Matrix Games Forums

 Forums  Register  Login  Photo Gallery  Member List  Search  Calendars  FAQ 

My Profile  Inbox  Address Book  My Subscription  My Forums  Log Out

RE: Gamey Tactics which Drive Me Wild

 
View related threads: (in this forum | in all forums)

Logged in as: Guest
Users viewing this topic: none
  Printable Version
All Forums >> [New Releases from Matrix Games] >> Gary Grigsby's War in the East Series >> RE: Gamey Tactics which Drive Me Wild Page: <<   < prev  1 [2] 3 4 5   next >   >>
Login
Message << Older Topic   Newer Topic >>
RE: Gamey Tactics which Drive Me Wild - 7/5/2011 6:09:51 PM   
Ketza


Posts: 2227
Joined: 1/14/2007
From: Columbia, Maryland
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Klydon

quote:

ORIGINAL: Marquo

3. The opening Lvov and Riga gambits reduce the opening moves of WITE to a boring predictable game of chess; what is needed is to take measures to disable Riga's port function to historical levels, and as for Lvov - setup the Soviets in a historical manner or inject an element of unpredictability somehow; let the Axis recreate the Uman pocket if they can. We all know that the South was a bitch for the Axis, and if Guderian did not turn south from taking Moscow, who knows what would have happened - and this is a great choice for players to have to make.



Sorry to disagree, but..

Every game has a start where one side starts moving and the other side can do nothing in the IGUGO method. Been that way since the dawn of gaming history. With that, strategy, tactics and discussions always take place on what to do with the "opening". That is true for this game at the start of any scenario/campaign.

You can make all the changes you want to make things more "realistic", but just imposing a new set of conditions means the same exercise will take place.

Particularly in the south, all most German players are doing is send Guderian south faster than what historically took place. Most Germans may agree this is a good strategy, but there are disagreements over the fine details and that is where some variation is.

You probably hate all the Germans going for Leningrad constantly in almost every 1941 campaign. Where is the screaming about that? The fact is the game does not give enough tangible options to Axis attackers to change up their game plan that much. Freeing up the Finns is absolutely huge for the Germans. They have no other task that accomplish so much. In short there are few choices for the Axis to choose from and this is why you are seeing openings that are very close to the same. Offer more tangible reasons to go south or knock out Moscow and you will see some differences. Perhaps not on turn 1, but shortly after that.




I have to agree with Klydon. As the Axis you have very limited strategic options that actually make an impact on the long term aspects of the game.

I know the designers of the game want it this way to keep things as historical as possible but it is starting to make for some " do this then do that" kind of games.

Every once in awhile a new thing comes along such as Peltons game vrs TDV (Sp) but things are getting pretty much etched in stone.


(in reply to Klydon)
Post #: 31
RE: Gamey Tactics which Drive Me Wild - 7/5/2011 6:21:20 PM   
marty_01

 

Posts: 288
Joined: 2/10/2011
Status: offline 		The Soviet Black Sea Amphib rules are currently pretty silly. I'm playing the Russians in two PBEMs. I love being able to dump a corps into the Germans rear area at the drop of a hat -- every turn. But I reckon my opponent is getting pretty sick of having his right flank turned by sea movement. Twer me at really curb this capability to reflect the actual planning, loading and logistical nightmare associated with amphibious attacks.

Also agree with the turn 1 sea lift a corps of infantry to Riga gambit. Yes Ive used in one of my PBEM games as the germans but as with the above the planning loading and logistical challenges associated with big sea lifts are very poorly modeled in WiTE.


(in reply to Ketza)
Post #: 32
RE: Gamey Tactics which Drive Me Wild - 7/5/2011 8:36:23 PM   
ETF


Posts: 1748
Joined: 9/16/2004
From: Vancouver, Canada
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Flaviusx

The STAVKA business with SUs drives me crazy as well, for whatever it is worth. I think SU transfers from HQ to HQ should be free, period.




