Slitherine

Yes it is 10. Orlinos. I cannot really be much more attentive to detail here considering how painful my modding mistakes have been. This is the right version.

The glitches I'm referring to had spaces. These do not, but have the exact same effect.

If one is to 'fix' a typo in the eqp file it should be noted, in my opinion, considering the effects. Not that big a deal though. I was REAL pissed at first, but once I thought about it for a minute I found an easy way out, shared in the edit above.

4kEY wrote:Yes it is 10. Orlinos. I cannot really be much more attentive to detail here considering how painful my modding mistakes have been. This is the right version.

The glitches I'm referring to had spaces. These do not, but have the exact same effect.

If one is to 'fix' a typo in the eqp file it should be noted, in my opinion, considering the effects. Not that big a deal though. I was REAL pissed at first, but once I thought about it for a minute I found an easy way out, shared in the edit above.

I believe you, but I checked my version and I had no problems. Strange.

It seems the mod is alive. It's a monster!

I just downloaded the zip file and rechecked the 1942 equipment.pzeqp file, and there's no spaces there. I'm not sure what is causing this problem, but just redownload the file. If the problem persists, then the issue is not with the equipment file.

The issue has to do with the previous versions having spaces. v1.84 has spaces, v1.9 does not ('42 at least). My Efx and graphics folder had no issues with your mod until '42, Deducter.

It is interesting I'm the only one having this issue. Perhaps the Devs uploaded duplicates, as in my solution above, in the newest versions of the efx (which VPaulus uses in his newest RSM) and graphics folders which I must have deleted when I got rid of all unnecessary graphics. I still have a folder full of custom camos and units that I don't use anymore, but kept because at some point I'd like to implement them in a more organized way. There are no Sdkfz versions with extra spaces in this folder. Perhaps I deleted them along with other icons I knew I wouldn't use.

In any case, anyone having this issue with units without audio or crashing when you try to move them, use the duplicate method. This way it doesn't matter whether the entries in the Eqp file have extra spaces or not.

I started the DLC'39 with your mod - I have say you did an awesome job!! Thanks and congratulations for it. Of course I read first the manual - it is unbeliveable how much work you put in it: it is almost a book!
The complete overwork of the units brings a new twist in the gameplay - not to mention the more historical unit stats.

I have only one question: maybe you remember, earlier when the first DLCs were released I found the campaign too easy because of the too many prestige. I have now hard times even in the first scenarios because my favorites - the artillery is really expensive. So, will the gameplay also hard later or should I use some prestige-lowering tricks? I earlier planned also to avoid the SE units (disbanding them in the first turn so I not get prestige for them as they wouldn't existed), but as I read later in 43-45 the circumstances will be not so easy. Plus the good equipment also cost a lot of prestige...
I realised that in the first scenarios my units gain xp very fast: sometimes 150 xp/scn. Will be this later slowed down?

Uhu wrote:I have only one question: maybe you remember, earlier when the first DLCs were released I found the campaign too easy because of the too many prestige. I have now hard times even in the first scenarios because my favorites - the artillery is really expensive. So, will the gameplay also hard later or should I use some prestige-lowering tricks?

I am not the greatest of players, but I can get through 1939-40 on Rommel, so early DLC’s are not that bad. Beginning of Poland is hard, since every little shopping costs a fortune. It gets better after Warsaw and 1940 is all right (unless you want a ton of tanks). 1941 is OK too, except for buying a Wurfrahmen. (Also, elite replacements for the tanks are getting costly).

1943 onwards is ugly. The Russians are damn aggressive, prices are sky high and it’s hard enough for me to survive with default prestige settings. From that moment I play on General straight and I am afraid of everything Red, including Santa.

Uhu wrote:I earlier planned also to avoid the SE units (disbanding them in the first turn so I not get prestige for them as they wouldn't existed), but as I read later in 43-45 the circumstances will be not so easy. Plus the good equipment also cost a lot of prestige...
I realised that in the first scenarios my units gain xp very fast: sometimes 150 xp/scn. Will be this later slowed down?

