Storm Over Europe (SOE)
- Thread starter Civinator
- Start date
- Joined
- May 5, 2005
- Messages
- 8,885
Hi Marmont, this wondersplash is currently missing in SOE. Thank you for reporting it.
The easiest way to fix that Problem so you can continue your game is as following:
1. Enter the folder Art\Wonder Splash in the SOE files.
2. Copy one of the wondersplashes in that folder (p.e.: AxisCroatianInfantry) and rename the copy of that splash to the name that is shown in your screenshot (Axis_Albanian_Infantry).
Now the game, when restarted, should find that splash and you can continue the game.
........
AnthonyBoscia
Emperor
- Joined
- Feb 7, 2010
- Messages
- 1,847
Hey Civinator, I have not been home as much to get modding done, but I did have a chance to play some more of my Russian game. First some game reports, and then general observations.
In early 1940, my troops were still advancing in three main areas. These are the Finnish Front, the Baltic Front, and the Romanian Front. The main fight has been in Romania. My troops have slogged it out for each square, being bombarded by the Romanian Air Force and later by the Hungarians and some Luftwaffe sorties. My troops crawled along the mountain road, forcing the Romanian infantry onto the low ground by the sea. This left them dispersed and vulnerable to selective artillery attacks. Two cavalry divisions conducted a reconnaissance in force on Golati. Aided by our intelligence staff (investigate city), the Russian forces were able to form an ad hoc combat grouping formed mainly from artillery, infantry, and some small tank companies. An aggressive assault won Golati, and a subsequent drive north by an elite BT-7 company supported by artillery and two infantry divisions took Jassy. Meanwhile, reinforcements from all over the southern half of the USSR are pouring directly down this single broken road so that we can concentrate our attacks. As our opponents say, Nicht kleckern, sondern klotzen.
In Finland, as you said, the Finns put up a good fight. Part of this is due to their 1/3 infantry combined with fortifications. Also, they are the lowest priority so the Red Army there tends to get the worst tanks and little support. Still, we have broken through the Mannerheim line and now are moving along the coast slowly towards the capital. The key to beating them has been to force their troops into the open where they squander them piecemeal. Also, a prospective counter-attack by a Finnish tank battalion was brutally bombed by the Red Air Force and then finished off by our guns. The Finnish Air Force has been attrited, so we do not have to worry there.
In the Baltic states, the tank forces were concentrated and advanced on Riga, where a bold and risky attack paid off. After quelling the dissenters and establishing a People's Government, our tank forces have halted. There were some sporadic visits from the Luftwaffe, and a drive from the Wehrmacht that captured Vilna from my forces. The Germans then would launch single attacks with their powerful panzer units, but always one at a time. We suffered losses, but always beat each invader with a combination of air attacks and anti-tank artillery. This front has become very quiet. Since Germany just conquered Belgium and the Netherlands, I can only guess that their forces turned west. I have been marshaling forces here, including my brand new T-34s, which I combined with the tank battalion armies (I saved them and did not load BT-7s into them). I don't want to attack without sufficient strength or intel, because the Luftwaffe is still out there and may crush my advancing forces.
Back in Romania, Stavka has authorized the release of 6 tank brigades from Kiev. Both Kiev and Minsk had been kept as marshaling areas with many infantry divisions, some artillery, and the pre-placed tank brigades which have been in reserve since the initial conquests of 1939. With the release of the tanks, a massive push was aimed at the oil fields of Ploesti. It was a risky operation: the Germans have completed their mobilization wonder and therefore can instantly heal any unit that is not destroyed in one turn. After a desperate two-month assault, the Red Army has occupied all the oil fields. Large numbers of Hungarian and Romanian forces are pouring in, but defensive pockets have been set up consisting of infantry and artillery to crush their attacks.
So that's the current situation. I plan to take Bucharest next, and then it is a question of driving south to the Turkish border to secure my southern flank, or to move deeper west into Hungary. The Turks were at war with the Axis, while both the Greeks and Spanish have been fighting the Allies.
