Things so Far

[AZKGungHo]

I thought I'd put down some observations here about how things are going.

I restarted my game as the Axis and knocked out Poland in 3 turns. Started pretty good in the west, taking the Netherlands in 2 turns, and took Antwerp quickly because the AI put an air unit there. But things slowed down and didn't take Paris until November 1940.

Moved east and was just about ready to go in July of 41 but Russia declared on me first. Their first turn only one unit made an attack. I was busy trying to knock Yugo out but when into Russia anyway. I found that there was almost no units until I hit a strong riverline defense that goes almost clear across the front.

But it's the lack of Axis units that's really a problem. I've got whole sections of the front I can't cover at all. The AI is pretty passive, tho it did cut off one unit near Riga, but I broke through the next turn.

In Africa it's been pretty bad. The Allied air power is killing me. I've lost two ground units just to that. Plus I can't upgrade my troops in Africa at all and can't reinforce them past 7 or 8.

I've noticed the naval AI is pretty aggressive, in fact it used a CV unit to attack an Italian unit I had set up to invade Malta. I sunk that one the next turn. that's a strong contrast with the land AI which isn't completely passive but still doesn't attack all that often.

The partisans are great. They are giving me fits in Yugo and also blowing things up in France as well.

I'm struggling with stuff but having lots of fun. Fantastic job!

[Hubert Cater]

Hi Az Gung Ho,

Thanks for the feedback and glad to hear you are enjoying the game [:)]

What you'll find is that the Allied AI is generally set to perform a bit different from the Axis AI which at the outset may come across as more on the passive side. The primary reasons for this is that the Allies tend to be much better off on the defensive and taking defensive postures versus the Axis, as the Axis tends to be much more aggressive.

Much like for a human player there is not much that can be done with the Poles early on, or the French for that matter than to attempt to delay inevitable Axis victories. In North Africa it is a bit different and under the right circumstances the Allied AI for the UK can be aggressive at times, but in the USSR most outcomes have the Soviets on their heels and the Soviet AI is set to generally play cautiously, i.e. hold defensive lines and fall back, for at least from 1941 to late 1942. After that it can change and will go on the offensive if the situation on the ground permits it to do so.

[IainMcNeil]

I think the AI settings for the Allies make a lot of sense. The bit that feels strange to me is the AI declaring war with no plan to prosecute it? Maybe we need some kind of override that when the strategic AI says "lets go to war", that the tactical AI can tell if its in a position to actually do it, and if not delay the decision?

[AZKGungHo]

I agree with the idea of making the Allies defensive in the early parts of the war generally speaking. But it is odd that Russia declares war on Germany, joins the Allies and then basically waits for Germany to attack.

As far as Africa the AI there is more offensive minded. Currently slowly pushing me back. If it wasn't for their air power I'd be doing much better. But since I can't reinforce or upgrade my air and they just keep pounding away I'm going backwards right now. I did sink one of their CV's so maybe that'll help. We'll see.

[BillRunacre]

It sounds like your units in North Africa are suffering from a lack of HQs, or your HQs are low in strength?

The situation where the USSR reaches full mobilization and isn't invaded is a tricky one.

You're right in essence that an Allied offensive is best, but it could easily end up going horribly wrong if the AI were to charge ahead without a proper build up.

It's getting the AI to correctly recognise the difference between a potential trap and an opportunity that is the key.

[AZKGungHo]

UPDATE:

I'm now into Spring of 1942. The Axis have conquered the mid east and are now moving across into Iraq. Turkey has signed a "friendship treaty" with the Axis but are still neutral. In Russia things are a lot better than I feared they would be. In spite of starting just outside of Poland, having not honored the treaty with Russia, the German forces have not done as well as historically, except around Rostov.

In the south they've pushed through Rostov and are into the Caucus Mtns. But they aren't real close to Stalingrad, are stalled in front of Moscow and aside from one issue aren't even close to Leningrad either. In the West they are strengthening their grip on France. I was planning to grab Brittany but had to wait till after winter. Come spring they've positioned units there. So I'm rethinking things. But need to do something.

The US entered the war early and I'm starting to move troops, etc. to the UK. At this point it looks like I'll aim to invade France way early and see how that works.

Questions:

1) Do the partisans ever appear as units in Russia like they do in Yugoslavia? I'd love to see that happen.
2) I think I like the old way air units worked as far as recon goes. Using up units strike potential to see "over the hill" bothers me as I need all the strikes I can get normally.
3) Do the pop ups that announce commando raids on the Axis, etc. actually impact the game - like causing MPP loss, etc.? Or are they just there for flavor?

I'm a bit confused but having a blast. This game really keeps me on my toes and that's a very good thing!

