My most fun map yet
Posted: Sat Apr 29, 2023 3:47 pm
I like playing with a large number of core units in somewhat historically accurate ratios with a heavy emphasis on combined arms integration (I spent three years as a combat instructor teaching modern combined arms integration), but I find the maps are not designed very well for that. For one, it just isn't really necessary to use a combined arms approach to most objectives. It's the rare objective that has AAA covering artillery with entrenched AT guns and infantry working together, with mobile reserves in support. So, I have been gradually working to put such things in game.
I don't implement it the same way everywhere and I make it more complex as the war advances, but the goal is to make each objective a tougher nut to crack.
Here's an example from the Dijon campaign:
At this stage in the war, the French had started to figure out the counter to German tactics. Fortify a village with infantry supported by as many anti-tank guns as possible. Unfortunately, they lacked sufficient numbers of anti-tank weapons to really pull this off.
It took the Soviets a while to figure this out as well, but once they did, their industrial base (helped mightily by Lend Lease resources) enabled them to implement it on a large scale. To that end, as the war in the East continues, defenses get increasingly complex and well-resourced.
Here's an example from Kharkov42:
Unless you bring the "cheat code" of long range siege artillery, it requires some finesse to take down one of these in a timely manner. And, somewhere, someone is going to learn the hard way that no matter how much you maneuver, someone is going to have to close that last 100 meters.
To that end, whether historically accurate or not, I wanted to make the Stalingrad map into a proper grinding attrition fight in urban hell.
It was more fun that I ever imagined it could be. My German infantry regiments (2 Wehr infantry, 1 10.5cm howitzer, 1 7.5cm PAK, 1 20mm FLAK, 1 recon unit) took forever to work through this mess.
I set the enemy recons and AAA trucks to random patrol routes through their sector with 60-80% aggression. I set all the 20-strength enemy infantry and the Katyushas to active defense with 50-100% aggression. Tank units were set to 100% aggression with orders to defend key hexes or active defense. Everything else was told to hold ground and fire, with default aggression. Of course, with so many units, I mis-clicked a few times here and there, with the result that sometimes a 76.2mm gun would get more active and contribute to the mess.
As an aside, I love the 76.2mm gun as an AI unit because the AI does a fairly decent job switching modes as appropriate to nearby targets. I usually built supporting elements where one 76.2mm in artillery mode supported two 76.2mm in AT mode, but the AI wasn't horrible about switching them up as appropriate.
I was very favorably impressed with the "initiative" shown by the recon and AAA trucks. Numerous times they found a flank where my AT gun or artillery could not support a FLAK or Recon and inflicted significant casualties. The AAA trucks were also fairly aggressive at attacking my planes at the dirt airfield just across the river. Eventually, however, I got a couple of regiments working together and ground them down.
Anyway, not looking to upload this map anytime soon, since it's just a side hobby for personal use right now, but I thought I would share.
Edit - finally got the picture files to show properly.
I don't implement it the same way everywhere and I make it more complex as the war advances, but the goal is to make each objective a tougher nut to crack.
Here's an example from the Dijon campaign:
- Screenshot 2023-04-29 111429.png (34.78 KiB) Viewed 1361 times
It took the Soviets a while to figure this out as well, but once they did, their industrial base (helped mightily by Lend Lease resources) enabled them to implement it on a large scale. To that end, as the war in the East continues, defenses get increasingly complex and well-resourced.
Here's an example from Kharkov42:
- Screenshot 2023-04-29 111401.png (38.05 KiB) Viewed 1361 times
To that end, whether historically accurate or not, I wanted to make the Stalingrad map into a proper grinding attrition fight in urban hell.
- Screenshot 2023-04-29 111616.png (462.18 KiB) Viewed 1361 times
I set the enemy recons and AAA trucks to random patrol routes through their sector with 60-80% aggression. I set all the 20-strength enemy infantry and the Katyushas to active defense with 50-100% aggression. Tank units were set to 100% aggression with orders to defend key hexes or active defense. Everything else was told to hold ground and fire, with default aggression. Of course, with so many units, I mis-clicked a few times here and there, with the result that sometimes a 76.2mm gun would get more active and contribute to the mess.
As an aside, I love the 76.2mm gun as an AI unit because the AI does a fairly decent job switching modes as appropriate to nearby targets. I usually built supporting elements where one 76.2mm in artillery mode supported two 76.2mm in AT mode, but the AI wasn't horrible about switching them up as appropriate.
I was very favorably impressed with the "initiative" shown by the recon and AAA trucks. Numerous times they found a flank where my AT gun or artillery could not support a FLAK or Recon and inflicted significant casualties. The AAA trucks were also fairly aggressive at attacking my planes at the dirt airfield just across the river. Eventually, however, I got a couple of regiments working together and ground them down.
Anyway, not looking to upload this map anytime soon, since it's just a side hobby for personal use right now, but I thought I would share.
Edit - finally got the picture files to show properly.
