My Proposal for Reworking Western Front 1939 Army Group
Mar 24, 2021 8:19:30 GMT
stoic, Don Quixote de la Mancha, and 2 more like this
Post by HangryBird on Mar 24, 2021 8:19:30 GMT
I feel like easytech did a good job juggling historical accuracy with balanced gameplay in army group mode. In the case of historical accuracy, generals are mostly where they historically fought and army group borders accurately reflect where the borders were historically for the most part. In the case of balanced gameplay, both the axis and allies are about equal in strength and no side has a big advantage over the other. However, I think there is one exception in terms of balanced gameplay: Western Front 1939. Although it is mostly historically accurate, it is my least favorite army group because I think it suffers from a lack of balance between the axis and allies. Read this if you want a more in depth analysis, but I'll sum up my reasoning here. In short, the Axis have better generals and geographic positions. The Axis have generals with more stars and better skills and unlike the allies, they have all their generals placed on their most optimal unit. Also, the Axis have the advantage of fighting on less fronts and none of their army groups are "blocked" from sending troops to the frontline by friendly army groups. So, this thread is just my idea of how to make the gameplay in this army group more balanced, but at the same time, maintain its historical accuracy. I'll also be fixing my minor pet peeves with this army group.
Reworking the "blocked" Army Groups
The "blocked" army groups of this army group are: French North, British First, and Polish Second. Due to being "blocked", all of them can't send troops to the frontline in time to support their allies, who are all in need of some assistance. These allies will lose too much territories to the axis, allowing them to outproduce the allies. So, this is my solution for "unblocking" them:
Army Group Incomes per turn (Economy/Technology)
Army Group Incomes per turn with my changes to the map (Economy/Technology)
If you're wondering how I calculated the above, read this. Also, Gamelin's economics skill is bugged and doesn't work, so I would like to change it and make it work properly.
Under this new arrangement, I have given Polish Second a larger border with German D that directly threatens one of their major cities, Breslau. Secondly, I have given Polish Second the job of protecting Poland First's southern border against Slovakia and Romania, which allows Polish First to solely concentrate on defending itself against the majority of German D's forces, including its generals. Currently, Polish Second lacks the ability to threaten German D effectively because Konigsberg is too far away from the main area of conflict and is easily defended. Also, Slovakia is able to take advantage of Polish First's vulnerable southern flank to make things even harder for them. Lastly, I have given Polish First more economy to better defend itself against the German onslaught.
For France, I have given French North a border with German A, allowing French North to contribute to the fight early on. Currently, French North is stuck, waiting for Belgium to lose their capital in order to actually contribute to the fight. In the perspective of the player, it's terrible game design for them to sit around for a few turns, not being able to attack anything because German B decided to focus on the Dutch instead of the Belgians. Secondly, I have given French South the job of protecting French Center's southern border against Italian West, which allows French Center to solely concentrate on defending itself against the majority of German A's forces, including its generals. Lastly, I have given French Center more economy to better defend itself against the German onslaught.
For Britain, they don't need their territory to be rearranged (Not that I could anyway); they just need a more aggressive AI. Currently, Britain just sits around doing nothing, while France gets murdered from multiple directions. Also, they usually lose Montgomery to Donitz, so that's even worse. They should be moving their troops to land in northern Germany and the Low Countries as soon as possible. Just like in EW6: 1804, where if you were playing as the French or Dutch, you had constantly defend against British naval invasions. I want German B to be in that position.
Fixing my Biggest Pet Peeve
Norwegian Army Group Income per turn (Economy/Technology): 74/9
Poor Norway. They only show up in conquest mode, never to be seen again. I decided that they couldn't be left out of army group mode and should be added as a two-star army group. I have based the buildings in this map to reflect Norway's buildings in conquest mode. So everything in the map is my attempt to turn the conquest version of Norway into something that can fit into army group mode. For Norway's income, I tried to get it to be similar to countries like Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Yugoslavia. For the territory economy outputs, I based them on the territories of other minor nations. The capitals of minor nations have +13 if they have a factory and airfield. The least amount of output for non-capital territories with a city and an airport/factory is +5. Non-capital territories with only a city have +3. Ports have +2, silver oil have +2, gold oil have +4, and nameless towns have +1. Also, airports that are in territories without a city have +2. Lastly, I reworked some of Denmark's territories to account for the addition of Norway. I wanted an airfield in the north of Denmark that could reach Norway to allow the use of paratroopers because historically, paratroopers were used in the invasion of Norway. That would add 4 more economy to Denmark's income, so I replaced the gold oil with silver oil in the Danish port next to Copenhagen. That decreases Denmark's income by 4, so by doing this, I have made sure that Denmark has not gotten any net gain or loss to their income while allowing the existence of an airfield that paratroopers can use to reach Norway.
