Now to my discussion points. In a resent game, my second one in PBEM, I mostly focused with Japan on China besides a small incursion into India and the taking of Guadalcanal and new Guinea. My enemy reacted according with a fast and coordinated assault on my defences there in the Pacific. He made some for him favorable naval engagements (still no carriers lost on both sides though).
When he started to roll, it was a wave, that crashed every island defence i throw in the way so far. Saipan was the last stop. I tried to lure him into engagements with my fleet on my terms, but he always evaded. A attack from me at this point would be suicidal with the odds.
So far so good, I expected it that way somehow. The game is very dynamic with different stages! I like it. And props to my enemy for his gameplay.
What i find a bit strange for my taste is, that often times cavalry, artillery and other support forces engage my entrenched armies and special forces with amphibious boats, deal nice damage and dissapear again. Then the real forces come in, finish what is left and really land on a hex.
I know, SC always opperated with a big portion of abstraction, but atm it is a bit hard to imagine a Cavalry Division land on the beach, attack an entrenched force, deal nice damage without taking any and set sail again.
This never bothered me in WaW. Maybe it is the scale of the map or the on pacific concentrated setting.
Maybe it could be thought about, if it is really a thing to let Cavalry, AA and so on be amphibious attackers. Or somehow let the attacker take damage, even if he does not, in game terms, "land on one of the hexes". And really landing on the hex often causes more casulties, than the fight itself.
Again, nothing against my enemy partner here. I like his handling of his forces.
Maybe somebody has a tip on setting up a defence in the Pacific with Japan?
Another thing is the felt uselessness of Airpower on an Island, even with airfield. More often than not a amphibious force with escorts could engage such a unit and destroy it without fearing retaliation from it. It would be luck to spot a nearing unit and attack it, before it engages. Land based airpower should, in my estimation, be devastating to naval forces engaging or passing by.
But hey, maybe I am just whiny today and if thats all that bothers me in this first version after release, it is a great game. Thanks for that
I am glad, you agree on the supporters in AV. The idea with Battleships is an interesting take. That exposes Battleships some more and gives them a role besides sitting there like seabunkers, building a defensive wall. I think, if balancing allows for it, it would also be a nice historical touch. Shore bombardements were crucial, before the AV hit the beaches.