Difficult

[Bossy573]

I dunno folks. In the game I just finished as the CP, the Russians completed 2 encirclements which would made Guderian proud 30 years later, and literally wiped out almost my entire German army in the East. Next thing I know they are at the gates of Berlin. In the West, I built what I thought was a rock solid line based on Brussels and south, with the highest entrechment level and artillery in support. So the bastard AI strikes the very south of the line, turns it, and the next thing I know I have no units to plug the hole. Then, instead of running for the nearest city, it turns north to, I assume, encircle and cut off my entire Western army! The only good news is I managed to wipe out Serbia by 1916, but then I'm faced with a combined French, British, Russian force instead! The Ottomans were pushed clear out of Palestine all the way up to Asian Turkey. I gave up the ghost in early 1916.
Most frustrating is every Entente attack, regardless of unit; corps, division (i think that is what a "detachment" is) packs a phenomenal punch, while my own attacks seem weaker. And all this with the AI set to handicapped.
I simply do not suck this bad. Anybody have any ideas based on the above?

[Johnus]

Bossy: First, take AI off handicapped and play on balanced. Handicapped is actually harder than balanced (a bug, so I understand, to be fixed in first patch.)

[Myrddraal]

As Johnnie said, I'm afraid 'Handicapped' mode is bugged, and actually gives the AI production bonuses that it shouldn't receive. It will be fixed in the first patch, but for now, the best mode to play on is Balanced.

[Johnus]

On my second try as the Central Powers I am still learning the mechanics and have no idea how to conduct research or naval warfare. Nevertheless, it is comming on the end of November 1914 and I have taken Paris and held it against counterattack. And I am holding my own in the east. I lost Konigsburg and Lemburg but should be able to get Konigsburg back shortly. I didn't attack Serbia seriously and sent all of my Austrian reinforcements east as I did with most (not all) of my German reinforcments. Maybe I've been lucky, but so far the game doesn't seem stacked against a Central Powers human player.

[Bossy573]

Thanks on the handicapped thing then. I guess I should be happy all was looking reasonably good until mid-1915 when the Entente simply went ape. I have to admit, even tho I hate losing and have been reading and re-reading the manual and racking my brains for a solution, I am extremely impressed with how good the AI is. Just sitting there and watching it exploit my mistakes, and exploit them in depth - pretty amazing actually.

So we'll have a go on balanced and see what happens.

[warspite1]

If you think the AI is tough....

I have played a couple of guys who have been in Paris by about turn 6. 6 or 7 German divisions almost at full strength in or around Paris before I can even land a British Infantry [X(]. Now that is impressive....goodness knows how that is done, but I better get practising.....

[Bossy573]

ORIGINAL: warspite1

I have played a couple of guys who have been in Paris by about turn 6. 6 or 7 German divisions almost at full strength in or around Paris before I can even land a British Infantry [X(]. Now that is impressive....goodness knows how that is done, but I better get practising.....

Looks like somebody finally listened to Schlieffen. [:)]

I could handle it better from some wargaming wiz I guess.....

[parusski]

So i gave my countries extra 50000 pp

Did you really give yourself 50000 pp or is that a typo.

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: Bossy573

ORIGINAL: warspite1

I have played a couple of guys who have been in Paris by about turn 6. 6 or 7 German divisions almost at full strength in or around Paris before I can even land a British Infantry [X(]. Now that is impressive....goodness knows how that is done, but I better get practising.....

Looks like somebody finally listened to Schlieffen. [:)]

I could handle it better from some wargaming wiz I guess.....

warspite1

Yes - managed it myself - took Paris by Turn 7. Four German Armies in Paris and environs - no chance of reply. I wonder if this is stoppable??

[Johnus]

Well I guess I should shut up. I still have Paris (we'll always have Paris) but in December 1914, I lost all, I repeat, all of East Prussia to the Russians who surrounded me. I am forming a new line, but my left is now Danzig. I hope the French surrender so that I can devote all my attention to these tsarist bastards.

[Bossy573]

ORIGINAL: warspite1
I wonder if this is stoppable??

Put me at the wheel and I guarantee it is going nowhere. [:)]

Is it a gamey kind of of exploit or are the Germans just an avalanche? One of the strategies I do want to try is a withdrawl of the German left - drawing the French into the sack, while the right wing plunges thru Belgium and behind French - just as Schleiffen drew it up. Things usually get out of control early tho, and you can see why it would have taken an iron nerve to pull it off.

[Bossy573]

OK, much better game on balanced The AI is still quite good (you better cover your flanks, period - still paying for my mistakes) but in November, 1914 the Germans are at the gates of Paris (but I probably will not be able to take it), the Serbs have been smacked around and the East front is stable. This is just a great game to play. [:)

[Ichirou989]

As I had indicated earlier, I've had no problem at all confounding the French as the CP. The sweep through Belgium, once you figure out how to do it, can be accomplished rather quickly. And once the Germans get adjacent to Paris, the French are in deep trouble. Just the attacking and shelling of Paris alone will start to hurt their production, and due to the differences in troop tech, Paris usually falls not long after the Germans arrive. A human player can make this more difficult to accomplish, but it often still happens. Still, to be honest, the situation in France in early September of 1914 really was a near run thing as Wellington would say, and had things been even a little bit different, the Germans may well have broken through and taken Paris. In short, I'm not entirely sure the game should be changed in some way to counter this as it really should be a very close thing in the opening months on the Western Front.