Reworking the Generals
Reworked Generals for Army Groups
Under this new arrangement, I have replaced Paulus for Student in German B. This is done for balance to account for my rework of the "blocked" countries. Student was chosen to compensate for the fact that the new British AI will have much higher chances of landing Montgomery and Dowding. Historically, Student was the commander of the Fallschirmjager, German's paratrooper force, throughout the entire war. He led the paratroopers in major airborne operations against Denmark, Norway, Netherlands, and Belgium. Thus, Student is in a historically accurate position. While Donitz is too powerful against Britain currently, due to the fact that he sinks tons of British naval invasions, I believe that the addition of Norway will be able to alleviate this and make the situation in the North Sea much more balanced.
For German C, I have replaced Heinrici with Brauchitsch. Brauchitsch was chosen as a small nerf to German C to give Yugoslav First better chances of surviving. German C appears to be in a weird position since historically, it was tasked with protecting the flanks of German A and breaching the Maginot Line in the Battle of France. Yet, German C does not have a border with France in this army group. This is a case where I think that putting balanced gameplay over historical accuracy is justified. If German C had a border with French Center, Leeb, starting in Munich, would join forces with Rundstedt and Manstein. They would be able to overwhelm France much faster. Thus, I think making German C border only Yugoslav First was a good idea on easytech's part. As a compromise between German Army Group C's historical position and its in-game position, Leeb will represent its historical position and Brauchitsch will represent its in-game position. Historically, Brauchitsch was Commander-in-Chief of the German Army until 1941. He was in overall command over all German forces that invaded Yugoslavia and Greece. Thus, Brauchitsch is in a historically accurate position.
For German D, I have replaced Kuchler with Kluge. Kluge was chosen as a small nerf to German D to give Polish First and Polish Second better chances of surviving. Historically, Kluge was commander of the 4th Army in the invasion of Poland. Guderian was subordinate to Kluge since he commanded the XIX Army Corps, which was part of the larger 4th Army. Thus, Kluge is in a historically accurate position.
For Yugoslav First, I have added Tito. Tito was chosen as a moderate buff to Yugoslav First to give it better chances of surviving. Historically, Tito lead the partisans to liberate Yugoslavia from the Axis and later became President of Yugoslavia, a position he held until his death. He and the partisans were mostly active in Croatia and Bosnia. Thus, Tito is in a historically accurate position.
For French North and South, I have swapped Leclerc with Juin. This is done for balance to account for my rework of the "blocked" countries. Juin was chosen as a small nerf to French North to compensate for the fact that the new British AI will have much higher chances of landing Montgomery and Dowding. Leclerc was chosen as a small buff to French South to give it better chances of surviving. This is another case where I think putting balanced gameplay over historical accuracy is justified. Historically, Leclerc did not fight against the Italians during the Battle of France, but do we have any other options? There are not a lot of memorable nor notable French generals of WW2, so we have to deal with the six that are in the game. Thus, while Leclerc and other generals are not in historically accurate positions, it is necessary for them to be in the positions that they are in, for the sake of balanced gameplay.
For Italian West, I have replaced Messe with Riccardi. This is done to account for Darlan, since he should be on a naval unit because he is better as a navy general, not an air general. Thus, Riccardi was chosen to give Italian West a navy general in order to match French South, who has Darlan. This is another case where I think putting balanced gameplay over historical accuracy is justified. Historically, Riccardi did not fight against the French during the Battle of France, but do we have any other options? There are not a lot of memorable nor notable Italian generals of WW2, so we have to deal with the six that are in the game. Thus, while Riccardi and other generals are not in historically accurate positions, it is necessary for them to be in the positions that they are in, for the sake of balanced gameplay.
