FullAuto Posted June 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2009 I've decided to go with the Improved Computing topic next as it supposedly gives me a 5% increase in research speed. That should help to crank out the rest of the topics I want in a timely fashion. Good choice, I always knock those off 1-2-3. Research can never be fast enough for me either. Influencing a nation increases your relations by 10 points automatically and it is probably more useful than the Coup in the long run since it keeps the country happy with you, so I'm probably going to try to get Japan and Germany on my good side initially. That's where my money is going to go unless you have a better idea on how to spend it properly... Get on the good side of any nations you don't want to go to war with, or any you wish to use in future. Bear in mind you can forge a military alliance with unlikely countries, it just takes a lot of money and perseverance. Non-aggression pacts are good too, they last a few years so it puts the worries to bed for a while but you always have the option of war in the future. You can stay out of the Allies and still fight Japan/Germany. Japan should be a little easier to finish off than Germany since my outpost in the Philippines is within striking distance of Japan. Germany may be a little harder to take out since my nearest outpost is in Liberia. This means someone will need to give me access to their land to set up shop. Maybe I can convince Italy to give me a hand. The Philippines are easy to cut off from the US, and if Japan declares war on you it's one of the places they hit early. Looking at it from a Jap POV, they're not really worth the effort, scraps of resources, a few points of IC & manpower. But taking them denies the US some useful bases, so make sure you can hold them! If you isolate and severely weaken Japan with economic warfare (I'm guessing a dual sub/strat bomber campaign would do the trick), be aware that Nationalist China or one of the other Chinese states will no doubt quickly push back weakened Jap forces, retaking lost ground, and perhaps assault and capture the Japanese islands. Don't know if you want them for yourself, or what. Depending upon how the European theatre goes, you may get Iceland and Greenland, which are useful as stepping stones. From there you can hit the French/German coast, or Scandinavia for an easier entry. If you end up as part of the Allies, you'll be able to use their facilities, so no problems. ---------------------- Somewhere, Stalin is cursing:https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/lengcgb.jpg Considerably richer than, well, everybody:https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/sprich.jpg Meanwhile, the UK are up to some sneaky-beaky type stuff:https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/ukvsdeutsch.jpg Victory - noun - losing half a squadon of aeroplanes. Of Japanese origin:https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/winq.jpg Seventy Frankfurters died today, killed by a Japanese ballistic missile:https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/furtv2.jpgHistory does not record if the bodies were served with onions and mustard in a bun. Ah, Siam, you ungrateful arseholes:https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/ungrateful.jpgYou know what. You're on the end of more than 100 of various resources, half of them supplies, for free. Never mind all those favourable trades, when I could go to a more desperate country and get a better deal. Now, fair enough, you've loaned me a good 30 divisions. And I am grateful. But I can do without those divisions. You can't do without those resources. So stop pissing me about, or I'll create Vietnam and kick you out of our alliance and I will make sure the Viet Minh eat your entire population alive. The Soviet Union, clove in twain:https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/cutin2.jpgWell, technically it's in about eight bits, but let's not quibble. Imperial Army General Staff Office memorandum, Soviet theatre. Signed: (IJA) Higashikuni/Shima/Terauchi/Koiso/Minami/Sakai/Hata. *Ichi: The Soviet Union will not accept peace.*Ni: Annexation of the Soviet Union will mean a border with Germany.*San: We are currently the most prominent rogue state.*Shi: Peace with Germany is being pursued. Unlikely, due to length/inconclusivity of conflict, mutual high belligerence.*Go: Capture of Soviet ports exposes us to possibility of German amphibious landings, 'G-Day'.*Roku: Industrial capacity is the highest in the world, second is the USA.*Shichi: War with Germany is unwinnable in the long term. Their numerical advantage is 2:1 if intelligence estimates are correct, and it is likely they will also have air superiority.*Hachi: Large portions of the SU are encircled and isolated. Enemy troops within these 'tea-bowls' are dead or captured. We cannot afford to occupy them. Our tansport network is at approximately 80% capacity. Further territorial gain without accompanying industrial or manpower acquisition is forbidden by order of the Emperor.*Kyu: An attempt to overthrow the government of the Soviet Union is forthcoming. INSOLE warns that there is one major controlling influence, Iosef Besarionis Jughashvili, AKA Iosef Vissarionovich Stalin. In order for a coup d' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knan Posted June 5, 2009 Report Share Posted June 5, 2009 Heh. Next on FullAuto Samurai Conquers The World: The winter war, part deux : Japan-Finland. I note you're next door to German-controlled Helsinki at the moment. Keep it up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FullAuto Posted June 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2009 If Finland wants those provinces, they can have 'em! I'd give them away if I could. OPERATION CAPITALIST Briefing: Weather - brass monkeys.https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/opcapweather.jpg Economy - primarily goat-based.https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/opcapeconomic.jpg Terrain - would suit Robin Hood.https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/opcapterrain.jpgGreen - forest, pale green - marsh, white - plains, yellow - urban. Prestige - no.https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/opcapvps.jpgThe pink provinces are worth victory points. Not very many, though. Forceshttps://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/opcapadvanc.jpg About 14 divisions in the Northern Army group, six of them policing provinces. Targets are the light-green provinces. With the 8 divisions I have spare, I have to move north-west and capture the major ports of Riga and Tallinn, as