Battlefield: Europe MOD v2.5

[bondjamesbond]

BE 2.5 is out now:

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/2u2vboxm ... 753h8&dl=0

Also updated the first page of this topic accordingly. Those who are using RumpNissen's wavy flags submod have to update that submod as well. Link is in the first page.


BE 2.5 Changes

Scenario changes
(for both single and multiplayer games - however, some of these do not affect the easier single player version of the main scenario)

- Several changes to the pre-Barbarossa scenarios e.g. no more free prestige per turn in France and Mediterranean Sea scenarios but the reward for major victory in France is 750 instead of 250 and there are more cities and airfields to capture, some Allied units have different starting placement, Bulgarian army does not take part in the invasion of Yugoslavia, etc.
- Difficulty screen revised for single player games, not recommended difficulties (Guderian and Manstein) are removed and replaced with ones that actually make sense for the mod and provide even more challenge for experienced players. More information is given in the pop-up boxes to help players to choose the right difficulty.
- Rate of fire value is now displayed (if other than 100%) in the unit information screen, next to the back and white unit image
- Most German artillery units have more ammunition while most Soviet artillery units have less
- Most Soviet heavy 76 and 85mm AA guns are now in static defense near industrial cities, the basic Soviet frontline AA is the lighter 37mm autocannon, as historically. The Soviets also get a few similar American 40mm M1 autocannons and now also have some improvised SPAA units (truck mounted 25mm autocannons).
- Major revise of railway lines in Russia, some historical railway lines are added in Russia, North Africa and the Middle East and elsewhere, some railway lines are now constructed/extended during the course of the scenario
- Some other map changes, several more cities added, terrain graphics, railways, etc. etc. improved here and there
- Escarpment is now a close terrain.
- Semi-arid terrain type added: it is like clear terrain but with low supply meaning ground units can only get half the normal supply on this, same as in desert, but their movement is not affected as in desert. Mud have less negative effect on the ground speed of units due to less precipitation in these areas. Semi-arid terrain also does not affect air units, both tropicalised and non-tropicalised air units can fly over it as if it was like open sea. (It has a neutral effect on air units.)
- Some of the French Atlantic ports now become impossible to capture by the Western Allies after D-day. Historically these were bypassed by the Allies and continued to resist until May 1945 as German pockets far behind the frontline. However, it also means that these lose their port functionality for the Axis as well.
- The Hungarian fortified lines in the Carpathian Mountains and the Finnish defenses in Karelia are also stronger now. These can significantly slow down Soviet advance or may even force them to bypass these defenses.
- Tobruk is better defended by British bottom mines. However, these mines start to weaken and then fully disappear after a few turns after Malta or Tobruk is captured by the Axis. (It is to reduce the usefulness of the Italian fleet in the siege of Tobruk as historically it did not assist in it due to a combination of British air and naval threat and a lack of fuel oil.)
- If the Axis is too passive in North Africa in 1941-42 by not capturing Tobruk or by retreating to Tripoli or outright evacuating all forces to Europe then the Soviets will receive more Western Allied units since those are not needed by the British in Africa in that case. Precisely: 2 extra Soviet Lend-Lease tanks and 2 fighter and 1 tactical bomber unit will spawn in the east for not capturing (by turn 27) and then not holding Tobruk until November 1942 (turn 36) + 1 additional tank unit for each of the three other Italian objective cities in North Africa if they are captured by the British earlier than historically (before turns 36-40) + 2 more fighters in this worst case. This may compel the Axis player to tie down some British units in North Africa as Rommel did.
- The German U-boat unit "29. Flottilla" appears later in the Mediterranean Sea (in turn 10), but now it has another hero and it will be reformed once as an understrength replacement unit if lost (between turn 32 and 65)
- The Allied side gets twice the prestige penalty (50 instead of 25 per turn, up to a maximum of 200) for every Axis naval unit on the North Atlantic convoy routes (as a kind of compensation for U-boats now being a little weaker in periscope depth and Western Allied destroyers having their naval attack increased in two steps in 1943 and 1944).
- Two more Italian battleships are added (Duilio and Andrea Doria), however, these have very low fuel confining them to their home port until at least two oilfields are captured and repaired
- Italian naval mines no longer disappear from the map in case of Italy's surrender
- June-July 1941 Syria-Lebanon campaign added
- South Africa nation added
- A few new units added, including South African/British Marmon-Herrington armoured cars (with many thanks to Birgeria for his excellent unit icons), these were the mainstay of British recons in North Africa from 1941 to mid 1942 when Humber and Daimler armoured cars started to appear in numbers
- V1 and V2 attacks against London give 50 prestige to the Axis (instead of 100 earlier) - the "easier" (or moderate) version of the mod remains unchanged in this regard. As a compensation, on the losing path the Axis side gets even more extra reinforcement units in 1944-45.
- Allied bombing raids now result in a 150 prestige points penalty per city per turn (instead of 100), but the "easier" (or moderate) version remains unchanged
- An additional German Ju 88C bomber destroyer unit will appear in early 1942
- Tactical and Strategic bombers now get a bonus air attack for every experience star (earlier they only got it for two stars)
- Anti-air units get only one bonus air attack for each experience star instead of two, but now get a bonus ground attack (soft and hard) for each star
- Infantry units now get one extra bonus hard attack and air attack for each star, land transports get the same bonuses as infantry units
- Soviets get less Valentine tanks but they get an understrength Churchill and a SU-76i (these are new units in the mod). They also get less heavy IS tanks and ISU self propelled guns, but more 120 mm mortars and a few more T-34 tanks.
- Several more new units added to both Axis and Allies, many unit icons, graphics improved
- The Italian submarine unit with the switchable Decima Flottiglia "frogman" mode starting at Crete is now replaced by a "normal" Italian submarine, but:
- The British battleships Valiant and Queen Elizabeth will be heavily damaged (effectively disappear from the map) in turn 13, following a scripted Italian frogman attack, as historically
- JG 27 in North Africa now starts the scenario in turn 1, but initially understrength (strength 7), and its max strength will only be increased to 10 in turn 6
- JG 1 in Germany now also starts the scenario understrength (strength 5), and its max strength will only be increased to 10 in turn 16
- The unfinished German aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin now appears as a captial ship, unable to refuel or resupply air units, and in order to complete her construction (turning it into a functional aircraft carrier unit) she has to spend some time in a German port city and it will also cost 400 prestige points over a period of 8 turns (50 per turn).
- Starting Axis unit experience is increased from 50 to 65 (only if played in single scenario or multiplayer mode, in campaign mode it is always 0 by default as a hard coded vanilla game feature)
- There are less late war Soviet heavy tanks and self-propelled guns
- Soviet air units have less starting experience
- Units no longer lose overstrength points when upgraded to another unit type
- 50 less Axis prestige points per turn from turn 20 in real and real+ single player versions (due to getting a few extra units for free + several Axis units being somewhat better, which means fewer losses + convoy routes being less well protected, meaning potentially more lucrative)