[Ostwindflak]

1) Yes Russian Partisan units appear. (usually in forests)

3) The only impact I have seen is when the Royal Navy blew up my U-boat pen at St. Nazaire taking it from a 10 port down to 0.

[BillRunacre]

3) Yes, they will reduce the strength of the resources. Not a massive effect, 2-4 points of damage, but it helps and will reduce Axis supply and income slightly when they do attack.

[AZKGungHo]

Great, thanks everyone. I have now seen one Russian partisan unit, so that's great.

[AZKGungHo]

So here's my situation currently. I'm struggling to make sense of what happens when units are surrounded.



Notice that there's an Allied unit in Brittany that's completely cut off, yet it's been able to reinforce itself. How is this possible when it's cut off from the coast? Odd thing is when it was on the shore it couldn't reinforce but when it took that town it could. So drawing supplies from a town might be feasible for one turn, but I've noticed all kinds of units cut off yet seeming to do just fine.

And how on earth could they reinforce without a line back to their side of the front so the new guys can get in? I think this needs some work because in my experience so far cutting off units doesn't seem to have much impact on them at all.

[sPzAbt653]

From what I've learned so far, surrounded towns [in this case Rennes] will go -1 to its Resource Level each turn that it is not connected to something else [including an HQ]. So after a turn or two a unit in that situation will not be able to get any more reinforcements. Note that Caen and the 4 units in that pocket are in the same situation, but if the Allies land an HQ there, supply will start to flow.

Edit: I see you are in January. So we can make amphibious assaults in the winter [I've also seen this in my game]. Not so sure that is proper in the northern climate areas. [:(]

[AZKGungHo]

As far as I know you can invade whenever you want too. I messed this up because I didn't save enough MPP's to afford a really big invasion. The AI has really slapped me around for that one. But I've also noticed something here in France and in Russia, the AI can do really well, but often doesn't stick with it. It's like it gets distracted, goes off and does something else, and then often comes back to a particular front or area and tries to push forward again.

Odd behavior but has served to give me a few much needed breaks!

[BillRunacre]

It is possible to land in winter, but much more risky as the landing units have a higher chance of suffering landing casualties in bad weather. So only do it if feeling confident, or desperate.

[BillRunacre]

Resources that are cut off from friendly Capitals or other Supply Centers will provide some supply, but less than they would otherwise have done.

In the case of Rennes, it can provide a maximum of 3 supply.

Any unit that is neither within reach of a friendly resource, nor of a friendly HQ, will have zero supply and be much easier to destroy.

Supply Connection Rules
All resources connected via rail to either a Primary or Secondary supply source will have their maximum strength & supply values according to their type, e.g. Towns will be at strength 8, Cities at 10.

All resources that are only connected by road via friendly territory to a Primary or Secondary supply source will max out at strength 5.

All resources that do not fall into any of the connection categories outlined above are considered cutoff and will have a maximum strength value of 3. Ports are an exception to this rule, as their maximum will default to 5.


Resources will only reduce in value by 1 per turn when this applies (though Heavy Artillery, Rail Guns, Rockets and Strategic Bombers can also reduce resource strength):

Besieging Resources
Any resource that has 4 or more enemy units adjacent to it will have its strength reduced by 1 point per turn until it reaches 0.

The absence of enemy units will see the resource regain strength by 1 point per friendly turn, i.e. deterioration happens in both friendly and enemy turns, but regaining strength only occurs in friendly turns.

This resource strength degradation rule does not apply to Capitals or Fortresses.


How much a unit can reinforce is dependent on its supply value:

Unit's Supply Value/Port Strength Attainable Strength
0 Cannot be reinforced
1 4
2 5
3 6
4 7
5 8
6-10 10+

[AZKGungHo]

Thanks Bill, that clears things up a bit.

You are right about landing in winter, my units took some big hits! Live and learn!

[sPzAbt653]

landing units have a higher chance of suffering landing casualties in bad weather.

I have not seen that at all, but I wasn't really looking for it so I will from now on.

However, if the weather was bad the Allies were not going to attempt a landing. Those cruddy landing craft only moved 3 miles an hour and swamped easily. For the Germans this meant that they could shuttle units back to the East Front from October to April. Historically it was significant, but if this is a game play decision then so be it.

[Hubert Cater]

ORIGINAL: Iain McNeil

I think the AI settings for the Allies make a lot of sense. The bit that feels strange to me is the AI declaring war with no plan to prosecute it? Maybe we need some kind of override that when the strategic AI says "lets go to war", that the tactical AI can tell if its in a position to actually do it, and if not delay the decision?

Agreed and this has been adjusted for the next build... should definitely make things much more interesting [:)]