I believe the only reason for this is that taking gibraltar from a human player (with naval superiority) who is determined to hold it, is nearly impossible.
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Ztalin showed us a screenshot of his army composition here: http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum...tz-Carnage&p=14774864&viewfull=1#post14774864
He's got 90 armor brigades at the eve of Barbarossa, plus 39 motorized infantry brigades. Those could easily be combined into 39 divisions of 2x ARM + 1x MOT, plus surplus brigades of armor and whatever Ztalin has in his production queue. Russia does have reserves, we just don't know where they are.
Why would Turkey and Spain would be important? Closing the Med is only importan in the relation of the UK.
I've read your post and I agree with that and doesn't want to open a different discussion but getting Gibraltar and Suez would mean a whole lot of Italian divisions could be freed up for Barbarossa. Or not? Is Guarding an Italian Gibraltar and Suez more costly than guarding Sicily, Sardinia and the coast of Italy? (Feel free to PM me if you feel it's would divert the topic.)
Yes.
You'd have to take Spain to have a secure base at Gibraltar and this in turn only opens more coastline for the UK to attack. Likewise, the UK can land anywhere south of the Suez and encircle and destroy the garrison force there. You'd need to have a great number of troops to gard either of these streets, let alone both. And if either of them falls, the effort will be in vain.
Having the Italian player focus his attention on the Brits while the German player handles Russia straigthens things for both players and doesn't give the US any unneccessary incentive to intervene in the war.
Essentially this. Taking Gibraltar isn't necessarily the hard part, although I doubt the Italians could do it alone if the British intervene. Over land from France is the only option if the British player is on his game, and then it will require German assistance and three or so months to accomplish. Then you have to defend the Spanish coast from Britain, which can be lengthened by the Brits taking Portugal. Italy can't defend it all. And the downside is even greater. If the Italian player tries to defend and fails, once the Brits get back in, they can use their sea mobility to take Italy out of the game before the Italians and Germans can react. I would hate to be the Italian player with half my army in Spain when the Brits succeed in recapturing Gibraltar. Of course, the Italians could try to block this by holding units back in reserve, but then we have come full circle.
You have to understand that MP is a completely different animal than SP. The humans do not do the typical behavior by the AI. It is fully capable of responding to your plans. Planning in SP is easy, as by now, most everyone knows how the AI will react to most any situation, but humans can handle complex tasks that the AI can't. I have played as Britain and lost Gibraltar (not my shining MP moment by any stretch). But even then, the invasion of Spain took the German player nearly 3 months IIRC, and the battle for Gibraltar itself took almost 45 more days, at the cost of 30k German dead, tieing up over 450k German troops in the process, as well as decimating almost the entire Luftwaffe. And even then, I only lost it because of my own ineptness. Had I been more on the ball with separating my transport fleets, I could have rotated out units indefinitely (I had a fairly effective rotation going from Britain, bringing in fresh troops and transporting divisions that were out of org back to Britain, something you would never see the AI doing).
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Excellent update CptEasy. Your graphics skills continue to improve. Also I think you spaced the screenshots out nicely, with the zoom I was using I couldnt see the next one so it was very suspensful as I read and then scrolled down.
I like your Mudskipper plan a lot. Your overall strategy for Barbarossa is like the classic refused flank battle tactic (i.e., your left or northern flank has done little). Based on Zid's posts, the problem might be that his northern flank is to strong and you will stalemate.
I like your Mudskipper plan a lot. Your overall strategy for Barbarossa is like the classic refused flank battle tactic (i.e., your left or northern flank has done little). Based on Zid's posts, the problem might be that his northern flank is to strong and you will stalemate.
Very creative with the operation names. I usually call mine something along the lines of "operation hide behind the tiger tanks"
Happy new year, dear Captain and the Carnage Crew!
I just absorbed the entire "Blitz Carnage" over the holidays. As always a great read that by now gets augmented quite well by the discussions of the Carnage-Fanbase.
I'm really holding my thumbs for Ztalin (nice one couldn't have come up with a better one ) - I like his thorough analysis of the Russian build options pre-war. And if anyone can finally prove, that SOV has any kind of chance in HoI3 its probably Zid (or the Captain if he ever gets to play Russia).
-> Right now things are not looking good for SOV though. With the need (due to the MR-pact) to keep so many units on the front line the encirclements become really nasty early on, as the game engine makes an organized fighting retreat next to impossible.
A STAVKA update would be very well apreciated (hopefully with some positive plans to cheer up the populace). What I find mysterious is why there where a few individual Armor Divs scattered all across the frontline instead of beeing combined into a hard hitting - and concentrated - mobile reserve?!