+ a lot of other small changes and fixes "under the hood" to improve overall stability and there are some more "quality of life" improvements here and there


Multiplayer changes

- Western Lend-lease tanks in Soviet service now have the "noupgrade" trait so these cannot be upgraded to a better T-34 right after they appear, they have to be used until the end of the war or until they are destroyed, as in reality. As a compensation, few more (like 3-4) T-34/76 tanks will spawn, including two at Stalingrad.
- British Desert Force is a bit weaker, at least early on (as a compensation for the stronger British naval mines at Tobruk)
- Axis side gets more German reinforcement units on the losing path
- Several messages improved, more information added to players on the various scenario mechanics
- Convoy units that reach Liverpool now generate 150 prestige points to the Allied player (instead of 200)
- A few more Soviet reinforcement units will appear in Iran instead of Russia, but only as long as the Allied side controls at least 4 victory objectives in the Middle East and the Soviets have at least one ground unit on the oil fields.
- As a compensation for the potential early loss of the tank unit with Rommel in North Africa, the tank unit would be reformed in Germany (until turn 36), however, without Rommel and with less experience.
- Soviet units between Leningrad and Moscow remain "frozen" (out of fuel) for longer than in the previous version. These will only activate in turn 31 so that it is somewhat easier for the Axis to successfully blockade Leningrad in 1941-42. On the other hand, now there are more passive Soviet units defending this area. Likewise, 3 Soviet units near Stalingrad now also activate in turn 31 instead of 13.
- Several new Soviet units appear a bit further behind Moscow in 1941, to avoid appearing behind Axis lines in case if the Axis is very successful early on
- There are a couple more "frozen" Soviet units appearing in turn 1-2 (a garrison infantry at Rzhev, and a couple more tank units close to the border)
- P-47C no longer available for upgrade (in reality it was produced in relatively small numbers)
- A few more early war Soviet light tanks will appear in 1941 but now these cannot be upgraded to better T-34 tanks
- Italian coastline is better defended by bottom mines to reduce the effectiveness of Allied naval bombardment


