Locarnus Addon 2025-08, for Battlefield Europe, Afrika Korps and Grand Campaign East

[Locarnus]

If you want a serious response to those questions, clean up your posts.
In scrollistan, nothing gets done.

=> No unnessary quotations, especially not when they take over a whole screen, both of you.

[alex1917]

If you want a serious response to those questions, clean up your posts.
In scrollistan, nothing gets done.

=> No unnessary quotations, especially not when they take over a whole screen, both of you.

great mod, thanks. I play the Italian African Corps by nikivdd with your equipment file. Not enough G 50 fighters and flamethrower carro veloche) it would also be possible to add marines to the Italians, as well as some other types of equipment

[Locarnus]

great mod, thanks. I play the Italian African Corps by nikivdd with your equipment file. Not enough G 50 fighters and flamethrower carro veloche) it would also be possible to add marines to the Italians, as well as some other types of equipment

How does this work?
Doesn't nikivdd make extensive use of bonus units for his Italian campaign?

Italian marines would be nice, especially for scenarios like Malta.
Yeah, the G.50 is missing due to the addon focus on mid 1941 and later for the Italians. I don't know how to deal with the upgrade families. G.55 currently is in the MC upgrade family after the MC.205. A jump from G.50 to G.55 is probably far too late to be a reasonable incentive to keep the G.50 around so long and then the MC line would lack a viable upgrade option later on.
I'll see what I can do about that L3 flamethrower, not sure how to balance that.

[alex1917]

great mod, thanks. I play the Italian African Corps by nikivdd with your equipment file. Not enough G 50 fighters and flamethrower carro veloche) it would also be possible to add marines to the Italians, as well as some other types of equipment

How does this work?
Doesn't nikivdd make extensive use of bonus units for his Italian campaign?

Italian marines would be nice, especially for scenarios like Malta.
Yeah, the G.50 is missing due to the addon focus on mid 1941 and later for the Italians. I don't know how to deal with the upgrade families. G.55 currently is in the MC upgrade family after the MC.205. A jump from G.50 to G.55 is probably far too late to be a reasonable incentive to keep the G.50 around so long and then the MC line would lack a viable upgrade option later on.
I'll see what I can do about that L3 flamethrower, not sure how to balance that.

works great, including bonus units) in campaign 10 scenarios 1940 and G.50 current until 1942) in nikivdd IAC I used 4 different mods equipment, with each new playthrough. yours - I like it in terms of balance, but I want more variety of units)

G.50 I propose to upgrade to an encore, and then G.55. MS 200 is a separate development branch.

L3 flamethrower - everything is simple, weak defense, but good in assault, against bunkers. In other mods so) Units are weak, but sometimes useful

as an example: Italy Victor, an old mod, the equipment from which works fine in IAK)

[bondjamesbond]

"Lioness", "Lion Cub" and "Saint Just"
https://2wars.ru/5-neplohih-italyanskih-tankov/
https://warspot.ru/9473-lvitsa-lvenok-i-svyatoy-iust
Italian DIVISIONS AFTER 1944 CAN be retrofitted with German and captured equipment !

https://union.4bb.ru/viewtopic.php?id=971&p=27#p120850

[Locarnus]

Thanks to the great youtube playthrough by Duedman of the Battlefield Europe scenario with my addon,
I was able to correct a lot of errors (eg several map tiles) and revisit balancing issues (eg early Panzer IV, Eisenbahnflak).
Being currently on turn 30 of the huge BE scenario with addon, he already took Leningrad and Grozny from the Soviets and the Suez Canal from the British. Daring use of airborne forces helped in both those theaters, but now the US is preparing to test the particularly soft underbelly of the Axis and the Soviet airforce is beginning to show some teeth.
His youtube playlist can be found here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eStzz_4 ... h-wTwJZG5o


The historical Afrika Korps campaign by goose_2 is in its final stages, after he just gave the inexperienced US forces a thrashing at Kasserine Pass. However they will learn quickly and the battlehardened British will be much tougher at Mareth Line:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2Y5U0L ... 1t2KkL4dD


Guille1434 provided some very nice, new icons and thus this update included the reworked Sturmtiger with switch, as well as the brand new Sturmpanther! Thank you very much!

With my limited time for modding this past month, correcting issues and improving the addon based on the feedback of those youtube playthroughs had to be my main priority.
The reworked icons from McGuba and guille1434 are next on my todo list.


