Maus

You're asking them to essentially program a second game and squeeze it into one that's almost done, which was never meant to be hyper-realistic. This would send UGG into development hell. That's why earlier in this thread I said Game Lab's best option is to finish this game as is and then consider if they would like to take a more detailed, simulationist approach with their next game. I for one hope they stick with their current design philosophy if UG becomes a series. Sometimes I want to play Command Ops, and sometimes I want to play Panzer Corp.

"it depends on what the meaning of the word 'is' is." In all fairness you're right about that. In my defense, there is a lot more research to be done than one line of ad copy. There were already videos of the game when it went on sale that, placed alongside videos of something like Scourge of War, make it very clear the game is not a simulator in the sense that HistWar, DCS, or CMANO are simulators. Likewise Darthmod mentioned at the top is a very well-known series of Total War mods that suggest what kind of "simulation" UGG would be. Anyone unsure or wary (as everyone ought to be for all Early Access games) that it might not be the simulator of their dreams could have waited a week for some Let's Plays to pop up on YouTube. (And it's still not a simulator.)

The AI does this quite often, so I defend against it. It's challenging to defend against, yet I'm always able to do so successfully. I do it to the AI when I play as the Union too. It works for me, and considering that the AI seems to have defeated you doing it, it seems to work quite well. The AI does not defeat me when it does this, however, because I defend against it. I do not say, "No one would send a whole brigade back to defend against such an impossibility!" I simply send a brigade back, and that works very well for me. You had enough momentum to advance Pettigrew beyond Oak Ridge, which suggests to me that you too could have spared a brigade. The solution is not to add another system to the game, it is to play by the rules of the game as written rather than by the rules as you think or wish they were written. If you do that, you'll find this is a curious challenge in the first scenario that is not very difficult to overcome. First try to solve the problem yourself before you claim there is a flaw in game design that needs such heavy-handed fixing. In any case, this is the only real instance of this kind of thing I've ever seen in the game, and it's certainly because the first scenario is very thin on units. I don't think I've had a unit get behind me in any other scenarios which was not utterly decimated by my reserves. If you find this behavior creates a dissatisfying game, then there are far better ways to solve it than to include an entirely new logistics system (no matter how simple). Simply move that objective point forward to McPherson's Ridge, and I imagine the alleged problem will go away. That will take far less development time and keep within the spirit of the game, which is that of a game rather than a simulation. I have not seen this behavior myself, but it's certainly worth changing. I imagine it would also help allay kondor999's grievances without altering the game's fundamental design.

UGG is a tactical battles game. I hope that doesn't change. It's perfect at being what it is, which is a fun, beautiful tactics game with compelling AI in the style of Darthmod + Total War. Trying to morph it into a simulation at this late stage of development is a very bad idea. UGG should be finished (content, multiplayer?), polished off, and "shipped" as-is without apology for being the kind of game it is. After that, Game Labs can consider whether they want more realism and simulation in the next Ultimate General they make, if any. If you purchased UGG hoping for a detailed real-time simulation of the Battle of Gettysburg, then I'm sorry, but you should have done more research into what you were buying. Scourge of War and Histwar are the droids tactical battle simulators you're looking for.

Actually there is something that can stop this sort of thing from happening: you. The first scenario is too sparse to make a really solid line of battle, I'll admit, but the game rules don't need to artificially degrade a unit for overextending. You just need to destroy them off the map when they overextend; a bad move is only bad if it's punished. Or perhaps you've overextended and the AI is punishing you for it, as it should.

I am well aware. I only came to say that I'm very pleased with the game's current state and design philosophy, and I am wary of that section of the community advocating for something different. A simple example, from the Steam forums, is an argument that units should be automatically punished for running around behind enemy lines. The idea that a system of supply and rigid command should be instigated, which would cause these units to lose condition and morale, to keep this from happening is short-sighted. A lone unit running around behind enemy lines might be unrealistic, but it's also easy to both prevent and defeat such tactics in the game as it stands. The reason it's unrealistic is because it's a bad idea, and it's a bad idea because it's punishable. But that means you must punish your opponent when he or she or it overextends. As an example, I saw one preview from a player who obviously prefers more simulationist gameplay. When the Union AI sent vedettes behind his lines after his artillery, his response was, "Well *that's* not very realistic! The Confederate army would destroy them if they did that!" And then he (the Confederate army) ignored them! They, of course, never got destroyed but instead routed his artillery and cost him the battle. The AI did this to me as well, when I was new to the game, and I am happy to admit that. But I changed my tactics. Now it is not a problem, and outside of the first battle where there are few units, I don't even think about it. It rarely happens, and if it does I punish the AI for overextending. I have even destroyed units to the last man.

Is there a way to unlock all of the custom battles without playing them first in the campaign? There are over 80 scenarios, but because I generally do well in the campaign, I tend to end up repeating a set of the same ones. I only have 11 unlocked for custom battles, and the first hardly counts. I don't want to have to play the game and purposefully lose or draw battles in hopes of being able to unlock one I have not seen before. Time is too valuable to spend doing that sort of thing.

Usually, when I play a game which needs improvement or further development, I am afraid the developers are not going to listen to their community. Ultimate General: Gettysburg is the first game I've ever played where I am afraid the developers will listen to their community. Based on the feedback I'm seeing over on the Steam forums, I feel like the community is too inexperienced with the game, and when they fail they blame the game for being too fast or too unrealistic. There is a group of people, overlapping with that other, who are asking for more realism, and while they're generally polite and there is certainly nothing wrong with wanting that kind of experience, I want to speak up for those of us who love the game as it is, for what it is. I've been following UGG for some time now, aware of its developer's roots in Darthmod, because it seemed to match my vision of what the Total War series should have been all along. It is exactly that, and I love it. I don't want it to be changed. I do not want ammunition or supply lines or someone's idea of realism. I own and enjoy many military simulations, but I did not, do not want a detailed strategic game in Ultimage General. I wanted a tactical battles game without all of the cruft and baggage and design flaws of the Total War series, and I don't care if it's the Battle of Gettysburg or the Battle of Hastings. That's exactly what I got. I love it, and I hope Game Labs goes on to make many more games just like this, with themes of history, but without trying to replicate and simulate history. It is a fun game, and everything I wanted. Thank you.