ORIGINAL: sitito
I don't want to play anymore
Ok GL
Now aren't you a little ray of sunshine.
What an avalanche this post has caused.
Thanks for all the answers, some of them did seem a bit harsh and elitist, and only one was just plain stupid (see above). But on the other hand I can understand that my OP might have struck some as a bit whiny. It was not supposed to be. Here are some comments from me.
It's not about my ego. Some of the best games I have ever had where those where I have lost, no matter in which game that has been. I can still enjoy this game if I know I will not win. Try to make the best of it. Stay as deep in Russia as long as possible. But as I know it can be won (or can it?) I would like to do that as well
I played some of the "Road to" scenarios, they are good practice, but they don't prepare you for the difficulty of pocketing the large amount of Russians that shows up in the GC.
For me, the big problem is, that I don't really know how to improve. I use infantry to open up the front, follow up with tanks, use hasty attack most of the time and did ok on the Tutorial (Major Victory) and Road to Minsk (1st try draw, second try minor victory). I read about 60 % of the manual, especially the sections on supply etc. but don't fully grasp every concept (support units and how to distribute them for instance). I read the forum A LOT.
Supply and command structure have not been a problem so far in the game except maybe for a short time in turn 4 or 5 where the Panzers outraced the railheads. Now I don't say that this means I should win the GC, but I want to know what I can do to win it.
I will try the Soviets later. But it seems so much easier to play them. Given that they have it much easier in general and that I also have the luxury to play on the defense for at least 50 % of the game, I felt more compelled to try out the Germans. Every AI I have ever seen has had it much more difficult to attack than to defend. I am pretty confident that I could muster a Soviet win on normal (I might be wrong though).
Also, as some correctly identified, I really don't like that the "laws of physics" don't seem to apply to the AI regarding e.g. ZOC. That makes it very hard to calculate what's happening.
Funniest post ever...11 turns in to a 240+ turn game and I'm giving up 'cos I can't win? Sorry - but how does one actually know that 11 turns in to 240 turns? By the way - how can you know this game well enough to tackle the Grand Campaign? I'm not saying new people to the game shouldn't tackle the GC if that's what they want, but to give up saying it's impossible to win if you don't know the game mechanics inside out is also very premature.
It's not that I mind losing that much. But I played almost non-stop a weekend ago, and I don't think it is premature to say that I will lose. I have fallen short of all objectives and the longer the game goes, the Soviets will get only stronger while I will only get weaker, or am I missing something here? Also, I am NOT saying it is impossible to win. I am sure there are much better players around who manage to do so. I would only like to know what I can do better and am having a hard time finding out. It's not my ego. To be honest, I think the thing that put me off most was all of those 50+ units escaping through a two hex hole. That was a real downer.
Buck up soldier!! I couldn't win on WiR the first few times, either. What would Rommel say? WHAT WOULD PATTON SAY?
I got my ass kicked in WIR the first few times too. But I felt I knew what I had done wrong and later easily won. Maybe I am throwing in the towel too fast. Again, it is just hard to know how to improve right now, I just have the feeling I don't have enough troops to win it (again, this seems remarkably historical though).
In response to the OP... If I had plopped down $80 for a monster game on the East Front and 3 days later figured out how to win with only 11 turns under my belt towards a 225 turn scenario, I would be screaming for my money back for being sold a game with such a cheesy AI.
That post had me chuckling a bit. There is lots of truth in it though.
You guys take the OP seriously? Quit the game after 11 turns? Give me a break!
I was not really saying that I was quitting the game for good. The headline was supposed to be a bit of an exaggeration. I basically wanted to know what I could do to improve.
Because if you've read the manual and played the Road To scenarios, then I'm thinking he's got a good grasp of the rules. And I personally think if you have a good grasp of the rules - then you are NOT going to say, in your 11th turn of 240, that there is no way for you to win...and if you are going to say that, then you either haven't got a good grasp of the rules, or you are so uber at the game that you figured that out after 11 turns.
As far as I see it, to win, you either have to severly damage the Soviet army in 1941 (I failed there) or take some vital ground in 1941 (failed there too). So I think it is safe to assume I will not win, or is it?
The important point is: can the AI escape encirclements? If so, is it by design or a bug?
That is something I'd like an answer to. Just to be very clear: I understand that a pocket is only safe after the other side has made its move. It is a sensible design choice. What I am talking about is 50 units escaping a giant pocket through a two hex bottle-neck, completely ignoring ZOC restrictions. The pocket was fully surrounded in my turn, having at least one German unit in every hex and just not being able to close the two hexes on the very top. So: A string of German units, but an opening of two hexes. But there is no way I as a human played could have rescued even half of those units with ZOC and Soviet movement allowances in the Soviet player turn.
And I know it is not going to be an easy answer. One answer of a play tester in this thread suggested that this still happens from time to time and is not supposed to. I that was the case, I think we have the first major bug here. No biggie, as I am very confident it will be fixed. If it is WAD, it is a tough choice to make. Change it, and it might become too easy and no one (no, not even me) would want that. Keep it, and it does feel very cheesy.
