Slitherine

quote:

ORIGINAL: torbenalbertsen

Hi all

I posted this on another thread only to realize it might be better placed here:

Hi all

First a little background. Besides a few smaller, I have now played (without finishing) two big campaigns, first dir21 and next FITA2, both with a friend in PBEM mode. We started playing dir21 not knowing it to be designed for AI play. I played as russians and my friend as the axis, and the game ended with the russians completely overwhelming the germans in the winter offensive 41-42, at which point we quit and started FITA2. After learning that it was a game designed for AI play, we presumed then that since the russian was an AI adversary, it had to have been designed to be overpowered, hence accounting for the overwhelming victory.

We then turned the roles around, me as germans and my friend as the russians and playing FITA2. However, the game ended in the same fashion, the russians completely overwhelmed the axis by shear numbers in the first couple of rounds of their winter offensive 41. Now, I am quite content with admitting a few strategic blunders, but I also had some good victories, so I dare say the end result dosnt quite explain itself just because of the blunders. I had a look at the russian front (my opponent) in the end and found that the places of assault was basically 3 lines deep with almost 2 units in each line, where as my german force was at best two lines deep with 1 hole unit in front and a half unit behind, and a few reinforcments here and there, and this was were it was the strongest. In other places it was just half a unit. If the russians had only broken through were I was the weakest (in the south), it would have been understandable, as that was where his initial push came and were I made my strategic error, but they made breakthroughs on all my front simultaneously and in places where I considered myself strongest.

So, before playing the campaign again (turning the roles around again) we would like to ask some questions of more experienced players to see if maybe we are missing some information or doing something wrong, since in our experience it appears that the russians are way to overpowered.

a few questions:

1. does anyone have similar experiences?
2. Does the versions of FITA2 matter in terms of balancing? And, if they do, which version favours the germans.
3. We are concerned that we might have put the equipment files in the wrong place,(we are now aware of where to put it) but, Does the equipment files favour the Axis in any way? (or is that irrelevant to the balancing)
4. Might the rules of "no interception" be a little unbalancing in the campaign?

well, any hint, experiences or solutions are welcome.

thanks

torben

So, after reading through this FITE2 I see that some other players have had similar problems and that 1.9 should have fixed some of these issues (we played 1.4), we are currently discussing what house rules to play with to debuff the soviets. but one question remains:

does the equipment file also do the job of balancing the game?

quote:

ORIGINAL: FaneFlugt

Ah... Im playing as Mannerheim. So we have to wait for Stalin to know the answer to the supply drop question. I think the soviet players ZOC made one of the red star hexes turn soviet. Without a unit being on the line, itself.

I am certain the wording in the document is wrong then. But this "red star line" rule is Better than the fall of Helsinki rule. The Germans would and could send reinforcments that early in the war, if the finns where about to get knocked out.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Teufeldk

quote:

ORIGINAL: FaneFlugt

Ah... Im playing as Mannerheim. So we have to wait for Stalin to know the answer to the supply drop question. I think the soviet players ZOC made one of the red star hexes turn soviet. Without a unit being on the line, itself.

I am certain the wording in the document is wrong then. But this "red star line" rule is Better than the fall of Helsinki rule. The Germans would and could send reinforcments that early in the war, if the finns where about to get knocked out.

A "Capture" by ZOC would do the trick too. Maybe that should be clarified in the briefing.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Teufeldk

Understandable :)

That is not an option for me in my game since the German has taken Leningrad. I did manage to surround and destroy some Finnish units east of Salla though.

Anyway, I am very interested in knowing if you can locate a hex that triggered the event - or if there is a bug.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Teufeldk

Ok, wonderful

Then there does not seem to be a bug in the game.

Although the scenario briefing could be clearer worded :)

quote:

Minor surrender
The Germans have several minor allies in the game. Below is a list of when they will surrender to the Russians:

Finland: Before the allied landing in Sicily in the summer of 1943 the Fins surrender when Helsinki is taken. If this happens the German units in Norway activates. After the allied landing in Sicily (turn 214) the Finns surrender if Vyborg (unless it is already controlled by the Russians) or Helsinki is taken. In this event the German units in Norway will not activate.

Romania: Will change sides when Kishinev (230,452) OR Galati (220,480) becomes Russian controlled

Hungary: Will surrender when Budapest falls

Slovakia: will surrender when Bratislava falls

Bulgaria: will change sides when Romania does

Persia/Iran: will surrender when Tabriz falls.

Special rules for Finland
Throughout the war Finland kept close ties to the Western Allies, and never signed a formal alliance with Germany. In the game this means that if the Russians tries to conquer Finland before turn 214 by taking a hex with a red star the USA, will reduce Lend Lease to Russian (-2 supply to Russia). This effect is cancelled if the Finns or the Germans take any hex between (268,89) and (274,101) on the Kirov rail line.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Teufeldk

I don't know about the navy. It seems to me that the game does not handle that too well, and it is after all just flavor in the game. It seems easy though to sink the large Russian ships (range 7) with Stukas. The other ships are harder to sink. I lost all my battleships in the baltic to Stukas in my game.

The Finnish units are Ski units. They just have that as their second icon. It means they get the benefit, but don't show the icon. But this is not shown in-game, but only in the scenario editor, so we must be better to point things like that out in the briefing.

I honestly can't remember why we made it like that, but I suspect it was because I disliked the ski icon and preferred the regular infantry icon. I don't think there is any rational explanation :). I will consider making them ski units as their first icon. Or at least explain that they are in fact ski units in the briefing.

But thank you for pointing that out. A lot of things are implicit in the game (or thought to be obvious to me and Søren) but we just have to learn that it only seems that way to us because we made the scenario. For other players, things need to be better explained. That is our fault, and we will try to improve on that. A manual should be a help - not the opposite.

quote:

I learned the hard way that if Soviet player is allowed to play without the restrictions then ze Germans have little chance of success, not slightest of winning.

quote:

ORIGINAL: gliz2

INTERROGATIVE
Is there any estimation on the release of 2.0?
I am pondering of starting anew but if its in next 5-6 weeks I would rather go straight to v.2.0
Many thanks for your hard work guys!

Would someone be so kind to post here the FITE counter icons. I have installed ZOVs without making a backup and now how NATO 80s counters :(

quote:

ORIGINAL: loveman2

I kinda agree with torbenalbertsen comments regarding the German player in 1941, I've played a few games as Germans and when it comes to the mud/ winter turns the Russian payers can simply pick off the German units by bombarding them to nothing, in the mud the Germans can hardly move at all but the Russian can blast the crap out of the German units. What Gliz2 says is true a Russian opponent can simply retreat all his artillery units etc etc to a defensive line well within Russia and wait for the Germans to reach it and fight a stalemate on that line.

In history the Russians stood and fought their ground in 1941 however your opponent can simply delay the German and horde his units to overwhelm the Germans in the Winter. Even if your German front line is 3 units deep your Russian opponent will smash through it after several turns in 1941. I think the Russians are too strong in 1941 especially the Winter.

The Russian fleet is totally unsinkable except to shore batteries, planes nor artillery will sink them they can be used to grind the germans to dust at Leningrad of Sevastopol, I think they should be made much weaker and easier to sink with artillery or planes. My opponent has found that engineer units can bridge the Taman peninsuka and move hordes of Russian units across it with ease surley this is a programming mistake?

I love the FITE2 scenario and would love to play someone that stands and fights like Russia actually did rather that run away and use delaying tactics.

As for the Russian airforce in my current game my opponent has an entire replenished airforce during the winter of 1941 and seems invincible.