Please note that a Panzer Corps update (including mods) is generally not advised during a scenario (due to the inconsistent way Panzer Corps updates certain information). I only recommend updating this addon (or any other mod) "between" scenarios (eg save at the end of "Kasserine Pass" scenario during the Afrika Korps campaign, update the addon, then load that "end of scenario" savegame and transition to the next campaign scenario "Mareth Line". Updating the addon during the huge BE scenario is not advised


2022-11 Download: https://bit.ly/3GZNzR5
Unit Changes:
- Sturmpanther added (thank you for the great icon guille1434)
- Eisenbahnflak less rof and ammo, also more expensive (thank you Duedman)
- Self propelled AA and early versions of German heavy tanks have less ammo
- Hummel and Nashorn available earlier
- Rebalanced and added several vehicle versions using 75L24 gun (early StuG III & Pz IV, thank you Duedman)
- Panzer III M and Luchs 5cm has 1 more hard attack
- Pz IV F/2 and G available a few weeks later
- Brummbär fuel discrepancy fixed and late version added
- Sturmtiger new icon used (thank you guille 1434) and big unit icon added
- Kradschützen 1 more GD in recon mode
- Cavalry less SA, more GD, all have "reconmove" now
- Bf 110 later versions ground attack nerfed, especially in fighter mode
- Fw 190 F & G, Bf 110 & Me 410 in fighter mode use fighter animation for ground attack
- Ju 87 G ammo decreased, Hs 129 hard attack increased

BE scenario (thank you Duedman!)
- Finnish forces will not disband after holding SU objectives for 1 turn
- Removed "Pz II and Pz 38(t) for Marder" exchange event
- Fixed invisible road and rail connection from Memel to Riga
- Fixed many "non-snow" tiles, especially in the Volga/Caucasus region
- Some more units guarding allied airfields
- Naval bombers can be reinforced beyond 7 strength
- Captured T-34 & KV-1 can be upgraded in a limited way
- BE scenario starting experience for campaign core units slightly adjusted

AK campaign (thank you goose_2!)
- Kasserine Pass 1 less turn, early allied fighter, and harder defense for the western victory objective
- Tunisian Bridgehead scenario 212 instead of 188 standard allied experience (thus 2 star units, and several 3 stars)
- Also lots of overstrength for allied units, especially air force during Tunisian Bridgehead

[guille1434]

Hello Locarnus:

Thank you again for a new improvement for your add-on. The changes look very interesting. Besides I know the work it takes to balance and re-balance unit stats in the equipment file... Like: "Hey, I should give some more attack value to that unit...Ok! But wait, if I change that unit, then I should adjust this, that, and all those..."

Thanks again for your time and dedication!

[Locarnus]

Hello Locarnus:

Thank you again for a new improvement for your add-on. The changes look very interesting. Besides I know the work it takes to balance and re-balance unit stats in the equipment file... Like: "Hey, I should give some more attack value to that unit...Ok! But wait, if I change that unit, then I should adjust this, that, and all those..."

Thanks again for your time and dedication!

Rebalancing is indeed a long project with countless interdependencies, especially when unable to change some hardcoded mechanics!

With the BE + Addon youtube playthrough by Duedman progressing at a pace of 1 turn per day, there are also a great many balancing and polishing issues becoming more visible. Regarding both the Addon and BE itself...

Some have rather straight forward solutions, like simple fixes and stat changes.
Or expanding the Hs 129 line up with great icons from guille1434, thank you for those!

Other issues warrant some more discussion and possible experimentation:
1) Overly active Italian fleet in the Med, especially around Tobruk and Suez
Currently the player is able to advance beyond Tobruk and El Alamein without much trouble and without significant additional investment. In large parts due to the readily available Italian fleet, conveniently bombarding nearly every Allied fortification except Kairo. This is far from historic realities, where the Italian fleet was rather anemic due to various factors.
=> I'm strongly considering nerfing the initial fuel and ammo? for the Italian fleet. Maybe some British units can be unshackled to pose a threat.

2) Possibly counterproductive submarine warfare
Waging the "Battle of the Atlantic" with submarines is of limited value to the player. Prestige gained must be reinvested for submarine repairs, if the submarines are not outright lost. Duedman simply called off that battle and instead amassed a huge fleet of subs, ready to engage the British Fleet directly. While the British wasted their bombers, flying over the now empty harbors of the French Atlantic Coast.
=> Less sure about this one. Perhaps only "producing" submarines as replacements for losses?

3) German defenses against Allied bombers
AA units "cheaply hunting" aircraft is fundamentally an issue with hardcoded PzC game mechanics. While fighters take return fire, AA engages enemy aircraft without repercussions. Which in turn makes overstrength for them much more valuable (similar to arty overstrength). Mobile AA compounds this problem, although "AI aircraft traps" are an easily available alternative exploit. At least Duedman had a considerable amount of units/prestige dedicated to that "front", which might have hurt other fronts on higher difficulties.
=> Don't know. Reducing the "Eisenbahnflak" availability would imho change very little, too many alternatives yielding similar results.