SE units are very special is the mod, since they get more ammo/fuel and are slightly less expensive. (And SE transports cost half normal price). I find them a great feature, since they can easily be truly elite and well equipped. My 3 SE infantry (Grenadiers, Infantry and Gebirgsjäger) are one of my most important units. When I start getting SE tanks, they are the first to receive overstrength. I used to have SE III Panzers for very long, until finally they turned into Tigers and Panthers. If I were you, I wouldn’t disband them.

I've been working on complete revision of the manual. The biggest change will be the inclusion of tables to present the information for units in my mod in a clear, elegant way. This is harder than it seems, due to the large amount of information to present and limited space to do so on a standard layout. Below are some examples.





A few notes
1. mp = multipurpose, meaning the unit can switch
2. CD = 1, 2 means that the CD value depends on the year, to be explained in the text. In this case, CD = 1 for 1939-1942 and CD = 2 for 1943-1945.
3. Specific unit information will be explained in the text. For instance, the 8.8 cm FlaK 37 is an auto upgrade in 1942.
4. You may notice some more unit stats have been changed.

Progress is slow due to the time-consuming nature of this project.

Uhu wrote:I started the DLC'39 with your mod - I have say you did an awesome job!! Thanks and congratulations for it. Of course I read first the manual - it is unbeliveable how much work you put in it: it is almost a book!
The complete overwork of the units brings a new twist in the gameplay - not to mention the more historical unit stats.

I have only one question: maybe you remember, earlier when the first DLCs were released I found the campaign too easy because of the too many prestige. I have now hard times even in the first scenarios because my favorites - the artillery is really expensive. So, will the gameplay also hard later or should I use some prestige-lowering tricks? I earlier planned also to avoid the SE units (disbanding them in the first turn so I not get prestige for them as they wouldn't existed), but as I read later in 43-45 the circumstances will be not so easy. Plus the good equipment also cost a lot of prestige...
I realised that in the first scenarios my units gain xp very fast: sometimes 150 xp/scn. Will be this later slowed down?

I know you are a very good player. The mod won't really get challenging for you until 1943, by which time you will need all the prestige you have saved up to survive the war. I consider it an accomplishment to just see Berlin.

Experience gain has been increased somewhat for units over 200exp, but that will be necessary in 1943. Furthermore, normal reinforcements in 1943 won't dilute your experience as much. Elite reinforcements in battle is now always 25% higher than during deployment. All 4 reinforcement options (elite/normal, battle/deployment) should be viable.

You could disband your SE infantry for a small amount of prestige, but it is not recommended, since they are cheaper and more powerful than normal infantry, especially in terms of motorization. Also remember that the bulk of your prestige will be spent on reinforcements, not purchasing new units.

You are not meant to build up and maintain a core of 5-star overstrength units by late 1943. Instead, you'll have to choose carefully which units you want to be the elite. In general, SE units are a good choice due to their bonuses (lower cost, more attack, more fuel/ammo). Otherwise it depends on your playstyle. For instance, atillery/bombers are not always the best choice to overstrength anymore, especially starting in 1943.

I just finished Babruysk. While I managed to score a DV in Mogilev (it cost me one of my StuG IIIG and Sdkfz 7/1 but it was worth it) – Babruysk is a different story. I’ve been trying to finish it for few days and it always ended with massacre of my best troops and Reds pouring through every hole.

Finally, I decided it’s not only my tactics, but also troop composition that is the culprit. (I have 70 units at the moment – some of them are old captured units, that hardly got used and will be disbanded if I am prestige-tight, some are getting obsolete and will be turned into different units, to preserve heroes etc. Sometimes I can’t decide which to use).

I resigned from deploying some of the bombers, only leaving fighters, Fw 190G and Henschel – and deployed more ground troops, since in my previous tries I was running fast out of troops with enough strength or ammo. It worked, but the fight still was terrific and brutal.

Brozha and neighboring bridge was defended by an Elefant and a Tiger, while a freshly received SE Panther, StuG IIIG and Panzer IVH, helped by two Mountaineers, managed to secure another bridge at Parycy.

