Overwhelmed: An Idiots AAR. Please help

[heyhellowhatsnew]

Hello everyone. I read the manual back and forth, upside down and downside up. I studied, made notes.

Keep in mind i'm an idiot.

Anyway, I need your help. What the hell do I do for my first few turns?

In the future, I beg the developers, include a tutorial please. Please please it makes things so much more easier for idiots like me.

But yes, my first few turns, what do I do to not die instantly.

[Myrddraal]

Hi,

I also replied over at Matrix, but for the benefit of others arriving at this thread:

My first question: are you playing Handicapped AI? If you are, I'm sorry to report that it is bugged, and will actually be harder than balanced. This is fixed in the patch (which is currently in public beta).

Otherwise, there are tactical experts on these forums who can definitely help you out. What sort of thing have you been trying, and how does the AI beat you? So for example: in this game (as in WWI) it's often the best tactic if you're under pressure to sit tight, dig trenches and avoid attacking. If you're attacking every turn against the odds, then you'll get beaten very quickly. Let us know what you've tried and we might be able to give you more focussed advice.

[heyhellowhatsnew]

Hi! Thank you for replying to both. I am not sure which forum gets the most traffic. I will do a quick play-through right now so I can explain what I do and what i'm trying to do and how I die.

Don't worry, it'll take 15 minutes tops. I'm that bad.

[heyhellowhatsnew]

Ok here is a play by play of the action:

Starting a single player game as the Entente Allies with balanced strength in the 1914 campaign.

The AI comes in and attacks my front.

I'm thinking I have to make some sort of entrenched wall. The manual says entrenchment happens when you don't move a unit. The only unit I move is the one closest to Skopje so they can cover that opening near the rail line.

I go to production and make an infantry unit.

For research I focus on barbed wire entrenchment. The game said my forces are dire so I feel like I need to protect my cities.

The diplomacy button, I don't know what to do with it so I just sit on it.

For management, because I purchased an infantry unit, I can't buy any logistical upgrades. So I pass the turn.

Turn 2: An AI battleship comes and attacks my entrenched units. They also move a unit close to NIS.

I move my infantry mentioned in the last turn towards the wall of infantry I have. I don't attack because I want him to entrench.

I check production and my infantry unit will be ready in 2 more turns. I'm sweating bullets because I know NIS is going to be captured and there's nothing I can do about it now without breaking the line of defense I have.

I continue research on barbed wire.

Diplomacy, still have no idea what to do with it. I skip it.

For management, I upgrade ammunition. We need bullets to shoot at Austria-Hungary.

I worry about NIS way too much and decide to move the garrison close to Belgrade to engage.

I attack: I lose 4 units, they lose nothing. I sigh and the turn.

Turn 3 post coming up.

[Myrddraal]

Ok, so you've only played a couple of turns, don't panic!

Some tips: Ammunition is only used by artillery and battleships (for coastal bombardments). It represents the massed ammunition stockpiles and massed artillery bombardments of the war. So bullets come for free, you don't need ammunition as the Serbs - save your self the production points.

Make sure you repair your armies. When the enemy attacks, if you can, repair your armies.

Use the unit near Skopje to protect Nis.

Before making any attack, check the combat prognosis. There is randomisation, but it's a very good indication of how well your attack will go. Remember high green number = good. High red number = bad.

[heyhellowhatsnew]

Turn 3: Germany joins the war and decimates the forces of France and Belgium. Brussels appears to about to be taken over. Jean Claude-VanDamme may not be born now.

On the Serbian front, NIS is now gone. Austria-Hungary brings more forces to take it over and now I feel like i'm getting surrounded. Welp.

I purchase a garrison unit because making an infantry unit will take too long for my inevitable demise.

The garrison unit I used in the last turn to try to help NIS is now down to two strength. I don't know how to rebuild it to max level unfortunately :/

Belgrade is surrounded. I'm sure that's the next city to go. I'm mad now, and Sarejevo looks like something I can take. I have an infantry unit and a garrison unit around it. I go for the attack.

I use my garrison first.

They both lose 1 strength.

I use my Infantry next, now A-H unit at Sarajevo is down to 7 strength.

I move the garrison with 2 strength next to Belgrade because, what the heck, you know? I must protect it with my life. Or their lives.

Cattaro is surrounded by two garrison. I think about attacking but change my mind. I leave those two forces defending and idle.

Again I upgrade my ammunition logistical upgrade. I think i'll do transport next turn.

It's time to command France and Belgium now:

I use my french infantry to attack the wall of german soldiers between Verdun and Strassburg. Not much damage is done.

I also think about moving my armored car to flank one of the german units that is about to capture Brussels.

Whoops: There is an infantry unit and a horse unit supporting the attack on Brussels. I attack with the armored car. I lose three strength, german unit loses one. This is what this front looks like now:



I go to the productions tab to buy units for France and Belgium. I purchase a garrison unit for belgium because well, they need help fast.

For France I buy artillery. Maybe I can protect France with some explosions. Maybe.

France has Commanders now. I don't know what to do with this screen. The pictures are pretty nifty though.

Belgium can't afford to research anything. France on the other hand can. I go for Barbed wire again and base defense.

Can't afford anything in the management screen. Onto turn 4.

[heyhellowhatsnew]

Ok, so you've only played a couple of turns, don't panic!

Some tips: Ammunition is only used by artillery and battleships (for coastal bombardments). It represents the massed ammunition stockpiles and massed artillery bombardments of the war. So bullets come for free, you don't need ammunition as the Serbs - save your self the production points.

Make sure you repair your armies. When the enemy attacks, if you can, repair your armies.