well as south-east to capture Polotsk and Vitebsk, and at least support the assault on Smolensk (white). No naval support, 1 flight of CAS and 1 flight of fighters as air support. In the Southern Army Group, I've got 38 divisions. Their targets are blue. These are going to be the main fist, and probably do most of the fighting. Wriggling along that narrow path of provinces is to encircle even more Soviets, but more importantly, stick to provinces that will contribute IC, manpower, or both. Three flights of tactical bombers will be interdicting Soviet forces, decreasing their ORG day and night. Germano-Hungaro-Romanian interference is not expected, but is possible via bombers. Such bombing won't make me change my plan, but will make me throw a tantrum if my air force fails to stop them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorondor Posted June 6, 2009 Report Share Posted June 6, 2009 "Sauerkraut f Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FullAuto Posted June 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2009 I hear they help with bowel movements, if nothing else. Manchuko and Mengkuko throw the baby out with the bathwater:https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/manchmad.jpg Germans sneaky-beak back:https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/deutshvsuk.jpg Russians still fighting back to some degree:https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/subactiv.jpgThat was a stack of eight sub flotillas, just off my coast. Didn't manage to sink any of them before they got away, either. If it's not one, it's one of the other three:https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/dbltk.jpg CAPITALIST is sort of successful:https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/sortive.jpgI was knocked back quite firmly at Polotsk, I may give it another go but currently there's no encirclement around that central portion, and no doubt they're running convoys to the northern division of the SU. I'm embarrassingly wealthy now:https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/evenricher.jpgAnd it's actually become a problem. I've captured so many resource stockpiles, I haven't got enough convoys to ship it back to Japan. I had about 300 spare convoy tansports, sat around doing nothing (like the rest of my navy, nice gig lads) and now there are 0 spare, and more than 400 solely occupied with shipping captured resources to Japan every day. Victim of my own success. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FullAuto Posted June 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 2009 OPERATION SUCK A DUCK War with the US This scenario presupposes peace with the SU (yes, thank you at the back, when you've quite finished laughing), and the same tit-for-tat air war versus ze Germans. With the deployment of some ballistic missiles to my Pacific islands, I can now hit any US island in the Pacific. Apart from destroying IC and resources, my BMs (ballistic missile, not bowel movement, although technically mine could be used as a WMD, especially after a curry and a few beers) can also smash infrastructure, knacker airfields, or strike installations (AA, radar, etc). Seeing as they tend to do 90% plus damage to IS, each US island will receive one, compliments of me. Most US islands have an IS of 60-80%, so one BM (hehehehe) should knock them down to 0%, leaving the forces there in a difficult position in terms of recovering from any attacks. Islands with airbases will receive an additional BM (need to know how powerful they are in this area, must test on Germany). Shame I can't do ports as well. Suppose my naval bombers can do that if I ever expand their complement.https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/uspaci.jpg Guam is the first natural choice.https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/guam.jpgLocated in the midst of my islands, level 4 airbase and port, level 3 AA, 60% IS. I reckon two BMs (hehehe) will reduce it to useless, but I am tempted to try and capture it (relatively) intact with an amphibious assault. Neutralised either way, I then own a solid 'block' of islands in the Pacific, with the remaining US islands to the east, Philippines to the west, and Australasia to the south. Tentative BM (hur hur) allocations as follows - Philippines 3, Guam 2, Wake 2, Midway 2, Johnson 2, Phoenix 2, Jarvis 1, Palmyra 1, Samoa 2, Hawaii 2, Maui 1, Pearl 2, Kaui 1, Niihau 1. 23 in total. Not quite there yet in terms of places to launch from, but I've got more than 30 BMs (hehe) already. Actual invasion targets - Philippines isn't really worth it (10 manpower, 8 IC, 15 of various resources, and 8 victory points), but it denies the US two airbases and two ports, and it should be easy to police.https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/philo.jpgKeeping hold of it will be hard, every province there is open to amphibious assault, so stopping an attack on the beaches will be difficult as I'm not wasting divisions manning every province. Actual attacks will have to be stopped earlier, say several hundred miles east, by my fleets. South of the Philippines (hey, a geography lesson, get ready to do some colouring in, kids!), are Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea (half Dutch, half Oz), Borneo (part Brit, mostly Dutch), the Indonesian islands (Dutch) and a smattering of small islands owned by the UK and French.https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/oztralasia.jpgLightly guarded at best, with only Oz and NZ having anything resembling a military force, and I bet most of their troops are in Europe. I don't need the resources (there is quite a bit, actually), there's hardly any industry, victory points or manpower, and given the fragmented nature of the territory, low IS, small ports and almost total lack of airbases, it'll take ages to get it all, and it'll be a struggle to hold in a serious fight. Not going to bother with any of it. If I'm going to war with the US, that means the rest of the Allies as well. I'm disregarding Oz and NZ, minor naval and air forces, they probably do have decent armies for their size, but they'll be in Europe. The UK still has a presence though, in Singapore and of course, India.https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/burminsing.jpgThough they shouldn't have, because India should have declared independence in 1947. I'm guessing there was a "You can wait until WWII is over, Ghandi, you nappy-wearing bastard." option in the 'Indian Independence' event. Singapore will be easy to capture, just move south from Siam. Coupled with an amphibious assault, the garrison there will be crushed. Pushing