H&D Deluxe; the ultimate mod; Mission overhauls

[p.jakub88]

Below i posted a picture that shows the new layout for all H&D Deluxe campaigns.

Please Myron give me some feedback!

[p.jakub88]

I edited the 4th mission from the H&D Deluxe Yugoslavian campaign. I replaced the old "captured" weapons models with new ones plus i added TT-33 pistols. See pictures below.

As the communist partisans in Yugoslavia received little to no help at the beginning of their fight from Allies, their mostly used captured German and Italian weapons (like Carcano rifles). So, i placed 2 Mauser K98 and 2 Lee-Enfield No.4 Mk I rifles, because they were produced in millions of copies before and during WW2 - meaning that they were relatively easy to obtain by the partisans.

As for the TT-33 pistols - they were easy to produce and were made in big quantities plus you requested me to add the Tokarev TT-33 pistol into H&D Deluxe missions.

As there were British armies in the Balkan and Mediterranean region too (i.e. in Greece), i though that either German troops or partisans obtained some Lee-Enfield No.4 Mk I rifles from them. Of course Germans "obtained" them by capturing from dead or surrendered British troops, as well as some weapons were probably left behind by the retreating British from Greece (like on the beaches of Dunkirk in France in 1940). As the Yugoslavia was prior to WW2 a kingdom, the communist partisans used weapons captured also from Yugoslavian Royal Army (called later royalists).

However, the British and USSR started to help the communist Yugoslavian partisans "in bigger scale" later in WW2, because of their own problems.

Please let me know if you like the recent changes that i made in the Danube 4 mission - so i will upload the modified mission on the forum.
If you have other reasonable proposals for changes inform me accordingly.
Thank you in advance for feedback!

[p.jakub88]

I edited again the Danube 1 mission. I added new static collisions to some rocks. Hopefully, now it would be impossible for the bullets to get through them. See picture below. The picture was taken from HDD Editor. The static collisions are marked in yellow color in the HDD Editor. If you like Myron, you could download the newest Danube 1 mission version that i uploaded below. As for the other possible changes (or bugs found) in the Danube 1 mission please inform me accordingly.

[Myron]

Thank you for the update.

Sad that the map is so huge, and yet, less than half of it is bound to be used.

[p.jakub88]

Thank you for the update.

Sad that the map is so huge, and yet, less than half of it is bound to be used.

Well, i agree with you Myron.

Meantime, i added few other static collisions to the rest of the rocks that are present in the Danube 1 mission, in case that there were also problems related to them (bullets getting through solid rock).

Below i posted 3 pictures - one is showing a 2-man German patrol that could be ambushed by partisans at the beginning of the mission (an attack from the "forest" seen on the background), another is showing the buildings that could be a place to store hidden partisan weapons, the last one is showing the rock that could serve a partisan as a cover to watch the road below and ambush the lone German soldier that is patrolling along it. Those are my ideas for changes in the Danube 1 mission in a near future. If you Myron have other ideas for changes please let me know.

[p.jakub88]

I recently made some changes in the Danube 1 mission:

- i added four crates with weapons into the "partisans hideout": one crate with MP-40 and 3 crates with a single Mauser K98 non-scoped rifle each;

- i added a single partisan scout armed with a Mauser K98 non-scoped rifle - he will have a chance to kill a lone German soldier that is patrolling the road below;

- i added 3 partisans at the end of the main road: one is armed with Tokarev TT-33 pistol, the next one with Mauser K98 non-scoped rifle and the last one with Lee-Enfield No.4 MK I rifle. All three partisans will have a chance to eliminate 4 German soldiers (2 patrols for 2 men each) that will arrive by the main road soon after the mission starts;

See pictures below taken from the HDD Editor. The "weapons crates" seen on one of the pictures are using a new model that i downloaded from www.cadnav.com along with the related texture. Please let me know Myron if you are interested, so i will upload the newest Danube 1 mission with all the recent changes and needed files.

[Myron]

Here is my idea; where the red oval is, two or three trucks, Opel Blitzes and/or Mercedes, are parked, as the German search party has disembarked. Not only are they hunting us, they know that this is partisan territory, and so they will be good number.

At least two Germans should stay and guard the trucks.
The red arrows show where I think the search-and-capture teams should go; generally in the direction of parachute #3.

A small band of partisans should also be heading towards parachute #3, as they were bound to have seen him.

[Myron]

There should be civilians in the area, woodcutters. So my suggestion is this;

They would be unarmed, of course, and when they hear gunshots, they would run for cover and lay down, covering their heads.

So, where the blue circle is, there would be a civilian or two, laying down, staying still, and their status would mean the German AI won't shoot them.

The red circle is an empty tower; it could probably house another lookout; either German or Partisan.

The red arrow could be more Germans searching the area.

[Myron]

The red line could be a German vehicle; a Kubelwagen or Mercedes maybe. Maybe it has an officer.

The blue circle could be Partisan ambushers.

[Myron]

And that is my suggestion for Yugoslavia 1.

I do have to wonder though; from where would the Lancaster Bombers coming from?
It can't be England, it's too far away. And wouldn't Egypt and Libya be in Rommel's hands?

[p.jakub88]

And that is my suggestion for Yugoslavia 1.