Use the unit near Skopje to protect Nis.

Before making any attack, check the combat prognosis. There is randomisation, but it's a very good indication of how well your attack will go. Remember high green number = good. High red number = bad.

Doh. I just slapped myself in the head. I did not know this. How do I repair a unit?

[DukeOfLight]

please read the manual with the game open.

[stockwellpete]

On your screenshot, where the mini-map is in the bottom right hand corner, you will see the word "Menu". Just above it on the left is a spanner type icon. That is your repair button.

[heyhellowhatsnew]

Turn 4:

Before I ended the turn, I saw I had naval units in the south. Maybe if I move them close to the Serbian front I can back them up.

Anyway, Turn 4: the Germans decimate Belgium. Brussels and Antwerp are theirs. Facepalm.

The Brits enter the war, hey thanks guys I could have used y'all like 3 turns ago.

The Germans are beginning to surround France. I think they may go to Paris.

I see a British units near Jerusalem. If this was Crusader Kings 2, i'd be happier. I just leave him there. No reason to start another Crusade during a World War.

In Malta, the brits have a garrison unit and a cruiser. Again I move both to the Serbian front to help them out. I do that with France's naval units as well. We should arrive there shortly.

On the Serbian front, Belgrade is surrounded. It looks like this:



I continue the attack on Sarajevo. FOR GREAT SERBJA.

Nothing happens. I take the most losses. Same for when I attack Cattaro. I will not be doing that anymore.

This is the French front:



Strassburg is wide open, maybe.. maybe I can take it?!

I move.. there's only a garrison there. I move my troops to surround it. France is gonna push back! Viva le France!

We did it!



This is my first victory ever. My first capture. I'm glad you are all here to share it with me.

Thanks to stockwellpete's advice, I repair a few of my french units.

I will use my new british forces to retake Antwerp and Brussels



Now its time for research and production and all that. Both the French and Brits will produce infantry units.

I deploy the Serbian units I had near Tirana and Centinje. I want NIS back. I demands it, precioussss.

The Brits will focus on infantry grenade and chlorine gas. I am not messing around anymore.

End of turn 4. (These updates may come slower because my boss is back and I have to keep alt-tabbing out

Thank you for all the tips so far! Please keep them coming

[heyhellowhatsnew]

please read the manual with the game open.

It's open on my Kindle right now. I'm at work so it's hard to look busy while playing a war game.

My problem is, besides being an idiot, is just trying to figure out what to do, which is why I need your help to make me not an idiot

[Myrddraal]

Again I upgrade my ammunition logistical upgrade. I think i'll do transport next turn.

Like ammunition, transport capacity is pretty much useless for Serbia. Save your Production Points. Really, for all nations, the most important thing in the early turns of the war is to get boots on the ground. Focus on production. The management tab is more important in the later game.

If you want to save Paris, start shifting forces north... and consider buying rail capacity for France (this is the exception to management not being important in the early game, getting at least one Rail Capacity for each nation is very useful).

[heyhellowhatsnew]

Turn 5, and most likely my last turn.

I was right, the Germans were going after Paris. (This is damn good AI, good job devs)



There is nothing I can do to stop them. Belgium is officially out of the war. Russia is in. Still, we're doomed. And like I said, my boss is back and I have my project.

So RIP Entente. You survived up to 1914.

This is my experience with this game. I love it. Don't get me wrong. I just need help. So please help me. I promise if we ever meet in real life to buy you lots and lots of alcohol.

[Umeu]

some general tips,

1) early on make garrison units, infantry takes too long. Once the line is stabilized, buy infantry and artillery, all the rest is just for show.
2) Try to keep the frontline straight, where the line points out (aka can be attacked from 3 or more surrounding hexes) make sure that point in the line is held by infantry and not by garrison.
3) Try to hold the line at rivercrossings, forts or if you can infront of cities (not on cities because then if the enemy attacks you, you lose 1 pp per attack)
4) if you attack, attack parts of the line the point out, and try to coordinate your attacks, preferably in the following order > airplanes > artillery > cavalry (if not entrenched) > infantry > tanks > garrisons.
5) when it is winter, try to keep movement to the bare minimun needed.
6) don't always step into a gap you create in the enemy lines, remember this is a war of artrition, sometimes it is better to let the enemy bleed itself to death trying to keep a line together than to step in and suffer losses for being too bold. also, it is worth it to take 1-3 losses to attack a city and bring down the enemy pp production. you suffer like 3 repair costs for 1 turn, the enemy suffers whatever losses they take in the assault + the losses in the pp production for a prolonged period of time (6 turns or more?)
7) keep an eye on the diplomacy tab and prepare in advance for the new nations joining the war. CP should prepare mostly for Russia (eastern front), Italy (in AH controlled italy) and Romania (eastern front). The allies should prepare for Turkey (in Armenia and Egypt) and Bulgaria (on the russian front and in serbia if that front still exists).

general rule for entente: defend until 1915, defend defend defend, dont even think about attacking. once all the fronts stabilize, which should be when winter kicks in end 1914, then buy artillery and start going on the offensive.

general rule for CP: attack attack attack! knock them out of the war before winter kicks in in 1914 or atleast try to get as far as you can. when winter kicks in dont suicide yourself, hold on to whatever ground you took, and if that means retreating 1 or 2 hexes to a better defendable position then so be it. save up your forces, invest in artillery and ammo and attack again in spring 1915!! also, TO PARIS!!! TO PARIS!!!!

[lordzimoa]

For good strategic tactic advise, read SlickWilhelm`s AAR, his first steps against a privileged AI really holds some great tips and gameplay essentials:

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