Alpha AAR - A year at the front with Field Marshal Noob

[karonagames]

End of August: Losses.

[karonagames]

End of August: OOB.

[karonagames]

Any Questions, or anything you would like illustrating in more detail?

[SGHunt]

How much detail do you go into in managing your air units?

S

[ComradeP]

I'm not sure those brave troops from 18th Army considered that to be a probing attack. Ouch, those defenses look massive. Question remains which of those Soviet forces are actually in the hex and how long their supplies will last, as they have a huge pile of troops to supply from 1 port. You'll need the Luftwaffe next time.

What's surprising is that there were no (independent) Soviet artillery units involved in the attack. I would've guessed the Soviets would've piled artillery into the area by now.

The central part of the map looks like it can't really be defended, unless the line's really deep. That terrain near the Crimea looks really good from a defensive perspective, though. The Axis need to cross two minor rivers and two major rivers, one of which is bordered by swamps, and the peninsula has a very narrow access point. Crafty Soviet players should be able to make the life of an Axis player miserable in that area.

[karonagames]

@von Jaeger. For this test, I micromanaged the air much less than in previous games, as Joel and Pavel needed to see certain results fairly quickly. For the first turn I always micro-manage the airfield bombing, to get the maximum benefit from SU disorganisation. I should have micro-managed air supply much more in this test, to compensate for the supply shortages that occurred.

@ Comrade P. The defence of Leningrad has raised many issues regarding the AI, in particular it's lack of use of support units such as sappers and artillery. In H2H the SU support units can neutralise the effect of the axis support units.

Neither a human nor the AI can build the "perfect" defence in depth along the whole line at this point of the game, so you see a great game of Cat and mouse develop as each side chooses different areas to concentrates attacks and defences.

My "Flying" corps of motorised brigades allowed me to do the best I've done in all my tests so far in the south, as you will see in the next month or two. Prior to this I have really struggled to make good progress here.

[ComradeP]

Did you remove the Soviets from the Hanko Peninsula (the hex to the southwest of Helsinki) in Finland or were they evacuated? In Stuart's AAR they're still there at a time when they were no longer there in your game.

[Joel Billings]

IIRC, this game was started/played before we fixed the problem with the Soviet AI that was preventing it from building a lot of support units. Basically once it ran out of it's manpower reserves, it stopped building support units (so after the first few turns). I haven't confirmed it yet, but the change/fix should have had a big impact in getting the Soviets to build more support battalions.

[Pipewrench]

couple of questions if you have the time

how long does it take to plan and enter in your average turn?

how long does it take for the AI and the execution of movement and combat for the average turn?

are orders issued in a corps or army group specific cycle where you select the parent and funnel thru the units attached until all orders are filled?

thanks for the great read by the way...[:)]

all these AAR's are forcing me to pull up the website within a 1/2 hour from getting home from work. The way that all the tutorials are being presented is a great way to present the game and provide hints on beginning strategies for new players. It would make a great link if some aar's were linked with game scenerio's when everything is said and done.

again , thanks are given out to all who are giving us a glimpse at alpha. makes me feel like a kid again on christmas eve , waiting for the morning and so far knowing that there will be no coal in my stocking....

[karonagames]

@ComradeP. Hanko was taken by force using the german division that starts in Finland.

@ Joel. I started this game on 12th June, and finished around 22nd June. I have tried to point out the changes that I know have been made since, and at the end of the AAR I will give an assessment of how different the game will be between the version I played and the version we have now. I look forward to testing the 1941 Campaign again when you have finished tormenting me with more Blizzard testing! [;)]

@ pipewrench. Thank you very much for your comments. The average time for an Axis turn is about 1.5 hours, depending on the season and whether you are on the offensive or defensive. The first turn is always a monster - taking me 3-5 hours. Summer turns take about 2 hours, snow turns 1-2 hours and blizzard and mud can take less than an hour. AI turns will vary according to PC specs, but for me defensive turns take the PC about 10-15 mins, Blizzard turns where the AI is attacking take 30-40 mins to process.

WITE does not use the WIR "order" system. The movement/combat system it uses is probably nearer to the Panzer General system, so you have freedom as to what you move and when you move it. From looking at the other AARs it looks like each tester has his own methods, but I tend to start at the back, using units furthest from the front first, then leave the Motorised/armoured units until last so they can exploit any gaps opened up by the infantry - pretty much like the actual historical doctrines.

Tutorials are high on the agenda at the moment, and the "Alpha" version I have seen looks very good. But we do hope that the different AAR's produced before release will help with the learning process.

As noted in other threads, most of the testers are quite experienced (meaning old!)gamers, and we see WITE as something very, very special and we find it hard to contain our enthusiasm at times. I hope the AAR's produced before launch show how good the game is even at alpha and that you will be able to see how much better it will get by the time you all get your hands on it.

[Pipewrench]

thanks for your detailed response especially with all the balls in the air trying to tweak the alpha into beta stage..[:)]. Again , very good narration and a true story-line I can enjoy.

[karonagames]

End of Turn 12: The end is nigh for Leningrad. As well as the support issue that Joel has pointed out is being addressed, I think the AI needs some scripting help - in von Jaeger's game and in mine, the hex north of the river (Where my pz div is) has been badly defended. I think you should feel a sense of achievement if you do something that wasn't achieved historically - with Leningrad I feel that I have captured it a little too easily. It took 6 divisions, 8 artillery battalions and 8 pioneer battalions to capture the Leningrad hex south of the river - although the Soviets sent 2 divisions from the reserves it was not enough to save the city.

[karonagames]

End of turn 12: It was 3rd Panzer Group's turn to be starved of fuel this turn, but 2nd Panzer Group used it's supply allocation to push 30 miles nearer the Soviet capital.

[karonagames]

End of turn 12: The Soviets fall back in front of Kursk allowing 2nd Army to advance 40 miles with limited combat.

[karonagames]

End of Turn 12: 1st Panzer Group bypasses Poltava on the way to Kharkhov, while threatening to create another pocket.

[karonagames]

End of turn 12: The Bridgehead over the Dnepr is expanded slightly, but getting supplies across a river and through swamps is a nightmare. The Rail Repair unit (0-1 unit Far left of screen) can repair 3-4 hexes per turn

[karonagames]

End of Turn 13: The port receiving the supplies for Leningrad is now in German hands, so the brave defenders of Leningrad are now totally isolated and soon the Finns will take over the administration of the city and join up with their comrades who will now be able to advance beyond the Svir River.

[karonagames]

End of turn 13: 2 Panzer groups will soon be joined by a third that will be redeployed from its great victory at Leningrad. Surely this will be enough capture the Soviet capital before the rain starts to fall? Ominously, the first enemy Guards unit is identified.

[karonagames]

End of turn 13: The SS breakthrough corps has crossed the river in front of Orel and should now outflank the city on the way to Tula. 2nd Army continues its advance on Kursk almost unopposed.

[karonagames]

End of turn 13: 16th Panzer is a shadow of its former self and should be taken out of the line for a refit, unfortunately I can't afford to do this at the moment, when the road to Kharkhov is wide open.