[bondjamesbond]

1)After the Allied airplanes damaged the Italian battleships , the fleet command tried not to risk the ships once again )
https://en.topwar.ru/177014-kak-britanc ... ranto.html


2)The German submarine fleet was very strong and posed a real danger to Allied communications
https://alexandr-palkin.livejournal.com/8463780.html
The short odyssey of the "cash cow"
https://warspot.ru/12366-korotkaya-odis ... noy-korovy

https://fishermanboat.ru/ukrytiya-dlya- ... ykh-lodok/
https://ezoterik-page.com/sekretnaya-po ... i-vymysel/

3)At the end of the war , the raids on Germany were massive ! In one day they could send up to 150 bombers at a time to bomb the Reich
https://en.topwar.ru/81503-anglo-amerik ... manii.html

[Locarnus]

Lots of improvements, mainly based on all the additional youtube videos by Duedman (he is now turn ~60 in his BE + Addon playthrough).
And goose_2 is finishing the historical path of Afrika Korps!



2022-12 Download: https://bit.ly/3i59Q5P
Game Rule Changes:
- Out of fuel initiative malus reduced from 2 to 1, to reduce "farming" a bit

Unit Changes:
- Bison I ammo nerfed from 4 to 3
- Bison II fuel reduced, later availability
- Wespe ammo reduced from 6 to 5, Wespe and Grille availability a few weeks later
- StuG III F, F/8 and E+ availability a few weeks later, E+ switch versions inconsistency fixed
- Panther versions cheaper
- Various versions and availability dates of Panzer IV chassis adjusted (including F/2, Hummel, Nashorn, Brummbär)
- 30 cm Nblwf and Wurfrahmen 43 availability two weeks later
- Hs 129 desert versions added and earlier icon versions adjusted (thank you for the icons, guille1434)
- Hs 129 B-3 rof increased from 8 to 9, ammo decreased from 6 to 5
- Ju 87 G rof decreased from 10 to 9, hard attack increased from 9 to 10
- Soviet T-70 nerfed
- Hetzer soft attack nerfed by 1
- Fw 190 F & G a bit better
- Reconmove once again removed from Cavalry
- Panzer III L, M & N animations adjusted
- Elefant desert versions flavor pictures fixed (thank you goose_2)
- Jagdpanther desert icon fixed
- Fw 190 F fighter mode efx entry fixed

BE scenario (thank you Duedman!)
- Corrected script issue regarding the end of the fuel limitations
- Several Soviet units changed to "Hold Position: Active" with fuel (around Volga and east of the Don)
- Stronger warning to prepare for Torch
- British Fleet near Alexandria now activates on contact instead of patiently waiting for destruction
- Hs 129 gifted unit version fixed
- Kursk - Voronesh rail tracks added
- Parts of lower Don river downgraded to standard size
- Kazan - Ulyanovsk - Kuybyshev area redesigned (topography and defenses)
- Volga route changed and rail line added between Stalingrad and Saratov
- Engels air base moved to the left (eastern) bank of the Volga, Saratov defenses increased
- British Red Sea assault force starts out a bit further away from the Suez Canal and the Med
- Kasserine Pass changed to countryside terrain
- Italian Bf 109 G-6 upgrade option to G-14
- Several gifted infantry units (which spawn around Torch) upgraded to 1942 versions
- Some high value gifted units (eg Tiger, Panther, King Tiger, Me 262) start with more experience, but understrength
- One of the initial Italian MC fighters changed to RE family
- Captured T-34 and KV-1 upgrade families fixed
- Adjusted some terrain around the Pomeranian coast
- Carriers have 8 strength max, instead of 5
- Turn 44 onwards prestige bonus reduced from 125 back to 100

AK campaign (thank you goose_2!)
- Tunisian Bridgehead scenario Allied experience boosted even more

In-game library & UI
- Added "air-transportable" information to the upgradeGroups pages
- "Chassis" separators in the german tank purchasing & upgrade screen

[The Almighty Turtle]

It says we cannot access the download link.

[Locarnus]

It says we cannot access the download link.

Fixed, thank you!

For this update I did not disable the Italian Fleet from the beginning.
Not enough time for testing so far. Same problem affecting other things I'm experimenting with.

One experiment that made it into this version are "upgrade family separators" for the tank purchasing screen.
Since that one is very cluttered for the addon, this addition might help finding your bearings without consulting the in-game library.
Other purchasing screens would benefit from that as well (arty).

[seperon]

Hey Locarnus,

I have a problem with the instalation. Sorry my Englisch is not good enough to tell you exactly so i do it in German. Hope its ok for all people here.

Erst mal danke für den Mod überhaupt.

Ich habe den mod jetzt mehrfach versucht zu installieren und dabei deine installationsanweisungen genau beachtet. Sogar auf einem komplett neu aufgelegtem Laptop immer mit dem selben Ergebnis.
Ich kann zwar die einzelen Scenarios spielen aber erst ab Frankreich sind es deine Scenarios. Wenn ich über die Photos starte komme ich nur in die BE 2.4 Scenarios. Habe die Steam version und Windows 10.
Andere Mods funktionieren einwandfrei deswegen verstehe ich nicht was ich Falsch mache. Wie gesagt auch schon mal alles deinstalliert damit es sauber ist, aber bringt nichts.
Vielleicht nee idee was falsch läuft, danke schon mal. Grüße Seperon

[Locarnus]

Hey Locarnus,

I have a problem with the instalation. Sorry my Englisch is not good enough to tell you exactly so i do it in German. Hope its ok for all people here.

