WaW - First game -

[Minty]

Wow, so I just finished my first full game vs the AI. I was Axis and played on expert expecting to kick the AI as per normal.

Right? wrong, It was giving me a real game. Ok I won with a full Axis victory in early 44 but the AI hasn't challenged me like that since early days when I was new playing SC1.

Here's some things the AI did

Pull back from the Maginot line to protect paris, thus holding France until end of Spring 40.

Pull units back from Barby front line although it stills lets itself get cut off too easily.

Launch a winter counter offensive in the south against romania, forcing me to regroup to protect the oil.

INVADE FINLAND! it did a really good job of this, so much so I had to send some Germans to Helsinski or it would have fallen.

I knocked the british our of the war by 42 so I naver got a chance to see how it would handle a D Day. As per old AI it has a tendency to just keep building yanks though but it did snedn them across eventually. however after the first 3 flotillas of amphibs got sunk by U boats in the atlantic you would have thought it would try something else like North afrcia or scandinavia. It just kept sending amphibs to Manchester to try to reactivate britain though.

However the USSR AI is pretty smart now though.

Now it's time for some Human players!!

My thoughts on WaW is that upgrading minors gives the Axis a big advantage. it can now use bulgarians, romanians, finnish troops.even spanish tiger tanks! that and that they will be fighting aginst IF weapons 2 max means they can be very tough as rear guard, garrison or even front line support troops. The 3 free corps from invading normay ensure that A) axis will take norway or allies will try and stop them. makes it more interesting i suppose.

Is it a bug that the Spain tank can't attack twice though? or hubert's comment on the quality of spanish tank crews.

That said fighting deep in russia is now really hard for the axis. the supply lines seems to work differently, need another game to work this out but it seems that it's tough to get some of the soviet cities over supply 3!! that really makes it tough for the axis forces. Also i think turkey will be a much more attractive route for Axis as it caucasus easy to cut off from rest of USSR and will have high supply deep under russia.

Not being able to operate through parts of Middle east or libya changes little so far.

Tactical bombers are devastating when they have some Exp and antitank 2 or 3. use your fighters as tactical bombers on the target first, they will do morale damage and take on the enemy' interceptors. then when the intreceptors are used up the tactical bombers make mincemeat of the enemy. mine were taking 4,5 even 6 points off enemy troops for no damage by 43 when supported by HQs in high supply. That and the special focres and double tank attack mean that there is no way a single point can hold up a determined offensive with the right troops.

Germany and italy having strategc bombers is a real advantage. Plus subs are cheap and effective. Overall I think the pendulum has swung slightly in Axis favour apart from the Soviet supply problems.

Cheers and well done Hubert and the Playtesters for improving the AI so much, it was really fun to play against it.

[Bill101]

Originally posted by Minty:

Is it a bug that the Spain tank can't attack twice though? or hubert's comment on the quality of spanish tank crews.

It's no bug, some countries had the doctrine and ability to carry out Blitzkrieg style armoured offensives, while others (including the French you'll notice) didn't. This is the best way of showing the doctrinal differences, though 1 strike tanks remain pretty good on the defensive, so they are far from useless.