Shadow:
Thanks for the tips.
If you care what I was thinking with the Russia offensive:
-I think I used the battle calculator, and it looked like you would have won an attack against me in Bryansk, so I diverted off so I could build.
-I didn’t want my army going to waste while you flew in reinforcements from the UK and spammed infantry builds, so I figured I’d divert to the middle east for a couple of turns while I built to give Italy a foothold in there.
-I attacked where I did instead of Persia because I didn’t see the counterattack, and I wanted Italy to take Persia for their national objective IPC bonus.
On the western european front, I moved my German fleet into SZ112 because I’m playing against Colt as well (although that’s probably close to over too) and he got into Norway and is building America up there with reinforcements from UK. I tried to dislodge him for several turns, which halted my Russian offensive, but it didn’t work; if my German navy had been in SZ112, his landing choices would have been limited to Normandy and Holland (or the Med). I didn’t look as far down as Gibraltar to see what naval capability you had, I just saw a mostly empty British waters and thought I was safe.
Lesson learned in the Pacific. I was trying to fend off the US while also dealing with UK and China; the two turn opener guide I was following tells me to use the Caroline fleet to clear out ANZAC or other stray ships in the south pacific, but the one time I tried that, I ended out of position with the US taking Carolines, and me having a half fleet stuck south of it as I tried to get back into meaningful zones. Losing a factory on the mainland hurt; I’ve just learned what the “India hammer” is, and that while I thought I was playing aggressively with my Japanese aircraft, I wasn’t aggressive enough. I think if I pursue the second turn war, I need to abandon the pacific to US dominance and focus everything on taking India out those first few turns with enough defense to keep Japan safe from invasion, then working my way North into China and doing my best to defend either Manchuria or Korea.
It sucks to give up Manchuria, because then the Chinese can build there and gain +3 IPCs, but long term…I think letting China have Yunnan would be even more disastrous.
As for using a guide - we all have to start somewhere. Instead of trying to invent a strategy, I found one that looked viable, practiced using its moveset so that I could do it without having to refer back step by step (IE, what to invade SZ110 and SZ111 with, how to attack France and Yugoslavia on G1), then looked at the outcome of the first couple turns. I think its a viable strategy - or at least I hope it will be because I’m a conservative player, and it is explained as a more risk-averse solid strategy for Axis.
Getting some games under my belt trying it gives me the opportunity to see what works and what doesn’t and shift. IE, I think I’m going to start buying a carrier and a bomber on G1 instead of just a carrier. The guide says if my transports are left alive in I1, I should evacuate Italy - you left them alive, but blocked my Italian exit and I didn’t know what to do - so what I should have done instead then would be to suicide them into Egypt to pressure the UK’s hold on Africa and let my African Italy corp maybe get into Egypt. If I’m going to lose them anyway, might as well try making it count.
Give me some time to watch and learn some more and I’ll challenge your expert prowess again!