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Xin Yu's Strategy for Red Front 1.4 -- welcome comments
Xin Yu's Red Front 1.4 Strategy
I. Introduction
The strategy is splitted into two parts: 'Tactics' and 'Tricks'. Tactics do not abuse the loopholes of the scenario; tricks do.
The tactics and tricks worked fine during the period from summer 1941 to winter 1942-43. The author had never played the scenario beyond that. New, stronger units would be available in later periods, especially for the German side.
II. Tactics
II.1 Research
II.1.1 Research Path
At the beginning you are given 1200 science bulbs towards your research of 'Propellants' (the tech for Katyusha). Your next tech target should be 'Mobile Warfare II' (the tech for KV-1 tank). The KV-1 tank is the strongest defense unit and can be moved to the front prettry fast (a/d/m/h/f=10/9/3/3/2). Your front relies on it to hold out!
Afterwards, there are two choices.
The first choice is to go for the research path. Go for 'advanced research', then 'military research', and build the tankograd wonder (SETI). It will expedise your future research.
If you really want to piss the German as early as possible, you can go for the second choice: go for 'advanced flight II', then 'advanced flight III' (the tech for IL-2 Shturmovik). The IL-2 Shturmovik plane is the strongest attack unit (a/d/m/h/f=12/6/14/3/3), however it can only be used during summer time (That is, only one turn in 1941). In the winter season its attack factor is zero.
II.1.2 Research tactic
At the beginning, set science to 80%, tax to 10%, luxury to 10%.
For all cities (except the 3 Caucasus cities with a lot of 'oil fields' terrians), change ALL of your available citizens to scientists. Here "available" stands for that your cities will not go to farmine or have to disband units the next turn. It is OK to have food deficit as far as you have at least one food reserve left in your food box.
For the 3 Caucasus cities, do not hire scientists (they provide more science if working on oilfield). Rush build universities, build roads on oil fields, and have the cities celebrate 'We Love the Comrade Day'. Later build airbases for more trade bonus.
You'll have 3000+ science output, enough for a tech per turn (a tech research needs 2700+ sciences). Since you have 1200 science already available at the beginning, you can set back the science for a turn and still get 4 techs in the first 4 turns. Of course you cannot do it forever, so in October you need to put the citizens back to work and prepare for the winter. Fortunately by then your convoy will soon arrive to give you trade bonus and there's no immediate need for more tech advances.
II.1.3 Summary of Research
In June-September 1941, maximize your science rate. Sell city improvements to support your economy.
By August 1941 you should have researched 'Mobile Warfare II' and start rush-building KV-1 tanks to hold the front line. By October 1941 you should have two more techs that either allows you to build the 'tankograd' (SETI wonder), or IL-2 shturmovik planes.
In October 1941 and later, slow down the science and prepare for the winter. You need to have enough food, and also enough units for the winter counter-attack. During this period, use convoys to give instant trade bonus for money and research.
II.2 Terrian
Oil fields: They provide huge trade. Build road on them to maximize the benefit.
Plains: Good shield productivity after being mined (industry).
Grassland: Gives good food support after building farmland for a city with 'Kollective farm'.
Minefield: Provides the highest moving cost and worst defense. Do not have units wait next to them because the AI may use bombers to attack you and at the same time protect the units on the minefields. Use high-moving units to move and attack then retreat. Laber brigades can change grassland, plains, and tundra into mindfields. Laber brigades can also change minefields into grasslands, so the minefield can serve as a media for transforming plains into grassland.
Marsh: Same as Minefield, but it is natural so cannot be transformed. There are several places on the map can be used to trap the German and slaughter them. For example, the minefields west to Moscow, the marshes southwest of Leningrad, and the marsh/minefields north to Sevastopol.
Mountain, Refinery, Kollective, Sawmills, Izba: Highest defense bonus. Occupy these places to delay the enemy advance.
II.3 Transportation
During summer time, roads gives 1/3 moving costs, plain/grass 1, forrest/spruce 3, marshes/mountains 6, minefield 8. During winter time, roads gives 1, plain/grass 2, marshes 3, forrest 4, spruce 6, mountains/minefields 8.
There is no railroads to use (except some suburb squares next to large cities), but your freighters (transports) moves pretty fast: summer 9, winter 6, and if you build the convoy system wonder, add 2 to movements. You should set up a transport system to instantly move your units to the front using the rivers.
Airlifting is also very important, especially when you try to move a unit from eastern cities to the front.
