War in the East Q&A

[elmo3]

ORIGINAL: doktor

Any idea how long the beta testing will last? Just trying to figure out when I have to start stockpiling food for the release

Very tentative release is some time in late Q2 according to Joel.

[PyleDriver]

I think were at late summer now...It's tough because were all working hard to get it better, not perfect, but better...Then there comes beta testing, and more people have more inputs or find quirks...

[Captain B]

Ah yes...late summer. August 31st would be real good....zum Geburtstag!

[rome87]

Any idea on how long ai turns will take to process on average >5min possible?

[Zovs]

It deepens, in 1943 the Soviet AI takes a little longer as it attempts to rip up the German lines. The 1943 German AI can take as little as 1-2 minutes to complete to as long as 3-5 minutes, it's it's attacking.

Humans take far longer, especially as the Soviets and those that want to micromanage things more.

[zbig]

Will there be intelligence briefings in the game? For example, enemy production, morale, commander assignments etc.

[ComradeP]

In his latest AAR, PyleDriver wrote:

The AI cheats in that it sees past the FoW and even into support unit locations...

Can the AI see a breakdown of the TOE of the units it can "see" through the FOW, or will it just know the units are there without knowing what their status is?

That leads me to a question that I forgot to ask the previous time: if you can get good intel on a HQ, can you see which support battalions belong to it?

Edit:

In one of PyleDriver screenshots, a 28mm AT gun is mentioned. If that's supposed to be the sPzB 41, it should be called a heavy anti-tank rifle based on comments made by, I believe, Joel in December that all units would have their historical German names translated to English. Even though the sPzB 41 is indeed basically an effective low calibre AT gun, the Germans called it a heavy AT rifle.

Will there be static heavy FlaK units/rings surrounding the on-map German cities?

[jaw]

ORIGINAL: ComradeP

Can the AI see a breakdown of the TOE of the units it can "see" through the FOW, or will it just know the units are there without knowing what their status is?

That leads me to a question that I forgot to ask the previous time: if you can get good intel on a HQ, can you see which support battalions belong to it?

Edit:

In one of PyleDriver screenshots, a 28mm AT gun is mentioned. If that's supposed to be the sPzB 41, it should be called a heavy anti-tank rifle based on comments made by, I believe, Joel in December that all units would have their historical German names translated to English. Even though the sPzB 41 is indeed basically an effective low calibre AT gun, the Germans called it a heavy AT rifle.

Will there be static heavy FlaK units/rings surrounding the on-map German cities?

Don't quote me on this (no pun intended) but I think the AI knows where eveything is.

No, even with FOW off you can't see what's in an enemy HQ.

The 28mm ATG (sPzB 41) is classified in the game as a light anti-tank gun. This is to prevent the replacement system from using it as either an anti-tank gun or an anti-tank rifle and likewise prevent those weapons from substituting for it. I know it sounds a bit clumsy but it works.

There are static flak guns in German cities.

[jaw]

ORIGINAL: zbig

Will there be intelligence briefings in the game? For example, enemy production, morale, commander assignments etc.

Currently no, the only intel you get is from air recon or the ground combat units themselves and they basically just give you an idea what's out there and how strong it might be.

[ComradeP]

No, even with FOW off you can't see what's in an enemy HQ.

So you can only spot units that are physically on the map, not support battalions? How can the player attack/damage those support battalions, only by attacking the HQ or in regular combat involving those support battalions?

[PyleDriver]

Well you do get some intel of how many they may have if your in the "units attached mode". But those are units that are adjacent with DL (detection levels) above 5...Thats not what hurts, its after you started the battle you start see reserve divisions pour in from the other side. You start to chringe and sweat for 5 seconds...lol...A new addition I've seen is that those reserve units moving to the front could suffer air interdiction...Sweet...

[squatter]

First post from me here following a prolonged period of interested lurking.

Question 1: when we see an artillery unit attached to an HQ, like those German heavy howitzers, what information are we given as to what it is good at? We can clearly see the size and type of the weapons, but other than our assumed knowledge of what these weapons are good for, does the game tell us anything? Will these weapons be better than smaller caliber at reducing fortifications? Or do they just add a number to some sort of overall 'bombard' total. In either case, do we get any information as to what these values might be?

Question 2: Again, regarding HQ support units - are some support units better than others at reacting to combats? For example, might a highly mobile unit like an assault gun battalion be better suited to 'firefighting' than a footslogging security battalion, or static flak, for example.

Question 3: Do support units show a combat value of some sort?

[jaw]

ORIGINAL: squatter


First post from me here following a prolonged period of interested lurking.

Question 1: when we see an artillery unit attached to an HQ, like those German heavy howitzers, what information are we given as to what it is good at? We can clearly see the size and type of the weapons, but other than our assumed knowledge of what these weapons are good for, does the game tell us anything? Will these weapons be better than smaller caliber at reducing fortifications? Or do they just add a number to some sort of overall 'bombard' total. In either case, do we get any information as to what these values might be?