west from Siam, into Burma (oooh, historical), may also be an option. India's definitely too big to conquer (or is it...), so I'll stop at that narrow point between India and Burma, it's only 2-3 provinces in size, piece of cake to defend. Don't think I'll bother though, there just isn't that much worth having in Burma, and it's all either jungle or mountain coupled with low IS, except along the coast where it occasionally goes over 50%. Bah. Singapore's worth owning though, good position as it's by a very common sea route, it can be the westernmost fortress of my empire, fleets and naval bombers operating out of there will make enemy forces check themselves before they wreck themselves. But of course, the main goal is to deal a low blow to the US, and knock them back to their coast. Though it's tempting to run up the Aleutians to Alaska, or hit the west coast, that's just putting me up against the Yanks and Canadians on their home ground. The real goal is the Panama Canal:https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/panamcan.jpgIf I capture that, that means no more fleets coming through there. The US has no allies in Central or South America, so there'll be no interference by land. Fresh troops shipped in a regular relay from a captured Hawaii will be able to resist amphibious assaults. Port and airbase size is decent, and hopefully I can build them up before they start taking heavy damage. That means I can base fighters and fleets there, intercepting US forces before they get the chance to attack it. This won't stop the US, they'll still come from the west, around Africa and India, but that's a long trip into territory patrolled by a very annoyed IJAF and IJN, who want to get back to their sake and meditating on what it means to be drunk off your face of a morning. The shorter route, around the bottom of South America, still tacks weeks onto the journey, and they'll be sailing into territory where the nearest friendly ports are in Australia or the west coast of the US, behind a net of Japanese islands linked by patrols of very annoyed, hung over air and naval forces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorondor Posted June 7, 2009 Report Share Posted June 7, 2009 Looks like your squinters are in for a bender alright... What troubles me slightly, FA, is how well you shall be holding your liquor down by the Ol' Panama Canal. Off to greet you before you settle your stomach may well be a naval contingent off the Florida Keys... Then imagine, if you will, the effect of yanks gulping down enchiladas with accompanying swigs of tequilla like there's no tomorrow once you announce you rather like the portside karaoke bars on their precious canal. Next thing you know they might be taking a sit-down of their own: in a restroom near you, gringo. :: And presently for dessert, Ze Germans insist, introducing you to their very own jer- I mean, cherry, strudel... I smell a food-fight! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FullAuto Posted June 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 2009 And presently for dessert, Ze Germans insist, introducing you to their very own jer- I mean, cherry, strudel... And all this time I've been trying to make sauerkraut... The assumption I can hold the Panama Canal is a fairly large one, but I'm stuck for alternatives. It's certainly going to be in range of some of their bombers (naval and strategic, if not tactical), and obviously their fleets will have no problems reaching me. If I can get some fighters into that airbase, I'll have some air defence, and my fighters are actually quite good. When they're not trying to bring down enemy planes by flying round them really fast in an effort to create a hurricane. The US outnumbers me when it comes to ships (IJN approximately 30% the size of the USN) but I'm increasing my numbers at a greater rate (if my intelligence estimates are correct), which means I'll be at 50% in a few years. Not particularly good odds, but if I can get enough naval bombers together as well, things start looking brighter. Seeing as they'll be deploying around my territory, their air cover will be light or intermittent, which means greater freedom for my nav bombers. Capturing the Panama Canal will also put a large part of the US mainland in BM range. The west coast will be within hitting distance once I grab Hawaii and Pearl, but I'd be doing them a favour bombing Los Angeles etc. Can't recall what the ICBM range is, but I'm betting it's more than the BM, so I may not even need to take Panama to get a launch position with New Yoik in range. I can rely on a part of their naval force being busy in the Med and Atlantic fighting le Bosche, which means weeks, if not a month or so before they turn up to the fight. By the time they do, I might already have Panama, meaning further weeks while they paddle round South America. But the US is very influential, and if it manages to recruit certain South American countries things could get a little iffy. Capture Singapore, and hold the west with say two fleets, and some nav bombers. Scout out beyond there with some subs and pick off any unprotected/poorly protected capital ships before they even get near me. Station some at Cape Horn, as well. And some beyond there too, perhaps, on the Atlantic side of S. America to ambush US fleets returning to harbour, damaged from tangling with my mighty carriers. And have some more patrolling the southern Pacific between S. America and Oz, to make sure no ships try for an Ozzie port. And a few more to harass Oz and NZ, prevent them from interfering... I'm building more subs! Dictators Log, 1948: I now realise what my two biggest mistakes were. Number One, ending up at war with Germany. Like the Jones boys, it was inevitable that there would be conflict between Deutschland and I. Unlike the Jones boys, my speciality is making people dead, not finding dead people. Anyway, that's beside the point. I should never have declared war on Vichy France. They rebuffed my offer to 'look after' Indochina for them when the war was actually going somewhere. I should have let it slide. But no, empire on the rise, couldn't turn the other cheek, just one more humiliation from those damn roundeyes to be piled on top of the others. One too many. And I had to show off the size of my bayonet, didn't I? Well, no, I didn't. Vichy France was no threat to me, Indochina isn't worth fighting over. I should have looked at anything they gave up as a bonus, and just shrugged and went about my business when they told me I wasn't white enough. Germany, guaranteeing VF's independence, had to declare war on me. And here we are, swapping bombs for ballistic missiles