The city of Babruysk was defended by two Grenadiers and a Pioniere unit with +2 Ini – a true killer. They were sometimes helped by a veteran IVH tanks. In the woods to the north I kept 2 Infanterie units (1 SE) and my precious Fallschirmjäger.

At the city of Klicau, my strongest armor was awaiting the enemy: an SE Tiger, a 14 strenght SE Panther with +2 Defense and +1 Movement, a Jagdpanther (I upgraded an old Marder with a Spotting hero, so the Jagdpanther is not as blind as other AT units) – and my one shot killer, Nashorn.

Here, I was never sure of the results. I greeted first enemy tanks with ambushes, finished few off and retreated into the woods. Then, even heavier stuff came and almost destroyed me – I had to keep calm, don’t panic and retreat a heavily wounded Jagdpanther and Nashorn, screening them with other units. I paid a heavy toll in replacements (elite in case of the Nashorn), but all units soon managed to take their revenge on assailants.

Some small AT managed to infiltrate the northern edges of the map and captured two cities, but a StuG IIIG and Paratroopers taught it not to mess with me! Finally, I managed to get most of the center of the map back, but I decided not to press my luck and leave the final DV hex in peace.

(The air fight is another story. For most of the time I managed to screen my units well, both with fighter and with AA guns – so the Russians did some kamikaze attacks on my 88 guns! Also, it’s quite hilarious when the all sometimes decide to pick on one little Bf 109G, depleting it’s strength during each attack – I had to elite reinforce them at least two times. At the end, one fighter even scratched my elite Fw 190A (since enemy SPAAG slowly depleted its overstrength) but it didn’t end well for the Russian. Heh, heh).

If not for the fact that I put lots of overstrength on all fighters, I wouldn’t survive. (Normally, I only overstrength FW 190A and an old Bf 109F with Defense hero).

SOME THOUGHTS:

Hetzer seems crap. I now it’s supposed to be a disposable unit – bought and killed during a scenario – but a StuG IIIF/8 seems to be a bit better – except for the speed. Or maybe I just haven’t found a way to use disposable units. I’ll probably learn.

PaK 43 is extremely hard to use on defense. Yes, it can one-shot-kill almost anything, but abundance of strong enemy artillery makes it very easy to suppress and destroy. I learned to use Nashorn instead – it’s a bit more expensive (in comparison to PaK 43 with transport), but it’s more mobile, so I can move it out fast.

Paratroopers saved my hide few times – I have to say, I waited a long time for them, since before the 43 upgrade they are crap through most of the scenarios (except the city ones, but it is expensive to train them, since they are a magnet to tanks because of lower Ground Defense).

Now, they shine. I left overstrength Paratroopers in the woods a few times and nothing dared touching them.

StuG IIIG seemed to have trouble when dealing with the biggest of tanks and AT – but putting it in the close terrain made the odds much better (because this time StuG more often had higher initiative because of the terrain cap). It still took high damage, but it’s cheap and destroyed Russian units were not.

I still put some points of overstrength into artillery, especially if I want to use it with StuGs in close terrain (otherwise, infantry will wreck them). But I mostly keep it at low levels – maybe 12 points. It’s a bit better to overstrengthen mobile and hard bodied artillery, like SU-122 – it will keep most of the points, unless used very badly.

The action seems like its finally starting to pick up. The defensive battles at Demyansk, Vitebsk, and Kharkov were most enjoyable. Kharkov especially played much different than before. I remember being able to relieve Izyum and catch the Russians on the Oskol. This time I had to dig in behind the Donets. The area between the Donets and Oskol turned into a death-trap for the Red Army, especially after a flanking attack from the north Burluk -> Troitske -> Svatove. The AI seems to prefer the fastest route to its objectives - roads. Once I realized this I had no concerns about moving my northern battlegroup to roll up the Soviet positions east of the Oskol.

