Install guide by Gijose
A&S users guide
Polish language localization by rer1rer1
Keep in mind, installing and uninstalling the mod will kick unit cards out of your existing decks in the armory due to the changes in availability slots. Export copies of your decks or make a back up of your WG Profile if you want to get around this.
Discord link:
https://discord.gg/r6hDryZ
The 2.47 version is now available for download.
v2.47 download: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B51d- ... UZ5RjAtdGc
v1.x legacy version download: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B51d- ... UQ1X3N5WFU outdated
You'll need the DLC's if you want to play with the Israeli, Indian, UANSUAR and Yugoslav units, but this version won't crash if you have DLC units in your decks.
Points of interest to check out;
Helos now all have medium stealth or better, unless they're very large in size
Top end SAMs are now very damaging and very accurate, but very slow; they'll one shot any non-armored aircraft, but are dodgeable if you spot the missile in time. I'm doing this to move away from the 'Acquisition RADAR' attempt of approximating the panic inducing nature of flying in unfriendly skies, and transferring that experience to you, the player. Top tier SAMs should now worry the shit out of you. Plan accordingly. (This one is going to be tricky to get right; too slow and they never score a hit, too fast and you can't readily avoid them)
This should also make SPAAG terrifying. A stunned plane is very likely a dead plane now.
Approximate progress guide:
Core unit changes:
Logistics tabs: 99% Complete
Infantry tabs: 95% Complete
Armor tabs: 99% Complete
Support tabs: 95% Complete
Vehicle tabs: 99% Complete
Helo tabs: 99% Complete
Air tabs: 99% Complete
Naval tabs: 99% complete
By 'Core unit changes' I mean Unit name, card icon, weapons, ammo and basic stats like armor, hit points, speed and autonomy.
Most nations have their finalized units by now, with the occasional hold out that I've either fogotten about or don't know what to do about.
There will then need to be a lot of fine tuning for balance; points cost, number of cards, units per card and deck specialization.
Damage system overhaul
For Ash and Shadows v2.0 I've made a considerable overhaul to the damage system. Allow me to demonstrate with graphs
Classic damage curve for AP22
New Damage curve for AP22
Additionally, the damage rise with reduced range to target had been halved. previously it was a 1 pt increase per +175m closer to the target, now it's +1pt per 350m.
This also couples with more HP for units;
IFV's and light tanks: 15HP
Medium tanks: 20HP
Heavy tanks: 24HP
Super-heavies: 28HP
Super-survivable Superheavies: 30HP
I've given across the board buffs to vehicles that had Armor values below 12-15 (improving the armor values of most IFV's) and raised the AP values of most KE weapons by 1. As an approximate rule, tanks now carry a weapon with an AP 1 higher than the frontal armor of a target of equivalent role and era, where-as previously, comparable tanks typically had a parity of AP and frontal armor.
Ok, so what does that mean?
1) Hits-to-kill should feel approximately the same for medium tanks. Heavy tanks will feel a little more survivable, while superheavies get about 50% tougher while still being vulnerable to weaker weapons in large numbers (unlike previously where most non-superheavy opponents couldn't do damage to them at all)
2) Under-powered KE weapons will no longer be so useless when used en-mass on heavy targets.
Previously, KE weapons stopped doing damage above AP = Target armor. Now, when AP = AR you'll be doing 2.5 dmg, 2 dmg when AP is one lower, 1dmg when 2 lower, and 0.5dmg when 3 lower
3) The low end of the KE chart is now a little more viable. As a result I'll be able to add in some anti-material sniper rifles and give 12.5mm and 14.7mm HMG's an AP of 1 (M2's, DshKs and NSVT's) Medium tanks will rule over IFV's, but IFV's will still be able to do significant damage to mediums at close range, especially from the sides and rear with the improvements to auto-cannons and HMG's.
Fights between IFV's should also be more interesting, with auto-cannons and HMG's all being viable weapons against targets with Armor values 4-10.
Hummer's and similar armored cars can get upgraded to armor 1 without suddenly becoming OP, and being desirable over armor 0 due to their improved survivability against HMG's.
4) Top attack weapons have been given their own special part of the HEAT damage table. I've been able to put in a different damage curve for this region, so cluster munitions in particular will be useful against the toughest super-heavies, without becoming stupidly OP vs all other targets. They'll still mince top armor 0 targets however.
5) HEAT weapons will have a slight damage advantage over KE weapons of the same AP when AP = target armor, +/-1. KE weapons are then the most efficient choice when AP is 2-10 points higher than target armor. HEAT then becomes more efficient again once AP exceeds target armor by more than 10.
Given that most tank guns will have AP in the range of 18-26, they're best employed against the sides of heavy tanks with armor values around 8 to 16 or against medium tanks in general. HEAT weapons with an AP above 20 will be most efficient against the Frontal armor of heavy tanks, or the rear armor of anything. Infantry LAW's with AP 16 or below will still damage and stun heavies (especially en mass) but really only intended for knocking out IFV's, light armor and medium tanks.
you can view the full set of damage table changes here
Unrelated to damage table changes:
I'm making all SPAAG non-radar. Their battlefield utility just wasn't high enough with the radar trait, they are just too easy to pick off with SEAD. Consequently, they're hardly ever taken and are rarely utilized in their intended role.