and BMs for bombs, when we could be on the same side, or at least neutral. Mistake Number Two (apt, this is the dictator's log), not making peace with the Soviet Union early on in the war. I should have tried this in late 41- early 42, before either of us made any real progress. Little face lost, just a lover's tiff. Fair enough, I'm a world power now, and I've knocked down an established one on my way up, but it's not how I would have preferred to do it, and it's not really what I would call a stable empire just yet. It escalated from helping an ally being bullied by a world power, to a real struggle. I can't really put the SU on the ropes any more than I already have, and if I KO her, it's into a new bout without a rest, me versus the Deutsch Destroyer. Two sort of grows out of one, as I could annex or puppet the SU if I wasn't at war with Germany, and conclude the matter somewhat more satisfactorily. But even if I had avoided war with Germany, the SU would still have declared war on Manchuko, and I would still have got involved. P.S. I hope Johan Andersson, the dev behind the HOI games, never reads this thread, as he will despair at the frivolous use to which his game has been put. He doesn't appear to have a sense of humour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorondor Posted June 8, 2009 Report Share Posted June 8, 2009 "It is better to die for the Emperor than to live for yourself." - WH40K DoW And they say games offer no wisdom... :: Addendum By and large I'm not especially enamoured with historically accurate games. Maybe my flawed knowledge of military history is to blame for that and such bouts of ignorance aren't something I might enjoy having dutifully reminded during my extended coffee breaks; that, or my general dislike to see WW2 mistakes faithfully reproduced Ad nauseam. So, forgive me if an Imperial Japan stretching across Asia and into Europe feels slightly refreshing to me Mr.Johan, Sir. Fancy some origami panzers while you're at it? This to say I likely wouldn't have given as much as the time of day to a HoI title if it weren't for your, shall we say, unconventional(?) take on the proceedings, FA And I suspect I'm not the only one here. The man with the "thinking hat" knows his audience, and I won't argue with that. I will argue he isn't very interested in courting new people who might be willing to pick up his game for its depth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FullAuto Posted June 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2009 I have to confess, I'm quite interested in history, and that often means military history, because humans, as a race, like a punch up. However, some people take it to extremes. You can go to the forums of a lot of war games and find at least one person who is useful for their encyclopaedic knowledge of the subject, they know the real performance of every weapon and vehicle, know how it performs in game and can tell you the differences down to 0.0001, know each force's doctrine and their capabilities, and can state with 100% certainty that this could have happened but that could not. I find that sort of thing baffling and off-putting. It's fair enough when a game's aiming for realism, and deficiencies are patched and the game's balance corrected thanks to people's input, but otherwise I just don't get it. Andersson is a talented creator, there's no doubt of that, but there's something about the whole area that causes people to become vitamin-SoH deficient. They're all so earnestly serious it drains the fun out of it. I find it hard to believe some of them do something so puerile as play games. There are some who are amusing and most are just normal gamers, but some of them wouldn't know a joke if you shot them with the punchline. Perhaps it's a translation issue with Andersson, I dunno. Whenever I read the dev diaries, I get the feeling that HOI3 is being developed with the existing audience firmly in mind. The HOI games must be cheaper than most to develop though, no fancy graphics or audio, no physics engine. So I'd imagine a small audience would still buy enough copies to make a profit for Paradox, and if it's got to number 3, plus a few expansions, it must be doing okay. Still, HOI2 and the Combat Mission games have really stimulated my reading in the direction le militaire lately: Berlin & Stalingrad, Anthony Beevor. Fantastic books, stirred up some Russians because they document Soviet war crimes as well as German. Principally about the battles, though. Jam-packed with info. The Last Valley: Dien Bien Phu and the French defeat in Vietnam, Martin Windrow. The best book I've ever read about the French fight for Indochina, and the best account of Dien Bien Phu by a long way. If you think the French can't fight, read this. The Mask of Command, John Keegan. It is a book, not what I put on when I play HOI2, honest. A study of leadership/generalship, covers Alexander, Wellington, Grant and Hitler. All about how as war changes, the rules of leadership change, but facets essentially stay the same, and how very different men can fulfill the same role. Once A Warrior King, David Donovan. US in Vietnam, but living in a Viet village, training up local militia and getting on with the people, not fragging gooks, officers, and even the jungle being out to get you. Tommy Atkins, John Laffin. The British soldier from the 17th to the 20th century. What If? & More What If? Military historians and the turning points of military affairs. Napoleon winning at Waterloo, Germany winning WW1, UK going to war with Germany in 1938, failure to crack the Enigma code, failure to develop the A-bomb, etc. A lot of it seems farfetched in summary, but when you read the details you wonder. Okinawa 1945: The Stalingrad of the Pacific, George Feifer. A really good work, undermined by the fact that it seems to have been written solely to justify the Americans nuking Japan. Without that subtext, a good study of a horrendous battle. ---------------Now I have a nuclear weapon.https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/nukereddy.jpgHo ho ho. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorondor Posted June 8, 2009 Report Share Posted June 8, 2009 The Masked General revealed! I tend to lean to sci-fi and post-apoc myself for the most part. Human nature and the human condition pervade all genres, though. Escapism and skill are two things that games bring together uncannily. It's our very own poor-man's version of "Ender's Game" (by Orson Scott Card) if you will: your intellect against the alien 'mind' someone created in your computer. In essence, first-rate stuff for armchair Generals and unthinkable only a few generations back. I bet they don't dispense their khaki. "Capital, I say!" The downside of all that savvyness, I'd venture, is then they'll really know how poorly abridged things can be on games and go overboard to compensate at times. Still, from what I've seen in the Dev Diaries for HoI 3, some degree of automated delegation is now afforded while finessing a number of aspects. I can even throw in a bit of historically minded ranting - from what I understand by Mr.Johan's discourse in one of the Diaries, in the game Germany is almost fated to defeat from the start, while, from what little I know, for all its failings Germany almost succeeded. Granted, they had the demented lot at leadership (which kept men such as Rommel and others from doing their job) and were foolhardily pushed into a new front on an expansionist whim only to be met with the wintry disaster we know of. German advances in rocketry, and amazing jet-propelled aircraft developments nearing the end of the war show how the scales could otherwise have been tipped... :: In the meantime I trust in you to have all of Europe talking funny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FullAuto Posted June 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 9, 2009 Ah, a bit of post-apocalypse lit, eh? A sadly neglected genre, with much rubbish but some real gems. Escapism and skill are two things that games bring together uncannily. It's our very own poor-man's version of "Ender's Game" (by Orson Scott Card) if you will: your intellect against the alien 'mind' someone created in your computer. Not read it. Going to now! The downside of all that savvyness, I'd venture, is then they'll really know how poorly abridged things can be on games and go overboard to compensate at times. Still, from what I've seen in the Dev Diaries for HoI 3, some degree of automated delegation is now afforded while finessing a number of aspects. I'm sure it chafes them terribly! That feature does look good, given the increased scope of the game it may be very necessary. If the AI can carry out even basic orders reliably it will be a Godsend. I can even throw in a bit of historically minded ranting - from what I understand by Mr.Johan's discourse in one of the Diaries, in the game Germany is almost fated to defeat from the start, while, from what little I know, for all its failings Germany almost succeeded. Things certainly seesawed back and forth. I think Barbarossa was the real turning point, though it can be difficult to understand if you come from a society where D-Day was the 'main event'. INSOLE intelligence report, intercept of phone call from CORPORAL to SUMO. CORPORAL: "The Japanese, you must rid me of their interference."SUMO:"Yes, mein Fuhrer."C: "I do not expect results immediately, I know we are pressed on all sides. But this is ridiculous. These little yellow men bombing us, firing rockets at our cities. Ridiculous."S: "Yes, mein Fuhrer."C: "Bomb them, bomb the cities they have captured. Bomb their roads and railway lines, isolate them. The Communist hordes will do the rest. It's a miracle they haven't been swallowed up already."-15 seconds of silence-C: "Molotov insists that they do not need help. Stalin is a fool."S: "Yes, mein Fuhrer."C: "His country in ruins around him. Still, what did I tell you, the only way forward is fascism, for us, for the world."S: "Yes, mein Fuhrer. Mein Fuhrer?"C: "Yes, yes, what is it, G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorondor Posted June 9, 2009 Report Share Posted June 9, 2009 "We interrupt this BBC broadcast to bring you the latest in sauerkraut harangue of Germany's Reichskanzler. He seems to be developing a cold, God bless him..." "And, after the intermission, you can expect more V1 propaganda as usual." Beatiful porcelain on your subs, by the way. That should help in captivating that sinking feeling experienced by enemy fleets, no doubt, FA. Meanwhile, somewhere on the Russian steppe, on an improvised HQ atop a bale of hay:I(osef): "Comrade Commissar - the Vodka!"CC: "Da, Secretary!"I: "To that wonderful cook, Hinkel. He shall have his ice cream soon..."In unison: "Na Zdarovye!!" :: Also, I've been meaning to ask, how's Mussolinguine doing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FullAuto Posted June 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 9, 2009 Beatiful porcelain on your subs, by the way. That should help in captivating that sinking feeling experienced by enemy fleets, no doubt, FA. "...and of course, there is a small porthole to view the water, in case one is having difficulty in, umm, letting one's ki flow..." Also, I've been meaning to ask, how's Mussolinguine doing? Il Douche started out really well. He captured more than half of North Africa, Crete, Sardinia, Albania, and Corsica, and the Dodecanese islands. The best I can say about what followed is that he still has the Dodecanese:https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/ildouche.jpgOn my brief forays into the Med, it was swarming with Allied forces. I can only imagine Germany is also manning Italy in force, otherwise the Allies would have been in like Flynn by now. Living up to my reputation as a liberal, fun-loving Emperor, I've decided to help out certain small countries, who, long ago or recently, were squashed by the SU. Welcome! One of the many Stans:https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/tajik.jpg 'Hazard-bijan' if anyone tries to invade!https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/azerb.jpg I'm 'Armen' you against agression. Arf arf arf.https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/armen.jpg Hey, Germany! Iz in ur airspace ptrollin ur sealanez.https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/challngr.jpgOn a slightly more serious note, this actually worked quite well. Germany responded within a few days, sending up patrols of its own, which ended in a bit of the old airborne fisticuffs.https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/supdoc.jpgTheir interceptors are more advanced than my fighters, and their typical flight seems to consist of 3 squadrons of ints and 1 squadron of rocket interceptors (akin to the Me 163 Komet). Fortunately, fighters are slightly superior to ints in pure dogfighting, and that plus my recent spurt of doctrinal research appears to have paid off. I'm currently researching radar to sort out my pilots' navigational problems ("Now, is magnetic north better than north, or worse?"), but in combat my blokes seem to know their business. Which is drinking. But they're also a dab hand at flying planes. It did push Germany to start patrolling my territory, and that of my