Entente Victory!!!!

[majpalmer]

Entente victory on my second attempt, balanced AI.
Constantinople fell on turn 86.
Berlin on turn 93.
Vienna on turn 96. Each country surrendered on the following turn.
Belgrade never did fall. As it was about to, Italy entered. When it was going to fall again, Romania entered.
Russia held on along the line from Riga, through Brest, and then south, including Romania.

Keys to victory? Two British subs in the Baltic. Those convoys seem to run every 6 turns. There were about 16 of them between the start of the war and the final surrender. Two or three of the convoys got through. My subs sank either 13 or 14 convoys. That cost the Germans just under 400 PPs. That's the equivalent of 20 infantry units, or 40 garrisons.

How big of a loss was that? In the 1918 scenario the Germans only start with 9 infantry and 10 garrisons (the equivalent of 280 PPS) along the entire Western Front!!!!! So the loss of those convoys represented a lot of units that never were built.

The AI does not seem able to handle British subs in the Baltic. I think this needs to be fixed, somehow, in a patch.

When I next play the Entente, I intend to forbid myself from sending Entente subs into the Baltic. Even one sub would have killed 2/3 of the convoy PPS. You can go after the convoys with the Russian fleet, but that the AI has a chance of handling. Not so the submarines.

[kevini1000]

It would seem that playing either side vs the AI is a little too easy. Perhaps the harder setting for the AI might be better. The importnt thing in playing against the AI is learning how to play. The German subs are almost totaly useless except for bringing the US into the war. It seems easier to kill 3 str merchant as opposed to a 10 str merchant. The UK should be a jugernaut with as many pp's they get from from their merchants.

[Umeu]

the trick is to have 2-3 subs and not kill the convoy. just bring it down to 1-3 points.

[Myrddraal]

Congratulations on your victory

About British convoys:

You don't have to sink it to bring down the PP's it brings home. Each strength point removed corresponds to 10 PP lost. Britain doesn't have the funds to support a large army without those convoys.

[majpalmer]

More thoughts on the German Baltic convoys.

Initially British submarines were very successful, but thoses successes lessened when the Germans began to convoy. (A lesson the Germans failed to consider when they went after British shipping in late 1916.) The reason was that the British refused to conduct unrestricted submarine warfare. They had been stopping each merchantship before sinking it, allowing the crew to get into the boats. Those legal cruiser tactics didn't work against the convoys.

Why not limit British attacks on the German Baltic convoy the same way the game limits attacks on Entente convoys--if you go after the convoys you SPEED the entry of the US. You could do the same with the Baltic convoy. If the British subs attack them, those attacks SLOW the entry of neutrals into the war--the US, Italy, Romania, and Portugal.

I'd also limit the number of subs the Brits can send into the Baltic to one, once. If it is sunk that is it.

The combination of the Danish defenses and German minefields made Baltic entry and exit difficult. None of the British subs sent to the Baltic ever got out, I think.

Just some thoughts.

[nobikaigan]

Good game! I am finally on the road to a victory as the Central powers I think, we will see! As Kevini says above, the AI is a little too easy What? I mean perhaps if we search for little things like this German convoy 'bug' and exploit those it might be too easy but dayum I get my tail kicked consistently on the ground! I think this AI is pretty good, and coupled with the bonuses that the AI gets makes it very challenging IMHO!

As for the limiting factor regarding subs in the Baltic, I agree and disagree... I see your point, but I would think that the 'fix' needs to be more geared towards improving the AI performance vs. subs rather than making limitations on operating subs in the Baltic. I mean the ability to pursue unorthodox strategy, very different from history, is part of the fun IMHO, so I like that it is possible. If it seems like exploiting a weakness in the AI, then that begins to be a problem though.

The suggestion to have Brit attacks on German convoys SLOW the entry of the US is a very interesting idea too. I'd say diplomatic effects, coupled with somehow making the Baltic more perilous for operating Brit subs would be an interesting combination!

[Myrddraal]

coupled with the bonuses that the AI gets

I just want to stress this again. The AI gets no income bonuses on balanced, and no stats bonuses on any level.

[Egil_Skallagrimsson]

Well done! How did you manage to finish Turkey first? I have tried putting all British resources in Egypt and Kuwait pressing hard against the Turks. I have managed to fight them back to mid Anatolia but there my supply levely dropped and Turkish units were swarming in and at the same time the British economy could not support this adventure in spite of the fact that I had very few other British units. I ended up disbanding my army, built a new one and sent it to France instead.