A lot of questions

[Kalenden]

Hello, I've recently tried out this game in a Germany game until 1940 and while I wasn't doing badly, I felt like I could improve my skills in this game. So I've got a lot of questions to improve my play style.

1) Aircraft: I've used a mix of INT, CAS and TAC, but I've been dissapointed by the results. I've lost the most aircraft of all the nations, INT seems ineffective, CAS especially so and TAC doesn't do much.

- What types of aircraft should I use? INT and/or fighters? CAS and/or TAC? Perhaps other aircraft will perform better?

- I use INT with the Air Superiority ability and have them patrol a region or area. Except that I don't change anything about their deployment. Things I should change in the mission screen for the INT's?

- I use CAS and TAC the same as INT, except with Interdiction and Ground Attack as missions. So likewise as the INT's with the patrolling a region and so on. What can I do to make them more effective?

2) Naval: My current strategy has been, build a shitload of submarines and deploy them.

- I use 30 submarines under Karl Doenitz and deploy them in the Irish sea with the convoy raiding mission. They return quickly, and stay a long time in port. They do some damage to the enemy convoys but they are rather long in port. What should I change?

- Can I safely ignore all other naval techs except submarines? Historically I know that submarines were effective, so I chose them. Any important naval doctrine techs for submarines?

3) Land: I use infantry under a general in 9 divisions, or in 3 divisions, with the offensive/defensive trait depending on their purpose. I've divided my ARM units in 3 units, and combined every ARM with 2 MOT's and self propelled artillery.

- What brigades ( if any ) are essential for infantry, I've ignored brigades so far, but I think that was a mistake.

- Is it okay, to make Infantry only armies? What about the strategy of putting 1 ARM with 2 MOT's?

- Should I use Field Marshals more, or divide my armies more in 3 division units?

4) General Management:

- Should I start building infrastructure and factories at the start of the game, or rather focus on factories only?

- When should the IC whoring stop and the unit building commence? What units do I need the most and what should be the proportion of INF to ARM's?

- Are AA and Radar Stations worth it? I haven't noticed a large effect.

- What should be my slider changes? Is central planning worth it?

- What are essential german technologies?

That was it, so far. Sorry for the many questions, and additional hints/tips/guidelines are always welcome.

 

[DarkSoul1984]

Hello,

Hello.

I've recently tried out this game in a Germany game until 1940 and while I wasn't doing badly, I felt like I could improve my skills in this game. So I've got a lot of questions to improve my play style.

So do/did we all.

1) Aircraft: I've used a mix of INT, CAS and TAC, but I've been dissapointed by the results. I've lost the most aircraft of all the nations, INT seems ineffective, CAS especially so and TAC doesn't do much.

It is not unusual to lose the most aircraft playing as Germany. You are employing the most aircraft. What are the actual numbers in losses?

- What types of aircraft should I use? INT and/or fighters? CAS and/or TAC? Perhaps other aircraft will perform better?

I use INT for air superiority over Germany. I use both CAS and TAC for interdiction. CAS has better attack values, TAC better range and survivability.

- I use INT with the Air Superiority ability and have them patrol a region or area. Except that I don't change anything about their deployment. Things I should change in the mission screen for the INT's?

I would recommend setting them to a regional air superiority mission using "Both" and "85%."

- I use CAS and TAC the same as INT, except with Interdiction and Ground Attack as missions. So likewise as the INT's with the patrolling a region and so on. What can I do to make them more effective?

I set CAS to region but TAC to area so they have a wider scope to deal with... Due to the way air combat is done in AoD, they more intelligently select their combats and I find I am able to give them greater latitude this way. (Note: I might have 'area' and 'region' reversed. 'Province' is one tiny province. 'Area' is a small collection of provinces. 'Region' is a gigantic collection of provinces. That is how I am using them in this post.)

2) Naval: My current strategy has been, build a shitload of submarines and deploy them.

That works. I sank over 2k UK convoys at the expense of 53 submarines in my latest game.

- I use 30 submarines under Karl Doenitz and deploy them in the Irish sea with the convoy raiding mission. They return quickly, and stay a long time in port. They do some damage to the enemy convoys but they are rather long in port. What should I change?

I set them in 3 submarine flotillas, set them to convoy raiding, 33% dmg/org threshold, and 'night.' I also set them up to extend from Spain all the way west to Newfoundland to set up an convoy raiding line. I use, on average, 2 3-submarine flotillas per area. My extras, after setting up my line, I use in whatever regions I deem to be "convoy rich."

- Can I safely ignore all other naval techs except submarines? Historically I know that submarines were effective, so I chose them. Any important naval doctrine techs for submarines?

