version 770

[valorius]

I think this is the latest version?

I've noticed that so far, after about twenty turns or so, the only upgrade i'm seeing - for all nations- is the $12 cost reduction upgrade (which does work now). I've yet to see any other type of upgrade.

Is it just me?

[teophrastusbombastus]

Apr 15, 2021 23:31:16 GMT valorius said:

I think this is the latest version?

I've noticed that so far, after about twenty turns or so, the only upgrade i'm seeing - for all nations- is the $12 cost reduction upgrade (which does work now). I've yet to see any other type of upgrade.

Is it just me?

No!
I haven't ran much of v770 but I did notice what seemed to me a too high incidence of -12 cost bonuses.

[valorius]

OK ive played about 40 turns of 770 now, and the only upgrade im seeing at all is cost reduction, and by the boat load.

Also, and odd bug- since i installed v770 my slider for stacked units and even for the pgx unit editor icon page is missing. Any ideas how to fix that?

[valorius]

V770 BETA TEST REPORT: Turn 191

Calender date: 4-1-1941
AXIS R&D DATE: October 1944 (429 total investment in R&D, 206 in fighters, 206 in recon, 17 in tac bombers, 1 in tanks)

*BUG ALERT* All nations still -only- getting cost reduction R&D upgrades. 

ALLIES R&D DATE: 
UK: April 1941 (49 total investment in R&D, 42 in fighters, 7 in tanks)
France: April 1941 (17 total investment in R&D, 11 in Fighters, 6 in AT)

*BUG ALERT* UK should be at Aug 1941 and France at May 1941, based on their R&D spending- every 10 points should advance the calendar 1 month)

US R&D Date: October 1942, (188 total investment in R&D, 138 in fighters, most of the rest in Heavy capitol ships)

SOVIETS R&D Date: Feb 1942 (109 total investment in R&D, spread evenly over multiple unit types)

ITALY R&D Date: Sept 1941, (57 total investment in R&D, spread among fighters, tanks, and AT)

BATTLE REPORTS FOR ALL NATIONS:

UK: a lone UK submarine took a soviet coastal hex- UK declares war on Soviet Union. Soviets offered an alliance with the Axis, which I turned down.

Very curious timing, considering that I am about to hit and occupy london's port hexes with the full weight of the Kreigsmarine (6 14 strength AD cruisers/asw, and the 14 strength Bismarck). The Kreigsmarine has left a trail of Allied flotsam and jetsam submarine wreckage in it's wake- The AI certainly knows how to to slow down a surface fleet, that's for sure. It's taken me a full six or seven turns just to get from Wilhelmshaven to London.


And this after a 100+ turn submarine blockade of Wilhelmshaven that the Allies only lifted after Wermacht mechanized forces took Paris.

The RAF will occasionally attack with tactical bomber units, at targets of opportunity, but is generally absent. The overwhelming majority of the RAF remains on the border of Turkey and Syria, at 2 airfields, doing absolutely nothing whatsoever. 
 

FRANCE: Wermacht Panzer task forces are running rough shod over the French countryside. The French Armée de Terre is completely on the defensive. Any mobile units encountered in France are obsolete early war British Matilda II tanks and Matilda IV CS SP guns.

The Armée de l'Air is almost completely absent- it still has hundreds of fighter squadrons sitting completely idle at a non supply city airbase in Algeria.

ITALY: Limited Me262 recon flights over Italy have shown it to be very well defended with combined arms task forces- albeit with early war systems. At whatever point the Germans invade, it will be with overstrength elite units of overwhelming force. The Italian army will amount to little more than cannon fodder.

Nations just don't seem to upgrade obsolete early war systems, and just keep buying more and more of them.

The Italian fleet is huge and varied, but is overwhelmingly submarines.

SOVIETS: Limited frontier reconnaissance indicates the Soviets are, as always, massing the Red air force at Leningrad, and all their frontier cities are well defended with combined arms task forces. Soviet AI was sensational in v767 when i was playing as the US and invaded Russia, so im hoping it remains that way.

The Soviets dont really upgrade either, but they at least have the benefit of excellent early war mechanized forces in the form of the BT-7 (recon), KV-2 tank and SP gun, and OT-26 flame thrower tank. These are all very capable units. When these units are combined with the international 3" AT and AD guns all nations have access too, the Red Army is extremely capable. 

Because of the availability of the P-40B Kittyhawk as an AF unit, even the Red Airforce can be competent early on. My next game will be with the Soviets to test all this out.

It would very likely be possible to beat the game using The soviets without spending any money on R&D at all. They easily have the strongest early game units all across the board.

SECONDARY NATIONS: Secondary nation's AI is working pretty well. When they are attacked they use their air force immediately, until it is destroyed. And they defend their city hexes to the best of their ability. Those with a coastline will build a navy of submarines, destroyers, and Air defense light cruisers, which are appropriate forces for secondary nations.

BETA TEST SUMMARY:

.....The biggest problem with the AI remains with the UK and France, both of whom deploy their airforces far from the fight, where they will wither on the vine of irrelevance.

Allied Losses to date, by top 5 unit types:

Submarines: 3701 (259 units)
Armor: 1937 (203 units)
Artillery: 1878 (138 units)
Ground Transport: 1292 (110 units)
AT: 942 (156)

Note how despite the Allies having a massive fighter fleet, their fighter losses arent even in the top 5. Because they just don't commit them to the battle. 

Besides that, the Allied AI is pretty competent, and is good at making combined arms task forces and defending it's cities properly. 

Allies spend very, very little on R&D though, so their efforts are futile against circa 1944 German uber weapons which I have fielded en masse.


This Beta test has validated the German strategy of defending the frontier with France early (East of Luxembourg and east of the Rhine at Strasbourg) with Artillery and FlaK18 guns and AD units, not declaring war on the low countries (they are a fantastic buffer), defending Wilhelhmsaven on the German Northern coast, and directing all offensive activities east against the much weaker Balkan and Baltic states.

I'm going to terminate this beta test at about turn 200, when i take London with the Kreigsmarine, then i'll start a new game as the USSR.

[valorius]

My plan to take london's port hexes with a big naval task force ran into a reality check. Unlike france, the UK is defending london with a massive land army of Matilda II's, heavy guns, AT guns and AD units.

A proper invasion force North of London is going to be required.

So that's a good sign for the AI.