Taxman66
Posts: 1665
Joined: 3/19/2008 From: Columbia, MD. USA Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: BillRunacre I think that Hubert has covered all my own thoughts on massed air units, this has been on our radar since it was first flagged up but deciding how to address an issue is crucial. Particularly as I would rather we avoid introducing extra micro-management to the game, so sometimes the solution may lie in a different approach, as I think it might do here. It seems from following the feedback over recent months that the Axis getting their hands on Algiers is the ultimate problem, and therefore I have implemented some changes to increase the diplomatic penalties for an Axis declaration of war on Algeria, and to also have the USA included in this. Algiers will have a slightly stronger unit defending it from Axis attack too. Diplomacy against Majors has also been raised as a concern, and while I have come up with a more significant idea that should work better in future games (with full testing, as it is a bigger change) it seems that raising the cost in this game should make the investment a higher penalty and therefore more of a decision, i.e. will it be worth investing in a chit? Maybe, but it won't be as easy a decision to make as it has been. Concerns have also been raised about the power of Tactical Bombers, and a simple solution is to decrease their build limit by 1 for the USA, USSR, Germany and Italy, while compensating by increasing their Medium Bomber build limits by 1. This means that a higher proportion of air units will be concentrating on demoralization and less on unit damage. There are also a few other changes, e.g. giving the USSR a chit in Anti-Tank Weapons from the start, and making Leningrad less vulnerable to attack from the south. It is a delicate balancing act and getting things right is very important to us. This is why we don't always comment when issues are raised because often seeing how the conversation develops is the best approach, and players frequently offer solutions to problems that jump off the page at us and I'll find myself emailing the suggestion to Hubert, or he will to me. Bill Bill, Algeria I'm not sure that increasing the diplomatic penalty is going to mean much. Algeria -> Spain (Diplo or DE603) -> Gibraltar is so valuable to the Axis that it won't matter what the cost is to get it. Strengthening the Algerian unit doesn't mean much in the face of massed Luftwaffe, which is going to be needed in North Africa anyway to root out Casablanca to get to the DE trigger. Additionally, wouldn't the stronger unit also be a bigger pain for the US to take out via Operation Torch (if they get the chance)? I would prefer the following instead: Make Malta & Gibraltar harder to take out. The Rock should be a Mountain with a Fortress and possibly allow full (6 or 8) supply to her ports. The GARR should be replaced with an elite Shore Battery. I would also like to see/suggest adjusting Spain: 1. DE 603 is too cheap (and easy); 2. Perhaps the Allies could have an (expensive) DE to counter DE 603; 3. Spain should still be recovering from her Civil War thus her economic benefit should be reduced and her armed forces should be smaller and weaker. Massed Air Another suggestion: TAC bombers shouldn't remove entrenchment until level 3 (or perhaps remove 1/2 of an entrenchment at level 2. i.e. need 2 TAC bomber attacks to remove 1 entrenchment). As a side note: Why is shore bombardment vs. units (i.e. not resource hexes) so ineffective compared to bombers? I get it that the Allies have a lot of Battleships, but it would be nice if it could at least remove entrenchment. Diplomacy vs. Majors Ugh... you are taking a high risk gamble situation and just... increasing the risk. If I want to play craps I'll go to a casino instead of playing a war game. I would much rather see Diplomacy vs. Majors work in the opposite direction. Make the Chits 50 MPP (like everything else) but cut the results of a hit to 1/3 or 1/4. Russian AT chit The argument for giving AT level 1 outright is that they then can't sell it off. If your AT level is 2 lower than the enemy tanks, you're better off having invested in something else instead. Not even sure what I'm arguing for here, just making observation.
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"Part of the $10 million I spent on gambling, part on booze and part on women. The rest I spent foolishly." - George Raft
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