It was really cool to see them reinforce with T-34s at the end instead of super-heavies. I'm glad there are not many KV-1Cs.

orlinos wrote:
Hetzer seems crap. I now it’s supposed to be a disposable unit – bought and killed during a scenario – but a StuG IIIF/8 seems to be a bit better – except for the speed. Or maybe I just haven’t found a way to use disposable units. I’ll probably learn.

I've grown to love 'disposable heroes' very much I find they work best in situations where a good counterattack or lucky shot by the AI would be most upsetting to my plans. I think there's two types of disposable units (in my opinion so far): the ones that are supposed to get annihilated, and the ones where if they got annihilated it wouldn't be a big deal

The latter can build some good experience levels, but recieve green replacements if they get decimated. I have a mountaineer and fallschirmjaeger, the most expensive infantry, specifically for this purpose. Economy I suppose. I have a Panzer IB and IIF (now a recon - very cool), that never get above 1star because they always get killed. Generally I haven't had to bring in another disposable unit in their place, but rather fill the reserve slot with something more powerful and experienced. I can see this changing as the game goes on, forcing me to keep bringing in fresh canon fodder.

Hmm, I don't know...sure I don't see the whole picture (from 1943-) but still for me the 150+ xp/scn (from 0 star level) seems to be too fast. In that way - at least in the early stages of war - you don't need ever to elite replace because the lost xp will earned back in the next scn and for later you cannot collect it anyway because of the given xp limit of the DLCs. In that way family upgrades matters also not because I can simply sell the old unit and buy a new one thus save prestige. And in that way in the early years the whole campaign is about only to collect the most prestige - the carefully handling and developing of our core matters no more much.
Maybe a yearly different xp growing would make the solution. Or - if it possible - taking out the DLC-limits and making a xp growing system where to 200 xp to come is relative easy but to later levels you need really much work.
I used this method in the IC 2.0 and it worked fine: after 24 scenarios (with many really long 30+ turns, what means also more enemy - more battle - more xp) only some of the str and tac bombers got 500+ xp and the armored, inf units 400+. But the question is, how far can be the much bigger number of the DLC scenarios balanced for xp growing.
The table used in IC 2.0. Maybe even the 6 would be still too much for the DLCs.
ExpGrowRate0 40
ExpGrowRate1 20
ExpGrowRate2 6
ExpGrowRate3 1
ExpGrowRate4 1

Maybe for the first years the ExpGrowRate0, ExpGrowRate1 , ExpGrowRate2 should be set much lower and after 1942 it could be set higher to balance the higher elite replacement prices?

orlinos wrote:

I just finished Babruysk. While I managed to score a DV in Mogilev (it cost me one of my StuG IIIG and Sdkfz 7/1 but it was worth it) – Babruysk is a different story. I’ve been trying to finish it for few days and it always ended with massacre of my best troops and Reds pouring through every hole.

Hi orlinos

I also finished Babruysk 2 days ago. I had 7000 prestige before Mogilev mission and now I have 4500 prestige after Babruysk.
On Mogilev mission I have captured and sold prototype JagdTiger (2000 prestige). Without that sale I would have only 2500 prestige left before Minsk mission.

I managed to get DV on Mogilev but on Babruysk I had MV. Despite I have destroyed all soviets tanks, I still needed 2 more turns to get DV.
I am not sure how long I can keep on with such high prestige drop rate.

My tactic was more less same like yours; northern forest was defended with 4 infantry and few tanks and artillery. In Babruysk I had 3 SE grenadiers, one pioniere, 4 artillery plus 2 flak units and one Panther in reserve. In south I have deployed most of my tanks units with 3 artillery and one grenadier.

Majority of my prestige went on overstrenghting fighters and fighterbombers. In Minsk mission I will try to decrease point losses in air units and use them in more defensive role.