Newbie question
Ok how does the Stavka exploit actually work?


_____________________________

My Top Matrix Games 1) CMO MP?? 2) WITP/AE 3) SOW 4) Combat Mission 5) Armor Brigade

Twitter
https://twitter.com/TacticWargamer

(in reply to Flaviusx)
Post #: 33
RE: Gamey Tactics which Drive Me Wild - 7/5/2011 9:41:38 PM   
mmarquo


Posts: 1376
Joined: 9/26/2000
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Klydon

You probably hate all the Germans going for Leningrad constantly in almost every 1941 campaign. Where is the screaming about that? The fact is the game does not give enough tangible options to Axis attackers to change up their game plan that much. Freeing up the Finns is absolutely huge for the Germans. They have no other task that accomplish so much. In short there are few choices for the Axis to choose from and this is why you are seeing openings that are very close to the same. Offer more tangible reasons to go south or knock out Moscow and you will see some differences. Perhaps not on turn 1, but shortly after that.



I am not screaming, just commenting I have no problem with players doing anything the game engine permits - I am all for ingenuity; I am questioning what the game engine permits....

Marquo

(in reply to Klydon)
Post #: 34
RE: Gamey Tactics which Drive Me Wild - 7/5/2011 9:44:48 PM   
Klydon


Posts: 2251
Joined: 11/28/2010
Status: offline 		It is the same for both sides, but is used more commonly for the Russians since one of the early Russian tactics is to set all HQ support to 0 to funnel all support units up to Stavka. This helps preserve support units (who would otherwise likely get pulverized in the initial going) and also allows the Russian player to consider getting rid of some support units (disband motorcycle regiments for example) more easily. There will be plenty of new HQ units coming into the game as reenforcements and of course, they don't have any support units either. You can choose to form them in each army HQ, but getting what you started the game out with spread around more equally helps too.

At any rate, after Stavka is loaded up with support units, you start railing Stavka around to various locations of the front where you want to assign support units to after things calm down a bit. If you are close enough to the HQ you want to send the support unit to, you can transfer it for free, which is obviously a big deal for the Russians in particular.

(in reply to ETF)
Post #: 35
RE: Gamey Tactics which Drive Me Wild - 7/5/2011 11:24:14 PM   
pompack


Posts: 2582
Joined: 2/8/2004
From: University Park, Texas
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: ETF


quote:

ORIGINAL: Flaviusx

The STAVKA business with SUs drives me crazy as well, for whatever it is worth. I think SU transfers from HQ to HQ should be free, period.




Newbie question
Ok how does the Stavka exploit actually work?



When you PULL SU FROM a higher HQ via the SU menu it cost you AP. When you PUSH SU TO a lower HQ from STAVKA it is free. Go to STAVKA, open the SU you want to move, and change the HQ. Now in order to do this, STAVKA has to be "close" to the target HQ thus the need to move STAVKA around the map.

FWIW, I agree with Flavio that HQ to HQ should be free but I also think it should not become effective until the next turn.

BTW, I play for fun and I am lazy as well so I don't use the "exploit" because it is too much damn trouble

(in reply to ETF)
Post #: 36
RE: Gamey Tactics which Drive Me Wild - 7/6/2011 12:19:02 AM   
Flaviusx


Posts: 7750
Joined: 9/9/2009
From: Southern California
Status: offline 		I'm cool with a delay for units transferred. The main thing for me is getting APs out of HQ to HQ SU transfers and this tedious workaround to avoid the AP hit via the supreme commands. The whole thing smacks of Rube Goldberg to me as it presently stands and is probably my biggest bugaboo about the game. (I have other nits, but this is the one that makes me rant the most.)





_____________________________

WitE Alpha Tester

(in reply to pompack)
Post #: 37
RE: Gamey Tactics which Drive Me Wild - 7/6/2011 8:41:42 AM   
davetheroad

 

Posts: 73
Joined: 8/10/2006
Status: offline 		Ah! now i remember, the Lvov gambit is all Minsks fault.