We saw a screen where 3 Sov Armor Divs finally kicked some GER butt - just imagine how a tank army with some of Ztalins ~45 Armor Divs might have kept a few of the pockets open long enough...?!
Anyway keep it coming in 2013
cheers
Thela
I just absorbed the entire "Blitz Carnage" over the holidays. As always a great read that by now gets augmented quite well by the discussions of the Carnage-Fanbase.
I'm really holding my thumbs for Ztalin (nice one couldn't have come up with a better one
) - I like his thorough analysis of the Russian build options pre-war. And if anyone can finally prove, that SOV has any kind of chance in HoI3 its probably Zid (or the Captain if he ever gets to play Russia).-> Right now things are not looking good for SOV though. With the need (due to the MR-pact) to keep so many units on the front line the encirclements become really nasty early on, as the game engine makes an organized fighting retreat next to impossible.
A STAVKA update would be very well apreciated (hopefully with some positive plans to cheer up the populace). What I find mysterious is why there where a few individual Armor Divs scattered all across the frontline instead of beeing combined into a hard hitting - and concentrated - mobile reserve?!
We saw a screen where 3 Sov Armor Divs finally kicked some GER butt - just imagine how a tank army with some of Ztalins ~45 Armor Divs might have kept a few of the pockets open long enough...?!
Anyway keep it coming in 2013
cheers
Thela
The key to facing the USSR is to never be complacent. However...Such is the magnitude of that victory in the south (masterful offensive work there by the Captain, 45 divisions lost!?!?!?), I find it hard to believe the Soviets have any decent numbers of reserves behind the lines to pose a serious threat.
The next phase of the plan should effectively seal your victory, as you say, even if it does not work out as well as you might hope. Are the USA any close to joining? Seems to be the only allied hope now in my mind.
The next phase of the plan should effectively seal your victory, as you say, even if it does not work out as well as you might hope. Are the USA any close to joining? Seems to be the only allied hope now in my mind.
Yeah. Maxyboy sort of highlighted that fact too me. As I never get the time to game-test properly I fail to keep these details in mind. On the other hand - I would not like to make my plans after concidering all the small dodgy things of the game. I gives me a better "real" feeling NOT knowing that and instead be a little surprised even if it doesnt make me a better player.
Closing the Med in a MP game is, as has been pointed out, close to impossible. Axis more or less needs naval superiority in the Med first which they are very far from at this point.
Yes. I have already tasted defeat on the rocks of Gibraltar (in Carnage al Dente). Owning Spain is still not making it even close to easy.
Yes, keeping some space between each pic/text is vital to not give your AAR a blurry fealing, I think. Glad you see the upgraded graphics. It was actually robw963's "America Saves the World" which inspired me to take one step further (even if I am not close to his level - and don't aim to be). I have started to work more in photoshop and not in ppt as it decrease picture quality. I actually wonder if you like the new "format" with small "real" pictures inserted in the game screenshots. My hope is to help the reader paint a pictures that is not only numbers and calculations.
Heh, well, I guess I have to say thanks although I am not too impressed myself.
Happy new year, dear Captain and the Carnage Crew!
Well, hey there, Thel. Long time no see. Glad to have you back
Happy New Year to you as well.No, not really. It is still to early. Absolutely not within 6 months. More than that I can't really say at this point. The Allies are doing quite forceful "raise threat" operations so we'll see how that plays out.
Cheers,
I doubt that. I'm still counting enough ARM on the Soviet side (combined with Winter General) to allow a real counter attack by Ztalin (I love that name too). I'm eager to read the next update. And don't forget that fresh comment by CptEsay :
I really like the picture inserted in the box where Paradox placed some picture of the land. Very genuine idea. Good job. I see Rob is making all of us better. :rofl:
Nicely done capt. Good to see the Ruskies bagged and on the run. Happy New Year everyone and looking forward to more updates.
For all of Zid's building the southern operations have seemed too easy to achieve. I smell something up the Russky sleave!
Nothing is over untill the fat lady sings! Thou I have to say that the title of this AAR sofar seems to have been choosen with great care! =)
As allways a big thank to the Carnage crew!
Cheers
As allways a big thank to the Carnage crew!
Cheers
Heh... not really. The sad truth is that real life have impacted our rate of sessions in a negative way. Parts of our crews are doing weird things as going on vacation and stuff... so I must delay posting for a week to not get too close to our actual in-game time. Operation Mudskipper is on hold... Sorry.
I once had a vacation once. It was perhaps the most amazing thing I've ever experienced in my life. Well, second only to Carnage group AARs