Omnius
Posts: 246
Joined: 6/22/2012
From: Salinas, CA
Status: offline
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I really hate frozen units, escpecially those frozen for 999 turns. This is incredibly horrible scenario design. I can see where freezing units in place can help keep the Artificial Ignorance from moving units in a defensive position, like around Leningrad, away prematurely. However it's absolutely maddening to a human player to have units and never be able to do anything with them.
I've been playing the 1941 Barbarossa scenario as the Allies and on turn 9 or so I got the choice as the USSR whether I wanted the fortifications or the 200 PP. I decided that unlike my choice to eschew the Kiev fortifications I'd actually take the Leningrad fortifications. I had deployed two mech corps just north of Leningrad on the rail line the turn before. Imagine how peeved I was to find that those two good mech corps are now frozen for 999 turns as part of the Leningrad fortifications. I had owndered how fortifications being instantly built would affect units stationed in that area and in those hexes and unfortunately now I know. I was hoping that any units on fortification hexes would just be sent to the reserves to be deployed again while new units were put in those fortification hexes, or that they'd just be left in the hex without being frozen.
I've seen comments about how great the game is at giving us the "what if" situations that allow us to explore what if we did this move or that but frozen units completely take that what if decision making away from us. It would be great if frozen units only affected the AI as I can see where freezing units can help keep an AI from deserting important VP or PP hexes. A pity that there wasn't a game interface button for us to turn on or off frozen units.
Freezing units for 999 turns is just lazy, obviously no thought went into considering freezing them for a shorter, more reasonable amount of turns so that after some danger is past those units could be used by either human or AI player. I certainly hope that the scenario designer will go into every scenario and get rid of frozen units or if they need to be frozen give them a far more reasonable freeze time so that after some reasonable wait those units can move again.
I have seen frozen units that aren't frozen for 999 turns around Moscow in the 1941 scenario. That's the way all frozen units should be done if they have to be frozen. I'd hate to think that I'd have to get into the problematic editor and try to find every possible frozen unit and turn that off as I'm looking to play every country myself rather than put up with the AI play. Those frozen units really ruin my enjoyment of the game solitaire.
The other bad thing about frozen units is that they can't be upgraded because with zero AP's they're always considered to have moved. That makes them rather worthless in the long run aside from not being able to move them. Yeah you can put leaders and reinforcements into them but that's not a worthy consolation prize. I usually on the first turn decide whether frozen units have a useful purpose and if not I just disband them for the half PP's and to save that tiny little bit of upkeep each turn.
I sure hope I don't have to go into the problemtaic editor to try and find every frozen unit for every country not just for the setup but for every possioble event where frozen units may be placed. I bought this game to enjoy playing it, not fixing bad scenario design decisions before I can play it enjoyablly.
I know I've harped on a few things but I actually do like the basic game system and mechanics. I like how the tactical bombers can trash naval units and how carriers and their airstrikes and recons work. I love how the weather system is hex by hex. I love the fog of war system. Strategic bombing works nicely as does tactical bombing. I like the single phase turn system as that allows for a better flow of ground, air and naval actions. There are good scenario design decisions too, I liked how Germany gets PP rewards for capturing important cities like Leningrad and Moscow, or how the USSR can have it's combat efficiency downgraded because of huge losses early on. I like how amphibious assaults work and how one can properly place air and naval bombardment groups to assist amphibious assaults.
Omnius
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The Bane of Frozen Units! - 
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