Some musings and questions about this very nice game.

[MagicMissile]

First I have to say this is a really nice game and I am really looking forward to it´s development and maybe in the future a Global war Europe and the Pacific combined in one game could be really nice.

I like how it plays it has a real old style boardgame feeling and UI is good and it plays well.

I have started a couple of PBEMs and looking forward how they will play out, only played 2 turns but it´s really fun might do a AAR on one of them but never done one before so a little bit intimidated 😊.

While playing a little bit of hotseat and versus the AI I´ve discovered a few things which might or might not work as designed/intended.

1) Airplane range does not seem to account for Netherland and Belgium neutrality. So German and French/British planes can attack each other by flying over neutral Belgium/Netherlands airspace. So for example a French fighter in Lille can attack a German air unit in Dusseldorf. Seems a bit strange to me and maybe should be changed?

2) This might well be intendend but HQ range of 5 to units goes through enemy controlled hexes. Is that how it should be? Maybe it should be traced only through friendly/contested hexes. Not a big thing just throwing it out there.

3) I can think that the HQ range of 5 is a bit too much maybe 4 would be better? It is a bit boring when 1 hq with the best leader controls so much of the front. Again not a big thing just throwing it out there for consideration.

4) If 4 units attack a hex and 2 units are closest to one HQ and the other 2 units are closer to another HQ which HQ controls the battle? Anyone know?

5) Saving the biggest one for last. I did a experiment with Soviet union research. I started a hotseat game I put 4 research on the two infantry tech, heavy armor, Interceptor and Ground support. And when I could I put the surplus points into these techs as well so increase to 5 when 40 research was reached you cannot do this on all techs but a couple of them.

This is in my opinion the only techs the Sovietunion is likely to need maybe something else but those 5 main ones. I did not move a single unit nor buy anything. That might change the result a little bit somehow, I don’t think so but I am not sure. I left refit budget at 100. At the time of the historical Barbarossa. On the 2oth June 1941 turn two of the techs had reached 1944 and the 3 others were at 1943. Some of the army had updated to 1943 tech but most were still 39-40 tech so maybe not gamebreaking as the army have low morale and the cost to upgrade might be too much but still is this really how it´s supposed to be? The Germans also teched up crazy fast but there I did not change anything in the starting setup. Seems to me that the research speed at least on lvl4+ is way too fast.

I think I have found one problem. On page 28 in the manual it says research should reset to 365 days but in my games the 39 campaign starts with all techs on 275 days that makes sense so you reach 40 tech in the middle of 1940 but once you research something it does not reset to 365 days as per page 28 in the manual but continues on and resets to 275 days. Is that working as intended? I think there is something wrong here that needs correction but might be wrong 😊.

Hard to talk about balance so early and we don´t have much results to go on but I think I agree about the western air force in the beginning might be too large. I know the Germans are better but was it Stalin who said Quantity has a quality of its own or was it someone else? Anyway that is kind of true. I will see how it will go in my games but I think Germans might struggle a little bit.

Then on late game balance I am basing this only on the Burns vs Flaviusx AAR. One game obviously not a very good statistical sample but when he German player in 1944 says he has maxed out his OOB and don´t know what to do with all the resources he has at least for me there is a small alarm bell. Either the German economy is too big or the casualties are too low. And the ones who are supposed too dish out that damage is mostly the Sovietunion. So are the Russians too weak to do the damage they did historically? I will look at these things in my own games and discover what I think for myself then let you know [:)].

Ok a lot of rambling 😊 Please comment on anything you like.

Continue to play this nice game and have fun!

/MagicMissile

[Zovs]

Please don't be intimidated by writing AAR's. It does help others and others may chime i and offer suggestions or help.

You can start an AAR on our game, I did not take any screenshots, but could do so in the future.

I really have nothing to hide.

[AlvaroSousa]

#1 This was done due to CPU time to reduce how long A.I. turns take. It is a minor issue that would simply be remedied by players moving planes to France in this one time deal. So would you rather have this minor thing or the A.I. constantly doing complex pathfinding calculations to make sure it exactly can attack this hex or that one?

#2 As intended see #1

#3 That is where positioning comes into play. The closest HQ is what gets grabbed. Considering how the combat system works the HQs need a little more room to stand back.

#4 Closest HQ controls the battle

#5 4 + 1 for each year into the game from the start date. So in 1940 yes you can put 5 points.

Tech might need to be adjusted. I had a bug in the tech system recently.


As for the 1 AAR game. This depends on the players. If the Allies also have too much production and are filled out then it means the players aren't aggressive enough. I have not ever talked about the strategy of WarPlan. But I will make one mention here. The Allies should be looking to attrition the Axis as much as they can when they can get at the very worst a 1:2 attrition rate or better. Generally speaking if you are the Russia and don't prepare for a winter offensive taking advantage of the rules and the specialties you are making a mistake. Even if you exhaust your army and the Axis you come out way ahead. The reasoning is that it is easier to defend than to attack. So would you rather have a fresh German army attacking a fresh Soviet army early in the summer or an exhausted German army attacking an exhausted Soviet army in the summer? The latter means the Germans won't push the lines much and drop their effectiveness much faster by ratio. Having a drop of 10% when you are at 50% effectiveness is a loss of 20% of your current effectiveness. While that same amount when at 100% is only 10% of the current effectiveness.

