be improved upon. The triumph of the Chinese Communist and that of the Soviet Union is yours to forge.
Mighty Cheers,
Leif 'Greatexperiment' Miler and Alfred 'Zeress' Frendo-Cumbo
Upcoming Development I) NEW tutorials are in productions and the official MANUAL is soon going into print! Halls are busy in Washington and Moscow!
II) People's interests decision chain is in the works for the USA faction and is in full production.
III) KIM IL-SUNG: A Communist Ideologue and Supreme Leader will rise to power like the living Sun to establish a People's Republic like never seen before and the first Communist dynasty. Or will his life be cut short and his reign curtailed by US regional power?
CHANGELOG
AI
AI has now gotten a new ability and will correctly score all used effects
Fixed an issue where the leaders would not be correctly recruited
AI now properly checks if a particular region can be targeted by Leader abilities
AI leader recruitment now values focus needs
Fixed an issue where the AI wrongly looks at focus prioritizations targets
Fixed an issue where the AI did not use correctly 0 cost Leader abilities
Tweaked Juche ability for AI use
Added a new balancing where we slightly increased the favor for interest and increased leader power score
Various other smaller AI tweaks
GAME
Fixed an issue where the Sea Unit Movement in non-focus theaters is now correctly allowed if you already have a friendly sea unit in your enemy-controlled region
Fixed a memory leak issue caused by texture allocation
Failed maneuver attacks into focus theaters no longer incorrectly charge
People interest
Unable to DISEMBARK into non-focus theaters where the opponent has a presence in the target region
Fixed Tito's Ability Samoupravljanje wrongly having an EndTurn value of 2, instead of 1 and Samoupravljanje now correctly grants 1 influence instead of 2
Fixed an issue where you were awarded twice the amount of decisions in case of one-sided disarmament
FOCUS
NEW RED DRAGON RISING: Enabled the ability to select and play the Chinese Civil War where the USSR can use Peng Dehuai or Zhu De
Selection of 'Hollywood Investigation' now activates 'Red Scare' & 'Joseph McCarthy' policies and now requires selection of both Red Scare & McCarthy for completion
Completion or Failure of 'Hollywood Investigation' now activates 'Olympus Rising'
Politics of Poverty now requires that the Marshall Plan NOT be enacted
POLICIES
NEW MERCHANTS OF LIBERTY (USA Sub-Saharan Africa): Spend 3 MILITARY to place 1 INFLUENCE for each of your opponent's MILITARY interests.
NEW RED DAWN RISING (USSR North America): Set MILITARY to 3 to add 1 USSR ARMY COMMAND to COMMAND RESERVES.
Charles 'Lucky' Luciano renamed to C. 'Lucky' Luciano to better fit condition and effect notification boundaries
'Olympus has Risen' now fires as soon as the flag CIAActive has been set to 1
Fixed an issue where characters would disappear after a selection
DECISIONS
The Promised Land: Fixed second options to better reflect the bonuses and the text AND adjusted its effect order to meet standards
America's Playground: now triggered by Enforce Monroe Doctrine as well as America's Playground Focus
Havana Conference: now triggered by Enforce Monroe Doctrine, America's Playground Focus, LITEMPO, Spy Network, and Havana Crime Conference Focuses
Disabled Charles 'Lucky' Luciano from the start, instead he is activated by Havana Conference
Money Trail: Fixed an issue in the that was causing an error when Option 1 or Option 2 was selected and Option 1 can no longer be selected if the CIA has already been created
'Olympus has Risen' no longer activates 'Joseph McCarthy' Policy
Fixed an issue where you were able to remove the SUPPORT ability twice from David Ben-Gurion
Fixed an issue where some triggers were incorrectly set up in the Chinese Civil War and where one of the change interests was causing an error
Updated the independence decision for Ürümqi
Updated text wording for The Long Telegram
Fixed Idi Amin making a comeback tour with the USA despite being official with the USSR
Major overhaul of the Weapons Program's decision effects and Research Breakthrough renamed to Future Generation Progress as well as Scientific Advancement & Triumph of Soviet Industry now require at least 10% progress to trigger
Updated Weapons Program with randomized values setup and so that they become a lot more dynamic and balanced its bonuses further
Weapons Program advancement decision framework added
Random chance of progress assigned to all options in production-related decisions, and Opt. 1 in experimental X for WeaponsProgram
Updated Weapons Program definition of Enemy Blueprints
Weapons Program sabotage cost set to -1 Elites, sabotage amount to 5%
Egg Fried Rice: Updated triggers to better match the correct conditions for Mao's son decision
EDITOR
Standardized the use of editor terms for ease of usage, like De/Select, etc
Matched terminology as it is used outside the editor, like war -> war zone
Clarified the special field to be more succinct
OTHER
Fixed an issue where theaters rendering in focus management could potentially cause game instability or crash
Various memory optimization for the game
Fixed some typos and minor issues with the text
Pruned old flags and imagery
"Weapons Programs" Development Diary 47
The French are glad to die for love,
They delight in fighting duels.
