Started 1944/1945 Campaign

[goose_2]

This weekend I have just started the first 4 days of the 1944 Campaign.

Love it.

The limited units and the many areas of assault.

You are forced to make certain priorities in trying to repulse the advance as best you can.

I have lost 2 units and am practically in tears as I work to slow down the unexpected Northern, Western, Eastern and Southern assaults.

Love that pressure and stress, very well done on this outstanding game.

I need to find more time to type up my day to day playthrough found here:
http://www.slitherine.com/forum/viewtop ... 45&t=65111

But I am enjoying the ride.

Thanks developers for making such an engaging game, that I will be playing for decades to come.

[TSPC37730]

The '44 scenarios are quite challenging. This is where the soft cap really begins to bite. No more spoilers other than that. Good luck!

[Rayrard]

The IS-2's are no joke... I have many of them when they are at 13 strength and 3 stars attack a 15 strength Tiger1 with 5 stars and come out on top! A hint from those defensive battles where masses of troops come you is don't stick your airforce's neck out too far!

Between upgrades and keeping you SE's at peak strength you lose more than 20,000 prestige in 44. Nothing like spawning random aircraft knocking off 1-2 points here and there but that is hundreds of PP.

[TSPC37730]

Nothing like spawning random aircraft knocking off 1-2 points here and there but that is hundreds of PP.

Indeed. That's why I'm not a fan of overstrength units and am a fan of flak 88's.

[Rayrard]

My AA, the few I have are usually back from the front line behind the artillery and get their hits in, but I don't have them right behind the tanks as they get spotted by the Soviet front line troops. Nor do I put fighters right near them out of fear of the Soviet rambling self-propelled AA guns which fly in out of nowhere all the time. The planes can be spotted anyway like the Flak if they are right on the front line. I have to just deal with the nuisance attacks because the Soviet planes never last more than than next turn.

[captainjack]

That's why I'm not a fan of overstrength units and am a fan of flak 88's.

I've been playing with a self imposed limit of 11 for most units (overstrength is case by case for other units). Despite playing on 80% prestige, I'm doing fine probably because I'm not replacing expensive 13 and 14 point overstrength all the time. However, my two 4* 88s are at 14 strength, and both have +1 move hero so they can keep up while providing defence and can hit almost any plane within view of the army. The SP quad 20mm with range hero would probably be next best AA option in mid 1942 as it can keep up with armour to provide defence and has the range of a normal 88.

[TSPC37730]

That's why I'm not a fan of overstrength units and am a fan of flak 88's.

I've been playing with a self imposed limit of 11 for most units (overstrength is case by case for other units). Despite playing on 80% prestige, I'm doing fine probably because I'm not replacing expensive 13 and 14 point overstrength all the time. However, my two 4* 88s are at 14 strength, and both have +1 move hero so they can keep up while providing defence and can hit almost any plane within view of the army. The SP quad 20mm with range hero would probably be next best AA option in mid 1942 as it can keep up with armour to provide defence and has the range of a normal 88.

Ok so I do a little overstrength - mostly AA & artillery units that hopefully won't be attacked so I won't feel that pain. You want to make the most of that free attack when you're lucky enough to get it. One of my favourite PC moments was at Prokhorovka when my overstrength flak 88 completely vaporized a stupid Yak that tried to attack an adjacent unit. I do like the SdKfz 10/4 option however - as some wise poster on here once typed it's better to have a unit that can move to a location & do some damage as opposed to a great unit which can't get in range & therefore can't do anything. Not his exact words but you get the point. It's the argument that got me to start using them. Their high mobility also allows them to hopefully scurry away to safety when needed or perhaps cover a far away vulnerable unit. Lastly, range & movement heroes are always great for AA of any sort. I wish those were the only kind I'd get.

[goose_2]

Lastly, range & movement heroes are always great for AA of any sort. I wish those were the only kind I'd get.

100% agree.

I have been awarded +1 Initiative hero for my 88 and for my SU-122 when they were using their AT capability.

I am not sure if I will be able to get the 5 stars on my AA. I think when I play this again I will never buy a reg replacement for my AA.

I am in the 8th day of the 1st scenario.
I have not and hope to not see IS-2's for a while as their IS-1's can pack enough of a punch to make them scary, but I am stabilizing the front and even pushing back, not everywhere, but most places.

I have not lost any more units but those mobile AA units are taking a costly toll on some of my fighters.

There was one round where an 85mm unit magically appeared next to Novaya ??? and they were able to use it that round to attack my SU-122.
Not sure how that was possible.

This is such a fun game.

[goose_2]

Well I finished the 1st mission over the weekend and am almost done wit the 2nd Breakout.

I am dominating the maps and have just had my 1st encounter with the IS-2's. They have no stars experience and as such are easier to defeat, especially with the Uber Rudel.

I will not get another Marginal victory. BYAAARRK!

My prestige is a little over 50k. We will see how long that will last.

[BiteNibbleChomp]

My prestige is a little over 50k. We will see how long that will last.

Not very.

