Piacular
In Cryo Sleep
Excuse this diatribe on this game, which has the possibility of being so great, if only it didn’t have the crippling inequalities between the sides.
The Axis are, by far, the greater team and I’ll tell you why, point by bloody point.
Infantry.
Riflemen vs. Volksgrenadiers. Riflemen do a base 2 damage against infantry and Volk’s do a base 2 against infantry, so far so good. However, very early in the game every member of a Volk’s squad can be upgraded with the MP40, boosting their infantry attack to a massive 7, higher than a machine gun team. Whilst the expensive BAR upgrade for the Riflemen gives them only a puny 5, and only 1-2 members in the squad are equipped with it. Victory 1 for the Volk’s. Secondly, the Riflemen get sticky bombs, Volk’s get Panzerfausts. A fair difference, stickies are cheaper but have a smaller range, however the Allied player has to pay for the upgrade to allow access to them, Volk’s get Panzerfausts for free from the Skirmish phase.
Allied base infantry types are; Riflemen, Machine Gunners, Mortars, and Snipers.
Axis base infantry types are; Volksgrenadiers, Machine Gunners, Mortars, Snipers, Grenadiers, Officer, and Iron Cross holders.
That is a huge discrepancy between the sides, the options open to the Axis player are a lot more varied. Out of the Allied infantry the only Anti-tank capable unit is the Riflemen with their stickies. Axis have Volk’s with ‘fausts and Grenadiers with Panzerschreks.
Also, take the Officer, a neat little unit that can do several things. There is no equivalent on the Allied side.
Anti-Tank Guns.
Axis Pak guns have a wide field of fire with a reduced range, and a special allowing them to cloak.
Allied AT guns have a narrow field of fire, but a longer range and a special that allows them to penetrate armour.
So, fair play it looks nice and even. It so isn’t. The extra range on the Allied guns is essentially wasted, they can’t view the extra distance so a spotter is needed, which is difficult to implement in what is probably a narrow defensive position. The wider field of fire is much more useful, overlapping fire arcs are easier to implement and tanks find it harder to drive past and out of your arc, WHICH HAPPENS A LOT! The special, it costs 50 munitions! Munitions are so hard to come by, and you only get 2-3 slightly stronger hits, (if it doesn’t actually miss in the several seconds it has the ability), it’s pants. The ability to surprise an armoured column with the camouflage is priceless and free!
Light Vehicles.
Puma vs. Greyhounds. These two units… Greyhounds = Anti infantry. Puma = Anti vehicle, even Anti tank with the upgrade. Greyhounds do 5 to infantry and 1 to tanks. Pumas to 1 to infantry and 3-4 to tanks! The Germans do not need more Anti-tank units, the Allies do. Swap ‘em around and I suddenly as an Allied player can build a building that not only gives me access to AT guns, but also a quick response to early Stugs. Everything would be better; the world would be at peace, but no. The Germans get all the good shit.
Halftracks. Both halftracks are upgradeable. The Allies can upgrade with an AA gun (the Germans have no planes), which is supposed to be able to chew up infantry. Ha! One Panzerfausts from a Volk’s will halve its life; Grenadiers in cover will shoot it all day with Panzerschreks rendering the upgraded Allied half-track pointless. The Axis halftrack gets upgraded to either a duel flamethrower beast doing a massive 12 to infantry (the largest damage to infantry in the entire game!), or with rocket artillery. The rocket artillery is essentially a re-usable barrage, which leads me onto my next point…
Indirect fire.
By indirect fire I mean the units which can target an area of the map covered with the fog-of-war.
One of the Allied players biggest problems (of which there are many
), is the lack of mobile long range indirect fire. His only choice is the Calliope. Which is down only one tech tree (and you have to pay a whooping 125 munitions for each use), so if you don’t pick it all you get are short range mortars. The Axis player, the lucky lucky man, gets the upgraded halftrack (which is so good, has a long range and can fire for free every 60 seconds), and the Nebelwerfer. That’s two long range barrage units that can make a mockery of any defence emplacements. Considering the Allies lack of AT units, the fact that the Axis can remove all Allied un-concealable AT guns before an assault leaving only Riflemen and Shermans as a tank defence is ludicrous.
