DLC 42 Feedback

[RobertCL]

Hi,

On Friday evening I purchased DLC 42 and I just wanted to share my impressions.

Scenario List:
Vitebsk
Kharkov42
Simferopol
Sevastopol Siege
Sevastopol Assault
Voronezh
Novoanninsky
Ilovlya
Buzinovka Depot
Storming Stalingrad
Stalingrad Docks
Stalingrad Ruins
Kotelnikovo
Escape from Stalingrad
Tatsinkaya

I "beta tested" DLC 41 (the very first scenarios only), 43 , 44 and 45, but not 42.

I played DLC 42 at Leutnant level and cheating with prestige.

All and all this is great especially Buzinovka depot (I live the fight versus allied tanks but the Churchill should have had a Russian camo as well as the small US tank) and Vitebsk (I loved to idea to make sure train could arrive at destination).

I am now at Storming Stalingrad, I agree with what was stated above, Panzer Corps is not top for city fighting.
I think the player is more exhausted with such scenarios than others because city maps are causing problems for the eyes or worse headhaches.

I expected a map like the Rattenkrieg scenario mod, the player could see the Volga and the city in front of it, personnally I did not need to fight in the city itself covering an entire map.

I also agree with the remark about Italians in "Storming Stalingrad" scenario. Italians and Romanians were behind securing the flanks whereas only Germans were in the city, so German AUX units were more than welcome.
I hope the next scenarios are better than this one and more historically accurate.

This being said, I loved all previous scenarios and the possibility to make choices like "going for the depot or not ?", or "assaulting Sevastopol city or not ?".

This is a good campaign, my preferred DLC so far is 1943.

I am using 10 air units (including two heavy bombers) a few infantry units , 10 tanks and 4 arty units.
My tanks (with heroes) are dying in the city of Stalingrad ("Storming Stalingrad" should have included a few German AUX infantry units...

I shall post final results.

[brettz123]

Not sure what the point of letting people know your thoughts when you "cheat" when you play. It ends up not applying towards how they will most likely play.......

[RobertCL]

It does not matter when I say I cheat or not when I am talking about historical accuracy for "Storming Stalingrad" scenario...

[RobertCL]

Campaign finished.

Impossible to conquer Stalingrad (Scenario the Docks). Again what the hell Italians are doing in Stalingrad ??? This is not historically accurate.
I don't like street fighting maps, anyway Soviet troops are extremely strong.

After stalingrad I chosed to retreat (I loved the idea to bring back 7 Hungarian units to the West) and finaly I finished the campaign in winter with the loss of nearly most of my experienced units.
I liked the last scenario showing old French tanks on German side vs Lend Lease tanks on Soviet side.
One more turn and I would have had a DV.

A great campaign except the two street fights scenarios and the strange presence of Italian units.

[brettz123]

Campaign finished.

Impossible to conquer Stalingrad (Scenario the Docks). Again what the hell Italians are doing in Stalingrad ??? This is not historically accurate.
I don't like street fighting maps, anyway Soviet troops are extremely strong.

After stalingrad I chosed to retreat (I loved the idea to bring back 7 Hungarian units to the West) and finaly I finished the campaign in winter with the loss of nearly most of my experienced units.
I liked the last scenario showing old French tanks on German side vs Lend Lease tanks on Soviet side.
One more turn and I would have had a DV.

A great campaign except the two street fights scenarios and the strange presence of Italian units.

If you don't like city fighting you might want to skip DLC 45.

[RobertCL]

Hi,

I playtested DLC 43, 44 and 45. I started 41 but stopped at Barbarossa by lack of time.
I never playtested 39 and 40. I just purchased DLC 42 two weeks ago.
I shall take them all.
But in the meantime I would like to playtest AK.

Scenarios in Berlin are not 100% my taste but the necessity to find the three Soviet generals hidden in tanks was quite funny.
I also regret there is nothing (video or screen with the total nr of AI units killed) when you finish DLC 45 because maybe you have units from DLC 39 who have survived (I won't bet my pay on this )

Joke apart apart from Berlin DLC 45 was interesting especially the scenario about Courland where you had to protect your ships if I remember well.

