I love the latest update and expansion! This is has now become my favorite game. I've played roughly since launch and have over 2000 hours played and I've done some calculations, comparisons and tried some stuff out. Below are the divisions I've found to be effective in the game, if you happen to be interested. For simplicity I'm only using 24 or 25 width divs because it makes calculations easy. Thanks to the update the divisions you start with work pretty well, so you probably want to use your first army XP for other things. Divisions really don't have to be perfect or ideal, just good enough to do the job. I pretty much only play single-player, currently in a grand anarchist campaign. Support companies never have to be in there. Only put them there if you can afford them. I've tried listing the supoort companies in order of importance. (Equipment priority in parentheses). What are some ideas you've had?
Armored Division (Elite):
6 Tank
5 Mot/Mech Inf
1 Mot AT/TD
1 Mot AA/SP AA
Eningeer
Light Armored Recon
Maintenance
Logistics
Signal
Not that different from before, apart from the width. You don't HAVE to have the AA there, but it's nice it you don't have air supremacy. Light tanks are pretty much only good early game, for poorer countries, or as filler. Heavy tanks seem to only be necessary for role playing or maybe multi-player, I don't know. As before, a cheaper way to get armor bonus is to have one larger battalion (heavy/medium) and the rest smaller (medium/light). If you're very poor, light tanks and cavalry might be your best option.
Motorized Division (Regular):
10 Mot Inf
1 Mot AT/TD
1 Mot AA/SP AA
1 Tank or one extra Mot Inf
Eningeer
Light Armored Recon/Mot Recon if Armored Cars are interwar
Maintenance
Logistics
Signal
Again, support and AA can be skipped. The tank is there mainly for armor bonus, so can be skipped if poor, early in the game, or you have TDs, but the extra breakthrough is nice.
Cavalry Division (Regular, maybe Elite):
12 Cav
Engineer
Support Art/Rocket
Cavalry Recon
Support AA/AT
Logistics
Yes, cavalry! These are your mobile infantry in low supply and rough terrain areas, so in deep offensives, forrests, and deserts. Nothing that consumes fuel should be in them, because of this they wont get the lack of fuel penalties others get. In good supply and terrain areas more mechanized units can punch through and initially be faster, but these can go on for longer. So don't rule them out! I'm gonna try them out in northen Russia some time soon.
Light Infantry (Regular):
12 Inf
Engineer
Support Art/Rocket
Cavalry Recon
Logistics
Support AA, maybe AT
Same with the cavalry, nothing that consumes fuel. At start of the game they're probably your normal infantry, but later on you might want to separate Light and Heavy to give Heavy more firepower and bonuses. Use these as your main force in rough terrain. Because infantry in general are now better at attacking because of the new Coordination mechanic (it's great!) these are also you offensive forces in forrests, unless you want to drag some armor in there. Armor can still fight in forrests, but they move so slow, and they're bad in low supply.
Heavy Infantry (Reserve):
9 Inf/Mot Inf/Mech Inf
1 Art/SP Art
1 AT/TD
1 AA/SP AA
1 Tank
Engineers
Light Armored Recon
Logistics
Field Hospital
Signal
Basically you can through whatever you want in here, but try not to make them too expensive with fancy equipment if you can't afford it. They're really not that important to have well equipped exept for AT and engineers. These are your regular infantry units in good terrain and good supply. AA if you don't own the skies, plus it gives some piercing, but AT gives more. As before, the tank is for armor bonus, but the breakthrough is also nice.
Airborne Division (Elite):
12 Para
Engineers
Support Art/Rocket
Support AT
Cavalry Recon
Logistics
IF you're going to use paratroopers, this is my recommendation. Nothing with fuel, because they won't get resupplied for a while. No AA needed because you already have air superiority there. They can be skipped entirerly, but when I use them I try to surround enemies with them together with armor. The armor attack from one or two directions and the paras land behind the enemy to faster encircle the enemy. It's risky, but can be fun.
Mountain Division (Elite):
12 Mountaineers
Engineers
Support Art/Rocket
Cavalry Recon
Support AA/AT
Logistics
Quite straight forward. Good offensive division in mountainous regions. Note that I only have mountaineer battalions, because art and other things give movement penalties. And nothing with fuel, because these will often also be in forrests and in low supply.
Marine Division (Elite):
0-7 Amphibious Tanks
5-12 Marines/Amtrac
Engineers
Support AA/AT
Light Armored Recon
Signal
Field Hospital
The only real job of these guys is to attack ports from sea. Anything to make that job easier is good. I'm a bit unsure about three of the support companies. AA is good because you might not have air superiority where your attacking. AT is good because you might face armor. Field Hospital is good for building up experience, which leads to bigger bonuses in combat. Which two are better? Not sure, but I'm leaning towards AA and Field Hospital.
Defence/Garrison Division (Reserve):
12 Inf
Engineers
Support Art
Support AT
Support Rocket
Light Armored Recon
They guard places, mainly from naval landings. You might want to exchange the recon for some AA instead and/or throw some big armor in there to give them an armor bonus, if you got some to spare.
