Vision, recording moves and bunkers questions.

[Bread51]

Panzer Corps is becoming worryingly addictive! But playing it regularly is raising some questions that I hope someone can help with
1. Watching a lot of videos of PC gameplay and 'unit vision' is mentioned quite a lot. I think I know what that means but how can I use it to my strategic advantage?
2. If I return to a solo game after a few days is there a record of moves made several turns back rather than just the last move?
3. What is the best way to defeat bunkers with a minimum of casualties?
4. What criteria do you use when choosing what extra units to buy either at the start of game or during it?

Thanks in anticipation.

[goose_2]

Panzer Corps is becoming worryingly addictive! But playing it regularly is raising some questions that I hope someone can help with
1. Watching a lot of videos of PC gameplay and 'unit vision' is mentioned quite a lot. I think I know what that means but how can I use it to my strategic advantage?
2. If I return to a solo game after a few days is there a record of moves made several turns back rather than just the last move?
3. What is the best way to defeat bunkers with a minimum of casualties?
4. What criteria do you use when choosing what extra units to buy either at the start of game or during it?

Thanks in anticipation.

1. Watching a lot of videos of PC gameplay and 'unit vision' is mentioned quite a lot. I think I know what that means but how can I use it to my strategic advantage?
This is a key advantage when playing against AI as they attack blindly and are very predictable when it comes to setting up amubushes. (Try to limit their sight by destroying their units with 3 vision or make sure to set up a nice little surprise just beyond the sighting of the enemy. The binoculars icon tells you how far a unit can see.)

2. If I return to a solo game after a few days is there a record of moves made several turns back rather than just the last move?
no not really you can save a game at the end or beginning of the turn or you can save at the end of the scenario to rewatch how you played that specific scenario. (I like doing that on all my multiplayer games especially the ones I lose)

3. What is the best way to defeat bunkers with a minimum of casualties?
Artillery suppression, Strategic Bomber Suppression followed, by Fallschimjagers, Pionieres, or Flampanzers

4. What criteria do you use when choosing what extra units to buy either at the start of game or during it?
This is a very tricky question because for mp it is multilayered how to answer, but for Grand Campaign I try to minimize losses and try and build up a large experienced army to take with me in the East so I have a large pool of good units when I reach the part in the game when they start grinding them down. At least that is what they tell me, I am in 1942 doing a blind playthrough and have trouble keeping my Fallschimjager units from dying.

Hope this helps.

[Bread51]

Thank you so much. This is one of the most helpful forums I've ever used.

[TSPC37730]

2. If I return to a solo game after a few days is there a record of moves made several turns back rather than just the last move?

No way that I know of, but for reference at the end of the scenario you can choose to "save replay". You can then load the replay & watch the game as you & the AI played it out. Admittedly, this probably isn't very helpful since I think you're looking for mid-scenario information here.

[TSPC37730]

3. What is the best way to defeat bunkers with a minimum of casualties?

What goose_2 said above is pretty much correct. I generally prefer attacking with strategic bombers - assuming there's no significant threat from AA or enemy fighters - since they not only suppress the bunker but they also reduce the bunker's ammo. After a few repeated attacks you may just about zero out the ammo supply. This trick also works for enemy forts as well. Be careful though because the AI will resupply the bunker or fort if it can. You can prevent this though. Each ground unit parked next to a bunker (or any enemy ground unit for that matter) will reduce resupply capacity by roughly one third. So, if you can park three units next to the bunker it can't be resupplied at all. No enemy ammo = no worries.

Another tip regarding bunkers - or any other target - is to keep track of the enemy's suppression level at the right side of the screen. If it's 10/10, then, no matter what you attack with, the bunker can't fire back. So you're essentially getting a free shot. Try to make it a good one though. Once the attack has been completed, the previous suppression from your artillery & strategic bombers is wiped away & so the bunker will return fire at full strength during your next attack.

One good thing is that in most cases bunkers don't repair themselves, so, you don't have to worry about "starting over" in case you get somehow distracted.

Lastly, once you get further along in the campaign you'll see that the stronger tanks like Tiger I's & Panther A's with decent experience will do respectable damage to a bunker merely by driving up & firing point blank.

[TSPC37730]

4. What criteria do you use when choosing what extra units to buy either at the start of game or during it?

Here's a tip that took me the longest time to figure out. You can have more units in your corps than you are allowed to deploy. So, as an example in a given scenario you may be allowed to deploy 25 units. You could have 26 - or more - in your corps. During the deployment phase you can deploy normally. Once you get to the scenario limit the game will prevent you from deploying your extra units.

If something goes badly and one of your units dies, you can then deploy another unit from your corps or alternatively buy a new one.

Another trick I like to do for some of the larger & later scenarios is to leave a few slots "undeployed". In other words, if I'm allowed to deploy 30 units I might deploy only 27 or 28. This allows me a to pick a out a few units & "tailor" my corps after the scenario has started depending on how it is unfolding. This helpful if you're trying to decide whether to load up on tanks, artillery or planes for example. There are two drawbacks to this strategy.

1) The unit you deploy won't be usable the turn you deploy it. So for example, if you deploy a unit in turn 4, you won't be able to move or fire until turn 5.

2) Certain scenarios will grant you bonus units. These units are free & become part of your corps & often have what I like to call "super heroes" which are heroes with multiple bonuses. These are always fun & will come with the message "Special reinforcement(s) have arrived!". The downside is that if you're using this strategy, the reinforcement unit burns up one of your empty slots. So, if you can deploy 30 units but you only actually deployed 29, the bonus unit brings you to 30. Now your strategy is pretty much out the window. As an aside here, if you were allowed to deploy 30 units at the start of the scenario AND you actually did, the bonus unit will still arrive and you wind up playing the scenario with 31 units while the deployment limit is still 30. Note that this also applies to captured units too. Once you capture that T-34 it also counts against your deployment limits.

Welcome to the game & good luck.

[BiteNibbleChomp]

2. If I return to a solo game after a few days is there a record of moves made several turns back rather than just the last move?

Simple. Load it up, press the "Surrender" button in the same menu used to save the game. It will come up with "Axis Surrendered" and there will be a save replay button. Save the replay, and then watch it.

Not the most convenient (and it may lift the fog of war) but it does work.

- BNC

[Bread51]

Great guidance. Thank you. Could anyone suggest 2 or 3 good maps for a relative newcomer like me to start on? I have bought all the dlc, including all grand campaigns and the new Soviet one.

[goose_2]

Poland
It is really the best starter map for the vanilla campaign.

It is a great lesson teacher on what to buy how to limit casualties and how to maneuver through difficult terrain.

It is also the best teacher on mp as well.

[Bread51]

Great. Thanks. If you had to choose two more maps, just to add a bit of variety?

[goose_2]

Greece is one of my favorites as an individual scenario
Kursk is a good one for some of the later war stuff

[alkafluence]

Great guidance. Thank you. Could anyone suggest 2 or 3 good maps for a relative newcomer like me to start on? I have bought all the dlc, including all grand campaigns and the new Soviet one.

If you want to pick one of the campaigns/expansions to start with, I might suggest Allied Corps. If you choose the British path it has a good build up of explanation and introduces new concepts as you proceed without overwhelming you all at once. I also would argue that it is the easiest of all the expansions.