How to target ships in ports

[steelwarrior77]

I can always only attack the port - not the enemy ship...

[Strategiclayabout]

Hi steelwarrior77 ,

 

You probably attack with battleships and cruisers. Those units have a strategic attack value (like carriers, bombers, recon bombers and airships). So if they attack a port they will target first its supply value.

Those units will only be able to attack directly an unit sheltered in the port once supply is down to 0. That said any attack on supply has a small % chance to also deal damage to any unit in the port.

Your best choice to attack units in ports is from land (very effective) or by using submarines (decent naval attack, 0 strategic attack value, high demoralization factor) with sub tech upgrade (increased naval attack).

Otherwise you can reduce port supply to 0 first using bombers (best base strategic attack with 3) or battleships (strategic attack of 2). Airships can help with long range but base strategic attack is only 1 (like cruisers).

Better avoid wasting upgraded battleships and cruisers vs port supply because naval upgrades cost a lot and increase naval attack but not strategic attack.

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Also take a look at ports statistics:

Naval defense: 2

Sub defense: 2

Air defense: 1

(apply to supply points vs strategic attack)

Naval defense bonus: 6

Sub defense bonus: 6

Carrier defense bonus: 1

Soft defense bonus: -1 (vs land units)

(apply to naval units defending in port)

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Naval attack:

Battleship: 4 (7 with upgrade)

Cruiser: 2 (5 with upgrade)

Destroyer: 1 (only antisub upgrade)

Carrier: 1 (only long range upgrade)

Submarine: 3 (+1 per sub tech uograde if I remember well)

Infantry corps: 3

 

Hope it helped .

 

[steelwarrior77]

Yeah - thanks ;-)

[steelwarrior77]

Playing the breakthrough version of the game with the newest patch - how do you do research?

Do you invest in industrial tech and production tech?

How fast do you research artilery techs and infantry tech?

[Strategiclayabout]

It depends on many things including side and strategy but there are some basics:

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COMBAT

Infantry (cost 125):

you can only have 1 chit invested at any time so delaying investment there can hurt you badly

Trench (cost 50):

you can have up to 5 chits at the same time so it's a cheap way to boost your defense very very quickly

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RESSOURCES

Industry (100 or 125):

most countries start with 1 chit already there, you can have up to 3, you need it but it costs a lot early on and reduce your capacity research in other fields

Production (75):

quite cheap but not as powerfull as industry, can wait unless you plan to mass produce units early or have 75MPPs remaining to reach full research capacity

(reduce the cost of producing/reinforcing/upgrading units with each level)

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SUPPORT

Artillery (125):

PRU and AH have lvl 1 at start which is enough to deentrench 1 level by shot, most needed for Entente side (as well as... artillery units )

lvl 2 don't increase denetrench capacity only attack/shelling results vs land units (more demoralization and chances to hit/produces casualties)

Shell prod (100):

each of the 3 levels adds 1 shell per turn to artillery unit increasing your deentrench ability big time BUT only if you already have artillery level 1 !

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Most of the other tech can wait or depend on what/how you play like subs (mostly interesting for Germans especially at 50 MPPs).

Intelligence (100) can be interesting but has no immediate result.

You also have to match your investment to your research max capacity (usually 800 or 1000):

1x125 infantry

3x125 industry

5x50 trench

is already 750 out of 1000 (675 for AH out of 800)

remaining capacity can be used for special fields if you plan to develop "special" weapons early (bombers, subs, tank, whatever)

or gain specific advantage (intelligence/research, production/MPPs, motorization/mobility...)

or answer enemy threat/superiority in any given area (antisub or AA for Entente)

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So you have many possible combos to fit the bill depending on your strategy (more MPPs first, more units, offensive, defensive, land, naval, even air...).

50 or 75 MPPs fields don't look that great but you can invest more chits in them for the same cost and achieve fast results.

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Well trying to optimize research is part of the fun .

Edited December 17, 2014 by Strategiclayabout

[steelwarrior77]

Thanks ;-)

[steelwarrior77]

Hey, how to assign units manually to a HQ? Please click by click ;-)

If I assign a unit at the start of a turn, will it recieve bonusses that turn?