For Norway, I have added Olav. Olav was chosen because he is the only Norwegian general in the game. Historically, Olav was the crown price of Norway during WW2 and served as an advisor to civilian and military leaders. He was appointed as the Norwegian Chief of Defense in 1944 and after WW2, led the Norwegian disarmament of the German occupying forces. Thus, Olav is in a historically accurate position.
For British First, I have replaced Pound with Mountbatten. Mountbatten was chosen as a moderate buff to British First to give it better chances of defeating Donitz, who will sink tons of British naval invasions if he survives. Historically, Mountbatten was commander of the 5th Destroyer Flotilla, which saw action in Norway and the English channel. He led a British convoy to evacuate the Allied forces participating in the Namsos Campaign in Norway. Thus, Mountbatten is in a historically accurate position.
Reworked Starting Conditions for Generals
I think that all generals on armored cars should be on tanks instead, in order to improve their survivability. Since all such generals belong to the Allies, they should all have ARL-44's because that's their only option as tank generals. Darlan should be on a cruiser because he is better as a navy general, not an air general. Riccardi and Olav should be on cruisers because they are navy generals. Mountbatten should be on a battleship because he is a navy general. This is another case where I think that putting balanced gameplay over historical accuracy is justified. As I mentioned earlier, at this time in history, Mountbatten was in command of destroyers. But in this game, destroyers are the weakest naval unit. They don't have the unique skills of a submarine/aircraft carrier or the bulk of a cruiser/battleship. Thus, while it isn't historically accurate for him to be on a battleship, it is necessary for him to be on one, for the sake of balanced gameplay. Tassigny should be on infantry and have Foreign Legion because he is better as an infantry general, not an artillery general and that's his only option as an infantry general respectively. Student should have Parachute Jaeger because he is best as a paratrooper. Brauchitsch should have Sturmtiger because that's his only option as an artillery general. Kluge should have Wiking because it's a very versatile special force. Tito should have Guerrilla because that's his only option as an infantry general. Catlos should have Pioneer because all the German army groups have it. Christian should have Parachute Regiment because he is best as a paratrooper. Winkelman should have 90mm M1A1 because none of the Allies have an anti-air special force.
Reworked Starting Positions for Generals
Reworking the Special Forces
Reworked Special Forces for Army Groups
These are just the changes I would make to resolve my pet peeves with this army group. My other pet peeves are army groups not having enough special forces and not having any special forces that correspond with their generals' unit types. I think both Polish army groups should have 3 special forces; 1 more than countries like Bulgaria and Hungary, but 1 less than countries like Italy. I also think all French army groups should have 4 special forces; the same amount as the Italian army groups. Historically, Norway was a very pro-British neutral, so they should get British special forces: Scotland Engineer because they can build naval guns for defending against naval invasions and Sexton because it's the only non-infantry British special force. Juliusz, Gamelin, and Leopold need ARL-44 for their tanks, Tassigny needs Foreign Legion for his infantry, Christian needs Parachute Regiment for his infantry, Winkelman needs 90mm M1A1 for his infantry, Catlos needs Pioneer for his infantry, and Student needs Parachute Jaeger for his infantry. I would get rid of the armored car special forces for Denmark, Belgium, and the Netherlands because I don't want these army groups to spend some of their scarce economy to invest special forces into the economically bad unit that is the armored car. I would also get rid of the Panther for Slovakia because historically, the Germans were very iffy about giving their allies some of their tanks. German B's Grenadier would be swapped with German D’s Parachute Jaeger because that allows German A, C, and D to have an anti-tank special force against the major Allied countries that they border: France, Yugoslavia, and Poland respectively.
Fixing my Smallest Pet Peeve
The Maginot Line isn't really a line in this army group. It's just around two fortifications per territory on the Franco-German border. I want to add more bunkers and land forts to make the in-game Maginot Line reflect what it really was historically.
Reworking the "blocked" Army Groups
The "blocked" army groups of this army group are: French North, British First, and Polish Second. Due to being "blocked", all of them can't send troops to the frontline in time to support their allies, who are all in need of some assistance. These allies will lose too much territories to the axis, allowing them to outproduce the allies. So, this is my solution for "unblocking" them:
Army Group Incomes per turn (Economy/Technology)
- Polish First: 87/11
- Polish Second: 97/11
- French North: 112 (118 with Gamelin's economics) /10
- French Center: 104/10
- French South: 107/11
Army Group Incomes per turn with my changes to the map (Economy/Technology)
- Polish First: 99/11
- Polish Second: 85/11
- French North: 104 (110 with Gamelin's economics) /10
- French Center: 114/10
- French South: 105/11
If you're wondering how I calculated the above, read this. Also, Gamelin's economics skill is bugged and doesn't work, so I would like to change it and make it work properly.
