Edwin P.

Played a game against the AI with FOW on the other day and it moved the German Fleet down to Brest after France and Denmark surrendered. Most unusual. They surprised me when I went into bombard the city. This is the first time that I saw the AI move the German fleet that early in the game. Naturally, once at Brest the Navy just stayed there even though the Germans knew that the Allied Navy was elsewhere (Med and Baltic). No attempt by the German subs to interdict convoy routes. Perhaps the Axis Naval AI needs a way to track the number of allied ships destroyed vs the original starting number and the presence of others by zone (Med,Baltic Sea,Atlantic, etc) to guide the movements of the Axis Naval Units. [ May 18, 2003, 07:25 PM: Message edited by: Edwin P. ]

Since the map can't be changed (at least in SC V1) you could give the US more resources by giving them cities/resources larger than 10 ie 15 or by allowing the value of their resource/city hexes to increae by 1 every six months - 11,12,13,14,15. This would reflect the increasing mobilization of the US war economy. Of course this would have to be tested for play balance.

Condor Thanks for the analysis. I did not think of the UK using carriers.

I like your idea about slipways but I would assign Russia 2 - one for Leningrad and the other for the Blacksea naval base.

There are two aspects to the UK attacking Ireland; 1. The experience that they gain and the damage they take 2. The time that it takes to take the Island. If partisans appear in the Capital Dublin would it make sense to have them start at entrenchment level 2 or should partisan units have an air defence bonus of 2 instead of 1? Why? I assume that partisan units are less likely to travel in well organized formations. [ May 17, 2003, 02:15 PM: Message edited by: Edwin P. ]

Would a land hex linking Canada and the US make a German invasion of the US easier to support?

Ah, thats the Suez Canal not the Panama canal. What was I thinking. Question: After the war started how many ships did the US send from the Pacific to the Atlantic? If so, perhaps give the US an extra naval unit 1 year into the war arriving from the Pacific. [ May 16, 2003, 11:51 PM: Message edited by: Edwin P. ]

Here's Another idea, 2 or 3 hexes in the Southeast (I mean SOUTHWEST) corner representing the Panama Canal with a convoy route going to the US. The convoy route would give the US an extra 15MPP per turn (345 MPP per year) and represent trade with Latin America. If the UK falls to the Axis in 4 Months (8 turns) US naval reinforces will sail through the canal to aid the US in the Atlantic. So the Axis has to take the US before reinforcements arrive from the Pacific or blockade the Canal. The Allied Navies have to defend the Canal until the reinforcements arrive. The US would also receive these reinforcements if the war lasted beyond the historical date of the Japanese surrender. The reinforcements would consist of 2 Carriers, 3 Cruisers, 1 HQ, 5 Army Transports, 1 Sub, 1 Battleship [ May 16, 2003, 11:45 PM: Message edited by: Edwin P. ]

Interesting Idea, Venezuela = 1 Minor Port City, 2 Oil Fields, 2 Forest Hexes I'll have to think on it. My gut feeling is that the US or the UK would probably invade Venezuela pretty early in the war. Of course, this could push Turkey and Spain closer to allying with the Axis powers and keep the allies away from Europe for a few turns. The allies would also need a strong navy to pull their forces back from Latin America. Also during an invasion the oil fields would probably be damaged (aka Russian Scorched Earth). Most interesting idea. [ May 16, 2003, 10:56 PM: Message edited by: Edwin P. ]

Condor, I like your idea of partisans appearing in Dublin if the Brits disband or move out of Dublin.

Santabear, I have never launched an invasion from Finland to support a Soviet attack on a German occupied Riga. As for Sweden, twice I left Sweden garrisoned by just a corps and the Russians invaded and liberated the country. I could not reinforce as my troops were busy battling on the Eastern Front and they would have arrived there too late. Once I did try to contest an Axis invasion of Sweden but the Germans flew in about 5 or 6 air fleets from Denmark and gradually destroyed all of my Free French units (which were not supported by an HQ). The good thing is that it delayed the fall of Sweden by 6 turns from 3 turns to 9 turns. The Germans had 1HQ, 2 Armor, 1 Army and 1 Corps Plus 5 or 6 air units. The allies had 2 swedish armies, 1 swedish corps and 3 or 4 Free French armies. [ May 16, 2003, 06:28 PM: Message edited by: Edwin P. ]

Thanks for the tips, they will surely improve my game.

