Questions from a New Player

[AdmiralNelson]

Hi there, HoI forum-goers. I'm a recently converted EU/CK player and I've got some questions.

1. I'd rather not get into a debate about the history, but my general opinion of strategic air power in WWII is that it didn't work in reality as it was intended or expected to work. In HoI2, though, does it work and how does it work (that is, what does it do to the enemy)? Is it worth investing in, if a nation has the industry to build enough strategic bombers?

2. My rudimentary understanding of IC is that you can have as much effective IC as you have resources for. Is that true? If I have huge surpluses of resources, should I build more IC?

3. I like to play as Canada, mainly for the fact that I can act ridiculous if I want to and not lose the war at the same time. Any general strategies for playing Canada? Right now I'm building 12 IC right off the bat so I get the third tech team in mid-1938. From there on I kind of improvise. My last couple of games I've been buying the French navy with resources. Since they're just going to have them sunk, lost or languish in idle for the rest of the war, I figured I'd buy them and get some use out of them. I haven't seen them in action yet, though, so I'm not sure if it'll work.

4. I'd also like to play Italy and the Soviet Union at some point in the future. I play on the easy difficulties (because of laziness or stupidity, or both ) , so they won't be as troublesome as I'm sure they can be. Strategies for playing those two countries? What's the biggest problem with playing the SU? Low infrastructure? Not enough IC to do what must be done? What can be accomplished as Italy?

Thanks for any help that is forthcoming.

 

[kfijatass]

1) in air you either go Tac/CAS or Tac/Str type planes as your main ones. Vital choice
2) Yes. As far as you know, 1 IC requires (as far as i remember) 2 metal, 1 energy, 0.5 rares. So if you have more, it's good to build some more. But the n again. But don't overdo it. you need armies too.
3) Try going evil canada and invade USA. They will be defenseless. Unite americas
4) SU is one of the easiest countries you may get. Best strategy , but kinda gamey, is to attack when germany is attacking the french. Then backstab germany. the SU's problem is getting a whole meal lot of divisions AND getting them to be upgraded up-to-date. Also, there's some problems with the ground defence, search in the hoi 2 wiki for more information on that.
And italy - not too much experience with those guys, but a successful invasion on USA or other effective slurping of high-ic countries should do the trick ^^

Hope this helps ^^

 

[unmerged(47937)]

with the USSR, a very late build-up of infantry mostly does the trick.
you just wait till you researched '41 infantry and then start building them.
Earlier years can then be used to build industry untill about 1939. followed by lots of CAS and interceptors or fighters. Tanks can almost be neglected, but it's nice to have some to boost a quick encirclement. an example of this strategy can be seen in kanitatlan's USSR AAR.

with italy, the case is different. you don't have lots of IC, so some kind of planning ahead needs to be calculated in your build queue. Sure, building some extra factories never harmed anyone, but you need some troops to fight too. In case of italy, I often neglect tanks completely and have them replaced with cavalry and later on mechanised infantry. A poor man's blitz, I call this strategy. So italy is hard to play in general. However, italy is quite nice if you like naval battles, as the reggia navale really sees some epic struggles against the british royal navy

 

[AdmiralNelson]

Thanks for the advice, guys.

 

[Hammer of Thor]

1. I agree with TAC/CAS or TAC/STR and making a commitment to one early. Research appropriate Air Doctrines.

2. You understand correctly. There is always debate on whether or not to build or conquer IC. I like to build IC, as much as I can afford, because that gives me more control of how much IC is at my disposal. Build in high Infrastructure provinces. It reduces the amount of time it takes to build the factory.

3. Never have played Canada.

4. I play SU and Italy often. SU is a beast to administer properly but the strategy is pretty simple: out build your opponent in the mid/late game and let General Winter eat up the Germans. Italy is more a challenge. You are just on the low end of major player. Your starting IC sucks. And with the myriad needs for your goals of conquest, IC to spare for factories is hard to come by.

I am currently playing a game as Italy and it is Feb. '41. I started a build of factories in Milan (100% Infra.) to the end of the game and went on an early conquering spree. I declared war on Republican Spain and took seven northern provinces before the end of the Spanish Civil War. I bided my time and waited til April '39 for the Albania event. I annexed Albania and piled troops in Venice with three armies in Tirana and declared war on Yugoslavia.

The cultivation of the Bulgarians bore fruit when they finally accepted my offer of Alliance. My new allies met me at the Danube, drawing war declarations from Greece followed shortly thereafter by Romania. It was a close thing until I could get reinforcements into the theater. Once there, we rolled through Macedonia and into Greece proper. Crete was assaulted and captured with Athens not far behind and it was over.

Romania made serious inroads into Bulgaria during this time (Jan. '40 to April '40). Once the victorious armies were repositioned and reinforced along the front, the conquest of Romania was assured. By July '40, Bulgaria annexed Romania and our alliance is stronger for its existence

It's now Feb. '41 and I am eyeing Nationalist Spain with a future eye for Gibraltar and the Suez or southern France and Germany when the Allies D-Day. The problem I now encounter is how to spend my IC which is exactly 100. I have not upgraded all of my earleir troops from '36INF to '39 yet and I am now researching '41 INF and tanks. I have no IC to devote to airplanes (no TAC or NAV) or a navy. As much as I have accomplished and hope to in the future, I can come out an owner of large portions of the western Eurasian landmass...or begging mercy for my sins at the boots of the Allies!