New to the game - Basic Questions

A sub-forum for players new to WIF, containing information on how to get started and become an experienced player.

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rkr1958
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RE: New to the game - Basic Questions

Post by rkr1958 »

ORIGINAL: paulderynck

My understanding is that if you save only one in each city/factory; you'll be OK.

I've played the game a very long time, and you'd have a tough time convincing me why you'd ever want to save more than 3 or 4 max in any one turn anyway. Maybe late in the game saving with the Chinese, and JP is on the ropes, you'd save for an O-chit...
Thanks. In reading through yvesp's AAR I see that the same bug applies to oil? That is, you can only save 1 oil point per city. It that true too?
Ronnie
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paulderynck
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RE: New to the game - Basic Questions

Post by paulderynck »

I cannot recall if that's still a current bug, but if so, it and any BPs issues should be getting fixed soon as part of the Production Planning fixes.
Paul
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Courtenay
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RE: New to the game - Basic Questions

Post by Courtenay »

ORIGINAL: rkr1958

ORIGINAL: paulderynck

My understanding is that if you save only one in each city/factory; you'll be OK.

I've played the game a very long time, and you'd have a tough time convincing me why you'd ever want to save more than 3 or 4 max in any one turn anyway. Maybe late in the game saving with the Chinese, and JP is on the ropes, you'd save for an O-chit...
Thanks. In reading through yvesp's AAR I see that the same bug applies to oil? That is, you can only save 1 oil point per city. It that true too?
At the moment, yes. I have stopped my AAR until it has been fixed, because the Japanese don't have enough convoy points to ship the NEI oil home, and so had been saving it place; unfortunately, a large fraction of it disappears. I hope that this bug will be fixed soon; it has already been fixed once, but has reappeared.
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rkr1958
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RE: New to the game - Basic Questions

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I'm having a blasts playing through my first Global War Scenario! My question is:

What does it take to conquer France?

In my other strategic wargames, the capture of Paris will do. Though, in CEaW GS, the capture of Paris results in the French offer of an armistice to the German, which they can accept or refuse. If they accept, then France surrenders and Vichy is formed. If they (the Germans) refuse the armistice, the fighting continues with the surviving French forces join in with the British forces.

I know ... I know ... I need to read through the books and I will. But honestly, playing the game and learning through playing is much more fun than reading through the books. Though, I do appreciate the books. I'd just rather be playing the game. [;)]

In learning how to play a strategic wargame (i.e., MWiF (WiF) in this case), I like to play a game (or games) basically following the historical sequence. That is Poland-Denmark-Holland-Belgium then France, Yugoslavia-Greece and finally the USSR. Notice that I've left Norway out. My experience is that as the axis player the risks (and pain) of going after Norway far outweigh the potential gains of conquering it. Also, I've found that the resources diverted and potentially tied up in an Operation Wesenbung could, by far, be put to better use in Case Yellow (i.e., Holland-Belgium-France campaign). And what I understand about MWiF (or WiF), the same lesson applies.

While I'm, with minor deviations (i.e., no Norway and no winter war against Finland), following the historical sequence in this game, I am not adhering to the timeline. For example, I easily conquered Poland in Sep/Oct '39, Denmark in Nov/Dec '39, Holland and Belgium in Jan/Feb '40 and launched my attack against France and the BEF in Mar/Apr 40. I would have attacked Denmark in Sep/Oct '39; but didn't get fair weather for the remainder of the turn after the 1st (and 2nd) impulse. Bad luck I know, but I got fair weather on the first two impulses of both the Nov/Dec '39 and Jan/Feb '40 turns in the west. Good luck. I also got fair weather on the first four impulses of the Mar/Apr '40 turn.

What's impress me so far is how well the Germans have done with respect to the historical timeline of their conquests to date. And, it's only Mar/Apr '40 and the Germans have already broken through the allied lines and are at the outskirts of Paris. Through, I must admit this could be the result of my poor, or inexperience, defensive play. On the first axis impulse (2nd impulse overall) of this turn, I used an offensive chit and Rundstedt to double my ground attacks in order to break through in two places. These attacks outright destroyed two French corps and shatter two more. I also got lucky on a ground strike that disrupted Georges' HQ unit and a 5-2 reserve corps in a 3rd hex. Two BEF corps, which had move into Belgium just west of Antwerp, were at risk of being cutoff. All the British and French could do on their next, the 3rd impulse, was pull back and try to reestablish their defensive line. Which the Germans broke through again destroying George and 3 other French corps.

