I agree as well, welcome back Steel and welcome back myself.
I have already been trying 0.532, as Germany of course, on hard/aggresive/gimme all.
Some observations;
- SCW was boring and the nationalists run over everything and concluded the war in 3 months, even before I had time to intervene.
- Resources seem more balanced, oil a bit high due to the fact that Germany trades 1 on 1 with it for coal and Germany's own production exceeds the army's needs, especially the first 2 years.
Steel seems a bit high as well, although seemingly difficult to get on the world market, a 3-1 offer is always accepted and takes precedance over ALL 2-1 global offers, so I out-power all world powers in this way. Later in the game (with western-europe fallen to the Wehrmacht) Germany produces about 1.4 times more steel then needed for a 500+ economy, should be more like 0.9 and Germany should depend more on the Swedish ore.
- Japan uses the Marco Polo incident to declare war on nationalist china, but they forget communist china, hence in 1.5 years nat china is completely overrun and annexed and com china is granted military access by Japan, weird
- Install Tiso SHOULD give only 100 MP (I think) but it gave some 200, very strange.
- Japan influences the USA too often and with too often too good results, result, now in 1941 the USA is very close to Facist allignment, and I don't even influence them, I am sure that within 6 months, I can get them into the Axis.
- Rest historical, Poland falls in 1 month, nice campaign, they defend Warschau again. Suddenly many naval bombers from UK, Canada and Australia, naval bombers in Poland............
- Denmark falls and the event that Iceland and Greenland are "marine invaded" fires, but more then a month later, giving a sneaky player just about time to transport some 200 units of oil and 100 supplies to Germany, but seems okay.
Norway was much easier this time, maybe because I prepared well. Many naval units lost, quite historical.
- Holland has again this huge army, but their doctrines suck, still you have to have well over 20 divisions to invade them with success, believe me, I tried with less and got kicked out once!
The event "Dutch capital moves" worked in time and no taken resources, HURRAY!!! Same goes for Belgium. Good work guys!
- But now, I move into France, through the "undefended" ardennes, and to my surprise I run into the BEF, commanded by GORT!!! How historical can you get!!! But they are a bit too strong, they repell von Manstein tanks, all 10 of them, I guess I attack over a river, but I have that researched, anyway, von Rundstedt can not follow on quick enough from Arlon, so I am pushed back and have to be "humanly flexible". Because I wait too long (because I can't believe my eyes), I loose all but 1 tank division, most were PZKWI and II's. I order 20 PZKW III 40mm quickly, this destroys the research projects investment.
I swing around from Holland and encircle 16 Belgium divisions in Antwerp, they are destroyed.
But for the rest, I am used to be close to Paris now with minimum losses and no resistance, but now I am just in France and facing huge armies. In a slow and dragging campaign with some close calls, I manage Vichy end of August 1940, who said you need tanks..
- Vichy MUCH MUCH CLEANER this time, no wondering French/Belgium/Dutch units that take provinces at all, but is Vichy not a bit too strong with all those divisions, 7 in NA and 15 in France??
I take military control because they defend Vichy with 15 divisions and leave the southern beaches defenseless and the NA beaches as well. I supply with supplies only.
- I ask Italy to join in July, they took their time but agreed. North Africa again is only defended by some Egyptian divisions and these are quickly destroyed when Egypt joins the Allies. The egypt event "ask Britain to send help" is answered by "we will help", but I see NOTHING arriving. Some 6 UK divisions are doing almost nothing to 0 org. Italian troops in Etheopia.
Italy declares war on Albania, but falls to invade it at all.
- FWW lasts till January 1940 by the way, historical outcome.
- Italy declares war on Yugoslavia, just when I am about to ask them into the alliance, can Italy PLEASE PLEASE declare war on Greece and can Albania be annexed by event or just lower those 3 divisions it has and the coastal defenses, the Italian AI can't deal with it.
- I deal with Yugoslavia and I try a new techniek (for me), fast pealing of tank divisions encirlce huge armies and I keep them at bay with tac bombers, hhhmmmm, did I read any Blitzkrieg books........
- 1 March 1941 now, I seem very on track with infantry (333 MP left), historical with tanks, although no PZKWIV yet, I need to defeat Greece first.
- Belgograd and Luxembourg (by demand territory, maybe take that German claim on it?) max out all my resources except oil.
Let's see what happens, but it looks interesting so far. I increased the GPW event to include the decrease of supplies needed by the USSR and the upping of some max org for units and have added more days to the decrease of general build time.
They have about 10 divisions on me on the borders.
Great work again guys, looking better all the time!
-hendriks