In every east front game i have played the great debate was, can you reach Minsk in a week?

So in this game you can reach Minsk in a week, the problem is in arranging the movement costs etc you
can now also reach Rumania in a week. Possibly a unintended consequence.

A question is, could the AGS mobile forces have done this historically given the circumstances?

Would it have cost the germans historically to transfer a panzer corps to AGS at the last minute?
Would Guderian have to be sacked or go into a sulk?

to effectively trap the Lvov forces you only need to reach the rail on the y89 hex row anyway as this
means the Lvov units can't use rail to escape. Can this be done with AGS existing forces?
I would find this OK, its the driving all the way to rumania that irritates.

What would be the effect of reducing the southern panzers start morale by a point or two?

(in reply to Flaviusx)
Post #: 38
RE: Gamey Tactics which Drive Me Wild - 7/6/2011 3:11:31 PM   
Panama


Posts: 1362
Joined: 10/30/2009
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: davetheroad
A question is, could the AGS mobile forces have done this historically given the circumstances?



No. Of course not. Historically the Soviets didn't sit on their duff for seven days while only the Axis boys ran about.

Commissar Vashugin would not have been happy.

Personally I think you miss out on a lot of fun stuff with one week game turns. Just my opinion.

< Message edited by Panama -- 7/6/2011 3:13:18 PM >

_____________________________


(in reply to davetheroad)
Post #: 39
RE: Gamey Tactics which Drive Me Wild - 7/6/2011 9:54:24 PM   
Sorta

 

Posts: 189
Joined: 11/30/2009
Status: offline 		Interesting discussion. I'm not going to use the STAVKA SU 'suck' strategy as it does seem inconsistent (pushing costs zero points but pulling costs points). Also its a chore.

With only two players it seems pretty easy to agree on house rules. Playing EIA with 7 we all manage to agree eventually.

_____________________________


(in reply to Panama)
Post #: 40
RE: Gamey Tactics which Drive Me Wild - 7/6/2011 10:42:36 PM   
Mynok


Posts: 12108
Joined: 11/30/2002
Status: offline
quote:

to effectively trap the Lvov forces you only need to reach the rail on the y89 hex row anyway as this
means the Lvov units can't use rail to escape. Can this be done with AGS existing forces?
I would find this OK, its the driving all the way to rumania that irritates.


Yes. There are some older threads in the war room where I proposed and demonstrated this. It works but it is slower because you take longer getting the area cleaned out.

_____________________________

"Measure civilization by the ability of citizens to mock government with impunity" -- Unknown

(in reply to Sorta)
Post #: 41
RE: Gamey Tactics which Drive Me Wild - 7/7/2011 12:44:15 AM   
entwood

 

Posts: 93
Joined: 7/22/2010
Status: offline 		One other thought on gambits and the overall movement and leader system;

I still have a reverse leader roll theory. As the player, you shouldn't exactly know you can accomplish a gambit or even have complete PERMISSION to try it.   I think the game needs to reflect the doctrines and commands of the Higher HQ's and their Leaders a bit better, with Initiative and Admin DOWN the chain of command.   Currently, the system works UP the chain of command, and works to decrease MP rather than increase it.

For example, the base Axis mechanized movement MP could be 40, Bold and organized commanders could increase it, conservative and disorganized commanders could decrease it.
+4 for OKH successful roll, +3 for Army Group, +2 for Army, +1 for Corps, max of 50. Or, the other way around,
+1 for OKH successful roll, +2 for Army Group, +3 for Army, +4 for Corps, max of 50
depending on the theory.

The theory is whether or not the overall doctrine permits lower level commanders to make their own decisions to a greater or lesser extent.  For the Axis side (or at least the Germans perhaps) yes, but otherwise more emphasis from higher HQ orders.