II.4 Unit
II.4.1 Attack units
IL-2 shturmovik: a/d/m/h/f=12/6/14/3/3 (Summer). Strongest attacking unit during Summer time unless the enemy has x2 vs air flag. Can be used as patrol unit during winter.
Katyusha Rockets: a/d/m/h/f=12/2/4/2/3 (Summer), 12/2/5/2/3 (Winter). Ignore city walls. Take out or severely damage most emeny units.
T34/85 tank: Same attack as Katyusha, stronger defense, much higher moving points. take out enemy units in the open. Not useful if attack cities.
Partisans: Ignore city walls. Terrific unit to take out 0-attack units like the hedgedogs, the panton bridge, and the AA battery. Partisans is the only unit which gets the bonus when attacking 0-attack units. One partisan can kill one hedgedogs, five partisans can kill a panton bridge.
Cruiser: High attack factor and HP. Coastal bombardment using veteran cruisers is devastating against most enemy land units. Put them in the rivers and inside cities to pick up enemies on the road, or use them to do coastal bombardment to occupy enemy cities. Especially useful against 'superunits' like the Karl 60mm Motar (one cruiser can kill a Karl on marshes/minefields, two can kill a Karl on grass/plains).
II.4.2 Defense units
Fortified position/fortified artillary: Enemy units won't attack them due to their high defense values. Only the Stuka jet planes may try but they always lose.
KV-1 heavy tank: defense=9. With hp=2 and fp=3, it is the strongest defense unit in early days against land attack.
AA Battery: defense double (actually X3) against air raid. Paired with KV-1 will make your cities inpregnable.
II.4.3 Settling units
Refugees will become laborors in Winter 1941. Build as many as you can during Summer 1941 since your population does not drop when building refugees and they are so cheap! Labor brigades can transform terrians and work faster than the laborors.
II.5 Support
You have 6 support-free unit per city, so your shield support should not be a problem. Food, however, will become a problem during winters since you have so many laborors (former refugees) to support. Build cities using the laborors and disband them by building labor brigades (NONE and works faster). Since the moving cost of winter is larger, it is better for you to build roads all over the places before winter using your existing labor brigades. Put 3 labor brigades in a group, and they can give you 3 roaded plains/grasslands each turn as you move towards Southeast.
II.6 Happiness
In July 1941 most likely you will lose a happy wonder in Minsk. This should now cost revolt in your cities since most of your citizens are scientists. Just be careful when you put them back to work. In Winter 1941 you are going to build new cities. You can have them up to size 7 without having happiness problems (using 3 red army units for martial law).
The 3 Caucasus cities can easily celebrate 'WLTKD' with 10% luxury rate due to their high trade.
II.7 Other
II.7.1 What to sell in a city which is about to lost
Airbase, coastal fortress, and then the most expensive one. Selling airbases is crucial since you don't want German stukas recover in one turn and kill a dozen of you infantries the next turn. Selling the coastal fortress will give you an opportunity to retake the city from the sea/river.
II.7.2 What to be built in new cities
You need Kollective farm and all shield production improvements. You need barracks. Maybe you also need airbase to airlift units or produce vet airplanes. You don't need big cities. Size 7 cities won't have happiness problems and with 5 industrialized plains and 3 farmlanded grasslands (one of them is the city square) you should be able to produce most units in one turn. You can also build size one cities (both city square and working square are industrialized plains) to provide red armies for martial laws. Also you can disband the red armies to add to the production of other cities so that you can build 100-shield units in one turn as well.
II.7.3 Where to hold the line
Any city where you can get 5 AA batteries and 15 other units in July 1941 will have a chance to hold out. Concentrate your forces to the city and give up the others. Your KV-1's will be availabe in September, and the German can only go that far in two months.
On the North when facing the Fins you can put your units on good defense positions to gain advantage.
III Tricks
III.1 Changing host cities of 0-movement units
Use your labor brigades to build cities on top of fortified positions and fortified artillaries. Then change the host cities for those units and fortify them. The units won't be disbanded when their former home cities were lost.
III.2 Moving 0-movement units
If the fortified positions or fortified artillaries are on river banks, you can build cities on top if them then use freighters to ferry them to other cities. Most german units won't attack those units, and those who dare to try (stuka, for example) always lose. You can hold the Southern fron and the Northern front this way and concentrate your force in the central front.
III.3 Attack Finland
Finland will become tough in Winter 1941. However you can wipe it out during Summer 1941 when it is still weak. Use 4 vet cruisers to bombard Hersinki, then land 8 T34/76 tanks or Katyushas to finish the job. It takes 2-3 turns to finish the Finland.
