Post by Ralyks on Dec 14, 2020 20:47:25 GMT
Most people reading this thread will most likely have already gave a shot at United Front. Either if you had trouble progressing through it and you're stuck or you went through all over it already, you should be able to improve and know more about this game mode reading through this.
It has some differences with army group and campaign, these being:
-You can't use generals.
-Time does not matter.
-Coins saved move on from one sub-stage to another, so do the purchases of troops you did, their remaining hp and troops that died will no longer be available until that United Front campaign is finished, meaning your performance through every scenarios be carried over through the rest of the campaign.
-Normal troops do not exist for you, you will only rely on the Special Troops you've unlocked. However upgrading normal troops will also see troops here be upgraded (eg if you raise your tanks level from level 4 to 5, all your Special Troops tanks here will also get those bonus stats)
-AI is dumber (If after a troop is moved he can't see any foe, it won't attack, even if another troop afterwards in that same turn, provides the vision needed for it to attack). If its already attacking something, it will almost always not move and hold position while it can attack something in range. Use infantry to protect tanks and artillery using this.
-You can't use navy, as you're fully Special Troop dependent, but your ally and enemy may have, though navy is very rare.
-Cities and factories can't be used more than for the defense bonus. You can't repair or recruit, all of your units are basically capped at 1 single troop, because of this, troops that normally can stack the least are the strongest. Good thing is that the enemy can't really use cities and factories either.
That said, if you try these along you progress the campaign, you'll find these way more difficult, as not only you'll have unlocked less Special Forces, but they'll also be less leveled up. And you only miss on Special Troop medals, not a big deal, so you should not focus this mode early on.
KEY POINTS
Range and vision are key
These two are the most important stats, specially the first. On campaign these will be on par with attack and mobility, but here is an exception, as turns are unlimited. Being able to hit without being hit back is very very valuable when you ideally have to use that same troop for 3-6 missions straight.
You can easily replace infantry, though they'll likely be worse everytime, as you should get getting the best infantries first. But replacing a heavy tank is harder, as there's fewer options.
Karl large cannon is your best friend, as he sees a huge 4 range while being able to also hit from that far, out ranging even other large artillery, ships and infantries on land forts. From this range, it will also be able to hit without being close enough for the enemy to start chasing you. He is slow as internet explorer, but remember time is not an issue here.
Avoid receiving counterattacks as much as possible
Feel free to restart
Sometimes, the enemy will charge straight at you, others it will wait for some trigger, or it can simply be static and not move unless you get close to them and they see you. Feel free to start a mission, skip turn and see what it does. If it charged at you, restart and just move a bit away and skip turn so that when he charges, he will be exposed but will not be able to hit any of your troops. Either surround him to reduce its counter attack damage or (preferably this one) hit him with higher range so he can't counter attack at all.
Quality over Quantity
Its better to start with 2 heavy tanks and 1 infantry than 6 infantry, and they both cost 36.
Not only will the tanks outperform the infantries on the longer run, but maybe on the first stage you had 6 tiles to deploy troops, and on the next one you only have 4.
Always aim for heavy artillery and heavy tanks, then infantry. They provide way more value for the coin difference. Try to have at least level one of each of the troops you deploy, as here it is the most valuable (as it provides extra damage and hp)
If a heavy tank was badly damaged and it starts with less than 30% hp and there is no hp recover nearby, just don't use it, buy the next top tank, that will come with full hp and will perform better and be less risky
Use allies as cannon fodder and scouting. They will not be carried on to the next mission, doesn't matter if you save them all or they all die, but your troops and their current hp do matter. Do not overextend to get vision if an ally troop can do it for you.
Reminder before you criticize, what I see is how they fulfill the desired role for the troop the best. For example, infantry it is better than they can resist more or that they can allow tanks to reset attack, and for artilleries and tanks, damage output and range takes preference
Tier A: Cossack Cavalry (situational - clear up), Samurai, Suwalska Cavalry, Guerrilla, L39 AntiTank, 88mm Flak, 185th Folgore
Note 1: I excluded the whole engineer category as I didn't use them, but you can build land forts, to strike from afar, but artillery does this better and faster, so I didn't use them, but I think this way they're all viable, but I still prefer others with different skills
Note 2: infantry is the most situational troop. If on the mission you see there are many enemy infantry, Wiking will perform better than NKVD for example, so give extra preference to troops like Wiking or Samurai, Infantry is the most disposable
Artillery
Tier S: Karl (this is S+), M12 GMC, Elefant, Kayusha
Tier A: Sturmtiger, M7 Pries, Maresal
Tank
Tier S: KV 6, Maus
It has some differences with army group and campaign, these being:
-You can't use generals.
