Feedback re: games at higher difficulty levels

[scarfacetarraff]

On the harder settings, how are human-controlled Axis powers making out? Can you provide some reference points? Such as:

(1) Year Moscow captured?
(2) Year Sverdlovsk captured?
(3) Year of Allied invasion?
(4) Man-power #'s along the way?
(5) Oil consumption issues?

Is the game essentially over when Russia surrenders?

[VonManteuffel]

Ok, I'm playing on hardest difficulty with oil on.

1. Moscow captured 1942, second summer of the war.
2. Sverlovsk captured summer of 1943.
3. Allies begin weak invasions (france) in summer of 1943, very easy to contain.
4. Manpower is about 300 in summer 1943.
5. Oil is fine... I have all the oil on the map by summer of 1943. I get about 100 per turn.

Russia should fall by late summer 43. I haven't played all the way yet, but judging by how things are going now, the war will be all but over when Russia surrenders. There is no way the allies could do anything afyter that.

[scarfacetarraff]

Great information, and good game-play.

I'm playing the Axis with a minor advantage (smallest you can have before both sides being equal) and believe I'm in a pickle. It's Fall of '42 and the Allies have landed up to 5 armies in France. I had to scramble some Italian divisions to that theatre and quickly acquire some garrison troops. In the east, I've just rolled up on Perm and it is heavily defended. My line there is stretched thin already, so I need to get reinforces there pronto. My oil is just above 100; however, my Italian forces in the Middle East are about to attack Iraq.

[VonManteuffel]

Ok, Perm fell in August of 1943 and Russia surrendered. The Italians had come up from Africa and reached Grozny by that time. Because of that I never had an oil crisis, but by late 1941 oil was getting somewhat low. I played the whole game with only three tanks which kept oil usage low as well.

I had some losses that could have been avoided in Russia, but near the end I used brute force to get into Perm rather than tactics.

My air is now back in the west, but the British planes are MUCH higher lvl than mine, so that will be a costly fight.
I will try to overwhelm them and go for a sealion ASAP, which looks easily possible with what I can see of the UK. Right now it's January 44.

[scarfacetarraff]

My game turned around. I was able to capture Perm, but only after being restricted by limited oil supplies. I ended up training infantry to help contain some problem areas. The Allied invasion of Europe was contained, and I've now captured northern Great Britain. Producing naval units & tactical bombers atm. I have begun recruiting reserves at 75% efficiency.

[BenWH]

PLayed two games with Axis to about mid '42, on hard and moderate. In both cases oil basically ran out by early '41, despite capturing Mosul and Makon early (balance is not quite right on the oil). D-Day started March 41, which left me with a war on two fronts. Repelled the invasion, but caused my Russian invasion to stall, though I have captured Ahwaz and most of the Caucasus. Definitely some realism issues on harder settings, the most obvious being oil and subs ineffectiveness.