noob help for starting 1941

[king171717]

Okay, I am starting a brand new full campaign. Ill try a couple years ago and it was a little much for me. Now i have study the forums, AAR and i have watch the marauderPL war in the east series. That is the best video on the game, so much insight compared to other youtube video's. I learnt so much!

Now i am a bit worried about having the right difficulty when playing this as I dont want it to be too easy. I dont want to be gamey and take advantage of every little thing. Like moving FBD down south to go thru Romania, or replacing Halder at the start of the campaign, etc.

I'm a ww2 buff that can never get enough german vs russian ww2 info. So i really want to play and finish a game like this. Always wanted to from a younger age. i have played decisive campaign barbarossa and love it. ill install all the graphic mods too, lol.

So what difficuly level should i do? I was think of going all 100's for me and 115 for the AI Soviets but keeping fort at 100. I was thinking CV better math, soviets attack plus one. Playing with FOW, Lock HQ, NON random weather, and full blizzard Effect.

[king171717]

okay starting a new game tonight!!

here are my settings

morale 100 to 120
fort 100 to 110
Log 100 to 120
transport 100 to 120
admin 100 to 120

cv mode better CV Math
Soveits combat attack plus 1
full blizzard
non random weather
lock HQ support
fog of war on

[Telemecus]

ORIGINAL: king171717
Okay, I am starting a brand new full campaign. Ill try a couple years ago and it was a little much for me. Now i have study the forums, AAR

One recomended resource is tm.asp?m=4601253

It is probably the most comprehensive everything you need to know about the game as Axis guide - but it does contain all the advanced techniques too.

I think we have discussed Halder and the FBDs elsewhere! [:D] Clearly it depends on what is your view of what is acceptable and not. You should remember though that a lot of rail will be repaired automatically by units other than FBDs. So even if you move an FBD to Rumania, that does not mean rail repair is not taking place out of Poland there, only that it repairs at a slower rate.

BTW the lock HQ support option in the game options does not really matter. You and the AI can lock and unlock HQs at will as the game goes on - it is just the setting it gives to HQs at the start of turn 1.

[king171717]

ya i came across that guide on google last night!! And wow the detail and info is amazing!!! I still have to read it all.

O really, thats cool! I might have to try and find it. Ya true hey.

Okay good to know. If i play with HQ Lock, the AI will still add support but it wont move it around unless I unlock it manually?

The settings i started with might to high. The soviets definitely have higher def values. Like RIGA having a value of 52 being a lot harder to take with 2 panzer divisions. And it seems i cant penetrate as far. but im a noob lol.

So i might drop down from 120's to 110's and forts to 105.

Thanks for the info bro! i appreciate it!!!

[Zug]

For a first go at the GC I'd recommend leaving all values at default with Soviet +1, FoW off, full blizzard and locked HQs.

FoW off so you learn more. For any subsequent playthroughs then turn it back on, as it's a better game this way. But the insight you gain with one run with it off is valuable, at least in my view. And after doing one default run you'll know where you wish to give the AI help. Perhaps this would be too easy? I don't know. But for a first run I think that isn't necessarily a bad thing, as mistakes won't be punished so severely and you can reach your objectives and see how it all plays out.

I like to replace Halder with Kluge for what it's worth

I don't think sending a FBD to Romania is gamey, just using your assets as you see fit, no different than sending 2nd Panzer north or south of the Pripyat marshes really. The Ukraine is vast and you'll need your rails supporting your drive beyond the Dnepr. One repair unit makes this a chore. Even with two it rarely feels sufficient until you stop for the winter.

Edit: And I'd recommend a 260-point campaign as the first go, then a 290-point one with FoW on for a second. 260 points is roughly Leningrad-Moscow-Voronezh-Rostov and just a bit beyond, like Yaroslavl and Ivanovo. Makes for a good first run, and gives you something a little different to look forward for a second run.

And better CV math as well.

[joelmar]

My 2 cents from not so distant experience...

