Very impressed, but need help

[Mightfox]

I am very pleased by the game. The AI is strong, you quickly understand the flow of the game, etc.

However, it seems a bit too difficult. HQ activation points are quite expensive, and yet only allow you to move one hex into enemy territory. Hardly an "offensive". Even with the game set to be pro-central powers and Romania, Greece, and Italy being pro-axis it seems like the Entente will never be beaten. I'll always lack something, like reinforcements, barrages, offensives, tech, etc. Though, maybe that's realistic.

Basically my strategy for my first "real" run has been to leave a heavily defended line on the franco-german border and to grind the Russians to death in the East.

Maybe I'm judging the strength of the Allies too early.(greece and romania haven't joined) Or maybe a Russian centric plan is inherently flawed. But anyway, I have two questions:

1)What determines where newly made units deploy? I bought a bunch of artillery as the germans and they all appeared east of Koenigsberg for no apparent reason.
2) Any tips for the Central powers, or resource and unit management in general?

[*Lava*]

ORIGINAL: Mightfox

HQ activation points are quite expensive, and yet only allow you to move one hex into enemy territory.

Depends on how you have things set-up.

All troops under the activated HQ and in all the hexes adjacent to it will be able to move into enemy territory. Thus, you can actually move into 3 (and theoretical 4) enemy hexes from one activation.

Conserve you activation points by placing your HQ's in central locations where you can attack more than one hex at a time.

xAxxAx - (where x is a hex with troops but no HQ or no activated HQ and A is a hex with an activated HQ and troops) means you can attack 3 single enemy hexes with forces from 2 hexes of your own in each attack.

OR you can move all six groups straight ahead into 6 enemy hexes (thus 3 hexes of enemy territory per activation.)

Also... If you have a cavalry unit about, he can move into an enemy hex without activation as long as the hex he starts from also contains an infantry unit.

Remember it's a long war so don't expect to blitz across the map.

Hope that helps some...

Ray (alias Lava)

[tgb]

One thing I learned the hard way is an HQ will NOT activate an adjacent stack if that stack itself contains an HQ with activation points available to it. I'm going to go back and restart 1914, with the following mobilization layout:

x x x
x HQ x

where x's are stacks with HQ's.

[ojnab_bob]

Is that true, tgb? I am at work, but that definitely was not my recollection of last night's campaign - all stacks within one hex activated.

[*Lava*]

ORIGINAL: tgb

One thing I learned the hard way is an HQ will NOT activate an adjacent stack if that stack itself contains an HQ with activation points available to it.

Nope.

What happens is that although the HQ will not move, the troops in the hex will. It is a little "gotcha" there as you click on the HQ and HE won't advance... making you think his troops won't either.. but they will.

You need to cycle to a troop counter under the HQ with activation points and then the troops will accept a "move" order.

BTW... the key is the color of the borders of the counters.

Yellow - can move into enemy territory
Light Blue - can move one hex in friendly country
Red - unit has moved

Ray (alias Lava)

[tgb]

I stand corrected. But it's also my understanding that while cavalry can advance without activation (provided they start in a hex with infantry), they can't advance into a hex occupied by the enemy.

[Hanal]

Keep in mind that you do not want to waste a HQ's activation points if you are not conducting an offensive operation. You can move any unit without spending activation points so long as it is a friendly hex. I think some people are accidentally wasting activation points when they do not need to and if you keep a HQ unit or two in reserve, you can continue an offensive during later impulses when front line HQ's might be spent.

[alejes0202]

The best way to use cavalry is as they were intended--as scouts for the infantry. Hence, they can occupy an enemy owned hex if they begin the turn in the same hex as a friendly unit--simple rule that elegantly captures the true tactics of the times. This saves you from activating an HQ for a simple reconnaisance.

[tgb]

ORIGINAL: J P Falcon

Keep in mind that you do not want to waste a HQ's activation points if you are not conducting an offensive operation. You can move any unit without spending activation points so long as it is a friendly hex. I think some people are accidentally wasting activation points when they do not need to and if you keep a HQ unit or two in reserve, you can continue an offensive during later impulses when front line HQ's might be spent.

In my first game I activated every HQ in my first impulse - which I suspect will be a common noob mistake. Considering the scarcity of
HQ points, conservation is the key to victory, I expect.

[Hanal]

I think I was making that mistake even past the first game!

[JD Walter]

That makes two of us.

But I think I've got you beat - I'm still doing it, and I've read this post! [:'(]

[SMK-at-work]

ORIGINAL: tgb

I stand corrected. But it's also my understanding that while cavalry can advance without activation (provided they start in a hex with infantry), they can't advance into a hex occupied by the enemy.

they can do this - again provided they start stacked with infantry.

however they can not move into an enemy owned city under any circumstances IIRC - you have to have infantry to take cities.

[Mightfox]

So, what about deploying new units?

[SMK-at-work]

IIRC new units scheduled for deployment in the game are deployed in various locations as pre-scheduled, but any you buy yourself are deplyed in the capital of the appropriate country to start - you don't get any input.

[Mightfox]

ORIGINAL: SMK-at-work

IIRC new units scheduled for deployment in the game are deployed in various locations as pre-scheduled, but any you buy yourself are deplyed in the capital of the appropriate country to start - you don't get any input.

What? That can't be true. Those 6 artilley units I made weren't anywhere near berlin!

[SMK-at-work]

Well if you know where they came on WTF are you asking about it??!![8|]

[ravinhood]

Are there air units in this game guys? If so how are they replicated? Hopefully not the sideways 8 please tell me it isn't so. When I see a World War One game I think of an Amiga game I used to play. "Ancient Art of War in the Skies" if I remember correctly. It had a trench from one side of the map to the other and what you did in the arcade action of the air war helped determine the movement of the trench. Sometimes it had some hilarious snake looking trenches in it.

[sol_invictus]

No air units, they are abstracted.

[FrankHunter]

Right, air units are simply "air points" which are assigned to a front.  Their effectiveness is based on the level of R&D you put into Airpower.  Opposing air strength attacks each other, perhaps destroying enemy air strangth and then the game decides how much "air support" there is.  Air support has two uses, the first is that you can spot what's in enemy hexes.  So if you don't want the enemy to know you're beefing up your lines its good to have air superiority.  Secondly, air support can be combined with artillery bombardments.  Air support makes artillery fire more effective.

[Mightfox]

ORIGINAL: SMK-at-work

Well if you know where they came on WTF are you asking about it??!![8|]

I know where they came in, yes, but I don't know WHY they went there. I'd like to know what determines where they deploy.