Not sure about historical balance

[Wintermist]

This is the second game in a row where Soviet capitulates in 1941 playing as Canada on historical focuses. I was just about done cleaning up Africa when I got the alert that the Soviet capitulated and I just went; "AGAIN!?"... Heart sank... Losses are not great to look at either.

How is it going for everyone else? Any trends that seem to stand out?

 

[Ironside121]

Germany is just too buffed now- don't get me wrong I like a strong enemy that doesn't fold easily, but it's just put the whole German-Soviet war out of balance due to Germanys insane industry advantage(and they already had one in the last patch). We probably won't see any balancing in this respect until the Soviets get a new focus tree, or maybe a MEFO bill nerf.

Only other thing I've seen change is the Republicans winning the Spanish Civil War more often than not nowadays, it's nice to see it go the other way sometimes though.

 

[Wintermist]

Haha I give up on this campaign, London just fell too I just barely landed in Spain but couldn't push anywhere, and news was "Guys, London has fallen, shall we go home now maybe?"

 

[Daelyn75]

Gah! I wanted to play a German game but with this going on I think I'll wait until they balance the MEFO bill thing.

PDS/podcat, just reduce Germany's starting industry to offset the gain of the MEFO bills. It will make the MEFO bills much more worth while, and a must for Germany to compete!

As it is now, I don't want a complete easy, cake walk with not even any problems whatsoever because I have my entire industry maxed before the war even begins.

At least a partial challenge would be nice. We know the game is too easy in many areas as it is.

 

[Ironside121]

Gah! I wanted to play a German game but with this going on I think I'll wait until they balance the MEFO bill thing.

PDS/podcat, just reduce Germany's starting industry to offset the gain of the MEFO bills. It will make the MEFO bills much more worth while, and a must for Germany to compete!

As it is now, I don't want a complete easy, cake walk with not even any problems whatsoever because I have my entire industry maxed before the war even begins.

At least a partial challenge would be nice. We know the game is too easy in many areas as it is.

They already nerfed Germany starting industry to offset the gains, but you can just spam out CIC and the growth is insane.

 

[Wintermist]

This was Germany under AI control so in a way that shows the issue more. In player hands it would be enhanced even more.

Either the problem is Germany, or that other factions now lag behind and need tweaks.

 

[Dan1109]

IMO, historical balance is the last thing PDS will fix. The same goes for any historical mod which is constantly being developed with cool features and events. Problem is that balance is affected by every single defect in the code or script, so during the endevors to fix bugs, the balance is constantly changing for better or worse.

Best thing I can recommend is to play a hands off game, and watch where the AI is at throughout the game. For GER/SOV for the example, check out the early 1943. If GER hasn’t penetrated deeply, SOV is overpowered. If SOV is at Berlin in 1942 (I saw this in my first historical HO game in 1.5.0), then SOV is way OP. Or if Jap defeats CHI by ‘38, ITA loses Africa by ‘41, etc. You get the drift.

Anyways, at that point start another Hands Off game but add country specific buffs in the Strength Sliders prior to game start. Try again until it much better resembles the real war. THEN start your game, and give traditional enemy countries even more buffs and reduce strength sliders if added for traditional friendly countries, all according to how much of a challenge you want.

I love to play the USA, which absolutely sucks from the point of balance. As the last major which gets involved, the entire world needs to be well balanced by 1942, just to get into a war which somewhat resembles history.

I wrote a mod for BICE which they merged into base BICE, which even added axis minors, allied minors, and Brazil (which in some mods turns into a power house), and added WEAKEN sliders as well, just in case you want to win the entire war by yourself.

 

[Wintermist]

Third game and Soviet capitulated again, atleast they lasted until 1944 this time. And I can't break out of South Africa lol. I think if I'm to play more I'm going to have to either nerf Germany myself or simply buff up Soviet perhaps. Not sure where the issue lies, but Soviet shouldn't lose 3 games in a row.

 

[TheDungen]

Part of the problem is that the soviets can't delay the war with Germany enough, they don't have enough focuses to spend their point in that does not draw them towards that conflict. And non nazi Germany is perhaps a but to openly antagonistic towards them, Weimar Germany and the soviet union cooperated on a lot of things long before Hitler came into power.