- BNC

[Rayrard]

Last playthrough I had 49,000 prestige at the beginning of 43 East, and ran out by Berlin but was able to refit and restrengthen with the bonus prestige before Redux. I didn't lose too much in Berlin besides random strength points off tanks as my airforce and artillery were protecting (plus river hexes) and there is no Russian Flak with the Soviet masses and the Russian AF cannot stand up to elite 262's and 190D-9's. I had to nurse prestige through the 45 East campaign and kept only the SE tanks at full overstrength. The artillery and fighters maxed out at 13. Non-SE tanks were kept at 11-12.

50,000 prestige in 44 should be easy to hold until Berlin as long as you don't suffer huge losses each battle to your SE units, airforce, and artillery

[goose_2]

I am enjoying the 3rd mission and still have $50k.
My greatest problem is my desire to try and take everything over and destroy everything on the map.

I love to try for it all, so I do not fully overstrength my units as I know I need the money for in game Elite Replacements.

The soft cap is pretty restrictive at this point but that is ok as I want this to be hard and with over 50000 at this point I am feeling pretty safe.

I just posted over in AAR about my first and hopefully only minor loss in this playthrough:
http://www.slitherine.com/forum/viewtop ... 1&start=60

1943
Oboyan

I am trying to make time to type up more of my reports but they are so long and I am not the fastest typer.

[AMDonline]

how did you manage to save 50K?

am playing on general difficulty and i barely saved 14k when i reached 1944
was very careful with money since 1939 campaign and never lost a single core unit

i now think there is something fundamentally different from my gameplay experience to you guys here in the forum

[goose_2]

how did you manage to save 50K?

am playing on general difficulty and i barely saved 14k when i reached 1944
was very careful with money since 1939 campaign and never lost a single core unit

i now think there is something fundamentally different from my gameplay experience to you guys here in the forum

I am playing on Field Marshall Difficulty and was able to save so much in prestige by the following.

Early missions.
Rarely if ever buy elite replacements.
Rarely if ever bought replacements while in the mission.
Rarely if ever bought overstrength over 11.
Did not upgrade outside of tree. (In other words upgraded a Pz3 to Pz4)

The biggest is the one I see few players utilize effectively.
The 3 S's
Suppress
Surround
Surrender

Suppress an enemy unit
Surround the enemy unit
force that unit to Surrender

Rake in the prestige.

At this point I finished the 3rd mission and have not quite started my 4th mission other than buying replacements and overstrength.

I am still at 50k.

I am spending about 5000 prestige between missions on replacements and overstrength.

Thankfully that is about the amount I have been gaining each mission.

I lost my baby. My 3 hero SE Inf I have coddled since I acquired him in the 2nd mission of the game.

Loving this challenge, and hoping to get sometime maybe this weekend or next to bust out the 4th mission.

[goose_2]

I have started the 4th mission and am proceeding quite nicely through the scenario although I got greedy with trying to get experience for my 2 AA's and lost one of them.

I fully intend to get a decisive victory but it is tough as the objectives are many and have several units between them.

My question is why is it so difficult for AA's to get experience once they hit 3 stars experience?

I am scraping to get 1 or 2 experience points and thankfully my +4 attack 88 is surviving and almost at 400 experience, but has me worried that I will not be able to get the 500 experience for the Steam Achievement. My only hope seems to be maxing it out on overstrength and using it to attack tanks when I can, of course that is what caused me to lose my +1 Initiative AA.

[AMDonline]

hey goose

thanks to your previous post i have now reached the 1943 east campaign with 60k prestige (i started again from 1939)

[AMDonline]

you can level up your AA by luring enemy planes to attack vulnerable units, you can do that by putting the artillery in truck mode and make it visible to the A.I while the AA is adjacent to your artillery truck but not visible to the enemy

i use this method with my attack bombers too to lure enemy fighters to attack them only to be surprised by my fighters covering fire

[goose_2]

you can level up your AA by luring enemy planes to attack vulnerable units, you can do that by putting the artillery in truck mode and make it visible to the A.I while the AA is adjacent to your artillery truck but not visible to the enemy

i use this method with my attack bombers too to lure enemy fighters to attack them only to be surprised by my fighters covering fire

That is a good idea.
I have done the bombers but struggle with AA.
I would be worried that my truck units could get decimated by tanks as I play close to the front, but I will give it a try.

Is it worth me buying another AA with no experience at this point in the campaign? If so what would you suggest I buy at this stage? The Big DoG 12.4 AA or the best mobile AA?

Thanks again for the interest and the shout out and the help.

[AMDonline]

it's not worth it to buy AAs in 44, you are now close to a generous gift of them

[goose_2]

Another weekend and I have 4 days left in the Strachwitz Offensive.

I am not for sure I am going to win this one, I am going to try.

I lost another unit. My green SU-122 that I picked up a couple of scenarios ago.
My Walter Nowatny and Otto Kittel keep getting chewed up by AA's very expensive, and very frustrating, but I am going to give it all to get a decisive win for this one.

We shall see.