Uhu wrote:Hmm, I don't know...sure I don't see the whole picture (from 1943-) but still for me the 150+ xp/scn (from 0 star level) seems to be too fast. In that way - at least in the early stages of war - you don't need ever to elite replace because the lost xp will earned back in the next scn and for later you cannot collect it anyway because of the given xp limit of the DLCs. In that way family upgrades matters also not because I can simply sell the old unit and buy a new one thus save prestige. And in that way in the early years the whole campaign is about only to collect the most prestige - the carefully handling and developing of our core matters no more much.
Maybe a yearly different xp growing would make the solution. Or - if it possible - taking out the DLC-limits and making a xp growing system where to 200 xp to come is relative easy but to later levels you need really much work.
I used this method in the IC 2.0 and it worked fine: after 24 scenarios (with many really long 30+ turns, what means also more enemy - more battle - more xp) only some of the str and tac bombers got 500+ xp and the armored, inf units 400+. But the question is, how far can be the much bigger number of the DLC scenarios balanced for xp growing.
The table used in IC 2.0. Maybe even the 6 would be still too much for the DLCs.
ExpGrowRate0 40
ExpGrowRate1 20
ExpGrowRate2 6
ExpGrowRate3 1
ExpGrowRate4 1

Maybe for the first years the ExpGrowRate0, ExpGrowRate1 , ExpGrowRate2 should be set much lower and after 1942 it could be set higher to balance the higher elite replacement prices?

The early years of the GCs have a exp cap. GC39 is 225, GC40 is 325, and GC41 is 375. That balances out the fast experience growth. The Germans are meant to have a significant experience advantage over their opponents in these years, and this is historically realistic too.

The way the mod is set up is that you are not meant to have all 500-exp units. The idea is not that you just fight for 50 scenarios and that all unit will become 5-stars, unless you are willing to feed them elite reinforcements every time. And you'll find that by 1943, there aren't enough elite reinforcements to go around.

Also, disbanding units to save on prestige when upgrading is not necessarily so smart, because you will need the heroes to fight against the AI in 1943. If you try to do this with your air units like the Bf 109G to Fw 190A, you'll find your new, green Fw 190 are very expensive to elite reinforce, not to mention very vulnerable to the Russians.

If you think the early years are too easy, just play with -75% prestige like I do. You won't ever save up huge amounts of prestige, no matter what you do.

Trust me on this, don't mod the exp growth rates. I have spent a very long time thinking about it and have arrived at what I think is a good solution. It seems fast in the early years because the opposition is weak and you rarely ever lose strength points. When you are losing strength points left and right and 1 point on a Tiger costs 100 prestige to elite reinforce at the deployment stage, you'll understand why the exp growth rates are set this way.

deducter wrote:[

The early years of the GCs have a exp cap. GC39 is 225, GC40 is 325, and GC41 is 375. That balances out the fast experience growth. The Germans are meant to have a significant experience advantage over their opponents in these years, and this is historically realistic too.
[…]
Trust me on this, don't mod the exp growth rates. I have spent a very long time thinking about it and have arrived at what I think is a good solution. It seems fast in the early years because the opposition is weak and you rarely ever lose strength points. When you are losing strength points left and right and 1 point on a Tiger costs 100 prestige to elite reinforce at the deployment stage, you'll understand why the exp growth rates are set this way.

I can vouch for that. 1942 was hard for me, but mostly in terms of tactics. 1943, 1944 – I suddenly found out my forces are only equal / slightly superior to Russians - when I fight hard to keep high enough experience levels. Otherwise – they are fodder.

Upgrading older equipment to newer types (instead of disbanding) is also the only way to gain heroes fast. It allowed my heavy tanks to be useful as soon as possible.

Sevastopol was great fun. I cleared it completely at the end of turn 16 this time, after pushing south and attacking it from the east (as well as the north) as fast as I could. I held back on using the heavy siege guns until they were in range of the Soviet forts. I think this saved ammo and enabled me to get rid of them quicker. Every shell with the exception of one (to save my hide) was used to destroy the forts. The Ju-87R was an awesome naval kiler.