allies:https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/deutschfightr.jpgBut that didn't end well for the Jerries either:https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/dfresult.jpgBasically, my fighters are losing big chunks of org in combat, but only 5-10% strength, compared to the 25% and over I deal out. So they go back to base, have a cup of green tea, the minor holes in the planes and pilots get patched up, and it's back out on another sake run. Dual strike!https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/dualstrike.jpg"Sorry, we keep aiming for the Soviets and overshooting." ResearchGoing well. Good old Isoroku Yamamoto is a whiz at researching naval doctrines, so he's racing through them to make my fleets as ace as possible (he should have died in 1945, take that history). I don't really have anyone quite as good for air doctrines, but they're going steadily, and for fighters and ints I have the edge anyway. I don't have anyone decent to do radar, which is a bit of a bugger, but I only really need the basic one anyway, refinements can wait. One thing I urgently need to improve are my escort fighters (I'm still pimping the 1937 model), must get those researched ASAP. Managed to sort out a further nuke design, so now my BMs can be fitted with nuclear warheads.https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/mininukes.jpgFirst country to give me any serious trouble gets its capital baked. My whole navy needs a round of research and upgrades, especially in order to compete with the US. AA research is also looking attractive. IndustrySmall decreases in overall capacity due to the Liberation Proclamation, but steady. I'm ending up with a motley navy, I can only produce 1-2 models of each ship type before the next batch of research is done, and the new type becomes available. I have some very mongrel fleets doing the rounds, but I'm only 12 techs from being up to speed in every area, so I should be done by 1950-ish? Got enough BMs for my purposes in the Pacific, but I'm going to keep churning them out, so if Australasia gets involved in any serious way, it's phallic bombardment time. The thorn in my side currently are nuclear reactors, at 50 IC and six months to construct. The majority of my production list is stuff like AA guns, infrastructure, ports, air bases, etc, but these are relatively IC-cheap, and no real burden. All coastal forts, air bases and AA guns are to be complete before the end of '49, but ports won't be ready until about '51. No real worry. I'm going to look like a family-pack sized knob if I never actually go to war with the US... P.S. The Best Ever Webcomic About Turn-Based War. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorondor Posted June 9, 2009 Report Share Posted June 9, 2009 "Oh Messerschmitt up on high,Beneath my Sun in fiery sky,Do you roast or do you fly,Peking duck and yet awry..." Ze Germans are no doubt propping up Mussolinguini as you suspect, FA. I'll easily concede the portrayed developments, as Italy had a rather embarrasing disparaging of their military throughout the conflict. "Porca miseria..." :: Cheery conflagrations in Russia abound, but the Party is far from over. I hope Stalin doesn't fire up his 'organ' to liven things up for you... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FullAuto Posted June 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 10, 2009 "Oh Messerschmitt up on high,Beneath my Sun in fiery sky,Do you roast or do you fly,Peking duck and yet awry..." That's the first verse of the IJAF anthem, "Burn in Hell You Foreign Devils." sorted. Ze Germans are no doubt propping up Mussolinguini as you suspect, FA. I'll easily concede the portrayed developments, as Italy had a rather embarrasing disparaging of their military throughout the conflict. "Porca miseria..." Didn't do so well in WWI, picked the wrong side and did worse in WWII. Boy, was Il Duck's face red. Cheery conflagrations in Russia abound, but the Party is far from over. I hope Stalin doesn't fire up his 'organ' to liven things up for you... I hope never to see or hear the phrase 'Stalin's organ' ever again. Horrifying. No wonder the Soviet Union won. And although it's all quiet on the European front in terms of warfare, the hush-hush world of wink-wink nod-nod is still going strong:https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/moeinterf.jpghttps://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/shipdis.jpg Currently trying to obtain peace with Germany, and the results so far are worse than the results of Hitler's last gonad check up. So, failing a nice quiet peace, shake hands, go back to building our respective empires, it looks like I might have to kick some Deutsche arse. Hit Germany with one or two nukes, which is a good kick in the cobblers to any country, then charge in, stopping somewhere in Germany. At the western border, if the Allies are slow, or somewhere around the middle if they actually pull their finger out and invade. What I'd give to hear the weather report once I drop the Bomb on Berlin. "It's a relatively balmy 5,000 degrees Celsius here outside the Reichstag, with gusts of radiation coming in from the south, but the hot front of a firestorm sweeping in from the west. Could be a good time to leave the city for somewhere cooler. You know it's nuclear bomb weather when your shadow is burned onto the wall behind you, hahaha." Thinking of having T-shirts made up:https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/rising-sun.gif As I'm playing Japan, I've been checking out a lot of WWII Japanese media lately. Tora! Tora! Tora! was the latest, in which a Japanese officer insists that even if an agreement with the US is reached, the attack on Pearl Harbour should still go ahead, because otherwise the men would be disappointed to stand down after such a build up. Now, I've heard some corkers, but "We must go to war otherwise our men will be sad." is a particularly difficult one to swallow, I find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorondor Posted June 10, 2009 Report Share Posted June 10, 2009 "Now, don't go about sulking like that..."*silence*"Oh, Ok! Ok! I'll let you sink a dozen, no more! - then it's supper and off to bed with you.""Hai! Arigato!!" By the way, does every successful sabotage harm diplomatic relations, FA? Sure, I understand it amounts to a rounding up of 'the usual suspects' but it feels a bit like shoddy infiltration work to me if the affected country can point their finger at the perpetrator that fast... :: Which reminds me: Russian spies are renowned for their effectiveness - namely in the stealing of a certain atomic device's blueprints. Ring a bell Mr.Weatherman? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FullAuto Posted June 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 10, 2009 There's some sort of equation going on involving how many spies you have in the target country versus how many spies they have doing counter-espionage, plus modifiers from research and ministers. The success rate for operations of all kinds tends to be fairly low even if you've packed the full 10 in there, but the 'detection' rate is even lower. Most operations never come to the notice of the target country, and so never damage diplomatic relations. Intelligence isn't something I've touched on much, probably because there's no real graphic representation of what goes on apart from the management screen ("Late again, Bond? Ooooh, it's Mongolia for you, my lad.") and the pop-up notifications of success or failure. It's a nice little add-on that comes as part of the Doomsday expansion IIRC, but you don't need to have it or use it to really enjoy HOI2. One of the first things I do is sort out my counter-espionage, to ensure no one nicks my blueprints, because that's far and away the most common thing I do to other countries. I've done it so many times to Germany and the SU this game, it's not even a cause for a smile when I succeed, no matter what tech it is. It's an expensive game, the spy business, with the cheapest operations costing 50-60 and the big stuff being around 600. Stuff like swiping blueprints is relatively easy and at the low end of the scale. It's also very random, as not every society really needs the Flush Toilet tech. You mostly turn up useless stuff, and then two or three really useful ones that are fundamental to your progress. It's also very handy if you're desperate to research something but all your tech teams are idiots. Sabotaging research, infrastructure, or production is good for a laugh, but it's really only a minor annoyance. Assassination hardly ever works, but you can whack someone irreplaceable (don't know what I'd do without my +20% supplies minister. Cry, probably). Funding partisans, even when it works, just doesn't seem to be worth it. Fair enough, the target country loses a province as it rebels and becomes the Democractic Republic of Murderania, but the target country just cracks down on them ASAP, or if they're not strong enough to stop rebels, they're not strong enough to stop your forces, so why not just invade? Smear campaigns and global manipulation to make the target country unpopular can be useful in tipping countries over the edge into war, but too often the results are too intangible to assess. Funding a coup d'etat is the biggie, and it's really tough against authoritarian dictatorships thanks to their Scrooge-like grasp of the controls. At about 450, it costs a bomb as well, I simply don't have that much money lying around that often. Watch Zombie's game for such profligacy, I'm just a poor old dictatorship. And of course, the more spies you have in that country, the better your intelligence estimates are concerning their forces. Still, they can be out by quite a margin, and rather disturbingly, they appear biased towards the optimistic ("One Zulu? Not a horde? You're sure?"). Not had trouble from the KGB for a while now, the Soviets haven't had much money to throw around, what with me capturing their stockpiles and whatnot. Don't think anyone's managed to pull off an intel operation against me, except very early on when I was riddled with spies. I hope that Chocolate Kettle tech works out for the US, I really do... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorondor Posted June 10, 2009 Report Share Posted June 10, 2009 Don't blame the man, you know how a Zulu horde can blend in with the scenery... And I shouldn't worry too much about the KGB, actually. Stah-Lin San is more than capable of handling that. Let's see if I can get this right so you understand: he'll have the half of them that pretend to be loyal shot, the other half on labour camps performing the kalinka on beautiful white landscapes - while yet the other half he's sure remains bent on betraying him, will be flogged and placed pulling sleds... I'm probably still forgetting someone but it doesn't matter. :: Ah, yes... "Very slinky of you, Comrade Molotov" *bang!* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zombie Posted June 11, 2009 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 Funding a coup d'etat is the biggie, and it's really tough against authoritarian dictatorships thanks to their Scrooge-like grasp of the controls. At about 650, it costs a bomb as well, I simply don't have that much money lying around that often. Watch Zombie's game for such profligacy, I'm just a poor old dictatorship.I had success turning Italy's government into one more loyal to my views but it took two attempts and a massive $2600 in cash. Did manage to do it in one attempt though. My relations with them was +50 before, but with the success I'm up to +200 so there shouldn't be any trouble from them in the near future. Then again, the US seems to have swung a non-aggression pact with Italy before the game began so this doesn't necessarily mean much. The true test will be getting Germany on my side. If I can ever manage to do this, then it'll be just me and the world against Japan if war breaks out. That would be my primary goal in diplomacy. Still, I'd like to prevent actual war as much as possible since it means I can wage economic warfare against one nation (Japan) and starve them into submission without a shot being fired. I can hope, can't I? Re: nuclear/ballistic strike bases against the US, don't forget that mucking around in Panama or South/Central America may prove disastrous should the natives decide to band together and fight back. They don't have very big cohesive forces though. Still, once you start attacking an ally of the US, expect quick and decisive action by them. What about taking over Curacao though (island under Haiti)? Curacao is controlled by the Netherlands so an attack there shouldn't precipitate retaliatory action by the US. Then all you would need to do is set up shop there and send some nuclear bombs to the mainland to bring the US to it's knees. I make no guarantees about European diplomacy especially against the Netherlands who have a nice sized navy... Also, this island is in the Atlantic where you probably don't have much of a foothold so it may prove to be foolhardy. Maybe the Panama Canal (urm, Colon as it's called in-game) would be a better choice after all. This all depends if you primarily want a land-based war. Striking from an aircraft carrier may be easier to accomplish if the US is busy