Newbye Query

[AlbertN]

I've done some homeworks - read forums, played vs AI, thrown myself into a PBEM with a friend even.

I am testing out Axis. France in general, vs the AI in practice stuff, was holding up to August '40. That's a lot! With a roughly historical go at Benelux during spring '40.

I've read on the forums that one needs to rush rush rush - so the winter attack is tried. And I do not know how that should work because to me it simply does not. BUT I've read that is -the way to go- from the forums (unless I misunderstood, that's it!).

Pretty much the Germans get stuck in roughly Belgium for all the bad weather time. Then why not to just wait for the spring? Maybe I am just doing things wrong considering I am a novice, but I cannot get the grasp. Even the strategy guide that comes with the game (the pdf) suggests to wait spring.

But I know from other games the holy bibles coming with the game very often have holes and the like, and that the PvP players know best. (Once they get practiced!)

There is the feeling to have also wasted a ton of build points just to operate all the troops to do the 'rush rush rush' while good stuff could have been put in production.

Can someone kind of unveil what may be the arcane trick I am missing?

Thanks in advance.

[Chernobyl]

It sounds like you are just new to game mechanics. If I were you I'd do some practice and testing.

Here is a list of things I think about when I want to maximize speed and attack power on land:
-Are all my units under the best HQ generals and do the most important units get the best general (turn off auto hq setting and manually assign)
-Are my units getting the highest supply possible (this is a whole topic, experiment with HQ placement and the supply map view to give your units their highest supply at the end of your turn)
-Am I using the most effective forms of movement to maximize the number of attacks I can perform (always move + attack before deselecting your unit; if you move and then click something else and then attack, it will consume another movement point.)
-You want to use your airforce to maximum effect. Experiment with using bombers to attack different targets. Remember that medium bombers remove one level of entrenchment, and tactical bombers are more effective against units that have no entrenchment left.
-Space is limited in Belgium so don't get in your own way.
-Bad weather does slow everyone down, but you should still be able to take Brussels in one turn.

Attacking Belgium early isn't really supposed to produce a history-like surrounding breakthrough in one turn. It starts destroying Allied units and gets a toehold in northern France after a couple months, depending on what the Allies do of course. The goal is to get France to surrender earlier, but against decent resistance this still takes at least 4+ turns (4 turns would be a very fast result against a human, I am guessing really it should take 6+, all the more reason to start early.)

One major reason to attack in the winter is the Allies can't really punish you for it tactically. So you might as well be doing something productive. You actually don't have to rush ALL your units there, just some, before you attack, because the Allies are so weak on counterattack. So you don't have to spend a high amount on rail transport.

[SittingDuck]

I think I would work out my mastery of game mechanics vs the AI, then jump into PvP/email.

I do think to do otherwise might unnecessarily subject you to thinking 'email' was completely jacked up based on constantly getting thumped by not having a mastery of the mechanics.

Not say email isn't jacked up to some degree, but you hopefully get what I mean.