The whole German Sea Lane Interdiction tree should be researched for greater convoy raiding efficiency and submarine positioning. Other than that, it all depends upon your goals. You get pretty good Cruiser, Battleship positioning, so building some of those and using them to convoy raid is also effective. If you attempt SeaLion, be sure to have your surface ships with air cover in the Channel otherwise the Royal Navy will effectively block your TPs.

3) Land: I use infantry under a general in 9 divisions, or in 3 divisions, with the offensive/defensive trait depending on their purpose. I've divided my ARM units in 3 units, and combined every ARM with 2 MOT's and self propelled artillery.

I only use groupings of 3 units. I also build 6-12 HQs and these get my Field Marshals. When you attack, make sure to use the proper ranks and units to get the most in combat and avoid the Over-Command Limit, which is the real killer. You can pretty much ignore the stacking penalty with a few exceptions.

- What brigades ( if any ) are essential for infantry, I've ignored brigades so far, but I think that was a mistake.

I use AT, AA, and ART. My standard is a grouping of 1 INF+AA, 1 INF+AT, and 1 INF+ART. For my HQ groups, it is 1 HQ+AA, 1 INF+AT, and 1 INF+ART.

- Is it okay, to make Infantry only armies? What about the strategy of putting 1 ARM with 2 MOT's?

You get the combined arms bonus IIRC this way. I do not do this, but not for any significant reason. I just build ~18 ARM (in groups of 3) and 30 MOT (in groups of 3) and keep them moving together. Really, however you want to organize it...

- Should I use Field Marshals more, or divide my armies more in 3 division units?

You can use FMs for whatever grouping you want. When you attack with 12 or more units, just make sure a FM is in charge of at least one, or a General with an HQ.

4) General Management:

- Should I start building infrastructure and factories at the start of the game, or rather focus on factories only?

I build Infra in my top 10 resource/IC rich provinces and also 28 IC for a true base of 170 IC. It gives me an organizational thrill this way. That is the only reason for the 28 IC. You do not need to build IC as Germany if you plan on going full Central Planning for the 25% IC boost, but it is recommended for the add Transport Capacity.

- When should the IC whoring stop and the unit building commence? What units do I need the most and what should be the proportion of INF to ARM's?

At game start, I start a serial run of 8 ARM-II that is done by March 1939. That give me 12 total ARM. My IC is done building usually by middle of 1938 which is when I start a 12x12 build of '39 INF. My air force I am building as I go whenever I get an important tech done and have the IC.

- Are AA and Radar Stations worth it? I haven't noticed a large effect.

Oh Gods Yes. Especially once you launch Barbarossa and should build low MP things. I try to have 10 AA in every IC rich province and a decent radar network by at least 1942. If it all falls into place, I run train on Allied bombers.

- What should be my slider changes? Is central planning worth it?

I go full Central Planning and then full Standing Army. You might need to get creative on the resources (build a gigantic stockpile pre-war, build Infrastructure, build plants).

- What are essential german technologies?

Same as in HoI2.

That was it, so far. Sorry for the many questions, and additional hints/tips/guidelines are always welcome.

If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.

 

[Merc1083]

Well, I'm not an expert, but I'll try to answer your questions.

1st question:

You seem to have the basic idea regarding the usage of air power correct as in the proper missions for the proper planes, but a few questions there are:

How far along are your doctrines? basically, having Supersonic interceptors, without researching flying circus would be a waste of time. That would be like giving a MiG-17 to a 2 yearold.

Who is the leaders involved? Always look to accent your forces with strong leaders.

Whom are you facing, and what are they sending against you? CAS units with no air cover will drop quite quickly.

and most importantly, how many are you sending up at one time? 16 Tactical bombers on a daylight raid on Essen is counterproductive, as 4 day, and 4 night would be far more useful due to stacking penalties.

2nd:

Submarines are greater for attacking convoys, but I've found even in larger numbers, they are not effective anti-ship platforms. neglecting other naval techs is a mistake if you intend to own the seas, unless you're going to play gamey. The first thing I do when playing a nation, is check what techs they have, and make a choice based on those. the choices in this case in my mind are:

Do I want Carrier fleets, or Battleship fleets?

Carrier fleets are superior if you wish to ward off the enemy, while I find Battleships rule supreme when you simply want to blow up as many of their ships as you can. Both have their merits, and neither should be overlooked. That said, you may have difficulty focusing on both, and switching routes half way through (or being Germany and deciding to go Carrier for example) is counterproductive.