But I prefer a general who lives
to field these armored jewels.
Fighters or bombers are quite continental,
But tanks are a military man's best friend!
A deeper modernization is beginning as the Ministry of Defense initiates the design of a new tank as we implement a new set of decisions. A warm welcome to this week's development diary about the brand new decision chain for the tank weapons program with the equivalent on the US side!
Research and Development
Unlike unconventional research and development (the Space Race and Nuclear Technology) that is at your direct control in the State Affairs menu, conventional weapons development is under the control of the Defense establishments. They will recommend when needed, an overhaul of the tank models, represented by focuses in your terminal. The objective with all weapons program focuses is simple, with the stated goal to have the program reach 100% completion for the tank model to successfully enter service at the end of the timeline, granting you Victory Points.
The Military will love for nothing else then you picking these, providing one military interest to you each turn for your domestic politics and potentially fuelling research in unconventional tech.
Research Breakthroughs
Naturally, along the development cycle of anything new, there is always the chance that you discover something magnificent, like an experimental powertrain, turret and many more.
These can, of course, be used to upgrade your current design but will cause 10% of your progress being devoted to retrofitting them, potentially risking delays and the completion of the program before the focus ends. That said, if you know that this model is not going to be completed, you might as well just invest it all into the next coming model, instead of upgrading the one you already know is a failure.
Trouble down the barrel
These kinds of projects, with a lot of eyes and ears, and potentially loose lips, will have your opponent trying to benefit from or sabotage your development. Preventing you from reaching 100% completion on your weapons program will render your progress on anything but research breakthroughs valiant but ultimately wasted.
As the enemy's agents are at work, your opponent is given three crucial choices for all their discoveries:
Continue monitoring the developments - low risk, slowly increasing their knowledge of the program
Attempt to urgently acquire the blueprint - a 10% chance to gain the blueprints but yields no other knowledge otherwise
Attempt to sabotage your development - yields nothing in terms of advances towards a blueprint, but knocks off 10% of your progress
Should your enemy succeed in getting hold of your blueprint, they will get up to 25% ahead of the competition at the end of the focus as they get to keep a quarter of all their Research Breakthrough progress for THEIR next focus model.
Keep safe and make sure to TANK your scientists for their great work!
Mighty Cheers,
Leif 'Greatexperiment' Miler, Alfred 'Zeress' Frendo-Cumbo and Gellert 'GFK' Keresztes,
Upcoming Development I) ZHU DE: Marshal Zhu De, the founder of Communist China's mighty People's Liberation Army is making his entrance into the terminal. The red carpet has been prepared and his story-line has advanced into beta testing, undergoing final balancing.
II) People's interests decision chain is in the works for the USA faction and is in full production.
III) KIM IL-SUNG: A Communist Ideologue and Supreme Leader will rise to power like the living Sun to establish a People's Republic like never seen before and the first Communist dynasty. Or will his life be cut short and his reign curtailed by US regional power?
CHANGELOG
AI NEW major update to the way the AI handles Leaders
AI now uses calculates and uses Leader abilities
GAME
Garrisoning of forces after disarmament is now once more working properly
Full review and rebalancing of The China Card scenario
Fixed an issue where selecting Peng as a Policy for China would cause an error
Fixed an issue where the first Maneuver with an Army Command of a two-step move would incorrectly not cost any PEOPLE
Fixed an issue that would cause Press + Hold for 2 seconds to sometimes not function properly
Fixed an issue where selecting the last focus in FOCUS MGMT would cause an exception
FOCUS
NEW! Focuses can now yield specific effects outside just VP
Expriging focuses will now be shown properly even for your own focuses, not just the enemies
Fixed Focus checks being part of an ALL trigger, and thus unable to allow for two triggers to pass at the same time
POLICIES
USA NEW! (Available if Mao's power grows to 15 or more) INEVITABLE SCHISM: ---CHINA, EAST ASIA. Set all USSR CONTROLLED regions to 2 USSR INFLUENCE.
