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RE: Difficult - 12/11/2012 5:19:47 PM

jack54

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Ahh I thought the AI was cheating (attacking and moving)... but then I did it by 'accident'. I hadn't realize you could attack and then 'occupy' the abandoned hex. This changes everything for me. It's probably in the manual...lol

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Post #: 91

RE: Difficult - 12/11/2012 5:34:36 PM

catwhoorg

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It is.

You can only do it before moving any other unit.

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Post #: 92

RE: Difficult - 12/12/2012 1:03:02 AM

Bossy573

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Myrddraal
It isn't possible to turn off FOW. It is too integral to the game design.

I kinda figured that out yesterday after I posted. I was hoping there was an explanation as to why I can't get to Paris besides I kinda still suck at the game.

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Post #: 93

RE: Difficult - 12/12/2012 1:47:21 AM

Gilmer

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Bossy573

quote:

ORIGINAL: Myrddraal
It isn't possible to turn off FOW. It is too integral to the game design.

I kinda figured that out yesterday after I posted. I was hoping there was an explanation as to why I can't get to Paris besides I kinda still suck at the game.

Me too, on kind of still sucking at game.

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Post #: 94

RE: Difficult - 12/12/2012 4:43:46 AM

Bossy573

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quote:

ORIGINAL: H Gilmer
Me too, on kind of still sucking at game.

Played to mid-1915 tonight and success! FINALLY took Paris in early 1915 and the French are on the ropes. Verdun is surrounded, the line is based on Paris and I think I can knock them out tomorrow. Serbia smashed early and I had 5 Austrian corps waiting on the Italian border for when those idiots joined the Entente. Attacked immediately and they were routed.
The Russian front has been a struggle but I hope it can hold until I get rid of France and Italy. Likewise Palestine where the British just forced me to retreat north, probably beyond Damascus. I may send some Bulgarian units down there when they join in.

I have played probably a dozen + games and have lost every one. So let's hope this finishes well. :-)

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Post #: 95

RE: Difficult - 12/12/2012 6:56:56 AM

Empire101

Posts: 1950
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From: Coruscant
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quote:

ORIGINAL: H Gilmer

quote:

ORIGINAL: Bossy573

quote:

ORIGINAL: Myrddraal
It isn't possible to turn off FOW. It is too integral to the game design.

I kinda figured that out yesterday after I posted. I was hoping there was an explanation as to why I can't get to Paris besides I kinda still suck at the game.

Me too, on kind of still sucking at game.

In my opinion guys, one of the central concepts of the game is ' strategic balance'.

Getting your build strategy right and matching that to R&D results is of vital importance.

Plan your ammunition factory upgrades in advance, as more and more ammo is required to service the Artillery/Bomber units.

Artillery is King in WWI. With the huge amount of production points coming in through convoy, it is a temptation for the Allied player to over expand. Don't.
The British unit overhead could potentially cripple the British. The Germans can also fall into this trap.

Hoard those PP's and save up for the good stuff, an extra Artillery unit, Research lab or ammunition factory can always be utilised.

Remember with Ammo factories that the upper ceiling for storing ammo is 50, so its a good idea to plan your expansions when you need to build up stocks ( say over the winter ).

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Post #: 96

RE: Difficult - 12/13/2012 3:48:54 AM

Gilmer

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Empire, although I did mess up on the balance the first few games, I believe my weakness is not being able to conduct the type of fights the AI seems to be capable of. I know I'm "biased" in that I see things that probably are not true, but it seems like their units kill my units a lot easier. Are they always ahead of me in research for infantry? I focus immediately on upgrading the combat and then the entrench, then back to combat, because I usually go for the ones that seem the closest to completion. It "seems" like the AI is able to conduct battles over rivers a lot easier than I am and they take big chunks out of my units no matter what the entrench level or advantage in placing such as rivers.

I have not played as many games as Bossy, though. I tend to get frustrated and go off and do something else for awhile.

