Rock, Paper, Scissors

[Boco]

Sounds like most of us have dabbled with SSI xxx-General-x games. A major draw for me in these games is the way combined arms is encouraged. You just can't build an army of one or two unit types and bulldoze away.

Civ2 has a limited ability to do this as well, what with combat modifiers such as flags (AEGIS, Pikemen, Fighter, Howitzer, etc.), city improvements (SDI, SAM, City Walls, etc.), and unit domain (e.g. ships in port, fighter vs helo, ship/air vs city wall, etc.).

I'd like to do this, but I'm lazy and want to use others ideas.

Can you give me the name of one or two of your favorite scenarios that really exploit this and force the player to use many different types of units? What units do you use in these scenarios and why?

[AGRICOLA]

Re: Rock, Paper, Scissors

Coincidentally, a few days ago I sent off the following messageto MacGalleo regarding events spawning T-34/85 tanks during the summer of 1944 in RF TOT.

"At this stage of the game, the Soviets do not need any more obsolescent units. They use Katyushas to destroy German units in cities; JS-2’s to garrison front line cities and defend stacks; Shturmoviks and SU-152’s to kill German tanks and other units in open country; Yak-9’s to protect stacks and attack German a/c; Engineers to build fortresses and repair roads; and, in the winter time, Partisans to attack Mv=0 fortifications.”


I have a very simplistic approach to units . . . . . . use only vet units and make sure that they are the best ones available for a mission. The following explains my thinking about the specialized niches that each unit fills.


The Katyushas [ A/D/Mv = 12/2/4, 500+ built ] have lower attack numbers than 152mm Howitzers [ A/D/Mv = 14/2/2 ], but their Mv=4 allows Blitzkrieg rather than a slower, methodical advance.

JS-2 Heavy Tanks [ A/D/Mv = 15/9/4, ~250 built ] have the best D's. The only German unit that can reliably kill a JS-2 in a city is a vet 15cm Feldhaubitze [ A/D/Mv = 14/2/2 ].

IL-2 Shturmoviks [ A/D/Mv = 12/6/14, ~160 built ] are the ultimate, multiple-attack killers of German units outside cities. During the summer of 1942 they eliminated 90% of the German hordes that had attacked in 1941 and, in the summer of 1943, they destroyed most of the German units that were spawned as part of Citadelle.

In the winter, when Shturmoviks have A=0, the Su-152 Tank Hunter [ A/D/Mv = 12/4/5, 50+ built ] are used to kill any enemy units that approach Soviet cities.

The Yak-9 Fighter's [ A/D/Mv = 10/5/8, ~60 built ] main role is to protect stacks of Soviet units against ground and bomber attacks. I consider that its role in defending cities against bombers is secondary.

Engineers, ( Labor Brigade, [A/D/Mv = 0/2/4, 150+ built ] ), are indispensable in all versions of Red Front. The industrial development of Soviet cities is the only way to win these scens. In my current test game, they founded 15 new cities; built the minefields that helped defeat the 1942 German offensive; rebuilt the roads that the Red Army had pillaged in its 1941 retreat; and, as the Soviets moved westward, built fortresses to protect stacks of Soviet units.

Partisans [A/D/Mv = 6/6/1, ~40 received ], gain an attack advantage against non-combat units (any with attack value = 0). Their attack value is increased eightfold (8x). In Red Front, these are considerably better in winter than in summer.


Unfortunately, there is no great wisdom or insight in all this, is there?

[curtsibling]

Interesting stats! I am also tweaking various A/D/M values at the moment...

Perhaps a look a RF might gain me some ideas...