I do have to wonder though; from where would the Lancaster Bombers coming from?
It can't be England, it's too far away. And wouldn't Egypt and Libya be in Rommel's hands?

Well, and what about my own recently proposed changes in the Danube 1 mission that i posted earlier?

You didn't give me even a single word about them.

About your proposed changed: the SAS soldier near the parachute#3 is already in the worst situation by default from all 4 SAS team-members that safely landed in the forest using parachutes. He either must escape immediately after the mission starts or he will need to kill the German patrols that are heading his way (so max of 4 Germans by default). I didn't want to make his situation even more desperate - so i added those 3 partisans at the main road that will ambush at least 2 of those 4 German soldiers on patrol, making the escape of our SAS soldier easier (or equalizing his chances in the fight against nearby Germans). Let's assume, that the partisans cut off the telegraph/phone lines, so the Germans in the forest are not aware of the presence of our SAS team. The AA-guns crews didn't manage to inform the German garrison in the forest about the presence of SAS and all motorized couriers sent with messages were killed by partisans in ambushes (or didn't arrive yet).

I will have an important external audit in my company at the beginning of March, so i will need to prepare myself accordingly (i don't promise you that i will have a lots of free time for modding H&D Deluxe on that period).

About the Lancaster bombers: i really don't know the max range of that type of bombers while loaded with average bombload. Rommel's Afrika Korps didn't capture the whole Egypt - they stopped at the El Alamein line...

[Myron]

I hate to say this, but, I don't like attacks from the "wall-of-trees". I'd rather all units be inside the actual map. Plus, I think partisans would avoid standing in the road, where their vulnerability would be high.

I do however like the "1 partisan behind a rock to kill 1 German on road" idea.
Sorry about the late feedback; I had to replay the mission to check the buildings; I had no idea that one building, the most hidden one, had a full blown actual shed! That is an excellent idea; to turn it into a small partisan hideout and arsenal/armory.

I think the Germans in the area DID see the parachutes falling, but think that we are just bomber-crew, armed with pistols at most. Not badass commandos, let alone the SAS.

Plus, in a forest, there is the likelihood of death because of your chute getting caught in a tree. So the Germans would be on lower alert; simply seeking to capture plane-crew. However, they would on the lookout for partisans, so the patrols might be heavier, (i.e. more than just two Germans on a patrol.

P.S. I just noticed that directly north of parachute #3 is an unused tower. Maybe a partisan lookout can use it.

[p.jakub88]

I hate to say this, but, I don't like attacks from the "wall-of-trees". I'd rather all units be inside the actual map. Plus, I think partisans would avoid standing in the road, where their vulnerability would be high.

I do however like the "1 partisan behind a rock to kill 1 German on road" idea.
Sorry about the late feedback; I had to replay the mission to check the buildings; I had no idea that one building, the most hidden one, had a full blown actual shed! That is an excellent idea; to turn it into a small partisan hideout and arsenal/armory.

I think the Germans in the area DID see the parachutes falling, but think that we are just bomber-crew, armed with pistols at most. Not badass commandos, let alone the SAS.

Plus, in a forest, there is the likelihood of death because of your chute getting caught in a tree. So the Germans would be on lower alert; simply seeking to capture plane-crew. However, they would on the lookout for partisans, so the patrols might be heavier, (i.e. more than just two Germans on a patrol.

P.S. I just noticed that directly north of parachute #3 is an unused tower. Maybe a partisan lookout can use it.

Hello Myron,

well, so in that case i should place the 3 partisans that are attacking the German patrol from the "wall-of-trees" at the begining of the Danube 1 mission elsewhere (i.e. in the forest near the parachute#3).

Thank You for the feedback!

I will take into consideration your other ideas for changes in the Danube 1 mission (i will need more time to think how and if i implement those ideas).

[p.jakub88]

Meantime i added 4 new changes today into the Danube 1 mission:

-> 3 partisans that previously attacked from the end of the main road are now hiding in the forest near the parachute#3, waiting for incoming 2-men enemy patrol;

-> a new partisan scout placed on a wooden tower at the forest edge - he will wait for incoming 2-men enemy patrol that will turn left from the main road and tries to get through the clearing in the direction of the parachute#3;

-> a new partisan scout placed on a wooden tower, he will watch the hill with the building near the well;

-> a new partisan guard placed near the entrance to the shed with hidden weapons crates.

As for adding civilians (lumberjacks) into the Danube 1 mission: i think, that this is not a good idea due to the complexity and unpredictability of the AI in general.

I have no ideas for any other reasonable changes in this mission that i could implement in future, except the ones already made.

See pictures below taken from HDD editor.

Please Myron give me some feedback about my latest changes in the Danube 1 mission!

[p.jakub88]

Beside already implemented changes i made 3 enemy patrols consisting of 2 men each (the first soldier armed with non-scoped Mauser K98 and the second with MP-40) - instead of 3 soldiers that patrolled those areas separately (alone) before.

Now, this will look more realistic, because Germans would probably want to reinforce the security of the main forest roads - knowing that the area is partly under partisans control - to prevent the communication being cut off. However, keeping in mind, that their "human resources" are limited (dispersal of units over a large area), the German command will also set a high priority to the defense of particular sentries established along the main road (wooden gatehouses with road barrier and MG nests).

See pictures below taken from HDD Editor.