III.4 Attack Romania (Prefer during Winter time)
Romania is one of the two most important area (the other is the Caucasus). If you can occupy Romania you will be able to airlift convoys from the Caucasus to there and get huge trade bonus.
Attacking Romania should start in Winter 1941 since during the Summer German can use air superiority to counter-attack. Again you can use vet cruisers to bombard the eastmost city (Galati) of Romania, then land katyushas to attack Bucharest. You may also want to land a couple of partisans to deal with the hedgedog in Ploiesti. To take care of the counter-attack, you can move your fortified positions to Ploiesti, or you can build a city on the mountain top north of it and move a fortified position there before starting the attack.
III.5 Attack Yugoslavia, Albania, and Italy
Those cities are lightly defended. Use Katyusha and attack during the Winter will give you easy victory. Do not develop Yugoslavia cities and fortify KV-1s in them, since they will be attacked by barbarian partisans later. If you choose to attack during Summer time, you can use Il-2 shturmovik planes.
III.6 Attack Germany (Prefer during Winter time)
You can use the rivers to attack Germany from both North and South. Occupy the eastmost cities you can reach from the rivers, secure them with fortified positions then start attacking towards west, which are relatively lightly defended. Details are the same as 'Attack Romania' section. There is a small island city named Ronne (north to Danzig) which you can use as the base to launch your attack.
III.7 Attack Sweden
Sweden cities are defended by fortified artillaries. You need approximately 6 partisans for each such unit (9 if the city is on the river). In later seasons whenever your infantry units are killed a partisan will appear. So you can accrue partisans easily.
III.8 Disband units
In Summer 1941 whenever your red army unit is killed, a german unit is produced. So if you cannot retreat your red army units, you can disband them in order to avoid the events.
III.9 Destroy cities
You can sell the anti-tanks of your cities to prevent them from being occupied by the Germans. Some event are triggered by lost of certain cities, and they won't happen if the cities are destroyed. Renaming the cities has the same effect.
IV. Conclusion
Using the tactics and tricks, Red Front is no longer a tough scenario. A player should be confident enough to use only the tactics of this strategy and still can beat the scenario.
You should be able to beat the scenario to the extent that the only city that is not yours is the U.S. base.
I. Introduction
The strategy is splitted into two parts: 'Tactics' and 'Tricks'. Tactics do not abuse the loopholes of the scenario; tricks do.
The tactics and tricks worked fine during the period from summer 1941 to winter 1942-43. The author had never played the scenario beyond that. New, stronger units would be available in later periods, especially for the German side.
II. Tactics
II.1 Research
II.1.1 Research Path
At the beginning you are given 1200 science bulbs towards your research of 'Propellants' (the tech for Katyusha). Your next tech target should be 'Mobile Warfare II' (the tech for KV-1 tank). The KV-1 tank is the strongest defense unit and can be moved to the front prettry fast (a/d/m/h/f=10/9/3/3/2). Your front relies on it to hold out!
Afterwards, there are two choices.
The first choice is to go for the research path. Go for 'advanced research', then 'military research', and build the tankograd wonder (SETI). It will expedise your future research.
If you really want to piss the German as early as possible, you can go for the second choice: go for 'advanced flight II', then 'advanced flight III' (the tech for IL-2 Shturmovik). The IL-2 Shturmovik plane is the strongest attack unit (a/d/m/h/f=12/6/14/3/3), however it can only be used during summer time (That is, only one turn in 1941). In the winter season its attack factor is zero.
II.1.2 Research tactic
At the beginning, set science to 80%, tax to 10%, luxury to 10%.
For all cities (except the 3 Caucasus cities with a lot of 'oil fields' terrians), change ALL of your available citizens to scientists. Here "available" stands for that your cities will not go to farmine or have to disband units the next turn. It is OK to have food deficit as far as you have at least one food reserve left in your food box.
For the 3 Caucasus cities, do not hire scientists (they provide more science if working on oilfield). Rush build universities, build roads on oil fields, and have the cities celebrate 'We Love the Comrade Day'. Later build airbases for more trade bonus.
You'll have 3000+ science output, enough for a tech per turn (a tech research needs 2700+ sciences). Since you have 1200 science already available at the beginning, you can set back the science for a turn and still get 4 techs in the first 4 turns. Of course you cannot do it forever, so in October you need to put the citizens back to work and prepare for the winter. Fortunately by then your convoy will soon arrive to give you trade bonus and there's no immediate need for more tech advances.