Erst mal danke für den Mod überhaupt.

Ich habe den mod jetzt mehrfach versucht zu installieren und dabei deine installationsanweisungen genau beachtet. Sogar auf einem komplett neu aufgelegtem Laptop immer mit dem selben Ergebnis.
Ich kann zwar die einzelen Scenarios spielen aber erst ab Frankreich sind es deine Scenarios. Wenn ich über die Photos starte komme ich nur in die BE 2.4 Scenarios. Habe die Steam version und Windows 10.
Andere Mods funktionieren einwandfrei deswegen verstehe ich nicht was ich Falsch mache. Wie gesagt auch schon mal alles deinstalliert damit es sauber ist, aber bringt nichts.
Vielleicht nee idee was falsch läuft, danke schon mal. Grüße Seperon

->
First of all, thank you for the mod at all.

I have now tried to install the mod several times and followed your installation instructions exactly. Even on a completely relaunched laptop always with the same result.
I can play the individual scenarios but only from France they are your scenarios. When I start via the photos I only get into the BE 2.4 Scenarios. I have the Steam version and Windows 10.
Other mods work fine so I do not understand what I'm doing wrong. As I said, even uninstalled everything so that it is clean, but brings nothing.
Maybe nee idea what is wrong, thanks already. Greetings Seperon

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Servus,
hm, seltsam. Ich kann mir diesen Bruch zwischen Polen und Frankreich, bzw zwischen Kampagne und Szenarios nicht erklären.
Nur um sicher zu gehen:
1) Das Hintergrundbild beim Spielstart zeigt den von rechts kommenden Tiger vor Afrika HIntergrund (gleiches Biild wie beim Lets Play von Duedman)?
2) Wenn Du über das linke obere Photo startest und dann speicherst ist der vorgegebene Name "Poland" oder "LocBEPoland"?
3) Im "Generic Mod Enabler" unter dem rechten "Activated Mods:" steht als erster Eintrag oben "Battlefield Europe v2.4" und als letzter Eintrag ganz unten "Battlefield Europe v2.4 Locarnus 2022-12"?

Beste Grüße,
Locarnus

->
Servus,
hm, strange. I can't explain this break between Poland and France, or between campaign and scenarios.
Just to be sure:
1) The background image at the start of the game shows the tiger coming from the right in front of Africa HIntergrund (same biild as in the Lets Play of Duedman)?
2) If you start over the left upper photo and then save is the default name "Poland" or "LocBEPoland"?
3) In the "Generic Mod Enabler" under the right "Activated Mods:" the first entry at the top is "Battlefield Europe v2.4" and the last entry at the bottom is "Battlefield Europe v2.4 Locarnus 2022-12"?

Best regards,
Locarnus

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

[seperon]

Hey,

zu 1: Ja genau das passt.

zu 2: Der Speicherstand heißt nur "Poland".

zu 3: Ja genau und "Battlefield Europe v2.4" ist ausgegraut.

Wenn ich Poland über das Photo starte, ist es aber so das zB. deine änderung was Flugzeuge und Icons angeht vorhanden sind.

to 1: Yes, that fits exactly.

to 2: The save state is only called "Poland".

to 3: Yes exactly and "Battlefield Europe v2.4" is grayed out.

When I start Poland via the photo, it is so that e.g. your changes regarding aircraft and icons are available.

[Locarnus]

Kann mir das momentan nicht erklären.
Habe Dir eine persönliche Nachricht per Forum geschickt, brauche weitere Infos zum Data Ordner.

Can't explain that at the moment.
Sent you a PM via forum, need further information regarding the Data folder.

[Locarnus]

As recognized by seperon, the language setting was the problem.
It has to be set to "English" to work properly. I ammended the install instructions with this information.



Thank you seperon for that troubleshooting effort and feedback!



In other news, I made some progress on how I want to treat "combined arms/mobile infantry" in the future, given the game engine limitations.
At the moment there are several approaches in the mod, all trying to do the same thing.
Most notably Kradschützen (the precursors for Panzergrenadiere) and Sahariana.
This will also involve a change to SdKfz 250 and SdKfz 251 implementation (which are rarely seen so far) and may later lead to the addition of "marines" infantry.
I'm taking into account the discussion between guille1434 and cw58 for "marines", McGuba introducing Panzergrenadiere and several other mod implementations of more complex infantry units (including Sturmpioniere in the AMULET mod).

Unfortunately I'm not making progress at finding an elegant solution for "purchasing transports (rail, naval, air)" for the big Battlefield Europe scenario. Eventually I probably have to settle for the "very rough" workaround I have at the moment. Imho that would still be better than the current "no transport purchase" status quo.


