While I realise that it's an accidental confusion in a second language for the author and I really am not wanting to appear in any way critical or condemnatory, as a sometime creator of erotic art - I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS IMAGERY!![:D]
That's going to spark off a series of cartoons, that is.
Thank you, Anraz [&o]- you've made my weekend.
Now when I have relized it I cannot stop laughing either.
Some more playtesting data. Started a Barbarossa scenario as solo Sovs this weekend, am now in June 1942. Definitely harder than the Grand Campaign. I was pushed back to Leningrad/Novgorod/Smolensk/Bryansk/Kursk/Kharkov/Stalino before the snows hit. Had garrisons in Kiev and Odessa that held out through the winter. During the winter I was able to push back in the Ukraine to reestablish my front line at Odessa and Kiev, but am pretty sure a human player could've taken those places before the winter hit.
I knocked out Finland during the 1941-2 winter. Murmansk had to be heavily reinforced during summer 1941 to stop the Axis from taking it. You also need to put up a solid line of corps north of Leningrad to stop them at the isthmus. An active Finland definitely makes things harder for the Sovs.
I had to resort to a fairly drastic tactic: disbanded my entire airforce on the first turn in order to get the PP's necessary to build up the Red Army (and toss some points into research). I've never had more than 300 pp in the kitty at any time in this game. I disbanded a few of the armor corps, too, mostly the ones exposed at the front line on 22 June 1941 that I didn't think I could get out.
In fact, going into summer 1942 I still don't have an air force, heh. If I countinue the game I'll start building it up now, however. At least some fighters. The AI loves to bomb my armored corps, it's getting annying and expensive and unlike 1941, they are in the frontlines now and exposed.
Running around with about 85 infantry corps, 20 armored corps (not fully upgraded yet, maybe 2/3 are at level 3 armor), 5 motorized corps, and maybe 50 odd divisions scattered around. I had a lot more divisions earlier on, but have been gradually upgrading these to crops. Tech is at 3 for arty and armor, and 2 for airpower.
Situation is stabilized and I regard the war as being won at this point, although it will take a while to win it.
Nice you made this test. It will help to tweak the 1939-scenario.
Any plans to reverse the process and play it from the German angle?
Did you notice if the 1941-scenario had the "Soviet shock effect"?
All right.
I think it could be a point - in the 1939 grand scenario - to try and balance so that the USSR have about the same provisions in june 1941 as in the 1941-scenario. Clicking through the "1939" without doing any fighting, the USSR rose to over 2 000 PP before christmas-39, however, so some serious modding has to be made. It would of course be desirable that the Germans would also be at basically the same point in June 1941 as in the 1941-scenario, although, since they will be fighting their way there, its a little more difficult to achieve.
I'm going to raise the land warfare doctrine considerably for the Germans and lower their economy. I'm also going to raise the Soviets upkeep cost a lot and limiting their land warfare doctrine. In the light of those changes, maybe an initially strong Soviet economy isn't that bad. They must start low on research, though.
I think it could be a point - in the 1939 grand scenario - to try and balance so that the USSR have about the same provisions in june 1941 as in the 1941-scenario. Clicking through the "1939" without doing any fighting, the USSR rose to over 2 000 PP before christmas-39, however, so some serious modding has to be made. It would of course be desirable that the Germans would also be at basically the same point in June 1941 as in the 1941-scenario, although, since they will be fighting their way there, its a little more difficult to achieve.
I'm going to raise the land warfare doctrine considerably for the Germans and lower their economy. I'm also going to raise the Soviets upkeep cost a lot and limiting their land warfare doctrine. In the light of those changes, maybe an initially strong Soviet economy isn't that bad. They must start low on research, though.
Excellent! [:D] (I was beginning to wonder if anyone else agreed there was even a problem. [:o])
Just curious, are you a modder or doing this officially? [8D]
From the Soviet viewpoint I'm always going to do better in the Grand Campaign than the Barbarossa scenario for two reasons:
1. I make it a point to knock out Finland early on and well before the Germans declare war. An active Finland in conjunction with Germany is a serious headache.