Removed the military cost for recruiting the Chinese liaison officers (Peng, Zhu, Lin)
DECISIONS
Fully rebalanced the bonuses for the Chinese Civil War
The China Card will now need to be completed in 9 turns, up from 5
Setup completed in anticipation of the implementation of Zhu De
Updated the Strident horse Decision chain regarding Mongolia
Chinese Civil War decisions will now take into consideration the posture you've selected before firing giving you much more variation in outcomes (Arm/Disarm)
Divided up the Chinese mainland battle into 4 zones (North,West, East, Taiwan)
Added Decision for Rallying forces by Peng in the North
Added Decision for Communist Tactical Victory added for Peng in Lanzhou and Ürümqi in western Muslim regions of China
Red Dragon Rising narrative and narrative for the Chinese Civil War can now be triggered by focusing on The Death of John Birch, Taiwan Strait Crisis, Red Dragon Dance or The Great Leap Forward
The Arrival of Generals will correctly take focuses into consideration
Standardized the description text for Korean Character Cho Man-sik
EDITOR
Fixed an issue where copying a decision in certain circumstances would cause an exception to be given by the game
Updated the FocusTargetTheater creation to set the standard focus as North America (being the first theater)
Decision with Display set to NONE will no longer show in-game Message log allowing for hidden decisions to work in the background
OTHER
Updated the imagery for all China Card decisions
"AI Improvements" Development Diary 46
AI Improvements
The nuclear deterrent is a key element of the Cold War. Fair to say, when playing multiplayer, we've noticed that humans tend to be more careful with nuclear tensions. As such we've been working hard on improving the AI response in this field and from now on, if you start pushing the AI into a corner a new system is getting into play - The AI-driven Apocalypse. The great equalizer of mutually assured destruction.
AI aggressivity
To start with, the AI isn't overly aggressive on launching nukes - no one would be, yet it's a lot more aware especially when cornered. The first step is that it will start to figure out and compare the size of the arsenals between itself and you, the so-called "missile gap". It also compares possible launch vehicles available for both you and for itself, along with regions most likely to be targetted. So think twice about what units you field, or not field.
Another thing the AI now keeps in mind is how the population will react (Interests Backlash) at the onset of launching a first-strike. After all, a good leader plans carefully for victory. Ultimately imagine how the world would look once nuclear winter sets in, as the AI sure will. Once the dust settles, a victory; even if it is a pyrrhic one is worth preparing for if provoked.
AI Apocalypse Triggers
In each focus, where the Doomsday Clock is increasing and tension is in the air, MIRVIN will now consider carefully about pushing the big enticing red button. - "Alea iacta est" - the die has been cast. Also remember, if you push the AI too far and its future becomes increasingly bleak, it will and can, just as it's real life counterpart, prefer mutually assured destruction to a guaranteed total loss.
Updated Focus Reports
To remind you and give you a better overview of current standings, our engineers have equipped your terminal with an updated report at the end of each focus. Displaying all relevant progress towards victory make good use of it!
Where does that leave humanity? Is there a more peaceful future? It's up to you to find out as we hope you enjoy this MIRVIN update.
Upcoming Development
I) WEAPONS PROGRAM: Looking to makes tanks? Have you always wanted a sweet T-72 or what about an M60 Patton? The tank weapons program has advanced into beta testing, undergoing final balancing.
II) ZHU DE: Marshal Zhu De, the founder of Communist China's mighty People's Liberation Army is making his entrance into the terminal. The red carpet has been prepared and his story-line is in full production.
III) People's interests decision chain is in the works for the USA faction.
CHANGELOG
AI
NEW Major update to calculations for Nuclear Apocalypse in terms of scope and calculation
AI now considers possible launching vehicles - nuclear triad
AI more susceptible to tension and pressure for launching a nuclear war
AI more likely now to conduct first-strike
GAME
Updated the formatting of Save Games to better reflect it's content
Added a warning system when you are about to deplete a domestic interest to more easily avoid Mismanagement
Fixed an issue where Press and Hold 2 secs was not working as intended
Fixed an issue where unit deployment (DEP) marker would not clear in certain situations
Fixed an issue where Press and Hold 2 secs on the theater map in FOCUS MGMT would incorrectly not produce it's assigned notification
Adjusted a People interest cost that would incorrectly be ignored when maneuvering an Army Command outside of your focus theater
Adjusting wrongful sorting of units for procurement in State Affairs
Fixed an issue where the Options between Warning and the logistics where not correctly separated
Updated the Transit unit ability for Army Commands to correctly state that the ability is Passive
FOCUS
During Focus selection and Arm/Disarm Posture selection the reions that are part of the selected focus' conditions now blink for easy identification
Updated the Kalashnikov Comrades focus where it no longer requires Soviet presence in Yugoslavia
Added Calderon's character power to Calderon's Return Focus
Fixed an issue where selecting FOCUS MGMT when the last focus ends would cause an error
POLICIES
Added the current value to the notification for easy overview of your characters
Ferrer and Guardia Charac imagery has been added