Unit stats and else (incomplete)

- Strongpoint units now have a range of 1, meaning they can attack nearby enemy units without risking return fire from them
- All artillery units have 2 spotting
- M3 Stuart has a bit lower ground defense also more expensive but a bit higher soft attack
- Soviet SU- and ISU- types have 1 less ground defense
- Pz.IIIJ available for upgrade earlier (turn 3 instead of turn 7)
- 5cm Pak 38 and units equipped with the long L/60 5cm tank gun (Pz.IIIJ-1, Pz.IIIL Pz.IIIM etc.) Hard Attack increased from 11 to 12
- Panzerwehrfer 42 SA increased to 14
- Early T-34 types and T-70 have 1 less initiative
- Speed of certain tanks revised (e.g. Valentines, Churchill, KV-1/42 are a little faster, but some heavy tanks no longer have wide tracked movement)
- Soviet 122mm tank gun 1 higher HA
- Me 410 is no longer in the Bf 110 family upgrade tree
- Ju 88C bomber destroyer added
- Bf 110F, Bf 110G, Ju 88G available later
- Ini/AA/AD stats of most Italian, German fighters are slightly changed, new subtypes Bf 109 G-6 (late model) and Fw 190A-8/R2, also late war Italian G.56 and Re.2006 added
- Ju 88 and He 111 subtypes added and also late war versions of Italian air units
- Most Axis bombers have less fuel
- Most Soviet mid/late war fighter types and Spitfire types have 1 less air attack
- Italian early fighters, Stukas, Romanian tactical bombers, air transports have a little higher air defense
- Most late war German infantry are a bit cheaper
- Soviet heavy self-propelled artillery have 1 less ammo
- Most Soviet towed artillery units have 2 less ammo
- SdKfz 232 (early version) not available for purchase
- Soviet Il-2 Sturmoviks have lower hard attack
- Soviet early LaGG-3 have 1 less air attack
- Valentine and Matilda II tanks have 1 more ground defense
- Matilda II tanks are now always normally understrength (max 8 strength), unless manual override in the editor for starting strength
- British strategic bombers have 1-2 extra air and ground defense to better represent that these were mainly used for night bombing
- 2 cm Flak 30/38 now costs 20% more
- AA autocannons have higher close defense
- Submarines have 1 less ground (naval) defense at periscope depth
- The naval attack of Western Allied destroyers is increased in two steps: in 1943 (turn 47) and 1944 (turn 73) as a result of the introduction of better anti-submarine tactics, sonars and weapon systems (like the Hedgehog and the Squid).
- Spotting range of UK and US destroyers reduced to 2
- Nashorn (late version of Hornesse) added, Hornisse/Nashorn are no longer in the same unit upgrade family with the StuG IV and Jagdpanzer IV
- German 28 cm K5 railway artillery added but early war Karl-Gerat heavy mortar now has only 2 range (max shooting range was only 6.4 km) and 1 max ammo, but much cheaper to replace its losses. Also the shooting range of some Soviet fortress defense artillery have been reduced so that it can get closer (even though the AI normally does not shoot at it with its artillery).
- Not really a stat change, but I changed the colour of the mid-war US air units to look more like olive green, made new or modified icons for P-38J, P-51C, late war Italian fighters and some others I forgot
- All together 390 unit icons were modified more or less (including several new additions)

+ several more that I forgot to write down, sorry

I’d like to offer my heartfelt congratulations to the creator of this mod on the release of the new version! We’ve been waiting, hoping and believing, and finally it’s happened! I assume we can now delete the old version?

[eskuche]

Congrats! May be tempted out of semi-retirement for a MP game or three
Any takers?

