Popular ways to play this game?

[Adam Parker]

With the dust settling on the first patch there are many here with a lot more in-game experience than me. So I'm wondering vs the AI:

1. Do people prefer to play NATO or PACT?
2. Which nationality gives the bigger challenge and play enjoyment?
3. What levels of realism do people use ie: weather/staff orders/intel?

I've been playing as PACT with full realism options on but I wonder if NATO is the intended way to go?

4. Has anyone yet ever lost a scen vs the AI? [;)] Which one if so? [:'(]

5. Has anyone ever found a decisive victory as any side impossible so far in a given scenario? Hard to answer these last 2 questions without giving game-breakers away but if able to do so, I would love to know which scens are proving the pick of the bunch [;)]

[themattcurtis]

I don't think I have any more experience than you, but I have gotten hurt seriously by the AI in the second battle under the German scenario "Forward Defense."

I smooshed the first Soviet push on Westerbruck (pre-patch) with relatively light casualties. Then I moved on to this one, and the briefing says that the Germans, encouraged by their success, are experimenting with their theories on a mobile defense. The Aftermath screen states it turns out to be a huge blunder as the units can't withstand a textbook Russian attack.

Geez -- they aren't kiddin

At least not as far as I could tell. Of course, take that for what it's worth. I have no illusions about my skill yet. But you get two platoons of Leopard IIs, a company of second-line Leopard Is, a mechanized company of Jaegers, a battalion of mechanized infantry in Marder Is, and then yer slammed with a legitimate tank unit.

My Jaegers did the best pound for pound. I had them holding a wooded lane and out of the blue they end up in a PB duel with three armored companies (I couldn't find a setup that gave me good LOS along that axis, and sure enough, the Soviets hit there first). The fight started at 500m, because visibility into the fields east of the woods was low. And the dug-in infantry did a number on the units at first -- using their Dragon ATMs at distances that rarely exceeded spitting distance. But then the T-80s just blew the hell out of them. Yeah, we took three for every one of us, but it was little comfort.

The AI wiped them out, then FLUNG those units up the road and started rolling up my flank. My Marder borne infantry, even when firing at short range, just didn't have the firepower to stop them -- the IFVS did not have missiles, just autocannons. So the only ATGMs were carried by my dismounts. My advantage was that the Russians didn't seem to have any arty support, so I was free to call down barrages like mad without fear for my HQ -- traffic level was all the way in the yellow and nothing tried to hit me.

The Leopard IIs could hold their own. The Leopard Is, not so much and my poor grunts were in trouble. And the AI was VERY aggressive this time around.

Tough scenario for me. Not going to say how it ended.