White text = original readme text. Yellow text = questionable original readme text. Red Text = my comments
Difficulty Settings
The following table shows the bonus/penalty associated with each
difficulty setting.
Requisition Points and Custom Scenarios
When creating custom operations using the
Scenario Editor, you need to understand how Close Combat III
calculates the number of requisition points awarded to each side.
You’ll notice that the points you assign when creating the
game may be changed when you play the game. The points change
because Close Combat III compares relative force strength at the
beginning of each battle, then awards bonus points to the
Russians (if current force strength [ratio]
exceeds expected force strength [ratio])
or Germans (if expected force strength [ratio]
exceeds current force strength [ratio]).
The final requisition points awarded each side is calculated as
follows:
*Day points + Bonus points +
Previous day’s unused requisition points [*Day points here referring to Map points +
Scenario Editor assigned Day points]
GIVEN: Assume you’re creating
an operation using Scenario Editor that has three maps and lasts
four days. You assign 100, 125, and 150 map points to the Germans
on the first, second, and third map of the operation,
respectively. You assign 30, 130, and 60 map points to the
Russians. You assign the Germans 115, 75, and 175 [Scenario Editor] day points for days two
through four, respectively. You assign the Russians 40, 120, and
80 [Scenario Editor] day points.
Assume also that you’ve set the difficulty to veteran, so
the difficulty factor in all the calculations will be 1/7. Refer
to the difficulty setting table in this document to determine
which difficulty factor to use. For example, if you set
difficulty to hero in a single player game, the difficulty factor
is +/-3/7.
Day points are calculated for both the player and computer (host
and client). Scenario Editor day points are the points you assign
using the Scenario Info screen; current map points are the points
you assign using the Map Info screen’s Map Data dialog box.
Day points for the player (host) are calculated using the
following:
(Scenario Editor day points + Current map points)- ((Scenario
Editor day points + Current map points) x 1/7) or (Scenario Editor day points + Current map
points)*6/7
Day points for the computer (client) are calculated using the
following:
(Scenario Editor day points + Current map points)+ ((Scenario
Editor day points + Current map points) x 1/7) or (Scenario Editor day points + Current map
points)*8/7
Remember, you only gain map points when you capture a map for the first time. [This should read- you only gain map points when
you arrive on a map for the first time. Per the
Map Data window field - "Requisition points when you enter
this map"]]
Setting Requisition Points
Consequently, filling in the numbers results in the following
player (host) day 1 calculation if you’re playing as the
Russians:
(0 + 30) - ((0 + 30) x 1/7) = 26 Russian day points on day one
The result for the computer (client) as the Germans:
(0 + 100) + ((0 + 100) x 1/7) = 114 German day points on day one
There are no scenario editor day points since the battle is the
first in the operation, so there are only map points.
For day two, the calculations depend on whether or not
you’re fighting on the second map. If so, the Russian and
German calculations would be:
(40 + 130) - ((40 + 130) x 1/7) = 146 Russian day points on day
two
(115 + 125) + ((115 + 125) x 1/7) = 274 German day points on day
two
Expected force strength
Expected force strength for the player (host) is calculated as
follows:
(Sum of map points) - (Sum of map points x 1/7) + (Sell back value of starting teams x 2)
Expected force strength for the computer (client) is calculated
as follows:
(Sum of map points) + (Sum of map points x 1/7) + (Sell back value of starting teams x 2)
[see note on Sell
Back Value below]
The key components in this calculation are map points and sell
back value. Map points are the points you assign to each map in
the operation using the Map Info screen. Clicking the Map Data
button displays the dialog box you use to assign map points.
The sell back value in the expected
force strength calculation is the sell back value of the teams
you assign to the team in Scenario Editor. It does not include
any teams you later add in the Requisition screen prior to game
play; consequently, this number is a constant throughout the
operation. [sell
back value here is confusing when
considered in light of the word "worth" in the next
para of the readme below - My testing has shown that sell back value means
half the purchase cost of an undamaged team or the amount of Req
points you would receive if you retired a team. Thus the x2
multiplier in the calculations.]
