Editing User:Jellyfishgreen/Railhead

= Logistics: Railhead =
RAILHEAD, a game of 1800's warfare with logistics

* Note that "Artillery/Scout/Infantry" in the previous idea could also translate to Napoleonic warfare (Risk, Little Wars).
* Among other things this translates the artillery ranges to a smaller scale (somewhere between direct cannon fire and the explosive shell)
* What if we tried focusing purely on an enjoyable "victory-through-logistics" simulation?
* Idea: Your armies on the front lines need a certain amount of resupply per day to fight effectively
* The actual army combat is either simplified enough to be manageable at the same time as your logistics, or handed off to an AI? Choice of 2 general's hats, or both?
* Also AI can run logistics, especially as enemy or in combat training.
* The opposition is similarly presented (France vs Prussia, say, or Redosia vs Bluegaria) ..Industrial Heartland vs Motherland...
* Turn-based and probably hex
* Auto-form between armies and nearest supply depot? No.
* Or always onus on player to place (?cheap cache) manually if expecting to hold a position? Yes.
* armies only resupply themselves when moved onto a cache/depot/base (/town scavenging/friendly army)
* Resources for the player: time, monetary cost (and attention)
* Money resource represented by War Chest. 

== War Chest ==
* fixed for a given scenario? eg training
* receives updates * income from government, periodically
* or bonus-based eg capturing cities (or scenario ends if x captured)
* or could be designed out altogether, if Time is the resource
== Army ==
* Perhaps, like Risk or Hex Empire, not actually distinguishable as soldiers or artillery * generic army units, considered as soldiers.
* Reinforcements (bringing *soldiers* to the front) was actually key in Hex Empire
* Chief role is to fight at front. 
* Side role to protect logistics ie supply dumps.
* Troops have a certain max troop strength & max carrying capacity & max morale.
* Bought? Or present in full strength at start and up to you to manage through the scenario?
* Approx scale: 1 infantry unit = 1 company (80 infantry? approx 60-200 historically) in 4 platoons
* 1 unit per hex, normally, unless passing through or melee
* Formations are important. What officer assists in keeping formations?
* every unit has a flag? insignia carried by ensign? or option for colour party morale booster - one per brigade affects all adjacent countrymen
* toy soldier art concepts.
=== Troop Strength ===
* Troops gain replacements ie automatically 'regenerate' when in supply, proportional to the rate of supply. Also reflects better food/better hospitals at the bigger bases.
* Defined max for each unit type, will only regen up to original max
* Stackable? see Combat.
=== Carrying Capacity ===
* Reflects how many supplies are actually carried by the troops when they leave the depot (staging area)
* armies only resupply themselves when moved onto a cache/depot/base (/town scavenging?/friendly army)
* or between adjacent armies? sharing supplies if sharing hex.
* captured enemy caches?
* Usage rate:
* Resupply rate:
* when supplies run out (or on approach to zero), starvation casualties mount
=== Morale ===
* raised ++ by victory
* lowered by casualties 
* drops slowly when bored/idle (?weather) (except in a town * entertainment)
* increases slowly (to max) when >50% CC
* decreases slowly (to min) when <50% CC (&++ starvation or scrounging)
* automatic surrender rule when attacked, if certain conditions are true (recognize hopeless situation)
* such as: supply lines cut, no adjacent friendlies, neighbors have surrendered
* Prepare separate Morale table, with all possible modifiers, unique ID 000-999
=== Unit Types ===
* Infantry: move x, attacks adjacent hex, medium damage, medium defense
* Cavalry: move x*2, attacks adjacent hex, light damage/defense (the Scout/Skirmish role), +charge ability (like little-wars) (bonus negated if already in adjacent hex at start of move)
* Artillery: move x/3, attacks non-adjacent hex (ranged), heavy damage, low defense, retreat from cavalry charge/melee (abandoning guns)
=== Combat ===
* heh! Not the key point but it needs to make sense!
* For now throw in some borrowed Combat Results Table for attack/defense
* Moderated by terrain type, morale, cavalry charges, experience
* see free wargame links such as "march towards the sound of guns" or "cannonade". http://www.angelfire.com/games2/warpspawn/Can.html
* keeping att/def low and attrition low (except for drastic actions like melee) emphasizes supply bonuses and surrendering making the difference. (Like Little Wars, surrendering or retreating would happen before a total wipeout, even with overwhelming force.)
== Simultaneous Turn Resolution ==
* idea: like LSN, there is an "orders" phase then an "execution" phase
* units may find themselves caught out by unanticipated enemy movement eg same destination hex: melee
* Solium has same concept, PBEM but not simultaneous execution
* "orders" is closer to concept of the day. 
== Limited Orders ==
* Limited number of orders available per turn(not all units can move) like Solium, HexCommand, Memoir44. Reduces micromanagement & raises strategic thinking requirements. Same restriction on enemy obviously.
* This may be linked to number of Commander units on the field (Brigadier Generals) or increased somewhat by purchasing them as a unit. Logically commanders could give extra orders to units they are in contact with at start of turn.

