Terek (moved from Beta test forum)

[2xPelin]

Did anyone play it? How did it go?

Scenario with smallest number of units!

[Spooner]

I have tried it a couple of times, but although I could easily take the first objective, I needed to clear the 6inf+AT units the AI put in both of the cities, which were blocking the rail line, so I couldn't effectively attack the Eastern city in time. Maybe you have to rush both objectives at once, in which case it would be impossible to not finish the scenario early

[Tomislav Uzelac]

Well, this one is bound to be a real test...

Note to everyone that this scenario is already partly hypothetical - the Germans did break into the outskirts of Ordzhonikidze (and got a severe mauling for their trouble btw) but the advance to the Caspian at Makhachkala never happened. This scenario doesn't make it seem easy at all, I think.

Our internal testers did manage to win eventually... not after a fair number of attempts though

[Spooner]

Tried it again and I still can't work it out. I just can't shift the veteran AT-enhanced infantry sitting in the two rail-cities (I can just take them both out and capture the pass in the 8 turns ) and if I rush East, I run out of supply before I get to the objective.

*sits back and waits for ComradeP to finish it in 3 turns*

[ComradeP]

Brilliant victory on turn 6, but I'd guess that without the engineers/recon/AT, the scenario will be difficult. Not giving the infantry a StuG step is probably possible.

Those Panzer divisions have a 90% overrun chance with engineers/recon, so they quickly become killing machines. Soviet units just melt away. Two Soviet units left at the end of the scenario.

Without the specialist steps, a lot will depend on getting lucky with overruns.

I did get lucky with a retreat roll on a dug in infantry unit (although its entrenchment had already been removed by the engineers from a Panzer division), but my mobile units should've been able to capture the final objective regardless. On the first try, the NKVD-supported unit in the final objective didn't retreat at a 40% retreat chance so I lost. It went better this time.

[ComradeP]

The saved game.

[Spooner]

At last, I cracked it (thanks to the advice from ComradeP)! Just needed to invest in special steps for all my tanks and forget about capturing the second rail-city, which you don't need if you know you'll win within a couple of turns of running past it. Only managed it in turn 8 (230/500), but I think if I played it again I am sure I could do it in 7. I'm still no ComradeP

Does raise an interesting point about choosing extra equipment. It makes sense that this battle was not completable without them, but I'd got into the habit of not buying them. In the Russian campaign, I think I was left with over 500 prestige, since I was saving them up for when I _really_ needed them. I think this was the first battle I couldn't at least complete with my given units, which is what threw me. Probably lowered my end scores by not buying extra equipment, but I just want to horde

As a suggestion, perhaps prevent people being able to store more than 250 prestige (or that you have to spend it all in the next battle), so that they are encouraged to actually use it. The irony is that being able to customise your units makes the game a more interesting, while still allowing for generally historical orders of battle, but since I always want to keep it, I don't do it enough.

[ComradeP]

Spooner, just in case you're not aware of it and you're not the person who downloaded the save: you can download the saved game and watch it in history mode to see how I completed the scenario, which should give you some pointers for some small improvements that should get you a brilliant victory in time.

I'm also not some kind of wargaming god, I've just played games like this for years, so solving the puzzle that each scenario comes down to is often not very difficult as long as I take my time.

[Tomislav Uzelac]

I thought about the prestige limit too, but I hate complicating the mechanics unnecessarily. What about making the specialists cheaper?

[Spooner]

It isn't so much the cost of the specialists as it is the (my) natural inclination to horde points. I don't think making them cheaper would make it easier for me to use specialists, especially since in nearly all scenarios you can at least finish without their use. Having more scenarios that can't be finished without specific specialist steps would be a good thing, though engineers are the only type that really make things possible that wouldn't be before (everything else would just speed up progress a bit, I think - engies allow you to dig people out who are dug in over a river ).

I agree that complications should be avoided wherever possible. I hate games that have a lot of complexity to cover up what is often a basic flaw in the system.

@ComradeP: I don't mind too much that I can't get a brilliant victory, since once I get that, I can't play the battle again In a lot of way ways I like strategic games specifically because they are challenging, not because I can win at them.