Given the map points from the previous example, assume that you
selected German teams worth [should be "with a sell back value of"]
99 points and Russian teams worth [should be "with a sell back value of"]
49 points. Then the expected force strength calculations for the
first day would be:
30 - (30 x 1/7) + (49 x 2) = 124 Russian expected force strength
on day one
100 + (100 x 1/7) + (99 x 2) = 312 German expected force strength
on day one
Assume on day two you’re playing on the second map, the
calculations would be:
160 - (160 x 1/7) + (49 x 2) = 150 Russian expected force
strength on day two [160 - (160 x 1/7) +
(49 x 2) = 235 not 150]
225 + (225 x 1/7) + (99 x 2) = 455 German expected force strength
on day two
Current force strength
Current force strength for the player (host) is calculated as
follows:
Day points + (2 x Sell back value of current teams) + (Requisition points carried over from previous
battle / 2)
Current force strength for the computer (client) is calculated as
follows:
Day points + (2 x Sell back value of current teams) + (Requisition points carried over from previous
battle / 2)
[The use of the divisor [2] in Requisition points carried over from previous battle / 2 creates a situation where a player who buys no units with his Day points on the first map in an Op and flees that map w/o fighting, stands to gain more Req points than if he hed spent all his Req points and fled the same map without fighting! See Example 3 for a detailed example of this]
Given the same example numbers, the day one current force
strength calculations would be:
26 + (2 x 49) + 0 = 124 Russian current force strength
114 + (2 x 99) + 0 = 312 German current force strength
Remember, for day one, the current sell back value is the same as
the starting sell back value.
If you had been able to add 100 points worth
of teams to both the German and Russian sides after day one,
then the current force strength calculation would be: [These hypothetical 100 points really confuse an
already confusing issue because the calculation has us in the No
Mans Land between the map/day1 Req purchases [which had to be 26
RU and 114 GE since no Req pts carried over] but before day2's
possible Req purchase since we have not yet arrived at the number
of Req points to be awarded to each side for use in the day2 Req
purchase. The (2 x Sell back value of current teams) should be a
maximum of 124=[{49+26}*2] instead of 298=[{100+49}*2] for the
Russians in the example below [assuming no losses on map/day1]
and 312=[{99+114}*2] for the Germans instead of 398=[{100+99}*2]
[again assuming no map/day1 losses].
146 + (2 x 149) + 0 = 444 Russian current force strength on day
two
343 + (2 x 199) + 0 = 672 German current force strength on day
two
How is the value 343 arrived at? I was able
to duplicate the calculation for 146 as [{RU Map2 Points=130 + RU
Day2 Points=40} * 6/7] = 146 but the same calculation for the
Germans yields [{GE Map2 Points=125 + GE Day2 Points=115} * 8/7]
= 274. Oddly the result, 672 is correct.
Once Close Combat III calculates both expected and current force
strength, it creates expected and current ratios. The expected
ratio is:
Russian expected force strength / German expected force strength
The current ratio is:
Russian current force strength / German current force strength
Using the example numbers, the ratios for day one are:
124 / 312 = .39744 Expected ratio on day one
124 / 312 = .39744 Current ratio on day one
Using the example numbers, the ratios for day two are:
150 / 455 = .32967 Expected ratio on day two
444 / 672 = .66071 Current ratio on day two
A) Using the
map and day points assigned in the GIVEN and assuming both sides
spent all available Req points on day1 and there were no losses
to either side on day1 the ratios for day2 would look like:
235 / 455 = .51648 Expected ratio on day two
270 / 586 = .46075 Current ratio on day two
If the expected ratio is less than the
current ratio, the Russians get bonus points. If the expected
ratio is greater than the current ratio, the Germans get bonus
points. If the ratios are equal, no bonus points are
awarded.
Remember, the formula for calculating requisition points:
Day points + Bonus points + Previous day’s unused
requisition points
To complete the example, since the ratios are equal on day one,
neither side gets bonus points. Consequently, the requisition
points for each side are:
26 + 0 + 0 = 26 Russian day one requisition points
114 + 0 + 0 = 114 German day one requisition points
Since the current ratio is greater than the expected ratio on day
two, the Russians get bonus points. The bonus points are
calculated as follows:
((Russian current force strength / Expected
ratio) - (German current force strength)) x .7
German bonus points are calculated as follows:
((German current force strength x Expected
ratio) - (Russian current force strength)) x .7
The use of different operators [ / & x ] here is
suspicious when the intention seems to be a balanced equation.