-Time does not matter.
-Coins saved move on from one sub-stage to another, so do the purchases of troops you did, their remaining hp and troops that died will no longer be available until that United Front campaign is finished, meaning your performance through every scenarios be carried over through the rest of the campaign.
-Normal troops do not exist for you, you will only rely on the Special Troops you've unlocked. However upgrading normal troops will also see troops here be upgraded (eg if you raise your tanks level from level 4 to 5, all your Special Troops tanks here will also get those bonus stats)
-AI is dumber (If after a troop is moved he can't see any foe, it won't attack, even if another troop afterwards in that same turn, provides the vision needed for it to attack). If its already attacking something, it will almost always not move and hold position while it can attack something in range. Use infantry to protect tanks and artillery using this.
-You can't use navy, as you're fully Special Troop dependent, but your ally and enemy may have, though navy is very rare.
-Cities and factories can't be used more than for the defense bonus. You can't repair or recruit, all of your units are basically capped at 1 single troop, because of this, troops that normally can stack the least are the strongest. Good thing is that the enemy can't really use cities and factories either.
-You will not receive air attacks (except for 2-3 scenarios on the Pacific War, but still in those few attacks), they won't use scouts so if they don't see you, they won't bombard you, and sometimes your ally will have an airport and do some air support, though is rare as well. You can't air attack at all, but still parachute from an airport.
-You can choose any Special Troop to use, no matter if its allied or axis, if you have unlocked it in the campaign.
That said, if you try these along you progress the campaign, you'll find these way more difficult, as not only you'll have unlocked less Special Forces, but they'll also be less leveled up. And you only miss on Special Troop medals, not a big deal, so you should not focus this mode early on.
KEY POINTS
Range and vision are key
These two are the most important stats, specially the first. On campaign these will be on par with attack and mobility, but here is an exception, as turns are unlimited. Being able to hit without being hit back is very very valuable when you ideally have to use that same troop for 3-6 missions straight.
You can easily replace infantry, though they'll likely be worse everytime, as you should get getting the best infantries first. But replacing a heavy tank is harder, as there's fewer options.
Karl large cannon is your best friend, as he sees a huge 4 range while being able to also hit from that far, out ranging even other large artillery, ships and infantries on land forts. From this range, it will also be able to hit without being close enough for the enemy to start chasing you. He is slow as internet explorer, but remember time is not an issue here.
Avoid receiving counterattacks as much as possible
Attacking first is sometimes not good, here more often. If you are doubting on attacking the enemy infantry with 60 hp left and you know you'll cause it around 40 damage, its better to hold the attack. Next turn he will attack you, making you receive damage once, and then on your next turn, you will finish it without it counterattacking as it dies, so you will take just 1 hit instead of two.
Another good (and here somewhat common scenario) is if a 3 pack tank or 2 pack (with general) is nearby, it should be poked down as much as possible through outranging him, as time isn't an issue, and this way we avoid damage a lot of damage from his counterattacks, so block him with your infantry and only hit when he won't counter attack, even if you have to take two turns to take him down.
So mostly rely on attacking in melee range if its to finish a foe or if its against heavy artillery, it is slower, but more optimal.
Feel free to restart
Sometimes, the enemy will charge straight at you, others it will wait for some trigger, or it can simply be static and not move unless you get close to them and they see you. Feel free to start a mission, skip turn and see what it does. If it charged at you, restart and just move a bit away and skip turn so that when he charges, he will be exposed but will not be able to hit any of your troops. Either surround him to reduce its counter attack damage or (preferably this one) hit him with higher range so he can't counter attack at all.
Follow up from previous point, your ally is unpredictable too, sometimes he will stay passive and just hold the enemy the best he can, sometimes he will go very aggressive and you should charge slightly behind him to take advantage while he takes the focus of the enemy attacks. Check what he does and restart to consider what will your first turn do.
Do not buy troops if you're planning on restarting, as those purchased troops will remain purchased even after you restart. The only way to cancel a purchase to buy something else is doing a reset of the whole campaign, which is fine if it was the first scenario of the campaign, but a nuisance if you were in the 3rd or 4th, so be cautious.
If the scenario went badly for any reason, when finished instead of
clicking "continue", click restart, you will most likely do better and
this will allow you to perform better on the next scenarios of the
campaign. If it's the last scenario of the campaign, always click continue.
clicking "continue", click restart, you will most likely do better and
this will allow you to perform better on the next scenarios of the
campaign. If it's the last scenario of the campaign, always click continue.