[bondjamesbond]

I even managed to complete the Polish campaign! Although one of the ships in Poland was out of fuel, and in Norway I can’t deploy my core unit from the troops that took part in the Polish campaign – was that the intended design?

[PeteMitchell]

Wow, let's count the days until we see the first total victory playthrough...

[PeteMitchell]

You can only deploy one plane in Norway, was always like this

[bondjamesbond]

You can only deploy one plane in Norway, was always like this

It’s been so long since I last played that I can’t remember ) Now you can’t even do that, though maybe I just don’t have a particular type of plane )))




It turned out to be quite an interesting situation in Norway: the damaged British battleship managed to escape, but the rest didn’t. But we’re moving on!

[McGuba]

Ah, yes, now it is not possible to deploy any existing core units in Norway. Previously it was possible to place a single air unit, preferably a Bf 109 fighter, but no longer since historically only one Gruppe of the Bf 109 equipped JG 77 took part in the invasion of Norway so it should not be a full strength Bf 109 unit. (A full strength fighter unit in the mod represents a full Jagdgeschwader with 3 Gruppen.) And this unit did not take part in the invasion of France from May, it stayed in Norway as the later stage of the Norway campaign coincided with the campaign in France.

But I noticed a little bug: it is still possible to purchase and deploy a single core unit in the Norway scenario which should not be the case, so I have just uploaded a fixed version of the mod which prevents that. It is not really necessary to re-download the mod only for that, everything else is the same.

[bondjamesbond]

Another victory, though not a decisive one, as in this universe the French were defending Paris—which didn’t actually happen!

[bondjamesbond]

And so, I’ve conquered the Balkans, Greece and Crete! Now we’re off to battle in the USSR and the rest of the world )













Which of the three options should I choose!? And what are the main differences between them?

[PeteMitchell]

What are your core units?

[bondjamesbond]

What are your core units?

I had four core units; I lost two in battle, leaving the two shown in the screenshot—a fighter and mountain infantry. I reckon I can still buy something with the 800 prestige points I have left before the start of 99 turns of fierce and brutal fighting!

[JimmyC]

Its fantastic that you are still supporting this mod and i cant wait to give it another go.

I recently did the Kursk scenario in 1.4 and lost due to underestimating Operation Dragoon (they advanced all the way into southern Germany where i had not put any defenses. I was doing well on all other fronts too and had the Normandy troops boxed in, plus was holding out in the East. The quick rush of the Dragoon forces really took me by surprise!

Regarding 2.5 changes...

- Most German artillery units have more ammunition while most Soviet artillery units have less

This will make a big difference. Nebelwerfers become much more attractive. It was also frustrating how the Russian self propelled artillery seemed to have more ammo than some of my towed artillery, so glad to see they will decrease too.

- If the Axis is too passive in North Africa in 1941-42 by not capturing Tobruk or by retreating to Tripoli or outright evacuating all forces to Europe then the Soviets will receive more Western Allied units since those are not needed by the British in Africa in that case. Precisely: 2 extra Soviet Lend-Lease tanks and 2 fighter and 1 tactical bomber unit will spawn in the east for not capturing (by turn 27) and then not holding Tobruk until November 1942 (turn 36) + 1 additional tank unit for each of the three other Italian objective cities in North Africa if they are captured by the British earlier than historically (before turns 36-40) + 2 more fighters in this worst case. This may compel the Axis player to tie down some British units in North Africa as Rommel did.

This will force the player to change tactics depending on what their objectives are. It is relatively easy to go for a minor victory by just abandoning Africa/Middle East entirely at the beginning and using them on the Eastern front. But doing so now, whilst still feasible, will be more costly.

- Allied bombing raids now result in a 150 prestige points penalty per city per turn (instead of 100), but the "easier" (or moderate) version remains unchanged
- Anti-air units get only one bonus air attack for each experience star instead of two, but now get a bonus ground attack (soft and hard) for each star
- British strategic bombers have 1-2 extra air and ground defense to better represent that these were mainly used for night bombing

These 2 changes will make it much harder to rely on AA both for defending the Reich, but also covering your blocking forces during Normandy. I think it will result in me keeping 1 extra fighter over the Reich than i previously did.