Upcoming cnages to the DLC nations
Israel
Israel will be about the least changed of the recent DLC nations. They're getting the standard armory time-period adjustment, and that's about it.
The Merkava Mk IV and the Merkava IV Meil Ruach ('wind breaker' or 'wind coat'), the APS equipped Merkava are probably the most recognizable. A few changes to infantry unit names to get rid of the '90's' names. Infantry tab will be getting more Tavors, Negevs and Galils. Air tab will get a couple of tweaks, but its pretty competitive already.
Holland --> India
As a bluefor nation, with a lot of Redfor Kit. Should be interesting.
India will be getting the Su-50MKI, an export version of the PAK-FA (it's current R&D designation, which I should really change to Su-50 in game) Plus Su-30MKI's, a few other Migs and F-16's. Tank section will be mostly all Russian exports with a pair of home-grown Arjuns. Infantry section is fairly well fleshed out. A mix of Isralie and homegrown infantry weapons. They've got a couple of home-grown helos too.
Vehicle tab will need a bit of work.
Yugoslavia
Some updates based on what the serbians developed 1996-2016. Degman tanks and T-84D's. No new Air-craft, but they came out with a few things I can fire in the vehicle tab.
Finland --> UANSUR
A big blob of various south american nations together. Alternate history where communist guerrillas gained a better strangle-hold over south american politics and things like operation condor had some nasty blow-back for NATO.
Should retain a lot of finland-unit feel. Light and fast units, a focus on medium tanks over heavy ones. Nations like Peru and Venezuela contribute to a solid air-tab. F-16's, Mig 29's and Su-30's. Hind's from Venezuela and Brazil as well.
Steam group:
http://steamcommunity.com/groups/WGAAS
Some thanks:
EUGEN
- For actually developing the game.
ENOLKA
- Making the Mod Suite.
VASTO
- For making all those tutorials
NARCISSISTIC BLACK
-I flat out copied half your 'thanks' list
SHIFU
- For all the organized help guides
ALB:NOOB
- For tips and advice
Contributors ;Rex88, Cyan
- For assorted unit suggestion
I've also been reading a lot of various forum posters on their thoughts on game balance, although I forget exactly who.
So, the mod.
Wargame: Ash and Shadows
Ash and Shadows is a mod featuring an increased prevalence of stealth units (according to the W:RD gameplay trailer, its pronounced 'Steeelth'), adjusted unit balance, changes to radar AA and SEAD and a time-frame moved forward to 2015.
Invisible morale beams:
Don't send me bug reports when your planes seem to panic for no reason; long ranged radar AA now has 'acquisition radar' set up as a weapon that will cause morale damage, stun and occasionally cause critical damage to aircraft. (occasionally critical hits will cause fires and 1pt of damage to a unit, can't get around this yet)
Additionally, some SEAD aircraft have Jamming suites that plink SAM launchers in the same way, stunning them and eroding their morale. Also works on ships.
2015 unit choices:
I've styled this mod as a future that could have been; it's not our 2015, its the 2015 that follows on from what was more or less WW3 from 1984-1990. In the previous two games we saw the Soviets invade Europe, Scandinavia and then Japan, China and Russia turn on each other, a second Korean war and a bunch of smaller conflicts.
In the wake of that, Weapons projects that never made it today had the faults ironed out of them, and 'Defunded due to the end of the cold war' wasn't a thing that happened.
East and West Germany will have unified however. And some current NATO derived weaponry of Poland and the Czech republic will
have to be assumed to have been developed along parallel lines or acquired by reverse engineering.
I've tried to find differing ways to balance the two sides, for example, the US takes the stealth route for its ASF's, Soviets go for less stealthy platforms with stand-off AA missiles so they are more able to remain under the umbrella of their own ADN. US goes for Stealthy Helos, Soviets go for high speed helos.
I'm planning to re-do East-Germany altogether and replace them with REDMED, A Pan-African league with one or two extras. Basically a collection of Pro-Soviet nations who border the Mediterranean and historically, sided with the Soviets: Lybia, Egypt, Syria, Jordan and Yugoslavia, or at least, Yugoslavian tanks that the other nations picked up after the Balkan wars.
Spoiler : older v1.x 1st post :
Out of date list of updates from v1.x
Bluefor
ANZACs
Spoiler : :
CAN
Spoiler : :
DEN
Spoiler : :
FR
Spoiler : :
GER
Spoiler : :
JAP
Spoiler : :
NOR
Spoiler : :
ROK
Spoiler : :
SWE
Spoiler : :
UK
Spoiler : :
US
Spoiler : :
Redfor
CHI
Spoiler : :
Czech
Spoiler : :
POL
Spoiler : :
USSR
Spoiler : :
NK
Spoiler : :
