Matrix Games Forums

Hello all.

Just downloaded the game, installed it (ran fine, cool retro graphics!), and am reading the manual.

Looks like a steep learning curve. Any advice for a newbie to get up to speed quickly?

I come from a SPWAW background, but looking to get my feet wet in an operational or strategic level game. Did I find it here?

Originally posted by 11Bravo:
Hello all.

Looks like a steep learning curve. Any advice for a newbie to get up to speed quickly?

I come from a SPWAW background, but looking to get my feet wet in an operational or strategic level game. Did I find it here?

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Welcome to our community! Yes you come right, this is arguable the best operational/war game ever created.

Advice; play the game, you go nuts just reading the manual. Focus on learning how to move the pieces and combining attacks. Play the AI to learn the basics but soon move over to play humans.

German strategy; Go for Moscow, use panzers to sorround soviet armies. Dig in before the blizzard and move out the panzers from frontline duty.

Soviet strategy; Give ground, save all your tanks. Send the airforce to training in a safe place.

stick with the presets. As a beginner , don't mess around with production

Never set a HQ to computer operational control or computer full control. It's nuts, bollocks, whatever. Don't use this "feature"

Don'toverextend

Don't attack entrenched 8 div korps but surround them. Take leningrad before winter. don't attack in winter. don't go to places with low replacement levels (2 and lower) if you don't have a very good reason. keep your HQs save. don't totally strip west or italy.

Originally posted by 11Bravo:
Hello all.

Just downloaded the game, installed it (ran fine, cool retro graphics!), and am reading the manual.

Looks like a steep learning curve. Any advice for a newbie to get up to speed quickly?

I come from a SPWAW background, but looking to get my feet wet in an operational or strategic level game. Did I find it here?

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Welcome to another victim !
one thing I add to previos posts - air force is great weapon in this game. While playing germans destroy Red Air Force in first turn by airfields attack and after that keep an eye on them. If maintened properly Luftwaffe should have air superiority to the end of war.
I know much better players than I am and most of them you can find at this forum but I play the game for ages now, so if You stack with problems give me an email and I'll try to help. Or just post your problems here.
Happy hunting
Maciej

Yup. Don't ignore the soviet air force or you get into trouble in 1942

Thanks for the nice advice.

I have played a little as the Axis in the '41 Campaign and am learning the mechanics of how to do things. I also took a tour of the battlefield. Now for some questions that I haven't figured out yet.

First, what role am I playing here? Am I essentially the head of OKH?

Second, what is 2nd Army doing there east of Berlin? Shouldn't it be deployed somewhere near the front? Or is it some type of reserve or security force for conquered Poland?

Should I leave OKW alone? Hitler seems to be sitting on a pile of war material that could be better used elsewhere. His Italian front could use strengthening. His Western front looks stronger than necessary for '41. He is sitting on a pile of bombers that could wreak havoc on Russia. Am I supposed to meddle, or should I leave that stuff alone. <img src="biggrin.gif" border="0">

Thanks in advance <img src="smile.gif" border="0">

Originally posted by 11Bravo:
Thanks for the nice advice.

I have played a little as the Axis in the '41 Campaign and am learning the mechanics of how to do things. I also took a tour of the battlefield. Now for some questions that I haven't figured out yet.

First, what role am I playing here? Am I essentially the head of OKH?

Second, what is 2nd Army doing there east of Berlin? Shouldn't it be deployed somewhere near the front? Or is it some type of reserve or security force for conquered Poland?

Should I leave OKW alone? Hitler seems to be sitting on a pile of war material that could be better used elsewhere. His Italian front could use strengthening. His Western front looks stronger than necessary for '41. He is sitting on a pile of bombers that could wreak havoc on Russia. Am I supposed to meddle, or should I leave that stuff alone. <img src="biggrin.gif" border="0">

Thanks in advance <img src="smile.gif" border="0">

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2nd Army was the Wehrmacht reserve for the East, basically. You need to use it there at some point. Also, you definitely need to rearrange the other units in reserve, which were typically homeland defense and new units. Send there where you feel the need. And the planes should be sent out, but I would make sure they are trained up if not already. That applies to all units in the rear. You generally want to keep them in reserve gaining experience until they reach a decent level, and keep some fighters back to protect against Soviet bomber raids, as they have a number of long range planes that could cause a lot of damage if you don't.