 

[a_sophist]

Based on my experience in 1.5 it seems like the Soviets need the "focus on defense" AI modifier that France gets. Just because one is at war, it doesn't mean they need to be constantly attacking, and I don't even mean in the oft-complained about suicide sense. Whenever I tag switch to them they're always having equipment problems from pushing a stagnant line with infantry.

 

[TheDungen]

Based on my experience in 1.5 it seems like the Soviets need the "focus on defense" AI modifier that France gets. Just because one is at war, it doesn't mean they need to be constantly attacking, and I don't even mean in the oft-complained about suicide sense. Whenever I tag switch to them they're always having equipment problems from pushing a stagnant line with infantry.

Well that was a problem they did have. Endless manpower limited equipment, you will get a rifle when the man next to you dies. That said they did solve it which the AI might not.

Also seems odd the'd be defensive "If we come to a minefield, our infantry attacks exactly as it were not there."

 

[a_sophist]

Well that was a problem they did have. Endless manpower limited equipment, you will get a rifle when the man next to you dies. That said they did solve it which the AI might not.

Also seems odd the'd be defensive "If we come to a minefield, our infantry attacks exactly as it were not there."

Sure, it's one of the many history vs. game balance decisions when it comes to designing a game like this. I'm in favor of having WWII last a couple years longer than it currently does, even if it means giving countries ahistorical bonuses or penalties.

 

[TheDungen]

Isn't that what desperate defence is supposed to be? Giving you bonuses to prolong how long it takes to break you.

 

[Mutagen_Prime]

I don’t enjoy the game due to the faulty historical mode, but what makes my day is that it’s so bugged and broken that even the anti-history can’t get fun.

That's just bitter and petty.

 

[Nimitz12345]

Based on my experience in 1.5 it seems like the Soviets need the "focus on defense" AI modifier that France gets. Just because one is at war, it doesn't mean they need to be constantly attacking, and I don't even mean in the oft-complained about suicide sense. Whenever I tag switch to them they're always having equipment problems from pushing a stagnant line with infantry.

Have you played France lately? in 1939, Germany has 8000 med tanks stockpiled and can keep attacking. Even level 6 forts dont work anymore.

 

[a_sophist]

Have you played France lately? in 1939, Germany has 8000 med tanks stockpiled and can keep attacking. Even level 6 forts dont work anymore.

My point was not that France is capable of defending against Germany regularly, so just let the Soviets do the same, but that since AI biases towards defense/attack are already part of the game, they should be expanded where necessary to prolong the war a bit. I don't think it is a panacea either, but every little bit might help.

 

[Nimitz12345]

My point was not that France is capable of defending against Germany regularly, so just let the Soviets do the same, but that since AI biases towards defense/attack are already part of the game, they should be expanded where necessary to prolong the war a bit. I don't think it is a panacea either, but every little bit might help.

The problem with your statement is that the war cant be prolonged because Germany can mass produce equipement that really surpasses any historical numbers. Germany is buffed so much that in my opinion it actually breaks the game.

 

[a_sophist]

The problem with your statement is that the war cant be prolonged because Germany can mass produce equipement that really surpasses any historical numbers. Germany is buffed so much that in my opinion it actually breaks the game.

If we're talking about pure AI vs AI here, all that needs to happen is the Soviets make more guns and fighters and stop attacking so much. The German tank stockpile doesn't matter if they're getting put into garbage tier divisions that can be stopped by pure infantry with some shovels. Because the AI doesn't know how to play the game well, however, stupidity like "am I burning all my equipment in ill advised attacks" and "did I save PP to up my conscription law before attacking across the entire eastern front" decides the war in either direction. Play as Raj or any other country with a secure lend lease route, give the Soviets all the surplus guns you make, and you'll suddenly see that the Germans can't do anything. This is fundamentally an AI problem, hence my suggestion to pile on as many AI solutions as possible.

 

[Serensius]

I think part of the problem here is that Germany seems to take the War with USSR focus in 1940 - starting the war a year early.

 

[TheDungen]

I think part of the problem here is that Germany seems to take the War with USSR focus in 1940 - starting the war a year early.

Well really it should be dependent on situation, in real life the reason Hitler turned on Stalin was that he was pretty much done in the west and Stalin had delivered half the oil and grain he had promised Hitler as part of their deal (though granted in the last years of the alliance the soviets did meet their quotas).