Slitherine

Greetings to all comrades,

I start this topic to collect tipps for playing the wonderful Battlefield Europe mod efficiently, aiming for DV. I plan to write this, but if somebody else want to write, I'm not oppose it. Just stay with the topic - no universal tipps, but direct tipps to the gaming of this mod.

First of all:
- It's a very complex, long, realistic = ultra hard mod. That means, it is not designed for beginners, casual players.
- It needs a very complex planning and thinking attitude. Sometimes you have to focus on battles, fought in 7-9 different fronts/regions!
- Be patient. Many "investitions" take times, until the effects brings the results.
- Know your units! Know your enemy! Use the PzC Edit tool to look the stats of all unit easy. Know, when the new equipment arrives and how much prestige it cost. viewtopic.php?f=147&t=26898
- It takes a hell of time to play it through. It has 99 turns where 1 turn is at least 30 mins (plus the 3 introduction scenarios with another 5-10 hours).
- It is total addictive! "Just one more turn..." You have been warned...
- Play it only, if you are not tired, but in fresh mental state. Playing it tired will you de-focus and start making errors, which prevent you from making a DV, because the mod, especially on Rommel difficulty does not tolerate many errors...you will playing it further, but with less chance to make a victory.
- Do know, that you will surely not make a DV for the first time. I played it through with DV about 3-5 times - but I had to restart it at least 5-7 times too, because things were going not good enough!

- Choice a difficulty, which is suited for you. You cannot change it, during the main scenario. If you made already a DV on Rommel, I recommend the following difficulties beyond Rommel:
a., Rommel + not changing the default collection of units types of your base core force (for example removing the inf's and adding more arty, fighters).
b., Rommel + do not use gift-prestige for conquering Malta, Leningrad, England, etc. (remove it with cheat)
c., Rommel + historical approach until late November, 1942. That means: advance, just so far, as historically happened. Capture major cities (for example Rostov, Sevastopol, Tobruk), when it historically happened. Use the minor nations in regions, where they were historically used (for example Finns just north of Leningrad). Except ships and planes, which can be moved freely. After late November 1942, you have free hands to try to win... (It's possible)

It has big worth to play the first three "introduction" scenarios too!
1., You collect extra prestige (scenario + surrenders).
2., You collect a lot of experience.
3., You collect kills, that means your core force get sooner heroes.
4., If you want (it is recommended), you can change your base core force to build a more usefull mix of units.
5., These 4 factors effects widely, what chances you have in the 99 turn Barbarossa scenario!

I must say, I look the game through the "filter" of Rommel difficulty. That means, prestige is allways scarce and I take all chance to manage it economical. If somebody plays it on lower level, maybe it is not as big importance, athrough victory can be achived in BE only, if you can manage it smart.

There can be possible SPOILERS, althrough I want to avoid them.

Poland
If you decided, that you will change your core force, you will have to fight slightly different. Honestly, it will be easier. Your only enemy is time. So, if you want to take all non-important objectives, you have to hurry. OK, if you use the Soviet forces too, than it will no need for it, but I leave them there, as they are, because otherway it would be too easy. And I don't want to be in touch with the "commies" anyway.
Before starting the battle, you should plan ahead, what core force mix you want to have after the Poland battle. The best core composition could be the following:
- No inf units overall (you will have enough in Barbarossa)
- 3 panzers: 2 upgraded, the Pz IIC to sell (too much prestige to loss if upgraded) and buy a Pz IV
- 2-4 arty, possibly 1 SiG of them
- 2-4 fighters

That means, from your initial core force, you will take over just the 2 Pz I's and the 2 fighters. All other will be sold (Also the 105mm arty, because it is better to sell it for prestige and buy a new 150mm one. Arty gains experience fast, so no need to worry). That means, while you have to pay attention to the other core units, not to be destroyed. The casualties, they sustain takes no prestige from your pocket. Just don't forget to give them green replacement between the scenarios to sell them for full price (keyboard shortcut for selling a unit: "D")
Beside of the timerun, the scenario is mostly easy and you can even replay it, if you doing not well enough.
Basic principles:

- Gain as much prestige with the above mentioned core units, as possible
- Try to avoid casualties (even more with your fighters) with the above mentioned core units
- Try to make as many units of the enemy to surrender, as possible. It brings extra prestige.
- Make a DV, it brings also extra prestige.

