Europe Total War

[grau81]

Why wouldn't we be able to purchase new units, if we would gain more prestige by conquering more territories rich with resources?

[hinryu70]

Why wouldn't we be able to purchase new units, if we would gain more prestige by conquering more territories rich with resources?

In ETW, the "no purchases" rule is intentional and part of the campaign's design/balance.

Historically, the Axis didn't have an infinite supply of new formations to magically create anywhere/anytime. ETW seeks to model a war in which you manage your available forces, not build a constantly growing super-core.

From a gameplay perspective, if unit purchases were allowed, the optimal strategy would be: accumulate resources → snowballing prestige → purchase infinite new units, and the entire "survival campaign" structure would collapse.

In ETW, new formations appear progressively through turns/events (historical reinforcements, reorganizations, redeployments, and especially new operations during WWII), so the campaign remains paced and believable.

Furthermore, the prestige economy isn't designed to grow indefinitely: it's possible to accumulate some at the beginning of the war, but from 1943 onward, the Axis economy becomes increasingly restricted. Previously accumulated prestige is primarily used to:
-resupply and rebuild damaged units after heavy battles,
-pay for upgrades/conversions,
-keep key formations operational under increasing Allied/Soviet pressure.

Thus, the "no purchases" rule keeps ETW focused on logistics, preservation of key units, and long-term resource management, rather than turning it into a bonanza of prestige and conquest.

[PeteMitchell]

The question could be if some players may assume a defense first strategy...

[eskuche]

The question could be if some players may assume a defense first strategy...

I think the extreme AI turn times, which decrease with fewer enemy units on board, may act as incentive to not pursue that

[hinryu70]

The question could be if some players may assume a defense first strategy...

I think the extreme AI turn times, which decrease with fewer enemy units on board, may act as incentive to not pursue that

Yes, a “defense first” approach is possible early on — ETW doesn’t force you to rush offensively.

That said, the Eastern Front in ETW is still driven by the historical timeline: the Soviet build-up and major offensives will happen anyway. New Soviet forces will appear as the war progresses and the pressure will shift forward in phases (Volga → Don → Donets → Dnieper → Dniester → Vistula → Oder).

So even if you play cautiously and try to conserve strength, the key question remains the same:

Can you hold Berlin until May 1945 — or will it fall earlier?

That’s basically the core “survival campaign” challenge ETW is built around.

[jeffoot77]

hello,

Just some feedback from my walkthrought (v 1.0 / chess mode / field marshall)

- turn 120 : i have taken (too easily?) leningrad with only finland troops! ( i use some german planes to destroy russian boats)
- i m rushing on moscow: first entrenchments have fallen (with use of a minecleaner).
- still holding the cairo and all egypt.

- sevastopol is no more russian and i use naval boats to transport infantery to next south caucasius area.

Always a pleasant mod, i m wondering what will be next after russian campaign. Thxs for all this!

[hinryu70]

hello,

Just some feedback from my walkthrought (v 1.0 / chess mode / field marshall)

- turn 120 : i have taken (too easily?) leningrad with only finland troops! ( i use some german planes to destroy russian boats)
- i m rushing on moscow: first entrenchments have fallen (with use of a minecleaner).
- still holding the cairo and all egypt.

- sevastopol is no more russian and i use naval boats to transport infantery to next south caucasius area.

Always a pleasant mod, i m wondering what will be next after russian campaign. Thxs for all this!

Hi dijeffoot77, thanks a lot for the detailed report!

Yes, I can confirm it: v1.0 (the one that reaches the final turn) is generally more forgiving for the Axis, especially in the early years, and it can lead to very unhistorical outcomes (fast breakthroughs and objectives taken too easily).

That’s exactly why in the latest updated version I fixed and rebalanced several things:

various bugs and triggers cleaned up,

overall balance improved (including prestige),

defensive lines and minefields strengthened in key areas to prevent unrealistic breakthroughs and to better represent the heavy Soviet pressure once it truly starts.

So it’s great that you’re doing well in v1.0 — it’s also a useful test — but the new build should feel more “ETW-like” and much tougher as the war progresses.

Happy holidays to you too, and thanks again for the feedback!

[PeteMitchell]

Still, anyone tried a defensive strategy yet?

[hinryu70]

Still, anyone tried a defensive strategy yet?

Personally, no — I haven’t really tried a full “defense first” strategy yet. I’ve mostly played ETW in a fairly historical way.

Right now I’m taking a short break, but after the holidays I’ll restart from Turn 1 with the latest updated version and see how it goes (including how viable a more defensive approach actually is).

[jeffoot77]

turn 126 : moscow has fallen , no message, is it normal ?

[hinryu70]

turn 126 : moscow has fallen , no message, is it normal ?

Yes, because it's anti-historical and unexpected. There are many bugs in version 1.0 that I fixed... in version 1.04, this shouldn't happen. Sorry.

[seperon]

Hello, is it possible that the file Europe Total War.pzloc is missing from the current download? Because no matter how I install the mod, I can't start the scenario or see it in the selection. Or I'm just too stupid to find the file, that's also possible

Greetings Seperon

[hinryu70]

Hello, is it possible that the file Europe Total War.pzloc is missing from the current download? Because no matter how I install the mod, I can't start the scenario or see it in the selection. Or I'm just too stupid to find the file, that's also possible

Greetings Seperon

Hi Seperon, don’t worry.

About Europe Total War.pzloc: that file is not required to start the scenario. In many cases .pzloc (localization) files are generated/created automatically by the game/editor.

If you can’t see the scenario in the selection list, it’s usually a folder path / folder structure issue. Please double-check this:

Try placing only this file → Europe Total War.pzscn here:
Documents\My Games\Panzer Corps\My Scenarios

Greetings!

[seperon]

Done, it works now. I'm not sure if I simply overlooked it. Thanks for the help and especially for the mod.

[ridilla2001]

where can I get the files for this modification?

[hinryu70]

where can I get the files for this modification?

Hi, you can find the download link in the first posts of this thread.