New player here, got a ton of questions!

Matrix Games Forums

Forums Register Login Photo Gallery Member List Search Calendars FAQ

My Profile Inbox Address Book My Subscription My Forums Log Out

New player here, got a ton of questions!

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 >> New player here, got a ton of questions!

Page: [1]

Message

<< Older Topic Newer Topic >>

New player here, got a ton of questions! - 7/12/2019 1:39:56 AM

Pashahlis

Posts: 7
Joined: 7/12/2019
Status: offline

Alright.

I have played strategy games since AoE II. I played most of them. Total War, Men of War, Company of Heroes, realism mods, etc.. . Recently I finally finished completely figuring out Hearts of Iron III. So I thought it was finally time to climb upon the throne of strategy games: Gary Grigsby games. So I figured the most basic stuff out. Managed to get a draw and encircle 300k men and destroy 1k planes in the Minsk scenario. So far so basic.

But now I got a ton of questions regarding the advanced functions of the game, I did read the manual on these points where applicable but honestly I only understood Chinese.

Questions:

1. I am aware that you can attach support units to divisions or HQs. If they are in an HQ the AI will use them to assist in battles as it sees fit. If they are in a division they will always appear in battle. However, how do I put artillery into my tank or infantry divisions and is there a way to easily detach all support units from all HQs and divisions and then manually reassign them? Furthermore, when in battle, it seems that none of the support units, including artillery, add any combat value or at most 1?

2. So each type of tank, artillery piece, plane, etc... is modeled down to the last machine gun. Okay. Now this is very overwhelming to me so bear with me.

In what way do these affect the game? How do they affect the battles, how can I find out how useful or useless certain types of equipment are, what do the different stats do (I know that IRL a tank with 100mm armour will obviously have a higher chance of absorbing the shot of a 50mm anti tank gun, but I am talking ingame functions here) and is there a way for me to influence what division or air group gets what type of equipment? What exactly happens regarding the starting and especially end dates of equipment? What else do I need to know?

3. This kind of ties in to question #2. How does the production system work, for the Axis side(I am nowhere near ready to play the Soviets yet which have it even more complicated)?

4. Is there a way for me to keep my most important divisions, like tank divisions, at max strength? Or will I just have to deal with it that they will at some point have like only 50% strength left?

5. What does the refit button do?

6. What is a TOE? I assume the "is supposed to be" strength of the unit?

7. How do I use airbases correctly? Where should I put them, should I put them all on the same tile for ease of micro management, how often should I move them, should I adjust the ratios and types of planes on them, etc...? How should I set my air doctrine? Or when I fly manual missions, how do I know how many squadrons to use?

8. How should I adjust the OOB? Which leaders should I put where? And I do not mean "put Rundstedt here", I mean in general. Furthermore, support units can be attached to a higher HQ. For example to the Army HQ instead of the Corps HQ. Is there a reason to do this? What about divisions? Additionally, HQs need to be within 5 tiles to provide supply, but I can also supply my troops via railway. But obviously support units only act if the HQ is within 5 tiles, but that too can be nullified if I attach them directly to the divisions. So the question is, what other reasons exist to keep my HQ units not too far behind my divisions?

9. And last but not least: The game manual said something about being able to use artillery combat units to pre-emptively bombard enemy units from 2 hexes away. But I do not have any such units. How do I get these?

10. How do I know if my vehicle pool is big enough? I once read that someone ended the game in 1942 because he knew his vehicle pool wouldn't be able to sustain him soon anymore. And how do I make the vehicle pool bigger?

EDIT:

11. What is HQ build up and how do I use it? I didn't understand the manual apart from "its about supply".

12. What is ground interdiction?

I know this is a lot to take in and most if not all has been answered already somewhere. So if you know a place where I can find the answer to a particular question, that would be really helpful!

