HPS France '14

[htuna]

ORIGINAL: cmurphy625

One thing I haven't been able to figure out.. what do those lil white dots on the bottom right corner of some of the counters mean?

OK.. figured it out.. lil white dot means "Recon Ability"

[Fallschirmjager]

I got this game in the mail today along with North German Plain and Squad Battle Vietnam. I am looking forward to trying this one out.

[sol_invictus]

It's a really nice game. Be sure to check out the Mapmod.

[Fallschirmjager]

What is the link to the map mod? And which one should I get? I see several in this thread

[V22 Osprey]

http://www.hist-sdc.com/MapMod/fwwc.htm

[Fallschirmjager]

My initial impressions are that this is a pretty good game. It still feels like an old design but the quality and game play carry it through.
So far I went through the getting started scenario which is the final hours of the battle for Liege. I managed to take all but three of the forts but at the cost of 3,600 casualties. The artillery really has to pound the forts for a while before they will break. After a while and repeated assualts I got most of the forts and a decisive victory and 8,000 Belgians were casualties or captured.
Next I played the entire battle of Mons as the British and got a draw. The new artillery system is pretty neat in that it requires you to pre plot your heavier guns and requires some planning instead of the instant artillery that you get in Panzer Campaigns and Modern Campaigns. The Germans through mass sheer numbers and devastating artillery took the Canal and Mons and I made several desperate counter attacks but could not dislodge them. Finally I settled back to defending again and the cut up German battalions had no hope of making any further progress.
I took 2,300 casualties mostly from my futile counter attacks and failing to dig in when I should have. The Germans took 6,400 casualties and my artillery (the little that I had, how did the British make it with so few guns?) really gave them a beating for every yard gained. Even the 18 pounders were tearing gaps into the German lines and sometimes I was getting 75 casualties with a single bombardment. My big guns like the 4.5 inch and the 60 pounder had to be pre-plotted but when they hit they really did big damage. Disorganizing a battalion in 1-2 hits was possible. The one problem I kept having is running out of ammo with my big guns and getting supplied only about every 3 turns of so.

The game does a fantastic job of simulating the first few months of the war and the supply problems that all armies face. Machine guns were not plentiful enough. There were not enough guns per 1,000 men and shells for those guns were only about a quarter of what was needed. Even basics like rifle and machine gun ammo were not enough and those hard lessons are displayed in the game.

Further playing I am sure will uncover more but so far I am happy. If there is one thing the game needs it is more scenarios of the small to medium size. Hopefully some dedicated fans will pump out some high quality scenarios.
The scenario I am working on right now is the Ardennes scenario which is part of the Battle of the Frontiers which is my favorite battle of the First World War.

[sol_invictus]

The Ardennes scenario is great as the Germans. One of the few meeting engagements in the game and things get really tense from the word go. The poor French start in a really compromised position. I tried Mons as the Germans and got slapped silly. That British rifle fire is extremely deadly and that damn canal might as well be the Grand Canyon for all the chance the Germans have of getting on the other side. I was next to Mons and had the units in it reduced and ready to crack but time ran out. I was moving good on my left but simply ran out of time. The Germans always seem to be short of time. I am playing Charleroi as the Germans now and again there is a canal across the front and French machineguns and 75s covering all crossings. If I can reduce Namur I hope I can make a breakthrough but all the Germans facing it start off fixed so I must wait. I have found that slow and steady is the best bet. You have to systematically weaken the defender before making the big push and I'm not patient by nature. Really enjoying the game and can't wait for the Eastern front release.

[Fallschirmjager]

The Germans advantage is weight of numbers and number of artillery guns and the number of heavy guns. In the real war they still found themselves having a lack of guns and shells but compared to other armies had planned better for a real war. The French 75 while quick firing as a revolutionary gun design did not have the weight of fire needed to properly break up advancing waves or soften up defenses and as all armies experienced the number of shells they had on hand was much fewer than needed. The rate of fire was much higher than expected in combat and shell reserves quickly ran out.