Condensed some character names with initials
Updated Batista's, LeMay's and Molotov's characters
Chiang Kai-shek is now a character
Cho Man-sik , is now a character
All character image names have been updated and standardized
Changed Olympus has Risen from 131400 to 131401
Harry Anslinger changed from 29041 to 130100
Charles 'Lucky' Luciano changed from 29143 to 130200
Sherman Fowler changed from 29040 to 130300
Bill Summers changed from 29039 to 130400
Larry Franks changed from 29038 to 130500
Sergey Zakharin changed from 29488 to 230350
Nikolai Avilov changed from 29487 tp 230450
Veronika Avilova changed from 29472 to 230550
Liliya changed from 29473 to 230650
Vadim changed from 29474 to 230750
Alan Gareau changed from 29032 to 130600
Helen "Holly Rochs” Rochester changed from 29026 to 130700
General Lester Dunford changed from 29027 to 130800
James "Whizzy" changed from 29028 to 130900
Kolya Ilyich Kuznetsov changed from 29475 to 230850
Dima Orlov changed from 29486 to 230950
Joseph Toll changed from 29476 to 231050
Rodion Malinovsky changed from 29484 to 231250
Robert McNamara changed from 29037 to 131000
Yitzhak Rabin changed from 29544 to 131200
Yasser Arafat changed from 29594 to 231350
Ariel Sharon changed from 29543 to 131300
Allen Dulles changed from 29035 to 131400
John Foster Dulles changed from 29031 to 131700
Patrice Lumumba changed from 29694 to 231550
Arseny Zverev changed from 29483 to 231650
Vasily Garbuzov changed from 29482 to 231750
Alexei Kosygin changed from 29481 to 231850
George C. Marshall changed from 29034 to 131500
Joseph McCarthy changed from 29033 to 131600
Zhou Enlai changed from 29893 to 231950
Ivan Alexandrovich Serov changed from 29480 to 232050
George F. Kennan changed from 29030 to 131800
Panteleimon K. Ponomarenko changed from 29479 to 232150
Yekaterina A. Furtseva changed from 29478 to 232250
Pyotr N. Demichev changed from 29477 to 232350
Rafael A. Calderón Guardia changed from 29194 to 232450
José Figueres Ferrer changed from 29142 to 131900
Anastasio Somoza Garcia changed from 29141 to 132000
Clark Clifford changed from 29029 to 132100
George Schultz changed from 29025 to 132300
Henry Kissinger changed from 29024 to 132400
DECISIONS
Corrected an issue where the weapons program would not fire correctly
Renamed Zhu De decision chain content
Peng Dehuai, Lin Biao and Zhu De assigned their new policy IDs
Idi Amin decision chain has been updated
EDITOR
Decisions with Display set to NONE will no longer be shown in the notification message log (but can still be found in the game log file)
OTHER
Fixed an issue that was causing the faction text to be colored incorrectly
"Between Characters and Ideas" Development Diary 45
Ideologies, leaders and momentous decisions in a battle where Communism and Capitalism can transform the world, the Cold War is a politically incredibly rich and interesting period. It is a strategic chessboard that continuously evolves from one theater to another but with the added benefit that both players can, at any moment, wipe the board clean with a devastating nuclear apocalypse. This is both the challenge of the historical era and the beauty of playing a good historically plausible game.
In order to capture this unique blend of geopolitical brinkmanship, Terminal Conflict offers two mechanics under one name, Policies. One is for handling close advisors that bring with them a set of decisions, the so called Characs (short for off-map characters) and the other is for handling Ideas that improve certain aspects of your faction.
Policies in theaters
Selecting your focus is important as it plays out in a specific part of the world, a theater. Each theater in turn houses a maximum of three selected policies that have a role to play and you can easily see, strategize and substitute them as you see fit during your turn.
To find them, make your way to the FOCUS MGMT or THEATER COM and look in the bottom left corner, next to the interests gauges. Like here with Molotov, Orlov and Serov:
Characters
Notice that Characs, just like their on-map counterparts, Leaders, have a POWER value but are distinctly different. While leaders are always leading a foreign nation, are recruited into a designated region and possess powerful abilities that can be activated (such as Chinese Chairman Mao Zedong); Characters on the other hand are usually 'behind the curtains' domestic personalities or lower ranked officials. Without active abilities they only need to be selected to passively provide their assistance and be used (and depleted) to alter narratives and the course of chains of events (such as Chinese General Peng). Selecting him will trigger his Chinese Civil War chain of decisions and events, a chain playable in the China Card single player scenario.
Despite being lower in the hierarchy, remember that a nation is never better than its worst civil servant, so pick yours carefully. It also means Characs will react to your choices and will not like being replaced with other Characs or Ideas costing 3 of their power.
Ideas
Ideas are part of the same Policy system but they work in a different way. Often, they are very powerful affairs, but once used, they are usually depleted as they provide a precise benefit that most of the time involves a cost and require players to weight different elements in play. As such, substituting an idea with another, or with a Charac, will permanently cause it to be lost.
Here is an example, again in the Eastern China theater:
The Rapprochement idea allows the American player to place a maximum of a whopping 6 influence, equal to the USSR/USA VP ratio. It is clear that this policy, mimicking Nixon move in 1972, has to be timed correctly for maximum effect, possibly considering how the rest of the confrontation is going on in the entire world.
