WWI - Germany underpowered/not competent enough?

[unmerged(189717)]

I recency played a couple of games as the non-German Central Powers (Austria-Hungary, Ottomans, Bulgaria). Especially ss Austria-Hungary, pretty much everything went as planned: Serbia and Montenegro defeated in 1914, Russian stopped, Italy defeated ASAP and the support Germany against France and/or Russia.

And then Germany messes it up every time.

I understand that a two-front AI is difficult, but Germany doesn't seem to use one third of its troops, which are stationed too far back or are constantly transferred between the two fronts. From time to time, the Germans leave huge gaps in the Western front and the France just walk in and within a moth take over a third of Germany. I don't have enough troops change that with the Ottomans and Austrian alone. Did anybody else observe that or was that just coincidence?

 

[Ilyasviel]

It wasn't just a coincidence. Germany always loses to France in the current patch. Always.

 

[Eugenioso]

German AI is a problem. the HOI2/DH engine has always had issues with 2 front wars (which is why certain mods create new factions to deal with this, like japan creating chinese puppet)

 

[Limith]

Germany AI knocked out France in Jan 1915 in my last hands off game and annexed the USSR in 1917...
It depends on what strategy the AI chooses.
It does keep too many units as anti-partisan in the east though, and not enough against france.

As Austria-Hungary my priorities are usually to help Germany encircle Russian troops in Poland and take out Serbia. Then I stall France and Italy for Germany since the German AI tends to over-dedicate units against Russia. I've never had problems holding off France long enough for Germany to knock out Russia from the war. It's fine if Germany loses some territory if it costs France huge casualties and buys time for Russia to be knocked out. I do leave the A-H/Russia border heavily undergarrisoned after encircling them in Poland since I've found that AI Germany will garrison that for me. Usually my Serbia task force gets redeployed to handle Romania.

 

[Skywalker_T-65]

Yeah, the first time I loaded up DH on my new comp, France was knocked out by mid-'15. Serbia lasted longer than the French.

Russians stalemated though.

 

[unmerged(189717)]

Anti-partisan troops can definitely be reduced. As Austria, it's sufficient to leave a single division in Belgrad. I usually have two or less uprising throughout the entire war and often none at all. For Germany, it should be enough to leave maybe ten division behind the lines.

 

[darkesthourmang]

I think I can agree with this sentiment.
I just played a game as Austria. Things went okay in the start but the Germans never pushed into Belgium at all. Eventually we lost traction against the Russians and by the time my men from Serbia were in Italy (with ample German forces), France had broken into Alsace-Lorraine and beyond.

 

[hellheaven1987]

The real issue is Italy; I played as Italy sometimes ago by refusing to join either side, and German AI nicely finished off Russia in 1916 and went all out on West in 1917.

 

[UNSC Trooper]

I once played an Italy game in the Entente and Germany beat France and was at the gates of Moscow. At that point, I simply fell to defensive line after the other in northern Italy as the Central Powers closed in on me from both sides.

Turns out Britain then landed in Western Germany while German troops were busy all the way in Russia. The Brits overtook Western Germany without resistance and Germany lost the war.

One of the most retarded, yet entertaining games for me.

 

[spannbeton]

In my last 2 Handsoff games germany was utterly destroyed. once by 16 once by 1917, the first time even before the soviet event happened...