AK: Gazala Line

[Chris10]

Yeah..best scnenario so far...when I first came across the mines I was WTF?...took me a moment to remember about Pioniere and their purpose...would be nice to get 1 or 2 6-strength Italian Pioniere and a pop up message telling to use them on the mines otherwise any new player is sort of lost and anyway doomed in case he has no Pio on his core..

massing the gross of my attack force in the center and outrunning the minefield in the south with amobile task force got me a quickly thru...
In the center I send armor thru the gap in the mine and center defenses and charged into brit artillery from the rear...without artillery the positions are no challenge

very good scneario..I like them bigger..it gives the term strategic operation some meaning...

the message telling me that a counter will take place aiming on my rear airfileds (airborne SAS) popped up when I already mobbed them up...
these messages should come 1 turn before the units spawn this way the player has time to react and send back a task force..in my case I had lots of planes on the fields for refuel and just shot down the transports when they came in sight...maybe let them disembark outside the view range of planes on the airfields ?

[Longasc]

7. Gazala
Field Marshal, all options checked
Start Prestige: 3031
Bought/Upgraded: All tanks and fighters, lots of upgrades. Disbanded British equipment. Bought 2x SiG33, BF109G, Recon
Prestige at turn 1: 901
Losses: Recon, lots of aux.
Captured: Grant, 4000 for Tobruk
End Prestige: 4968
Result: DV 23/32
Comments:
Kudos, uran! This is the best scenario so far, very interesting gameplay, don't know where to start my praise.
There is a paratrooper surprise attack (easily defeated, but a nice diversion) and a harder counter attack against a southern Airfield (could be a little weaker IMO).
What I didn't like was that Tobruk gave 4000 Prestige BUT was almost undefended. A few units from the strong southern attack group should rather be there.
Prestige was okay, you can survive easily. 4000 Prestige is a nice boost, and people must get it as failing in Gazala means the end, right? OK, then it's okay and also gives a proper reward for effort.
I played this over several days and it was very well done. Air attacks had a nice intensity, oh wow, a really awesome scenario. I decided to go for Malta, taking a break before going to Alam Halfa.

[Tarrak]

The 4k prestige bonus does not come from capturing Tobruk. It is the bonus for defending the southern airfield vs the attack.

[Longasc]

In Beta 2 I got it the very moment I captured Tobruk!

[Tarrak]

In Beta 2 I got it the very moment I captured Tobruk!

Yes that does happen but it only happens if you managed to capture and keep the airfield. Just make a test game without capturing it and see for yourself. I think it triggers when you capture Tobruk because this was probably your last VH and it does trigger after you won as you need to keep the airfield until the end.

[Longasc]

That's possible. Hum. An Airfield in the desert is more prestigious than Tobruk?

[Tarrak]

That's possible. Hum. An Airfield in the desert is more prestigious than Tobruk?

The pop up message says the airfield got extreme high strategic importance. Tobruk of course too i guess but Tobruk is what your superior expect from you to take while the Airfield is a bit of extra work you are doing above the expected so this yields additional prestige. In the end you can justify everything

[Razz1]

I got the airfield bonus.

[Ballacraine]

Well, they say you can't please all the folk.

Coming off a DV in the previous scenario I did not receive enough prestige to fill all core slots.
I found this scenario a pain.
Surely forces reeling back from a serious reversal will not have time to place so many minefields?
I feel the number of them is excessive.
If you were coming off an MV perhaps the number of them might be plausible.
If they were able to do that surely they would have enough time to prepare better defenses at Tobruk?

Whilst I realise there are ways to clear minefields without losing strength, they are time consuming & tedious.
Weren't minefields really a delaying device, rather than a fully effective defence strategy?

I'll try this again but with a full core complement & see if I find that more successful.

Balla.

[Ballacraine]

Ah Interesting.

Sahariana appear to be unable to dismount in this scenario.
Or has that ability been taken away in this third issue of the beta?

Balla.

[zappel]

Beta3: This is a profitable scenario: one Grant I and 4.000 prestige points. For my taste this scenario is a little bit to big and to long. I like scenarios having a maximum of 25 turns not 32. I would prefer two (or more) scenarios for Tobruk.

[uran21]

Main thing with minefields is to stay focused and breach only narrow path trough it. Sahariana issue sounds like a bug, will check.

[uran21]

Sahariana works for me. Do note it is a recon so it can move multiple times. If you move it once you cannot use switch until next turn.

[Ballacraine]

Ah that may be it.

I'll pay attention to that & see.

Thanks.

Balla.

[Ballacraine]

No, there is no option to dismount Sahariana for me in this scenario.

I have them as core units, I don't know if that is relevant.

Balla. :s

[Ballacraine]

Another small thing.
Hex 24/36 should really be an entrenchment rather than a minefield.
It prevents resupllying / recruitment at Bir Hacheim ( 23/35 )

Balla.

[Ballacraine]

Not being able to upgrade the Italian Artillery to have some transport is a pain.

Could they not start the scenario with transport?

Balla.

[zappel]

To upgrade any unit (core or aux.) while in a scenario move
- ground units to a city
- air units to an airfield and
- naval units to a port!
Then the upgrade-button is enabled.

[Ballacraine]

So upgrades are limited to cities as opposed to just a flagged hex settlement?

I have had aux. Italian Infantry & artillery units on Gold Hexes in the desert area without any upgrade options appearing.

The Rail Head at 46/21 should be a gold hex, I would have thought?

Balla.

[zappel]

I'm not sure if I understand.
Gold hex are objectives to win the scenario and always have a flag, cities are the best places to supply and the only place to upgrade a ground unit, they also have a flag (till now I have not find any city without a flag). Outside cities you cannot upgrade ground units regardless the tile has a flag or a gold hex.

The railhead has no function in the game, it is only a special named tile: why should it be a gold hex/winning objective?
If i misunderstood your comment, just forget my post!