The AI is a very poor opponent with whatever settings. It has not much to do with the power of the units but with the placement and dispositions of his defenses.

One thing the AI doesn't do much that a human will is create solid walls 2 to 3 hexes deep on the main lines of advance. Instead it will disperse his units in checker patterns not really well disposed, creating all kinds of holes in his lines that you will be tempted to use to create far reaching pockets. And he usually isn't very good at attacking your pocket walls, even with the +1.

A few times in my games against it, it disposed strong concentrations of troops in non-important places and left cities open! In one game I took Kiev on the second turn without a fight... things like that. In another I cleared the board of his units. Litteraly. So of course, you'll destroy it this way, and it's OK if that's what you're after, but remember a human won't play like that and using this kind of play against a human is bound to failure.

So I would advise you to think more in terms of lines of advance to reach precise objective instead of going for every holes you see in his lines. Make an habit to concentrate at the Schwerpunkt where it should be if you were playing the Soviets.

[king171717]

I figured i would give the AI some help by raising there stats from 100 to maybe 110, 120 since they may put units in the wrong spots. 120 seems like a huge buff to the stats tho. does FOW off mean i have det 10 on everything, like i see all the stats. Or i see the loction of all there units. Cuz i can use recon to find units when advancing.

Ya Kluge has better stats that forsure.

I hear ya. It just seems like in real life u would be extending your own lines at lot going that south thru Romania instead of poland. (Thats all) In the game u do get better supply lines thru Romania.

Thats the 260ALT VC260?

YA!

[king171717]

O man dont ruin the game for me. i am a totally Noob at this. I just hope they dont leave major citys like Kiev and that open for me!

[joelmar]

ORIGINAL: king171717

lol... sorry, I was you a few months back. And I did play the AI quite a bit and learned a lot from it. I just tell you what I would have liked to be told before I started because I paid for it when I started my first game against a human.

It just seems like in real life u would be extending your own lines at lot going that south thru Romania instead of poland

Don't hesitate, do it. And take the Brest-Litovsk FBD there too, you don't need a line on the north part of the marshes. The FBD's are calculated for it with all the nerfs of the patches. If you don't you will be hopelessly late and you will have problems keep up with the historical schedule. I know, been there done that. And by the time you manage to get your FBD in Romania (not possible on the first turn), your spearheads will be farther than that.

[Telemecus]

ORIGINAL: king171717
does FOW off mean i have det 10 on everything, like i see all the stats. Or i see the loction of all there units. Cuz i can use recon to find units when advancing.

Yes. FoW off you see absolutely everything!

That does not mean detection levels are 10 - they will be low still. You can use recon to raise detection levels to 5 for airbases, and for other units to 4 in the clear and 1 or 2 elsewhere. The higher detection levels are for the enemy the more effective are your attacks against them. As well as raising detection levels there are many other things you can still use recon for.

But in terms of just seeing the enemy - you can see everything they have everywhere whatever their detection level and with no recon.

[Zug]

Yes, FoW off lets you see all enemy counters. Perhaps that's going too far for some players, but since this is a first attempt I think it's a valuable teaching tool, showing the player how the AI goes about prosecuting the war. I found it so anyway. As I said, the game is better with FoW on of course, but in a sense it gives you an idea of what you're up against, how the AI moves its pieces (which can vary wildly from run to run).

In the first campaign I played, the Soviet AI built up a sizable force in the Crimea. I had decided to ignore Sevastopol and sealed off the exits with our erstwhile allies, the Italians and Romanians, who dug in. The AI had amassed 4 or 5 field armies there, along with an air corps. When the winter counteroffensive struck, these forces smashed against these blocking forces, but couldn't break through (thank the stars), and suddenly withdrew. With FoW off I would not have known where they went, which is a good thing gameplay-wise. Uncertainty and well, the fog of war, are vital elements of wargames. But with FoW off I saw how they withdrew, how and where they redeployed, and it is one more tidbit of information that will factor in to 'proper' runs with FoW on.