Tanks.
Yeah. Tanks.
Allies – Tank Destroyer, Sherman, Calliope, Crocodile, Pershing.
Axis – Stug, Stuh, Flakpanzer, Panzer, Panther, Tiger, Tiger Ace
Stugs are cheap and available very early in the game, Allies will have only Rifelmen at this point. I need only build one building to get a Stug. To get AT guns or Shermans (the only buildable anti-tank tank) Allies have to build at least 3.
It is also cheaper to get the Stug. Sure Axis have to upgrade states, but that’s not expensive and the state upgrades have lots of far reaching effects allowing access to improved unit abilities as well as buildings.
The Tiger. The abilty that gives you a Tiger gives you a unit of Stormtroopers too. That’s for 1000 manpower. A unit of Storm Troopers on their own is 400 manpower, the Tiger is therefore 600 manpower. WTF? That’s the same price as a Calliope, and the Tiger is >> than a Calliope (a pants, un-upgradable Sherman with an expensive rocket launcher). The Allied equivalent of the Tiger is the Pershing. The Pershing cost 900, and isn’t as strong as the Tiger, it has less armour and does less damage.
Panzers and Shermans are vaguely equal with the Sherman just piping the Panzer. Tank Destroyers are a joke, sure they have the potential to do more damage to tanks than a Sherman but they have NO armour, it must be tinfoil or something because they pop so easily.
Back to Stugs. Stugs have no turret. Oh noes! HAVING NO TURRET IS THE BEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED TO A TANK IN THIS GAME. Having no turret not only means my profile is smaller but also means my clever little Stug always faces what he’s shooting, which helpfully always points my thickest armour at the target too. I have taken out a Tank Destroyer and a Sherman consecutively with one Stug! They are hard little bastards, dirt cheap and way better than Panzers.
Bunkers.
Allied bunkers, very expensive and only Machine Gun nests.
Axis bunkers are cheaper, and don’t cost precious fuel. The can also be upgraded to different versions. The most useful of which is a repair post, where the guys in trench coats toddle off for miles to repair any damaged vehicle. This is so incredibly useful, why don’t the Allies have an equivalent?!
The Veterancy System.
Allies: Through combat for each individual unit.
Axis: Purchased and permanent.
And here is the clincher, apart from the Axis having more options and being better in Infantry, Light Vehicle, Heavy vehicle and Bunker departments they also get by far the better veterancy programme.
For the price of just 2 Stugs, the Axis player can double the effectiveness of all his tanks. Level 1 = increased speed. Level 2 = machine gunner + decreased enemy munition effectiveness. Level 3 = extra armour(?!?!!), and +20% to hit points.
And that’s permanent. For every tank he produces. Ever.
What this effectively does is reduce the game to a Stug rush. Don’t bother about a doctrine, it doesn’t matter. Just beeline to the Stugs, max their veterancy and mass produce them. Create six or seven and charge. Nothing can stop you. If you’ve put all your resources into power tanks, to stand a chance I have to go all out anti-tank. This is difficult when I have to prepare for any assault until I know your plan.
So, not only does it give his tanks more life, it makes them more immune to standard damage and the reduced munition effectiveness, it affects everything that you pay for with munitions; stickies, AP shots, artillery, the lot. Stickies become pathetic. Instead of 3-4 it’s 5-6. And that’s just for Stugs.
In the end.
I don't even want to get into the Tech Trees, but I'm of the opinion the Allied player has to respond to the Axis player's choice of Doctrine.
I would say that playing as the Germans is fun, there is no fear. Not a single unit the Allies have would concern me. When I play Allies, I'm constantly concerned. Does he have Stugs yet? Can I fight them? Are they Veterans? Does he have a Tiger? How can I get that bloody halftrack launching rockets willy-nilly at my lines?
Sux to be the Americans.
There are actually even more advantages to being the Germans involving unit-building distributions, but you don't need to know about that to see the mis-match.
