C A U T I O N ***Screenshot heavy post *** SCREENSHOT HEAVY POST *** Screenshot heavy post *** C A U T I O N
Game Spec:
HOI3 FTM patched to v3.04. Scenerio: Germany; "1938, The Gathering Storm"; Difficulty: Normal. This is a vanilla game, and does not employ any mods or cheats. Autosaves are weekly. Run on AMD Athlon 64x2 Dual Core Processor 4800+964MHz 3.00GB RAM; XP Pro v2002 SP3.
Goal:
This AAR will illustrate a top-down design approach for the construction and deployment of large scale ground forces.
What's Different?
Designing an army from scratch is perhaps the most daunting task in HOI3. It is a virtual crap-shoot to come up with the proper units and in sufficient numbers to begin a major campaign on time.
Every moment of delay aids the enemy. As the great Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest once said, "I can always make it a rule to get there first with the most men."
The OOB development process in HOI3 is complex, that's part of the challenge. Indeed, the number of possible variables are too many to list. But, with the aid of a spreadsheet, and certain knowledge of the rules, one can develop a truely awesome OOB.
What's New? -- Top-Down Design Model
Most OOB's are created bottom-up, that is, build some units, create some HQ's, and viola! The top-down approach, however, looks carefully at the numbers and types of leaders, available manpower, technology, fuel requirements, supply requirements, and a host of production variables. Coming-up with the optimum fighting force takes a few hours of planning, but is infinitely more satisifying than the typical "seat-of-the pants" approach.
Preamble:
Germany was chosen for this AAR because it is the most played nation in HOI3. Another player may go with a different mix of armor and infantry than seen here, or choose a completely different path to victory, that's not important. The goal here is to create complex plans, and execute them down to the last detail. Nothing is worse than starting a campaign with too few corps, or postponing a launch date due to lack of planning.
The '38 scenerio was selected because war seems inevitable, and there's limited time to prepare for events. Creating superior forces from the '36 scenerio is one thing, but doing it in crunch time is what this AAR is all about!
HOUSE RULES:
There is NO HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE to this game--it will simply be played to win. This AAR uses the default victory conditions, and will continue until the game is won (or lost).
The player will use the same build rules as the AI, that is: No reserve units. One exception is granted to home guard units, they being, divisions designated for defense of core provinces and/or anti-partisian duty only. Such units may not be upgraded or used for any other purpose.
Ground forces will be under player command at all time. But, to be fair, the AI will be used to control all active air and sea units to the exent possible. Exceptions are made only for troop transport, invasions, and paratroop drops, also, designated reserves may remain under player control for refit or reorganization until released for combat duty.
SUBSCRIPTION UPDATES: The board will be updated twice a week; On Sundays, and again in the middle of the week (generally Wednesday or Thursday). Reports will be quarterly, that is, four reports per game year. This game should move along fairly quickly, and the entire campaign will likely take about 8 weeks to complete. Postings will be in retrospect, that is, a 3-month delay. For example, as you are reading this report the game has already progressed to January, 1939.
Thank-you. The author appreciates your subscription and any comments you may make.
Now, let's get on with it!
NOTE: A written synopsis of the top-down design approach may be found on the author's inkwell page.
Game Spec:
HOI3 FTM patched to v3.04. Scenerio: Germany; "1938, The Gathering Storm"; Difficulty: Normal. This is a vanilla game, and does not employ any mods or cheats. Autosaves are weekly. Run on AMD Athlon 64x2 Dual Core Processor 4800+964MHz 3.00GB RAM; XP Pro v2002 SP3.
Goal:
This AAR will illustrate a top-down design approach for the construction and deployment of large scale ground forces.
What's Different?
Designing an army from scratch is perhaps the most daunting task in HOI3. It is a virtual crap-shoot to come up with the proper units and in sufficient numbers to begin a major campaign on time.
Every moment of delay aids the enemy. As the great Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest once said, "I can always make it a rule to get there first with the most men."
The OOB development process in HOI3 is complex, that's part of the challenge. Indeed, the number of possible variables are too many to list. But, with the aid of a spreadsheet, and certain knowledge of the rules, one can develop a truely awesome OOB.
What's New? -- Top-Down Design Model
Most OOB's are created bottom-up, that is, build some units, create some HQ's, and viola! The top-down approach, however, looks carefully at the numbers and types of leaders, available manpower, technology, fuel requirements, supply requirements, and a host of production variables. Coming-up with the optimum fighting force takes a few hours of planning, but is infinitely more satisifying than the typical "seat-of-the pants" approach.
Preamble:
Germany was chosen for this AAR because it is the most played nation in HOI3. Another player may go with a different mix of armor and infantry than seen here, or choose a completely different path to victory, that's not important. The goal here is to create complex plans, and execute them down to the last detail. Nothing is worse than starting a campaign with too few corps, or postponing a launch date due to lack of planning.
The '38 scenerio was selected because war seems inevitable, and there's limited time to prepare for events. Creating superior forces from the '36 scenerio is one thing, but doing it in crunch time is what this AAR is all about!
HOUSE RULES:
There is NO HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE to this game--it will simply be played to win. This AAR uses the default victory conditions, and will continue until the game is won (or lost).
The player will use the same build rules as the AI, that is: No reserve units. One exception is granted to home guard units, they being, divisions designated for defense of core provinces and/or anti-partisian duty only. Such units may not be upgraded or used for any other purpose.
Ground forces will be under player command at all time. But, to be fair, the AI will be used to control all active air and sea units to the exent possible. Exceptions are made only for troop transport, invasions, and paratroop drops, also, designated reserves may remain under player control for refit or reorganization until released for combat duty.
SUBSCRIPTION UPDATES: The board will be updated twice a week; On Sundays, and again in the middle of the week (generally Wednesday or Thursday). Reports will be quarterly, that is, four reports per game year. This game should move along fairly quickly, and the entire campaign will likely take about 8 weeks to complete. Postings will be in retrospect, that is, a 3-month delay. For example, as you are reading this report the game has already progressed to January, 1939.
Thank-you. The author appreciates your subscription and any comments you may make.
Now, let's get on with it!
NOTE: A written synopsis of the top-down design approach may be found on the author's inkwell page.
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