There is still quite some testing and then work to do for both of those aspects, so in the meantime there will be more versions for "bug fixing" and smaller changes and additions.
Though next addon version will have a highlight, since it will feature the mighty Jagdsturmtiger (Tiger I chassis) from guille1434!

[Locarnus]

Duedman achieved a total victory in his
youtube Let's Play of
Battlefield Europe + Locarnus Addon
in turn 85/86!

This is the playlist of this grand journey to victory:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eStzz_4 ... h-wTwJZG5o


In his last video (turn 86), Duedman provided lots of feedback.
Unfortunately youtube often ghostbans more detailed comments, so I have to discuss the feedback and improvement potential in this thread.

Overall the victory was easier than anticipated.
Imho a result of several aspects, which together led to an easier and earlier defeat of the Soviet Union.
At which point the western Allies became "speed bumps", rather than the historical "serious threats in the rear of the major frontline".


Therefore I will try to analyze the factors that led to this easier than anticipated victory,
for the now completed youtube playthrough by Duedman (BE + Addon 2022-10 "General" "dice chess").
Comparing it to the earlier forum AAR by Duedman ("blind" BE 2.0 "General" "normal dice").
And keeping in mind the youtube playthrough by goose_2 ("blind" BE 2.0 "General" "normal dice"),
compared to the ongoing youtube playthrough by goose_2 (BE 2.3 "FM" "normal dice") and several more feedback threads for BE.

(+) = imho making it easier than his previous forum AAR playthrough,
(-) = imho making it harder


1. Previous knowledge and difficulty settings (regardless of the specific Addon changes)

1.1 (~12+) Duedman previously played and won BE 2.0 (see his AAR here: https://www.slitherine.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=95886).
-> This has a significant difficulty impact. Both Duedman and goose_2 had a much harder time when playing blind, especially concerning major scripted events like Torch.
-> But also regarding the handling of Leningrad, the potential Stalingrad counterattack, the approach to the Caucasus, ignoring Crimea, and so on...
FIX: Recommending FM difficulty for those who already achieved a total victory in BE.

1.2 (+) He also plays (and usually wins) Strategic Command multiplayer matches.
Don't konw if he did so before his blind BE playthrough. Potentially an added experience gain.

1.3 (~5+)("~7+") The settings were standard "General" difficulty with "dice chess" rng.
Dice chess significantly limits the "outliers" of combat results. It makes combat more predictable (something I also prefer when having to talk while playing!).
-> Since unit losses (often the result of those rng outliers) hit the player much harder than the AI this outright reduces the difficulty compared to normal rng.
-> It also makes it "safer" to conduct attacks "out of formation", further speeding up the player advance.
-> This especially reduces crucial air force losses!
-> Only (5+) counted, since Duedman stated that he did reload some rng results for his BE 2.0 AAR as well.
FIX: Recommending a player prestige reduction when using "dice chess" setting, eg 30% player prestige reduction (roughly halfway to Rommel difficulty player penalty).

1.4 (-) There was limited Addon familiarity before embarking on this grand Let's Play.

1.5 (-) BE got harder between versions 2.0 and 2.3 (which was the basis for the Addon).

=> Subtotal: (~16+)
Imho the experience from the previous playthrough and the change to "dice chess" are the major advantages for the second playthrough.
For comparison, goose_2 defeated the SU in turn 54 in his "blind BE 2.0 General" playthrough, while recently defeating the SU around turn 58 in his "BE 2.3 FM" playthrough (both with "dice chess").
Since BE 2.3 is somewhat harder than BE 2.0, it would thus be reasonable to estimate that this "blind" effect is roughly comparable to the difficulty increase from General to Field Marshal.



2. Prolog and transition to Barbarossa

2.1 General 5 unit core starting advantage with prolog
-> This is much less of an advantage with Addon compared to BE, since you can purchase additional core units anyway from turn 2 onwards of the Barbarossa scenario.

2.2 (+) Prolog 6 core units instead of 5, with the Addon
-> On its own, having 6 instead of 5 core units gives kills and some extra experience to a single "existing" Barbarossa unit.

2.3 (+) Ability to freely train Bf 110 in tac bomber mode, then switch and upgrade in fighter mode to Bf 109 for Barbarossa
While it is fully possible to have 3 fighters with the 5 core units from BE, those usually have to share most of the prolog kills and experience.
-> The "training as Bf 110" and then convert to Bf 109 later is a clear advantage, making better use of the 6 core slots from (2.2) above.

2.4 (5-) Prestige cut between prolog and Barbarossa with the Addon
It is possible to accumulate thousands of prestige points in the early scenarios, that extra prestige is removed when transitioning to the main scenario with the Addon.
-> This generally balances prestige between a start with prolog and without prolog.

2.5 (-) Prestige malus between prolog and Barbarossa with the Addon
On top of the prestige cut from (2.4), there is also a small prestige malus for starting with prolog scenarios with the Addon.
-> This is intended to somewhat balance out (2.1) and (2.2).