Question 2: Again, regarding HQ support units - are some support units better than others at reacting to combats? For example, might a highly mobile unit like an assault gun battalion be better suited to 'firefighting' than a footslogging security battalion, or static flak, for example.

Question 3: Do support units show a combat value of some sort?

1. Combat is performed in a series of rounds beginning at long range and getting progressively closer so the present of heavy artillery increases the chance that some combat will occur at ranges beyond that of most of the other weapons. If you have the edge in long range guns you'll inflict more damage at long range. As for firepower two things influence that most, the caliber of the weapon and the rate of fire. Big guns put big holes in the ground but this is offset by lower rates of fire. The "sweat spot" tends to be the medium caliber weapons that dominate the divisional artillery suites. The really heavy stuff is great at getting in an early shot but not all that effective as combat range closes in. As for reducing fortifications, it is a question of sheer firepower so the more metal you can put on the target (all those extra artillery battalions at corps level) the better.

2. No, it is the HQ not the support unit that is doing the reacting. The support units are not physically in any particular place on the battlefield when they are committed to support a unit. The support procedure is an abstraction that assumes if a support unit is committed to a battle it automatically had to be nearby. This is why you can't destroy support units by attacking their headquarters (forcing it to re-deploy). They are not really "there".

3. Yes, but it is usually a meaningless "1".

[jaw]

In the latest version with FOW off you can see the type and number of units attached to an HQ but it is generic icons your seeing so for example you would know the HQ has attached artillery but not the calibers. I haven't played this version yet so I don't know if you get any of this info with FOW on.

[Neal_MLC]

After reading the AARs and several other threads there is no doubt that I will be purchasing this game when it is available. My questions is how much will it cost? I have set aside$100.00 for this game. Is this a reasonable amount or could it be more?

[MarcA]

When a division is broken down into regiments is there any penalty associated with it? How does it deal with combining a sub-unit which is heavily fatigues in comparison with the other sub units of the division?

[PyleDriver]

It sucks, the lowest mp of the division is the mp you get when combining the whole division's mp's. So if one regiment is 8 and the others is 16 they all are 8....

[squatter]

Following up on support units...

I'm interested what strategies there are for use of support units.

Are some suited better to supporting attacks rather than supporting defences?

From what you've said about the use of heavy howitzers like the German 305mm for example, is there anything in the game that means they are better suited to static siege operations, rather than used as support for a panzer corps breakthrough? From what I understand so far, I'm not sure the game is modelling the proper roles for these specialist units.

Another example - are engineer/pioneer battalions more useful attacking prepared positions than they are in defence, or do they contribute the same combat value to both?

In Pyledrivers current AAR for example, is there any other reason that he had grouped all his heavy pieces for the seige of Sevastopol, other than that's what happened historically?

And one last question: the presence of support units doesnt slow an HQ down in the movement phase? So you could have an HQ with a bunch of ultra-heavy howitzers attached, moving nimbly through holes in the enemy line in support of fast, deep panzer army penetrations?

[jaw]

ORIGINAL: squatter

Following up on support units...

I'm interested what strategies there are for use of support units.

Are some suited better to supporting attacks rather than supporting defences?

From what you've said about the use of heavy howitzers like the German 305mm for example, is there anything in the game that means they are better suited to static siege operations, rather than used as support for a panzer corps breakthrough? From what I understand so far, I'm not sure the game is modelling the proper roles for these specialist units.

Another example - are engineer/pioneer battalions more useful attacking prepared positions than they are in defence, or do they contribute the same combat value to both?

In Pyledrivers current AAR for example, is there any other reason that he had grouped all his heavy pieces for the seige of Sevastopol, other than that's what happened historically?

And one last question: the presence of support units doesnt slow an HQ down in the movement phase? So you could have an HQ with a bunch of ultra-heavy howitzers attached, moving nimbly through holes in the enemy line in support of fast, deep panzer army penetrations?

I think you are misunderstanding how the combat system works. All units have a combat capability based on the ACTUAL weapons they are equipped with. Some of these weapons are better in some combat situations than in others but it has to do with the combat situation itself rather than whether the unit is part of an offensive or defensive action. To use the example of combat engineers you cite above, they are equipped with short range weapons like flamethrowers and/or explosive charges. They will always be more effective fighting in dense terrain like an urban area than on the open steppe whether they are part of an attack or defense.

As for your question does lots of heavy artillery slow an HQ down the answer is no because the support units do not "physically" move with the HQ. Support units are "attached" to the HQ by which we mean they're in its chain of command but they are spread out in space and time over the entire area the HQ is controlling. You could attach heavy artillery to a panzer corps but unless it is conducting the kind of combat operations where heavy artillery is useful you are just wasting the assets.

[ComradeP]

As movement speed is less of an issue with 1 week turns, what's the main difference between regular (horsedrawn/towed) artillery and self-propelled artillery in game terms, either when part of a division or added as support units?