- 50 less Axis prestige points per turn from turn 20 in real and real+ single player versions (due to getting a few extra units for free + several Axis units being somewhat better, which means fewer losses + convoy routes being less well protected, meaning potentially more lucrative)

Ouch. Less per turn prestige + extra loss from bombing raids will be very hard on prestige. Also, no way to get a prestige buffer anymore by doing the earlier missions. This is going to be tough...

I'm currently overseas, but when i get back in about 1 week time i will give it a playthrough on hard/General/full random dice. I really want to give Sealion a go, but will wait for someone else to try it first to get some tips. Instead, I plan to do the following this time round:
1. Aim for a minor victory by defeating the Soviets, but this time i will ignore the Soviet oilfields/Caucuses and focus on Moscow, Leningrad + Stalin's bunker.
2. Focus on destroying the Allied forces in North Africa/Middle East and aim to take the Iraq oilfields by crossing the desert. I will put a lot of effort early in this theatre as I will need the oil. But how to break through the Allied defensive line at El Alamein before i get Panthers...?
3. Hold against the Normandy landings west of Paris. I have much experience doing this, but its going to be much more difficult considering the nerfs to AA. But do the Luftwaffe dare to contest this theatre?

[JimmyC]

mistaken post.

[Slartibartfast]

Thanks again McGuba! Gonna start on the updated single player today!!

[McGuba]

And so, I’ve conquered the Balkans, Greece and Crete! Now we’re off to battle in the USSR and the rest of the world )

Nice!

Which of the three options should I choose!? And what are the main differences between them?

Since you have suffered several losses and do not have a lot of prestige I would certainly recommend the easiest of the three, the one on the top named "Moderate".

In this version the Allies will have about 30% less units compared to the other two, making it easier, but it can be still quite challenging to win, depending on the overall strategy and the tactical skills of the player.

I have checked the replays that you uploaded, many thanks for those! From what I saw, it looks like you have used the more expensive elite replacements for the auxiliary units in those early scenarios and that should be the main reason for not having enough prestige. By all means, in these early scenarios only the core units should get this expensive elite replacement, and all other auxiliary units should only get the cheaper green replacements in order to save prestige for the upgrade of the core units and to save at least some prestige for the start of the main scenario. Giving elite replacements to the auxiliary units is a waste of prestige in these early scenarios since these units are not carried over to the next scenario, so spending too much on them is like throwing money out of the window. In fact, in these early scenarios the player should spend as little as possible on unit replacements, even on green replacements, for the same reason.

Perhaps it should be better communicated to the players, but it was yet another thing that I thought should be obvious, so I guess it is my fault to some extent at least.


If you want to achieve a victory, you may also need to reduce the difficulty to "Lieutenant". The difficulty can be reduced between two scenarios as well:

diffi.jpg (298.02 KiB) Viewed 277 times

Lieutenant provides more prestige to the Axis and a little less prestige and experience to the Allies.
There is also a "Sergeant" difficulty, but I think that's too easy, that's really for beginners or just to have fun.



...


P.S.

Where is this moving gif coming from? Who created this? It looks really fantastic!

[bondjamesbond]

And so, I’ve conquered the Balkans, Greece and Crete! Now we’re off to battle in the USSR and the rest of the world )

Nice!

Which of the three options should I choose!? And what are the main differences between them?

Since you have suffered several losses and do not have a lot of prestige I would certainly recommend the easiest of the three, the one on the top named "Moderate".

In this version the Allies will have about 30% less units compared to the other two, making it easier, but it can be still quite challenging to win, depending on the overall strategy and the tactical skills of the player.

I have checked the replays that you uploaded, many thanks for those! From what I saw, it looks like you have used the more expensive elite replacements for the auxiliary units in those early scenarios and that should be the main reason for not having enough prestige. By all means, in these early scenarios only the core units should get this expensive elite replacement, and all other auxiliary units should only get the cheaper green replacements in order to save prestige for the upgrade of the core units and to save at least some prestige for the start of the main scenario. Giving elite replacements to the auxiliary units is a waste of prestige in these early scenarios since these units are not carried over to the next scenario, so spending too much on them is like throwing money out of the window. In fact, in these early scenarios the player should spend as little as possible on unit replacements, even on green replacements, for the same reason.

Perhaps it should be better communicated to the players, but it was yet another thing that I thought should be obvious, so I guess it is my fault to some extent at least.