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Post #: 97

RE: Difficult - 12/13/2012 4:31:14 AM

Bossy573

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quote:

ORIGINAL: H Gilmer
I have not played as many games as Bossy, though. I tend to get frustrated and go off and do something else for awhile.

I just continued my game from last night and it was ugly. To make the story very short, I thought I had France cold and the next thing I know the AI had 3 artillery units, with plentiful ammunition and that's all she wrote. When I gave up, what remained of the German army was retreating beyond Brussels with no hope of ever going back. The Russians were slowly pressing Westward and the situation was hopeless. The Turks were completely out of Palestine, Syria and back in Turkey proper. Only in Italy did success continue. I took Rome and all of Northern Italy but so what? The war was over by then. Oh, and I attacked Romania straight away when Bulgaria came in. The Bulgarians were crushed.

It IS frustrating but a blast at the same time.

Make sure you are playing on balanced - that was the first lesson I learned.

Empire is right. The AI really takes advantage of its production strategy. Artillery is king, as I just found out. I did not have near enough, and not even enough ammo for the limited artillery I had. Just churning out units is not enough. Poor initial strategy killed me in the end.

Let's face it, this game is brilliant - with an AI to match.

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RE: Difficult - 12/13/2012 8:39:45 AM

Myrddraal

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Easy AI is fixed in the upcoming patch. Hopefully that will help you guys who are struggling to have an AI you can learn against.

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Post #: 99

RE: Difficult - 12/13/2012 9:18:49 AM

Empire101

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If I'm faced with a defensive R&D tech or an offensive R&D tech, I will always give precedence to the defensive tech first.

Getting those Barbed wire/Concrete Pillbox/Concrete dugouts as early as possible is my major R&D priority. Then Counter-Battery Fire.

This is for whatever side I play.

Of course there is pressure especially early game for the CP player to let offensive techs take precedence over defensive techs. This is a mistake.

If you look at WWI in the West the Germans conducted a mostly defensive strategy after the failure of the Schlieffen Plan, and apart from Verdun ( no one was thinking straight in my opinion ), and Michael in 1918 the Germans gave offensive priority in the East rather than the West .

Most CP players will not get to Paris in 1914, so the Western Front has to be turned into a giant fortress.
Wherever the enemy can attack on a three hex front must be evaluated in terms of its worth.
If you are gaining no strategic benefit from its occupation, or it is not to be used in future offensive ops, consider withdrawal.

And always maintain a strategic reserve.!!

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but being bored is greatly preferable to being prematurely dead because of some ideological fantasy. - Michael Burleigh

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Post #: 100

RE: Difficult - 12/13/2012 1:10:47 PM

Gilmer

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Empire101

If I'm faced with a defensive R&D tech or an offensive R&D tech, I will always give precedence to the defensive tech first.

Getting those Barbed wire/Concrete Pillbox/Concrete dugouts as early as possible is my major R&D priority. Then Counter-Battery Fire.

This is for whatever side I play.

Of course there is pressure especially early game for the CP player to let offensive techs take precedence over defensive techs. This is a mistake.

If you look at WWI in the West the Germans conducted a mostly defensive strategy after the failure of the Schlieffen Plan, and apart from Verdun ( no one was thinking straight in my opinion ), and Michael in 1918 the Germans gave offensive priority in the East rather than the West .

Most CP players will not get to Paris in 1914, so the Western Front has to be turned into a giant fortress.
Wherever the enemy can attack on a three hex front must be evaluated in terms of its worth.
If you are gaining no strategic benefit from its occupation, or it is not to be used in future offensive ops, consider withdrawal.

And always maintain a strategic reserve.!!

Actually, that makes a lot of sense for Entente, now that I think about it, since Entente (or at least me) seems to be on defensive for at least 2 years. Maybe that is what I will do next game. This last game I lost to the overstack flow 34 error.

In your opinion, what does the AI do as it relates to research? Offensive?

