DLC 1939 -75% prestige mode

[deducter]

How are the DLCs with -75% prestige compared with +5 strength to all AI units? I endeavor to find out during this holiday break.

No save/reload/restart, no disbanding of units for prestige (except captured units!), -75% prestige.

Also played an equipment table that IMO not only reflects more historically accurate unit stats, but also gives the AI even more advantages in general. Generally AI units received a slight buff, the player’s units received a very slight nerf, but SE units received a slight buff. Changes here:
[link] viewtopic.php?t=30708[/b]

Poznan:

Bought another 7.5 cm arty, those aren’t too bad if used correctly.

DV 11/14.

Danzig South:

Staring prestige 305. That’s enough for either another artillery, or another Stuka. I get another Stuka, as there are many cavalry/tanks on this map.

Received a SE infantry already.

Upgraded two Panzer IA to Panzer IB.

DV 14/14. Hard fought. Did not green reinforce once during battle.

Lodz

Starting prestige 300.

Received ANOTHER SE infantry. My luck is too good. Bought a second 10.5 cm arty.

DV 11/13. All the AUX units make this scenario pretty straight-forward.

Piatek

Starting prestige 319. Still down 3 core slots.

Purchased a second Bf-109 partway into the scenario. Might not be a good idea for Modlin.

Used cheats to give myself half the per-turn prestige.

DV 20/20, dared not cross the river, lest I incur too many losses. AI units still not too hard to defeat, but required spoiler information knowing where and roughly when each wave of attack came from, for I had to redeploy my units to meet the attacks. Probably would not have won DV without the two SE units.

Kampinsoka Forest

Starting prestige 140. Not a good sign.

Brutal battles all around in the forests. I had to reach for green reinforcements on some of my units.

DV 16/16, barely. I literally killed just the the bare minimum number of trains needed for DV with my very last unit. It could have easily been MV.

Modlin

Starting prestige 315. I normally like to have pioneers and 2 He-111 for this mission, except I can’t afford anything. My house rules say I’m not allowed to disband anything except captured units either, so now I’m in quite a bit of a pickle.

Bought a Do-17Z, which is now buffed so that it is slightly weaker than the old He-111. Didn’t seem too effective at destroying ammo or suppression, or really much of anything. It did remove enough ammo from the Modlin forts for it to have been worth it in the end.

Lost a 7.5 cm artillery when trying to enforce a surrender mechanic, killed by the Modlin fortress + AT gun attack.

DV 16/16, on the last turn. Ran out of prestige to reinforce when assaulting the fortress. Very tense.

Warsaw South:

Starting prestige 164. The key here is to capture as many artillery as fast as possible. So my forces rushed east and after getting all the extra artillery, the siege was much easier.

Lost no units, but was forced to reinforce many times, costing quite a bit of prestige.

The captured Polish artillery is the same as the 10.5 cm leFH 18, so now I’m back at 3 core artillery. I do not believe I adjusted the cost for this unit, so it is actually slightly more expensive than the German equivalent, which is probably fine.

Spoils of War

Starting prestige 610.

Need a 88 gun to deal with the various T-26/BT-5 tanks of the Russians. Purchased another 7.5 cm arty. That leaves 46 prestige. In other words, I cannot replace any losses sustained this scenario.

On the plus side, I finally filled out my core and then some, keeping a Do-17Z in reserve.

I-16 is still badly outclassed by the Bf-109E, but at least it doesn’t die too quickly now.

This is only SLIGHTLY easier than on Manstein, despite me winning a DV. For half the scenario I had no prestige to reinforce. Lost a panzer IB to an attack that way, although I admit if I positioned it better I could’ve saved it.

DV 20/20.

Oslo

My core has a grand total of 1 panzer IB, clearly insufficient for France. Purchased a PzIIIF to start getting it some exp.

Very easy scenario, not much to be said. DV 12/14.

Lillehammer

Starting prestige 432, upgraded a pioneer to have trucks, a +1 move SE infantry to grenadiers. I will need to save prestige still for Narvik/France.

Those hurricanes/gladiators did decent damage strafing my panzers.

Despite buffing the Hurricane, it is still quite easy to destroy with BF-109Es, but at least I am taking damage on my planes. Interesting AI behavior when it went after one of my stukas escorted by a strength 6 Bf-109. I think this only occurs if the AI either doesn’t spot the escort (not the case here I think) or if the combat predictions show the attacking fighter wont’ take much damage. I like it.

Pretty easy scenario, DV 14/18.

Narvik

Starting prestige 613. Tough choices to make here, I could use more anti-ship, I could use more panzers, and I could use more fighters. Went with the Bf-109 to deal with that nasty Spitfire

Naval battle was slightly harder than on Manstein, since I generally nerfed the anti-naval power of air units, and I didn’t have many air units to begin with.

The buff to the Allied air units is now much more strongly felt. The Whitley Mk.V, normally a joke, now took some time for my damaged Bf-109s to shoot down.

Siege of Narvik still very easy.

DV 13/18.

Conclusion: I am very pleased with these changes, as this is quite a different beast from Manstein. Some missions are just a tad easier, but on the whole the difficulty is roughly comparable. Modlin and Kampinsoka Forest felt harder, since they were fewer tools available and I made DV by the skin of my teeth, but Spoils of War was easier.

For the most part I was forced to make due with inferior equipment. That little Pak 36 that everyone I’m sure usually disbanded the second mission in was quite useful. It did reasonable damage to the early Polish tanks, and could even dent strongpoints too!

If I didn’t have spoiler information this would be almost impossible to play.

I hope the developers change Rommel to -75% in the next patch! I am of the strong opinion that the three bonus difficulties should all very roughly the same level of difficulty, but in very different ways. Manstein = best of all equipment, elite, overstrength vs the AI’s horde of 15+ strength units. Rommel = go go little Pak 36 and panzer IB! Guderian should probably be -33% turns for players to complain "WTF how are you supposed to get DV in Streets of Moscow in 16 turns?"

[VonHob]

This was a shock for me, all the changes in the strength of the AI. I'd previously easily beaten the main campaign on General level and started this on Oberst level since I was a bit rusty.

Poznan was ok, Danzig was ok too, but Lodz is unreal for me. I think that the Polish must have been coached by the Russians as the AT guns and Cavalry seems to come by the dozen! The AT guns seem really powerful, especially against my 38(t)s which get torn to shreds!

Not quite sure if I should be attacking the trains arriving at the top of the map, but its a real strain to reach it. Only managed a marginal victory on this one so far.

[brettz123]

This was a shock for me, all the changes in the strength of the AI. I'd previously easily beaten the main campaign on General level and started this on Oberst level since I was a bit rusty.

Poznan was ok, Danzig was ok too, but Lodz is unreal for me. I think that the Polish must have been coached by the Russians as the AT guns and Cavalry seems to come by the dozen! The AT guns seem really powerful, especially against my 38(t)s which get torn to shreds!

Not quite sure if I should be attacking the trains arriving at the top of the map, but its a real strain to reach it. Only managed a marginal victory on this one so far.

Stay away from the northern stuff. They won't attack you unless they approach them across the river.

[VonHob]

yeah thanks for that. I avoided them and managed the map easily in the end. Managed to complete all of the GC39 with DV. I'm really enjoying this!