Fall Blau AAR

[ComradeP]

At this point, experience doesn't literally carry on to the next scenario, but many scenarios in the campaign feature what I would call realistic estimates of the experience of particular units at that stage. You also don't necessarily use the same units from one scenario to the next.

All in all, I'm happy with how the game handles experience, considering that the campaign consists of linked scenarios and doesn't feature a traditional "core" of units.

The AI is pretty good at detecting weak spots and trying to cut off your supply. As usual: the bigger the scenario, the more problems the AI will face. Compared to other games, I'd say the AI's quite clever in smaller to medium sized scenarios and does more than simply hole up to try and prevent you from getting a brilliant victory.

Of course, the defending AI and human defending players face some difficulties in scenarios like this, where they're essentially screwed from the start and all they can do is try and buy time.

I picked this scenario more to show how the game handles a typical "blitzkrieg" penetration/pincer than to show how the AI performs.

So don't expect miracles from the AI, but expect it to put up a fairly good fight in more balanced scenarios and challenge you to win decisive or brilliant victories.

[ComradeP]

The end of turn 2. I've decided to make a push to open the rail line east of Izyum a turn earlier than I'd normally do so. Rail supply can now reach up to the blown bridge across the Mius.

[ComradeP]

That also means most of my spearhead northeast of the Mius is in supply if my units hold on to their positions.

If I had spent both supply increase points on the rail supply source, the spearheading 14th Panzer would also be in supply. Choices, consequences.

[stormbringer3]

Thanks for your quick reply. Since the AI is better in the small to medium scenarios, how many of the scenaios are large? Also, what is you opinion of replay value? In some games things play pretty much the same every time.
Thank you.

[ComradeP]

Replay value always depends on what you're trying to get out of the game. If you want to win a battle, or want to get a brilliant victory. If you're just buying this for singleplayer, replay value will obviously be limited to a certain extent. I completed the campaigns in about a week, but that was after spending most of a day on playing for the entire week. With more casual play, you should easily be able to get several weeks out of the singleplayer if you just want to win each scenario once and more if you're trying to get brilliant victories in all of them. Replay value of multiplayer is theoretically unlimited.

The scenario editor is being worked on currently, but I'd guess that post-release, numerous new scenarios will be available over time.

As a lot of the scenarios include a (historical) initial setup that's tough on the defender, it's difficult to say how many scenarios offer the AI a fair chance. I'd say the AI's more or less toast by default in about 1/3 of the scenarios, but in those scenarios the defender is pretty much doomed to lose in general, so it's not an AI problem.

[ComradeP]

As an example of an AI move, the AI moved its defenders away from the riverline along the Mius. You could say this might not be the smartest thing to do, but given the situation the AI's facing, there's little it can do aside from trying to protect Rostov and that's done best with units actually in my path.

[mariovalleemtl]

I wont to play now [:(]

[ComradeP]

There are 3 stages of being out of supply, 1 per turn.

In the first stage, indicated by a small red exclamation mark, you don't recover suppressed steps but can attack and move normally.

In the second stage, indicated by a larger red exclamation mark, you don't recover suppressed steps, don't have an action point (so you can't attack or use extended move) and some steps become suppressed based on the experience of the unit (green 3, regular 2, veteran 1, elite none). You can still move normally using regular movement.

In the third stage, indicated by a black exclamation mark with a red glow around it, you don't recover suppressed steps, don't have an action point (so you can't attack or use extended move) and all steps become suppressed. You have 1 less regular movement point than you would normally have.

[ComradeP]

The heroic sacrifice of the defenders near Rostov has bought the city some time, and has made sure my units coming from the north are facing supply problems.

This is the start of turn 4.

Note that the defenders in Rostov have a NKVD specialist step, which dramatically reduces their retreat chance and usually makes sure they have to die in the hex they're in.

At this point, we're on schedule to win the scenario on turn 5, 1 turn before the brilliant victory limit on the final objectives.

[ComradeP]

Turn 5 start, the Soviets have received a Tank corps as reinforcements, but it's too little, too late to stop the Axis mobile units.

[ComradeP]

Turn 5.

Brilliant victory, 1 turn early. There are 2 Soviet units left on the map.

The scenario automatically ends as soon as all objectives are captured, which does mean that some suicidal lunges are possible in theory, but thus far those are rare in most scenarios.

600 out of 700 points. In a campaign, I would've gotten full points, but this was played as a scenario, so the prestige I spent is removed from the total score.

[Erik Rutins]

Thanks for posting this, Pieter!

Regards,

- Erik

[ComradeP]

You're welcome Erik. Things like this are part of my personal contribution to the community. As Unity of Command was until recently a fairly obscure title, many people on these forums might not have heard about it in detail before, and as release is imminent, I felt the need to post something like this to give the community some information.

I can, once again, only stress that this scenario is mostly not too difficult because of the initial unit placement. Me winning this scenario like this has little to do with the AI being "bad", as it's quite good, but it just didn't have the means at its disposal to delay me enough.

In multiplayer, this scenario would be quite different. For starters: I don't think a brilliant victory is possible, because you're not likely to get adjacent to the objective across the Don by turn 3.

[2xTom]

Great AAR Pieter, thx!

I think it's especially nice in that it shows you can win, even a Brilliant Victory, even if you don't follow the historical playbook. In my own playthroughs of this I mostly use the historical approach: muscle my way across the Donets east of Izium and then sprint along the northern bank.


Cheers,

Tomislav

[ComradeP]

For clarity's sake: the scenario difficulty is rated as being "medium", probably primarily due to the advantage the Axis have in terms of both unit placement and unit quality. With the historical strategy, you'd probably indeed be running a race against time, whilst the strategy shown in this AAR is also a race against time, but it allows you to finish early.

[2xTom]

I think we've seen this in testing with several scenarios - it's possible to finish early with expert play, but it's never a sure thing. Usually that extra turn is more like an insurance if weather turns bad or you get a really bad roll.

Also, not all of the scenarios have this constant "race against the clock" tension throughout. I think Case Blue actually stands out in that respect.

[Noakesy]

Nice AAR (as usual!) Comrade. The game looks really promising. I'm a big fan of NATO symbols, but this looks quite nice and has some character to the general look and feel of the screen shots. I also like the way the units characteristics are summarised. Look forward to seeing this 'in the shops' (once we know what the price is of course [;)][:)])

[jjdenver]

It's nice to hear this game is light on the "race against the clock" scenarios - that really gets annoying in Panzer Corp and Panzer General. Every scenario once you get past the tutorial is race against the clock. How about just having tough objectives to achieve instead of a race every time?

[jomni]

I hate race against the clock scenarios.  Even WITE has it for the small scenarios.  And this is basically the victory scheme of Panzer Corps.

[2xTom]

We really had no choice with "Case Blue" - it was a race against the clock historically. The Germans were really anxious to get past Rostov and into the Caucasus quickly.

To me, this is the low point of the entire campaign for the Soviets, 2nd Kharkov notwithstanding. They just melted away in complete disarray. But from that point on, their resistance becomes increasingly stiffer. I hope we captured this correctly in the scenarios.