Edited December 18, 2014 by steelwarrior77

[Strategiclayabout]

HQ

Right click on HQ to get scroll menu

Mouse over "Select mode" to get submenu

Left click on "Manual"

(you'll get a M on your HQ as a reminder)

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Unit

Left click any HQ

Right click unit to get scroll menu

Left click on "attach" or "detach" as needed

 

That's it !

[steelwarrior77]

Thanks - works now ;-.)

 

I have a real complain - I have 20% diplomatic pressure on the Bulgarians since 7 turns - but they never moved once - very bad dice roll - other than that the game is really a masterpiece ;-)

[Strategiclayabout]

You're welcome ,

 

Diplomacy can be very random at time with no results for several chits or big hits with only 1.

That said having 50% chance (10 chits) ususally brings more steady/certain results.

The other side having chits on Bulgaria can also negate your efforts.

Bottom line for Bulgaria: capturing Belgrade and advancing in Serbia will help you a lot to "convince" them .

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And I'm not part of SCGC team or anything btu I agree WWI Break offers a lot to players !

[Furchtlosundtrew]

Hi Steelwarrior,

 

there is one of your questions not answered yet:

 

Yes, you get the Bonus by an newly attached HQ that round, you attach it. You can try it by looking at the values (morale and readiness) of the Units before and after attaching. You can even try which HQ is the best for your unit by attaching several HQs. You will see, that sometimes an HQ with a lower Rating but a higher experience causes better results.

 

 

Regarding to your very first question (hitting ships in ports): As I know, there is one possibility to hit them before shelling the port to Zero and with a surface vessel: A surprise contact. Move one of your ships to a port which you didn't Scout before (but where you are nearly shure, that there should be an enemy vessel). If there is a ship in the port, it should result in a surprise contact with fighting and some losses for the enemy too. This can make sense, if the enemy ship is very weak (for example a good part of the austrian ships in the adria is not at full strength). Some (like me) could say, that this tactic is a Little bit gamey, but you can do some damage in this way ;o)

[Strategiclayabout]

Ooops forgot to answer that one, thanks for doing it Furchtlosundtrew .

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Yes HQ bonuses are immediate. Here for a german corps under HQ lvl 5, no HQ, then HQ lvl 7 the same turn:

Readiness

80-68-85

Morale

80-80-80

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About surprise contact/ambush at port I agree it can be annoying but as you don't know the kind of naval unit or its strength/upgrade level.

As Furchtlosundtrew said it can yield big results vs wounded units but if you "find" an upgraded 10 step battleship, it can end very badly.

(unti in port will be able to attack you with very good odds next turn or just reinforce without any delay)

That's why it's usually better to do that with subs (somehow like raiding ports) though you can stumble upon destroyers ^^ .

[steelwarrior77]

Cool - very helpful forum ;-) Have all the SC titles now so more questions will come in - how to swap units?

 

Dice rolls always seem to work against me - I cannot count how many times I should have had 0 losses and still had some ;-( It is tough to build up XP with my units - as replamenents always cost XP - would love to have the option to buy elite relplacements....

Edited December 20, 2014 by steelwarrior77

[Strategiclayabout]

Swap move:

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Left click on one of the two units

Hold down "shift" (keyboard)

Mouse over the second unit (you should see a small black double arrow)

Left click on the second unit and they will swap

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Just remember a swap move will burn all of your units Action Points safe one.

So they will only be able to attack once or move one tile (if terrain/zoc allow 1AP movement) after that.

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Experience:

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The fastest way to gain/keep exp is to kill/finish enemy units. That usually gives between 1/4 and 1/2 star exp.

So don't worry if exp doesn't appear after a kill, it will probably do after two .

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You can actually buy elite steps (double the cost of normal steps) but only for units:

already at 10 steps

at least with 6 supply

not adjacent to enemy units

that still have 1 AP

AND you can only buy 1 elite step per turn (even if you have a 3 stars exp unit) !

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It's very hard to "build" elite units in WWI Break and it's a good thing. As it was the case in the actual war, elite troops were quickly wasted/decimated in major offensives though they often achieved big results.

It's still possible but you have to bet on a small group of units and manage them well (best HQ, supply, odds...).

Unit experience isn't affected if they only lose elite steps in combat. Use them to finish wounded units and retreat/protect them once it's done to avoid counter-attacks.

Elite units can usually deal quite well with the casualties from one combat (especially at 2 stars exp or above) but not multiple ones. Also try to keep them out of enemy artillery range.