They produce substantially different bonuses when you simply
switch the Russian and German points
So the Russian bonus points are calculated as follows:
((444/.32967) - 672) x .7 = 472
If we throw out thehypothetical 100 'extra'
points awarded both sides from "If
you had been able to add 100 points worth of teams to both the
German and Russian sides after day one," and use the corrected numbers from A) based only on the GIVEN parameters, the
calculation above becomes {[244/.51648] - 472) = 0 !!!
So the final requisition points for day two would be:
146 + 472 + 0 = 618 Russian day two
requisition points
274 + 0 + 0 = 274 German day two requisition points
The calculated Russian day two requisition point value of 618 is indicative of the quirks in this system. Recall that the scenario designer 'intended' to give the Russians a much more modest 170 points [130 map2 & 40 day2 points] on map/day 2 and the Germans were intended to get 200 points [125 map2 points and 75 day2 points]. Couple this with the fact the Germans started with 198 pts and received 114 points on Map/Day1 versus the Russians start total of 98 pts and receipt of 26 more on Map/Day1 and what seems to have been intended as as continuing German offensive on Map/Day2 has suddenly turned into a Russian counterattack!!!! [tho of course this is not the case, as borne out by testing in the game]
If the intent of bonus points is to maintain playbalance by awarding points to the side that is losing then the above should be reversed to - If the expected ratio is greater than the current ratio, the Russians get bonus points. If the expected ratio is less than the current ratio, the Germans get bonus points.. For example - a 2 map/2 day op, difficulty at even, each side starts with units having a sell back value of 100 points and both get 0 map points and 0 day points in the scenario editor. The result of the map1 battle is the Russians are totally destroyed and the Germans suffer no losses. The Req point calculation for Map/Day 2 would be -
Current Force Strength
is calculated as [Map2 points + Day2 points] + (2 x Sell back value of current teams) +
(Requisition points carried over from previous battle / 2)
Russian Current Force Strength = [0+0] + 0
+ 0 = 0
German Current Force Strength = [0+0] + 10
0+ 0 = 100
Current Force Ratio = 0 / 100 = 0
Expected Force Strength is
calculated as [Sum of map points] + [Sell back value of starting
teams x 2]
Russian Expected Strength = [0+0] + [100] =
100
German Expected Force Strength = [0+0] +
100 = 100
Expected Force Ratio = 100 / 100 = 1
According to the [incorrect] rules of the readme, since the Current Force Ratio is less than the Expected Force Ratio, the Germans would get bonus points. This would be calculated as ((German current force strength x Expected ratio) - (Russian current force strength)) x .7 or {[100x1]-0} x .7 = 70
Even if the bonus point determination is reversed [as it should be] to - If the expected ratio is greater than the current ratio, the Russians get bonus points. If the expected ratio is less than the current ratio, the Germans get bonus points.The calculation would then be ((Russian current force strength / Expected ratio) - (German current force strength)) x .7 or {[0x1]-100} x .7= -70. This result would be the total Req points avaiable to the Russians on Map/Day 2 and only makes sense as a Boolean or absolute expression. [editor is aware the commanders are automatically replaced]
If the Expected Force Strength is calculated as [Sum of map points] + [Sum of day points] + [Sell back value of starting teams x 2] it would avoid the situations described in Examples 1 & 2. I would also strongly argue the Current Force Strength be calculated as [Map2 points + Day2 points] + (2 x Sell back value of current teams) + (Requisition points carried over from previous battle) without the /2 divisor on unused Req points to avoid the situation described in Example 3. Finally it is clear from testing the bonus point determination as applied in the game is If the expected ratio is greater than the current ratio, the Russians get bonus points. If the expected ratio is less than the current ratio, the Germans get bonus points not the reverse as detailed in the readme and update texts.