Matrix Games Forums

After several days of reading the manual, changelogs from patches, some tutorials on this forum and playing some small szenarios (more defending then attacking), I am sure I know (almost) all rules and logic behind the scenes.

Now I want to try the German 1941 Bitter End campaign.

Thats quite a big time commitment so I want to be sure that it is fair experience for a new player like me.

Is it possible in the campaign to successfull invade the Soviet Union with only getting pushed back temporarly.

Is the AI capable enough to steamroll me on the normal difficulty?

What difficulty setting should I take?

You will win easily against the AI if you manage your supply correctly and make a good opening (don't forget bombing AF 1st turn) .
Also have a strategic plan - don't just move your PzK aimlessly, your PzK are what wins or looses a game. Pocket, pocket, pocket (and don't let them escape). Be prepared for the blizzard end 41 .

The true difficulty is against a human, AI at whatever setting is not a match .

The AI on normal could be a difficult challenger playing soviet union. It depends on your level.

Did you played smaller scenario such as Road to on normal ? (Road to leningrad, Road to smolensk) Did you won easily or not ?

If not, it will be not so easy. Give the AI all options (real winter, +1 soviet attack bonus, random weather). Difficulty normal.

If it is your first game it is a good challenge. The opening is vital.

I'm in the middle of the long campaign as Germany - it's June 1943 and I'm enjoying it. It isonly the second game I have played so there has been a lot of learning as I go.

I managed to mess up the first turn a bit, plus I didn't wipe out the Russian Air Force early on either, but I'm still doing ok. Winter at the end of 41 was a challenge, but there was very little fightback from the Soviets in winter 42. I have captured Moscow, but only by stripping the rest of the front of panzers, so Leningrad and everything east of the Don in the South is still Russian hands. Now it's mid-43 and I'm focusing on the Southern front, where my panzers have more space and there's less defensive terrain. It's good fun.

I am interested on what difficulty levels do you play.

Just normal everything. To be honest I didn't know enough about the game to start fiddling with anything.

I'm no expert either, which probably gives the Soviets a major advantage. Perhaps it's too easy on the normal settings, but it's hard to say in my game. Yes I have Moscow, but that's about it. EDIT - I'm pretending that my continued command of OKH depended on capturing Moscow and that my pleas for a focus on the strategic targets have been ignored by Berlin

I started my FIRST grand campaign a few months ago and it is lots of fun! In 1941 I did terrible in the south but managed to cut off Leningrad in the north and get to a pretty good point near Moscow. I will say I felt the AI did not counter attack me enough, maybe I had destroyed to many of his units early? I am playing against a normal AI.

It is summer of 1944 and I am feeling the weight of the Soviet Air Force on me, they constantly bomb my units (to little effect) but it makes for very long turns. My air force only engages in areas where I concentrate my offenses now. Still, I feel the soviets do NOT attack at all, there may have been less than 10 attacks since 1943. Am I bugged? Soviet manpower is approaching 8 million and I am above 4 million. My summer offenses will commence and probably end up toppling the Soviets once and for all. I control Leningrad, Moscow, Stalingrad, Rostov, I am a few hundred miles from Baku. The Causcasus supply situation is terrible and its slowing up everything.

Anyway I will say I was a little underwhelmed at how the Soviets performed, hardly any large scale counter attacks. I see big concentration of forces but I never see them capitalize. My northern front is stripped of units with just a few reserves, but the Soviets still do not probe.

My Summer offense will commence probably bagging a few million Soviets and that will be game.

ORIGINAL: HermanGraf

Anyway I will say I was a little underwhelmed at how the Soviets performed, hardly any large scale counter attacks. I see big concentration of forces but I never see them capitalize. My northern front is stripped of units with just a few reserves, but the Soviets still do not probe.

I'd agree with that. Barring 1941, where they did push me back, there have been few counter-attacks from the Soviets. Their manpower is over 10 million in my game and mine is just over 4, so it's certainly not for lack of men. The Soviet AI is too timid, even in winter.

It is difficult the first time you commit yourself to a full campaign but for your 2nd and 3rd times it is less and less challenging. Bear in mind I have only played AI and not a PBEM game but I have no doubt in my mind that it would be harder.

I'd agree with that. Barring 1941, where they did push me back, there have been few counter-attacks from the Soviets. Their manpower is over 10 million in my game and mine is just over 4, so it's certainly not for lack of men. The Soviet AI is too timid, even in winter.

countrboy

What does the Soviet Air Force do? And what difficulty are you playing on? Did you give the Soviet +1 attack? I think my next play through I'll try that.

You could also all play together in multiplayer it would be great fun !!! [8D]

I help Stelteck with posting links to the signup thread for the multiplayer: tm.asp?m=4245675
The fascist team is looking for more players. No miracle though that nobody wants to work for the hitlerites though heheheh

ORIGINAL: HermanGraf


What does the Soviet Air Force do? And what difficulty are you playing on? Did you give the Soviet +1 attack? I think my next play through I'll try that.