So there 1st tidbit strategy for the Allies. This comes from many Russian Front game experiences.

As the Axis if the Soviet player is aware of this you should be looking to go in defensive mode during October to February.

If you just sit there and take it as the Soviet player or don't be aggressive as the Western Allied player you are going to lose due to time or worse the USSR being conquered.

[AlbertN]

In general I'd not take 1 AAR as 'that's the game', a game requires an amount of testing and as it is now I am still learning the ropes, I got in some Barbarossa stages for a few games, and it really depends also on how the Soviet player plays. (They're though 'updated' games, I've 2 with the latest patch but Germans are bleeding white in France).

Pretty sure also have to see how it pans out with Italy that is activable, scenario wise. Otherwise the UK pratically has all the mediterranean manned and sorted by the time Italy enters the war (You'll never see UK invade Syria because they can just walk into it whilst its French. It should be that UK cannot enter at all French colonies, and Vice versa)

I see the Allies can do lots of things in general. Soviets can counterattack here and there locally. My German production is far far from reaching logistic cap in mid'41 and lots of units in Russia are mauled or not having full HP. (A statement, not pointing out a problem). Autumn is coming and the Germans have not crossed the Dnepr, have not taken Leningrad, and are hanging around Smolensk in general terms.

Tech wise - yes you're correct. Techs seem to be very quick (though as I noticed as well to upgrade then the units it is all another different tale!! To have '44 INF tech is a thing. But then, to actually have units equipped and ready with that updated equipment...). Anyhow techs are very relative. Difference between 1 tier and another are very thin.

[MagicMissile]

Yes I was thinking of doing one for our game. I dont have anything to hide either but might Lag a handful of turns or so. Now just have to learn how to post pictures [:)]
/MM

[MagicMissile]

ORIGINAL: Alvaro Sousa

#1 This was done due to CPU time to reduce how long A.I. turns take. It is a minor issue that would simply be remedied by players moving planes to France in this one time deal. So would you rather have this minor thing or the A.I. constantly doing complex pathfinding calculations to make sure it exactly can attack this hex or that one?

#2 As intended see #1

#3 That is where positioning comes into play. The closest HQ is what gets grabbed. Considering how the combat system works the HQs need a little more room to stand back.

#4 Closest HQ controls the battle

#5 4 + 1 for each year into the game from the start date. So in 1940 yes you can put 5 points.

Tech might need to be adjusted. I had a bug in the tech system recently.


As for the 1 AAR game. This depends on the players. If the Allies also have too much production and are filled out then it means the players aren't aggressive enough. I have not ever talked about the strategy of WarPlan. But I will make one mention here. The Allies should be looking to attrition the Axis as much as they can when they can get at the very worst a 1:2 attrition rate or better. Generally speaking if you are the Russia and don't prepare for a winter offensive taking advantage of the rules and the specialties you are making a mistake. Even if you exhaust your army and the Axis you come out way ahead. The reasoning is that it is easier to defend than to attack. So would you rather have a fresh German army attacking a fresh Soviet army early in the summer or an exhausted German army attacking an exhausted Soviet army in the summer? The latter means the Germans won't push the lines much and drop their effectiveness much faster by ratio. Having a drop of 10% when you are at 50% effectiveness is a loss of 20% of your current effectiveness. While that same amount when at 100% is only 10% of the current effectiveness.

So there 1st tidbit strategy for the Allies. This comes from many Russian Front game experiences.

As the Axis if the Soviet player is aware of this you should be looking to go in defensive mode during October to February.

If you just sit there and take it as the Soviet player or don't be aggressive as the Western Allied player you are going to lose due to time or worse the USSR being conquered.

Thanks for the answers. Just number 4 if 2 hqs are equally close which one will be in charge? Not a big thing just interested to know.

[MagicMissile]

ORIGINAL: Cohen_slith

In general I'd not take 1 AAR as 'that's the game', a game requires an amount of testing and as it is now I am still learning the ropes, I got in some Barbarossa stages for a few games, and it really depends also on how the Soviet player plays. (They're though 'updated' games, I've 2 with the latest patch but Germans are bleeding white in France).

Pretty sure also have to see how it pans out with Italy that is activable, scenario wise. Otherwise the UK pratically has all the mediterranean manned and sorted by the time Italy enters the war (You'll never see UK invade Syria because they can just walk into it whilst its French. It should be that UK cannot enter at all French colonies, and Vice versa)

I see the Allies can do lots of things in general. Soviets can counterattack here and there locally. My German production is far far from reaching logistic cap in mid'41 and lots of units in Russia are mauled or not having full HP. (A statement, not pointing out a problem). Autumn is coming and the Germans have not crossed the Dnepr, have not taken Leningrad, and are hanging around Smolensk in general terms.

Tech wise - yes you're correct. Techs seem to be very quick (though as I noticed as well to upgrade then the units it is all another different tale!! To have '44 INF tech is a thing. But then, to actually have units equipped and ready with that updated equipment...). Anyhow techs are very relative. Difference between 1 tier and another are very thin.

Thanks for the input and I agree 1 game not much to go on, we need more games finished for sure.
/MM

[AlvaroSousa]

If 2 HQs are same distance then the Generals have a Mortal Combat style fight to see which one will command that unit. If it's a draw then it just depends which hex the unit finds first from the breadth area pathfinding results.

All these small short cuts lower the A.I. time to calculate.