Matrix Games Forums

ORIGINAL: Hubert Cater

Thanks for the feedback everyone and Bill and I are discussing any potential changes. Keep in mind that we have to be careful as what we have found is that new players to the game more often than not tend to find the Axis side harder, but over time, and once they learn the nuances of the game engine and workable strategies, will eventually come around seeing that things are not as one sided as it may have initially seemed. For example, some of our most harshest criticisms of the game over at Steam all stem from the idea that the Allies are too strong and that the Axis simply cannot win.

Another critical item, and essentially the main reasons we have differing Infantry stats and Infantry Warfare research for the USSR in this release is that when we had it setup as we had done in the past, initial testing during Beta found that players simply were not able to break through or maintain any type of historical objective timeline as the Axis when first invading the USSR. So going back to those numbers would just exasperate the idea that the Allies are too tough for new players and would be more or less a non starter at this point in terms of potential changes.

The original idea was to ideally weaken the USSR for the initial stages of Barbarossa so as to allow the Axis side the ability to push deep as they did historically, but to eventually give the USSR enough tools and ability to start to push back and counter attack. If the latter portion is the bigger problem in the grand scheme of things, then that is where I believe we should put more effort into fixing than anything else. That and possibly boosting the UK to hold out a bit better between the Fall of France and the start of Barbarossa as well.

We have a list of ideas based on all the feedback and once we narrow things down on our end to hopefully an ideal set of changes that keeps in mind all of what I've written above and addresses the concerns stated here, then I think we should be good to go.

ORIGINAL: Sugar

Probably a simple houserule could improve balancing in PbEMs: the Axis player is not allowed to create the DAK. If he wants a DAK, he has to create and ship it himself, thereby seriously weakening Barbarossa. This would also prevent him from extending the forcepool of fighters, tanks and tac. bombers by +1.

The Importance of National Morale
Majors with reduced National Morale will suffer a small penalty to their Unit Morale, while those with National Morale of higher than 110% will benefit from a small boost.
§§ If National Morale < 40% then Unit Morale is multiplied by 0.85.
§§ If National Morale < 75% then Unit Morale is multiplied by 0.90
§§ If National Morale < 95% then Unit Morale is multiplied by 0.95.
§§ If National Morale > 110% then Unit Morale is multiplied by 1.10

ORIGINAL: LiquidSky

The allies do have the advantage...the problem is they take a player with a very good imagination to play.

The allies have the advantage of knowing pretty much exactly where and what the Germans are doing..and what they need to achieve. All you have to do is derail it. You don't have to try and stop it like a brick wall..just nudge it off the tracks.

For example take the BEF. It shows up in France but it doesnt have to stay there. You can send a handful of militia to play the part of shoring up French Morale....whilst the BEF goes on the offensive where the Axis least suspect it. I once set it up on the Italian border and took those Italian morale cities in the north.....and their morale stayed down even though I left right after.

A more favourite destination of mine is Egypt.....my friend doesnt bother wasting money on DAK anymore because it either some of it sets up on map out of supply, or back at Tripoli..if I havent reached it yet.

The norwegian adventure thing gives you and the french an SF. I once landed the English in Copenhagan just after they surrendered by event to the Germans...that opened up the baltic to immediately land the French in Kiel. The British navy had some fun for a turn sinking a lot of hapless German navy.

In another game I took Sicily with the SF's...I wish I had used the BEF in Northern Italy, I may have gotten them to surrender....or to the point where all I had to do was take Tripoli to knock the Italians out.

Subs a problem? Don't chase them..let them come to you!....put a picket line of a destroyer/light cruiser every couple of hexes in a line. Let them bump into you...it uses up most of their action rating, and causes them some damage. Then seriously hurt them with carrier air. Random pickets out in the Atlantic are fun against adventerous axis. I rarely have the fleet in port.

The key to defence is the entrenchment level. Make sure that no allied/russian city ever falls without a unit in it. The secret weapon is the garrison unit. It is cheaper for them to build then for the Germans to repair a hit on an armour unit. It will seriously slow their advance down if they have to clear every city out. Same with the French...put all those armies in the cities in the north...let the Maginot be corps. And dont move them EVER. Doesnt matter if he gets around them...he still has to kill them to get to Paris...and if a valuable HQ or airplane gets close because he bypassed the city..well......have fun!

I won't bother telling you the fun you can have with Russian SF or paratroopers and what happens to Finland....or what the British can do in Yugoslavia/Greece. You get the idea! The allies have a plethora of options available to them....the Axis don't. You know what they are doing....and all you have to do is delay delay delay.

Also pay attention to what type of units they buy, if he goes tank heavy, research AT etc......and don't neglect putting AA in every city/port in range. I moved a CV for upgrading into the London port midgame....unknown to me he had the Italian and German naval planes in range. He bombed the carrier with like 4-5 aircraft and did almost nothing as the London port was level 3 AA, and the CV was level (soon to be 3). I think it is only 10 mpp's per level to upgrade. Malta is another good place to upgrade the facilities. Russian cities at your fallback line.

A lot of these tricks (and others) may only work once...but they do make your Axis player less adventerous. Losing Turin and Genoa to the BEF in spring '40 is a good way to keep the Italians out of Africa next game.....where you might have an easier time in the desert. I guarentee the Germans will buy a lot of cheaper infantry units to sit uselessly in garrison after a game they lose Hamburg/Kiel/Copenhagon plus half the German navy...