The Germans won't lose the War this time.
The Axis are, by far, the greater team and I’ll tell you why, point by bloody point.
Infantry.
Riflemen vs. Volksgrenadiers. Riflemen do a base 2 damage against infantry and Volk’s do a base 2 against infantry, so far so good. However, very early in the game every member of a Volk’s squad can be upgraded with the MP40, boosting their infantry attack to a massive 7, higher than a machine gun team. Whilst the expensive BAR upgrade for the Riflemen gives them only a puny 5, and only 1-2 members in the squad are equipped with it. Victory 1 for the Volk’s. Secondly, the Riflemen get sticky bombs, Volk’s get Panzerfausts. A fair difference, stickies are cheaper but have a smaller range, however the Allied player has to pay for the upgrade to allow access to them, Volk’s get Panzerfausts for free from the Skirmish phase.
Allied base infantry types are; Riflemen, Machine Gunners, Mortars, and Snipers.
Axis base infantry types are; Volksgrenadiers, Machine Gunners, Mortars, Snipers, Grenadiers, Officer, and Iron Cross holders.
That is a huge discrepancy between the sides, the options open to the Axis player are a lot more varied. Out of the Allied infantry the only Anti-tank capable unit is the Riflemen with their stickies. Axis have Volk’s with ‘fausts and Grenadiers with Panzerschreks.
Also, take the Officer, a neat little unit that can do several things. There is no equivalent on the Allied side.
Anti-Tank Guns.
Axis Pak guns have a wide field of fire with a reduced range, and a special allowing them to cloak.
Allied AT guns have a narrow field of fire, but a longer range and a special that allows them to penetrate armour.
So, fair play it looks nice and even. It so isn’t. The extra range on the Allied guns is essentially wasted, they can’t view the extra distance so a spotter is needed, which is difficult to implement in what is probably a narrow defensive position. The wider field of fire is much more useful, overlapping fire arcs are easier to implement and tanks find it harder to drive past and out of your arc, WHICH HAPPENS A LOT! The special, it costs 50 munitions! Munitions are so hard to come by, and you only get 2-3 slightly stronger hits, (if it doesn’t actually miss in the several seconds it has the ability), it’s pants. The ability to surprise an armoured column with the camouflage is priceless and free!
Light Vehicles.
Puma vs. Greyhounds. These two units… Greyhounds = Anti infantry. Puma = Anti vehicle, even Anti tank with the upgrade. Greyhounds do 5 to infantry and 1 to tanks. Pumas to 1 to infantry and 3-4 to tanks! The Germans do not need more Anti-tank units, the Allies do. Swap ‘em around and I suddenly as an Allied player can build a building that not only gives me access to AT guns, but also a quick response to early Stugs. Everything would be better; the world would be at peace, but no. The Germans get all the good shit.
Halftracks. Both halftracks are upgradeable. The Allies can upgrade with an AA gun (the Germans have no planes), which is supposed to be able to chew up infantry. Ha! One Panzerfausts from a Volk’s will halve its life; Grenadiers in cover will shoot it all day with Panzerschreks rendering the upgraded Allied half-track pointless. The Axis halftrack gets upgraded to either a duel flamethrower beast doing a massive 12 to infantry (the largest damage to infantry in the entire game!), or with rocket artillery. The rocket artillery is essentially a re-usable barrage, which leads me onto my next point…
Indirect fire.
By indirect fire I mean the units which can target an area of the map covered with the fog-of-war.
One of the Allied players biggest problems (of which there are many
), is the lack of mobile long range indirect fire. His only choice is the Calliope. Which is down only one tech tree (and you have to pay a whooping 125 munitions for each use), so if you don’t pick it all you get are short range mortars. The Axis player, the lucky lucky man, gets the upgraded halftrack (which is so good, has a long range and can fire for free every 60 seconds), and the Nebelwerfer. That’s two long range barrage units that can make a mockery of any defence emplacements. Considering the Allies lack of AT units, the fact that the Axis can remove all Allied un-concealable AT guns before an assault leaving only Riflemen and Shermans as a tank defence is ludicrous.Tanks.
