Dev Diary #16 - Götterdämmerung 1944 AAR - 23. December 2009

[MR2]

The purpose of this AAR is to showcase the new features of AoD and prove its reliability in a later game setting. I also wanted to showcase some of the new TechTeams that so many of you have helped to develop. Hats off to Cardus for herding the cats and to the developers for acting on their vision and this accomplishment.

System: XPSP3, P4 3GHz, 2GB SDRAM, GeForce 8600GT 1GB, windowed at 3360x1050 & 16 bit color.

AoD 1.0 (PWBO) RC4; TechTeam Up 1.1b; Single player; Götterdämmerung 1944 Scenario; Difficulty/AI Aggressiveness: Normal/Normal; Use Counters: On; Democracy Can Start War: On; End Date: 1964; Full IC Takeover: On; Tech-Team Takeover: On.

I ran the game continuously on autopilot from Jun. 1944 until Dec. 1963 with monthly saves. Yes, over 200 saves! We will drop in and take a look, with maybe a little manipulation, and peek in on what's going on from our 1:100,000 overview. While waiting and watching, I listened to audio book TTC0810, World War II: A Military and Social History by Thomas Childers. So with Fercius's kind permission we shall begin...

Please use the other Thread for discussions and comments. Thank you.


Setting the Stage: Great Britain

Hmmm... things are looking grim for the Germans. About time they get some of what they've been dishing out these past few years.

I'll support the Americans by continuing to build the Royal Navy, because we still need the convoys to get through.

What is our production pipeline looking like:

Supplies are good, but we need cash!

What are those Bolivians up to?

 

[MR2]

Please use the other Thread for discussions and comments. Thank you.


Setting the Stage: United States

Excellent!!! things are looking grim for the Germans. About time they get some of what they've been dishing out these past few years. Now if Monty would stop bothering me and do his job! I have Italy and Japan to worry about too!

Stalemate at the Italian Front:

Preparing to take back Guam:

Island Hopping:

The Arsenal of Democracy is in full swing:

What are we working on:

What do we have:

This war is costing a fortune!

What are those Colombians up to?

 

[MR2]

Please use the other Thread for discussions and comments. Thank you.


Setting the Stage: Soviet Union

Finally the lazy Americans invade and we are making some real progress. Things are looking grim for the Germans. About time they get some of what they've been dishing out these past few years.

The Finnish Front:

The Western Front North:

Wariness on the Eastern Front:

Our breakthrough in the South:

New colors for movement: Red for attack, Orange for Support in the attack/defense, Blue for movement, Green for timed movement, Gray for movement/action after time to reorganize.

It now takes a week for a new General officer to reach his unit and take command:

What are we working on:

What do we have:

This war is costing a fortune!

What are they up to in Tannu Tuva? I should just annex them while no one is watching...

 

[MR2]

Please use the other Thread for discussions and comments. Thank you.


Setting the Stage: Japan

Our armies are bogged down in China, the British are on the run, but the Americans are coming, and Stalin is licking his chops.

Burma:

China:

Manchuria:

Counterattack:

Naval Combat patrol:

The new I-500 Class Submarines are now ready:

What are we working on:

My spies tell me that China is researching the following:

 

[MR2]

Please use the other Thread for discussions and comments. Thank you.


Setting the Stage: Germany

The rumors of an allied landing ARE true! Who is going to tell the Fuhrer?

The Germans finally counterattack:

The High Command:

Our Production: Subs and V1s

Our Technology:

Our Costs:

The Army:

The Navy:

The Air Force:

Our Intelligence:

The Croats:

 

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EDIT: delete this post please! mistake! sorry...

 

[MR2]

440701

Please use the other Thread for discussions and comments. Thank you.


The Dam has Burst!

The Germans finally counterattack:

Here is 15 well-led, experienced Divisions that the AI will allow to be encircled and annihilated. Playing as a human, I tried to escape the divisions from Rennes, but the Americans moved to fast, keeping the divisions engaged.

I will now try the Victory/Walhala option to try and let the other units escape to Brest for a Strategic Redeployment – lets see how that turns out...

Well the Americans never attacked, so I was able to move all 15 divisions to Brest and redeploy them to safety. It could be because the American AI was having difficulty with a 17% infrastructure or was waiting for the German AI to throw more divisions into the trap. Look at those Panzers racing to their doom.

Meanwhile, the British took Dieppe.

Desperate reinforcement of the Atlantic Wall:

Battle Report: Most action is on the Eastern Front.

Loss Report: This is in just eight days of combat.

