I like Infinity being kept relatively simple. Unfortunately REF didn't do that and proposed changes make it worse.
in the army builder app i can‘t filter equipment for comlink - is that a bug, by purpose or just not implemented? thanks!
My two cents on Reinforcements: - make Commlink an equipment we can buy (spending points and SWC) and can be assigned to units. This will let the unit to be part of fireteam and be more useful (also for NA2 players). - make that the reinforcement will enter where is your Commlink unit or in his ZoC. This will make more sense to me, will help to solve the unbalance of reinf. dropping in missions where you need to control the center and will add some strategic plays (you need to use and advance your Commlink if you want a better position in the field and let you opponent to try to contrast your advance) - to avoid alpha strike if your commlink is killed it will drop it and another unit (maybe a specialist) can take Commlink and call reinforcement. Additionally you can make Commlink equipment a secret info, so the opponent need to guess. - let this equipment to be assigned only to certain troops (i.e. specialists) but not infiltrators/camo/ parachutist etc. in order to avoid that will start the game or will be too easy to deploy the reinforcement too deep in the map.
Last but not least we played 6 games with reinforcements this weekend. Pano <> Aleph; Nomads <> Aleph; Pano<>Nomads; The first 3 games where played saturday with original rules and our skepsis fullfilled. It wasnt so much fun. On sunday we tweaked it by houserules an it was much better: Use of reinforcements are optional to each player and is 1/3 of main points (On a 300 PT game size the main team: 300 PT and for reinforcements 100 PT) reason: it seemed like an additional tactical choice which adds variety / tactical deepness Bottom line: we had an alpha strike walk through, but even if the reinforcement wasnt able to turn the tide it was fun or at least atttraction because is brought an moment of indetermination. Commlinks can be added by paying additional 0.5 SWC to any lieutenant or specialist. reason: the choice of commlinks wasnt good enough and extra point was to high Bottom line: worked really well any unit can be assigned to a reinforcement team as long its a valid fireteam Reason: the choice wasnt good enough and we wanted somehow a limitation of whats possible but estimable somehow Bottom line: it worked quiet well Reinforcements team is private info until deployed. Reason: we attended a bigger effect of uncertainity Bottom line: worked quite well 2 possible reinforcement drop marker are placed after all players finished deployment and in LOS of a commlink trooper. Reason: bigger effect of uncertainity and unpredictivness Bottom line: we are not sure in our opinion Reinforcement team can enter any time from turn 2 on and there is no entry barrier, but reinforcements arrival can be achieved via dice roll (order), rolled against the WIP of a commlink unit. Reason: avoid that reinforcements come to late and let it be an active decision of the player Bottom line: works, but could / should be tweaked Reinforcements do trigger ARO Reason: its always your turn. Bottom line: worked well and we liked it, but this moment of reimforcement overrules got lost.
@Koni I'm sorry if this is the wrong thread to ask about this, or if this has already been asked somewhere and I just can't find it, but may I in most polite terms inquire if there are any details on when the Reinforcements Update teased by Bostria will take place? We're having a Satellite Tournament with Reinforcements in mid March (Talvisota 2024), and I know people are already preparing for the event... Any information on the topic would be highly valued! Have a great day!
Sure this is a good thread to ask for it :) The update will be published way before that tournament, don't worry. We're aiming to end-january/early-february. We'll announce it properly, o course ;)
I played another game last sunday and my brother and i discussed our pains / critique - i‘ll post that without solutions or discussed ideas to optimize: complicated rules Comlink options insufficient / Commlinks aren’t varied enough / no choice Comlink tax to high and no sense Gamesize is too small to build teams Reinf works better for some factions Reinf is linked to a specific sectorial which forces Player to use that Drop pod placement is fix and players are completely prepared to play exact location of ReInf Placement of Reinf in the middle of table is somehow Clumsy, unpretentious and disruptive to game flow even more with no ARO Reinf drops a fireteam in the midfield and forces every player to play the fireteam playstyle that leaks flexible options, multiple attack vectors. the player who drops their Reinforcements second gets an enormous advantage ReIn as open info feels Inappropriate and reduces tactical depth ReIn comes in too late / Reinforcements taking too long to arrive ReIn isnt an active choice, ReInf is triggered to point loss which leads to a lot of annoyance ReIn troops are limited and offer insufficient options Zone scoring is not balanced with ReInf uninteractive gameplay due to the fact that ReInf do not trigger ARO important adition: We love this game and we agree that its awesome corvus belli is developing it and adding the mechanics of Reinforcements is a great idea - we do really appreciate, even more since corvus belli is asking for feedback! Thank you! :)
I feel this is a perfect sum up of my major problems and concerns with this optional game mode and everything linked with it. Good work!