Under this new arrangement, I have given Polish Second a larger border with German D that directly threatens one of their major cities, Breslau. Secondly, I have given Polish Second the job of protecting Poland First's southern border against Slovakia and Romania, which allows Polish First to solely concentrate on defending itself against the majority of German D's forces, including its generals. Currently, Polish Second lacks the ability to threaten German D effectively because Konigsberg is too far away from the main area of conflict and is easily defended. Also, Slovakia is able to take advantage of Polish First's vulnerable southern flank to make things even harder for them. Lastly, I have given Polish First more economy to better defend itself against the German onslaught.
For France, I have given French North a border with German A, allowing French North to contribute to the fight early on. Currently, French North is stuck, waiting for Belgium to lose their capital in order to actually contribute to the fight. In the perspective of the player, it's terrible game design for them to sit around for a few turns, not being able to attack anything because German B decided to focus on the Dutch instead of the Belgians. Secondly, I have given French South the job of protecting French Center's southern border against Italian West, which allows French Center to solely concentrate on defending itself against the majority of German A's forces, including its generals. Lastly, I have given French Center more economy to better defend itself against the German onslaught.
For Britain, they don't need their territory to be rearranged (Not that I could anyway); they just need a more aggressive AI. Currently, Britain just sits around doing nothing, while France gets murdered from multiple directions. Also, they usually lose Montgomery to Donitz, so that's even worse. They should be moving their troops to land in northern Germany and the Low Countries as soon as possible. Just like in EW6: 1804, where if you were playing as the French or Dutch, you had constantly defend against British naval invasions. I want German B to be in that position.
Fixing my Biggest Pet Peeve
Norwegian Army Group Income per turn (Economy/Technology): 74/9
Poor Norway. They only show up in conquest mode, never to be seen again. I decided that they couldn't be left out of army group mode and should be added as a two-star army group. I have based the buildings in this map to reflect Norway's buildings in conquest mode. So everything in the map is my attempt to turn the conquest version of Norway into something that can fit into army group mode. For Norway's income, I tried to get it to be similar to countries like Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Yugoslavia. For the territory economy outputs, I based them on the territories of other minor nations. The capitals of minor nations have +13 if they have a factory and airfield. The least amount of output for non-capital territories with a city and an airport/factory is +5. Non-capital territories with only a city have +3. Ports have +2, silver oil have +2, gold oil have +4, and nameless towns have +1. Also, airports that are in territories without a city have +2. Lastly, I reworked some of Denmark's territories to account for the addition of Norway. I wanted an airfield in the north of Denmark that could reach Norway to allow the use of paratroopers because historically, paratroopers were used in the invasion of Norway. That would add 4 more economy to Denmark's income, so I replaced the gold oil with silver oil in the Danish port next to Copenhagen. That decreases Denmark's income by 4, so by doing this, I have made sure that Denmark has not gotten any net gain or loss to their income while allowing the existence of an airfield that paratroopers can use to reach Norway.
Reworking the Generals
Reworked Generals for Army Groups
- German B: Bock, Student, Donitz
- German C: Leeb, Brauchitsch
- German D: Kluge, Guderian
- Yugoslav First: Petrovic, Tito
- French North: Gamelin, Juin
- French South: Darlan, Leclerc
- Italian West: Badoglio, Riccardi
- Norway: Olav
- British First: Dowding, Montgomery, Mountbatten
Under this new arrangement, I have replaced Paulus for Student in German B. This is done for balance to account for my rework of the "blocked" countries. Student was chosen to compensate for the fact that the new British AI will have much higher chances of landing Montgomery and Dowding. Historically, Student was the commander of the Fallschirmjager, German's paratrooper force, throughout the entire war. He led the paratroopers in major airborne operations against Denmark, Norway, Netherlands, and Belgium. Thus, Student is in a historically accurate position. While Donitz is too powerful against Britain currently, due to the fact that he sinks tons of British naval invasions, I believe that the addition of Norway will be able to alleviate this and make the situation in the North Sea much more balanced.
