Will95

Magically fixed itself. However this did happen a few times and it's happened in the past too with no rhyme or reason to it.

So for the last 3 turns of my CtA 1914 game, my tech progress hasn't displayed. It just doesn't show up when I mouse hover over it. Nothing hardware or software has changed in my PC. What gives?

Turn 19 Well the stalemate on the Eastern Front sure didn't last long. German forces blew apart my carefully laid defenses at Warsaw like wet tissue paper. Damned artillery, ruining my fun. The Russians were deeply saddened at the city's loss and the defenders that remain retreat. The central front prays for snow! Down in the south, we began to upgrade Russian forces ahead of a hail mary attack to occur at some point just shy of winter, or in 1916. We now have the technology to upgrade our cannons, so taking the fortress of Przmystl is definitely viable. In Italy, upgraded weapons have now reached almost all Entente forces. Even with Serbia crushed, I see no sign of a significant build up of Austrian forces, and if all goes to plan, I will make an assault on Trieste next turn. The upgraded Italians ought to give Ash decent cause for concern when he sees them. In the western front, high command is growing concerned. I have no doubt in my mind that Ash is well aware of my plans to make a central thrust at this point, and I'm going to be facing two lines of strong upgraded and well dug in troops. I have artillery superiority, but any attack I make will be seriously bloody for the Entente, especially as the damned Frenchies just dont want to get in high spirits. They haven't fired a shot so far in this war and yet they remain on low morale and readiness- WHY?! At any rate, I now have two choices- make an attack before the year is over and just bear the brunt of the force. This will be good as it will relieve some of the pressure on Russia, but it will no doubt lead to countless losses. The alternative is to wait until snow arrives, then advance with the bad weather where we can't take any serious casualties. This will be more efficient, but could mean that Russia continues to take a hammering with no pressure being relieved and ultimately mean having to fall back from the very favourable position against the Austrians. Choices, choices... Oh, and one last thing. The British have been up to mischief again...

Turn 18 The Eastern Front was static this turn- a rare occurence. Very little movement. However I now have my sights set on the town of Stanislaw. It's isolated and the troops guarding it are low on morale- easy prey. So almost exactly a year after the war began, Serbia fell under a combined German-Austrian-Bulgarian offensive. They took many soldiers with them, but it's a regrettable loss at any rate. The remenants of the army retreats into the mountains. In the Middle East, we rested. Progress is frustratingly slow without upgraded artillery. And finally, a look at the build up for the Metz offensive. France, at long last, can now upgrade their artillery too.

stuff and things

Turn 17 The fighting in the north of Russia is slow as usual. And our worst fears that the Germans had reached a new level of infantry warfare was realised. Not all troops have been issued new weaponry but this is nevertheless a huge blow for the Russians, who still languish with inferior weapons. Warsaw was shored up with additional reinforcements. No other activity to report. The southern fighting against the Austrians remains the most promising front- we lost yet another corps, and once again destroyed one of theirs. However this time, we managed to go one further- we broke through their lines and destroyed a 20% strength cavalry unit which was resting. We now have a straight shot against the Austrian HQ. For now I am ignoring the other fortress, as trying to take it without upgraded artillery is suicide. However, by whittling down the support surrounding the fortress, I believe things are slowly tipping my way... Of course this might all change when Serbia collapses, which will happen surely next turn. We evacuated the last HQ's and a single corps while the remainder were ordered to stand and fight. In Italy things are looking positive; we took quite a beating to get it, but Gorz finally fell. Next stop, Trieste! The Middle East saw action for the first time in a while. The entrenched and upgraded Ottomans are tough to crack, but ultimately we lost just 7 units of strength to destroy 6 of theirs- not a bad trade off in an assault. A cavalry unit which wasn't doing much was sent to Gaza, where it will continue to capture towns. The Force D detachment has been making good ground there but I'm afraid to advance too far lest I be outflanked and lose Gaza. This turn Russia got a lucky break on entrenchment tech (level 3) which will be an enormous help against the approaching upgraded Prussian forces. The French also finally reached a new level in infantry weapons, so in 2 turns time, the Western front will become a hotbed of action. I'm sure that Ash has noticed my build up there by now but hopefully it shouldn't matter, as he's now so invested in the East that to react to my build up would remove his current tech advantage against the Russians.

