Wide variation is correct. Reading the accounts of units like the Ariete and the Folgore leaves no doubt of their bravery.
This is a perfect example of how retarded the Italy AI is. I totally understand if you want to make them weaker to reflect history, but at least give them a chance and/or brain. This game is becoming ridiculous. I might go back to Rome Total Realism.
...To be further noted, in the Greco-Italian campaign, the Italians had only eight divisions stationed in Albania against fifteen Greek divisions, and of these only three were sent on the initial offensive. Badoglio projected that 20 divisions would be needed for a successful offensive, but was overruled by Mussolini and given only 12 days' notice before the attack would begin.
The failure was entirely a strategic/logistical one based on totally inadequate planning. A well-led Italy could have achieved much more than it did historically. ....
Another point to consider if you start Italy on a multinational conquest path in 1936 you are
cheating Italy of the 4 years they could have to improve their technology, industry, and military.
Would have the same effect of using a 1936 US Army.
I think ITA might have a bit to much MP, it is hard to deplete the pool for ITA.
Il Duce would be really proud of you for giving him the empire he wanted. But it's strange if noone declares war against Italy. Could be a bug...No thread griping about the state of Italy would be complete without complaining about the fact that the majors are hard wire programmed to never declare war on a neutral Italy no matter what it does and no matter how threatening it gets.
(...)
This game was just vanilla FtM without any cheats. Germany had no problem as Italy absorbed Austria,
Poland and all of Scandinavia. The UK had no problem as Mussolini annexed Ireland, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
Btw: to add my two cents to this discussion, I really don't want to see the AI of Italy (or of any other nation) to be more powerful and capable in the game than "it" was in reality. Such an opportunity should definitely be left to the player alone, as the player should be the key component behind any changes of history, not the AI. As a player, I don't want to see the AI to perform too differently from how the nation performed in real. I want to do that by myself!
Then you can forget about a challenging, unpredictable AI. With hindsight, even a poor strategist can beat the AI every time if it always does the same things RL countries did IRL.As a player, I don't want to see the AI to perform too differently from how the nation performed in real. I want to do that by myself!
No thread griping about the state of Italy would be complete without complaining about the fact that the majors are hard wire programmed to never declare war on a neutral Italy no matter what it does and no matter how threatening it gets.
This game was just vanilla FtM without any cheats. Germany had no problem as Italy absorbed Austria,
Poland and all of Scandinavia. The UK had no problem as Mussolini annexed Ireland, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
Was that an AI controlled Italy or Human? I don't think i have seen the AI pull that off!
No that's not the Italian AI, even Skynet could not have pulled that off. That was me taking advantage of a loophole. I raised France's threat so that I could attack Austria before the Anschluss, then every non-guaranteed neutral on the planet had to learn to sing "O Sole Mio" ...