Design note
For designing the Ideas we want to capture important moments, ideologies and turning-points that had a deep impact on the history of the 20th century. With Characs and their personalities, here too we aim for a historical plausibility and meaningful impact. Having them at your disposal as another tool in your strategic toolbox imbues the whole gameplay with a strong historical flavor and allows you to experience what it means to lead a superpower of the era.
I) WEAPONS PROGRAM: Looking to makes tanks? Have you always wanted a sweet T-72 or what about an M60 Patton? The tank weapons program is on it's way to be finalized and balanced.
II) ZHU DE: Marshal Zhu De, the founder of Communist China's mighty People's Liberation Army is making his entrance into the terminal. The red carpet has been prepared and his story-line is in full production.
CHANGELOG
AI
AI Invasion tweaks making the AI more competitive
Fixed an issue where the AI would repeatedly withdraw units causing a crash in single player
Fixed an issue where the AI would wrongfully try to do False Flag operations in Sea only regions
GAME
New Charac system added, making them appear similar as policies in theaters. This replaces the old flag system that Characs used to used.
When an enemy unit is detected in Theater Com a notification is given as well as a warning sound
Fixed an issue causing withdraw to not remove units properly in certain situations
Updated various notifications for Active and Selected policies
Updated Unit movement notification for units blocked by Leaders and of Leader occupied notification
FOCUS
Added Strategic Air Command for USA
Added The International Bank for USA
Updated Western Reconstruction to require People instead of Finance
Updated the objectives of Sarawak Insurgency to requiring US regional control
Fixed an issue where the Treaty of Sand Francisco incorrectly required a US Land/Air unit in two Japanese regions
All focus conditions have been standardized
Updated two Focus definitions
POLICIES
New policy system added. Now you can only have up to 3 policies (Characs and/or Ideas) per theater selected. They can be swapped out for available ones at a cost; in the case of Characs they lose 3 power while cycled out ideas becomes lost.
Idi Amin is now a US Charac that can evolve into a USSR Leader
Added effects for Curtis LeMay
Implement 20+ new Character images
Fixed an issue where using POLITICAL REALIGNMENT would cause an error message and fixed a conditions that should be OR instead of AND
Updated the Red Scare Policy to include McCarthy as selected Character
Kennan has now been converted into a Charac for Scenario 7
Added imagery for Yitzhak Rabin's Character
Fixed an issue where the Red Dragon Rising and Red Dragon Dance policies in China would incorrectly only be available for singular use
DECISIONS
Added KKE Operations decision to Greek Civil War
Updated decision chain for Tito regarding the Greek Civil War in particular Balkanic Ambitions
Added the possibility to spark Religious wars in Sub-Saharan African theater
Updated various decisions in Scenario 8: The China Card
Appointing Peng now also disable on Mao's death
Updated the Cuban Revolution decision chains
EDITOR
Fixed an issue that prevented Charac ID selection in the editor for Policy selected
OTHER
Fixed various typos
Fixed an issue where Southern UK had Unit icons and Influence incorrectly overlapping
Pruned various duplicated art
Fixed an issue where Selected Characs were darkened, instead of lit
"The Return of the King" Development Diary 44
As tension rose between the King's government and the Greek communist guerillas, civil war became inevitable. The echoes of gunfire reverberating in the hills and the olive groves, this could all have been so different.
The beginning
Signing the Percentage Agreement with the Soviets, guaranteeing the United Kingdom a "90 % influence in Greece", the British army tried to disarm the Greek communist resistance movements. Lacking the funds to take care of the situation themselves, the UK government told the United States that they would withdraw financial help within six weeks. From that moment, the Americans became responsible for the situation in Greece.
It's at this point, the US starts to deal with the situation in various ways, including using the Mediterranean fleet to provide support to the Hellenic Army. Meanwhile, the reactions of Yugoslav Marshall Tito and of Moscow can dramatically change the situation.
A Soviet conundrum
The Yugoslav leader is eager to help the Greek Communist Party (KKE), dreaming of his own ambitions for the Balkans and turns to the USSR for support.
The Soviet Union must now chose between respecting the Percentage Agreement with the UK by keeping Tito occupied, sending the matter to the Cominform where it can be properly "debated"…or in better terms, delayed. The rise of Tito must not threaten the monopoly of the Soviet Party, represented in by the ELITES. They will be wary of Tito and support those opposing him.
Alternatively you can directly deploy Red Army troops in Greece in order to retake control of the situation, even if it can put your forces in Western Europe in an exposed forward position.
A two edged Sword
Letting Tito act, the situation can develop outside of Moscow's control, as in his quest for self reliance, Tito may agree to a Western peace plan and abandon the KKE. Then again, the Americans might choose to invade Yugoslavia in order to get rid of Tito altogether or perhaps, the good old fellow might slip in the shower assisted by some CIA concocted soap.