Good tip! I'm still learning this scenario's quirks. It might be too late to save my Serbian friends, sadly But I may be able to retain a couple of corps and the HQs. As an aside, I don't suppose Serbian HQ's are good for anything but commanding Serbian troops?

Turn 26 An unusual lull in the battles across Europe. The Kaiser's forces shrink away from the front lines like the metaphorical turtle they represent, but it does make me wonder what Ash is planning. In the north of Russia, the retaking of Vilna (at long last, although the people there were hardly oppressed- some say they threw fruit at the single invading corps) has freed up a frightening amount of Russian force which I can now hurl at the German northern front. Further south at Warsaw, much of the German forces have move back away from the front line. Is this a sign of an impending weapons upgrade? I hope not... However, a silver lining- scouting cavalry revealed an empty Krakow! The city the Tsar spent so many men in vain trying to take has been left completely abandoned! Naturally we took it. Down in the south facing the Austrian mountains, things slowed down as artillery was moved into Lemberg to start pounding the enemy. I must say though, our forces here have definitely been whittled down. It may be hard to make proper ground without upgraded artillery to de-entrench. Good luck my Serbian friends. I decided to turn the screws up on Austria using the Italian army as I was disappointed with Ash's passivity. Taking just a single city might play with his mind enough to bring forces away from the Russian front, or prevent the Russians being blitzed when the Serbian front gets freed up. In the west, we continue the build up for a massive all-out offensive on Metz and Luxembourg. I recieved an interesting event this turn- a chance to support the Greeks to join the Entente. I accepted- it will provide a nice jumping off point if I decide to press my 'Gallipolli' landing. I haven't reported on the Adriatic in a while, but there hasn't been much to say, besides the general mopping up of the Austrian navy. Battleships are carved up and Entente NM soars. Glory to the righteous Triple Alliance! Also, Holland slid a little further our way this turn.

Turn 15 The eyes of the world continue to watch the eastern front where the world's largest armies bloody themselves against each other. In the north, our new reinforcements provided enough of a scare to the Germans to force them to back off. I could have pursued them out of their trenches, but I'd rather deal with the pesky corps that sneaked past my lines and into Vilna. Further south we lost the fortress at Warsaw. This is a blow, but an inevitable one. With such force being presented the Russians cannot expected to hold everywhere. However, with the river between the Russian and German lines, and recent advances in Russian entrenchment technology (level 20, I believe this significant NM capital will present a tough nut for the Germans to crack. In the south, we lost a corps; and promptly destroyed one right back. The miles of open land surrounding Lemberg must be positively littered with corpses by now. In Serbia a detachment guarding the road leading to the capital was destroyed- the last speedbump preventing the Austrians from having direct access to the mountain city. Serbia has but weeks to live. Success in the Adriatic against the Austrian fleet has made the Italian troops uncharacteristically buoyant (102 NM). However, this doesn't change the simple fact that the Italian army doesn't really have the composition to mount serious offensives. I intend to fight a purely defensive war with the Italians and am investing heavily in trench warfare to facilitate this. (no pic as I'm only allowed 5 per post...lame!) And finally...

Turn 14 Missed turn 13, sorry! However the front's haven't shifted drastically, but that doesn't mean we've been devoid of excitement. On the Western front, the window for proper Belgian gains has now been lost, I believe. We inflicted good damage but now the Germans are getting seriously dug in, and airship scouts show a two-deep line of strong troops. Without upgraded artillery, shifting them will be an exersize in futility. However, that leaves me with quite a lot of firepower with nowhere to go, so it has been decided to send the Belgian and British combined Expeditionary Force consisting of 6 corps, 2 artillery pieces and 2 HQs, together with assorted French forces, to attack Metz, where I believe the line is weaker. Hopefully Ash expects me to continue pressing in Belgium so I may need to attempt some kind of offensive action there to keep up the facade. In the North of Russia, recent reinforcements to the area have facilitated an attack on the German forces here. Taking no losses, we almost destroyed a pesky German cavalry unit. Around Warsaw there continues to be heavy fighting, including an assualt on the fortress. The cavalry inside are ill-suited to defensive purposes and have since been replaced. This area is in bad need of reinforcements to protect Warsaw, but at least we have the artillery. In the south, the Austrians tried to counter-attack. They will soon learn that attacking their superior enemy is futile; we destroyed another corps. In Serbia, well, things are not looking good. With the Bulgarians entering the fray I don't think the poor Serbs have much more fight left in them, but their heavily entrenched position in the mountains will at least force the enemy to bloody their noses somewhat. At the end of the turn we got several good diplomatic breaks- crucially, Holland is no longer trading with the Germans. We expect their NM to fall appropriately. In addition, the Portuguese came over to the British side of thinking. Italy also gained a level in trench warfare.