Military Police Brigade (Reserve, though it probably has no effect):
6 Cav/Armored Car
Military Police
And lastly and certainly least, the division for occupation. I try to build a shit ton of armored cars for these and but them in when I have them. If you want to prioritize the fancy, new armored cars for your field divisions, click the high priority button for Upgrade and mid for Garrison (i think that's what they're called).
I have studied and done comparisons of all the doctrines as well and have some thoughts and ideas about that. Is that a thread people would like to read?
Armored Division (Elite):
6 Tank
5 Mot/Mech Inf
1 Mot AT/TD
1 Mot AA/SP AA
Eningeer
Light Armored Recon
Maintenance
Logistics
Signal
Not that different from before, apart from the width. You don't HAVE to have the AA there, but it's nice it you don't have air supremacy. Light tanks are pretty much only good early game, for poorer countries, or as filler. Heavy tanks seem to only be necessary for role playing or maybe multi-player, I don't know. As before, a cheaper way to get armor bonus is to have one larger battalion (heavy/medium) and the rest smaller (medium/light). If you're very poor, light tanks and cavalry might be your best option.
Motorized Division (Regular):
10 Mot Inf
1 Mot AT/TD
1 Mot AA/SP AA
1 Tank or one extra Mot Inf
Eningeer
Light Armored Recon/Mot Recon if Armored Cars are interwar
Maintenance
Logistics
Signal
Again, support and AA can be skipped. The tank is there mainly for armor bonus, so can be skipped if poor, early in the game, or you have TDs, but the extra breakthrough is nice.
Cavalry Division (Regular, maybe Elite):
12 Cav
Engineer
Support Art/Rocket
Cavalry Recon
Support AA/AT
Logistics
Yes, cavalry! These are your mobile infantry in low supply and rough terrain areas, so in deep offensives, forrests, and deserts. Nothing that consumes fuel should be in them, because of this they wont get the lack of fuel penalties others get. In good supply and terrain areas more mechanized units can punch through and initially be faster, but these can go on for longer. So don't rule them out! I'm gonna try them out in northen Russia some time soon.
Light Infantry (Regular):
12 Inf
Engineer
Support Art/Rocket
Cavalry Recon
Logistics
Support AA, maybe AT
Same with the cavalry, nothing that consumes fuel. At start of the game they're probably your normal infantry, but later on you might want to separate Light and Heavy to give Heavy more firepower and bonuses. Use these as your main force in rough terrain. Because infantry in general are now better at attacking because of the new Coordination mechanic (it's great!) these are also you offensive forces in forrests, unless you want to drag some armor in there. Armor can still fight in forrests, but they move so slow, and they're bad in low supply.
Heavy Infantry (Reserve):
9 Inf/Mot Inf/Mech Inf
1 Art/SP Art
1 AT/TD
1 AA/SP AA
1 Tank
Engineers
Light Armored Recon
Logistics
Field Hospital
Signal
Basically you can through whatever you want in here, but try not to make them too expensive with fancy equipment if you can't afford it. They're really not that important to have well equipped exept for AT and engineers. These are your regular infantry units in good terrain and good supply. AA if you don't own the skies, plus it gives some piercing, but AT gives more. As before, the tank is for armor bonus, but the breakthrough is also nice.
Airborne Division (Elite):
12 Para
Engineers
Support Art/Rocket
Support AT
Cavalry Recon
Logistics
IF you're going to use paratroopers, this is my recommendation. Nothing with fuel, because they won't get resupplied for a while. No AA needed because you already have air superiority there. They can be skipped entirerly, but when I use them I try to surround enemies with them together with armor. The armor attack from one or two directions and the paras land behind the enemy to faster encircle the enemy. It's risky, but can be fun.
Mountain Division (Elite):
12 Mountaineers
Engineers
Support Art/Rocket
Cavalry Recon
Support AA/AT
Logistics
Quite straight forward. Good offensive division in mountainous regions. Note that I only have mountaineer battalions, because art and other things give movement penalties. And nothing with fuel, because these will often also be in forrests and in low supply.
Marine Division (Elite):
0-7 Amphibious Tanks
5-12 Marines/Amtrac
Engineers
Support AA/AT
Light Armored Recon
Signal
Field Hospital
The only real job of these guys is to attack ports from sea. Anything to make that job easier is good. I'm a bit unsure about three of the support companies. AA is good because you might not have air superiority where your attacking. AT is good because you might face armor. Field Hospital is good for building up experience, which leads to bigger bonuses in combat. Which two are better? Not sure, but I'm leaning towards AA and Field Hospital.
Defence/Garrison Division (Reserve):
12 Inf
Engineers
Support Art
Support AT
Support Rocket
Light Armored Recon
They guard places, mainly from naval landings. You might want to exchange the recon for some AA instead and/or throw some big armor in there to give them an armor bonus, if you got some to spare.
Military Police Brigade (Reserve, though it probably has no effect):
6 Cav/Armored Car
Military Police
And lastly and certainly least, the division for occupation. I try to build a shit ton of armored cars for these and but them in when I have them. If you want to prioritize the fancy, new armored cars for your field divisions, click the high priority button for Upgrade and mid for Garrison (i think that's what they're called).
I have studied and done comparisons of all the doctrines as well and have some thoughts and ideas about that. Is that a thread people would like to read?