II.1.3 Summary of Research
In June-September 1941, maximize your science rate. Sell city improvements to support your economy.
By August 1941 you should have researched 'Mobile Warfare II' and start rush-building KV-1 tanks to hold the front line. By October 1941 you should have two more techs that either allows you to build the 'tankograd' (SETI wonder), or IL-2 shturmovik planes.
In October 1941 and later, slow down the science and prepare for the winter. You need to have enough food, and also enough units for the winter counter-attack. During this period, use convoys to give instant trade bonus for money and research.
II.2 Terrian
Oil fields: They provide huge trade. Build road on them to maximize the benefit.
Plains: Good shield productivity after being mined (industry).
Grassland: Gives good food support after building farmland for a city with 'Kollective farm'.
Minefield: Provides the highest moving cost and worst defense. Do not have units wait next to them because the AI may use bombers to attack you and at the same time protect the units on the minefields. Use high-moving units to move and attack then retreat. Laber brigades can change grassland, plains, and tundra into mindfields. Laber brigades can also change minefields into grasslands, so the minefield can serve as a media for transforming plains into grassland.
Marsh: Same as Minefield, but it is natural so cannot be transformed. There are several places on the map can be used to trap the German and slaughter them. For example, the minefields west to Moscow, the marshes southwest of Leningrad, and the marsh/minefields north to Sevastopol.
Mountain, Refinery, Kollective, Sawmills, Izba: Highest defense bonus. Occupy these places to delay the enemy advance.
II.3 Transportation
During summer time, roads gives 1/3 moving costs, plain/grass 1, forrest/spruce 3, marshes/mountains 6, minefield 8. During winter time, roads gives 1, plain/grass 2, marshes 3, forrest 4, spruce 6, mountains/minefields 8.
There is no railroads to use (except some suburb squares next to large cities), but your freighters (transports) moves pretty fast: summer 9, winter 6, and if you build the convoy system wonder, add 2 to movements. You should set up a transport system to instantly move your units to the front using the rivers.
Airlifting is also very important, especially when you try to move a unit from eastern cities to the front.
II.4 Unit
II.4.1 Attack units
IL-2 shturmovik: a/d/m/h/f=12/6/14/3/3 (Summer). Strongest attacking unit during Summer time unless the enemy has x2 vs air flag. Can be used as patrol unit during winter.
Katyusha Rockets: a/d/m/h/f=12/2/4/2/3 (Summer), 12/2/5/2/3 (Winter). Ignore city walls. Take out or severely damage most emeny units.
T34/85 tank: Same attack as Katyusha, stronger defense, much higher moving points. take out enemy units in the open. Not useful if attack cities.
Partisans: Ignore city walls. Terrific unit to take out 0-attack units like the hedgedogs, the panton bridge, and the AA battery. Partisans is the only unit which gets the bonus when attacking 0-attack units. One partisan can kill one hedgedogs, five partisans can kill a panton bridge.
Cruiser: High attack factor and HP. Coastal bombardment using veteran cruisers is devastating against most enemy land units. Put them in the rivers and inside cities to pick up enemies on the road, or use them to do coastal bombardment to occupy enemy cities. Especially useful against 'superunits' like the Karl 60mm Motar (one cruiser can kill a Karl on marshes/minefields, two can kill a Karl on grass/plains).
II.4.2 Defense units
Fortified position/fortified artillary: Enemy units won't attack them due to their high defense values. Only the Stuka jet planes may try but they always lose.
KV-1 heavy tank: defense=9. With hp=2 and fp=3, it is the strongest defense unit in early days against land attack.
AA Battery: defense double (actually X3) against air raid. Paired with KV-1 will make your cities inpregnable.
II.4.3 Settling units
Refugees will become laborors in Winter 1941. Build as many as you can during Summer 1941 since your population does not drop when building refugees and they are so cheap! Labor brigades can transform terrians and work faster than the laborors.
II.5 Support
You have 6 support-free unit per city, so your shield support should not be a problem. Food, however, will become a problem during winters since you have so many laborors (former refugees) to support. Build cities using the laborors and disband them by building labor brigades (NONE and works faster). Since the moving cost of winter is larger, it is better for you to build roads all over the places before winter using your existing labor brigades. Put 3 labor brigades in a group, and they can give you 3 roaded plains/grasslands each turn as you move towards Southeast.