France

Basic principles:
- Gain as much prestige with the core units, as possible
- Try to avoid high casualties with core units (more than -2 str/per unit)
- Try to make as many units of the enemy to surrender, as possible. It brings extra prestige. I collected last time almost 300 extra prestige with that!
- Make a DV, it brings also extra prestige.

Making the new core force:
Upgrade the 2 Pz I's to Pz IV's
Sell the Pz IIC and buy a Pz IV (or buy another arty or fighter)
Sell the 105mm arty
Sell the 3x Inf's
Buy a SiG arty (optional - you can choose a 150mm instead)
Buy another 150mm arty

- While playing the scenario, when you get more prestige, buy istantly 1., another Bf 109E fighter 2., another Bf 109E fighter/ 150mm arty.
- Against the Allied airforce, use allways the AA assets first.
- Counter the fighters againts massing several fighters around it (Bf 110 also helps) to make it easier to fight.
- To avoid core casualties, only attack already weakened Allied fighters with your core fighters
- Until the later part of the scn, ALLWAYS cover your core units with AA/fighter protection. If none of them is available, place at least a level bomber over it.
- Because of the dense units in the area and the lot of arty and level bomber, you can achive many surrenders.
- Pay attention, that the Pz IVD has still a paper-thin armor. Even the 105mm arty can harm it.
- The later appearing Italians have weak strenght. Protect them with the arty, otherway, they will be butchered.
- You can help the Italians conquer more towns by using the Luftwaffe units and the Falschirmjäger unit, which at this phase have not to worry about Allied fighters
- Time factor is moderate: Abeville should be captured relative fast. After that, just pay attention to advance to Brest and Bordeaux.
- Only if you want to capture all the non-objective towns in Southern France, do you make haste. It is almost impossible to take all (as the designer really planned), but if you are smart enough, you can take a few. It brings extra prestige. I could capture all, only once, the last time.

Mediterrean
Relative easy scn, the only big challenge is to take Crete timely.

- Make the needed upgrades.
- Do not let the airforce in north to get into battle there: bring them down to south, where your stronger fighter force can protect them and cooperate bringing down the relative powerful Allied fighters.
- Try to capture Athens relative fast, because you need it's airfield to reach Crete.
- It is advised, that you already start weaken the defenses of Crete before the arriving of the Fallschirmjägers, otherway, there is a possibility, you just miss the capture of it.
- The 2x Fallschirmjägers are enough to take Nicosia, the objective in Crete alone.
- Only, if you have plenty of times/already weakened the defenses strong enough land on the island, next to the airfield. Otherway land next to Nicosia.

Plus the basic principles:
- Gain as much prestige with the core units, as possible
- Try to avoid high casualties with core units (more than -2 str/per unit)
- Try to make as many units of the enemy to surrender, if possible. It brings extra prestige.
- Make a DV, it brings also extra prestige.

Is there some easy way to tell the upgrade tree? In the basic PzC someone made a little flowchart showing the upgrade tree, but its hard to tell from the raw data.

I also have trouble determining ROF. Is it similar to the standard game where its mostly just artillery with different ROF?

JimmyC wrote:Is there some easy way to tell the upgrade tree? In the basic PzC someone made a little flowchart showing the upgrade tree, but its hard to tell from the raw data.

I also have trouble determining ROF. Is it similar to the standard game where its mostly just artillery with different ROF?

There are several options:
- You can open the equipment file in the Data folder and look the values there with Notepad, or other text editor (I heard, it works with Excel to, but I never tried). It will looks like the Matrix , so, if you are not familiar with that, than it will be hard for the first time to have a clear picture.
- The second option is the use of the above mentioned PzC Editor tool, where you can see all the units, with all of their stats comfortable.
- Of course, a flowchart would be nice, but that would need a hell of time to make - because we speak now not just about German units, but about many of the units of the minor nations.

PzC Edit:

Where can I find the Equipment Editor 0.7.0?

Thanks for the tips guys, looking forward to playing the mod once I finish my eastern front DLCs. Most of all thanks for posting info about the euipment editior - will make my life much easier from now on, although to be honest I think I have already modded all my files in notepad/excell... *facepalm*

Magic1111 wrote:Where can I find the Equipment Editor 0.7.0?

You mean, direct that version?

Uhu wrote:

Magic1111 wrote:Where can I find the Equipment Editor 0.7.0?

You mean, direct that version?

My understanding is that you have to download the equipment editor from somewhere. Is that right, or is it already saved somewhere with the basic game?