For German C, I have replaced Heinrici with Brauchitsch. Brauchitsch was chosen as a small nerf to German C to give Yugoslav First better chances of surviving. German C appears to be in a weird position since historically, it was tasked with protecting the flanks of German A and breaching the Maginot Line in the Battle of France. Yet, German C does not have a border with France in this army group. This is a case where I think that putting balanced gameplay over historical accuracy is justified. If German C had a border with French Center, Leeb, starting in Munich, would join forces with Rundstedt and Manstein. They would be able to overwhelm France much faster. Thus, I think making German C border only Yugoslav First was a good idea on easytech's part. As a compromise between German Army Group C's historical position and its in-game position, Leeb will represent its historical position and Brauchitsch will represent its in-game position. Historically, Brauchitsch was Commander-in-Chief of the German Army until 1941. He was in overall command over all German forces that invaded Yugoslavia and Greece. Thus, Brauchitsch is in a historically accurate position.
For German D, I have replaced Kuchler with Kluge. Kluge was chosen as a small nerf to German D to give Polish First and Polish Second better chances of surviving. Historically, Kluge was commander of the 4th Army in the invasion of Poland. Guderian was subordinate to Kluge since he commanded the XIX Army Corps, which was part of the larger 4th Army. Thus, Kluge is in a historically accurate position.
For Yugoslav First, I have added Tito. Tito was chosen as a moderate buff to Yugoslav First to give it better chances of surviving. Historically, Tito lead the partisans to liberate Yugoslavia from the Axis and later became President of Yugoslavia, a position he held until his death. He and the partisans were mostly active in Croatia and Bosnia. Thus, Tito is in a historically accurate position.
For French North and South, I have swapped Leclerc with Juin. This is done for balance to account for my rework of the "blocked" countries. Juin was chosen as a small nerf to French North to compensate for the fact that the new British AI will have much higher chances of landing Montgomery and Dowding. Leclerc was chosen as a small buff to French South to give it better chances of surviving. This is another case where I think putting balanced gameplay over historical accuracy is justified. Historically, Leclerc did not fight against the Italians during the Battle of France, but do we have any other options? There are not a lot of memorable nor notable French generals of WW2, so we have to deal with the six that are in the game. Thus, while Leclerc and other generals are not in historically accurate positions, it is necessary for them to be in the positions that they are in, for the sake of balanced gameplay.
For Italian West, I have replaced Messe with Riccardi. This is done to account for Darlan, since he should be on a naval unit because he is better as a navy general, not an air general. Thus, Riccardi was chosen to give Italian West a navy general in order to match French South, who has Darlan. This is another case where I think putting balanced gameplay over historical accuracy is justified. Historically, Riccardi did not fight against the French during the Battle of France, but do we have any other options? There are not a lot of memorable nor notable Italian generals of WW2, so we have to deal with the six that are in the game. Thus, while Riccardi and other generals are not in historically accurate positions, it is necessary for them to be in the positions that they are in, for the sake of balanced gameplay.
For Norway, I have added Olav. Olav was chosen because he is the only Norwegian general in the game. Historically, Olav was the crown price of Norway during WW2 and served as an advisor to civilian and military leaders. He was appointed as the Norwegian Chief of Defense in 1944 and after WW2, led the Norwegian disarmament of the German occupying forces. Thus, Olav is in a historically accurate position.
For British First, I have replaced Pound with Mountbatten. Mountbatten was chosen as a moderate buff to British First to give it better chances of defeating Donitz, who will sink tons of British naval invasions if he survives. Historically, Mountbatten was commander of the 5th Destroyer Flotilla, which saw action in Norway and the English channel. He led a British convoy to evacuate the Allied forces participating in the Namsos Campaign in Norway. Thus, Mountbatten is in a historically accurate position.
