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Just thought I would post a breif summary of my games and my idiotic moves so far. This is an awsome game and like most people I don't read the manual, but prefer to play a few games then look up things as I need them, so I am not surpised at most of the boneheaded things I do.

All games are playing WA with the computer controlling the rest. Supplies are set to advanced with auto distribution.

1. First game. Didn't realize I had to manufacter supplies. War stalls out real early as none of my units can move after about turn two.

2. Second game. Much better then the first as I actually like you know, make supplies. I misunderstand the research trees. I think that each point I put into it automatically raises it and the beaker colors are how close I am to the tech level everyone else is it. Thus I put research points into many things but never actually make any breakthroughs. As a result the United states gets horribly stomped in the pacific and australia falls. New game

3. Third game. Ok I think I got a handle on things. I forget to research transport capacity until about one turn before D-day. D-Day is called off since all I can land is about 2 tanks and a troop. I attempt to make a landing in Norway instead, but my men are slaughtered on the beaches. Allies call it a day.

4. Fourth game. Much better! Start researching stuff I need at the beginning and am started to have a handle on how the turn flow is. I also figure out that I should move all my transports to safe locations once hostility starts instead of watching the axis pick them off one by one

Questions :

How do I take islands in the pacific back from Japan. For instance, I have several islands near Australia that the japanese have taken but have no troops or water vessels. I put a transport line to the island then attempt to drag men/tanks onto the island but the game will not allow me to. I can drag the troops into the sea zone with the island, showing that there is a supply line to it.

Can someone explain to me how production/capacity/population work on the productions screen? Basically the three middle values. I read the manual but am still lost, especially with regards to population.

Is there any chance that the supply amount can be displayed on the main screen for easy viewing at all times? Currently, I have to click a unit to move it in order to see the supplies I have.

Can there be some sort of tool or way to figure out the supply/army movement chain made by convoys. Currently I have to take a troop and drag him around to figure out where my convoy line has been broken.

ORIGINAL: kenoyer130

1. First game. Didn't realize I had to manufacter supplies. War stalls out real early as none of my units can move after about turn two.

Been there done that... didn't like it. [8|]

Hey Paul, you should be posting in here. [:D]

kenoyer130,
To do amphib landings you need enough transports to support a landing. The transports have two values: normal transport and amphib landing. The Japs start the game with the tech level of their transports able to amphib one INF each. All other nations need two transports to land one INF by amphib. Until you raise it by researching.

There is a button of the top bar that looks like a pile of boxes. It will show the location of all your supplies on the map.

I'll let some else describe the production. It's been done in several threads already.

Invaded Russia, got to Moscow and couldn't figure out why the Rumanians wouldn't join in. (Read the manual later and figured out why the neutrals weren't in but doh was heard at the gates of Moscow quit loudly. [8|]

Heh, that's a new one, silver foot. [;)]

OK, "First pbem with playtesters ..."[:-][&o]

ORIGINAL: Barthheart

kenoyer130,
To do amphib landings you need enough transports to support a landing. The transports have two values: normal transport and amphib landing. The Japs start the game with the tech level of their transports able to amphib one INF each. All other nations need two transports to land one INF by amphib. Until you raise it by researching.

Sheesh. I was just going to do a post on how the heck to do amphib landings. I park a bunch of transports off a coast and sometimes I can attack and sometimes I can't. Is there an easy way to tell if I have enough amphib capability?

The 2nd # next to your transport capacity (30/3) is the total amphibious amount you have available. 5 is necessary to amphib infantry, 10 for armor. The more you research amphib, the easier it is to land your troops. As you add transports, you'll see (60/6, 90/9, etc, depending on tech level).

ORIGINAL: paullus99

The 2nd # next to your transport capacity (30/3) is the total amphibious amount you have available. 5 is necessary to amphib infantry, 10 for armor. The more you research amphib, the easier it is to land your troops. As you add transports, you'll see (60/6, 90/9, etc, depending on tech level).

wow, thanks a ton. I was looking in the manual for those values but couldn't find it. I sort of figured out the first number, but not the second. Thanks.

I think everyone is going to make the "supply" error in their first game.

My newb mistake in my second game was to do research. I would go to the research screen and plot all my research out careful and then go to production. the problem was I was using all my production points up in research and never could figure out why I couldn't build anything! at the end (1945)I had my tanks land attack around 11 or 12, evasion was 10, the subs were killing machines and the planes never missed. The problem was the slow attrition and I never could add any new units, all because I was 100% into research!

I park a bunch of transports off a coast and sometimes I can attack and sometimes I can't. Is there an easy way to tell if I have enough amphib capability?

There is also no Amphib assaulting allowed in snow regions in winter.

So, a couple of bloopers:

1.) Attacking the Singapore sea zone with German subs is a bad idea. Trust me.

2.) Moving your subs through the English Channel when the RAF is alert and ready can also be a bad (and painful!) idea.

3.) You don't need one supply point per unit fighting partisans - only one per country. Shame I didn't realize this until very recently

4.) Oh, I did the "Let's invest in lots of little research projects early!" thing too The notion that WWII-games have probability-based breakthroughs seems to be stuck in my head for some reason (I think it's Clash of Steel that did it to me...)

I had my first ever go last night and I'm still in a state of confusion!

I've done about a billion left clicks when it should be right clicks, thus sending my little men all over the world, and then having to undo them [:)]

I know this is really silly but Western Allies IS... really bugs me.

I also had no clue about needing two transports to make an amphib landing, although now I am enlightened. My main problem is I have yet to print out the manual because my printer is knackered so reading the pdf takes ages.
Hence I have no clue how points are awarded on the production screen and what happens when you go into negative numbers.

slight inconsistences in the pop up screens? sometimes you have to move the mouse to keep the screen up and sometimes you have to press the pause button.

Research = baffled (manual required).

the WA seem to be able to move men anywhere they like on the whole map.

no idea what my AI partner Japan was doing at all, just making a mess it seemed

Still I thought it was really fun and can't wait to try again.

First game I played about 2 years before I figured out that I had production on AI control. [:)]

And I still have not really grasped supplies... I build them but they don't seem to be where I need them [:(]