Making progress...

[PittBull]

OK. I am seeing daylight on how the system works. At least I now understand the relationship between HQs and the cities. Here's my issue: I am playing a random game on a 2 player small map w/ no water. All units are supplied. I have cities specialized in building infantry, staff, arty, machine guns, light tanks that feed the 1st & 2nd HQs. Supreme HQ is building trains and supply only.

My AI opponent is able to out produce me by almost 3:1.

The $64,000 question: what is it doing that I'm not and how do I find out?

Should I mention that I played WITP from the beginning and got pretty good at it. Civ on the other hand is another story.
Anyway, Thanks for the assist.

[Josh]

You playing against AI+? Well no matter the AI is always outproducing you. You can see that for yourself by looking at the pace a city is repairing itself, with the AI it takes maybe two turns to fully repair a city, your cities however take much longer. You can not outproduce the AI early game (mid or end game is a different thing though) so you have to outsmart it.

Could you post a screenshot of the map your playing maybe there's some hints there.

[Tac2i]

The AI likes to attack even if the odds aren't great. Take advantage of that knowledge. First priority is hold the line. Don't neglect to build factories. Build a gun factory to turn out AT guns. Tank factory for your own tanks. On a small map you shouldn't need many trains. Supply has a range of 250 action points. Use supply layer button to check supply situation.

[PittBull]

Thanks for the assist. I'll start a new game and post some shots later. I'll have to learn about factories after I figure out how to survive the initial onslaught.

[Josh]

The AI has also the tendency to throw everything at you and the kitchen sink too, so after you survived that initial onslaught you can then do a counterattack. Usually the AI has not much of a reserve quickly available. Like Webizen says; *hold the lines* because not only will it throw everything at you the AI will also try to encircle you, outflank you. Webizen is also right about the AT guns, have at least 1 preferraby more per Infantry unit.
Oh and don't forget cities are the only place where you can "build" supply en political points, so building stuff like tanks or guns in your cities is a waste. Early game you have no choice but to build them in your cities as you don't have enough PP's yet to build factories. The sooner you can build a gun or tankfactory the better, they build your tanks and guns, the cities can be used for Infantry, supply and PP's.

[Whydmer]

The AI gets a small production assist because it could never be programmed to handle all the contingencies a random game could throw at it and then produce as intelligently as a human.

[Kaldadarnes]

I’ve been playing this game for a couple of years and I still can’t beat AI+! To be fair, I don’t play it all that much but the production advantages the AI enjoys are enormous. Basically you are Germany, the AI is the Soviet Union. Set to AI+, you are now Finland fighting the USSR.

I think basic AI has a 25% production advantage BUT also gets free factories and raw and oil upgrades. Essentially, if you are playing against a basic AI, within a few turns it will possess a far more advanced industrial military complex than you. i.e. surplus productive capacity for building tanks, guns and planes in the form of factories, as well as raw and oil stockpiles visible from space. This will manifest itself in a horde of AI troops heading your way with, in the words of Captain Blackadder, “the express intention of using my nipples for target practise”. Additionally as they have a lot more raw, they will be able to build more heavy kit (anything requiring raw to build) than you can. In the first few turns you will start to see lots of infantry, infantry guns, and massed armoured cars.

Hence having lots of MGs and anti-tank weaponry is key, I like at least 10 MGs and 10 bazookas (or 2 antitank guns) per frontline hex, but more for hexes which are getting particularly hammered. Most people above recommend antitank guns as the best antitank solution, which I entirely agree with, however very early in the game (first few turns) you may want to consider bazookas instead as they take less raw to build and they don’t need transport to keep up with the infantry. Don’t try to mount anything more than a local attack, but rather defend. Use terrain to your advantage (even if it means abandoning territory) built up areas, rivers, hills, woods are good, plains and deserts are bad. Also – as Webizen recommends - keep your line continuous, the AI will be through gaps in your front faster than a fat chick at an all you can eat buffet, and even just a couple of armoured cars can play havoc with your supply situation.

At the same time as you are holding the initial surge – try to upgrade your raw and oil facilities, and then build factories. Factories cost around 100PPs to build which feels like a lot, but once built they can produce the same as a city can for their specialised area (Aircraft, Artillery, or Armour). This frees up your city to produce supplies, PPs, infantry – basically, you get into a whole virtuous cycle thing. As josh points out, as your armies grow you will need to produce more supplies, which effectively drags on the amount of industry you can dedicate to producing fresh troops. As the game has no production efficiency techs, factories are the only way to maintain your overall production capacity.

[Tac2i]

Don't let all this excellent advice give you the idea that victory is overly difficult to achieve. It is a challenge but it can be done and done consistently. I typically create games with three AI. They don't usually all declare war on me at the same time so it becomes a fun challenge to withstand the assaults and then carry the battle to them. On those occasions when all three go to war with you early then it can become very dicey.