Much like what you described. Lots of bombing but not much damage. A fair bit of interdiction too. I'm just playing normal difficulty, with no attack bonus for the Soviets.

I think the problem is not so much the amount of damage the Soviets cause, but how little they attack. I'm massively outnumbered, but the AI just covers the map with units that sit there doing nothing.

ORIGINAL: countrboy

ORIGINAL: HermanGraf


What does the Soviet Air Force do? And what difficulty are you playing on? Did you give the Soviet +1 attack? I think my next play through I'll try that.

Much like what you described. Lots of bombing but not much damage. A fair bit of interdiction too. I'm just playing normal difficulty, with no attack bonus for the Soviets.

I think the problem is not so much the amount of damage the Soviets cause, but how little they attack. I'm massively outnumbered, but the AI just covers the map with units that sit there doing nothing.

I agree that the AI is a very big handicap for this game. Not much we can do about it but raising the difficulty level. With 120% morale the ai will be less timid. Even less with 130%. But I wouldnt advice you that unless you are playing with the soviets or you have mastered the game.

I agree that the AI is a very big handicap for this game. Not much we can do about it but raising the difficulty level. With 120% morale the ai will be less timid. Even less with 130%. But I wouldnt advice you that unless you are playing with the soviets or you have mastered the game

So a higher morale would actually encourage the AI to be more aggressive? I was worried that all it would do is simply turn each battle into a one-sided affair, without actually resulting in an increase in the number of battles (if you know what I mean). I guess though the AI evaluates the odds and only attacks if it feels confident of victory, so a higher morale should lead to a more attacking stance from the AI?
(sorry if this is basic level stuff, I'm only really getting into the game no, despite having owned it for years)

ORIGINAL: countrboy

I agree that the AI is a very big handicap for this game. Not much we can do about it but raising the difficulty level. With 120% morale the ai will be less timid. Even less with 130%. But I wouldnt advice you that unless you are playing with the soviets or you have mastered the game

So a higher morale would actually encourage the AI to be more aggressive? I was worried that all it would do is simply turn each battle into a one-sided affair, without actually resulting in an increase in the number of battles (if you know what I mean). I guess though the AI evaluates the odds and only attacks if it feels confident of victory, so a higher morale should lead to a more attacking stance from the AI?
(sorry if this is basic level stuff, I'm only really getting into the game no, despite having owned it for years)

The ai is as bad (or as good, or as agressive) with 80% morale or with 150%. The only thing that changes is that 130% morale makes the ai units be far stronger which, in turn, makes it a bit more agressive (in truth, not more agressive, but having more movement points and a higher CV, makes the AI seem more agressive, as it can move more, attack more and its attacks are more sucesful) But the real difficulty comes because they are stronger, thus, the game becomes more challenging.

ORIGINAL: EwaldvonKleist

I help Stelteck with posting links to the signup thread for the multiplayer: tm.asp?m=4245675
The fascist team is looking for more players. No miracle though that nobody wants to work for the hitlerites though heheheh

Considering that a high majority of the Forums writers and players are pro Russian, the rhetoric can get pretty deep on occasions along with the mass of players playing the Russians swamping the amount of German players. I for one am a German player since us Blonde hair blue eye people need to stick together ;-P

ORIGINAL: HardLuckYetAgain

ORIGINAL: EwaldvonKleist

I help Stelteck with posting links to the signup thread for the multiplayer: tm.asp?m=4245675
The fascist team is looking for more players. No miracle though that nobody wants to work for the hitlerites though heheheh

Considering that a high majority of the Forums writers and players are pro Russian, the rhetoric can get pretty deep on occasions along with the mass of players playing the Russians swamping the amount of German players. I for one am a German player since us Blonde hair blue eye people need to stick together ;-P

Most of "us", German Players that I know, have given it away and moved on to other games, as the consensus is that its
too skewered to the Russians.
Hopefully WITE2 will be better.

ORIGINAL: Ice

ORIGINAL: HardLuckYetAgain

ORIGINAL: EwaldvonKleist

I help Stelteck with posting links to the signup thread for the multiplayer: tm.asp?m=4245675
The fascist team is looking for more players. No miracle though that nobody wants to work for the hitlerites though heheheh

Considering that a high majority of the Forums writers and players are pro Russian, the rhetoric can get pretty deep on occasions along with the mass of players playing the Russians swamping the amount of German players. I for one am a German player since us Blonde hair blue eye people need to stick together ;-P

Most of "us", German Players that I know, have given it away and moved on to other games, as the consensus is that its
too skewered to the Russians.
Hopefully WITE2 will be better.

Well, irl things were "skewered" to the soviets. I guess the problem is people dont like as much to play an unbalanced simulation as playing a more or less balanced game. Dont mistake my post, I understand the rationale for not as many people wanting to play axis as the soviets, but the answer to "why is that?"is in the very nature of the game. It is more a simulation amd less a game.