Achieving the latter option will all require strategic use of your on map troops or a lucky strike by using intelligence. As this process is a difficult one, accomplishing this objective within the focus turn limit will grant more victory points. Greece must not be forgotten however, otherwise that extra advantage would be entirely negated. Should Tito have been eliminated, however unlikely, Yugoslavia will still try to get involved but naturally from a Soviet point be much easier to control.
The end game
Once the Communists have secured Greece, the American will have to consider a tactical retreat. However they will also be offered the opportunity to make a come back and reconquer the country.
With the failure of the American counterattack, the Greek communists Yugoslav and Soviet forces can parade side by side in the streets of Athens.
This decision concludes the Communist side of the war. Should the Americans have deployed boots on the ground for the conflict, they will crush the forces of the KKE as the guerillas stand no chance without outside communist support.
Similarly, opposing the communists, the monarchist militias and Greek government will reconquer the country as long as the Americans are providing much needed support. At the end of the day the conflict will have to end and the region can finally be rebuilt. Fortunately for the Greek peasants, Missouri has a surplus of mules that can replace lost beasts of burden and kick-start the Greek economy.
For a full overview please see the following chart:
POLICY SYSTEM: The update will bring more details into the improved policies. Besides the main character of on-map Leaders in the game, historical characters (off-map) are going to be making a grand entrance. McCarthy, Molotov, Batista are among some of the many awaiting to sway your favor.
CHANGELOG
AI
Better management of disarmament INFLUENCE placement, turn estimate should be fixed for root ANY conditions
Fixed an issue where the AI would not properly take some INFLUENCE issues into consideration
Various AI selection improvements
GAME
Corrected various victory conditions not rendering #EnemyFaction in their own color
Added logic for policy replacement
Added enemy detected sound effect
Molotov related triggers updated in yEd
A CHINA CARD: Scenario 8 updated with new text
BALANCE OF POWER: Scenario 10 updated with new material
FOCUS
Updated Focus Treaty of Osimo triggers now require only Presence instead of Control
Updated the Free Territory of Trieste
Corrected Sarawak Insurgency Focus to the right Theater
POLICIES
Previously implemented policies have been updated
Preparatory implementation of various Policy Characs
DECISIONS
'THE HAWKS NEST' - Added Government interests chain for USA
Setup set for Chiang Kai-shek
Chinese Civil War reorganized for Main Game
Updated and standardized narrative decisions for Chinese Civil War
Updated Zhu De decisions
Updated decision chain for the Free Territory of Trieste
Improved dynamics of the Greek Civil War
Improved and shortened the narrative text for several decisions for the Greek Civil War
Tito Decisions bonuses reordered for better overview
Standardized effects not to grant more than 1 Turn / option as to not tilt the balance in favor of one faction to heavily
EDITOR
ImmediateEffects for Characs fire when a Charac becomes Selected
Decision json now loaded in a single dictionary instead of being split up in decision/narrative/policy list
Editor correctly references decision entries instead of creating new ones when f.e. accessiong decision IDs of already existing but edited decisions
OTHER
Adjusted texts where turns are used for easy comprehension
Fixed various typos
"A Brand New Focus" - Development Diary 43
Barely have the guns fallen silent over Europe when a new conflict looms in the horizon. A very different one, one of proxy wars and infamous spheres of influences. A product of a way of thinking where might makes right and where the large powers decide the fate of the smaller ones.
Focus on the Fight
Introducing Focuses in the game, we wanted to make this core mechanic communicate more clearly what is to come in terms of possible decisions, policies, leaders and more. Leading a superpower, each faction selects a focus and completing its objectives within a set of turns will earn you prestige in the form of Victory Points. Preventing the enemy from completing their focus can also be equally be rewarding.
Let's look, for example, at the Greek Civil War, one of the randomized starting points you can seek to embark on during the first timeline (1946-1950).
The inner workings
It all begins with the focus choice, the leftmost arrow-like shape, both for the USSR (in red) and for the USA (in blue). For "the Return of the King", the colored circle inside the focus's arrow-like shape indicates the interest that is involved the most (green for government).
In turn, they connect a web of black arrows linking events and possible outcomes depending on the choices you make. For this Focus, with Greece in the balance, the US objective is either to gain 3 influence and peace in Greece OR to get the USSR influence lower than 1 while stationing an American Army Command in the country. The USSR is fighting in the short term to prevent that, though thwarting this possibly short term US effort might not be part of their strategy. Sometimes it can be more rewarding to play the long game and use a short term opportunity to align conditions for something better down the line like the focus ‘Balkanic Ambitions’, should it be available in that timeline.
Hexagonal shapes represent narrative events that set the scene and provide both historical context and hints on the course of actions to take.
Rectangular shapes, on the other hand, are those decisions where you get to select between alternative courses of action.
Disarmaments and Arms Races
Decisions alone are only a part of the picture. You will have to act on the field of battle, as to declare peace you need a mutual disarmament. Yet, arms races can be a quick option for making use of Army Commands, Fortify ability to increase your influence by one for the relatively cheap cost of 1 turn. Therefore, going for an Arms Race, declaring warzones, destroying enemy units and with Tito in the picture, the USSR gets another ace up its sleeve.