OK, a few things come to mind. I have been building airfields near the front, which is a great way to bring artillery from deep in Russia all the way forward. Also, I'm sure you know that landmark terrain prevents healing, but the AI does not seem to realize this. They will fortify wounded units on LM terrain and not heal, which is nice for us.
Russia is fun to play and requires a lot of aggressive action. One thing I wondered is why Motorized Rifle troops cannot load into tank battalions to make motor-rifle battalions? It would be a nice counterpart to the tanks. The T-34s are tremendously powerful...once they became available there seemed little point to making anything else. The lack of air cover does hurt Russia a lot. Besides the limited amount of bombers available, the inability to have defensive air cover really leaves the troops open to being bombed. Even if the I-16s couldn't rebase to support an offensive, it would be nice if they could cover at least their city radius. But I understand why you made the Red Air Force this way and it does work well. I just can't wait until late 1941 when I can really turn up the heat.
At first I didn't understand how this worked exactly. This is because I was under the impression that Ploesti was isolated from Germany and I didn't see any "Air Trade Wonder". But then I saw that Ploesti connects directly by road, and is a necessary strategic resource for building many things. This has been one of the hardest features of the microzones. Although they are an excellent solution that has allowed you to limit building options, it can be difficult to know where to build what. I am starting to learn more but it just requires the player to become more familiar with the game to play well. SOE is not forgiving to the casual player!
Ach! And this time I cannot build a channel bridge!
In early 1940, my troops were still advancing in three main areas. These are the Finnish Front, the Baltic Front, and the Romanian Front. The main fight has been in Romania. My troops have slogged it out for each square, being bombarded by the Romanian Air Force and later by the Hungarians and some Luftwaffe sorties. My troops crawled along the mountain road, forcing the Romanian infantry onto the low ground by the sea. This left them dispersed and vulnerable to selective artillery attacks. Two cavalry divisions conducted a reconnaissance in force on Golati. Aided by our intelligence staff (investigate city), the Russian forces were able to form an ad hoc combat grouping formed mainly from artillery, infantry, and some small tank companies. An aggressive assault won Golati, and a subsequent drive north by an elite BT-7 company supported by artillery and two infantry divisions took Jassy. Meanwhile, reinforcements from all over the southern half of the USSR are pouring directly down this single broken road so that we can concentrate our attacks. As our opponents say, Nicht kleckern, sondern klotzen.
Spoiler :
In Finland, as you said, the Finns put up a good fight. Part of this is due to their 1/3 infantry combined with fortifications. Also, they are the lowest priority so the Red Army there tends to get the worst tanks and little support. Still, we have broken through the Mannerheim line and now are moving along the coast slowly towards the capital. The key to beating them has been to force their troops into the open where they squander them piecemeal. Also, a prospective counter-attack by a Finnish tank battalion was brutally bombed by the Red Air Force and then finished off by our guns. The Finnish Air Force has been attrited, so we do not have to worry there.
In the Baltic states, the tank forces were concentrated and advanced on Riga, where a bold and risky attack paid off. After quelling the dissenters and establishing a People's Government, our tank forces have halted. There were some sporadic visits from the Luftwaffe, and a drive from the Wehrmacht that captured Vilna from my forces. The Germans then would launch single attacks with their powerful panzer units, but always one at a time. We suffered losses, but always beat each invader with a combination of air attacks and anti-tank artillery. This front has become very quiet. Since Germany just conquered Belgium and the Netherlands, I can only guess that their forces turned west. I have been marshaling forces here, including my brand new T-34s, which I combined with the tank battalion armies (I saved them and did not load BT-7s into them). I don't want to attack without sufficient strength or intel, because the Luftwaffe is still out there and may crush my advancing forces.
Spoiler :
Back in Romania, Stavka has authorized the release of 6 tank brigades from Kiev. Both Kiev and Minsk had been kept as marshaling areas with many infantry divisions, some artillery, and the pre-placed tank brigades which have been in reserve since the initial conquests of 1939. With the release of the tanks, a massive push was aimed at the oil fields of Ploesti. It was a risky operation: the Germans have completed their mobilization wonder and therefore can instantly heal any unit that is not destroyed in one turn. After a desperate two-month assault, the Red Army has occupied all the oil fields. Large numbers of Hungarian and Romanian forces are pouring in, but defensive pockets have been set up consisting of infantry and artillery to crush their attacks.
