First game on hard difficulty

[fuselex]

Have been playing the scenarios on normal difficulty up till tonight .
Still getting to grips with all the rules
Decided it may be time just to play a couple of scenarios on the hard difficulty.
It was a very pleasant shock , maybe I didn't have control of every unit all the time , but it really showed the
importance of leaders , not just for their fire modifiers , but their positioning .
The moral of a unit all of a sudden becomes something to really take into account ie- I thought the Americans where
a little overpowered with the 6 firepower , 6 range , but now the 6 morale starts to come into play , A 7 or 8 morale
unit can operate by itself more reliably .
The hard difficulty setting has really added another dimension to the game.

[UP844]

Using C&C limits the omniscience of the human players and enhances realism by providing more tactical flexibility to the side with the better leader/squad ratio. It also means, sometimes, that your perfectly placed HMG won't fire to a juicy enemy stack moving in the open because it's OOC, but that's fine for me: we, as players, have a perfect knowledge of the battlefield that no field commander has never had.

Yesterday I tried controlling a bunch of Russians in "The Hedgehog of Piepsk": the Russians have 32 squads (50% 1st line, 50% conscripts) with just three leaders (a B* and two C). I briefly considered a two-prong attack, but after the first turn I realized the only viable tactical option was an all-out charge (screaming "Hurrah!", of course). I spent the first four turns positioning for the big assault and recovering stragglers from the rear area (when leaders themselves were not OOC [:(]) and none of my leaders ever directed a fire attack: they were much too busy with controlling their troops!

[fuselex]

I really think it just adds so much more to the game by adjusting the difficulty lvl ,I think there was a post from peter saying the scenarios are designed for hard difficulty ,
First night I have tried it and already there is no going back to normal difficulty .
Played barkmann`s corner scenario on normal , thought I did reasonably well to survive , Then someone (and forgive me for not remembering) commented the 1 panzer went OOC on the first turn
That alone could have totally changed the game
Please don`t get me wrong but that's exactly what I want

[Peter Fisla]

ORIGINAL: fuselex

I really think it just adds so much more to the game by adjusting the difficulty lvl ,I think there was a post from peter saying the scenarios are designed for hard difficulty ,
First night I have tried it and already there is no going back to normal difficulty .
Played barkmann`s corner scenario on normal , thought I did reasonably well to survive , Then someone (and forgive me for not remembering) commented the 1 panzer went OOC on the first turn
That alone could have totally changed the game
Please don`t get me wrong but that's exactly what I want

The AI was built in mind using Command and Control rules, meaning HARD difficulty (both the AI and the human player plays with Command & Control rules).

To make it ever more challenging for the human player, VERY HARD difficulty is provided (AI units are always in Command but the Human player plays with Command and Control Rules).

During beta testing, some testers wanted to have NORMAL difficulty without C&C control rules for both AI and human player - to test and balance user created scenarios vs the AI. The ASL Solitaire module was an inspiration to me when I wrote the C&C rules. I very much enjoy the game playing on HARD setting, from my point of view; because it better portrays the WW2 battlefield situations.

[Simulacra53]

The 30% D-day sale was a perfect excuse to finally get TotH.

After the first three scenario tutorial missions I decided to switch to hard and one tutorial mission later I started my first real scenario - With a little help from the StuGs.

Not used to the C&C settings I failed to coordinate my attack - no ASL experience and skipping the manual - so with important units becoming ooc and losing one of my StuGs while trying to drive through a building <G> I wasn't able to win, but by taking the southern victory hex I was still able to get a draw.

Not too bad with my self induced handicaps, but I will study the C&C bit from the manual before I attempt another scenario! [:D]

So far I am really enjoying TotH.
Graphics are a bit basic, but the gameplay is a fun challenge at a nice pace.

Using the "colorfull" counters mod, which is pretty cool.

WISHLIST
Would like to see a more refined map graphics, ideally with seasonal changes and real urban tiles
Everything in TotH looks the same and that need not be the case with multiple terrain options. Immersion is also an important part of a good game.
Also A more user friendly LOS tool would be nice.

[pensfanvw]

ORIGINAL: Simulacra53

Also A more user friendly LOS tool would be nice

I second this. Too much effort to use.

[marcdhanna]

ORIGINAL: fuselex

I really think it just adds so much more to the game by adjusting the difficulty lvl ,I think there was a post from peter saying the scenarios are designed for hard difficulty ,
First night I have tried it and already there is no going back to normal difficulty .
Played barkmann`s corner scenario on normal , thought I did reasonably well to survive , Then someone (and forgive me for not remembering) commented the 1 panzer went OOC on the first turn
That alone could have totally changed the game
Please don`t get me wrong but that's exactly what I want

Well done to you! I do love the Command and Control rules that Peter adapted; one of the best elements of solo ASL is how much harder it is to keep the troops under control.

The very hard difficulty makes it a better game vs AI. Looking forward to how the new AI is going to adapt and be nastier than ever with update 2. I keep looking out for that arrival!

cheers! [:)]