I am playing the Ardenes as the Germans as well and I have only made it two turns in but I am finding out that any sort of attacking is hard going. And I really need to learn how to use calvary, I am terrible at it.
Also the 7.7cm FK 98 gun is a very mediocre weapon. It has mobility but that is about it. Range is bad and firepower is left wanting. Thankfully the Germans have medium and heavy guns but never enough of them.

I also think the game needs machine gun strength to be increased. I realize they are only companies but I find that rifles are far deadlier and machine guns don't seem to do enough damage even on the defensive.

[Fallschirmjager]

Double post

[V22 Osprey]

ORIGINAL: Fallschirmjager

The Germans advantage is weight of numbers and number of artillery guns and the number of heavy guns. In the real war they still found themselves having a lack of guns and shells but compared to other armies had planned better for a real war. The French 75 while quick firing as a revolutionary gun design did not have the weight of fire needed to properly break up advancing waves or soften up defenses and as all armies experienced the number of shells they had on hand was much fewer than needed. The rate of fire was much higher than expected in combat and shell reserves quickly ran out.

I am playing the Ardenes as the Germans as well and I have only made it two turns in but I am finding out that any sort of attacking is hard going. And I really need to learn how to use calvary, I am terrible at it.
Also the 7.7cm FK 98 gun is a very mediocre weapon. It has mobility but that is about it. Range is bad and firepower is left wanting. Thankfully the Germans have medium and heavy guns but never enough of them.

I also think the game needs machine gun strength to be increased. I realize they are only companies but I find that rifles are far deadlier and machine guns don't seem to do enough damage even on the defensive.

Actually, MGs do ALLOT of damage. Allied MGs are much weaker than German ones, as the average allied MG unit has ~30 men while the average German MG unit has ~90-100 men. Keep in mind also, this aren't those measly 200-300 man units we see in Panzer Campaigns. In France '14, the average unit size is 1000 men so they are going to cause more damage than you are used to.

Most likely you are shots fired from MGs at the 2 hex range. Try firing an MG at a unit right next to it, and see what happens. Then try actually assaulting an MG, the casualties will mount up fast.

[BAL]

In case anyone is interested, the design notes for France '14 are posted at GameSquad (in 3 parts). Just look on the right side of the screen.

http://forums.gamesquad.com/forum.php

[Fallschirmjager]

Map mod is pretty but doesn't do a thing to make 3-D mode any more pretty. That is the primary mode I play in due to a large monitor and 2-D mode being so tiny.
The new unit cards are pretty though.

[sol_invictus]

I am afraid that 3-D mode is hopeless.

[Fallschirmjager]

I have a 30" screen and 2D mode is so tiny that is is unplayable. It has a few uses in seeing the larger picture but plotting movements and attacks cannot be done. My eyes just turned 26 and even at my age I cannot see what is going on

[pelle75]

Can't you force the game to play at a lower resolution?

[BAL]

ORIGINAL: Fallschirmjager

I have a 30" screen and 2D mode is so tiny that is is unplayable. It has a few uses in seeing the larger picture but plotting movements and attacks cannot be done. My eyes just turned 26 and even at my age I cannot see what is going on

Are you sure you're viewing in normal & not zoom-out mode?

[V22 Osprey]

Since it plays in a window, you have to change your entire monitor's resolution manually in order for the game to appear larger.

[Fallschirmjager]

ORIGINAL: BAL

ORIGINAL: Fallschirmjager

I have a 30" screen and 2D mode is so tiny that is is unplayable. It has a few uses in seeing the larger picture but plotting movements and attacks cannot be done. My eyes just turned 26 and even at my age I cannot see what is going on

Are you sure you're viewing in normal & not zoom-out mode?

Yes, at no zoom level is 2D mode playable.

[Anonymous]

[Deleted by Admins]

[Once Joey]

France '14 looks to be nearly flawless... gameplay, graphics, and research all come together here. I enjoy this one very much (being a follower of the PzC series).

I am wondering - that with the new MapMod Terrain/Unit Cards, does the "Volcano Mod" fit comfortably into the overall gameplay and graphics? I know first-hand that the Volcano Mods are likely the best in any genre (legendary), are they very compatible with France '14 as a stand-alone Mod, or in combo with Jison MapMods?