II.6 Happiness
In July 1941 most likely you will lose a happy wonder in Minsk. This should now cost revolt in your cities since most of your citizens are scientists. Just be careful when you put them back to work. In Winter 1941 you are going to build new cities. You can have them up to size 7 without having happiness problems (using 3 red army units for martial law).
The 3 Caucasus cities can easily celebrate 'WLTKD' with 10% luxury rate due to their high trade.
II.7 Other
II.7.1 What to sell in a city which is about to lost
Airbase, coastal fortress, and then the most expensive one. Selling airbases is crucial since you don't want German stukas recover in one turn and kill a dozen of you infantries the next turn. Selling the coastal fortress will give you an opportunity to retake the city from the sea/river.
II.7.2 What to be built in new cities
You need Kollective farm and all shield production improvements. You need barracks. Maybe you also need airbase to airlift units or produce vet airplanes. You don't need big cities. Size 7 cities won't have happiness problems and with 5 industrialized plains and 3 farmlanded grasslands (one of them is the city square) you should be able to produce most units in one turn. You can also build size one cities (both city square and working square are industrialized plains) to provide red armies for martial laws. Also you can disband the red armies to add to the production of other cities so that you can build 100-shield units in one turn as well.
II.7.3 Where to hold the line
Any city where you can get 5 AA batteries and 15 other units in July 1941 will have a chance to hold out. Concentrate your forces to the city and give up the others. Your KV-1's will be availabe in September, and the German can only go that far in two months.
On the North when facing the Fins you can put your units on good defense positions to gain advantage.
III Tricks
III.1 Changing host cities of 0-movement units
Use your labor brigades to build cities on top of fortified positions and fortified artillaries. Then change the host cities for those units and fortify them. The units won't be disbanded when their former home cities were lost.
III.2 Moving 0-movement units
If the fortified positions or fortified artillaries are on river banks, you can build cities on top if them then use freighters to ferry them to other cities. Most german units won't attack those units, and those who dare to try (stuka, for example) always lose. You can hold the Southern fron and the Northern front this way and concentrate your force in the central front.
III.3 Attack Finland
Finland will become tough in Winter 1941. However you can wipe it out during Summer 1941 when it is still weak. Use 4 vet cruisers to bombard Hersinki, then land 8 T34/76 tanks or Katyushas to finish the job. It takes 2-3 turns to finish the Finland.
III.4 Attack Romania (Prefer during Winter time)
Romania is one of the two most important area (the other is the Caucasus). If you can occupy Romania you will be able to airlift convoys from the Caucasus to there and get huge trade bonus.
Attacking Romania should start in Winter 1941 since during the Summer German can use air superiority to counter-attack. Again you can use vet cruisers to bombard the eastmost city (Galati) of Romania, then land katyushas to attack Bucharest. You may also want to land a couple of partisans to deal with the hedgedog in Ploiesti. To take care of the counter-attack, you can move your fortified positions to Ploiesti, or you can build a city on the mountain top north of it and move a fortified position there before starting the attack.
III.5 Attack Yugoslavia, Albania, and Italy
Those cities are lightly defended. Use Katyusha and attack during the Winter will give you easy victory. Do not develop Yugoslavia cities and fortify KV-1s in them, since they will be attacked by barbarian partisans later. If you choose to attack during Summer time, you can use Il-2 shturmovik planes.
III.6 Attack Germany (Prefer during Winter time)
You can use the rivers to attack Germany from both North and South. Occupy the eastmost cities you can reach from the rivers, secure them with fortified positions then start attacking towards west, which are relatively lightly defended. Details are the same as 'Attack Romania' section. There is a small island city named Ronne (north to Danzig) which you can use as the base to launch your attack.
III.7 Attack Sweden
Sweden cities are defended by fortified artillaries. You need approximately 6 partisans for each such unit (9 if the city is on the river). In later seasons whenever your infantry units are killed a partisan will appear. So you can accrue partisans easily.
III.8 Disband units
In Summer 1941 whenever your red army unit is killed, a german unit is produced. So if you cannot retreat your red army units, you can disband them in order to avoid the events.
III.9 Destroy cities
You can sell the anti-tanks of your cities to prevent them from being occupied by the Germans. Some event are triggered by lost of certain cities, and they won't happen if the cities are destroyed. Renaming the cities has the same effect.
IV. Conclusion
Using the tactics and tricks, Red Front is no longer a tough scenario. A player should be confident enough to use only the tactics of this strategy and still can beat the scenario.
You should be able to beat the scenario to the extent that the only city that is not yours is the U.S. base.
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