best unit type balance

[FrancoisPhilidor]

I have seen many players with a completely unbalanced unit type composition (too many battleships, too much artillery etc). So I would just like to get everybody's opinion on what the perfect unit balance is, that just feels natural. This is mine.


LAND

6 infantry
2 heavy infantry
2 engineer

1 scout
3 tanks

1 AT gun
1 AA gun
1 artillery

AIR

1 scout
3 fighters
5 bombers


SEA

7 destroyers
3 cruisers
1 battleship
1 carrier
1 support ship
2 submarines

[terminator]

LAND: I like having more of scouts, light AT guns, light AA guns, medium artillery, and engineers with dependable transport.

AIR: scout only when 1 CP remains.

[cutydt02]

I think it depends on scenario. For example, i use more dual purposes 88/anti tank in defense missions, more AA in endsieg, more infantries in blitzkrieg, tanks in panzerkrieg. Infantries in general are stronger early and falls off gradually late game, in opposite to tanks.

Or by factions. German has better tactical/dual purpose bombers while allies have way better strategic bomber. Also, German has light 75mm artillery, which is very, very efficent. Meanwhile Italy has good 149mm artilleries and best dual purpose AA/AT.

[Ocelotl]

I wouldn't argue with OPs set up. Its just that its a bit of a subjective question, different scenarios require different tools so there really is not a single optimal "formation". Also, its subject to playing style, for instance if you gave me 6 inf, 2 heavy inf and 2 engineers for a game I wouldn't complain, but I just played the Blitzkrieg campaign and I did not buy a single heavy infantry unit. Not that they aren't useful its that they are expensive and require more CP than other units,are slow, better for defense rather than a fast moving offense. I took FJ or regular infantry over heavy infantry or Id buy two engineers over heavy infantry just to cover more ground.

[Halvralf]

I agree with others that it is scenario dependent but also very important is what difficulty you play. If playing colonel difficulty and above artillery and strat bombers becomes more important.

[GabeKnight]

I agree with others that it is scenario dependent but also very important is what difficulty you play. If playing colonel difficulty and above artillery and strat bombers becomes more important.

This.

Playing level III difficulty, I had mostly tac. bombers, tanks and weak/medium anti-tank units in my roster. But you can't afford that playing higher difficulties. The enemy fighter planes would shoot down the tac. bombers in one turn. The high "air defense" stats of strat bombers make them almost immune to enemy fighters - at least most of the time...

On another note, personally I like to use heavy infantry units. They can hide inside a forest hex and use their mortar ability to bomb some enemy unit into submission...
And ever tried to dislodge an entrenched heavy infantry unit off a city, mountain or difficult terrain hex?

[Ocelotl]

My basic set up:
Land units
1 heavy inf.
1 marine or gebirgsjager (or similar unit that has low or no efficiency loss from terrain)
1 infantry
1 engineer
1-2 armor (should cp permit it)
2 artillery
1 aa/at capable unit similar to a German 88 where it can take on the role of aa or at.
1 scout car
*usually I will have the above x2 meaning two separate attack groups. Scenarios usually require forces to be split up by having multiple objectives and limited time.

Naval units
wouldn't change OPs setup other than preferring 2 carriers as opposed to one.

Air units
I would flip the fighter to bomber ratio and try to add more scouts should extra command points allow it.
5-4 fighter
3 bombers (two tactical one strategic)
2-3 scouts

I like to wrest air superiority from the enemy right off the bat.

[terminator]

Air units
I would flip the fighter to bomber ratio and try to add more scouts should extra command points allow it.
5-4 fighter
3 bombers (two tactical one strategic)
2-3 scouts

I like to wrest air superiority from the enemy right off the bat.

So many scout airplanes ?

Reconnaissance aircraft are the preferred target of enemy hunting because they are undefended.
I use a scout airplane when I have one air CP remaining.

P.S. I prefer using land-based scout units.

[Ocelotl]

The thing about scout planes is 1 they are incredibly cheap (20 rp) 2 they only use one command point and 3 they are expendable. What you get in return is constant knowledge of the enemy position. Even if they are expendable I just played the Rising Sun campaign and I only lost a handful of them, 3 maybe 4 tops for the whole campaign. Like I said in my earlier post the claim, "best unit type balance" is incredibly subjective. When you have deal with both naval combat and land combat it makes scout planes even more essential. The last scenario I played I had 29 command points for aircraft. The scenario had land and sea operations so 3 scouts in that scenario are required, in my opinion. If I had only 12 command points for aircraft well then it would be different.