With the French, and British, reeling for these attacks, Mussolini though it was a good time to enter the war and take what they could in the south. However; they rolled a 1 on their 4-1 attack against a French 2-3 corps in Nice.

One thing, among many I'm sure, that I'm not doing very well is getting German u-boats into action against British convoys. Last impulse, which was #4, I did choose a combined for the Germans which allowed them to move 2 u-boat units to the Bay of Biscay. Though, both sides searches failed. This leads me to my second question:

How do you, the experience players, make German u-boats the threat in MWiF (WiF) that they were in the real war?

Now, while I've only discussed the War in Europe, the Japanese in China are making progress. It's slow and cumbersome but they seem to be making steady gains. I can see the difficulty Japan will have when they're at war with the US in a year and half (or so), balancing the priorities between naval and land operations.

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Ronnie
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paulderynck
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RE: New to the game - Basic Questions

Post by paulderynck »

In MWiF, if Germany takes and holds Paris they can impose Vichy at the end of the turn. It's up to them, they can go for conquest if they want, which requires the capture of all the factories in France. Or once Germany takes 8 or more of the factories, France can surrender. They might do that to save their fleet and/or if they have assets in their colonies that they would rather have as Free French than risk going Vichy, because Germany can always change its mind and declare Vichy as long as they hold Paris.

After Vichy or conquest, Germany can turn towards Russia or try going for the Med. If they want to go through Spain to get at Gibraltar, it is tough to do with Vichy already declared, unless they want to add more US entry (and create or strengthen Free France) by collapsing it right away.
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RE: New to the game - Basic Questions

Post by composer99 »

To make U-boats a threat, you obviously want to have them based on the Atlantic seaboard. Brest is best because they are safe from aerial attack.

You also need to invest in 2-4 bp per turn early on, and more later, on sub units with both Germany & Italy. The Germans can sail out once a turn (or once every two turns if they just drop boxes) and let the Italians activate most of the time.

You need quite a few subs in 1940-1942 to really hurt CW convoy lines. But if you do, you can really hurt them badly.

Later, when allied ASW gets too good, you can plop your subs in the Atlantic sea lanes for the purpose of interdicting transport traffic.
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rkr1958
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RE: New to the game - Basic Questions

Post by rkr1958 »

Why can't I disembark the CW 7-4 mot corps to Rouen?

It can't be because of the Foreign troop commitment. Gort is in France and I just pulled that mot corps and a 6-6 CW mech corps out of France from Boulogne and Calais. That is, they were both in France, along with Gort, at the start of the impulse.

Is there some other reason to why I can't disembark either corps back into France?

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RE: New to the game - Basic Questions

Post by composer99 »

I can't think of one. You may have hit upon a bug.
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Centuur
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RE: New to the game - Basic Questions

Post by Centuur »

Can you upload a zipped saved game here? If so, we can investigate what is happening here...
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rkr1958
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RE: New to the game - Basic Questions

Post by rkr1958 »

ORIGINAL: Centuur

Can you upload a zipped saved game here? If so, we can investigate what is happening here...
I had saved the game at that point for just such a request. Before uploading it, I always reload the saved game to make sure it's the correct save and I still see the bug. It's the correct save, but now I can disembark the CW corps into France. Apparently the save and reload did the trick? Do you still want the saved game?
Ronnie
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rkr1958
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RE: New to the game - Basic Questions

Post by rkr1958 »

Another weird one and have the saved game. In the Eastern Med, the allies are trying to Initiate (Naval) Combat; however, when I click on the "Initiate Combat" button it flashes and nothing else happens. If I select the Bay of Biscay and try to Initiate Combat there it works.

Paris has been captured by the Germans and France is on the ropes. Would this prevent combat in the Eastern Med because the French navy is in the sea area?