Currently, the chain is looking for "Yes-Men". If a Corps commander roll fails, the next guy up tries only to say "wait a minute - good idea go ahead" EVEN THOUGH the lower HQ decided to back off or it couldn't be done (if it's roll was missed). There is nobody that ever says 'No, you are not permitted to do so’.   If there should be a German advantage to letting lower level leaders make their own decisions then more potential MP from lower levels would apply but that should not as readily apply to the Soviet side. Who is really the boss? The lower or the higher ranks?

or if you exceed a doctrine you have exceeded orders and can be dismissed! That would be a lot of fun.

Sir Robin Soviets running away gambit could lead to shot leaders also in some manner. Hitler would not approve of fort building in preparation for winter.



< Message edited by entwood -- 7/7/2011 1:06:22 AM >

(in reply to Mynok)
Post #: 42
RE: Gamey Tactics which Drive Me Wild - 7/7/2011 12:44:55 AM   
jazman

 

Posts: 369
Joined: 1/20/2007
From: Crush Depth
Status: offline 		Game starts same, because at turn 0, it is always same. Why no variability in setups?


_____________________________

BS, MS, PhD, WitP:AE, WitE, WitW

(in reply to Mynok)
Post #: 43
RE: Gamey Tactics which Drive Me Wild - 7/7/2011 2:46:43 AM   
gradenko2k

 

Posts: 935
Joined: 12/27/2010
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: jazman
Game starts same, because at turn 0, it is always same. Why no variability in setups?

You don't necessarily need variability in the set-up, if the combat itself had some variability as well, such as perhaps one too many attacks failing for the precise moves involved in the Lvov / Riga gambits to develop.

Unfortunately, the Russians are always so weak and the Germans have enough spare units to cover any failures, that you can always stick to the script and have it go off.

One more point is that (I think) the rolls and checks for determining MP allotment don't apply at the very start of the game, which means that the German side always has the same amount of MP on all of their units. It probably wouldn't amount to much even if it did, seeing as how all these units are fresh and have good morale, but anything else, such as shuffling the units around, would be ahistorical (granted, the gambits themselves are ahistorical).

(in reply to jazman)
Post #: 44
RE: Gamey Tactics which Drive Me Wild - 7/7/2011 3:24:14 AM   
Klydon


Posts: 2251
Joined: 11/28/2010
Status: offline 		Probably need to break this thread into a couple of different categories:

Gamey = procedure to circumvent the intent of the game design.

Gamey example: German breaking down a division into regiments, reassigning the first regiment to the new location they want, then recombine with the entire unit (save command points moving units around).

Gambit (as used in this thread) A game strategy. In most cases, this refers to a German opening that does not follow the German historical opening. (IE, sending PG2 panzers south to help AGS on turn 1 or doing the "dash for the Rumanian border").

The difference between "Gamey" and "Gambit" is that "Gamey" specifically attempts to defeat some rule or intent of the game and if the designers had their choice, would make changes not to allow its use. A "Gambit" does not bend or break the rules, but is rather a strategy or plan that has specific objectives it wishes to accomplish. In this game, two of the biggest ones referred to are landing troops in Riga after its capture and the "dash to the Rumanian border" to put about 1/3rd of the SW front out of supply and form the mega Lvov pocket.

If players want to put restrictions on the Germans to avoid these "situations" because it is "unfair", then I need to hear about what restrictions are going on the Russians on turn 1. Perhaps requiring an immediate attack on the nearest German unit would be a good start. All Russian units would be required to be no further from the border than where they started the turn.

@gradenko_2000; The reason these strats generally work is they were designed to have enough "fluff" in them to cover most anticipated failures. What good plan does not have some contingencies for some unexpected set backs? I am fairly sure each running of the Lvov pocket strat varies and no two are ever exactly alike.

@jazman: There is a scenario editor. Make up your own alternate start so things are not "the same". Good luck trying to find a German willing to give it a try. That and the community has shown that there has been very little interest in any scenario not released as a "official" scenario.