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Artillery units are your best bet for elite building because they stay in the back and avoid direct combat, they will stack experience quickly.

HQs can also gain experience quite quickly BUT they can't build elite step.

The best starting unit is UK I infantry corps (BEF) with 2,5 exp stars but only 10 steps (appear by event turn 1). You better keep it safe and take the time to build its elite steps if you play Entente.

(upgrading starting UK HQ to 8 from 4 will also increase its efficiency)

Another unit like that is the canadian corps (later in the game) but only if you let it complete its training in England.

Germany has a lot of 1 star exp units but only 1 (guard) with 11 steps, that can be a good start if you manage it well.

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Bad rolls:

It happens often, the "0" for your side is only a possibility, the best you can achieve. Many things can go wrong during a fight even against any 1 step unit (here come the heroes ).

So no free meal in the trenches however losses with "0" odds are less likely if:

you have a wide margin (0-4 and above)

you attack clear tiles (without entrenchments/ground cover)

you have elite unit vs regular one

you have better stats/HQ

you have prepared attack (not moving before attacking)

you have tech advantage/upgrade

your target is at 0 supply

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Of course actual odds more or less use all of that but most of the time you can't see/know if an enemy HQ support your target and what is its level.

Also remember Cavalry and detachment CAN'T deentrench on their own so it's better to send an infantry corps first to reduce ground cover to 0.

(you can also use artillery of course but shells are precious especially early: better keep them for main objectives/fortifications-trenches)

(rec bombers can help but you need ground attack lvl 1 to have them able to deentrench)

 

Hope it wasn't too hard to read .

Edited December 20, 2014 by Strategiclayabout

[steelwarrior77]

No - was great - thanks ;-)

[xwormwood]

Hi steelwarrio77.

 

You might want to take a look into this thread, where you will find some nice information for new players.

[steelwarrior77]

Thanks - some feedback from me for the breakthrough version and new patch - researching technologies and diplomacy ist too random - sometimes 20 turns with 35% on diplomacy does not do anything - same with 5 chits invested in for example trench warfare nothing for 10 turns...would be cool to pay more for research and diplomacy and have a higher possibility of actually getting the results wanted...

Like this diplomacy and rearch in some areas never produce results - which is kinda sad - usually the tech tree is only researched  50- 75% by the end of the game...is there an easy way to mod things?

Everything else seems well balanced and fun...

Except - does the US ever enter war without unrestricted sub warfare or diplomacy? IMO they should any way middle to late 1917...

Edited December 30, 2014 by steelwarrior77

[Bill101]

Hi steelwarrior77

 

With your trench warfare research, if you hover your mouse over the research category it should show you what % your research has attained. This should rise every turn, so you can keep an eye on it and if you research Intelligence too then you'll start to see breakthroughs in your research more often. The first part of the game (i.e. 1914 to spring 1915) generally has less of these than later on.

 

The USA is a tricky one, because historically it was only actions by the Central Powers that brought it into the war, and it would be rather frustrating for Central Powers' players if the USA were to enter the war in 1917 regardless of their actions. So for this reason it is largely up to the German High Command whether or not the USA remains neutral.

 

Bill

[steelwarrior77]

Thanks for the feedback ;-D

If it comes to U.S. - thats true - just around 1917 I always get so strong with CPs that a war entry of the U.S would be the only way to provide a challenge - maybe when Russia is knocked out U.S. enters - just for the challenge as an option to be turned on or off? ;-D

 

OK - thanks for the hint with rearch just saw it - as historically research was done in all these areas completly by 1918 and I always had max research with German Empire, British Empire and France and still lack 1/3 - to 50% of research in 1918 - maybe higher % would be possible - so everything could be researched and upgraded which takes extra MPP and time by 1918?

 

Could diplomacy be balanced (higher chance to be succesful with higher costs to it) cause like this, it is mostly a waste...

Edited December 30, 2014 by steelwarrior77

[Strategiclayabout]

Actually I find the game very well balanced as it is, both sides more or less have the same overall power but with different weaknesses/advantages.

Have you tried the "expert" and "+2 exp stars" settings (max difficulty) vs AI ? It makes things a bit more... interesting .

