How do you keep it interesting?

[incognitus]

I'm in a rut. Just quit/interrupted my (first) game with Japan after defeating the Allies while being unaligned a few days ago. I started a game as Finland, but now after conquering the other three Scandinavian countries, I don't know what to do next. I don't want to extend my border with the SU by conquering the Baltics and if I go down my usual route of "conquer everything that's not in a faction" it will just be a re-run of previous games. But if I don't go on a rampage, I won't ever get the amount of IC I need to stand up to Ivan when he finally decides to come over for a little Winter War.
What also frustrates me is the way War goals work. Finland has no option to declare war on the SU to get back the Finnish cores they hold and even if it did, it would be retarded, because you'd have to conquer the whole SU regardless. Does the scripted Winter War fix this somehow? Is there an outcome where Finland makes it so difficult for the Soviets that they actually get their cores back without having to conquer the entire SU?

Also... what do you do to keep things interesting? Self-imposed limitations?

 

[Mebsuta]

Finland has no option to declare war on the SU to get back the Finnish cores

You can always choose to retake your cores as wargoal if you join the Axis.

 

[incognitus]

But then I lose those massive Winter War boni...

 

[Mebsuta]

But then I lose those massive Winter War boni...

You do indeed. I do not want to war USSR anyway so early. So I don't mind.

 

[marxianTJ]

I usually try to play as historically as possible OR try to conquer the world outright. There's no real in between lol. I usually set some kind of production goal too before I even start the game "We're gonna build a massive air force" for example. Or build completely unnecessarily large navies lol.

I've had a real hankering to play a France that just builds crap loads of STRAT and see if I can't stop Germany from invading me by way of destroying absolutely all of the infrastructure between the French border and Poland lol.

The trick to going big time as Finland is to take as many neutrals as you possibly can, and then build HARM onto all of your units - and build lots of them. Then by 41' you can outright conquer the USSR without thinking too much lol. That's typically the way to go for most minors that have very little MP and tech that want to go toe to toe with a true major.

 

[incognitus]

Yeah, I guess. But that's what I've done so many times no. There is really little challenge in eating up all the neutrals with any country other than isolated backwaters like Austria or Tibet...

 

[Count Blue]

Also... what do you do to keep things interesting? Self-imposed limitations?

To some extend yes.
One of mine is "Dont min/max everything"
If you get gamey thats cool, whatever floats your boat man do it, but if it gets too far the game might lose its charm.
You can game every system but sometime if you dont, you might get more fun out of it.

I never drop ships where I dont have a shipyard.
I dont deploy airplanes where its unplausible to have a factory.
And so on.... you get the picture.

 

[incognitus]

I think that whole deployment mechanism in the game is completely ridiculous. As Japan you can't even deploy units on your Korean/Chinese core provinces, but as Germany you can deploy fresh recruits directly in Stalingrad.

 

[Mebsuta]

I think that whole deployment mechanism in the game is completely ridiculous. As Japan you can't even deploy units on your Korean/Chinese core provinces, but as Germany you can deploy fresh recruits directly in Stalingrad.

Because it is an island.

 

[incognitus]

Yeah, I know. So? They have friggin CORES on the Asian mainland. Are you telling me they cannot run training facilities anywhere that doesn't have a land connection to Tokyo?

Are you telling me the UK cannot train troops in India, Africa, Arabia, Singapore? Of course they can (IRL). That's why the system used by the game is arbitrary and stupid. A land connection is a stupid requirement, if you have cores overseas.

 

[Count Blue]

A land connection is a stupid requirement, if you have cores overseas.

I like that, it makes the game harder.
Plan ahead and all that.

And I do believe its in the game engine, since 2009, I dont think modders can change that.
They can give you troops by events in any province you own if they get the event right.
But nobody has changed the way the engine drops units on the map when you deploy them manually so far I think.

 

[incognitus]

It's not game breaking, but I do find it annoying. And does it make the game harder? Only for some. It makes it harder for Japan and the UK, but Germany? They can drop their new tanks directly to the eastern front...

 

[Count Blue]

but Germany?

If they need their tanks in africa for example.
Its all about perspective and yes the game is not fair to all nations.

 

[incognitus]

If they need their tanks in africa for example.
Its all about perspective and yes the game is not fair to all nations.

Germany can drop new units directly into Africa, if they conquer Turkey, right? Japan has no such option.

 

[Count Blue]

Germany can drop new units directly into Africa, if they conquer Turkey, right? Japan has no such option.

This is correct. England too.
Like I said the game is not fair and equal to all nations across the board.
I dont know if thats a bad thing after all the world is not a chessboard.
There are geographic advantages and handicaps.

 

[incognitus]

True. It's not so much about fairness or balance for me, really, more about realism. The deployment system in the game makes Korea seem more remote to Japan than Africa to Germany by totally overemphasising the land connection. Just a bad game mechanic, nothing more, nothing less. I'm not even looking for a fix, I just don't like what they did in this regard. Going by cores would probably have been the better way.

 

[Mebsuta]

Germany can drop new units directly into Africa, if they conquer Turkey, right? Japan has no such option.

I have not tested that but it seems dumb if possible. The suez is right there. I guess straits and rivers don't count against the deploy system then.

 

[incognitus]

No. The rule is simple: If you can walk the unit there, you can deploy it there. And that is just stupid. The rule should be: If it's a core, you can deploy there.

 

[Count Blue]

I have not tested that but it seems dumb if possible. The suez is right there. I guess straits and rivers don't count against the deploy system then.

Landmass is all that counts.
That is anything thats conneted.
All Europe,Asia and Afrika is connected I believe.

 

[Paglia]

I'm in a rut. Just quit/interrupted my (first) game with Japan after defeating the Allies while being unaligned a few days ago. I started a game as Finland, but now after conquering the other three Scandinavian countries, I don't know what to do next. I don't want to extend my border with the SU by conquering the Baltics and if I go down my usual route of "conquer everything that's not in a faction" it will just be a re-run of previous games. But if I don't go on a rampage, I won't ever get the amount of IC I need to stand up to Ivan when he finally decides to come over for a little Winter War.
What also frustrates me is the way War goals work. Finland has no option to declare war on the SU to get back the Finnish cores they hold and even if it did, it would be retarded, because you'd have to conquer the whole SU regardless. Does the scripted Winter War fix this somehow? Is there an outcome where Finland makes it so difficult for the Soviets that they actually get their cores back without having to conquer the entire SU?

Also... what do you do to keep things interesting? Self-imposed limitations?

To keep the interest up I...

... have self imposed limitations (e.g. no gamey like landing behind frontlines or building reserves, no pause, a more historical pace)
... play a MOD (mainly my own, see link in signature )
... play on hard or very hard