3rd:

from what I see, you've got a good head on your shoulder as far as land combat goes. it's a matter of playing on units strengths. Motorized plus armor in one group is a fair choice, though I personally prefer single unit groups (all armor or all moto). Infantry are slower and are your support and occupational forces. Armor is a great tool for quick rush attacks that go deep for encirclement, and are a deeply satisfying unit to use, so I wouldn't go pure infantry unless you want to miss the excitment of it. Brigades are benficial in most cases, but pairing any brigade that slows your quick forces down is a no-no. Infantry + Artillery = Bread and Butter. Armor + SP Artillery = A damn fun time.

Field Marshals should definetly be used in conjunction with HQ units for maximum effect. in the very least, a 4x3 Armored core assault with atleast one Field Marshal gives you the best bang for you buck. 4x3 with only lt generals, is good in that you're using them, but not in the grand scheme.

4th:

First point depends on your nation. Western Europe generally doesn't need infrastructure, and you should only build it imho, if you need to move quickly through those regions, or you will need quick repair times. Increasing your IC early on is a good goal, but not if you are say Czechslovakia, and are not intending to go axis.

IC whoring and when to stop also depends on the nation. with Germany, there is no reason why you can't build lots of IC till 38 and then go to town with military units. if you tune Germany right at the start, with the right leaders, you can easily have a dozen or so factories being built at one time. given the length it takes to build, by mid 38, you could have 36 extra factories or more to be kicking out tanks and planes.

Not really sure on AA/Radar, so I'll leave that to someone who knows more.

Slider changes are preferential in nature. for Germany, Central Planning is a common route to go, but getting a standing army and hawk lobby is good as well. When I play, I avoid Isolationism, Dove Lobby, and Draft army, and I try to go either closed society or half on that one. Democracy sucks if you want to be the conqueror, but in some nations, moving the sliders there isn't neccessary.

Essential german technologies imho are:

All industrial ones related to production.
Infantry
Armor
Blitzkrieg line of Land doctrine.
I dislike subs, so I switch naval doctrines early, but I usually build naval forces later

Secret weapons are fun, but you'll be late 43, or more likely 44 before you'll get your first nuke if you research it agressively.



I hope this helps, and I want to note these are my opinions, and may not be how the pro's play. I always say Play as you like to play, and experiment.

 

[Kalenden]

The actual number of losses of my Aircraft force is something like ( in 1939 October ) 800 fighters ( most of all the nations ) and 400 bombers ( less than the UK ).

My doctrines are constantly researched so I think I'm advanced enough.

For INT, I use leaders with Superior tactician, for bombers I use Tank Buster.
For INF, I use offensive or defensive trait, and for ARM I can't remember what I use.

I give my CAS enough air support (atleast a couple of INT's are patrolling in the same area ), and I generally deploy all my bomber units on a large area ( so multiple regions or multiple areas even ) and let them patrol. Should I switch them more?

Thanks for the advice so far guys.

 

[DarkSoul1984]

The actual number of losses of my Aircraft force is something like ( in 1939 October ) 800 fighters ( most of all the nations ) and 400 bombers ( less than the UK ).

Check the 'Compare Losses' and "Compare Losses Inflicted' screens. I have a feeling the number for Germany under 'Compare Losses' is less than the number for Germany under 'Compare Losses Inflicted.'

 

[Sathariel]

I cant really answer any of the questions yet, but want to thank you and those who did. After reading this topic I actualy bought AoD hoping it will be quite a challenge

 

[Kalenden]

I've begun and played my new game with Germany, and so far it has been going better.

My kill ratio with poland is around 5-1, previous game it was 3-1. I've defeated Poland on 20 september ( or something around that ), instead of in october.

My base IC is higher, and more of my country has a high infrastructure.

My fighter/bomber losses are slightly lower, but I've build a lot of AA and radar stations. I had one hole in my defences, and I was pleased to see the AI was smart enough to take advantage of it ( now I've sealed it with some INT's on permanent Air Superiority on that province ).

I still have the highest fighter losses of all countries though, but if you combine the fighter losses of UK, France and Poland, they have higher losses.
I've decided to ignore CAS, in favour of TAC. I don't seem to notice a decrease/increase in performance.

Submarine performance was higher, but with more losses. It is october and I've already lost 6 submarines. 3 subs per flotilla, spread over a fairly large area is my current strategy. On the plus side, I did kill more convoys and such. However, if the losses continue, I think I'll abandon the entire production line of subs because 1. I need IC for land stuff and 2. I haven't noticed the effect of all the lost convoys/escorts on the UK.
Basicly, it is too much effort for too little gain so far.

Now I'm preparing for the Invasion of France. I think I'll invade Netherlands, through Netherlands a massive attack on Belgium, and so on through France. I've left the maginot line alone, although I have a fairly large ( 21 divisions ) force in total around there, to keep the French from invading me.