Turn 12 A short pause now, while the offensive is brought to strength before striking again. In France a tit-for-tat exchange saw us losing 2 corps, and hitting back to destroy one of theirs in retaliation. It seems a large German force has been mustered to hold Belgium so there will be some bloody months ahead, however I am hopefuly that as Kitchener's Army forms, we will have the strength to push them back. My sights are set primarily on the fortress at Antwerp- a solid British or French unit in there will become a significant roadblock to the rest of France if it can be taken. In Russia the Germans are attempting to outflank Warsaw. They destroyed a weak corps on our flank, so we destroyed one of theirs. At Lemberg there was little activity besides the re-forming of all the damaged units after the assault. With the Austrians at entrenchment level 3, taking further ground against them may be difficult, so I now have to decide whether to press further on Przemysl or switch my force entirely to fight the Germans. If I keep pressure on the Austrians, it will make the Italian's job easier. If I put the screws on the Prussians, it will make the British-French attack easier. Hmm... On the Ottoman front, the first shots were finally fired. A forward Turk corps attempted to attack a dug-in detatchment to little effect. We fired back and brought it to extremely low strength (10%) while taking no serious losses. A new Corps arrived to the front this turn, and will soon be joined by an additional corps and another HQ. France reached a new level in shell technology, which will be a great aid in blowing Belgium to bits.

Turn 11 The Central Powers first move was to feebly attempt to stall the Belgian offensive. Although they succeeded in roughly bludgeoning my 12 strength British army down to 50% strength (although now with 3 pips of veterancy), follow-up attacks supported by the Royal Navy, airships from Britain, artillery, and a strong offensive from combined British-French-Belgian troops resulted in the front line of Prussians being smashed apart. One corps was destroyed and another brought to within a whisper of destruction. The rearguard troops are low on strength, and we even managed to strike the HQ in the rear. In Russia, Lemberg finally fell. Many Russian bodies line the 100 yard dash to the parapets of the fortress- a regrettable but necessary sacrifice. As a result, the Romanians have shifted to our favour, Austrian NM fell by 4 percentage points, and the Italians were tipped over the edge; they now fight for the righteous Entente. A plan has been cooking all the way back since 1914 in the Mediterranean. It has taken some time to get all the necessaries prepared, but finally Operation Sea Wolf was put into action- the wholesale destruction of the Austrian navy. Combining an Anglo-French naval force consisting of subs, battleships and cruisers, the Austrian navy was hit hard, sinking a destroyer and a cruiser. With the Italian navy now in the war and access to their naval facilities, we should be able to continue to press and wipe out the remaining naval units, which appear to be weak. In Serbia, an Austrian corps was hit, and the Serbs were ordered into another retreat. There is still a reasonable force available to protect Uskub, and as the city itself lies in the mountains, it will make for a particularly tricky assault. I don't think Serbia can hold out forever, but I would like to try and hold on until the fall of 1915. That will have given me the entire summer to wage war freely with no less than 7 austrian corps and a german artillery piece distracted. I mentioned last time about potential plans to send British support Serbia. This idea has now been called off, as urgent matters call from the south-east. The Ottomans are advancing quickly and in alarming strength. Fortunately, for several turns already I have had much of the recently deployed Britain-based army loaded onto transports and sent to this region for precisely this eventuality. The first unit, a cavalry corps, arrived this turn, and will shortly be joined by 2 additional corps and another HQ. The artillery is taking forever to reach the front but that will be a great help when it arrives too.