PS: I really wanted to play War in the Pacific first because I love naval combat more than land combat and the naval and air combat in that game is a lot better done than here, but it is still at 70� and from what I saw in XTRGs MP game against THG, that game is even more complicated than War in the East, so I will try and figure this game out first.

< Message edited by Pashahlis -- 7/12/2019 2:56:49 AM >

Post #: 1

RE: New player here, got a ton of questions! - 7/12/2019 3:04:12 AM

56ajax

Posts: 1950
Joined: 12/3/2007
From: Carnegie, Australia
Status: offline

4. TOE at 100% with Refit on.

5. Prioritizes replacements to a unit and can improve morale

6. TOE - table of equipment - equipment template for a unit - upgrades as per history

9. Not available on T1, and you will have to use Admin points to build them; only for the Soviets I think

11. HQ Build Up loads up the supplies at a HQ to 200%, at a cost.

12. Ground interdiction your airforce attacks enemy units on the move - may shorten enemy movement

Make sure you have updated manual available via Forums

< Message edited by 56ajax -- 7/12/2019 3:08:32 AM >

_____________________________

Molotov : This we did not deserve.

Foch : This is not peace. This is a 20 year armistice.

C'est la guerre a�rienne

(in reply to Pashahlis)

Post #: 2

RE: New player here, got a ton of questions! - 7/12/2019 8:14:29 AM

Dinglir

Posts: 620
Joined: 3/10/2016
Status: offline

1) You can not add artillery to divisions. Those Support units can only sit in the HQ's. I always play with the "support unit" option (or whatever it is called) to locked, so I always have to do my support units manually.

2) Each weapon will fire at a given range (unless hindered first) and try to hit and destroy an enemy element. Obviously, being hit by a rifle is less damaging than being hit by a 150mm artillery piece. Assignment of equipment is auotomatic, although you can control the amounts by setting the ToE and using "Refit".

3) The production system first produces aramament points and then uses these to produce all the different types of equipment. Some equipment are built specifically by designated factories (all aircraft and vehicles) while other is built by general purpose factories dependant on requirements (to a maximum number each turn).

4-6) see above

7) Welcome to the game. The playerbase has been trying to figure this one out for the past four years. Current thinking seems to lie with the "Kabuki dance" by Telemecus (if I remember correctly). I would say that the answer is dependan on your opponent, the time setting and your strategic objective. Look around the AAR's to see what other people do.

8) HQ units should be near the ground units mainly to give leader bonuses, add support units to fights and most importantly to secure the flow of maximu m supplies to the fighting force. As above, this is the very essence of the game, and if you figure this out perfectly, you'll be the best player around.

9) Only soviets can build these and only from DEc 1941 if I recall correctly.

10) Your vehicle pool shows in the upper right corner of your screen. If you begin to find that yor units start their turn with less MP than you would like, then your vehicle pool is not big enough. The Germans WILL suffer this in the fall of 1941 (no easy taskk of supplying an army of 3+ million men advancing for hundreds of miles over poor infrastructure).

Welcome to the game

PS. My best advice is this: Whenever you have a queston, look it up in the manual and read about it. You will learn a lot - also stuff you never thought to ask in the first place.

< Message edited by Dinglir -- 7/12/2019 8:16:16 AM >

_____________________________

To be is to do -- Socrates
To do is to be -- Jean-Paul Sartre
Do be do be do -- Frank Sinatra

(in reply to 56ajax)

Post #: 3

RE: New player here, got a ton of questions! - 7/12/2019 9:50:57 AM

Telemecus

Posts: 4689
Joined: 3/20/2016
Status: offline

1) Many SUs such as artillery, rockets and LW flak cannot eb directly attached. Although artillery does not have CV (unless you choose the option to give it some) it can disrupt enemy elements (such as infantry) so that they do not contribute CV to the battle either.

