Modern Units Database Progress Report

The Modern Units Database update is under way and progress looks good.  The data collection and analysis is a lot faster than I anticipated thanks to all the upfront script preparation I did a few months back.  It is shaping up to be a significant update though.  Let’s do a quick overview of what this update will include and any feedback on where it is going.

Today, I added 26 new combat systems to the calculations for the various unit values.  This brings the total number of unique weapons systems used in calculating attack values to 544.  In addition to this, there are now 903 unique defensive systems being used to calculate unit defense values.  The ratings are then applied to the 200+ unit types already in MUD.  Do all the math on that, and I can safely say this script’s complexity has reached a point where it’s beyond human capability to calculate manually.

I should also mention that I have the base values for all land systems and aircraft completed.  I am just starting the combat systems for ships.  As of now, I don’t have a plan for satellites.  I expected to only have the land systems available at this point in time, but the method I used to generate the ML scripts in Python have exceeded my expectations.  Rather than release a partial combat update, I’m now trying to get the ships done this week, after which I can post the updated set.

Here is a quick and high level overview of how the combat ratings work on the new system.  Every unit type is an aggregate of real-life units of that type.  It then adds up the defensive systems of those units as well as the offensive systems of those units and creates an attack and defense value.

Here’s the catch!  EDCE uses a percentage-based system, which means every possible attack and defense combination has to be added together, then a number is generated which creates the percent chance that unit type would have in real-life.  This creates some unique scenarios that I want to prepare you for if you use this method:

1. Naval Combat heavily favors the one with the recon advantage.
2. Some units have excellent defense against a unit type, but terrible offense. This leads to a standoff.
3. Alternatively, some units are great at offense but terrible if ambushed. This leads to a hit and run attacks.
4. Submarine combat will feel more like real submarine combat now. Your depth matters when it comes to detection and attack.
5. Air levels will work closer to their original intent. Aircraft sitting idle will need to be at their correct configuration while on-base if you are using scramble tactics.
6. Recon is going to more vital than ever. You can’t rely on line infantry to hold indefinitely anymore.

I’ll cover some of these strategies once I get into play testing and have some screenshots to share.  Suffice to say, these are just what I can see from the how the script is generating the numbers.  I’ve had to do a lot of tweaking to the scripts, but manual inputs are so far negligible.  That’s a good thing, as it means I can make future combat changes a lot faster.

Still, this set is heading towards realism over gameplay.  A lot of players won’t like it.  But I’m trying to give a player a sense of what combat disparity really feels like in today’s modern warfare.  I’m not aiming for fun gameplay. I’ll leave that to other modders who want to tweak what I’m starting.