Realistic game with AI

[Naughteous Maximus]

Just wondering for the best experience/realism playing the Germans, how should it be played? What setting of difficulty should it be set for a historical game and is it possible to tweak the AI as the game progresses?[&:][&:][&:]

[heliodorus04]

You CAN change settings whenever you want, however you want.

My standard German settings for a game of me-Germany vs. AI-Soviet are as follows:
Turn 1 through September 1943: All settings on 90 except Admin (more on Admin later).
September 43 to game's end: Morale back to 100.
Random weather and normal (i.e., severe) Blizzard effects.

Now, for the Soviets, I change various things at various times.
Entire game: Soviet Fortification 120 (or more)
Turn 1 through December 41: Soviet +1 DEFENSE
Turn 1 through December 41: Morale: 120, Logistics 120, Transport 110
Beginning October or November 42, I raise Morale, Logistics, Transport to 130
Beginning September 43, I raise Morale, Logistics, and Transport to 135-140 until the end of the game.

Soviet Admin:
The Soviet AI is not bound by the same Admin point restrictions that a human would be. You can leave it at 100 or set it to 400, and I never notice a difference.
German Admin:
The game starts with horrible inefficiencies built in to the German Army's organization. My classic example is 9th Army, VIII Corps, which has basically half the SUs of the Wehrmacht. The game engine punishes this... Further, some of the worst commanders are in charge of the most important units. These problems are fixable in time whichever Admin setting you choose for the Axis, but I'm impatient, lazy, and an efficiency expert, so I set the game (throughout) to Germany having 400 Admin setting.

HERE'S THE CATCH:
My House Rule is that Germany can only use HQ Buildup in very limited settings, and no more than once per turn, every other turn (so only one corps, every other turn). That would be about 8 corps's worth of Buildup over the summer campaign. In truth, I probably do fewer than that (except at Leningrad where it's not to run rampant, but to ensure maximum attacking MPs for offensive pressure). The bottom line is that the Soviet AI is poor at preparing for HQ Buildup-type penetrations, and if you want a more realistic game against it, you don't abuse it much if at all. Especially considering all the other efficiency gains you get from having an Admin setting as high as I do.

House Rule 2 is that you can't build a shit-ton of forts in which to hide during the first winter. You have to let the first winter hammer you the way it did historically. That's a relative term, so I'll leave it at that.

It may look complicated, but it works pretty well. I've been playing this way for years. Years and years. I enjoy every game. Around mid 1943, the Red Army is a hammering mass of Guards Corps and Shock Armies and you need the SS and armor everywhere to try to slow the onslaught. I enjoy it so much.

[morvael]

I think you have to choose between "Realistic game" or "with AI". Usually the only way to have some challenge when playing the AI is to give them a strong bonus, so their troops become unrealistically stronger, faster, and better supplied.

[heliodorus04]

ORIGINAL: morvael

I think you have to choose between "Realistic game" or "with AI". Usually the only way to have some challenge when playing the AI is to give them a strong bonus, so their troops become unrealistically stronger, faster, and better supplied.

One of the reasons I leave Transport and Logisitics relatively low in 1941 is that I have found the AI will foolishly ram units westward into disadvantageous supply and get them cut off.

By my approach, the Blizzard kicks Germany's a$$ making the 1942 summer offensive both necessary (for morale purposes) and risky. The morale changes I use between November 42 then again in September 43 ensure that you will face a seriously bad-a$$ 43-44 broad-front AI advance that has a good chance of making a breakthrough.

[Naughteous Maximus]

Thanks for the tips! [:D]