2) Watching a few battle reports as they happen on a high message level will teach you a lot - but beware the top level 7 does take a lot of time. You can use the Maximum ToE and refit function in each unit to influence, to some extent, what equipment they get. Also disband can be a way of getting equipment out to other units at the cost of losing one. Airgroups can be more directly controlled through replacement/upgrade settings or even manually swapping aircraft. When left to the AI it will try to fill up all units and with the latest equipment if possible.

3) Look at production screen and click into one mode. It should list their factories, how much each factory produces, if it expands by how much it expands when it stops each turn, when it starts and stops production, and what the factory may be converted to produce afterwards.

4) Main method is to keep them on refit - but moving them closer to supply, keeping them out of combat and attrition etc helps too. It is possible to merge some units to create one unit with more ToE.

5) Prioritises replacement equipment and manpower and supply to that unit, and allows morale to increase faster when far enough back from the front.

6) Yes - table of equipment. Refers to the list of equipment they should have and how much of each. Or the percentage of what they should have they do have.

7) Have a look at posts 928 to 956 starting here http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/fb.asp?m=4610152, post 259 here http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/fb.asp?m=4464415 and post 273 here http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/fb.asp?m=4466477

8) Before changing leaders first make sure command capacities are not overloaded - that usually gives the same effect for less points. Your lowest level leaders are most important. I think they should have the highest admin, initiative and infantry (or motorised for Panzer corps etc) ratings possible. After that choose your highest level leaders next with the highest morale rating possible. Railway direct supply provides much much less supply than corps and at the cost of more vehicles so should not be seen as a good alternative. HQs can also lend support squads> Other than that first level HQs provide no benefit to being close. Higher level HQs do benefit from being closer as there are lower penalties to some of their ratings. Support units attached to HQs with no directly assigned combat units cannot be used in combat. Putting SUs into HQs that are on or closer to repaired rail will mean fewer vehicles used and lost during logistics and the SUs will be beeter resupplied and receive more replacements.

9) Only the Soviet side has those on map artillery units later in the game

10) Usually you will always want your vehicle pool to be bigger. The Axis will start with more than enough in summer 1941, but you do not want to lose them as you will need more than you have by Blizzard. You lose vehicles by units moving, being supplied from railhead to unit in logisitcs and by being in combat. A lot of this is unavoidable but you can reduce it. Do not use vehicle heacy units needlessly, minise supply from railhead to HQs/units and avoid vehicle use in bad weather especially.

11) Recomend you see How Supply Works by EwaldvonKleist here https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5BD_rtFxnp5ZzktLVZOdW1MdE0/view
HQBUs mean a slight pause one turn to build up stores of supplies and fuel in units and HQ for next turn - but at a cost of points and lorries.

12) Ground interdiction are automatic air missions that fly while ground units are moving that can reduce movement points and even morale of ground units.

< Message edited by Telemecus -- 7/12/2019 12:14:45 PM >

(in reply to Dinglir)

Post #: 4

RE: New player here, got a ton of questions! - 7/13/2019 12:37:17 AM

Seminole

Posts: 2105
Joined: 7/28/2011
Status: offline

Units on Refit don't dig, correct?

(in reply to Telemecus)

Post #: 5

RE: New player here, got a ton of questions! - 7/13/2019 12:53:41 AM

EwaldvonKleist

Posts: 2038
Joined: 4/14/2016
From: Berlin, Germany
Status: offline

They do, but construction value = construction value times % of TOE/100%

And welcome @ pashalis

< Message edited by EwaldvonKleist -- 7/13/2019 2:56:09 AM >

_____________________________

The Library of Gary Grigsby's War in the East resources.
Do you want total war? Guide for WitE players

(in reply to Seminole)

Post #: 6

RE: New player here, got a ton of questions! - 7/14/2019 2:04:12 AM

Pashahlis

Posts: 7
Joined: 7/12/2019
Status: offline

Alright, I have transported this discussion to the Discord server and got a ton of good answers there! Thanks anyone who helped me out!

(in reply to EwaldvonKleist)

Post #: 7