Hey Lothos and company.
I just finished my first run through of v092.1 as GB (norm/norm) and found a few things of note.
I did some reading on the TRP website as well as this forum and was keen to see if the Japanese and American AI had vastly improved from that offered in vanilla DD(no offense, I know you work on that too Lothos). I was also watching the other theatres for the newly afforded "Realism."
It would of course take some time for Japan and the US to enter the war so in the meantime I enjoyed the added historical events and graphics. Ironically, my game deviated right off the hop with Belgium choosing to remain with the Allies (I remedied that), and Hitler deciding to finish his speech, and subsequently dieing, during the Beer Hall Putsch (a reload for historical sake).
Must say, I enjoyed the Western Campaign. As a whole I have no problems with the combat system. Germany's Blitz campaign was also enough to cause a few gray hairs. Sadly, Germany's u-boat campaign is just plain dismal, and remained so for almost the entirity of the war. I don't know if it's scripted but almost all my convoy losses were via naval bombers. Their excessive use in this role by both Italy and Germany were enough to replicate the War of the Atlantic but did little to add to the realism. Worse yet, naval bombers would sometimes linger beyond the range of my most modern fighters, forcing me to use TAC's or STR's to act as interceptors. As for the u-boats, I faced losses for a few weeks once a year at most.
The African campaigns are so-so once again. Too bad there is no way to remedy the supply issue in Ethiopia as Italians here are essentially a walk-over. In actuality there were close to 300,000 Axis troops (most colonial irregulars) that managed to hold the region until November 1941 (though Addis Ababa was retaken in April). Some form of puppeted state like the Kwantung Army might remedy this. In North Africa the Italians were decidely poor, which I recognize as historical but the Italian AI's ability to reinforce this theatre is often times dreadful. The arrival of the Africa Korps was a nice historical addition but they too were non-responsive.
America's entry into the war was fairly anticlimatic. Aggressive landings in North Africa did not precipate an invasion of Sicily and again GB was forced to lead Husky, and later the invasion of Italy proper.
Meanwhile, in the pacific, Japan more than made up for its ineptness on the continent (never establishing a second - or third - front in Shanghai and the south) by blazing a yellow trail through Indonesia and Burma. My heroic defense of Singapore utterly stalled the offensive to the north so the Burma campaign never happened (apparantly they need Singapore to put pressure on Siam). Regardless, Japan continued to surprise me with attacks on Columbo, Goa, Dubai and Madagascar (can you believe it), as well as a full-scale invasion of Australia. Though the Guadalcanal and Rabul offensives never materialized, who was I too complain. Frankly, that kind of AI is what vanilla DD needs right now. It's not always historical, often reckless, but totally enjoyable.
As for the US, early signs of promise quickly vanished once the usual superstack took form on one of Indonesia's many islands. Only minor offensives in the Philipines and elsewhere followed, and soon two 50 division stacks stared across the jungle at eachother. Once the stack started forming America never had the troops to begin building up for D-Day and again GB was forced to go it alone. Even when I was fighting desperatly in Europe, groups of US troops sat around in North Africa and New Guinea. Over the course of the entire European campaign, the US mounted two measly assualts, one in Marsaille (which I rescued and they never expanded) and another single division effort in Calais. Argh, it was so close to the perfect game.
Here are a few more general observations:
Great job on the improved AI but Italy and the US are two nations that could and should profit from the Japanese amphibious techniques. Somebody take Crete, it's undefended!
Where is the Battle of the Atlantic?
Are you not able to manipulate the hills province modifiers to whatever you choose? All these mountain provinces, though good for directing the AI, aren't particularly realistic.
(This might just be my game) I believe Germany is supposed to face manpower shortages by 1944, yet I was still facing fully reinforced divisions even after 1946. Didn't check their build que so they may have stopped building troops as a result.
Does Japan commonly open a second front in Asia?
Paradox, or somebody, needs to design province divisional limits. Certain regions, like Pacific atolls and North Africa, are simply incapable of holding hundreds of thousands of troops. Sorry, just venting.
The End of WW2 event doesn't work when GB controls Europe. I also get numerous reserve call-up events at strange times (like after the war). I know it's ahistoric for GB to control Europe but if the US wont do it...
Though the invasion AI seems contained to limited distances despite the unlimited naval AI (good job I might add), why is it the US took the massively distant, descently garrisoned Taiwan in 1942 but then didn't attack a very nearby, often unguarded Japan for the next four years?
Leader experience gain for air commanders in charge of interceptors and fighters is dismal. I usually have to assaign them to TAC's to rack up experience but this shouldn't have to be the case.
The Indian manpower events seem to happen fairly regularly (which is historic according to the writing in some) but the manpower increase doesn't seem to fit. I can either build a division, a cost of 15K, or just take the 93K? Sometimes it's only 40K or so but in either case the numbers don't add up.
Free France doesn't seem to have any generals.
US is extremelly slow on the STR and TAC upgrades. I'm always years ahead of them (and so are the Germans). Is this intended as to limit US air power?
Did the Iraq and Syrian war events not occur because the German AI did not force a coup? Nice war in Iran though.
And lastly, to anyone complaining about England's relative lack of power, I entirely agree with Lothos regarding an even further reduction. Being weak initially makes for a hair-raising Battle of Britian. I may have lacked STR's but by late 1944 I had a formidable air force and over 80 land divisions for the aforementioned solo liberation of Europe.
Is is true, is Dumbledore really gay?
Thanks for reading and thanks again for everyone's effort on this mod. If you know the answer to any of my questions, or have evidence to the contrary, please tell.
