Beta 2

[jkile]

MY 2/3 cents on beta 2. Over all the new camapigns tower over the original, now represented by 1.01. The main thing is the maps now don't feel contrived; you're not foreced to fight on a very narrow and heavily entrenched front on every map!!!The new ones come closer to the open field warfare of the early war. I can't really say what's an exact favorite(s); but maybe the three Norway ones, because they're varied in victory conditions, plus the navel being involved.

To some drawbacks. I still feel combat results of specific units are out of step!!; ie, tank vs infantry in clear terrain, tank vs artillery or anti-air(infantry substituted for tank) and infantry vs anti-tank(un-wheeled). Results are to much, shouldn't have any where near some of results I see, on Col. level or below(if interested seemy comments in Feedback section). Ihave seen caverlry get 30-40% or more against tanks in open.Because of this, I don't even try higher levels, because it would be to frustrating to see tanks destroyed 100% by cavalry or infantry. I played each of these new ones on Col.(also on Leut. and did very well all the way thru.); the 1939 one I got to Calais senario and quit, because half my force was at 50% or less, 3 out of 7 tanks were 1 or 2 pts, and there was no way to repair or to use even minimal replacements. I had already killed off 6+ AI tanks and visable was 5 more at full strength. The AI never runs out of prestige to regenerate. There are some senariors, where I have killed 12+ tanks, and 8-10 airplanes, and they keep coming. All the while, the player is limited to maybe 6 tanks, and 2-3 fighters, if your lucky. AND I read some comments that as you play at field marshall+ there's even more/stronger units to face at high levels. Seems totally unbalanced. One of my big issues with 1.01 was the feeling that the AI knew where and when the German army was coming, and in new ones you have aaddressed this. GREAT!! Hitler's Germany secretly prepared for war. The allies didn't know when, nor did they even guess how to fight Blitzkriege. They thought WWII would be very like WWI. So, I think you need to rethink the ability of the Allies to regenerate so profusely, and the German army not to even have a semblence of resupply/regeneration. I think there needs to be a turn-by-turn stipen of prestige in individual senarios, especially in defensive ones where there's not much opportunity to capture some. OR captured VP should be worth very much more. Or in defensive ones get prestige for killing or wouding enemy units. At this time in the war the surplus of men and machines should be on the German side by far. Once the Russian campaign got into second year, the strain on Germany should begin to show, not in 39 & 40.

Now to some things , I'd like to see . Some senarios have to few airbases; like Albert Canal and Dunkirk. Or have engineer unit that can build them!
Support troops need some kind of visable designation, put a red ring around or something. Also, the AI units moving, attacking, and being entrenched 3 or more pts the very next turn, especially if adjacient to players units. Also, the AI ability to totally build back to 10pts when players units adjacient; player can't. Give to both or to neither. Plus AI being able to put new units down next to players adjacient units. Haven't run into yet, but bet player couldn't do. I also have voice objection to K-2 tank in Spoils; totally bogus; if , according to your library, K-1 didn't go into production until early 1940, then how can K-2 be here????

IN conclusion, I want to say these new ones are great. And my purpose in being picky, is not to toot my own horn. I have been a military history buff for ove 50 yrs and I have picked on other gamer makers( like Creative Assembly's lame production of a Napoleanic title). MY purpose is hopefully, down the road gamers will come accross the game and just be blown away by this one. This new work is getting there! I give this B+ vs 1.01, a C-. I hope future campaigns will be very much like these new betas.

To many games, not enought time.

[Kerensky]

MY 2/3 cents on beta 2. Over all the new camapigns tower over the original, now represented by 1.01. The main thing is the maps now don't feel contrived; you're not foreced to fight on a very narrow and heavily entrenched front on every map!!!The new ones come closer to the open field warfare of the early war. I can't really say what's an exact favorite(s); but maybe the three Norway ones, because they're varied in victory conditions, plus the navel being involved.

To some drawbacks. I still feel combat results of specific units are out of step!!; ie, tank vs infantry in clear terrain, tank vs artillery or anti-air(infantry substituted for tank) and infantry vs anti-tank(un-wheeled). Results are to much, shouldn't have any where near some of results I see, on Col. level or below(if interested seemy comments in Feedback section). Ihave seen caverlry get 30-40% or more against tanks in open.Because of this, I don't even try higher levels, because it would be to frustrating to see tanks destroyed 100% by cavalry or infantry. I played each of these new ones on Col.(also on Leut. and did very well all the way thru.); the 1939 one I got to Calais senario and quit, because half my force was at 50% or less, 3 out of 7 tanks were 1 or 2 pts, and there was no way to repair or to use even minimal replacements. I had already killed off 6+ AI tanks and visable was 5 more at full strength. The AI never runs out of prestige to regenerate. There are some senariors, where I have killed 12+ tanks, and 8-10 airplanes, and they keep coming. All the while, the player is limited to maybe 6 tanks, and 2-3 fighters, if your lucky. AND I read some comments that as you play at field marshall+ there's even more/stronger units to face at high levels. Seems totally unbalanced. One of my big issues with 1.01 was the feeling that the AI knew where and when the German army was coming, and in new ones you have aaddressed this. GREAT!! Hitler's Germany secretly prepared for war. The allies didn't know when, nor did they even guess how to fight Blitzkriege. They thought WWII would be very like WWI. So, I think you need to rethink the ability of the Allies to regenerate so profusely, and the German army not to even have a semblence of resupply/regeneration. I think there needs to be a turn-by-turn stipen of prestige in individual senarios, especially in defensive ones where there's not much opportunity to capture some. OR captured VP should be worth very much more. Or in defensive ones get prestige for killing or wouding enemy units. At this time in the war the surplus of men and machines should be on the German side by far. Once the Russian campaign got into second year, the strain on Germany should begin to show, not in 39 & 40.

Now to some things , I'd like to see . Some senarios have to few airbases; like Albert Canal and Dunkirk. Or have engineer unit that can build them!
Support troops need some kind of visable designation, put a red ring around or something. Also, the AI units moving, attacking, and being entrenched 3 or more pts the very next turn, especially if adjacient to players units. Also, the AI ability to totally build back to 10pts when players units adjacient; player can't. Give to both or to neither. Plus AI being able to put new units down next to players adjacient units. Haven't run into yet, but bet player couldn't do. I also have voice objection to K-2 tank in Spoils; totally bogus; if , according to your library, K-1 didn't go into production until early 1940, then how can K-2 be here????

IN conclusion, I want to say these new ones are great. And my purpose in being picky, is not to toot my own horn. I have been a military history buff for ove 50 yrs and I have picked on other gamer makers( like Creative Assembly's lame production of a Napoleanic title). MY purpose is hopefully, down the road gamers will come accross the game and just be blown away by this one. This new work is getting there! I give this B+ vs 1.01, a C-. I hope future campaigns will be very much like these new betas.

To many games, not enought time.

Interesting feedback, a couple of points though.

The relationships between tanks, infantry, air defense is mostly balance related. This topic has come up a few times in the live game, but that's just how the game is. Units with an attack value of 1 (cavalry) sometimes get lucky rolls and do more damage than they receive to something like a Panzer II or III.

Also, defensive scenarios in the DLC do have per turn income.