[parusski]

The sweep through Belgium, once you figure out how to do it

And that is always my problem.

[Major Bong]

How do you guys deal with Turkey ? Once the Turks join in they always go for the weak underside of Russia and after a few rounds they often come up with 2 Corps plus 4 Garrisons, I can barely spare the manpower to stall them, much less fight back. When it comes to technology they are at least as good as my upgraded Russians. It's not much better in Egypt. I ship in the garrisons from Malta and Gibraltar, but it's not enough to stop the Turks, the only way to hang on to Egypt seems to build up 2 British Corps in the region already early in the game. But I really miss the manpower in Europe then.

Also - is it me or does the AI more often than not get away with insane attacks which would inflict horrible casualties on your own forces if you tried them ? In the east I can live with it, since the Germans should be superior when it comes to training and doctrine. But in the west the AI often throws it's forces against entrenched and upgraded units and inflicts damage while taking no losses itself. Ok so the devs say that their AI does not cheat, but it would be nice if there was an option to see why certain battles play out the way they do.

Also the Germans must have some magic hat to pull forces out of. As Entente whenever I have a spare unit left I try to flank or open a new front, but they are always able to throw some obstacle my way. For example: Italy joins the Entente and opens a new front, just to get stalled immediately at Venice by an entrenched German battleline plus artillery and aircraft. Or: At Przemysl I manage to shorten my front and free up a cavalry corps and an infantry corps to to strike the German rear lines - just to find that every city behind the lines is well guarded. From Calais to Warsaw and from Venice to Alexandria my forces are overstretched with not one unit to spare, but the AI seems to have it's units always where it needs them.

But apart from my personal conspiracy theories this is a pretty fun game. Yesterday I had my first win vs the AI and it played out how WWI really went. Stalled the Germans in Northern France, saved Paris in the last second and then got dragged into a war of attrition in the West and a slightly more mobile war in the East. Around mid 1917 the German West front starts to crumble, while at the same time the Russian front is in shambles with the last organized units fighting a desperate delaying action, in late 1917 the first British tanks reach Berlin.

The only thing that bugs me is that I barely get to play with the cooler toys like bombers, zeppelins or railroad guns since I usually have to dumpt all my points into infantry corps to prevent getting steamrolled.

[vonRocko]

Funny thing is, when you play Turkey you barely have enough PP or troops for anything, but when the AI has them it is opening the caucaus front and coming into Egypt.? I've also seen attacks that just aren't possible for the human and the AI succeeds at. All AIs' need all the help they can get, but I'm confused because the devs say it doesn't have a combat advantage, but that is not what I "seem" to see. Good game though.

[Myrddraal]

I can only explain it as psychological effect. I promise I'm not lying to you. In certain difficulty levels the AI gets some advantages, but never in stats or lucky rolls.

When you're under pressure, it generally feels like the enemy is pulling off the impossible. I generally find that the effect is even stronger in multiplayer, it always seems like my opponent has an easy time of it, and I'm under intense pressure. If you talk to your opponent, they'll often say they feel the same way. FOW accentuates this effect because in your mind's eye, the AI has huge reserves just out of sight. In reality they may be stretched to breaking point, but any advantage is magnified by the uncertainty.

[vonRocko]

ORIGINAL: Myrddraal

I can only explain it as psychological effect. I promise I'm not lying to you. In certain difficulty levels the AI gets some advantages, but never in stats or lucky rolls.

When you're under pressure, it generally feels like the enemy is pulling off the impossible. I generally find that the effect is even stronger in multiplayer, it always seems like my opponent has an easy time of it, and I'm under intense pressure. If you talk to your opponent, they'll often say they feel the same way. FOW accentuates this effect because in your mind's eye, the AI has huge reserves just out of sight. In reality they may be stretched to breaking point, but any advantage is magnified by the uncertainty.

I believe you! It's just that sometimes..........[;)][:)]

[BYU 14]

ORIGINAL: Major Bong

How do you guys deal with Turkey ? Once the Turks join in they always go for the weak underside of Russia and after a few rounds they often come up with 2 Corps plus 4 Garrisons, I can barely spare the manpower to stall them, much less fight back.

I focus on keeping them busy by the Suez with the Brits. I build up 2 inf, 3-4 garrisons and get an artillery unit there as soon as the West is stable. (You can deploy here without needing to use transports)

This forces the Turks to send units to stop the Brits from advancing to Gaza and Jerusalem. Doing this all I needed was 1 Russian Garrison each in Batumi, Tiflis and Baku and I was able to keep them at bay.

[Myrddraal]

This forces the Turks to send units to stop the Brits from advancing to Gaza and Jerusalem. Doing this all I needed was 1 Russian Garrison each in Batumi, Tiflis and Baku and I was able to keep them at bay.

If you coordinate your defence of Russia with offensives in Egypt, I think you can get away with an even smaller garrison. I reckon it's possible to hold the Caucasus with just one garrison initially, ramping up to two garrisons a couple of turns later. If you lose Sarikamis, it's really not the end of the world (far from it) and attacking deeper into Russia means a serious commitment of troops to a region the Turks can't easily back out of. If they're under pressure in Egypt, the Turks can't afford that.