== Logistic Buildings ==
* able to set up bases? then move (or dismantle & rebuild) bases after advancing? "engineer" corps considered invisible except when actually building. 
* Unlimited engineer corps * or another resource to manage/limiting factor on how many simultaneous road/base/bridge efforts?
* fortification upgrades? or existing? Bunkers (anti-siege), walls (anti-inf), wire/ditch (anti-cav), & new description automatic based on upgrades eg fortress
* Single-hex supply dumps might be in the centre of a 6-hex fortress (eg Halifax); might be a port, part of a town, city, etc.
* Map scale might be: a city, and outlying villages and farmland, rarely two cities would be close enough to be shown in entirety on same battle map?

=== Factories ===
* Begin with at least one: main source(s) of supply 
* What makes new available? Where located: cities only?
* Capturable from enemy.
* flavor only: munitions, food, clothing (boots, beans, bullets)
* Actual production referred to generically as supplies. (supply units)
* Flavor: The Old Mill. (on a river of course) Pembrose Nitrates. Acme Bandages.
=== Supply Dumps ===
* Storage, like energy; supply buffers
* Cheaper(?existing buildings) if placed in cities 
* 3 grades
# low: supply cache (?supply dump?): cheapest to build, low capacity
# (?medium low: supply dump? only if balance point needed)
# medium: supply depot: medium
# high: supply base (?centre?): high
* cost recovered (eg 60%) when dismantling
* upgradeable

== Logistic Routes ==
* Begin with a certain amount pre-existing between cities. IE historical roads.
* Placed (by player) between cities, or arbitrary points, ie building the ''network'' not the nodes
* must place supply nodes (buildings) as above.
* Road building required to upgrade routes, cost varies with length (hex by hex progress, managed by AI engineers)
* Upgrade in stages (1->2->3->4) or allow jumps (1->4)?
* When upgraded * try an option where all units switch to next type, or enough to give same equivalent capacity, if already in pool, and return to pool. Eg new road, return 4 mules to pool, take 2 carts from pool, (maybe player just clicks OK ?or can tweak default numbers to see new capacity before clicking OK) * Reduces player micromanagement of results of previous decision to upgrade, by doing the logical. They can then add more units themselves.
* When all are removed from a route, gray out marker and/or remove highlight from route. (Road is still present, route marker, but no traffic.) Handle mule paths differently? 
* Smart reconfig if new depot placed on existing route. (new autoassigned marker, etc)