If you want to achieve a victory, you may also need to reduce the difficulty to "Lieutenant". The difficulty can be reduced between two scenarios as well:

diffi.jpg

Lieutenant provides more prestige to the Axis and a little less prestige and experience to the Allies.
There is also a "Sergeant" difficulty, but I think that's too easy, that's really for beginners or just to have fun.



...


P.S.

Where is this moving gif coming from? Who created this? It looks really fantastic!

Dear author, I’ve played your mod in various versions and on the hardest difficulty setting, but there’s no way around it – in the end, the Allied forces will take Berlin and fascism will be finished! I suppose I really do need to choose the easy route so that our Nazis and their allies have at least some chance of rewriting real history into an alternative one! As for the fact that I generously upgraded all my units, including the minor ones and those temporarily assigned, you’re right—it didn’t occur to me to hide my own small core force behind the backs of others! But I can always replay it! Well, on the other hand, even if I had 10–12 personal units, they still wouldn’t manage to be supermen across the whole front, as the scale of the territory is enormous )))

I used this programme to create this GIF!
https://problembo.com/ru/services/ai-video-generator

[McGuba]

Thanks again McGuba! Gonna start on the updated single player today!!

Nice!
Please let us informed about your progress and experience, every feedback helps to improve the mod in the future, which is good for everyone.

Its fantastic that you are still supporting this mod and i cant wait to give it another go.

And we can't wait to learn how you are doing in your next attempt!

I recently did the Kursk scenario in 1.4 and lost due to underestimating Operation Dragoon (they advanced all the way into southern Germany where i had not put any defenses. I was doing well on all other fronts too and had the Normandy troops boxed in, plus was holding out in the East. The quick rush of the Dragoon forces really took me by surprise!

Ah, yeah, apparently in 2.5 I have also made the Dragoon invasion a little stronger than in 2.4 and before. I mean now it is a bit stronger than earlier. It is one of those smaller changes that I forgot to add to the list. As I remember I added like 2 extra infantry and 2 extra tank units or something like that. But the Normandy landing force and the Italian invasion force was reduced by the same amount. So basically I just moved a few Allied units to Dragoon from these.

Mainly because I had a feeling that most other players could deal with Dragoon fairly easily, or at least that was the general feedback from most other recent AARs. Oh well...

I plan to do the following this time round:
1. Aim for a minor victory by defeating the Soviets, but this time i will ignore the Soviet oilfields/Caucuses and focus on Moscow, Leningrad + Stalin's bunker.
2. Focus on destroying the Allied forces in North Africa/Middle East and aim to take the Iraq oilfields by crossing the desert. I will put a lot of effort early in this theatre as I will need the oil. But how to break through the Allied defensive line at El Alamein before i get Panthers...?
3. Hold against the Normandy landings west of Paris. I have much experience doing this, but its going to be much more difficult considering the nerfs to AA. But do the Luftwaffe dare to contest this theatre?

Interesting approach. Coincidentally, I just watched a very interesting video on youtube last night about pretty much the same thing:


What if Hitler took the Mediterranean & Middle East? ‘Game over’ for the Soviet Union….
On this episode of History Undone, Fergus Macphee is joined by Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry and Dr Klaus Schmider to discuss a plan that Nazi Germany never went through with. At the end of 1940, Hitler faced a choice of where to head next and Admiral Raeder's thoughts were clear: head south through the Mediterranean, capture British Empire strongholds and push through to the oil fields. Yet that never happened and Barbarossa was launched in 1941. Yet what if the Germans had taken that other option? This is History Undone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McB55QAWB6E

It is a really interesting video, I highly recommend to every player of this mod. In general, this yt channel looks quite interesting with some other similar "what if" scenarios discussed by real experts.

Many of what they are discussing is actually relevant to this mod as well. At some point they also argue that instead of going towards the Donbas and the Caucasus from the north, the Germans should have only gone for Leningrad and Moscow, and then reach Baku from the south through the Middle East, which would have been KO for the Soviet Union. Which is very similar to your plan, with the only difference of going towards Baku with the Afrika Korps instead of southeast for the Iraq oilfields. But I think if the Afrika Korps is reinforced enough, it can even do both. Luckily, all of this can be tested in practice with this mod.