(in reply to gradenko2k)
Post #: 45
RE: Gamey Tactics which Drive Me Wild - 7/7/2011 4:28:53 AM   
gradenko2k

 

Posts: 935
Joined: 12/27/2010
Status: offline 		I think they're rather related, Klydon - people pursue the Riga gambit *because* the game allows troops to be transported by ship. That the game allows for unrealistic amphibious operations is gamey, which then leads to the gambit being viable in the first place.

Now, I don't know if the rule regarding early Romanian activation was put into place was put in there specifically to incentivize players to try and get to the activation line, but again, that the rule is there is what makes the gambit an appealing strategy (coupled with the fact that, as below, it has a very good chance of being pulled off)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Klydon
@gradenko_2000; The reason these strats generally work is they were designed to have enough "fluff" in them to cover most anticipated failures. What good plan does not have some contingencies for some unexpected set backs? I am fairly sure each running of the Lvov pocket strat varies and no two are ever exactly alike.

That's mostly what I already said: There *is* some variance in the combat results, but the Germans have enough troops and the Soviets are weak enough that you can generally count on the plan working most of the time. Have we seen an AAR where either of the Riga or Lvov gambits "failed" because a combat was lost and the German didn't have enough units to cover for it.

(in reply to Klydon)
Post #: 46
RE: Gamey Tactics which Drive Me Wild - 7/7/2011 4:52:13 AM   
mmarquo


Posts: 1376
Joined: 9/26/2000
Status: offline 		So, the variable set up is actually a great idea, and easily accompished with the editor. And many EF games do allow a Sovier setup followed by an Axis set up and move; TRC and WWOM come to mind; let the Soviet player edit the campaign and then send it to the Azix palyer who edits it and moves.

1. What would the rules for editing be?

2. Can Riga's port value be edited down to almost zero or is it hard coded?

3. House rule: no Soviet amphibious operations out of the Crimea; no ampnibious operations in the snow/blizzard turns.

Marquo

(in reply to gradenko2k)
Post #: 47
RE: Gamey Tactics which Drive Me Wild - 7/7/2011 5:19:58 AM   
Klydon


Posts: 2251
Joined: 11/28/2010
Status: offline 		Depends on the definition of "failure". If you consider the Russians breaking the pocket a "failure" I have seen some of those. (I do consider a broken pocket a failure because it defeats one of the big reasons of doing it in the first place and that is the immediate followup on turn 2 to reduce the pocket).

Not sure on the hard code for Riga value, but part of the issue is that the game doesn't look at how much a port can handle when offloading troops it seems.

I believe there is a much needed revamp of Russian amphibious capabilities in the Black Sea coming, so will be interesting to see what the changes are.

(in reply to mmarquo)
Post #: 48
RE: Gamey Tactics which Drive Me Wild - 7/7/2011 5:28:37 AM   
Michael T


Posts: 4443
Joined: 10/22/2006
From: Queensland, Australia.
Status: offline
quote:

If players want to put restrictions on the Germans to avoid these "situations" because it is "unfair", then I need to hear about what restrictions are going on the Russians on turn 1. Perhaps requiring an immediate attack on the nearest German unit would be a good start. All Russian units would be required to be no further from the border than where they started the turn.


+1

If we were to consider the 'ahistorical gambits' used by axis players as opposed to 'ahistorical play' by soviet players I know which is by far the more deviant.

_____________________________


(in reply to mmarquo)
Post #: 49
RE: Gamey Tactics which Drive Me Wild - 7/7/2011 7:34:01 AM   
76mm


Posts: 4688
Joined: 5/2/2004
From: Washington, DC
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Klydon
Probably need to break this thread into a couple of different categories:

Gamey = procedure to circumvent the intent of the game design.

Gamey example: German breaking down a division into regiments, reassigning the first regiment to the new location they want, then recombine with the entire unit (save command points moving units around).

Gambit (as used in this thread) A game strategy. In most cases, this refers to a German opening that does not follow the German historical opening. (IE, sending PG2 panzers south to help AGS on turn 1 or doing the "dash for the Rumanian border").