Idea: One way to reflect the land bridge between Canada and the US would be to allow land units to be operated between the two at half the cost of a normal operating move. Thus the US could transfer troops to/from Canada in one move instead of two. [ May 16, 2003, 06:17 PM: Message edited by: Edwin P. ]

Santabear I like your comments regarding Partisans and where they appear. I think that partisans should have a chance to appear in ungarrisoned city, resource, and forest hexes in addition to mountains and swamps as these areas are likely to atract partisan activity. Also, the presence of partisan unit(s) in country should increase the chance of another partisan unit appearing. Why? Successful partisan activity makes it easier to recruit more partisans. Example: In the game Yugoslavia has a base 15% per turn of a partisan unit during non-winter months. So; 1 partisan unit activated +5% thus a 20% chance. 2 partisan units activated +10% thus a 25% chance. 3 partisan units activated +20% thus a 35% chance. 4 partisan units activated +40% thus a 55% chance. JerseyJohn I build subs! But only, if German air power has detroyed most of the allied navy forces (I keep a count of UK naval units destroyed) or have them bottled up in the Med (once I took an Undefended Gibraltar and trapped the allied fleets in the Med.) I think that the the current spotting range for Naval ships is realistic and would oppose changing this as sonar in WWII had a very short range. Perhaps what is needed is an inexpensive air unit for sub spotting whose max strength would increase as ASW tech increased. Naturally such an air unit would have an Air Defense Strength of 0 as its primary use would be to spot Sub Units. Perhaps the diving percentage of subs spotted by such an air unit could be reduced? Note: I believe that air units should have a percentage chance to spot sub units within their range, not the 100% that they have now. I say this because most aerial sub patrols in WWII involved very few aircraft. Example: ASW Air Unit - Cost 180 MPP, Spotting Range as per Bomber Tech 0 - Strength 1, 20% to spot subs within range Tech 1 - Strength 2, 30% Tech 2 - Strength 3, 40% Tech 3 - Strength 4, 60% Tech 4 - Strength 5, 80% Tech 5 - Strength 6, 100% to spot subs within range [ May 16, 2003, 10:59 PM: Message edited by: Edwin P. ]

SantaBear How would you quantify "if a German advance against Moscow continues"?

Panzer39 That is a question that would have to await a response from Hubert, the game's designer and all around good guy. Personally, I would like to see; 1. A tech added, any tech. 2. Yugoslavia Partisan Rules for post surrender Spain/Russia/UK/Turkey 3. FOW for the Siberian transfer 4. Some Random starting positions - see related thread. 5. Improvements to the AI in the Med 6. Some AI fine tuning 7. Reclaim Tech Chits Option for AI 8. French Unit in Beruit moves to guard Suez. ----------- And for the Really Far Out and most unlikely additons ----------- 8. Arrival of US Pacific Fleet in the Atlantic if the UK or Canada falls to the Axis(aka Siberian transfer for the US) 9. Russian Mass Uprising Event - Post Russian surrender there is a 5% chance per turn (once per year) that 1 partisan or 1 russian corps unit will appear in every unoccupied Russian city and resource hex. This would place some limit on the number of German forces available for the war on the Western Front. 10. German invasion of Norway/Sweden added to AI. 11. Allied attack on Iraq added to AI 12. German Sea Lion added to AI if UK undefended. 13. Allied Invasion of Portugal, Spain, Italy added to the AI 14. The Axis AI gets devious and makes an amphibious landing behind Russian lines. [ May 16, 2003, 10:50 AM: Message edited by: Edwin P. ]

I don't know? I assume that at the point that the AI reclaims its chits that its almost a lost cause, except in the case of the UK.

Egads the Norwegians joining the Axis. :eek:

As for Spain - Yes Franco in all cases. As for Sweden - If Germany attacked Norway first they should have a HQ unit as they would have begun to mobilize. If Germany attacked Sweden before Norway I would say that Sweden should have an HQ unit only 50% of the time to reflect the effect of a surprise German assualt. Also if the Germans attack Sweden first there should be a chance that Norway (say 50%) will join the Allies. This would allow the Brits to operate in Air Units and land reinforcements while the Germans were busy attacking Sweden. Thus the Germans have a Choice 1. Attack Norway First = Swedes Get HQ 2. Attack Sweden First = 50% Norwegians Join the Allies [ May 15, 2003, 11:33 PM: Message edited by: Edwin P. ]

Excellent observations JerseyJohn, as usual. Any thoughts on Spain and Turkey? Any comments as to the location of the starting Italian fleet? See my post above. [ May 15, 2003, 11:19 PM: Message edited by: Edwin P. ]

Changing the positions of the starting units and adding a partisan unit or two will never change the ultimate outcome of an invasion by a major power. It can delay the conquest or make it more expensive for the conquerer. So a 1 turn conquest becomes a 2 or 3 turn conquest. It might give time for assistance to arrive from Allied forces (ie British Navy in the case of Greece). Placing an army in the capital of Greece makes it harder to take than having it garrisoned by a corps. Having an army unit appear next to the capital means that only 3 units can land not 4. Adding a partisan unit would futher limit this to a 2 hex invasion. Another option is to assume that the defenders get advance warning of the attack and that their unit in the capital starts out entrenched. Italy Now the allies always know the location of the starting Italian Fleet. Would it be wide to assume that if the Italians saw the Allied fleets massing in the Med that they would have recalled their naval units to the relative safety of the Adriatic Sea? Thus restricting attacking surface ships to a two hex front. You could say that; For every Allied Ship above 5 in the Med there is a 15% chance that all Italian Navy ships start in the Adriatic Sea. Example: 5 UK Ships in the Med - 0% 6 UK Ships in the Med - 15% 7 UK Ships in the Med - 30% 8 UK Ships in the Med - 45% 9 UK Ships in the Med - 60% 10 UK Ships in the Med - 75% 11 UK Ships in the Med - 90% I would also say that for every turn a UK or French ship is in the Adriatic sea that Italian war Readiness increases by 30%. [ May 15, 2003, 11:14 PM: Message edited by: Edwin P. ]