A seasoned general will tell you, focusing too much on a single zone means winning the conflict and losing the struggle. Remember that objectives are multiples as the different theaters still net you points for control at the end of each timeline. The Cold War is an exciting and interconnected affair and focuses are one of several excellent tools on your way to world domination; also remember there is always the option to make a feint and then move pieces for a mate on this nuclear chessboard
This has been our biggest accomplishment yet in the history of developing Terminal Conflict. We hope to see you as we settle in for a wild Cold War ride that would make Dr Strangelove giggle of excitement.
With all the main features being in we would love to get feedback on the balancing as well as on the content and the main focus for our team next is the 'Greek Civil War'. Keep an eye on the news and expect a full development diary from William Bois 'Thinking Waffle' d'Enghien soon!
CHANGELOG
AI
AI is now slightly less Assassination happy
Made the AI slightly more likely to conduct naval invasions
GAME
Victory/Defeat messages updated to a new format for easier reading
Fixed an issue that gave players of certain Windows-OS locales huge changes to influence by effects
Fixed an issue that caused 'End of Timeline' effects to perpetually stall the game in the timeline it was first fired in
Fixed an issue that caused 'End of Timeline' effects to incorrectly apply to both factions
Fixed the incorrect shortcut icon being used
Fixed an issue where nukes would draw out of Africa when being launched out of the Arctic
Fixed an issue where Algeria and Morocco had support from the incorrect faction
Increasing POL to a level where friendly POL makes a region CONTROLLED will automatically trigger a warzone if a hostile Land/Air unit is present
Fixed Interest values being only partially lit (needs verification)
Fixed Doomsday tracker incorrectly displaying as 0 despite being maxed when navigating from FOCUS MGMT to the world overview
Any focus that requires you have at least X of any interest now also require that you have Y or less of the counter-interest
Fixed the notification for dual disarmament mentioning the doubling of turns
Fixed an issue that caused the disarmament circles to draw in the new FOCUS MGMT screen
Fixed the max turn counter not updating immediately if increased
Fixed a rare issue where an exception would occur for specific flag notifications
Fixed NOT being incorrectly appended to triggers & effects that have a custom description
Save Games are now saved in LocalLow\StrategyMill\Terminal Conflict (or your OS equivalent)
Fixed an issue that caused surrendering to not always grant a loss or win to the respective players
Fixed an issue that causes the sound effect of all travelling nukes to play on top of each other if you skip the apocalypse
Fixed an issue that was causing Out of Focus movement to cost 2 PEOPLE if a double move was done
Added Click & Hold notification for focuses, stating the turn and interest gain for it
EDITOR
Fixed an issue where several triggers did not consider THIS
Adding a SetFlag trigger in the editor now presents of list of existing flags, instead of a field for typing
Fixed Interest notification condition displaying #INTERESTNAME with incorrect target faction color
Fixed Terminal Conflict configuration incorrectly called Arpanet2 Configuration. Please note that this will reset your resolution and window settings
Fix to buttons not showing up properly in the editor
FOCUS
Added new focus system, along with editor
Focuses with 3 turns will now disappear from selection after that selection round. These focuses are indicated by their titles flashing and cycling with EXPIRING
Focuses will decay at 3 per round of focus selection
The above 2 points can be edited in GameVariables for modding
Manually skipping a focus selection will reduce the amount of turns left on all of your faction's focuses by 3
Added base focuses for all theaters
Fixed Full Employment giving ELITE instead of the correct PEOPLE interest
Fixed Ba'ath Party theater being WEEU instead of the correct MIEA
Fixed Cultivate Relations mentioning CENTRAL AMERICA incorrectly
Fixed several issues with focus conditions
Updated PAIGC Rebellion Focus Image
Several focuses and their related decision chains have had their triggers adjusted
Fixed the incorrect interest being assigned to Building up the Party
Fixed FocusMGMT not remembering your Focus/Theater choice
Fixed an issue that caused 'Expiring' to flash too quickly for focuses
US Grain sales now has its conditions split into USA and USSR, instead of using target ALL to avoid confusion
Fixed Détente 501 missing a theater in its condition
Fixed various typos
DECISIONS
USSR PEOPLE interest crisis chain added
USSR ELITES crisis chain added
Plan of Partition chain now only triggers during a MIEA focus, instead of both MIEA and WEEU
(WIP) Added USSR GOVERNMENT crisis to MainGame
Made it so priority decisions now always display before other decisions on the same turn
Fixed an issue where priority decisions would not fire on turn 1 if a unilateral disarmament occurred
Fixed a typo in the Long Telegram (805) description
Fixed Free Territory of Trieste chain firing after it has been dissolved
Fixed an option in Political Favors 13354 that was extending past the decision box
Added Return of the King decision chain