I don't think the Italians are gonna be up to much sadly I don't know what the impact is of saying 'No' to the event which asks if the British want to 'help' them enter the war, but I declined it simply because otherwise I'd have virtually no British income. As for the Serbs, what would be the impact of them being wiped out? Is it a significant boost to NM for the CP? If it's bad enough I might send some British support, as they aren't needed in France.

lol ^^ I'd watch out for a sharp turn northwards from Stavka now that they're past the marshes though, the north front is starting to stick out a bit Other than that I don't think it's really a bad thing to be losing more MPPs at this stage than him, is it? I'm not familiar with bagration but one would think that you'd be kinda expected to

Turn 10 The French Marines sent to seize Ypres were predictably wiped out- however it provided useful recon on the German defenses in the area. Or rather, lack thereof. The Germans here are weak and low on morale. A naval bombardment and support from a nearby aircraft carrier brought the coastal corps to 50% strength, and the others aren't looking much better. The British and Belgians advanced, supported with French artillery and backed by legions of French troops. If I can retake the area around Bruges, it will be a major blow to the German navy, who will lose their most forward naval base. Other than that I'm not sure what my objective here is, honestly. Taking Brussels with the Brits would be a major win, as they suffer from a chronic lack of MPPs. It could also open up a potential route into Amsterdam, but this will no doubt have serious consequences on Entente-US relations. In Russia we chased a corps down to a sliver of strength and moved Russian guns into range of Lemberg. With the besieging corps now at full strength, weather permitting and Austrian counter-attacks notwithstanding, next turn will see the first proper assault on Lemberg with full artillery backing. Further north at the gates of Warsaw an advancing German corps was destroyed, but I fear serious counter-attacks to follow. In Serbia we continue to mount a cautious defense, retreating one corps to try and get the breathing room required to squeeze out an elite step. Once the enemy reaches the mountains it will be particularly difficult to mount good attacks, but nevertheless Serbia remains isolated. This turn the British reached infantry level 1. This will be a major factor in pushing our offensives in the middle east and Belgium.

Turn 9 The snow lifts a little allowing for some offensive action in the east. The Austrians drove back a Russian corps (not destroying it though), so we retaliated by destroying one of theirs. More reinforcements are brought up to continue to siege on Lemberg and at long last, the big guns have arrive. Lemberg is to be crushed. The German advance at Warsaw has stalled for now. In Serbia the snow hindered an attack on the capital but destroyed any entrenchments those defenders might have had. It will almost certainly fall next turn, but we were able to get our end in too, driving back an Austrian corps almost to destruction. In Belgium more troops were brought to the front, and with no other use for them (as the advance on Paris appears to have been all but called off by the Central Powers), a French marines unit was sent to break the deadlock and take Ypres. The German troops here are well dug in, but in low spirits. With French artillery now available to us, can the Entente reclaim Belgium?! The Ottoman front is now opening up too. No shots fired as yet but the sides are squaring each other up; the small, but highly professional British army, and the numerous, but poorly trained Turkish horde. With so few French losses to speak of, the French industry has plenty of spare MPP floating about. This turn we invested heavily in research in industry, intelligence and trench warfare. The Russians gained a level in production technology- a hit well received so early on.

Turn 8 Well we finally reach the end of the year. No Christmas football in this version of history though; rather than no-mans land being 20 yards apart, it is now 20 miles. Ypres is a ghost town. Southern Germany was similarly stagnant, although we landed a few lucky hits on the Lemberg fotress and kept the defenders low on morale and entrenchment. This turn we also kept behind enough MPPs to invest in infantry warfare. The only real action occurred in Serbia, where the righteous defenders struck back at the Austrians, bringing a corps very low on strength while suffering almost no casualties ourselves.

All in all, exciting stuff!