USA
Arn't what you think: they give one marine infantry and 17 naval units when mobilizing.
They suck out 500 MPPs (50x10 turns) from both FRA & UK to reinforce their land army.
Main effect of their entry is a NM one with hits on several countries:
FRA = +6% base NM
ITA = +10% base NM
GER = -5% base NM
When the game depends on a NM finish between FRA-GER it's just HUGE !
They also give 5 more diplo chits to EN covering the usual loss of Russia.
MPPs help a bit too but arn't at WWII levels (around 240).

RESEARCH
Not designed to get full levels in all fields, you have choices to make.
Infantry 2 for Germans more or less happened at the end of 1917 at best.
Same thing for planes with Germans only scratching max levels late in the war and staying behind in tanks.

DIPLOMACY
Any investment below 50% (10 chits) in diplomacy can give very random results and don't forget the other side can invest on the same country as you.
You can't "diplo" all Europe with balanced chits (14 vs 14) it's more like a MPPs war and rolling the dice to see if you're lucky.
The best way to use diplomacy is to stack MPPs and pour all chits on one country in one turn giving you the advantage over several turns.
(even better if the other side already has some chits invested somewhere else)
You can also wait to see where enemy chits are used and try to counter them (not easy) or target another country.
There is also mind game side where you can try to scare your foes with the threat of opening another front.
Or you can spread some chits over the map to confuse your opponent and/or see if you get a lucky result somewhere.
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Many neutrals have strings/events attached to them regarding NM, units or whatever.
You have to decide if you target NM gains or more down to earth ones (land, units...).
Think targeting Norway/Holland/Sweden as EN can hurt Germany a lot NM and MPPs wise.
Going for Switzerland or Romania can yield interesting results too as CP.
Even Italy can be considered depending on what Austria do with Trieste.
USA are the big prize but will cost a lot.
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CP = 14 (9 actual chits at start)
(GER has 2 on OE at start and OE is out)
GER = 7
AUS = 4
OE   = 3
*
EN = 14 (12 actual chits at start)
(ITA out while UK has 1 on Portugal and Russia 1 on Albania)
UK = 5
FR = 5
RU = 4
ITA = 3
(USA = 5)
So the best shot at diplomacy for CP is just at start (more MPPs) or between OE and Italy entries.
(and of course after a russian and /or italian collapse giving a 4 chits advantage)

 

EDIT: forgot to say you can see how many MPPs other countries have invested in diplomacy

(stats screen MPPs diplomacy)

Edited December 31, 2014 by Strategiclayabout

[steelwarrior77]

Cool - still do not like luck so much ;-D

Played with intermediate both sides - Entente was very easy - victory middle of 1916 by destroying Germanies NM and CP victory middle of 1917.- destroyed Russias and Frances NM

in the Stormover Europe scenario - capture Warsaw quickly or destroy all units for XP? Attack Denmark or wait for an event?

[Bill101]

Thanks for the feedback ;-D

If it comes to U.S. - thats true - just around 1917 I always get so strong with CPs that a war entry of the U.S would be the only way to provide a challenge - maybe when Russia is knocked out U.S. enters - just for the challenge as an option to be turned on or off? ;-D

 

 

US mobilization does speed up a little once Russia is out of the war, thus increasing her exports to the UK irrespective of whether or not she eventually enters the war.

 

As to an option to bring the USA into the war once Russia is knocked out, there is of course already a way you can do this, by simply declaring war on the USA. Mind you, I'm not sure that I would advise doing so in a multiplayer game!

[xwormwood]

Russia out of war - this reminds me of my last game against the Entente AI (Breakthrough- 1914  call to arms).

Even though Russia had already signed the treaty of Brest-Litowsk, Romania declared war on the CP. And during the very same turn Romania sued for peace, without any shot fired.

Not sure if there will ever be another patch, but if you plan to do one, maybe you could at least let the Romanians have some turns of war before they surrender.

Else this makes no sense at all.

Edited December 31, 2014 by xwormwood

[Strategiclayabout]

@ xwormwood

 

Actually those smart bast**** dowed CP just to be recorded as being on the "nice guys" side without spilling any blood, clever move .

[steelwarrior77]

Yeah - tricky - as one the first commands of the Romanian Army was, that only officers are allowed to use make up ;-D

Thanks for answers and feedback - as usual ;-D

 

In Storm over Europe - make Poland surrender ASAP or destroy all units for XP? Attack Denmark ASAP or wait for the event? What do you guys think?

Edited December 31, 2014 by steelwarrior77