The game is user-friendly; the manual is easy to understand. I read the tutorial, (and scanned the manual) the started playing, pausing to look up any concepts I misconstrued.
Playing as beginner, no modifiers for the AI.
Case White:
After 3 restarts, I was able to take Poland out (Capture Warsaw, force Polish surrender) in 2 turns. It took 3 turns when I first started. [:D]
The Poles are a walkover. It took a couple of tries to understand how to (start to) deal with the fluidity of movement and combat. I advanced, bypassing most units. Surrounded units were destroyed, if needed. If a unit was not a direct threat, I'd try to go around it, knock out it's ZOC, and hit it from behind (Very nice having 2 attacks/panzer group). A historical outcome can be routinely achieved, IMO. The AI does punish you (even on beginner) if you don't recon, or leave vulnerable weak units. Several infantry units lost their strikes (for bumping into an unseen enemy units) until I learned this. I actually manage to knock out a Polish army (only the coup de gras) with a garrison unit, Arial flyovers proved quite useful, as did multiple airstrikes.[8D]
Sitzkrieg:
With Neutral Italy, I brought my units (Armor, Air, HQ, Infantry, in that order) up to strength, covered the French border, and sent forces to Libya. I probably should have put some effort into research, but found Italy really strapped for points. [8|]
With the Germans, I went with upgrades, research and reinforcements. I did not use diplomacy, but pillaged resources were used to improve the quality of my existing army. Unfettered convoy raiding proved a bad idea; the Brits sunk most of the Kriegsmarine! They also frequently interdicted Scandinavian convoys. Air cover (from Norway) and submarines may work better, not a Jutland type sortie.[:-]
I DID NOT READ AHEAD ON THE SPECIFICS OF DECISIONS (by design). When the Norway & Denmark events fired I was nonplussed. In a lot of (WW2 ETO strategy games), Norway is either a lot of work to conquer, of questionable value, or both. The game gives players a good reason for holding Norway. IMO, the decision to occupy or postpone works. I chose to take Scandinavia as a "freebie," hoping to use air cover to help protect future iron convoys. [&:]
Fall Gelb:
After a couple of attempts (like with Poland) I was able to stage a decent blitz (1 turn knockout of all 3 neutrals, and/or a major breakthrough). I tried to attack as soon as the weather cleared, but my army was either not in position, or understrength. I wasted too many points "operating" my troops from Poland to the west, or didn't get them all to the front in time. My other error was not upgrading/reinforcing my troops, and poorly positioning them. My initial target target for "Yellow," was May 3, or the first clear turn.
After a couple of tries, I succeeded. This is what I did:
1) VERY limited strategic movement (3 occasions...everyone else marched).
2) Instituted upgrades and reinforcements for all Panzer/Mech and Air units (I did not add naval air weapons, stuck with advanced fighters).
3) New unit purchases were minimized prior to the French campaign...I spent my points on upgrades and research. (I bought one new mechanized unit).
4) By waiting one extra turn (until May 13), and carefully positioning assault troops, (plus reloading a saved game twice), I was able to take down Belgium, The Netherlands, and Luxemburg on turn. At the same time, I managed to poke a large hole in the Allies lines, and my troops poured into northern France.
That's as far as I have gotten...I am still a noob, and am working on: 1) Taking France down quickly. 2) Improving convoy interdiction (the royal navy keeps sinking my subs). 3) Finding the best prewar tactics for Italy. (BTW, Italy tends to enter the war earlier than historically...at least in response to my tactics. I was very careful to cover Italy's frontier with France, as she frequently declares war slightly earlier than historically. 4) I’m still experimenting with different mixes of forces, technologies, and diplomacy. [;)]
There are so many alternatives available that it will take a while to find a good mix. On beginner, the AI offers a good game for learning...it can be beaten, but makes you work for it. It seems that anything short of a full blitzkrieg simply won’t do. As a learning experience, I think the tutorial/and AI on beginner are excellent.[&o]
The only glitch I have encountered is that an Italian Army in Libya moved from land into the Gulf of Sirte. I moved it back on the next turn. I’m not sure how it happened, but I don’t think they are supposed to be able to swim. I will try to replicate this bug next time I start a campaign (it was the Italian 5th Army in Libya, moving from Tripoli to Tobruk on the coast road. I may have made a mouse error and ordered it into the gulf, I’m not sure. At any rate, I moved them back on land, and it appeared to make no difference). At the time, I was having so much fun, I didn’t notice my Italians had gone swimming![:'(]
I’m not sure how someone so green can help with things, but my overall verdict is: After 10 hours spent playing, the game very fun, easy to learn, has an authentic “feel”, and shows massive replay potential. Fun to play, fun to learn. It covers a lot more detail than the average “beer and pretzels” game (they are fun too, but SC3 is definitely not “WW2 lite.” I am astounded that this level of detail can be done with minimal tedium (micromanagement)…you get to make a LOT of decisions, but they feel like they are the important choices. As I said earlier, “I want this game!”
I’m a sucker for WW2 ETO strategy titles, but this game has exceptional potential. It is taking up far too much of my time, which shows you guys a doing a great job. Thank you for including me in the project.
[&o][&o][&o]
BTW, here’s my system info:
System:
HP Desktop 550-044
Windows 10 Home 64-Bit
Intel Core i3-4160 CPU @ 3.60 GHz
RAM: 8 GB Samsung 1600MHz
Board: 2BC 1.01 / BIOS 80.06
Graphics:
Intel HD Graphics 4400 / 1920 x 1080 Refresh rate 60
1,792 MB Graphics Memory
Version 20.19.15.4360 (12/21/2015)
Audio:
Realtek HD Audio / RTKVHD64.sys /6.0.1.7673
Intel Display Audio / IntcDAud.sys / 6.16.0.3191
