Geographic Battle Variables

Something like this may be too intensive for a web browser game, but I was thinking how geography aside of oceans really doesn't play any sort of a part behind your strategical thinking. One can cross the Sahara with a full stack, cram tanks through the Himalayas (I think, don't play in Eastern Asia ), and pretty much any part of the world is the same flat tableau for one to apply a universal doctrine behind. A tank-massing china can just treat Vietnam the same as fighting in Siberia.

The idea here would be to apply variables to battles and probably movement based on unit type in a given terrain. To keep thing simple, you could probably work with the following. Although in this case such geographics aren't based exclusively on province, and could then change variously in a single region:

"Continental" - Generic mix of plains and isolated woodlands and such. Might be a better term for it but the 'average' places like much of America, Europe, Eastern China and so on. No variables applied to movement or combat.

"Highlands" - places like Afghanistan, Yemen, Himalayas, Ethiopia, Rocky Mountains and so forth. Bonus to infantry (combat & movement?) - especially Militia, penalty to tanks.

"Forested/Jungle" - thick woodland areas like the Congo, Vietnam, Amazon Rainforest and so on. Bonus to infantry (combat or movement or both?), penalty to tanks.

"Desert" - self explanatory. I think maybe a bonus to tanks, penalty to infantry. You could probably lump steppe and desert into the same category.

What this could do is allow for minor states like a Vietnam or a Yemen or an Afghanistan to serve as tougher nuts to crack for the fearsome preponderant powers. You wouldn't be able to just pass your massive tank stack (and you can probably have a milder penalty vs air attack in Highlands/jungle, too) on through without a care in the world.

Alternatively, this could be factored into the Guerilla Warfare mastery. Choosing it could give your infantry a bonus in areas tagged as forested/jungle or highlands.


You could also consider applying variables to decrease any (except air's) unit speed in difficult terrain. So the Sahara would force players to either go naval or down the Nile, or that Himalayas would allow India and China a barrier between one another with isolated choke points, or Italy and the Alps and so on.

Yes please.

The concept has been brought up before but the admins have said that it wouldn't be worth the time it would take to implement.

Ah well, c'est la vie. Think it could be possible to do in a micro form? Really just highland/rugged terrain sort of thing for a place like the Himalayas, South-East Asia, and so on.

Http://afterwind.com/forum/topic.php?topic_id=297

http://afterwind.com/forum/topic.php?topic_id=157&board_page=3

It's a pretty common idea and maybe in the long term something might be done but as ivan says in the second thread it's too difficult at the moment. Thanks for contributing though.

Tempting to sticky this....

Yes, this was one of my first ideas when I first played this game.

While imitating every geographic feature of the world would be impossible, I'd at least like to see it for some key points (The Himalayas especially), as these actually protect nations in reality.

I know it's a modern warfare game set in the late 20th/21st century, but most mountain ranges are still extremely difficult to pass without planes. (And even then, a lot of failures are common)

the Himalayas and the Rockies are the most important ones, imo.