Scook

I do like Sweden as Axis, garrisons for Norway, a landlink for Scandinavia thus increasing MPPs, and an extra airfleet. What's not to like?

I am learning its about the personality playing opposite me more than than square 99,14 needing a ZOC to prevent partisans. Yes, Terif has pulled apart the scripts 1st, and applied that knowledge to his playing. Terif said it one post a while back, "Do the unexpected, and your opponent won't know what to expect". I have played Blashy in his version of SC2, and he had some very suprising moves. Liam plays much different than Blashy, and will prove a challenging foe come '42-'43. I gleaned enough information from reading Rambo posts to surprise him a bit, and we have a Donnybrook going into late '44, possibly heading to a stalemate in '47. Learn as much about the game as you can, and treat it like chess. Know your gambits, what the capabilities of your forces are, and a scientific study of a game turns into artful play that people marvel at.

I went back and booted up SC1, just in case I was seeing things about SC2. I much prefer SC2 to SC1. The interface is much better, I like the amount of options available, and I do like squares vs hexes. WW II should not come down to bogging down, and the attacker in SC2 can take anything with enough effort. One of the best boardgames I have ever played was called "The Longest Day", from Avalon Hill. The unit notations are not based on NATO symbols, but on German WWII symbols. The design team was lambasted by much of the wargaming community at the time. Once I got used to the terminology, I could tell you more about a battalion/company at a glance than I ever could using "The Standard". Eh, the inventors of the wheel, and sliced bread have their detractors too.

Some game crashing bugs are being fixed by HC, and I think everyone is waiting for the next patch before doing anymore changes, as it looks fairly immenent.

For Russia in particular, use more forest, add more of the rivers that existed, and change the Dnepr river to include the areas that are impassable. I have been playing on such a map my friend is doing, and it really slowedme down the 1st time I tried it. Makes the Steppes of Russia a very inviting place (which is akin to a nice comfy spot in Hell).

I have played Blashy's mod very extensively, and yes, it has a lot of changes that work really well. It has the most balaned flavor I can find so far, and it still looks a lot like the original game. Of course, that is from my viewpoint, and I haven't found too many loopholes to exploit, it has to be put forth on a large scale testing (ie: V1.03) and see what the grognards think.

I am also to the feeling in making the engineer unit into combat engineers, having better attack/defense that an army. Since every one has only one, that can be some elite trooper that would be more exspensive to replace. Heck with fort lines, I am going on the offensive!

Great Gotham machine guns! Get the War Elephants to the front of the line!

Cheese Panzer, I understand you were the leader of this community. I bow in gratitude to you, who took Fartknocker's insults and did so much good for the love of the game.

I would think in-game there would be one 10, as outside this game, history wouldn't count. He would be the one with the most success and the least failures from the criteria that we have, the little pieces we get to move. Augustus, yes a 10. what would you put Julius at? One conquered the empire, the other got to rule it.

@ Canuck, I remember reading a post from someone (think it was Blashy) about it. I will see if I can find it.

Could be a reach, but how about Ayyyy-Bear?

Thanks ebitt, I will pick this up and read it.

In addition, if you want to read a good book for the battle of Stalingrad, and the mindset of the players involed, get "Enemy at the Gates." The author did research and everything in the book comes from account from people who were there. The movie of the same name takes one small part of the book and uses it. They are not alike.

Manstein and Zhukov are the only 2 that deserve a 10. If you are into reading from Buntas, see if you can find a copy of Manstein's book, "Lost Victories". It is very insightful into the inner working of German command. He was the only Germany officer to take offense they would follow the same plan they used in WWI, so he wrote up his own, and with some luck, it became the German plan to invade France. He completly grasped modern tank tactics, he took 41st Pz. Korps (or 56th, don't feel like looking it up this second) to Riga the 1st week of the war, grabbed the bridges across the river, and dug in and waited for supply. In the Crimea, his forces were outnumbered 3:1 and he rolled the Soviets back and secured the entire area. He almost reversed the situation from Stalingrad by counter-attacking, and almost trapped the whole Soviet Souther Army on the Sea of Azov. He was brilliant. Zhukov, he never lost to the Germans. He was responsible for the defense of Leningrad, the Winter Offensive of '41, and the encirclement of Stalingrad, and took Berlin. I have no good texts for this man, but he understood warfare at the time like very few.