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RE: New to the game - Basic Questions

Post by paulderynck »

No, it should not prevent initiation.
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RE: New to the game - Basic Questions

Post by Centuur »

I don't think that saved game is of any use if things "magically" are corrected when you restore it...
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rkr1958
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RE: New to the game - Basic Questions

Post by rkr1958 »

ORIGINAL: Centuur

I don't think that saved game is of any use if things "magically" are corrected when you restore it...
Now this second potential issue / bug does not resolve itself when I reload. That is, when I try to initiate combat in the Eastern Med, I can't. I've attached the game file for that. Do I need to post this in the tech / bug report forum too?
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rkr1958
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RE: New to the game - Basic Questions

Post by rkr1958 »

Now going off in another direction ...

Last turn (Mar/Apr 40) after Italy DOW France, I had an Italian army (i.e., 3 corps) in Libya on the border with Egypt. I had planned to rush them into Egypt but couldn't. I though, ahh ... the Italian's must have to DOW Egypt and I looked over that in the DOW minor countries phase. But on the next axis impulse I saw there is no Egypt included in the list of DOW'able minor countries. So my question is,

How do the Italians go about "invading" Egypt from Libya (or from anywhere else)?
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Courtenay
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RE: New to the game - Basic Questions

Post by Courtenay »

Egypt is an CW aligned minor country. For the Italians to attack it, they must be at war with the CW.

If the Italians are at war with the CW and can't attack Egypt, something is wrong.
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paulderynck
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RE: New to the game - Basic Questions

Post by paulderynck »

You have to DoW an already aligned country's controller, but you (can or may) DoW majors separately. So, if it's CW-controlled, you must DoW the CW. DoWing France does not mean you've DoW'd the CW. Doing them together on the same impulse saves US Entry but spreads Italy pretty thin in terms of taking advantage of the Surprise impulse. A strategy many players use is to DoW only France in the hopes of doing dirt in the West Med area with the CW too afraid of the US Entry impact of DoWing Italy. Even if they go ahead with a DoW, a careful player may lose little (or nothing with bad search rolls by the CW) and then the US entry for DoWing France can get cancelled by the US Entry for a CW DoW on Italy.

Getting the US in the war a few turns earlier of later has a gigantic impact in the game.
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rkr1958
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RE: New to the game - Basic Questions

Post by rkr1958 »

ORIGINAL: Courtenay

Egypt is an CW aligned minor country. For the Italians to attack it, they must be at war with the CW.

If the Italians are at war with the CW and can't attack Egypt, something is wrong.
ORIGINAL: paulderynck

You have to DoW an already aligned country's controller, but you (can or may) DoW majors separately. So, if it's CW-controlled, you must DoW the CW. DoWing France does not mean you've DoW'd the CW. Doing them together on the same impulse saves US Entry but spreads Italy pretty thin in terms of taking advantage of the Surprise impulse. A strategy many players use is to DoW only France in the hopes of doing dirt in the West Med area with the CW too afraid of the US Entry impact of DoWing Italy. Even if they go ahead with a DoW, a careful player may lose little (or nothing with bad search rolls by the CW) and then the US entry for DoWing France can get cancelled by the US Entry for a CW DoW on Italy.

Getting the US in the war a few turns earlier of later has a gigantic impact in the game.
I didn't realize that Italy also had to DOW CW. I thought a DOW on France meant that Italy would also be at war with the CW.

Could this also explain why the allies couldn't initiate combat in the Eastern Med? The allies have a mixture of CW and French naval forces arrayed against the Italians. Could it be that I can't initiate combat because the CW and Italians aren't at war?
Ronnie
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RE: New to the game - Basic Questions

Post by composer99 »

The French should be able to initiate, unless they took a land impulse (or an air impulse but don't have naval air at sea).
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rkr1958
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RE: New to the game - Basic Questions

Post by rkr1958 »

ORIGINAL: composer99

The French should be able to initiate, unless they took a land impulse (or an air impulse but don't have naval air at sea).
The French took a naval and the CW a combined.
Ronnie
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