AT Phoenix Open Beta AAR

[Tac2i]

I had not played ATG for at least three or four years, perhaps longer. When I saw the AT Phoenix Open Beta (Rising Dawn) I thought I would try it out. I have also been active in suggesting enhancements, some of which have been adopted. What follows is not so much of an AAR, than an overview of a game of Rising Dawn I just completed. The settings were large map with four players (human and three AI). I enabled, via the game screens, delayed war and NATO counters. Additionally, I chose Map Loop and Stone Age. The weather was set to temperate. Delayed War meant I had at least 2 - 5 turns before one or more AI would declare war on me. Viewing the map at game start I was a bit worried about the long and mostly open border with the French. I felt certain they would declare war on me and perhaps the Chinese. I did not think the Russians would due to our smaller border. In these 1 vs 3 AI games I always hope at least one AI goes to war with another AI. To see the map in detail, right click on it and choose Open in New Tab.

AT Phoenix Open Beta
https://www.matrixgames.com/forums/view ... 5&t=384305

May 1939 - Start of Game

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[Tac2i]

First Tasks:
1) Import my TO&E Template and begin assigning to my units.
2) Create my Corps HQs with an officer attached.
3) Assign units to a HQ
4) Research Machine Gun, Mortar, AT Gun and Armored car (first and second turns)
5) Begin to move combat units to the border areas.
6) Move Engineer units towards RAW and OIL hexes. Consolidate units where possible.
7) Organize production. Assign some cities directly to a nearby HQ.

When war comes, one is likely to get pushed hard. AT guns will be used to blunt armored attacks and my armored cavalry units will conduct counterattacks as necessary. Most of the time a continuous line is a requirement. The AI will drive through any hole in your line. Although the AI is not particularly good at amphibious invasions, they will occasionally pull one off.

Attached is my TO&E Template for Rising Dawn. To use, download and remove the .txt extension.

[Tac2i]

Game main screen. I have added a button that links to this forum and a button that links to my post about "Easy Edits to Modify Your Random Game." I also added a link to the Four Seasons Random Game by Ormand. Note that the version built on Rising Dawn has not been released yet. Your ATG Phoenix Open Beta game screen will not look exactly like this one.

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[Tac2i]

August 1939 - Chinese Regime attacks... right click on screenshot and choose "Open in New Tab' to view it in greater detail.

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[Tac2i]

Game Setup Screens: Regime Settings and Weather Settings are new.

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[Tac2i]

Once you click "Make" you are presented with this screen:

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[Tac2i]

October 1939 - The French regime joins the war:

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[Tac2i]

Once you have started your game, you can open System Options. Note that the autosave save feature has been changed. No longer is there a single 'autosave' file. The game now saves each turn with a unique filename. Personally, I really like this feature.

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[Tac2i]

January 1940: The Russian regime joins the war against New Union. I was not expecting this to happen.

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[Tac2i]

The TO&E Template Designer

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[Tac2i]

Building out your units:

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[Tac2i]

May 1940 - One year into the random game (May 1939 - May 1940):

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[Tac2i]

January 1941 - Russians declare war on the French:

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[Tac2i]

May 1941 - Two Years: the war rages on

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[Tac2i]

May 1942: Three years have passed since the beginning of this game (May 39 - May 42). After over 2.5 years of a slugfest with the Chinese, they have been worn down and I have pushed then back quite a bit. The French, despite being at war with me and the Russians, have valiantly struggled to resist. My drive to split them in half; however, is succeeding. The Russians are also beginning to crumble as they fight both me and the French. The whole war effort has been a challenge managing supply, political points, oil and ore, especially in the early game. As I capture enemy cities, which I use for political points, I shift more of my cities to production of supply and combat formations. As my army grows so does the demand for more supply. As I have only my cities for producing combat units and supply, I rely increasingly on factories for armor units and artillery. Fighting three AI is an exercise in the management of resources.

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[Tac2i]

Production Overview: UI Enhancement

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[Tac2i]

May 1943 - Four years in and victory is in sight. The Chinese on the northeastern front have been defeated. I now plan an amphibious invasion of their nearby territory to the south. Having captured the French capital, they are near total defeat. I am closing in on the Russian capital as I continue to press them hard. I am in full on offensive mode.

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[Tac2i]

November 1943 - Victory: The French are totally defeated. Russian capital captured and driving on their remaining cities. Invaded the Chinese and pushing them from two directions. It was a four-and-a-half-year struggle (about 54 turns). I had fun. This is my all-time favorite wargame. World War II era technology plus the random game generator keeps it interesting. The changes implemented by the Phoenix Team have improved the user interface and somewhat improved the AI. For a game now eleven years old, this is a keeper.

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[Tac2i]

Some of my Corps Commanders

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[Oberst_Klink]

Superb AAR! And just one more thing... My games always seem to start in 1931, not 1939. Any other special mod you're using?

Thanks!

Klink, Oberst