The difference between "Gamey" and "Gambit" is that "Gamey" specifically attempts to defeat some rule or intent of the game and if the designers had their choice, would make changes not to allow its use. A "Gambit" does not bend or break the rules, but is rather a strategy or plan that has specific objectives it wishes to accomplish. In this game, two of the biggest ones referred to are landing troops in Riga after its capture and the "dash to the Rumanian border" to put about 1/3rd of the SW front out of supply and form the mega Lvov pocket.


I would revise your definitions. What you call "gamey" I would call an exploit.

What I call gamey is something well within the rules and design of the game but which would probably not have been feasible in real life (checkboard defense, Stavka touring, etc.).

I generally agree with your definition of "gambit", although I would call the "Riga gambit" gamey at best and probably an exploit. I don't think the "Lvov gambit" is an exploit, and don't really know enough to call it "gamey" or not--just because it is not what the Germans actually did does not mean it is gamey.

(in reply to Klydon)
Post #: 50
RE: Gamey Tactics which Drive Me Wild - 7/7/2011 9:07:30 AM   
davetheroad

 

Posts: 73
Joined: 8/10/2006
Status: offline 		If some form of risk was involved in the riga gambit it might be more acceptable.
the russians did have means of interdicting any german sea movements in the bay of riga
1. shore batteries on the moon islands including a 170mm? one covering the southern channel.
A single hit on a transport and glug, glug, there goes an entire infantry regiment. The battery could have been
suppressed of course but that has risks as well.
2. russian subs. They moved the subs to Riga just before the invasion so they were in the area and difficult to sink.
Again a single sub could have caused havoc!

I like the idea of balancing the german historical restrictions with russian ones as well. No sane player is going to
behave like Stalin BUT you can simulate the command paralysis of the first week(s).

Cast your mind back to the last century and the ancient game of WITE. This had a rule which could simulate russian
command paralysis and some historical insanity.

1. on turn 1 if a unit moved on completion of movement a 6 die was rolled and the unit was displaced one hex. If the displacement
was into a enemy occupied hex the russian unit immediately attacked. on turns 2 and 3 there was a reducing chance of displacement.

2. If the russians lost a combination of Riga, Minsk, Kiev, Odessa in the first 4 turns they lost the war. This forced the russian player
to at least think some more about the running away strategy.

(in reply to 76mm)
Post #: 51
RE: Gamey Tactics which Drive Me Wild - 7/7/2011 11:30:14 AM   
ComradeP

 

Posts: 7192
Joined: 9/17/2009
Status: offline 		I do think you guys are focussing way too much on the 1st turn, which doesn't necessarily have much of an impact on the game (raise your hand if you've managed, against a capable Soviet opponent, to get as far as the Axis historically did, whilst also inflicting similar losses on the Soviets and taking similar losses as the Axis to the historical outcome), and not on the next 224.

Losing all the troops in the pockets the Axis can create with their opening move is at worst an inconvenience. You get most of them back for free, and you start with enough manpower in the pool to cover all the losses.

_____________________________

SSG tester
WitE Alpha tester
Panzer Corps Beta tester
Unity of Command scenario designer

(in reply to davetheroad)
Post #: 52
RE: Gamey Tactics which Drive Me Wild - 7/7/2011 12:15:29 PM   
sanderz

 

Posts: 862
Joined: 1/8/2009
From: Devon, England
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: ComradeP
Losing all the troops in the pockets the Axis can create with their opening move is at worst an inconvenience. You get most of them back for free, and you start with enough manpower in the pool to cover all the losses.


when you say you get them back for free do you mean that if you didn't lose them you wouldn't get the extra units? or that you get the free units anyway

as a general comment on reading the forums (not playing) i get the impression that the Germans very rarely actually win the game whatever stategy they choose - even where they seem to do very well in the first year it seems that they still lose in the end

(in reply to ComradeP)
Post #: 53
RE: Gamey Tactics which Drive Me Wild - 7/7/2011 12:42:33 PM   
76mm


Posts: 4688
Joined: 5/2/2004
From: Washington, DC
Status: offline
quote:

the Germans very rarely actually win the game whatever stategy they choose - even where they seem to do very well in the first year it seems that they still lose in the end


Well it isn't a fantasy game after all...

