Front lines and fallback lines

[Tisifoni12]

Playing as the USSR for the first time for quite some time.

Finding the front line and fallback line dichotomy challenging as one pulls back the front line..

Front lines have to be along the contact line with enemy hold territory, even when for example you've abandoned what has become a three tile long salient that the stupid AI doesn't seem to have the sense to occupy. This delays the implementation of planning.

While losing a tile from a front line will produce a shift in that front line and may result in a counterattack a break in a fallback line creates a hole. There is no conversion of fallback line to front line, no attempt to recover the lost tile.

Yes it is possible to micromanage I guess, converting individual tiles from fallback to front line fragments of an army at a time, but what a faff and what scope for mis-selection of tiles and units.

Also if one has an army group commander their 'line' must be continuous and must be either front line or fallback line, it cannot be front line here and fallback there.

These lines are a good introduction in theory, but can be somewhat messy as currently implemented.

Unless the Army Front Line and Army Groip Front line are an 'either / or system. If so it could be made clearer that you use either 'army planning' or 'army group planning'. And if you choose the former, within an army group command structure, but without an Army Group line do the armies within that Army Group get army group bonuses ?

 

[bitmode]

And if you choose the former, within an army group command structure, but without an Army Group line do the armies within that Army Group get army group bonuses ?

What is an "army group bonus"? The general always gains the bonuses of their superior field marshal. This has nothing to do with any sort of plan.

 

[EntropyAvatar]

While losing a tile from a front line will produce a shift in that front line and may result in a counterattack a break in a fallback line creates a hole. There is no conversion of fallback line to front line, no attempt to recover the lost tile.

Yes, this is why I tend to create fallback lines and once troops are in position, delete the order.

I'd like to see an implementation where a fallback line is just a front line that you draw behind the front. Once part of a fallback line comes in contact with the front, that part gets upgraded to a regular line and moves with the front. Hopefully they are considering some improvement here for the next expansion.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

Front lines are much worse than micro, other than time spent setting them. Fallback lines are worse than that; they are functional for moving large numbers of units in peace time but are 100% raw steaming garbage when it comes to actually getting units to retreat safely in war.

 

[Tisifoni12]

So, one seems to have a range of options and perhaps it is advisable to organise offense and defense differently on a large front.

In defense fewer, large armies, reducing the risk of gaps appearing, in army groups to gain the bonuses of the army group commander. Retreat, where necessary micromanaged.

In attack army groups with large fronts composed of fewer larger armes or more and smaller armies ?

I deliberately avoid referring to marshalls and use Army Group Commanders as while it is common to the major powers in HOI4 it wasn't used historically by all. In fact Theatre Commander would be a better term for the allies for example. I've posted before about the ahistorical situation with Britain starting with two 'Marshalls' who weren't made Field Marshalls until quite late in the war. Indeed Montgomery's achievements in North Africa were as a general under the command of a theatre commander; General Alexander.