=> Subtotal: (4-)
A significant player disadvantage for his youtube playthrough with Addon, compared to his BE 2.0 AAR.



3. Eastern Front (Addon changes)

3.1 (++) The Addon made the early Panzer IV overpowered
Duedman purchased 3 of them during the prolog, making kills with them easier, though this potentially hampered experience gain for them.
Although the Panzer III mostly caught up for Barbarossa, Duedman stayed with 3 core Panzer IV.
-> Imho some advantage, but mainly due to the still too good stats of those 4 (3 from prolog) Panzer IV in the crucial early stages of Barbarossa.
-> Even though the early Barbarossa stages are imho more about the traffic jam, encirclements, the weather and so on, rather than 1on1 tank engagements.
-> But it combined very well with his choice to go for 3 pure fighters, the overpowered Panzer IV somewhat made up for his lack of an additional Stuka
FIXED: Early Panzer IV stats have been fixed in the 2022-11 Addon version.

3.2 (+++) Unit variety and balancing changes (except for the already discussed and fixed Panzer IV issue)
Several Axis units are generally stronger, but also more expensive, some Allied units are generally weaker.
The still somewhat overpowered Bison I, which is also a cheap and available upgrade option for obsolete Panzer I, allows for a more mobile advance.
Especially the early T-34 has weaker offensive capabilities, which is imho much more historically accurate.
-> This provides some advantage to the early Axis, even though it also costs more later on, after taking casualties.
FIXED: The Bison I has been further nerfed in a recent Addon version, reducing this point to ("++").

3.3 (-) Additionally deployed Addon units at Barbarossa start
The player mainly gets a railway arty and a parachute artillery, the AI gets a bunch of additional units.
-> While both of those player units are nice and obvious, the AI gets a considerably bigger advantage, in order to compensate for the point above.
FIXED: The AI gets some more guarding units, especially protecting several airfields and "final" defenses. This should increase this player disadvantage to ("--").

3.4 (++)("++++") Ability to purchase core units from Barbarossa turn 2 onwards
-> A considerable advantage compared to BE ("++++"), though Duedman restricted himself by making limited use of that mechanic, thus only (++) counted for his youtube playthrough.

3.5 (--) Lower starting prestige for Barbarossa
On top of the transition prestige cut from point 2.4 and the transitioning malus from 2.5, there is an additional nerf to the Barbarossa starting prestige even without the prolog.
-> This is intended to somewhat balance point 3.4 directly above.

edit: 3.6 (--) Lower prestige rewards for some major objectives (eg Malta, Leningrad)
-> Leningrad provides a KV unit instead, but overall there is less prestige to go around, somewhat compensating for the ability to buy early additional core units with Addon (3.4).

edit: 3.7 (--) Additional victory objectives for the SU
-> The route to Murmansk, Yerevan and Kazan were new in the Addon, compared to BE itself, giving the SU several more turns of survival.

=> Subtotal: (o), => FIXED, but fully exploited (3.4): ("1-")
Some BE "exploits" are not as easy with Addon, like the Rush to Moscow with recon units, though those were not tried in the playthrough.
Several already implemented fixes reduce the player advantage.



4. Transport availability and Paratroopers
Since transports can not be bought due to PzC game engine limitations, there are more transports available with the Addon.
It is recommended to use house rules to limit this.

4.1 ("+") More trains are available with the Addon
-> This imho made little difference for Duedman in the early game, since he did not really play the upgrade shuffle before the SU was defeated.
-> After the SU defeat it probably shaved off a turn or two when redeploying for Sealion and made some in between redeployment easier.

4.2 ("+") More naval transports available with the Addon
-> Also of limited use for the crucial early phases.
-> Probably more important for better Torch preparations or a Sealion with less overwhelming naval and air superiority.

4.3 (++) More air transports available
-> This led to significantly larger air lift operations, allowing for the buildup of critical mass to take and hold objectives behind enemy lines.
-> Even regardless of paratrooper availability (Kairo airport!), this made reinforcements and operations behind enemy lines much more viable.
-> Impact already somewhat reduced by having more guards at Allied airfields in newer Addon versions.
PARTIAL FIX: More allied airfields are guarded in newer Addon versions, so fewer operations like "Kairo" are possible.

4.4 (++) Combination bonus between points 3.2, 3.3, 3.4 and 4.3
Paratrooper arty unit type (3.2) (which is already deployed (3.3)), ability to purchase additional paratroopers (3.4), combined with more air transports (4.3).
-> This combination additionally shaved off some turns from the crucial Caucasus campaign. First at Rostov on Don, then at Maykop.