Reworked Starting Conditions for Generals
- Leopold, Juliusz, Gamelin, Leclerc: Tanks with ARL-44
- Darlan, Riccardi, Olav: Cruiser
- Mountbatten: Battleship
- Tassigny: Infantry with Foreign Legion
- Student: Infantry with Parachute Jaeger
- Brauchitsch: Artillery with Sturmtiger
- Kluge: Infantry with Wiking
- Tito: Infantry with Guerrilla
- Catlos: Infantry with Pioneer
- Christian: Infantry with Parachute Regiment
- Winkelman: Infantry with 90mm M1A1
I think that all generals on armored cars should be on tanks instead, in order to improve their survivability. Since all such generals belong to the Allies, they should all have ARL-44's because that's their only option as tank generals. Darlan should be on a cruiser because he is better as a navy general, not an air general. Riccardi and Olav should be on cruisers because they are navy generals. Mountbatten should be on a battleship because he is a navy general. This is another case where I think that putting balanced gameplay over historical accuracy is justified. As I mentioned earlier, at this time in history, Mountbatten was in command of destroyers. But in this game, destroyers are the weakest naval unit. They don't have the unique skills of a submarine/aircraft carrier or the bulk of a cruiser/battleship. Thus, while it isn't historically accurate for him to be on a battleship, it is necessary for him to be on one, for the sake of balanced gameplay. Tassigny should be on infantry and have Foreign Legion because he is better as an infantry general, not an artillery general and that's his only option as an infantry general respectively. Student should have Parachute Jaeger because he is best as a paratrooper. Brauchitsch should have Sturmtiger because that's his only option as an artillery general. Kluge should have Wiking because it's a very versatile special force. Tito should have Guerrilla because that's his only option as an infantry general. Catlos should have Pioneer because all the German army groups have it. Christian should have Parachute Regiment because he is best as a paratrooper. Winkelman should have 90mm M1A1 because none of the Allies have an anti-air special force.
Reworked Starting Positions for Generals
- Leclerc: Lyon
- Gamelin: Paris
- Juin: Rouen
- Bock: Cologne
- Student: Hamburg
- Tito: Sarajevo
- Brauchitsch: Vienna
- Kluge: Berlin
- Darlan: Port south of Marseille
- Riccardi: Port south of Genoa
- Olav: Port south of Kristiansand
- Mountbatten: Non-port sea tile west of Stavanger
Reworking the Special Forces
Reworked Special Forces for Army Groups
- Add Scotland Engineer and and Sexton for Norway
- Add ARL-44 for both Polish First, Polish Second, and French North
- Add Foreign Legion for French Center
- Add M7-Pries for French South
- Replace Denmark’s Dragoon Corps for Parachute Regiment
- Replace Belgium’s Dragoon Corps for ARL-44
- Replace Netherlands's Spearhead for 90mm M1A1
- Replace Slovakia’s Panther for Pioneer
- Swap German B’s Grenadier with German D’s Parachute Jaeger
These are just the changes I would make to resolve my pet peeves with this army group. My other pet peeves are army groups not having enough special forces and not having any special forces that correspond with their generals' unit types. I think both Polish army groups should have 3 special forces; 1 more than countries like Bulgaria and Hungary, but 1 less than countries like Italy. I also think all French army groups should have 4 special forces; the same amount as the Italian army groups. Historically, Norway was a very pro-British neutral, so they should get British special forces: Scotland Engineer because they can build naval guns for defending against naval invasions and Sexton because it's the only non-infantry British special force. Juliusz, Gamelin, and Leopold need ARL-44 for their tanks, Tassigny needs Foreign Legion for his infantry, Christian needs Parachute Regiment for his infantry, Winkelman needs 90mm M1A1 for his infantry, Catlos needs Pioneer for his infantry, and Student needs Parachute Jaeger for his infantry. I would get rid of the armored car special forces for Denmark, Belgium, and the Netherlands because I don't want these army groups to spend some of their scarce economy to invest special forces into the economically bad unit that is the armored car. I would also get rid of the Panther for Slovakia because historically, the Germans were very iffy about giving their allies some of their tanks. German B's Grenadier would be swapped with German D’s Parachute Jaeger because that allows German A, C, and D to have an anti-tank special force against the major Allied countries that they border: France, Yugoslavia, and Poland respectively.
Fixing my Smallest Pet Peeve
The Maginot Line isn't really a line in this army group. It's just around two fortifications per territory on the Franco-German border. I want to add more bunkers and land forts to make the in-game Maginot Line reflect what it really was historically.
(bonus point because also i loved Angry Birds)