Is artillary bombardment a worthwhile thing to do across the Maginot Line? What about bombardments? A lot of units are concentrated on the Maginot Line, and I'd like to weaken them before my invasion of France.

 

[DarkSoul1984]

I haven't noticed the effect of all the lost convoys/escorts on the UK.

You won't. Italy and Japan will.

It is not until around 1944 or so that I really noticed the UK's bombing and naval campaigns wind down when I played Germany. As early as 1941, Italy and Japan were having a cakewalk in the Middle East and Asia though thanks to the lack of sufficient convoys to run supplies to the far flung British holdings.

This will not affect India and Africa though as South Africa, Belgium, and France produce more then enough supplies in Africa and Iraq and India serve as supply producers for the British forces there.

 

[Kalenden]

Goddamn, you are very right about those subs! All of a sudden, they have become a lot more effective, with hardly any casualties. In fact, I've stopped the submarine production, because I have enough that do a lot of damage and don't die so far!

I can't tell if it's because of those subs, or because Japan became my ally, but the UK's air raids have been reduced to a trickle in 1941.
I've currently killed 800 convoys and 150 escorts which I suppose should damage the UK war effort.

I'm not planning to invade the UK however. Currently, I control all of Europe except Vichy France, Spain, Portugal, my allies ( Italy, Bulgaria, Romania, Finland ), Sweden, and the eastern front. I'm preparing for a large invasion of the Soviet Union but I'm kinda worried. Intel says they've got 300+ divisions, I've got around 130. I know historically, Germany invaded the USSR with 4 million men, but I can't see how I'm supposed to reach that number especially since GAR's take a fair amount of the IC.


Any tips/hints on beating the USSR? I'm planning on hitting the flanks of the country with armoured divisions ( ARM's with MOT's ), hitting the center with INF and hopefully drawing most of their army there. Then I'm going to encircle a large amount of land with the armoured divisions, cutting them off from supplies. The reinforcement from my armour, combined with bombing runs and a lack of supplies should destroy them, but I'm unsure of the troops the USSR has past our border. I can't encircle them, if reinforcements keep coming in.

 

[Mr_B0narpte]

Are heavy subs good, or the normal ones better?

 

[Mr_B0narpte]

Goddamn, you are very right about those subs! All of a sudden, they have become a lot more effective, with hardly any casualties. In fact, I've stopped the submarine production, because I have enough that do a lot of damage and don't die so far!

I can't tell if it's because of those subs, or because Japan became my ally, but the UK's air raids have been reduced to a trickle in 1941.
I've currently killed 800 convoys and 150 escorts which I suppose should damage the UK war effort.

I'm not planning to invade the UK however. Currently, I control all of Europe except Vichy France, Spain, Portugal, my allies ( Italy, Bulgaria, Romania, Finland ), Sweden, and the eastern front. I'm preparing for a large invasion of the Soviet Union but I'm kinda worried. Intel says they've got 300+ divisions, I've got around 130. I know historically, Germany invaded the USSR with 4 million men, but I can't see how I'm supposed to reach that number especially since GAR's take a fair amount of the IC.


Any tips/hints on beating the USSR? I'm planning on hitting the flanks of the country with armoured divisions ( ARM's with MOT's ), hitting the center with INF and hopefully drawing most of their army there. Then I'm going to encircle a large amount of land with the armoured divisions, cutting them off from supplies. The reinforcement from my armour, combined with bombing runs and a lack of supplies should destroy them, but I'm unsure of the troops the USSR has past our border. I can't encircle them, if reinforcements keep coming in.

Germany was outnumbered in real life at the start of the invasion, it was the quality of the units that made it successful in the first few months, plus the AI probably won't use it's numbers as efficiently as real Sov Union did.

 

[DarkSoul1984]

Any tips/hints on beating the USSR? I'm planning on hitting the flanks of the country with armoured divisions ( ARM's with MOT's ), hitting the center with INF and hopefully drawing most of their army there. Then I'm going to encircle a large amount of land with the armoured divisions, cutting them off from supplies. The reinforcement from my armour, combined with bombing runs and a lack of supplies should destroy them, but I'm unsure of the troops the USSR has past our border. I can't encircle them, if reinforcements keep coming in.

Large HoI2 style encirclements are not as effective as they once were. The pockets are much harder to close now that local provinces will produce supplies.

I usually try for my initial encirclement(s), then while I close up the pocket and destroy it with my infantry, I continue to push back the Red Army with my mobile units while striking out for Moscow, Leningrad, Stalingrad, Baku, and Sverdlosk.