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Post #: 101

RE: Difficult - 12/13/2012 9:18:53 PM

Empire101

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quote:

ORIGINAL: H Gilmer

Actually, that makes a lot of sense for Entente, now that I think about it, since Entente (or at least me) seems to be on defensive for at least 2 years. Maybe that is what I will do next game. This last game I lost to the overstack flow 34 error.

In your opinion, what does the AI do as it relates to research? Offensive?

I think the AI concentrates on offensive strategies first, but that is only a guess.

My experience in PBEM, is that the human opponent is FAR more devious and clever than the AI.
I have played a couple of games against Warspite, and he has sorely tested me and had me rushing to the drinks cabinet on more than one occasion in sheer panic.
I am more than looking forward to our next match which starts at the weekend.

When you feel confident and comfortable with the game, PBEM is the way to go believe me.

I am a regular player of WitP AE with a current AAR, but CTGW is going to be a game I'll play for years.
Not only is it great fun, but it requires alot of thought.
It looks deceptively easy, but it certainly is not.

Good luck sir!!

Barrhhghh

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Post #: 102

RE: Difficult - 12/16/2012 3:52:59 PM

Bossy573

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The handicapped AI mode does indeed function - beyond the shadow of a doubt because I finally won a game. I never did get a formal notice of victory tho. The UK held out and an invasion would have been necessary. Also, just as an FYI, I had to occupy every city in France before it would offer a surrender. In Russia I was east of Moscow and Rostov before a surrender was received. Seems a little strange based on what I have read here in other user games.

Probably will try the Allies on handicapped next. There are a lot of intricacies in the game mechanics still to be learned before I ramp up the difficulty again - or take on a human opponent.

< Message edited by Bossy573 -- 12/16/2012 3:54:07 PM >

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Post #: 103

RE: Difficult - 12/16/2012 5:20:42 PM

Myrddraal

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Thanks for the confirmation bossy. What did you think of the Handicapped AI? Was it handicapped enough for a new player?

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Post #: 104

RE: Difficult - 12/17/2012 2:40:43 AM

Bossy573

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Myrddraal
Thanks for the confirmation bossy. What did you think of the Handicapped AI? Was it handicapped enough for a new player?

Well, I'm embarrassed to admit it but I lost the first game I played. Second time around I changed up both strategy and tactics, explored the game mechanics a bit and was able to come to grips with offensive techniques instead of constantly reacting. I am certain the production penalties to the AI helped. The AI is still clever, in particular executing a few nice encirclements, but it was noticeably easier to recover against it.

My feeling is first time players will have a rough time the first few games even on handicapped. The game is deceptively simple but complex at the same time. It takes time to learn - and the handicapped AI is a great place to start.

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Post #: 105

RE: Difficult - 12/17/2012 9:16:29 AM

Myrddraal

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We're looking at perhaps introducing an extra difficultly level where the AI is more passive (as well as getting the production handicap). It sounds like this might be a good idea.

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Post #: 106

RE: Difficult - 12/17/2012 10:07:20 AM

JJKettunen

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Myrddraal

We're looking at perhaps introducing an extra difficultly level where the AI is more passive (as well as getting the production handicap). It sounds like this might be a good idea.

How about an option to set the AI to:

1) passive
2) normal
3) aggressive?

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Post #: 107

RE: Difficult - 12/17/2012 3:24:18 PM

lparkh

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Here's a funny twist on the issue of AI difficultly. First my brag, then my humility. My brag is I beat the CP AI on "AI advantage" (took me till late 1917 though and was quite a game). The humility was the one of the reasons I won was I kept studying how the AI played and imitated some of its methods ;-) So that's one way to improve :-) :-( For those who want a tip based on my latest experiences (plus a possible AI weakness for the developers to be aware of) keep reading:

-- manoever -- I've never had AI's outmanoever me but this one consistently does until I learned to imitate it. The key is to approach a front with more units then the opponent (use garrisons to get numeric superiority) then wrap around the edges (outflank) or carefully go through holes (harder) and focus on causing out of supply or minimally getting 3 to 4 attacks lined up on a single unit.
-- AI exploit -- my impression is that often the AI doesn't react to getting near a city/objective till adjacent. So often now I line up my offensive two hexes away and then charge.