Turn 7 1914 is drawing to a close, ushering in snow, hard ground and stalemate. Fortunately a convening of the Entente reveals predominantly positive news. On the eastern front, the northern German thrust has been stalled at just shy of the Russian-German border. More damage was dealt to one of the advanced German corps, although we did take a loss this turn as well. In the south, the siege of Krakow has been abandoned, the trenches left empty. It is simply no longer viable with the pressure being mounted by the Germans to the immediate north. Relieving the siege works frees up a lot of troops though, and allowed us to make another foray into the open and take down another German corps with minimal losses. Along the Austrian fort line, not wanting to allow winter to give the Austrians the breathing room they so sorely need, an all out assault was launched on the fortress at Lemberg. The defenders put up a good fight and were not driven out, but were badly weakened and their defenses destroyed. With hard snow arriving at the end of this turn, taking the fortress next turn may not be possible- however counter-attacks from the Austrians will also be neutered and reducing the entrenchment level on the fortress will be easy to do without taking losses. In Serbia, the Austrians and German artillery advance. A bad situation but one that cannot be relieved except with further constant pressure on Lemberg. On the Western front, the Germans seem to have finally packed it in! They did not advance, and neither did we, so Ypres remains a no-mans land for another turn. The lines along the Belgian border are quite deep now, and making any kind of territorial gains here is going to be hard going for either side. However, it's fantastic news for the French. In other good news, the Norwegians have decided to cease trading with the Germans. With one of their main trading partners gone, NM sunk. The blockade remains a major factor too. Russians gained trench level 1 and industrial level 1, while the French gained trench level 1. A new front will soon open up in the Middle East, but there is little to report so far. I have another project in the works which may reap major rewards but I'm not ready to show my hand completely just yet...

Now that you've got some decent distance between you and the Russian lines it's looking pretty promising, not to mention that he seems to have stalled in Romania...

Turn 6 Bloody fighting on the western front saw a British corps go down defending Ypres, but we strike back immediately, leaving Ypres abandoned, and no doubt razed to the ground. What is very pleasing though, is that as 1914 draws to a close, not one meter of French land has yet been given to the Hun. Excellent. In the east, trainloads of Russian reinforcements have brought the north German offensive to a sudden halt, and destroyed a corps. Further south Lodz was lost, making this the most serious threat to Russian territory. Down at Lemberg the siege continues and reserve units prepare themselves for an all out assault to commence shortly, once the defenders are appropriately weak. Another strike at the Austrian HQ ensures that nearby units are kept in low morale, and low supply. Down in Serbia another corps was lost, so we are retreating into the mountains, where Austrian progress ought to slow sufficiently. At sea, the German navy has done a real number on the poor Russians. They just aren't as seaworthy as their European aggressors. However for many months now the British Royal Navy has been enacting a strong blockade on Germany, reducing NM considerably. In diplomatic news, it seems the Norwegians have been persuaded ever so slightly to our way of thinking....

Turn 5 The Austrian front is looking very promising right now. No major attacks this time- instead the Russians advance, and a corps lands a lucky strike at the Austrian HQ. The fortress at Lemberg is now under siege as planned. Glory to the Tsar! Further north, a German army is approaching Lodz while the siege remains at Krakow. Two corps have been force marched to defend Lodz. Down south in Serbia German artillery is threatening in the front. Rather than allow themselves to be pushed over, the two main defending corps launch counter-attacks at the Austrians, bringing one of them down to 40% strength, before retreating further into the mountains. Across the European theater in Belgium, battles continue to rage. Two French corps were destroyed as revenge for last turn's attacks, and now the Entente brings the fight to the Germans once again, shattering two corps but not destroying them. What is most promising is that as the Western lines thicken and the lines become gradually more stagnant, the Germans still have yet to cross the French border, or even conquer Ypres.

I never invest in infrastructure, hell, I don't actually know what it does, just that other stuff is more important. Production is as useful as industrial in my humble opinion, particularly if you're playing the allies and need to mass produce units. Having just a couple of levels in Russian production will save you a lot of MPPs in the long run. As Allies, the US normally have such a high research cap that intelligence is quite worthwhile. It can really slow down German teching and give the Russians a leg up.

Turn 4 Things are beginning to really get heated now. Massive fights across the European theater, let's get to it. In Russia, the Austrians are reeling, and trying to reinforce. Another brutal offensive by the Russians led to casualties, but also the destruction of another enemy corps. A siege on the fortress at Lemberg may be only weeks away! However, the Tsar was informed of a significant German force approaching from the north, likely trying to relieve the immense pressure on their allies. Down in Serbia, the capital was lost and the Austrians advanced, no offensive actions. The west saw a ton of action. The Belgians began the counter-attack by damaging two enemy corps. French forces followed up en masse to destroy two elite German corps. However, several corps were left at 70% strength on the front line, so heavy losses are expected next turn. Fortunately, the British have now started to arrive to fill the gaps.

I seem to have a habit of doing that Don't worry, that Serbian pic was quite dull anyway.