Total Maint. Costs:

Daily Resource Flow: Look at the surplus Rare Materials. Now look at the Production screen. See how all the conversions are set to maximum (default setting). Remember Rare is needed to maintain IC, but Oil is currently needed to run the Military. As a human, I would keep Synthetic Oil at 100%, but cut the Synthetic Materials down to 50% and adjust from there.

Production: Still producing the subs and rockets, but now adding in a mix of ground forces and structures. Note the AI is taking (some) advantage of the assembly line feature.

As an aside, in a beta .99 '36 Campaign, I started with single runs of aircraft and by the fall of France, I had several wings of upgraded aircraft in place and with plenty more with full gearing bonus still coming off the production line. If you can plan in advance, you have a powerful tool in the new assembly line production feature.


Diplomacy: I see the Fuhrer has made some changes to the High Command. Note no change in dissent - the AI has it so easy...

What are the Romanians up to?

 

[MR2]

440706

Please use the other Thread for discussions and comments. Thank you.


Enough forces are finally arriving from the Eastern Front

The Brest Pocket: Lucky we only have the fifteen divisions trapped.

The Eastern Front is tentatively holding:

And our Finnish allies have managed to push the Russians back – again!

Situation on the Italian Front: A lot of back and forth, British are getting worn down, but the Allied air is pounding the Germans. Note that the Americans had taken Nice, Grenoble and even Byscon at one point, but were driven back into the sea. It did divert valuable resources away from holding off the British in in Italy...

The situation in the Baltics: Russians are relentless, but we have evened out the bulge.

Situation with the Japanese in Burma: looks like the British are getting pushed way back!

Now the Chinese situation: Pretty soon...

And finally the situation on New Guinea:

 

[MR2]

440722

Please use the other Thread for discussions and comments. Thank you.


Hitler Assassinated!

Homeland defense:

We have the Chinese divided and isolated. Soon!

The situation in Burma: Slogging through the jungles is slow!

Situation in New Guinea:

Technology report: Note the Simple Satellite Tech.

Production report: Note that the AI is not taking real advantage of the assembly line feature.

Unit Reports:

Trade report:

Maintenance Costs:

Loss Report:

Battle Reports:

Our Convoy Interception Group: Note that the Force Engagement icon is highlighted. This is an interesting new feature. It forces a naval unit to relentlessly attack an enemy fleet that it encounters. This was just made for fleets of Battlecruisers raiding convoys and coastal vessels that stray too far from land. I call it the naval bulldog feature – bite hard and don't let go!

 

[MR2]

Please use the other Thread for discussions and comments. Thank you.


Note changes: AoD 1.02 (TRRR) Beta; TechTeam Up 1.2; Multiplayer (Local LAN); Götterdämmerung 1944 Scenario; Difficulty/AI Aggressiveness: Normal/Normal; Use Counters: On/Off; Democracy Can Start War: On; End Date: 1964; Full IC Takeover: On; Tech-Team Takeover: On.

US Player System: XP-SP3, P4 3GHz, 2GB SDRAM, GeForce 8600GT 1GB, 1680x1050 & 16 bit color. AoD windowed @ 1280x1024 with Counters Off.

Brit. Player System: XP-SP3 x64, Core 2 Quad 2.83GHz, 8 GB DIMM, GeForce 9400GT 1GB, 1280x1024 & 16 bit color. AoD windowed @ 1280x1024 & in 16-bit color and with Counters turned On.


Breakout: United States

Situation in France: We have connected with our forces in Southern France leaving large pockets of Germans to isolate and wipe out. In turn, the Germans are furious in their counterattacks, contesting every scrap of France as if it was their own.






Supply: Overall our supply situation in Europe is good. Of course Patton is constantly complaining about his POL level.




On the Italian Front: The Germans continue to mount a viscous defense in Northern Italy while new bases allow easier air interdiction into the Baltics.




New Guinea: We are making slow progress, but by contesting New Guinea we will have secured Australia from invasion.




We are losing transports almost as fast as we can make them for the Pacific theater. I've received reports of an Italian flagged transport cruising the Pacific. Must be the sun out there.




Received a report on future technology: In time we will be able to take those same terror weapons that Germans have unleashed upon London and use them on Berlin! Even more fantastic, they tell me they will put a camera so high in the sky, that it can send pictures of the enemy back to earth without risking a photo-reconnaissance pilot.

 

[MR2]

Please use the other Thread for discussions and comments. Thank you.


Breakout: United Kingdom

Situation in France: We are making slow progress in the low countries. On the other hand, in Northern Italy the Germans remain obstinate.






Burma: We are pushing the Japanese back.




Intelligence Report: Reports indicate that the Germans are producing interceptors that are jet powered of all things!



Loss Reports:













Battle Reports:




Lets see what the Iraqis are up to:.

 

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