== Logistic Units ==
* automoved by AI once placed on a route (click on route marker (RedBallExpress))
* automove at end of turn, allowing player override during turn?
* can be attacked directly by armies
* can be removed from a route and returned to a central 'pool' eg right-click on route marker. 
* Sidebar "motor pool" display should show with labelled icons (& icon bar or fuel gauge) & numbers how many of each type are in use/total owned eg Mules 7/10, Carts 4/4. "Mule pool" heh. Horseheads with blinders. (+)(Buy) and (-)(Sell) buttons for each row. --what if more than 10? Scaling icons to represent a percentage rather than just 1? What does 20 overlapping small pixelated mule heads look like? Available units in highlight or border, in-use units lowlighted. See "Antarctic Colony" flash eg.
* Assume units can place immediately anywhere from pool, ie mules 'move' instantly from one side of the map to the other.
=== Types ===
Ranked by capacity (and susceptibility to damage) and terrain requirements; cost
* Pack Mule: Requires minimal/footpath (eg even into the mountains, but not straight up cliffs or rivers). (no wheels)
* Horse Cart: Requires dirt road, river ford, floating bridge (2 wheels)
* Wagon/Truck: Requires paved road, road bridge (4 wheels)
* Rail car : Requires rail track, station, railhead, rail bridge (8 wheels)
* How to represent >1 mule? >1 train car?
Optional: Waterways, canals, barges, 
== Resupply rate Formula ==
Formula: Resupply rate = capacity of carriers * number of carriers * route length (?* fudge)
Carriers will attempt to fully load themselves from supply depot/source
Direction of flow (source->drain) is always heartland factory -> army in field
eg. army1 resupply = 3 pack mules over 7 kilometers

== Resultants ==
* when building or extending a railroad, placing cheap caches as you go allows you to reap benefit before reaching intended extent. '''Railhead'''
* Armies have a better chance of intercepting attacks on their depot if placed away from depot (out of supply?adjacent) & also you need to move out of supply to advance. Balance for player risk/reward.
* must game min/max scenarios ie what limits on infinite mules on one route?
* if not stackable * then solves this one: all armies stacked on one base. Defeat that! * cut rail line. Hit railcars with artillery. * what if all armies stacked on factory? No rail line. 
== Loss Conditions ==
* armies wiped out. All armies wiped out. Recognize endgame.
* logistics wiped out. Recognize endgame if warchest empty.
* engineers wiped out. Recognize endgame if warchest empty.
== Win Conditions (Objectives) ==
* eliminate all enemy armies
* capture and hold all enemy cities
* training/scenario objectives: certain cities, certain factories, build x depots, connect city x by rail
* protect special units eg entertainers or VIPs
* surrender to revolutionary forces

== Strategies & Fun ==
* Keep your armies in supply to keep them alive! Rotate wounded to rear.
* Advance armies to capture cities * and bring up supply lines behind them.
* Upgrade routes (combat engineers) or dismantle, upgrade depots or dismantle
* Repair cut or bombed routes, bridges, chase away enemy! Keep "Red Ball Express" moving!
* Take over enemy supply depots (?and blow up to prevent recapture?)
* Take over enemy cities and factories to increase production (/gain new units?)
* Starve enemy armies by cutting rail lines, encircle and demolish them

== Linkys ==
Napoleon at War http://www.freeverse.com/mac/product/?id=9001
http://www.armchairgeneral.com/the-practical-art-of-moving-armies.htm

Free Rules selection
http://freewargamesrules.co.uk/index.php?page=napoleonic

http://www.kamikazewargames.com/index.htm

http://sourceforge.net/projects/wargame/ (Ogre3DJava, non-hex, nice map, compiled for Windows)
http://sourceforge.net/projects/sdlwargame/ (Utilities, 0.1, not updated since 2005)

== Glossary ==
glossary to have links into text of design document later.
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/wagonway
* lorry
* gurney
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/locomotive
* steamer
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/fusillier
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/grenadier
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/dragoon
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse-drawn_vehicle 
* (2-wheeled Cart, 4-wheeled Wagon)
* Covered Wagon  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conestoga_wagon
* Railhead http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Rail-Head
* http://dwarffortresswiki.net/index.php/User:Jellyfishgreen/Railhead

--[[User:Jellyfishgreen|Jellyfishgreen]] 11:43, 15 December 2009 (UTC)