4.5 (++) Of specific note is the decision to not really play the "upgrade shuffle" mini game. This is not Addon specific.
In the first year of Barbarossa, Duedman only upgraded very specific units to very specific versions.
Instead of always having several units in "upgrade transit" each turn, he kept more units at the front line, bolstering his short term offensive capabilities.
Eventually his eastern front forces consisted of mostly 1941 units even in 1943!
But this long term force "aging" never really bit him, as he managed to defeat the SU before they could field large numbers of modern units.
Having so many rail transports available (4.1) also gave a sense of security, that large scale emergency refits would be possible at any time.
-> Only (++), because only a portion of the additional "not in transit" units were actually meaningfully employed on the front lines.
-> And several great, cheap and readily available air unit upgrades (Italian air force!) were omitted as well.

=> Subtotal: (6+), => (4+) from Addon alone for the early phase, in addition to (2+) from 4.5 even without Addon
Using air transports to shave off crucial turns for the defeat of the SU is easier due to point 1.1 ("non-blind").
Otherwise some air operations might have been much less useful and more prone to casualties.
This whole section is a major balancing issue when not using house rules.



---------------------------------

Imho at this point the game was already decided.
The early advantages listed above are so significant, that the Soviet Union could be effectively knocked out of the war before turning into the dreaded red steamroller.
This in turn had a massive snowball effect.
Where the western Allies became mere obstacles in front of the experienced and refueled Axis war machine, instead of the historical serious threat in its starved and exposed rear.

Essentially defeating the SU before turn 60, while keeping Tripolis, already decides the war.
This is independent of the Addon, as seen by the playthroughs by goose_2.

---------------------------------



5. Air War issues (which have not been discussed above), mostly concerning the PzC game engine limitations independent of the Addon

5.1 Surface AA units effectively and very efficiently "hunting" air units
From the early SdKfz 10/4 to the Addon specific Flakzug (flak train), this is a painfully stupid PzC mechanic.
It is worse in BE, since overstrength on those units is much more valuable and it is easier to defend the same area.
-> AA is a practically maintenance "free" counter to the Allied bombing campaign in BE.
-> Imho the Addon Eisenbahnflak made this a bit worse (+), but not by much. Plenty of cheaper, not rail bound, self propelled AA were available, with ranges 1, 2 and even 3.
-> And as seen in the youtube playthrough by goose_2, simple AI aircraft traps work nearly as well, even without any mobile AA units...
-> Imho the deciding element was the massive, maintenance free concentration of flak units, based on previous scenario knowledge, similar to what as goose_2 did.
Proposed FIX for BE and Addon: AA at least in France, BeNeLux and Germany should cost some form of maintenance.

5.2 Player ability to swarm and focus "kill" enemy aircraft, while the AI is unable to do so
-> The large map makes it more difficult for the AI to concentrate their airforce for outright unit kills on the eastern front.
-> This is compounded by the "dice chess" setting. On "normal dice" the AI will get lucky from time to time and sometimes kills even experienced fighter units.



6. Navy issues

6.1 Italian Fleet helping the Afrika Korps
While not an issue between versions and playthroughs, this is rather unhistorical.
-> Without that early fleet support, the situation of the Afrika Korps is much worse.
-> To make progress, the player might be enticed to send more ground and air units, weakening the eastern front and potentially saving the SU for a few more turns.
Proposed FIX for BE and Addon: Reduce the ability of the Italian fleet to help the Afrika Korps.

6.2 Battle of the Atlantic
As Duedman and goose_2 demonstrated, players tend to simply not fight the U-Boot battle at all (when not playing blind).
-> Accumulating the U-Boots for a later Sealion is much more valuable than risking them against allied destroyers in the middle of the Atlantic.
-> While some prestige can be accumulated early on, that prestige is often eaten up by U-Boot repairs. Not even counting irreplacable U-Boot losses.
Proposed FIX for BE and Addon: Making U-Boots (and destroyers?) purchasable and only gifting U-Boots as replacements for outright losses.

[Duedman]

Oh wow - thanks for that detailed analysis!
And for your mod to the mod in general!

You are right that knowing the scenario played a major part (although it was like 3 years ago). I'm pretty sure I'd be even faster if I'd try again right now.

The first time I played with pure RNG (did not realize that something else was available) and I HATED it.
In smaller scenarios pure RNG is alright. But in a 99 turn slugfest like this the loss of an important unit early on has a huge impact.
So yes - dice chess favours the player and should maybe taken into account. But not by too much.

Mobile Flaks are gimmicky. But I think I had to pay money on some of them for the upgrades.
The Train Flaks on the other hand could be upgraded for basically nothing from 8.8s. If I had to pay 300 prestige it might have been a tough choice.

I'm not sure if it is a wise choice to make things ever harder. As you said, I didn't even play on FM difficulty AND I roughly knew what was coming.
So if you make it harder for ppl like Goose and me, "beginners" might get easily frustrated.
For example your suggestion to only replace lost Uboots would make a late war invasion kinda impossible.
That might lead to a dead end after conquering the Soviet Union.
Which would bug me, because I like to win
Also, part of the fun is to try things. Like the Cairo glider landings. Which should really have gone wrong.
If each and every possibility for some out of the box thinking is blocked it would lose some appeal to me.