A couple of German players have pulled off total victories, however, very impressive!

(in reply to sanderz)
Post #: 54
RE: Gamey Tactics which Drive Me Wild - 7/7/2011 12:59:04 PM   
ComradeP

 

Posts: 7192
Joined: 9/17/2009
Status: offline
quote:

when you say you get them back for free do you mean that if you didn't lose them you wouldn't get the extra units? or that you get the free units anyway


If you don't lose them, you would of course not get units of the same name appearing as reinforcements. The mountain divisions and possibly the cavalry divisions, as well as brigade and regiment sized units won't reappear, but the Rifle divisions will, as will the Motorized and Tank divisions (as Rifle divisions and Tank brigades).

_____________________________

SSG tester
WitE Alpha tester
Panzer Corps Beta tester
Unity of Command scenario designer

(in reply to 76mm)
Post #: 55
RE: Gamey Tactics which Drive Me Wild - 7/7/2011 1:59:03 PM   
Q-Ball


Posts: 7336
Joined: 6/25/2002
From: Chicago, Illinois
Status: offline 		The Riga gambit is no big deal at all. The net effect: It saves 2 Infantry divisions about 8 MP each. Hardly a game changer. I don't understand all the attention it gets. Riga should have rail service by turn 4 anyway.

The Russian Amphib capability is too great, simple house rule: Limit it to 3,000 amphib points. Blizzard landings should be allowed because they actually happened (Fedosiya, Dec 1941). Most amphib landings in game, though, end the way that one did, with a wipe-out of the Soviet troops.

I have no issue with the Lvov pocket. Is a dash to the Romanian border not historically realistic? Maybe, but neither is a pull-back by the Russians. Stalin ordered "hold fast"; if we want to be realistic, you can't move Russian units eastward the first 3 turns.


_____________________________


(in reply to ComradeP)
Post #: 56
RE: Gamey Tactics which Drive Me Wild - 7/7/2011 2:55:50 PM   
mmarquo


Posts: 1376
Joined: 9/26/2000
Status: offline 		If the setup is inaccurate in the south as has been alluded to, then perhaps adjusting this will help.

Marquo

(in reply to Q-Ball)
Post #: 57
RE: Gamey Tactics which Drive Me Wild - 7/7/2011 3:12:00 PM   
davetheroad

 

Posts: 73
Joined: 8/10/2006
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: sanderz


quote:

ORIGINAL: ComradeP
Losing all the troops in the pockets the Axis can create with their opening move is at worst an inconvenience. You get most of them back for free, and you start with enough manpower in the pool to cover all the losses.


when you say you get them back for free do you mean that if you didn't lose them you wouldn't get the extra units? or that you get the free units anyway

as a general comment on reading the forums (not playing) i get the impression that the Germans very rarely actually win the game whatever stategy they choose - even where they seem to do very well in the first year it seems that they still lose in the end


Interesting point, just how big would the russian army have got if they had not suffered all those casualties?
All those new divisions and reserve armies being created in 1941 might be mostly a response to the stream of disasters during the summer. Without the almost 3 million killed and missing in 41 would russia have maintained the historical mobilisation rate? Or would they have adopted a slower, more considered approach?

According to glantz the red army strength peaked at 6,770,000 in the 4th quarter 1944 despite all the casualties.
In the game what size are the late game russian armies. Are they seeing more than 7 million men? Is there a cap to the size of the army beyond which no more men will be mobilised until a some are killed?