Yeah. Tanks.
Allies – Tank Destroyer, Sherman, Calliope, Crocodile, Pershing.
Axis – Stug, Stuh, Flakpanzer, Panzer, Panther, Tiger, Tiger Ace
Stugs are cheap and available very early in the game, Allies will have only Rifelmen at this point. I need only build one building to get a Stug. To get AT guns or Shermans (the only buildable anti-tank tank) Allies have to build at least 3.
It is also cheaper to get the Stug. Sure Axis have to upgrade states, but that’s not expensive and the state upgrades have lots of far reaching effects allowing access to improved unit abilities as well as buildings.
The Tiger. The abilty that gives you a Tiger gives you a unit of Stormtroopers too. That’s for 1000 manpower. A unit of Storm Troopers on their own is 400 manpower, the Tiger is therefore 600 manpower. WTF? That’s the same price as a Calliope, and the Tiger is >> than a Calliope (a pants, un-upgradable Sherman with an expensive rocket launcher). The Allied equivalent of the Tiger is the Pershing. The Pershing cost 900, and isn’t as strong as the Tiger, it has less armour and does less damage.
Panzers and Shermans are vaguely equal with the Sherman just piping the Panzer. Tank Destroyers are a joke, sure they have the potential to do more damage to tanks than a Sherman but they have NO armour, it must be tinfoil or something because they pop so easily.
Back to Stugs. Stugs have no turret. Oh noes! HAVING NO TURRET IS THE BEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED TO A TANK IN THIS GAME. Having no turret not only means my profile is smaller but also means my clever little Stug always faces what he’s shooting, which helpfully always points my thickest armour at the target too. I have taken out a Tank Destroyer and a Sherman consecutively with one Stug! They are hard little bastards, dirt cheap and way better than Panzers.
Bunkers.
Allied bunkers, very expensive and only Machine Gun nests.
Axis bunkers are cheaper, and don’t cost precious fuel. The can also be upgraded to different versions. The most useful of which is a repair post, where the guys in trench coats toddle off for miles to repair any damaged vehicle. This is so incredibly useful, why don’t the Allies have an equivalent?!
The Veterancy System.
Allies: Through combat for each individual unit.
Axis: Purchased and permanent.
And here is the clincher, apart from the Axis having more options and being better in Infantry, Light Vehicle, Heavy vehicle and Bunker departments they also get by far the better veterancy programme.
For the price of just 2 Stugs, the Axis player can double the effectiveness of all his tanks. Level 1 = increased speed. Level 2 = machine gunner + decreased enemy munition effectiveness. Level 3 = extra armour(?!?!!), and +20% to hit points.
And that’s permanent. For every tank he produces. Ever.
What this effectively does is reduce the game to a Stug rush. Don’t bother about a doctrine, it doesn’t matter. Just beeline to the Stugs, max their veterancy and mass produce them. Create six or seven and charge. Nothing can stop you. If you’ve put all your resources into power tanks, to stand a chance I have to go all out anti-tank. This is difficult when I have to prepare for any assault until I know your plan.
So, not only does it give his tanks more life, it makes them more immune to standard damage and the reduced munition effectiveness, it affects everything that you pay for with munitions; stickies, AP shots, artillery, the lot. Stickies become pathetic. Instead of 3-4 it’s 5-6. And that’s just for Stugs.
In the end.
I don't even want to get into the Tech Trees, but I'm of the opinion the Allied player has to respond to the Axis player's choice of Doctrine.
I would say that playing as the Germans is fun, there is no fear. Not a single unit the Allies have would concern me. When I play Allies, I'm constantly concerned. Does he have Stugs yet? Can I fight them? Are they Veterans? Does he have a Tiger? How can I get that bloody halftrack launching rockets willy-nilly at my lines?
Sux to be the Americans.
There are actually even more advantages to being the Germans involving unit-building distributions, but you don't need to know about that to see the mis-match.
The Germans won't lose the War this time
.