And houserules are fine and all. But where to start and where to stop?
No Fallschirmjägers further out than the range of a Ju52 is a good example. "For the sake of realism"
But then bypassing Moscow and Stalingrad need to be ruled out. An invasion of Great Britain also needs to be a forbidden fantasy.

It should stay fun first and foremost. And apart from maybe some minor tweaks it is!!!
Not taking on a higher difficulty was my mistake. If thats still too easy, everyone can impose houserules on himself.

[Locarnus]

Forgot two points, which I'll edit into the previous post:

3.6 (--) Lower prestige rewards for some major objectives (eg Malta, Leningrad)
-> Leningrad provides a KV unit instead, but overall there is less prestige to go around, somewhat compensating for the ability to buy early additional core units with Addon (3.4).

3.7 (--) Additional victory objectives for the SU
-> The route to Murmansk, Yerevan and Kazan were new in the Addon, compared to BE itself, giving the SU several more turns of survival.

Oh wow - thanks for that detailed analysis!
And for your mod to the mod in general!

You are right that knowing the scenario played a major part (although it was like 3 years ago). I'm pretty sure I'd be even faster if I'd try again right now.

The first time I played with pure RNG (did not realize that something else was available) and I HATED it.
In smaller scenarios pure RNG is alright. But in a 99 turn slugfest like this the loss of an important unit early on has a huge impact.
So yes - dice chess favours the player and should maybe taken into account. But not by too much.

I also thought that "Dice Chess" had a smaller impact. Though I did some additional testing last month and there are quite a few self-reinforcing effects. Which in total make quite the difference.
I underestimated the effect on the air war. Dice Chess makes that one much easier, due to the player ability to concentrate several fighters for specific enemy planes.
With normal chess, the first attack has a good chance to go wrong, throwing off the whole string of attacks and inflicting damage on the player.
Which also makes that weakened player unit more susceptible to counterattacks in the next turn.
Dice Chess crucially allows the player to play with much "riskier" unit positioning, getting AI kills faster and advancing faster.
Needing fewer repair turns as well, thus having more units in the fight at any time.
It all snowballs, making "Dice Chess" a much greater difficulty factor than I previously thought it to be.

Mobile Flaks are gimmicky. But I think I had to pay money on some of them for the upgrades.
The Train Flaks on the other hand could be upgraded for basically nothing from 8.8s. If I had to pay 300 prestige it might have been a tough choice.

Yeah, you are right, they are too cheap an upgrade for the additional capability they provide.
I think just giving the player 2 over the course of the war would help in the next update. And since they pretty much do not die, no replacements and no purchase option. Making them more of a special unit like the railway arty instead of a readily available upgrade.

I'm not sure if it is a wise choice to make things ever harder. As you said, I didn't even play on FM difficulty AND I roughly knew what was coming.
So if you make it harder for ppl like Goose and me, "beginners" might get easily frustrated.
For example your suggestion to only replace lost Uboots would make a late war invasion kinda impossible.
That might lead to a dead end after conquering the Soviet Union.
Which would bug me, because I like to win

I would also need to make U-Boots (and destroyers?) purchasable.
So all that SU prestige bonus could go towards Axis fleet replenishment in preparation for Sealion.
Though I would also have to prevent the ability to spawn Axis ships where they do not belong (eg after conquering Tobruk with a german unit).
And find a way to balance it overall.

Also, part of the fun is to try things. Like the Cairo glider landings. Which should really have gone wrong.
If each and every possibility for some out of the box thinking is blocked it would lose some appeal to me.

And houserules are fine and all. But where to start and where to stop?
No Fallschirmjägers further out than the range of a Ju52 is a good example. "For the sake of realism"
But then bypassing Moscow and Stalingrad need to be ruled out. An invasion of Great Britain also needs to be a forbidden fantasy.

Agreed, the Addon in particular is intended to provide more player choice (sacrificing multiplayer support in the process).
Imho the problem with the transports is just that they are "free and abundant" from the start.
Daring mass air assaults should be possible with Addon, it should just require more of an investment to do so.

And even the train abundance is at odds with the historical logistical issues Germany had at the start of Barbarossa.
Having fewer trains available at the start would imho also benefit the upgrade mini game.
Most importantly it could somewhat balance the early Barbarossa prestige influx from conquering so many Soviet victory objectives in 1941.

I remember the old youtube playthrough by "Michael Engel" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofu8xoJw_OM).
He did not push hard into the Soviet Union and thus missed out on all the "conquered prestige".

It should stay fun first and foremost. And apart from maybe some minor tweaks it is!!!
Not taking on a higher difficulty was my mistake. If thats still too easy, everyone can impose houserules on himself.

Well, not recommending a higher difficulty for your settings and experience in the main post was my mistake, which I now fixed.

Thank you for all the feedback!