i can follow your opinion and i do agree that it will be complex. If ARO is the box of the pandora, than maybee the placement of the droppod or the side from which Reinf are entering can be limited / balanced sonehow, so that the disruptivness of gameflow is reduced…
To possibly repeat myself, I think there should be some interactivity in the placement of the drop pod, and some actual use for the Comm Link ttrooper. My suggestion was that after placing the drop pod, the Comm Link operative performs a WIP roll. If it is failed (or if the Comm Link operative is unable to perform WIP rolls...), the opponent moves the drop pod to a legal position within 8". At this point, the reinforcement troopers deploy. To add more spice, let the WIP roll be affected (+3/-3) by any Controlled Jump program in effect.
Looking at the scaffolding of the N4 rules a roll coinciding with reinforcements arrival could be done, always by the controlling player, but given we do not have scatter rules and reinforcements arriving at the table edge would ruin their entire purpose, more work on that idea would be needed, some ideas suggested here like commlinks ZoC ectr could work in conjunction, another issue is it is a dice roll that would be needed to be done for a bunch of models instead for one model, this has not been done previously, I guess the drop pod could have a statistic, maybe even unique for each Faction, maybe the commlink could be used, though that would mess things up if the commlink is dead, maybe commlink could be a bonus. It is not an unworkable idea to increase uncertainty to the deployment, but it is an idea that needs a lot of work.
I played around a little with a url text converter (parser) to create an txt file from the thread and chatgpt 4 analyzing this entire feedback. I know it's not validated nor qualified content, those robots do hallucinate, but anyhow I'll share it for the infotainment aspect. my prompt was: the attached textfile is copied content from a online-forum, discussing a new game mode called reinforcements in the game infinity from Corvus belli. each post is marked with a # followed by a number. it starts with post #1 and ends with post #434 analyze the content starting from post #1 until post #434. list all problems or critiques or possible problems the users (players) mention with a speaking title a very short more detailed subtitle and a description of the mentioned problems and if given possible reasons. Please give some short examples. Please differentiate the issues in separate points when they are mentioning another aspect or perspective of the same issue. create a list but please do not repeat when the exact same point is mentioned, but group them and put a numeric counter to each point in the list on how often it has been mentioned as an specific number to it. after some chat this is what I got: -- Certainly! Here's an expanded and detailed list incorporating all the issues identified in posts #1 to #434 from the online forum discussing the "Reinforcements" game mode in "Infinity" by Corvus Belli: Drop Pod Marker Mechanics (20 mentions) Issue: Confusion about rules and in-game impact of drop pod markers. Example: Players debated whether drop pods should remain as physical obstacles after deployment. Limited Options for NA2 Factions (10 mentions) Issue: Perceived lack of diverse and strong reinforcements for Non-Aligned Armies. Example: Players felt that NA2 factions were disadvantaged in terms of the variety and power of reinforcement units available. Mandatory Commlink Unit Critique (25 mentions) Issue: Discontent with the requirement to include a Commlink unit, affecting list flexibility. Example: Players expressed frustration about being forced to allocate points and space for a Commlink unit, which they viewed as not always beneficial. Mission Balance Concerns (16 mentions) Issue: Concerns about reinforcement mechanics unbalancing certain missions. Example: In missions focused on area control, the timing and positioning of reinforcements were seen as potentially giving one player an unfair advantage. General Balance and Strategy Implications (5 mentions) Issue: Worries about reinforcements impacting overall game dynamics. Example: Concerns were raised that the reinforcement rules might favor certain playstyles or strategies, reducing the game's