This has changed in V1.02 I do believe. Now plunder is not based on the number of surviving units, so as Axis I attack every Frenchy Frog that is on the map. Remember, every extra casualty you cause early to the Germany may mean him not buying that extra aircraft that turn, maybe delaying it for the assault on Russia.

Well, you would have to make one of the major powers into a minor, and move the country into that spot, which means you would be in the war on one side or the other. I would probably exchange Italy and Spain, but that would be a major upgrade, as Spaniards don't run away at the drop of a hat. Italian troops as a minor power would be an upgrade too, they could be real lackeys to Germany then.

Getting there, been kinda busy, so I hope to have something done by Friday.

I am really liking the discussion of the minutae of Baltic Fleets. It really makes a difference to the Finns though! I have nothing to add to the naval discussion that hasn't been said. I have been playing around with V1.03 vs. the prototype V1.04. I have to admit I like the Soviets having all those tanks in 1.03. What I am playing with is adding 2 movement and 1 to all attack and defense of the Panzer Korps. At the highest level,the panzers have more staying power and maneuverabilty, making them the glue that holds the German Army together. I am also attempting to script all the initial Soviet Tank forces so they exist and can't be rebuilt or upgraded.It would be great if I could get it show those tanks couldn't be reinforced too. That would be nice and fragile.

I am playing Blashy's latest mod now, and Army attacks are dropped to 2, and Corps are dropped to 1. I am leaning on keeping Armies at 3 and dropping Corps to 1, and leave the prices the same. You get more firepower for less movement, which is a pretty good trade. This would make corps more of a defense/occupation unit. Combine this change with only being able to put 1 chit in IW/AT at a time, and it becomes very playable.

This.....this sound like what Canada would do with MPPs.

Major powers differ from minors, they don't have the same problems as minors. And no, I do know all the problems about convoys, minor MPPs, etc. But I want to really want to know is: What is Canada doing with all those MPPs in SC2? Builing a new summer getaway for Queen Victoria? Saving up to buy Alaska from the USA? etc.,etc.,etc.

Red Ball Express: It worked well out as far as about Paris. When fall rolled around, roads became mired, the truck used for shipping supplies were breaking down at an alarming rate (being used 24/7), and they eventually were using most of the fuel for the trucks of Red Ball instead of at the front. This made for the decision to try Operation Market-Garden, and taking Antwerp was a necessity for operation into Germany.

Sorry, not at home, and using someone else's computer, otherwise I would ICQ this to you. I was paying attention to the scripts in Egypt and noticing how units show up and in the British build for Egypt, everything is a negative number, so anything there shows up as a script. Would scripting all the Soviet tank formations on turn 1, placing them all on the map that way, using rockets and renaming it tank divisions, setting it to 0, then have a -13 or whatnot help with all those early formations? I am not sure if this is even an issue in your mind anymore. I think this would give you all that armor, make it non-upgradable and non-rebuildable. Now if we could only solve the rail line part (Operate), this would be in the bag.

....with all those MPPs once Britain is taken down? 1) Wild orgies and trying to invent online porn? 2) Free health care? 3) Building up its home defense? (nah) 4) Founding the Bureau of Firearms, Tobacco, and Alcohol, to insure every Canadian gets their fair share firearms, tobacco, and alcohol? 5) Buying up foreign currency (US dollars) And why does their producion double once US enters the war, so they can talk twice as much about nothing going on? Enquring minds want to know.......