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Post #: 108

RE: Difficult - 12/17/2012 3:24:46 PM

jwduquette1

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Empire101

Remember with Ammo factories that the upper ceiling for storing ammo is 50, so its a good idea to plan your expansions when you need to build up stocks ( say over the winter ).

That's something I was meaning to ask about in terms of the Designers thoughts. Why are you limited to accumulating only 50 artillery ammunition points per country?

< Message edited by jwduquette1 -- 12/17/2012 3:25:58 PM >

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RE: Difficult - 12/18/2012 12:25:07 AM

ParaB

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I just managed my 1st "significant victory" with the CP in January 1919 on "balanced". Had lots of frustrating moments in a couple of "learning games" until I understood how things worked. The French at least were charming when they ravaged me, can't say the same about the Russians...

Anyway, I finally won!

Managed to take Paris in October 1914, fought through the winter and created a beautiful pocket around Verdun, trapping the bulk of the French army. From then on it was just a mopping-up operation in France. The fighting in Serbia was hard although I managed a nice flanking maneuver. Took me until Spring 1916 to brake their back. On the Eastern Front things looked grim until the summer of 1915 when I finally was able stabilize the front along the line K�nigsberg-Warsaw-Lemberg. Then it was trench warfare at its best with little gain for either side until I started to gain the upper hand in late 1917 with lots of artillery. Took Warsaw and steadily pushed the Russians back until the Revolution took care of them. In the Middle East the Turks put up a spirited defence along the Gaza-Aqaba line, thwarting one British offensive after another. And when finally the line broke in the summer of 1916 they managed a brilliant counter-attack, restoring the line. Over time the Bulgarians reinforced the line and no matter what the British army threw at them, infantry, artillery, aircraft and even tanks (!) they held fast. What a fight!

In Italy it was a mean slugging match along the Trento-Venice line with me steadily pushing the Italians and a British Expeditionary Force back.

In Summer 1918 I decided to land a small expedition force myself in England, capturing Plymouth and holding Cornwall/Devon until the end.

What an amazing game!

There were battles that warranted a full AAR.

Too tired now... need sleep...

Just wanted to say: great job, Lordz team!

< Message edited by ParaB -- 12/18/2012 12:28:17 AM >

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RE: Difficult - 12/22/2012 6:23:13 AM

Gilmer

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I played my first game after handicapped was fixed. I played it on handicapped and played Entente. I won decisively with all belligerents surrendering. First game. Early on in the game, I thought I would still be over-matched, because there were a few times when I had units in the yellow and the red and I was wondering where I would get the units to rotate out since even my reserves were under-efficient. I got through it, though.

I shipped 2 British garrisons early to Serbia. Then when Italy entered the war, I sent all their island garrisons to Serbia to shore up the Bulgarian front for when they would enter the war. An Italian artillery piece and a couple more French and British corps, and I just pushed Bulgaria back, pretty gradually. Once I was able to push them out of the war, then Turkey was next and while that was happening, the lines started disintegrating for the CP.

Very nice. I'm not quite as bad as I thought, but balanced will be tough.

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RE: Difficult - 12/22/2012 4:05:23 PM

Bossy573

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quote:

ORIGINAL: H Gilmer
Very nice. I'm not quite as bad as I thought, but balanced will be tough.

I went back to balanced after beating the AI on handicapped a few times and got smoked. Funny how much you can miss the extra garrison units you get on handicapped. Going to play handicapped a couple times more to perfect the less noticeable game mechanics and then probably leave it behind for good.

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Post #: 112