[robman]

I just finished '42 on FM. Wow, what a meatgrinder! I took the "escape" route at the end. I scored DVs everywhere except Tatsinskaya, which I was happy enough just to survive with most of my forces intact. I had a great time, and my wife complains that I have become too obsessed with Stalingrad--both are compliments to the designers! I am planning to go back and take the "ruins" route before moving on to 43.

I liked the city fighting. It would have been even more fun if the terrain were more diverse--perhaps different types of buildings, with some giving greater defensive advantage or initiative to the defenders, or even underground route between hexes (Rattenkrieg). Maybe in the Allied Corps version of Stalingrad?

[RobertCL]

Hi Robman,

You should try the standalone scenario Rattenkrieg, all units are properly named as they were historically, you have also NKVD units.
This is the kind of scenario I expected to see (but with a larger map) in DLC42, unfortunately it was not there.

See here: viewtopic.php?t=27222

[robman]

Hi Robman,

You should try the standalone scenario Rattenkrieg, all units are properly named as they were historically, you have also NKVD units.
This is the kind of scenario I expected to see (but with a larger map) in DLC42, unfortunately it was not there.

See here: viewtopic.php?t=27222

Thanks for the link--I look forward to playing this one!

[hmshood]

Anyone offer some "tops" about deployment for the GC42 "Simferopol" scenario?

[hmshood]

sorry...not "tops".....but "tips"....apparently I need another cup of coffee....

[antoniocapo]

Tip #1 Get more coffee...

The rest after i finish GC41, where im at. Getting coffee too to rush it to 42

Meanwhile that playthrough was posted in youtube, but is pre-patch, might or might not work:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyM10zYNLT8

[ThorHa]

Just finished Stalingrad Assault. Turn 24 decisive, no losses.

Not particularly difficult if you take your time. Went in with 10 Inf, 9 Arty, 4 Fighters, 2 StuKas, 3 Level bomber (1 bought fresh), 3 Pz III N, else tanks and my 2 trusted 88.

Key to success were the StuG III B, which easily survived unexpected counterattacks of T34/43 nearly unscratched, the 2 bonus Gebirgsjaeger with heroes boosting defense (even close defense) from former scenarios, the 3 Pz III (2 of them with defensive heroes). Got lucky with the weather though - only 1 turn of rain.

A few tricks of the trade:
Never expose an infantry in the open streets to multiple attacks even backed by Arty. If they have no retreat path, the 3rd or 4th attack lets them surrender. If that means to leave a 1 strength enemy unit unfinished, so be it.
If you retreat units back to replenish or take munition, block advance paths of unscouted enemy tanks or infantry to these units.
Do not assume your infantry can survive 2 enemy assaults by overstrength SMG infantry w/o backup. It can't.
If you have a damaged unit which can only be attacked from one hex AND is backed by Arty, let it exposed. It lures enemy units out of entrenched positions.
There are partisans in the south, easy to spot even by accident by your southern force. But there are also partisans in the wood between your northern force and the Italians. They will arrive at the three starting Italian airfields at turn 7, a particularly nasty surprise.
Very few soviet AA units. If scouted properly your air force has nearly free reign, except one air wave (not counting the initial one on turn 1) at around turn 15 from the last Soviet northern airfield.
After the initial success at the first districts in the south you can bypass the 2 stripes below the street separating the southern most target hex and these districts. There is at least one strong group of artillery and infantry there w/o any need to care for these. They stay put.
A Pz III N in a city hex is NO target for the SMG, they will avoid it. BUT on open streets it is a target for the T 34/43.
Take all captured KV 1 B and C to the battle. They have a close defense rating of 3 and additional such a high ground defense, that they survive multiple attacks in the city as well as in the streets if you need to expose a unit e.g. for blocking.

Regards,
Thorsten

[Stmcla]

Thanks Thorsten for the suggestions. I have just started this scenario and already messed it up. I've probably don't need my two mobile AA units as there are few soviet planes. Maybe I'll get another strategic bomber.

[hmshood]

Hey..thanks for the tips.....had mo' coffee....heading towards Stalingrad now....(still have sand in my boots from AK campaign)...whats the weather like up there?...should I keep my desert shorts/shirts on?....I am also told to bring the Italians...they can watch guard my flanks....is there anything worth anything once I move through Stalingrad?...