Or are we seeing the game succeeding and because of that success ultimately failing as a simulation of the east front.
If the germans don't kill the 3 million in 41 they are doomed. If this is true and it probably is the game fails because no soviet player is as crazy as Stalin and all your little electronic counters are not manned by men who are willing to fight and die for every pixel on the screen.

what might be needed is a identification of just why the russians behaved as they did and what would be the consequences of doing something different. Maybe the player should be a Stavka representative and uncle joe is not there at all, except to step in now and again and shoot a few generals for giving up a couple of dozen pixels. So if you adopt a cowardly approach the army will suffer. get a few blocking detachments in there. Give up smolensk without a fight? senior general gets shot and 10% of his men get purged.

could be fun, cities must be defended by a full stack and all those little dots by at least one unit.

(in reply to sanderz)
Post #: 58
RE: Gamey Tactics which Drive Me Wild - 7/7/2011 3:13:01 PM   
Sabre21


Posts: 8231
Joined: 4/27/2001
From: on a mountain in Idaho
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Q-Ball

The Riga gambit is no big deal at all. The net effect: It saves 2 Infantry divisions about 8 MP each. Hardly a game changer. I don't understand all the attention it gets. Riga should have rail service by turn 4 anyway.

The Russian Amphib capability is too great, simple house rule: Limit it to 3,000 amphib points. Blizzard landings should be allowed because they actually happened (Fedosiya, Dec 1941). Most amphib landings in game, though, end the way that one did, with a wipe-out of the Soviet troops.

I have no issue with the Lvov pocket. Is a dash to the Romanian border not historically realistic? Maybe, but neither is a pull-back by the Russians. Stalin ordered "hold fast"; if we want to be realistic, you can't move Russian units eastward the first 3 turns.



I agree with what you say here. Too much emphasis is being placed on what the Axis can accomplish on turn 1. Folks need to look at the long term consequences and realize what happens on turn 1 has little impact over the course of the entire game. Whether the Axis shoots for the Lvov pocket on turn 1, which by the way is risky without the aid of 2nd Panzers, or for the larger Proskorov pocket on turn 2, the loss of those units is not a death blow to the Soviets.

FYI, the amphib and transport ability will get refined in future patches. This includes the ability to transport troops into damaged ports. Both the Lvov and Riga first turn moves were being done by testers long ago. Some changes were made to make the Lvov move more difficult but it was intended so that it wasn't impossible.

There are only 2 guys that are doing any coding...Gary and Pavel, and there are plenty of priorities they have so getting things smoothed out takes time. We are down to only a couple active testers. It's summertime and most folks prefer to enjoy the good weather and considering testers are just volunteers, it's hard to keep any around for any length of time anyways.

_____________________________


(in reply to Q-Ball)
Post #: 59
RE: Gamey Tactics which Drive Me Wild - 7/7/2011 3:15:20 PM   
Sabre21


Posts: 8231
Joined: 4/27/2001
From: on a mountain in Idaho
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Marquo

If the setup is inaccurate in the south as has been alluded to, then perhaps adjusting this will help.

Marquo


Actually from what I know the set-up is accurate. Pavel would have to comment on this. Joel and I moved a few units about long ago to try and slow down any Rumanian gambit, but Pavel and Trey moved units to their historical locations, and that's what we have.

_____________________________


(in reply to mmarquo)
Post #: 60
Page:   <<   < prev  1 [2] 3 4 5   next >   >>
All Forums >> [New Releases from Matrix Games] >> Gary Grigsby's War in the East Series >> RE: Gamey Tactics which Drive Me Wild Page: <<   < prev  1 [2] 3 4 5   next >   >>
Jump to:





New Messages No New Messages
Hot Topic w/ New Messages Hot Topic w/o New Messages
Locked w/ New Messages Locked w/o New Messages
 Post New Thread
 Reply to Message
 Post New Poll
 Submit Vote
 Delete My Own Post
 Delete My Own Thread
 Rate Posts


Forum Software © ASPPlayground.NET Advanced Edition 2.4.5 ANSI

4.797