Deducter, is the 88 really necessary? I don't think I've used it against armor more than once the entire time I've been in Russia...not that I've had much opportunity - I never know where their armor will be and by the time a can maneuver my 88 into position I've already used combined arms to destroy the threat. The only way I can think I might get more use out of it is if I put it next to one of my cannon fodder divisions. The flak mode is not too useful compared with the recently released 7/2. I'll still hold on to them for the defensive battles. If my advance is slow, or where there are massed Russian armor attacks - this is where I get the most use out of the 88, both in direct fire and flak mode. I realize the value of having one trained up and ready to go by this becomes more common. edit: I just experience the first real massed armor attack, Novoaninnsky, and was glad I had deployed my 88.

Wehrmacht forces at the start of Plan Blue:

10th Grenadier - 631/63 - A2 – 337 exp
9th BridgeEngineer - 144/46 – 119 exp (disposable)
2nd SS Inf. - 1260/92 - A1/A2 – 425 exp
1st SS Grenadier - 923/44 - D3/A2 – 418 exp
20th Kradschutzen - 529/85 - D1 – 375 exp (too expensive to use as cannon fodder, too weak without exp, tank magnet...sits in reserves mostly)
12th Panzer IIIL - 544/67 - A2 – 416 exp
18th Panzer IVF/2 - 801/37 - D2/D3 – 425 exp
1st SS Panzer IIIJ/1 - 849/34 - D2 – 425 exp
3rd SS Panzer IVF/1 - 519/46 – 201 exp
T-43/41 – 384/34 – A3 – 110 exp (only receives green replacements)
Kv-1B – 381/17 – i3 – 300 exp (only receives green replacements)
18th Sdkfz 222 - 68/34 – 126 exp (disposable)
8th Panzer IIF - 223/70 – 0 exp (cannon fodder)
32nd MarderIIA – 214/28 – A2 – 392 exp
3rd StuGIIIF – 0/0 – 0 exp
16th 15cm sFH 18 - 692/3 - R1 – 425 exp
16th 15cm sFH 18 – 36/1 – 223 exp
3rd 17cm K18 - 547/17 - A3 – 425 exp
24th 21cm Morser18 - 193/14 – 419 exp
13th 21cm Nebelwerfer - 523/18 - R1 – 423 exp
36th StugIIIB – 279/6 – R1 – 425 exp
6th StugIIIB - 533/18 - A2 – 425 exp
50th StugIIIB - 140/10 – 425 exp
41st Wurfrahmen - 120/6 – 362 exp
Captured 105mm Wz.29 - 382/16 – A2 – 425 exp
2nd 8.8cm Flak - 323/4 - A3 – 383 exp
27th Sdkfz 7/2 - 141/16 – D2 – 377 exp
56th Sdkfz 7/1 - 68/6 – 276 exp
17th Bf 109F - 336/16 - A1 – 425 exp
26th Bf 109F - 354/7 - A2 – 416 exp
54th Bf 109F - 68/7 – 310 exp
7th Bf 109G - 591/35 - D2/A2 – 425 exp
15th Ju 87B - 1429/34 - A3/A2 – 425 exp
11th Ju 87D - 1200/24 - D3/A1 – 425 exp
31st Bf 110D - 442/27 – D2 – 425 exp
37th Bf 110D - 378/41 – A2 – 425 exp
12th HS 129B-1 – 21/2 – 156 exp
28th He 177A - 145/25 – 414 exp



Reserve:

4th Wehrmacht Inf - 667/99 - A3/D2 – 364 exp (used to be disposable, but realized its so cheap I can give it elite replacements)
23rd Fallschirmjager - 378/13 - D1 – 400 exp
53rd Fallschirmjager - 102/25 – 174 exp (disposable, green replacements only)
49th Gerbirgsjaeger – 122/22 – D1 – 207 exp (disposablee, green replacements only)
Pioniere - 944/32 - Spotting +2 – 408exp
42nd Panzer IB - 85/82 – 0 exp (cannon fodder)
14th Panzer IIIN – 66/6 – 182 exp
7th Panzer IVF/2 – 167/11 – 113 exp (formerly Somua)
40th Panzer II Flamm - 266/20 – 0 exp (too expensive to use as cannon fodder or disposable)
CharB1 - 44/3 – 192 exp
CharB1 - 16/1 – 111 exp
MatildaII - 69/6 – 289 exp
MatildaII - 10/6 – 114 exp
T-34/41 – 109/9 – 162 exp (receives green replacements only)
KV-1A – 0/0 – 0 exp
10th T-34/41 – 6/5 – 53 exp
29th T-34/41 – 8/3 – 80 exp
T-34/41 – 21/0 – 117 exp
39th Sdkfz 231 - 17/24 – 0 exp
1st Sdkfz 232 - 378/112- 0 exp (too expensive to use as cannon fodder)
30th Panzer IIF - 162/101- D2 – 115 exp (cannon fodder)
33rd 3.7cm Knocking-Device - 0/0 – 0 exp
5th 7.5cm Pak40 - 297/63 – M1 – 399 exp
44th StuG IIIf – 0/0 – 0 exp
25th MarderIII - 528/58 - D1 – 425 exp
20th 10.5cm leFH18 - 84/14 – 418 exp
19th 15cm Nebelwerfer - 107/7 – 391 exp
21st Sturmpanzer II - 135/25 – 381 exp
22nd 3.7cm Flak - 54/2 – 242 exp
43rd 8.8cm Flak - 87/12 – 287 exp
35th Bf109E - 297/17 – 373 exp
38th Bf09F - 130/12 – 327 exp
34th Ju88 - 301/27 - A1 – 425 exp


Prestige: 31,416


DV at Voronezh on last turn by the skin of my teeth - sort of a mad-dash to the finish. I had to re-deploy for the first time after four turns - I had a nagging thought that I should concentrate on Voronezh and didn't listen. I was spread way too thin. The second time I pushed the majority of my forces right through Voronezh after a massed frontal asault while keeping an eye on the northern and southern bridge crossings, actually taking the southern one but advancing no further until I could link with the main body. I also realized I could bring out only ONE green unit (‘melee unit’, not intended to be disposable) per scenario, probably from now on. I'm not sure how to start using the StuGs...I'd like them to be elite tank killers but I think they'd make perfect distractions later in the war. I'll probably have at least one of each.

Edit: Re-deploying so early into a scenario is something I'd like to keep from becoming habit. I have managed to keep re-loading to a minimum, however. I was worried that Sevastopol Assault would be excessively brutal but it wasn't. I got up to do something else several times. The aux Pioniere took some nasty hits from the fortress guns, deliberately, but I was able to keep my own core units from taking many casualties, to my surprise. There was one encounter at the end where my four star SS Infantry (11) got attacked without artillery support by a two star Soviet Guard (12). He left me at a 3 and himself at a 5. This is what I consider brutal.

4kEY wrote:I'm not sure how to start using the StuGs...I'd like them to be elite tank killers but I think they'd make perfect distractions later in the war. Maybe I'll have one of each.

Impressive looking core!

I remember I also found it hard to train AT StuGs at the beginning (especially since they are not so price competitive at their introduction, as they are later on).

Since their Initiative is so low, I find them much better to use as defenders, rather than attackers. On bigger tanks, they work best in close terrain.

If you want elite tank killers, I’d pick Marders or III series tanks at the beginning. Marders are cheap and have superior initiative, give them some experience, overstrength and they will eat most of the Russians for breakfast. However, they are fragile and must be evacuated from the front when infantry is coming. When I got Nashorn, it was even better – although even more fragile.

Panzer III tanks (especially SE series) I also found great, especially when experienced and overstrength. I have one with 15 strength, with Movement and Defense heroes – it is cheap, rarely touched by most of the Russians, fast and deadly. Obviously, you don’t want to have too many Panzer III, since they’ll be obsolete by ‘44.

Looking at your notes on Kradschützen and Panzer II Flamm – it confirms my suspicion that at least some of the equipment introduced in AK patch is really of not much use in Grand Campaigns – at least on low prestige difficulties and/or using deducter’s mod. I haven’t used the Flamm panzer, since I have lots of infantry anyway, but I did try Kradschützen and it was just a prestige sink. In the early days, when some very mobile infantry might be nice, it’s too expensive – and a tank magnet, just like you say. In mid-Russia, when all the prices go so up-high, that they seem to be cheaper – I find it easier just to put a Stug IIIG in close terrain.