Anyway, just a suggestion to help speed along the learning curve for what is a very detailed and deep grand operational wargame.

[Beria]

I played my first game with fog of war off - and it was a valuable learning experience. If you can also get an experienced player to play against you with FoW off, as I did, that is even more valuable.

[Zug]

Thats the 260ALT VC260?

Yes. I think it's a good one for a first go, and by the time you win this one you'll be itching to give the whole thing another go to correct your mistakes or to try things you didn't the first time. Then do a 290-point one with FoW on, or that's my advice.

With a 290-point campaign you get to do a second summer of blitzkreig

[king171717]

thanks bros for the input!! u forsure have me thinking about doing it with FOW off. It seems like i should almost just do that and do straight 100 difficulty across the board. But i guess if i play on a easier difficulty level i can not worry about making mistakes. (As that always bugs me.) Im just worried what if i only play it once. finishing this game is forsure on my bucket list. I remember playing HOI 2 back in the day (like 10ish years ago) and being disappointed with the invasion of Russia and how easy it was.

Ya higher Detention levels basically mean more effective attacks! I learnt from maruaderPL to raise the airbases to 5 to see what aircraft they have in them. By moving divisons next to other divisions u raise the det as well right? How many times can u click recon without starting to lose them as operational losses?

Noob question, when attacking u want a 3 to 1 CV odds? i been going by that rule. Also the game doesnt seem to daunting to me anymore

I am getting excited to actual start the real one!! lol be doing the same of the easy scenario's and test runs.

[Zug]

If you only play once then FoW on will probably give you the better experience. But I think you'll play more than once

For me I played Road to Smolensk several times until I could gain a decisive victory then jumped in to the main campaign. I avoided the others, like Leningrad and Kiev so those operational challenges were still new to me. But I had plenty of practice with AGC's opening moves.

I wrote an AAR of sorts about the whole thing on a different site. If interested you can check it out here (SimHQ.com).

First campaign AAR

[joelmar]

ORIGINAL:king171717
...being disappointed with the invasion of Russia and how easy it was.

You will find it very easy too in WitE. You really need to play a human opponent to get the satisfaction [:)]

Noob question, when attacking u want a 3 to 1 CV odds? i been going by that rule. Also the game doesnt seem to daunting to me anymore

2 vs 1 odds are what is needed. You can deduce it from the CV's on the units, but these are really calculated in combat, and it might change a lot depending on the involved units morale, exp, SU's action, fort level, leader ratings die rolls and so on. So what looks like a 1:1 attack Axis vs Soviet might end up with 10:1 final ratio. And what looks like a 4:1 attack might end up with a 1:3 result. But that means you had very bad luck in all the dice rolls involved in the battle. Anyhow, you'll get a feel for it and on average should get consistant results.

Also, don't expect a 6 CV brigade to win a battle against a 1 CV stack of 2 infantry divisions... that doesn't happen often, in fact, I've never seen it!

[king171717]

ya going with FOW on just in case this is my sole game i play.

I am just so slow at this types of games. I always want to move the division to the right spot etc. Altough looking again at the AAR, they are people who are pretty new playing against other players. So i should just go for it lol

Pretty cool AAR u have there man!

[king171717]

thanks bro!! i was going 3to1 and was having some crazy odds in my fav. def like the 2v1 to know when i can use the hasty attack!!

[joelmar]

ORIGINAL: king171717
thanks bro!! i was going 3to1 and was having some crazy odds in my fav. def like the 2v1 to know when i can use the hasty attack!!

My pleasure One point to remember though is that hasty attacks only use half the CV displayed on the counters. Also, if you assign a SU to an HQ in a turn, and you move that HQ and then do an hasty attack, the SU's assigned won't be used. That is to model the time it takes for the SU's to get to their assignment posts and to take their marks.

[king171717]

O cool! didnt know that about the SU and hasty attack like that!