If I saw Japan investing in a IC without a decent flow of inf via transports, I’d gloat.
Japan just gave my India factory more time as both ICs will have an output of 3 units. Germany will surely lose Africa too early and that’s that.
Japan’s IC is only for armour that are inefficient to transport.
As far as the best unit is concerned, I agree that each unit has a purpose. But the best multipurpose unit is the fighter. Attack at 3, defend at 4, can move 4 zones, can attack land & naval units, can land on a carrier to provide strong defense for your navy and when coupled with a large # of inf can be extremely effective on defense.
Simply put, I agree. You just threaten so much more with fighters, it is just so cool to catch someone napping with a handful of well (pre)positioned fighters.
From a German point of view, is it worth leaving a garrison in Algeria and FWA to resist an easy allied landing?
Don Rae says son’t give any land for free but also to save unnessary losses. Thing is with Africa is that even with 2 transports, men are short on the ground and because of the luftwaffe the allies attack en masse.
I am thinking to hardly ever resist the initial landing due to the overwelming strength and slow the allies inland… Is this wise?
Here it is, from the underdogs.
Now it should be said that the AI is that of a moron and a real game has to be played v humans (of course).
There is an editor for bids and RR options plus a few others like marines (cost 5ipcs and amphibious attack at 3) and the destroyer.
The game was made for windows95/98 and can run real slow on newer operating systems. It is pretty simple to fix however.
Urm no, Iron blitz on the pc, hotseat.
I guess I’d had have to use transports on ye old A&A and get bombed.
Well I have cottoned on to the “infantry” of the sea, destroyers.
These units are great, they give the med. fleet some punch in defense and can threaten to sally out with the luftwaffe as fodder. That brit sub always gets away to counterattack with the bomber but not anymore. Last game the India RAF and Africa USAAF were trying to 1-2 me, to stop the stream of inf crossing but neither had the individual strength and UK was committed to India.
That and I had built up 3 on top of the battleship and transport (by about turn 7-8?).
I built the first on G1 and otherwise inf. I had to bolster the navy several times to better the odds and couldn’t stray too far from the med. Also the lone transport was very busy. Balancing europes forces was hairy and my armour was not increased.
I took few risks with the airforce (RR) so as to be a credible threat by sea and air. I think this was one game where UK should have not built their India base and instead blown me out of the water.
Anyway, is it just me or are destroyers under-rated?
I’ll give a go at a USA strat, for kicks. Btw I’m a newb, I’ve read Don Rae’s essays, heard the pro/con tech debate and thrashed the stupid iron blitz AI. I play a couple of mates on the pc and we’ve only just stopped being absolutely horrible.
Anyway, nuff about me. The following assumes that:
-3rd ed., RR, no bid
-Russia consolidated Yakut, Karelia
-Germany, built inf/transport, wiped all fleets bar US transport at cost of all non-med. navy and 1ftr, reinforced Africa and fortress EE
-UK built india industry/ftr, reinforced Karelia
-Japan built 2transport/3inf
-Manchuria reinforced
-Your fleet was nuked for the price of 1 sub
-China was wiped but you took 1 inf
Pretty bad.
With China down you shouldn’t build an industry in Sinkiang and 1inf goes to India.
Now you could go Japan or Germany.
Japan
You have to take out their fleet or evade it and they are in pacific central. The entire USAAF and fleet could counter-attack but odds are you will lose, sure enough you charge and all die for the price of 1battleship/2ftr. You now need to rebuild air and navy and Japan goes before you which puts you on a back foot. Many multiple subs (6-8) from many directions could evade the Jap airforce to sink transports but that sacrifices 3 (2building, 1positioning) USA turns for 2 Jap (building ftr/trans, the survivors are all very useful too).
It would probably be better to bait out Jap with a sub/tran/marine/inf island hopping. All the while positioning air units/additional subs. Or not, because an occupied Jap navy isn’t in Africa or protecting the shuttle. In effect this would simply be a distraction.
The real problem with Japan is that naval encounters probably won’t stop them from carving up Asia unless you can crunch the transports.
Germany
Conventional wisdom is to buy 3tran/4inf and on US2 fly ftr to the UK carrier and shuttle up troops to Russian finland. Build a supply of ground forces and after UK moves the carrier off Algeria, you follow and dump a load of forces to capture Africa. Then move up 1 to shuttle forces into Finland/Karelia, while builing up for DDay.
Africa needs enough inf/arm to evict Germany but not too much otherwise Russia suffers. The German med. fleet should be chased out or wiped by aircraft (UK ftr heavy India).
Russia need forces to free up soldiers v Japan. Preferably let Russia occupy dead zones because they need the $ the most.
Note: After Germany, all allies get their turns. This means that the allies (air) can reinforce positions or attack previously weakened areas.
You need enough transports at some point to dump a huge load into WEu or Germany proper, preferably after UK has weakened it. Or use UK as the counterattack after a US/Russia 1-2. Attacking from Spain gives the opportunity to retreat, you might want to go there straight from Algeria, recycling African spare forces.
Japan is largely ignored except for an inf/arm dump in WestUS, which then gets plugged into the shuttle. I am fond of loading a transport with 1 marine and 1inf, it can often take a lone garrison cheap. You might want to tinker away in the south Pacific doing this at some point, even dropping off in Africa (Madagascar, sp?).
I started off trying to be specific, but all the variables… Anyway, what do you all think?
I dare say my tactic is getting pretty ho-hum and I need another.
(RR)
-Group all forces in Karelia but for a token 1 inf in Caucasus.
-Sub into North sea (fodder/submerge?), transport w brit transport (kill a fighter 33%)
-1 inf far east, 6inf Yakut, 1arm & 1inf Novosibirsk.
-place 7 inf Karelia, 1inf Russia.
The navy dies. Karelia is unassailable. A 1inf stream goes east handicapping Japans drive on India/SinKiang and later 2-3arm go to Russia to threaten both fronts. Ukraine gets strafed crazy and Norway captured.
Of course it is up to USA/UK to save me unless Germany doesn’t check their odds. :wink:
I know it is a bit lame replying to myself but regarding those odds…
It does not look pretty attacking Karalia if it is stacked with 19inf, 3rm and 2 ftr with 9inf, 7arm and no airforce. That assumes RR.
The Ukraine foray is only feasible if Russia took heavier than expected losses seizing it and even then if Germany takes heavy losses in the spoiler attack, those Russian armour are likey still intact.
A G2 spoiler against Karalia, assuming R2 took out Fin/Nor with 3arm, 3inf and 2ftr still leaves Karalia very strong. I’d think R would have moved all but one remaining inf from Ukraine, raised another 5-8 (some of that could be arm) and got the english ftrs. All in all that’s about 25inf & 4ftr. Or 10hits/7 hits/4 hits with a reserve in Fin/Nor.
I think the spoiler attacks should start only if R is silly or once Japan starts putting pressure on Moscow.
It can be a bit of a risk, but if Russia has taken the Ukraine in force and bulked up Karalia, it seems like a good idea to launch a spoiler attack asap into the Ukraine or Karalia. Depending on which is weaker but making sure you don’t take it.
Spoiler attacks in turn one could be a goer in Karalia so as to “retreat” the Norway/Finland forces into EE. Also there are no english aircraft there yet. In the Ukraine you could knock out a rusky armour but with only 3 inf for fodder it is a bit dodgy.
Then again a spoiler attack v Russia on G1 is a bit iffy. I think I will calculate some odds, back in a tick.