I just finished my first run through of v092.1 as GB (norm/norm) and found a few things of note.
I did some reading on the TRP website as well as this forum and was keen to see if the Japanese and American AI had vastly improved from that offered in vanilla DD(no offense, I know you work on that too Lothos). I was also watching the other theatres for the newly afforded "Realism."
It would of course take some time for Japan and the US to enter the war so in the meantime I enjoyed the added historical events and graphics. Ironically, my game deviated right off the hop with Belgium choosing to remain with the Allies (I remedied that), and Hitler deciding to finish his speech, and subsequently dieing, during the Beer Hall Putsch (a reload for historical sake).
Must say, I enjoyed the Western Campaign. As a whole I have no problems with the combat system. Germany's Blitz campaign was also enough to cause a few gray hairs. Sadly, Germany's u-boat campaign is just plain dismal, and remained so for almost the entirity of the war. I don't know if it's scripted but almost all my convoy losses were via naval bombers. Their excessive use in this role by both Italy and Germany were enough to replicate the War of the Atlantic but did little to add to the realism. Worse yet, naval bombers would sometimes linger beyond the range of my most modern fighters, forcing me to use TAC's or STR's to act as interceptors. As for the u-boats, I faced losses for a few weeks once a year at most.
The African campaigns are so-so once again. Too bad there is no way to remedy the supply issue in Ethiopia as Italians here are essentially a walk-over. In actuality there were close to 300,000 Axis troops (most colonial irregulars) that managed to hold the region until November 1941 (though Addis Ababa was retaken in April). Some form of puppeted state like the Kwantung Army might remedy this. In North Africa the Italians were decidely poor, which I recognize as historical but the Italian AI's ability to reinforce this theatre is often times dreadful. The arrival of the Africa Korps was a nice historical addition but they too were non-responsive.
America's entry into the war was fairly anticlimatic. Aggressive landings in North Africa did not precipate an invasion of Sicily and again GB was forced to lead Husky, and later the invasion of Italy proper.
Meanwhile, in the pacific, Japan more than made up for its ineptness on the continent (never establishing a second - or third - front in Shanghai and the south) by blazing a yellow trail through Indonesia and Burma. My heroic defense of Singapore utterly stalled the offensive to the north so the Burma campaign never happened (apparantly they need Singapore to put pressure on Siam). Regardless, Japan continued to surprise me with attacks on Columbo, Goa, Dubai and Madagascar (can you believe it), as well as a full-scale invasion of Australia. Though the Guadalcanal and Rabul offensives never materialized, who was I too complain. Frankly, that kind of AI is what vanilla DD needs right now. It's not always historical, often reckless, but totally enjoyable.
As for the US, early signs of promise quickly vanished once the usual superstack took form on one of Indonesia's many islands. Only minor offensives in the Philipines and elsewhere followed, and soon two 50 division stacks stared across the jungle at eachother. Once the stack started forming America never had the troops to begin building up for D-Day and again GB was forced to go it alone. Even when I was fighting desperatly in Europe, groups of US troops sat around in North Africa and New Guinea. Over the course of the entire European campaign, the US mounted two measly assualts, one in Marsaille (which I rescued and they never expanded) and another single division effort in Calais. Argh, it was so close to the perfect game.
Here are a few more general observations:
Great job on the improved AI but Italy and the US are two nations that could and should profit from the Japanese amphibious techniques. Somebody take Crete, it's undefended!
Where is the Battle of the Atlantic?
Are you not able to manipulate the hills province modifiers to whatever you choose? All these mountain provinces, though good for directing the AI, aren't particularly realistic.
(This might just be my game) I believe Germany is supposed to face manpower shortages by 1944, yet I was still facing fully reinforced divisions even after 1946. Didn't check their build que so they may have stopped building troops as a result.
Does Japan commonly open a second front in Asia?
Paradox, or somebody, needs to design province divisional limits. Certain regions, like Pacific atolls and North Africa, are simply incapable of holding hundreds of thousands of troops. Sorry, just venting.
The End of WW2 event doesn't work when GB controls Europe. I also get numerous reserve call-up events at strange times (like after the war). I know it's ahistoric for GB to control Europe but if the US wont do it...
Though the invasion AI seems contained to limited distances despite the unlimited naval AI (good job I might add), why is it the US took the massively distant, descently garrisoned Taiwan in 1942 but then didn't attack a very nearby, often unguarded Japan for the next four years?
Leader experience gain for air commanders in charge of interceptors and fighters is dismal. I usually have to assaign them to TAC's to rack up experience but this shouldn't have to be the case.
The Indian manpower events seem to happen fairly regularly (which is historic according to the writing in some) but the manpower increase doesn't seem to fit. I can either build a division, a cost of 15K, or just take the 93K? Sometimes it's only 40K or so but in either case the numbers don't add up.
Free France doesn't seem to have any generals.
US is extremelly slow on the STR and TAC upgrades. I'm always years ahead of them (and so are the Germans). Is this intended as to limit US air power?
Did the Iraq and Syrian war events not occur because the German AI did not force a coup? Nice war in Iran though.
And lastly, to anyone complaining about England's relative lack of power, I entirely agree with Lothos regarding an even further reduction. Being weak initially makes for a hair-raising Battle of Britian. I may have lacked STR's but by late 1944 I had a formidable air force and over 80 land divisions for the aforementioned solo liberation of Europe.
Is is true, is Dumbledore really gay?
Thanks for reading and thanks again for everyone's effort on this mod. If you know the answer to any of my questions, or have evidence to the contrary, please tell.