2. My setup against the initial German attack is vastly different than the Barbarossa one. The Barbarossa setup is perfectly historical, mind you. This is a case where hindsight is 20/20 and the well informed Soviet player will defend in depth and screen the border lightly with cheap and expendable speed bump units as opposed to the historical plan, since he knows, as the Sovs in real life didn't, that he's under a shock penalty in the initial period of war.
So there's only so much you can do to restrain the Soviet. We're just smarter than Stalin, bottom line.
I think Stalin is underestimated. I don't think he was caught flat-footed by Hitler so much as Hitler beat Stalin to the draw.
Soviet forces along the frontier were beginning to be assembled in offensive mode when the Nazis attacked. Stalin had been surprised by the rapidity of France's collapse, but had been preparing since the Winter War with Finland to attack Germany. He was desparate to keep Hitler friendly until he was ready to move, and that was the real reason for his appearent "What, Me Worry?" reaction to intelligence indicating a German attack was nigh.
I think Stalin intended to attack in the Spring of 1942, and to be ready for a German attack by the end of Autumn, 1941.
I do agree that Russia is much tougher in 1.60. Still though; I can play the Germans on hard (1939), axis allies set to very hard (AI), Italy left at normal, set Britian & USA to easy and Russia, France, Poland, Belgium, Netherlands & Norway to Very Easy... and still Germany is in Stalingrad and the oil production centers of the south by July of 1942. I usually stop at this point.
Will there be other IA enhancements coming for Russia?
I have always considered the Eastern Front as the real arena for WWII and that Germany lost WWII at 5am on June 22 1941.
“I got a great deal on some French WW2 army surplus guns. Never used and only dropped once...”
Update 2 months later 1-July-1941 (normal difficulty)...
Russia gone wild! From the numbers, I think I must have stumbled into China! [:D]
Here's the side by side comparison of the forces just 2 months after the invasion:
Unit type/#German/#Russian
Inf. Div. 34/146
Inf. Cor. 39/90
Mch. Div. 0/25
Mch. Cor. 20/7
Arm. Div. 0/51
Arm. Cor. 12/3
Fighter 10/10
Tac. B. 12/10
Srt. B 0/2
Total Unit Strength: 621/931 [X(]
Production: 441/444, Upkeep: 185/45 (~+140 Russian edge in net production)
Russian war economy: 167% [X(][X(][X(] (Are you kidding me.... result of war with Finland?)
Land/air unit research: level 3/level 2
Add to this 20% (higher to the north, lower to the south) cloud cover in July (=mud).
The Russian lines are 3 deep around cities.
Given that it often takes multiple attacks at 6 or 7-1 to actually kill a unit, the Germans can't even eliminate what Russia can produce each turn.
I'm definitely not one of the experts here, but something doesn't feel right! [&:]
Sometimes you have to make a choice. The real way to hurt the USSR is in the south. Pile your Panzer Corps there and keep in mind that a level 2 Moto Coprs is like 90 something PPS, so buy a lot of them. Hit the South with 7+ Panzer Corps & 8+ Moto Corps, leave the Inf & a few panzer corps for the center & north. Up rate all of the Moto & Panzer units to corps level. Not a lot of Inf will be needed in the south because all they will be doing is walking 2 turns+ behind the mobil units (you can buy them as you take cities in the south to SMP them to like Keiv. Shave off the Southern approach to prevent Romanians or others from claiming points. Pound into the Factory areas South of Keiv without mercy and hunt any Russian armor unit with Air if need be to kill every one you can. The points will begin to show in the German PP soon enough. Then build Inf Corps to hold the South as you pull back many of the panzer & Moto Corps for winter refit just behind the line. In 1942 go for operations in the South and the oil. This time think like an unrelenting Nazi and take all at all costs even if it means damaging you Air & Panzers to hell. The points will make up for it. In the North... who cares those are just VP cities for the most part. PP are what you need now.
“I got a great deal on some French WW2 army surplus guns. Never used and only dropped once...”