strategic diversity. Commlink Unit Tax Issue (6 mentions) Issue: Frustration over the perceived point and SWC tax imposed by mandatory Commlink units. Example: Players felt that including a Commlink unit used up valuable resources that could have been spent on more impactful units. Limited Impact of Reinforcements in Some Scenarios (4 mentions) Issue: Observations that reinforcements can have minimal impact in specific scenarios. Example: In fast-paced or early conclusion scenarios, players noted that reinforcements often arrived too late to be effective. Reinforcement Trigger Mechanism (4 mentions) Issue: Issues with the criteria and fairness of triggering reinforcements. Example: Players debated whether the trigger conditions for reinforcements were balanced or could be exploited. Commlink Role and Functionality (4 mentions) Issue: Continued suggestions and criticisms regarding the Commlink role in gameplay. Example: Some players suggested reworking or removing the Commlink role due to its limited impact on the game. Reinforcement Drop Mechanics and Tactical Depth (7 mentions) Issue: Concerns about how reinforcements are deployed and their effect on tactical depth. Example: The mechanics of deploying reinforcements from drop pods were seen as potentially limiting tactical options or disrupting game flow. Unbalanced Advantage in Reinforcement Timing (4 mentions) Issue: Observations that reinforcement timing can heavily favor one player. Example: Players noted instances where the timing of reinforcements gave one side a significant advantage, especially in tightly contested matches. Complexity and Clarity of Rules (4 mentions) Issue: Some players find the rules for reinforcements too complicated or unclear. Example: Newer players, in particular, expressed difficulty understanding the intricacies of the reinforcement rules, impacting their enjoyment of the game. Gameplay Disruption and Unfun Elements (4 mentions) Issue: Concerns about the game mode disrupting traditional gameplay and not being enjoyable. Example: Players who preferred the traditional Infinity gameplay style felt that the reinforcements mechanic disrupted the flow and strategic planning they enjoyed. Faction-Specific Imbalances (3 mentions) Issue: Discussions about certain factions having advantages or disadvantages with reinforcement rules. Example: There were claims that factions like PanOceania and Yu Jing gained more from the reinforcement rules than others, leading to imbalance. Inconsistencies in Rule Interpretation (2 mentions) Issue: Inconsistent interpretations of reinforcement rules across different language versions. Example: Players compared English and Spanish rule versions, noting discrepancies in the interpretation of certain reinforcement mechanics. Disappointing Reinforcement Options and Variety (3 mentions) Issue: Players dissatisfied with the limited and uninteresting options for reinforcements. Example: Some players expressed disappointment in the lack of exciting or unique reinforcement options, feeling they did not add much to the game. Strategic Limitations and Forced Choices (2 mentions) Issue: Frustration over being forced into specific strategic choices due to reinforcement rules. Example: Players felt that the reinforcement rules constrained their army building and strategic options, leading to a more homogenized gameplay experience. This comprehensive list reflects a broad spectrum of player feedback and concerns about -- I read a lot of the discussions and do find this a really impressive summary! maybe it will help anyone to excerpt and use this feedback to enhance and optimize the great idea of reinforcements. Love this game!
Yes, in my experience gpt is quiet good in understanding text, but quiet unreliable when it comes to quantification and numbers in this context. So i would suggest to use those numbers as an indication only with s spread to factor 0.5 - 1.5 ;) Anyhow - it‘s just another way to show / give support to this great way of asking for feedback…
Maybe there is a fault there anyway. Multiple mentions from the same user... In 434 posts is highly probable.
Still a pretty impressive summary job by the algorithm. I wonder if the result would be different if @Romansky pointed it directyl in the prompt to take possible repeated input from the same user into account.