I was thinking that if Great Britain faced a Sea Lion and there were 3+ Axis units in Great Britian that it should reclaim any tech chits so that it could better defend the home islands. What good is advanced tech if there is not anyone around to use it. Similarily, at a simple level, if Russia lost Rostov or Stalingrad or Moscow it should reclaim its tech chits to better defend the southern oil fields and cities of the Caucaus mountain region or the Urals. Or if Russia has conquered Warsaw then the Germans should reclaim their chits to buy more units. This is a strategy that I have seen many human players follow and I was wondering what logic rules, "furry" or otherwise, should guide the AI in making a similar decision. [ May 15, 2003, 11:01 PM: Message edited by: Edwin P. ]

Several other threads have suggested alternate starting positions & forces for minor country nations. What are your thoughts of some alternative starting positions and forces? Suggestions include: 1. Alternate Greek Starting Postions 50% Standard 10% Move Greek Army to capital & Corps to Border 10% Move Army to Captial (entrenchment level 1) and move corps to adjacent hex. 5% Move army to captial (entrenchment level 2), recall other army from the border to hex adjacent to captial (entrenchment level 1) and station corps on the border with Albania. 25% "1 army in capital, 2 corps + HQ around capital, 1 corps in mountains (1 hex nearer Athens with HQ between it and the capital)" - (as suggested by Santabear) 2. Alternate Irish Starting Forces 70% Standard 25% Standard + 1 Irish partisan unit. 100% that a partisan unit appears in Dublin if Brits Disband or move out of Dublin (suggested by Condor) 3. Italy For every Allied Ship above 5 in the Med there is a 15% chance that all Italian Navy ships start in the Adriatic Sea near Venice. Example: 5 UK Ships in the Med - 10% 6 UK Ships in the Med - 15% 7 UK Ships in the Med - 30% 8 UK Ships in the Med - 45% 9 UK Ships in the Med - 60% 10 UK Ships in the Med - 75% 11 UK Ships in the Med - 90% 12 UK Ships in the Med - 100% For every turn a UK or French ship is in the Adriatic sea Italian war Readiness should increase by 30%. Any allied transport entering the Adriatic should increase Italian war readiness by 100%. If Allies DOW Italy then 50% for a Corps to appear in Bari (throws a wrench into the DOW Italy and take Bari gambit). 4. Norway If Germany attacks Sweden before Norway then Norway has a 50% chance to join the allies. 5. Sweden (as suggested by JerseyJohn) If Germany attacks Norway then Sweden gets a HQ unit. If Germany attacks Sweden before Norway then Sweden has a 50% to get a HQ unit (the effect of surprise) Spain(built on suggestions from JerseyJohn) Spain has a 25% to mobilize a Franco HQ unit if Germany DOW on Spain. If Germany attacks Spain after attacking Vichy France then Spain has a 50% to receive a Franco HQ unit and an additional corps unit. This reflects the emergency mobilization of the Spanish Army. If Germany attacks Spain after Vichy surrenders then 100% for Spain to reveive Franco HQ unit and two 50% chances to receive an additional Corps unit(s) (max +2 corps) If Allies DOW on Portugal then 50% for Spain to receive Franco HQ Unit. Thus Germany DOW on Vichy France Before DOW on Spain = 50% 2 Extra Units for Spain (HQ + Corps) Vichy France If Germany DOW on Spain before Attacking Vichy France then 50% Free French Fleet near Marseilles moves to Algiers for Safety and 20% that Free French Corps in Marseilles moves to Algiers or Beruit (75%/25%) leaving behind a French partisan unit. [ May 16, 2003, 06:43 PM: Message edited by: Edwin P. ]

What rules should the AI follow for deciding whether or not to reclaim its research chits? Russia has at least 3 chits. This could provide it with an extra 3 corps or an army and a corps if they were reclaimed. The US has at least 2 chits. Enough to finance the mobilization of 2 corps. I would like to see what your thoughts are for the rules that would govern such an action for; Russia, UK, US, Germany, and Italy. Do you think that the AI should never consider such an action? Example: Russia should reclaim its chits when ? US should reclaim its chits when ? [ May 15, 2003, 08:25 PM: Message edited by: Edwin P. ]

I agree, thanks for the information on how the damage is calculated