I envy you two Fallschirmjäger units. They’ll make expensive super-killers from 1943!

orlinos wrote: I remember I also found it hard to train AT StuGs at the beginning (especially since they are not so price competitive at their introduction, as they are later on).
Since their Initiative is so low, I find them much better to use as defenders, rather than attackers. On bigger tanks, they work best in close terrain.

You mean the StuG IIIG in close terrain? It isn't just you, they are tough to use on the attack without combined arms/mass attack. Gone are the days of re-rolling at a specific kill count for an i3 hero. I have been fortunate with what the game has given me, however.

orlinos wrote: If you want elite tank killers, I’d pick Marders or III series tanks at the beginning. Marders are cheap and have superior initiative, give them some experience, overstrength and they will eat most of the Russians for breakfast. However, they are fragile and must be evacuated from the front when infantry is coming. When I got Nashorn, it was even better – although even more fragile.

This is exactly my experience, Orlinos. I have a IIA and III which I upgraded from a Panzerjager and Pz.38t in-family. The Marder IIA makes a really cool firing sound, and it’s extremely mobile. These things are probably the best use of prestige of anything I have, pound for pound, except SS Infantry.

orlinos wrote: Panzer III tanks (especially SE series) I also found great, especially when experienced and overstrength. I have one with 15 strength, with Movement and Defense heroes – it is cheap, rarely touched by most of the Russians, fast and deadly. Obviously, you don’t want to have too many Panzer III, since they’ll be obsolete by ‘44.

I’ll probably keep one in my core til the end, but I’m not sure it will be elite like yours. I’d like to keep using one post-'43 if only for the custom unit Guille made for me with the side-skirts and turret armor, the IIIM.

orlinos wrote: Looking at your notes on Kradschützen and Panzer II Flamm – it confirms my suspicion that at least some of the equipment introduced in AK patch is really of not much use in Grand Campaigns – at least on low prestige difficulties and/or using deducter’s mod. I haven’t used the Flamm panzer, since I have lots of infantry anyway, but I did try Kradschützen and it was just a prestige sink. In the early days, when some very mobile infantry might be nice, it’s too expensive – and a tank magnet, just like you say. In mid-Russia, when all the prices go so up-high, that they seem to be cheaper – I find it easier just to put a Stug IIIG in close terrain.

Don't get me wrong, they were useful. The Mk. II Flamm eats infantry alive, and the motorcycle infantry is not much different than an ordinary Wehrmacht, just with much better movement. Both are cost prohibitive, however. There isn't always close-terrain to keep the Krahschutzen safe, and the Mk. II can't always seize opportunities without getting smashed in a counterattack. The problem with the Mk. II Flamm, even if I only gave it green replacements as cannon fodder is that it costs too much to re-purchase when it gets destroyed.

orlinos wrote: I envy you two Fallschirmjäger units. They’ll make expensive super-killers from 1943!

Hehe, these things are awesome. They can wreck unsuppressed soft targets and take minimal casualties. I've found myself going for the disposable version lately. I have a regular Grenadier that now has A2/A1 attack heroes I may change into a Fallschirmjäger, since the main reason I don't use them in every scenario is the weak HA. Also because the game doesn't seem to want me getting any movement heroes. I find infantry with M2 difficult to use at this stage. Close terrain always seems one hex away from my Grenadier/Pioniere.

orlinos wrote: Impressive looking core!

Thanks, Orlinos. I guess it depends on how many of them get killed later on. I may be spead too thin, but my goal from the start was to have large reserves with at-least-decent experience in case I took serious losses in '44 - '45.

4Key: Very glad to know that you like the PzIII M so much! Thanks! I hope this unit gives an sterling service to your panzer force! (Ask me if you would like to have another unit not presently included in the game, and I will do my best!)
I enjoy so much reading about gamers using this mod... The amount of time its author dedicated to balance the units stats is amazing!