As for how to break through at Alamein, I think Uhu is the best to ask, he has a lot of experience in this. But now things have changed quite a bit with the newly added British bottom mines around Tobruk and Alexandria. These prevent the Italian navy from bombarding the British coastal defenses for the most part.

So I would say now it requires at least two 3 range German artillery units being transferred to North Africa, perhaps even one of these could be a 4 range one, but then that would be missed very badly in the east. And then also some more air units, preferably some extra strat bombers, these with the extra artillery can compensate for the lack of Italian naval units and bombard the defenses to submission. And of course perhaps 1-2 extra fighter for air superiority. But again, these would be missed elsewhere.

In my last multiplayer match I almost managed to break through at Alamein by using 2 extra German tank and 1 extra German artillery and 1 extra 88mm AA gun unit. And this was against a very talented human player, not against the silly AI. (Even if the AI has in general more units in the single player versions, it is easier to beat it.) The main reason for my failure was some extremely unlucky dice rolls. But it was really close:


turn 29:

29.03.jpg (630.33 KiB) Viewed 254 times

turn 32:

32.02.jpg (614.26 KiB) Viewed 254 times

turn 33:

33.09.jpg (653.39 KiB) Viewed 254 times

After that I had to withdraw because of the Torch landing and also because of new British forces arriving in the Suez canal area. I did not have enough units in the area to stop both of these. In retrospect, I do believe that if I had yet another 3 range German artillery in the area, it could have made the difference, allowing me to break through and capture Alexandria and Cairo before the arrival of the British Suez landing force. If that happens, then those British units spawn in the Persian Gulf instead.


EDIT:

Ah, I just see it that in the screenshots I posted there is still a British battleship moored at Alexandria, which could provide defensive fire, reducing the attackers. But this was the pre-release beta version of the BE 2.5. Now in the current version this battleship also disappears following the historical Italian frogmen attack in late 1941, thanks to such a script I added after that. So in fact now it is a bit easier to break through there in both single and multiplayer versions.

[RobertCL]

Hi,

Thx for this great work.
If I start Barbarossa, Abadan and two other cities are Iranian.
If I used saved games (Moscow, Stalingrad, kursk, Overloard), Abadan is British (no more Iranian flags).
Is it intended ?

Thx

[McGuba]

Hi,

Thx for this great work.
If I start Barbarossa, Abadan and two other cities are Iranian.
If I used saved games (Moscow, Stalingrad, kursk, Overloard), Abadan is British (no more Iranian flags).
Is it intended ?

Thx

Yes, because Operation Barbarossa was started in June 1941 and the Anglo-Soviet invasion of officially neutral Iran happened in August 1941:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Sov ... on_of_Iran
so basically between Axis turn 5 and 6.

Dear author, I’ve played your mod in various versions and on the hardest difficulty setting, but there’s no way around it

Yes, rewriting history is not an easy task, and it really should not be! Only the most skilled and seasoned armchair generals are able to turn the tide on the higher difficulties! It requires a lot of dedication, planning, learning and a little bit of luck as well in addition to all these!

But that's why there is the "Moderate" version of the mod, and the lower than General difficulty levels. These can provide an easier and somewhat less stressful experience, although at the cost of some historical accuracy.

I used this programme to create this GIF!
https://problembo.com/ru/services/ai-video-generator

Ah, ok, thanks, so we have to start to prepare for the AI take over...
And this Tiger tank slowly rolling towards the unsuspecting observer is truly menacing as well.




But it is a little bit strange that in the meantime the bombers in the sky above the tank stand still.

[JimmyC]

Thanks for the tips about El Alamein defences. In my last 2.4 playthrough i tried it using the Italian artillery already in the area (all of which has range 2) and a sIG 33(Sf) II (also range 2). Needless to say it didnt go well.

In other playthroughs i did, i always waited for Panthers before attacking here and also Leningrad. I find Panthers so strong when they are first available, especially against the fixed defenders that are usually somewhat obsolete by that stage (albeit heavily entrenched).

Will also check out that youtube you suggested. I wonder in real life that the logistics of such an endeavor would be basically impossible (to provision such a large force in the desert). Will give it a go though and post up the results. I might also make a small AAR with some screenshots.

I'm waiting for Uhu to attempt Sealion so i can get some tips on that! He is the ultimate expert for this mod in my opinion!