I have a slight problem with playing as France in WIF2. Not too slight, but definitely annoying. The french have been taken down to the bare minimum of gaming for a long time (with the notable exception of Manon), but with WIF2, they have been utterly shamed. I wont even go into the argument that the french have fought and won almost every war they have fought (eventually...), but damn, they have been so utterly nerfed that victory as them is impossible.
First of all, there is the cripplingly low IC that they have, coupled with obscene levels of dissent, the riotings, the random bad events (and the money that comes from clearing out the dissent of said events, at least a ray of light), and the tremendously disappointing prospect of defensive doctrine, the worst doctrine in the game.
Then, we have the problem that starting in '33, the friggin marginot line is not even finished fully (not even that little mercy), so that means more building. Also, we see the provinces up north completely devoid of fortifications, in our effort to cheat history, being fully aware that the germans will strike through there, disrespecting any notion of peace and neutrality.
Come '36, and most of our dissent is gone, we have tons of money... and a pathetically weak army, low IC and nonexistant land fortifications. So we spend our IC on these, and retreat our entire overseas fleet and army back to mainland france, because COME ON.
by '39 we have almost finished the forts and have even built some IC, and FINALLY we get some more IC unlocked because were at peace, dang it. And so we get to modernizing our army and building forces. Oh, but no armor, of course. France could build 300 tanks a month during ww2, but hell if that is represented with the nice worthless defensive doctrine that wont let me build tanks, historically, until 1940, and maybe 1939 if i tech rush the crap out of it. Not that it matters of course, with the very small amount of IC that france gets.
'40, and germany comes. Of course i have to deploy at least 24 divs in the marginot line, since the tip of it can easily get swamped by the germans if they so choose to attack.Since your main weapon remains dissuation, be glad the AI no longer sends men on massive slaughterfests as in DH 1.0. That is about where all the good things end, if there were any to start with.
Low manpower? check. Italy seizing your african IC? cool. devoting forces to friggin Italy? been there. Cant attack anything without suffering at least 2 to 1 losses? Done that. Germany and the soviets remaining at peace forever? bought the damn t-shirt.
I can say, with no small amount of grandeur and a pinch of self aggrandizement, that i can win, without heavy exploits of the game like division trapping or luring, with any other major power (Yes, even italy), but that the french are an impossibility that cannot be matched.
While every other country in the game can at least influence the game to a degree, the sole job of the french is to provide germany with IC and atlantic bases (if AI) or as a very long stalemate that ends until the US can bring nukes to the game (which i disabled thanks to the butchering american dogs and their crazy ass nuking of their enemies, turning Europe into Fallout about 50 years too early). In other words, a dead end. Germany wont attack the soviets, and the soviets wont attack germany. Attacking as france, even with fully brigaded infantry with heavy armor brigades and artillery and proper ministers, will still suffer 2 to 1 losses, and that is not counting what german armored div can do to a fully brigaded french division. To give you an idea, i feel like i need to call the police every time i attack german forces, because i feel like i got raped.
The only possible viable and ahistorical course of action for the poor french is Italy, that does a pitiful job of defending itself. A quick rush can capture and net you some nice IC and minimal MP growth bonuses, that is until the germans decide to send their forces south and blunt your fun. From then on, have fun as germany does nothing and the world remains in awe as what can only be described as a mongled up version of the 1984 superstates, if said superstates did absolutely nothing.
'What about alternatives?' i hear noone ask. Well, what is there to say? If i dont man my borders, the germans attack and win, level 10 forts notwithstanding. How about Armor, with a gradual switch from infantry? Low ic would mean that, give or take, i could have 24 armor divs in about 2 years time, while germany gets triple that amount. Attrition? You could go total mobilization and the germans will still have more than enough volks to send to fight (and fight better than you, might i add).
So what is the answer? i dont know. Im going to try the Vichy experiment, though: screw the border, and get vichy'd while ICing the crap out of those provinces that will be yours after the event. As soon as the germans are busy with barbarossa BAM! buttwub up the wubbing wub, wubches.