elsewhere. - Zombie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FullAuto Posted June 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 I had success turning Italy's government into one more loyal to my views but it took two attempts and a massive $2600 in cash. Did manage to do it in one attempt though. My relations with them was +50 before, but with the success I'm up to +200 so there shouldn't be any trouble from them in the near future. Nicely done, but bloody expensive! I'm not sticking my head into the Atlantic, one ocean at a time. The US has non-aggression pacts with all of S. America and is also guaranteeing their independence, so while not allied with the US, they are obviously quite open to friendship. It's not so much the S. American nations that worry me (although taking on divisions equipped with Cocaine Production brigades does concern me slightly), but the fact that soon after any sort of alliance is set up there'll be a load of US troops landing on friendly beaches and attacking me from adjacent land provinces. I want to keep this as an air/naval conflict as much as possible, the only land dimension to it is me taking and holding islands in the Pacific and the province of Col Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorondor Posted June 11, 2009 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 I'd love to see your outlined plan come through, Zombie. Though it should prove difficult to pull off (especially the getting on 'smooching' terms with Germany bit) it's the perfect antithesis of FA's approach: subversion and economic garroting vs boot in neck, gun in your face. And, yet, interestingly, on both ends it's the world vs Japan. Honour your ancestors, FA! :: In my book, if you're allowed to win based on your planning it speaks much more highly of HoI2, demonstrating flexibility and dynamic internal workings, than any simple historical mimicry might do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FullAuto Posted June 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 You conquer one world power and you're labelled for life... It'll certainly be interesting to see what happens in Zombie's game. Even if Germany stays friendly with the US, it can still go to war with the Allies, and Germany's military expansion may provoke one of the allies to declare war on Germany without ze Huns invading anyone. There's also the consideration that if you are part of one alliance, you can't join another, but the US starts out without any military alliances.... Generally, some kind of conflict has to happen thanks to WWI, but the scale of it can vary from a little European squabbling to outright world war. It usually lasts longer than the real conflict as well, though I have seen Germany cave in to the SU in a few months in '42-'43. Partially down to me constantly raiding the German coastline with marines, I admit... Having had a look at the geography again, I didn't realise just how close (relatively), Pearl Harbour and Hawaii are to the US.https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/pharb.jpgHitting San Diego, LA, and San Fran, at the southern end of the west coast shouldn't be a problem. Any ships anchored there, and the ports themselves, can be hit by my navs flying from Pearl. Seattle, Anchorage and Vancouver, up the north end, are probably out of reach though. BM those, possibly. If the US fleets make it around S. America, then the eastern bit of Australasia offers lots of places to hide, but no real ports:https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/seoz.jpgNumerous islands controlled by the Brits and French. Might have to take those, too. Hope not. The nearest ports are Wellington (NZ), and Brisbane and Sydney, both sadly on the eastern half of Oz. One thing I did forget about (oh the shame): the Falklands.https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/falkland.jpgJust on the other side of S. America. Decent size port for any fleet to hole up in and repair itself. Out of range of everything except a fleet, which I won't be sending. I was sort of counting on having the entire coastline of S. America, lined with subs, damaging the Yanks as they sailed home. Bugger. I might need to take it. No, wait, that way lies madness. More subs hanging round it, I think. Also going to see if my as-yet-unborn paratroops can find a spot in the plan. God, I could take some islands quickly using those. Hours of travel instead of days or weeks of seasickness and sake withdrawal... And of course, I need not remind you all that these are simply contingency plans in case of war with the US. As a famous Japanese singer once said, "America ain't nothin' but an anti-Nippon machine!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knan Posted June 11, 2009 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 There's this interesting "Cold War Expansion" mod as well. It has an option to let you play a "what if" communist or democratic germany, but otherwise keep the 1936 scenario as before. Who starts a war this time? And another option as a custom campaign I haven't explored yet... "Q. What is the Red Barons scenario?A. It is 1936 with 2 changes. The Communists took power in Germany in 1933 and the French Third Republic was overthrown, resulting in a pro-British Vichy regime." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FullAuto Posted June 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 I've never dabbled with mods, but there's loads. Saw a mod that used the normal WWII forces, but the borders when beginning the game were the WWI borders. Interesting stuff. Some modders have totally redesigned parts of the game. Part 1 of the Unfortunate Names series. https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/jam.jpgWith a Head of Governement called Jam, Persia will have trouble getting respect. Possibly this will not be amusing to Americans or other cultures who A) Actually have a sense of humour and B) Call fruit preserves something else other than 'jam'. https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/reek.jpg"Eeet's-a not me! Eeet's-a the horses! Ey, Mario, they stink of sheeet, cleeen 'em out!" Why does he have an Italian accent when he's Estonian? I don't know, is the short answer. This man represents the Fighter Ace doctrine:https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/jhc.jpgNot the Sleep With Your Daughter doctrine. Thankfully. Italy gets BM'd.https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/italybmd.jpgNow, considering they only have about 80 IC, that's a decent dent. Mussolini's chin survived a direct hit, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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