About Soviets

[JudgeDredd]

As Soviets, I had a real kicking by a normal Axis AI. Someone else has posted that, as Axis, they beat a Soviet AI+...convincingly.

I presume people have beaten the Axis AI in this game? Has anyone? If so, which AI? +? ++? Normal?

Just want to find out if Soviets is winnable. I am not looking for an excuse for my loss...I was rubbish. Just want to know that it is balanced in so far as it can be done as Soviets.

[emcgman]

Hey JudgeDredd,

I've swallowed my pride and am playing with the replacement and combat bonuses! [:D]

I am playing with the Russians and am actually winning. It is very fun and rewarding to win.

The really cool thing is that because I have a little extra freedom, I am learning how to move and advance my forces maintaining friendly hex control. This is really important so you can stay entrenched as much as possible. Just moving the front line to Kharkov a hex at a time. This way the counter attack is minimized.

Later, I'll learn how and when to take more chances advancing further when possible.

It's amazing how the AI will move a stack of units and let itself be surrounded in order to stop your advance, when you are tightly organized, entrenched and buffed with all HQ and Minor HQ bonuses.

Once I win overwhelming at this level I will reduce the bonuses a notch until I can win again. This is how I got better at Chess, by cranking up the computer a notch at a time.

I've included a few screenshots.

[emcgman]

Russian Southern Front

Main goal is to pull back, stay organized until Germany takes Barvenkovo, then you retreat all the way to the Izyum forests and rivers.

[Wallenstein]

I have some experience with the SSG games, so usually I can win against the computer at the AI+ settings - in pbem it´s a different story, I keep getting horrible beatings against experts, but I have some pbem buddies where winning and loosing holds the balance.
 
To me the game with default options on seems balanced. I´d say the Soviets need to get in the lead(projected score) with at least 4500 points until the Germans start rolling in the south, otherwise the Germans will turn the score before the finish.
 
As a general rule from my experience I think it is better not to attack with too much speed as there seems plenty of time for both sides to achieve their objectives - A player who manages to soften up targets with artillery, move in for an attack, retreat back into safety + dig in again, and maybe conclude the attack chain with an artillery barrage against retreated units will prevail and conserve his troops. Rushing forward too fast will leave the best offensive units vulnerable for cheap artillery strikes and painful counterattacks - so I also try to put average units on the frontline and leave the better counters two hexes behind - that´s no big deal because motorized units have extremely high movement rates.
 
As Soviets I don´t concentrate too much on Kharkov itself - I simply can´t get in there, so I just keep looking for opportunities to pick of weak or unentrenched Germans with artillery and follow up attacks.  I go for the four objectives south of Kharkov: Borki, Krasnograd, Lannaya and Pereshepino.
Take them, and combined with some dead German units you should have the points lead you need to stay ahead until turn 16.

[emcgman]

Krasnograd.

Notice, there's hardly any German units in sight. There are a few different potentially good plans.

Notice my Cavalry taking over lone towns. Also, check my tank divisions, they could go either way. I'm just starting to think in terms of making feinting moves so that hedgehogged German units might move and then be able to attack them.

Sorry about the crazy size of the screen shots, it's the first time I've ever uploaded any.

I'm just using the Windows Paint program, any tips on how to crop the extra space is appreciated.

[JudgeDredd]

I don't want to be the prophet of doom, emcgman, but that's exactly how I played....stretched right aout towards Krasnograd and just got hammered back...kept hitting my head against a brick wall...ended up retreating all the way back to IZYUM

[emcgman]

JudgeDredd, your voice of prophesy has unfortunately come true. I have failed the motherland! [:D] I lost by 2046 points. And, I played with replacement bonuses and combat roll bonuses.

Witness my failure at Izyum.

[emcgman]

Minor victory at Krasnograd

Stalin spared my life and instead sentenced me to life in the Gulag! [:D]

[emcgman]

Valiant effort at Kharkov. Notice the distinct absence of Russian artillery units! [:D]

[Carl Myers]

Minor victory at Krasnograd

Actually, Lannaya to the WSW is a bit more important. It frees up 3 SW Front divisions. That gives the Soviet player 5 SW Front divisions that can be used to hold the river line at Izyum.

[Toby42]

So, a Soviet Player can't win this game??

[JudgeDredd]

No Treale...a bad Soviet player cannot win as Soviets 

I cannot speak for  emcgman, but I played bad. I know I wasn't optimising my forces.

[Toby42]

I keep vacillating back and forth over this title (K:DoTD) and Commander Napoleon. Everytime I decide which one to buy, I hear something that changes my mind!!! I'm not usually indecisive. It must be the aging....

[Carl Myers]

ORIGINAL: Treale

So, a Soviet Player can't win this game??

Against the AI, don't know since I have not played a game against the AI. probably.

[JudgeDredd]

ORIGINAL: Treale

I keep vacillating back and forth over this title (K:DoTD) and Commander Napoleon. Everytime I decide which one to buy, I hear something that changes my mind!!! I'm not usually indecisive. It must be the aging....

Well, I don't have Commander Napoleon at War. I did have Commander Europe at War, the very same engine being used. I cannot say for sure what NaW is like, but EaW was great. Lacked in some places (strategic AI wasn't the best and lack of AI movement in North Africa was very disappointing), but it was a great game.

This game? I was definitely expecting to be underwhelmed. Instead, I've found myself decidedly fond of the game and actually looking forward to the new scenario due out. The game is very, very good.

As I said, I haven't played C:NaW, but I have played C:EaW which was a great game, but with hindsight, if I had to buy one, knowing what I know now, I would purchase this again.

And by the way, that after paying just over £40 for it...something I haven't done for a computer game in a long time. Computer games and, more recently, strategy games seldom cost me more than £25...and if they do, it's generally because I really, really want it.

I meant to say, I don't really have much weight behind my personal thoughts on a game...I generally buy more games than I can play and they get shelved pretty quickly. Not all, but some. As an example, on a spur of the moment in Game, I just picked up BoAII...you'll probably be able to visit that forum within the next couple of days and see me raving about that! [:D]

[Toby42]

Thanks for the insight JD. I was really leaning towards C:NaW because I have all of the SSG Games on WWII and I was looking for a change of pace. But it sounds like C:NaW has a lot of holes in it, especially with the AI. I'm not familiar with Slitherine and how fast they are to correct things. I know that SSG is very good on this and that K:DoTD is ready to go! Todays my birthday and I need to buy something....[;)]

[JudgeDredd]

Slitherine were very good with patching and explaining things.

That said, if the North Africa problem was fixed, I didn't know about it in the couple or 3 months that I played the game.

It's no real slur on Slitherine about the AI. The AI in any strategic game is inherently difficult to produce. It was adequate for a fight...I was getting beat once the bear was unleashed, but then I have said time and again how bad I am at my chosen hobby!

[Fred98]

ORIGINAL: emcgman

I'm just using the Windows Paint program, any tips on how to crop the extra space is appreciated.

I too use Microsoft Paint to edit screen shots.

Take your mouse and click on the bottom right corner of that white area





Now drag that corner, to the bottom right corner of youre picture





You will soon learn you can also drag those dots at the centre of the lines too!



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[Fred98]

Notise in my avatar, the counter is much larger than in my scren shots above.

In Microsoft Paint, I zoomed in to greater then 100% sand then took another scren shot and then edited that [:)]

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[emcgman]

Joe 98,

Cool, thanks for the clarification. Thanks also for mentioning the avatar, now I can make one, never knew how to do it before.