Added Balkanic Ambitions decision chain
Made several decisions now require a specific focus is chosen to start
Fixed News portion of decisions being in the incorrect color in certain cases
Fate of Germany chain now only triggers if the Focus 'Soviet Reparations 456' or 'Building up the Party 451' is chosen
Many other decision chains that would fire immediately at the start of the game have now been attached to their relevant focus, similar to the one above
Fixed an issue in the Fate of Germany decision chain where multiple, different versions of duels of fate could fire at the same time
Fate of Germany 5358 now can also trigger from Treaty of Zgorzelec 454 and An Iron Curtain 458
Greek Civil War Implemented
Tito now properly set up and activated by Brotherhood of Unity
Softcoding code has been optimized
SINGLE PLAYER
Added missing decision flags in various scenarios
Fixed most issues with Wargames not working as intended after the new Focus System implementation
Added the Focus Image for Scen. 8
MULTIPLAYER
Fixed an issue that could cause the UI to display as the incorrect faction during matchmaking
Fixed the challenge mode connection counter incorrectly freezing when it runs out
Fixed an issue that caused the timeout notification to incorrectly appear as soon as you attempt to connect in MP
Fixed an issue that caused the winner of match to not get a victory screen when the defeated player quit out of the game during focus selection
LINUX
(Linux) Fixed an issue that caused sound to not play correctly
(Linux) Fixed an issue that caused the configuration to not display properly
(Linux) Fixed the incorrect architecture being used for builds
OTHER
Fixed a typo in MIRVIN's introduction
Fixed Interest values being only partially lit
Changed the shortcut to open the console from \ to ^
Various other smaller bug fixes
"Curtain Call" - Development Diary 42
During a speech when all were expected to stand, a small group of PEOPLE failed to do so. Security forces immediately dealt with the threat and once more it turned out to be a number of desperate citizens. The organizers apparently fled the scene and are at large but authorities reassure the populace that the proper order will be restored and justice will prevail.
*********************************************************
SUBJECT: The Joker
From: The Committee for State Security (KGB)
We previously noted these malcontents as a source of trouble. It seems we were too cautious after all. Once more, it might be worth bothering with them. General Secretary, we're ready to deal with the matter as you see fit.
Having a little fun here, but the point of the matter is that from this week forward you need to be as careful with your PEOPLE interests as the USSR. They will no longer be as forgiving regarding your tussle for domestic political dominance.
Speaking of interests, we've introduced a lot of fixes to help improve the game as well as a new standard for Decisions that make them easier to overview and understand.
Discover the flavor and the story-lines with a format and a setup that is easier to read, follow and act upon.
Domestic Policy chains have also been updated to new standards to match. We hope you will enjoy the hard work by Leif "Greatexperiment" Miller, Jonathan "Indyclone77" Bagley, William "Thinking_waffle" Bois d'Enghien and Alfred "Zeress" Frendo-Cumbo Jr. and the softcoding department.
Upcoming Development
As for a sneak peek towards what is in production next, you simply need to look back a development diary for a solid clue. Focus Management, I'm looking at you!
This is Early Access at it's finest and it is confirmed for those wondering, a New Minister of Culture being added in on the Soviet Side - Panteleimon Kondratyevich Ponomarenko, so keep an eye out for him and others in upcoming Development Diaries.
I hope you enjoy your Terminal Thursday today!
Signed,
THE DONALD
CHANGELOG
(March 27th, 2019 - April 11th, 2019):
AI
Fixed AI being able to move reorganizing units
GAME
Saving a game no longer triggers a win/loss screen
Fixed winner not getting the game over screen
Fixed the length of the DLC enabling decisions to fit better
Uruguay's political affiliation is no longer a secret to the world and can be seen as normal in Theater Com
Fixed 'Consumer of Last Resort' not appearing for player's without DLC
Save games and profiles are now saved in the correct folder. This will cause both of these to reset (we apologize for any possible loss of previous save games).
Fixed an issue where retreating units were being able to attack
EDITOR
Fixed various issues in the editor to streamline the UI
Decision
Domestic Policy chains are much easier to follow with the ease of identification and on which domestic interests behalf
New standard to make it easier to overview and understand decisions implemented
Multiplayer
No longer able to accidentally start a scenario in a CM queue
Policy
Fixed 'Northern Neighbors' having the wrong icon
Fixed Icon for 'Purging the Apparatchiks
Various policy adjustments
Scenarios
Various updates and bug fixes for SCN 7, SCN 8 and SCN 10
Fixed an issue where the interface was blocked in SCN 8
Other
Fixed a bug that was causing errors when sending troops across theaters from Central European - Eastern Zone to Central European - Western Zone
Fixed an issue caused when Nehru is recruited
Fixed an issue where John F. Kennedy's ponies were on separate line in the archives.