The whole point of this is to show the utterly depressing state that france is in, and just how they can be nerfed so bad (for gameplay reasons, admittedly) that now, playing them is telling the game 'here, lets do nothing'.
First of all, there is the cripplingly low IC that they have, coupled with obscene levels of dissent, the riotings, the random bad events (and the money that comes from clearing out the dissent of said events, at least a ray of light), and the tremendously disappointing prospect of defensive doctrine, the worst doctrine in the game.
Then, we have the problem that starting in '33, the friggin marginot line is not even finished fully (not even that little mercy), so that means more building. Also, we see the provinces up north completely devoid of fortifications, in our effort to cheat history, being fully aware that the germans will strike through there, disrespecting any notion of peace and neutrality.
Come '36, and most of our dissent is gone, we have tons of money... and a pathetically weak army, low IC and nonexistant land fortifications. So we spend our IC on these, and retreat our entire overseas fleet and army back to mainland france, because COME ON.
by '39 we have almost finished the forts and have even built some IC, and FINALLY we get some more IC unlocked because were at peace, dang it. And so we get to modernizing our army and building forces. Oh, but no armor, of course. France could build 300 tanks a month during ww2, but hell if that is represented with the nice worthless defensive doctrine that wont let me build tanks, historically, until 1940, and maybe 1939 if i tech rush the crap out of it. Not that it matters of course, with the very small amount of IC that france gets.
'40, and germany comes. Of course i have to deploy at least 24 divs in the marginot line, since the tip of it can easily get swamped by the germans if they so choose to attack.Since your main weapon remains dissuation, be glad the AI no longer sends men on massive slaughterfests as in DH 1.0. That is about where all the good things end, if there were any to start with.
Low manpower? check. Italy seizing your african IC? cool. devoting forces to friggin Italy? been there. Cant attack anything without suffering at least 2 to 1 losses? Done that. Germany and the soviets remaining at peace forever? bought the damn t-shirt.
I can say, with no small amount of grandeur and a pinch of self aggrandizement, that i can win, without heavy exploits of the game like division trapping or luring, with any other major power (Yes, even italy), but that the french are an impossibility that cannot be matched.
While every other country in the game can at least influence the game to a degree, the sole job of the french is to provide germany with IC and atlantic bases (if AI) or as a very long stalemate that ends until the US can bring nukes to the game (which i disabled thanks to the butchering american dogs and their crazy ass nuking of their enemies, turning Europe into Fallout about 50 years too early). In other words, a dead end. Germany wont attack the soviets, and the soviets wont attack germany. Attacking as france, even with fully brigaded infantry with heavy armor brigades and artillery and proper ministers, will still suffer 2 to 1 losses, and that is not counting what german armored div can do to a fully brigaded french division. To give you an idea, i feel like i need to call the police every time i attack german forces, because i feel like i got raped.
The only possible viable and ahistorical course of action for the poor french is Italy, that does a pitiful job of defending itself. A quick rush can capture and net you some nice IC and minimal MP growth bonuses, that is until the germans decide to send their forces south and blunt your fun. From then on, have fun as germany does nothing and the world remains in awe as what can only be described as a mongled up version of the 1984 superstates, if said superstates did absolutely nothing.
'What about alternatives?' i hear noone ask. Well, what is there to say? If i dont man my borders, the germans attack and win, level 10 forts notwithstanding. How about Armor, with a gradual switch from infantry? Low ic would mean that, give or take, i could have 24 armor divs in about 2 years time, while germany gets triple that amount. Attrition? You could go total mobilization and the germans will still have more than enough volks to send to fight (and fight better than you, might i add).
So what is the answer? i dont know. Im going to try the Vichy experiment, though: screw the border, and get vichy'd while ICing the crap out of those provinces that will be yours after the event. As soon as the germans are busy with barbarossa BAM! buttwub up the wubbing wub, wubches.
The whole point of this is to show the utterly depressing state that france is in, and just how they can be nerfed so bad (for gameplay reasons, admittedly) that now, playing them is telling the game 'here, lets do nothing'.