Uhu wrote:You mean, direct that version?

No, I mean the newest/latest version!

For clearify: I need Version 0.7.0 or higher (the newest/latest Version)!

Magic1111 wrote:

No, I mean the newest/latest version!
For clearify: I need Version 0.7.0 or higher (the newest/latest Version)! [/quote]

I already mentioned the link above.
viewtopic.php?f=147&t=26898
But still good, that you asked, because I also used the 0.7 version until now, but I see, there is a 0.85 version too.

Many thx uhu!

And many thx from me Uhu, I had a v 0.1.0 on mine

You are welcome!

The unit Editor is a nice software, but once your are familiar with the various units values and traits, I find it more convenient to use OpenOfficeCalc (or Excel), I find it easier to compare values, or use built in search features. The only think is to select ' TAB' as field separator when you load the equipment.pzeqp file.

For those of you like me who are mere mortals and not on the extra unlocked levels i.e. highest = field marshall here is what i did. And i have to say i have only ever managed a draw but even so it is more enjoyable than all the origional game + dlc etc so DO give it a try.
these are the strategies i have evolved for it:

I find if you start the whole campaign with poland, by the time you get to barbarossa you can start barbarossa with 4 extra two star fighters (one at least with heroes), two of each get dispatched to each front immediately, that makes quite a difference. I also save those panzer 3's along with a number of other two star units for later on when they are upgradeable to something decent e.g panther or tigers. I use the satellite nations as canon fodder to conserve prestige for later on. I sneak across the black sea as soon as i can and get (minimum) two oil fields (version 1.5 i only managed two, other versions more) for more booty,and then there is leningrad and malta for more. in north africa I withdraw to the mareth line where i force lots of surrenders getting more prestige. I force lots of surrenders in the hills from the torch invasion at the same time nearby. I force lots of surrenders from the invasion in normandy by bottling up invaders in the bocage country with cheap infantry while taking out alot of them before they hit hte beaches with the excessive amount of strat bombers you are already given. The timely moving around of those groups of strat bombers is very important with so much naval activity going on.
It certainly is all about conserving prestige as only with the very expensive upgraded units can you stop the steamroller russsian counter attacks.

Also:You dont actually need rudel (who is busy in the leningrad area) to take malta; it can be done with a mixture of the two italian tactical bombers, a strategic bomber and some navy support. Initially take a couple of points off with the italians, use the strategic one to run it out of ammo, surround (and also attack) with navy to stop it reloading. then reduce it with the weakend italians. In turns they are not busy they can also deal with the subs around there. The only problem is that it takes a while and hence you need to have enough fighters around there to take care random generated fighters. But yes if you want to even survive in north africa taking malta is essential. And it is best to do it EARLY ON/ASAP.

Also I take iceland early on with the wermacht from norway (replacing them when i can with 2 X mountain troops who are better suited to there) buff it up when i can by buying arty for the two counterattacks. I base the given condor there + i buy a new one + a fighter. this takes care of the convoys and battleships+ destroyers. This all drains resources from uk making thier theatres/operations a bit easier to deal with.

I'm really struggling with the whole scale of it. Any tips on how you plan out your turn? Do you usually try to do certain things in order, to make it easier/more effective?

JimmyC wrote:I'm really struggling with the whole scale of it. Any tips on how you plan out your turn? Do you usually try to do certain things in order, to make it easier/more effective?

Good question!
1., Well, I always end the play before hitting the End Turn button. To know, when I next time start, what events happened last time, on what have I to react.
2., I make plans, drafts on papers for the several offensives/theaters. These are based on earlier experiences, gameplays. I look at them, to remember, what to do also in the given turn.
3., I have a complete time list of upgrades on paper. There are not only the date of the availability there, but also the date, when the given units have to go to town/airfield to have the upgrade in the next turn already. Of course, that means not, that all the upgradeable units move there clock timely. But at least I'm in picture.
4., It is possible to go over all units with the (N)ext key, but I usually do not have the patiance for that. That brings the result, that many times I forgot to use several units. So, I always save before the turn end, and if such situation comes, that I forgot something, than I quit the game in the AIsS turn already (CTRL+ALT+DEL), start again, use the given units and hit the end turn button again.
5., It's total subjective, but I tend to use units in the given turn first, where the situation is easier, where just "rutine" action is needed (for example partisans). Where complex thinking is needed (for example, how to use the few fighter force in the east), I left it to the last.