Droppables
Sometimes there will be "bonus" items that can be dropped by defeating the troop holding it, or will be in a factory/city waiting for it to be captured. These do not expire, so feel free to leave them for the end of the mission (like the heal-up), just be careful as you might miss it as missions finish if you defeat all enemy units, and your ally or a counterattack might finish the last foe. However, do note about these:
-Allies or enemies won't consume dropped bonuses
-If a droppable is dropped on a tile that already has a droppable, the previous one will be replaced by the new one, so be careful
-If a troop takes a bonus (like bonus damage) and then takes another one of the same type, it will not stack. Each troop can only have one bonus of each stat.
-Bonus stats do not expire with turns, but they are lost upon finishing the scenario. The only thing that moves to next scenario is hp heals.
Sometimes there will be "bonus" items that can be dropped by defeating the troop holding it, or will be in a factory/city waiting for it to be captured. These do not expire, so feel free to leave them for the end of the mission (like the heal-up), just be careful as you might miss it as missions finish if you defeat all enemy units, and your ally or a counterattack might finish the last foe. However, do note about these:
-Allies or enemies won't consume dropped bonuses
-If a droppable is dropped on a tile that already has a droppable, the previous one will be replaced by the new one, so be careful
-If a troop takes a bonus (like bonus damage) and then takes another one of the same type, it will not stack. Each troop can only have one bonus of each stat.
-Bonus stats do not expire with turns, but they are lost upon finishing the scenario. The only thing that moves to next scenario is hp heals.
This is a list of all the current droppables you can find and their effects:
-Health boost 1: troop regains 75hp
-Heath boost 2: troop regains 150hp (this one is not seen early on. It is differentiated because it has two "+" instead of one above the heart)
-Damage boost: Raises minimum and maximum damage of the troop by 30
-Defense boost: Raises troop defense by 6
-Speed boost: Raises troop movement points by 4 (need confirmation on this)
-Morale boost: Raises morale by 50
-Experience boost: Raises troop level by 1
-Coins (gives a number of extra coins for your next scenario, varying from 10 to 30)
Note your troops can't go over 1 singe troop max hp, meaning if a full hp troop grabs an hp boost, it will not make the troop top over and start a second one, but it'll waste the Health boost achieving nothing.
Quality over Quantity
Its better to start with 2 heavy tanks and 1 infantry than 6 infantry, and they both cost 36.
Not only will the tanks outperform the infantries on the longer run, but maybe on the first stage you had 6 tiles to deploy troops, and on the next one you only have 4.
Always aim for heavy artillery and heavy tanks, then infantry. They provide way more value for the coin difference. Try to have at least level one of each of the troops you deploy, as here it is the most valuable (as it provides extra damage and hp)
If a heavy tank was badly damaged and it starts with less than 30% hp and there is no hp recover nearby, just don't use it, buy the next top tank, that will come with full hp and will perform better and be less risky
Use allies as cannon fodder and scouting. They will not be carried on to the next mission, doesn't matter if you save them all or they all die, but your troops and their current hp do matter. Do not overextend to get vision if an ally troop can do it for you.
BEST TROOPS (subject to change slightly)
Infantry
Tier S: Wiking, NKVD, Grenadier, White Death (situational - for when two groups are needed, place this one in the one without the Karl Cannon)Tier A: Cossack Cavalry (situational - clear up), Samurai, Suwalska Cavalry, Guerrilla, L39 AntiTank, 88mm Flak, 185th Folgore
Note 1: I excluded the whole engineer category as I didn't use them, but you can build land forts, to strike from afar, but artillery does this better and faster, so I didn't use them, but I think this way they're all viable, but I still prefer others with different skills
Note 2: infantry is the most situational troop. If on the mission you see there are many enemy infantry, Wiking will perform better than NKVD for example, so give extra preference to troops like Wiking or Samurai, Infantry is the most disposable
Artillery
Tier S: Karl (this is S+), M12 GMC, Elefant, Kayusha
Tier A: Sturmtiger, M7 Pries, Maresal
Tank
Tier S: KV 6, Maus
Tier A: T28, Panther, Prince Eugen, ARL 44 (this almost tier B)
Not making a tier B, C... as its not needed, as your troops do get "reseted" after every campaign. I went over the whole United Front and only had to take twice a troop outside the listing, both times infantry.
Feel free to provide any feedback or throw in any questions! If there's new rules, droppables or Special Troops worthy of going to the top tier list, I'll update it here.