Spoiler :
So that's the current situation. I plan to take Bucharest next, and then it is a question of driving south to the Turkish border to secure my southern flank, or to move deeper west into Hungary. The Turks were at war with the Axis, while both the Greeks and Spanish have been fighting the Allies.
OK, a few things come to mind. I have been building airfields near the front, which is a great way to bring artillery from deep in Russia all the way forward. Also, I'm sure you know that landmark terrain prevents healing, but the AI does not seem to realize this. They will fortify wounded units on LM terrain and not heal, which is nice for us.
Russia is fun to play and requires a lot of aggressive action. One thing I wondered is why Motorized Rifle troops cannot load into tank battalions to make motor-rifle battalions? It would be a nice counterpart to the tanks. The T-34s are tremendously powerful...once they became available there seemed little point to making anything else. The lack of air cover does hurt Russia a lot. Besides the limited amount of bombers available, the inability to have defensive air cover really leaves the troops open to being bombed. Even if the I-16s couldn't rebase to support an offensive, it would be nice if they could cover at least their city radius. But I understand why you made the Red Air Force this way and it does work well. I just can't wait until late 1941 when I can really turn up the heat.
At first I didn't understand how this worked exactly. This is because I was under the impression that Ploesti was isolated from Germany and I didn't see any "Air Trade Wonder". But then I saw that Ploesti connects directly by road, and is a necessary strategic resource for building many things. This has been one of the hardest features of the microzones. Although they are an excellent solution that has allowed you to limit building options, it can be difficult to know where to build what. I am starting to learn more but it just requires the player to become more familiar with the game to play well. SOE is not forgiving to the casual player!
For the still to be implemented SOE "GröFaz-Victory" (Greatest Fieldmarshall of all times) - the SOE space race victory- Russia must build a victory monument in London.
Ach! And this time I cannot build a channel bridge!
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AnthonyBoscia
Emperor
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The situation as of the end of 1940 has the Red Army advancing in its three major fronts. In the Baltic Front, the remaining Baltic cities are being ignored in favor of a rapid attack against the German vanguard. With tank brigades and newly formed T-34 battalions, Red Army forces recapture Vilna. From there, we split into two directions. Aided by our intelligence sources, we can see the weaknesses in the German defenses since they are busy smashing France. Our right flank swings through Kaunas and then attacks Tilsit, where it destroys the immobile Barbarossa units. The square with the sea port had previously been bombed by the Red Air Force to prevent German reinforcements from linking up. Our forces held the line at Tilsit with infantry and artillery for several months, while the tank units refitted in Kaunas. Then we attacked in force at Koenigsberg. The attack was a success but our forces were redlined and needed to recover. Meanwhile, the southern force drove through Byalistok and marshaled forces for driving onto Warsaw. My goal was to have both these Airbase/HQ cities before the Germans responded in force.
In Romania, after seizing Ploesti the Red Army attacked in force on Bucharest. The city was seized, giving us a key location for further attacks. The main threat were Romanian and Bulgarian air units which smash our tanks and destroy the military barracks in Bucharest constantly. From here, we made several moves. Cavalry and tank forces swiftly captured Constantia to protect our flank. Meanwhile, our troops moved into northwest Romania in three columns in an attempt to disperse the enemy air attacks and prevent a concentrated defense (see map below). Once in position, Oradea, Sibiu, and Timisoara were all taken in one thrust, which destroyed the Romanian Air Force. To exploit this attack, a tank corps consisting of three tank battalions, 3 tank brigades, and a motor rifle unit rapidly bypassed Szeged (which is in Italian hands after their war with Yugoslavia) and raced towards Budapest. On the following turn, they smashed many of Budapest's infantry brigades and motorized units, although they could not press the attack enough to take the city. Meanwhile, an ad hoc force advanced south to take Pleven and Varna and are now moving on Sofia. An artillery barrage lasting for four months was required to reduce Botosani, and Romania fell.
Just as these glorious victories had been achieved by the Soviet people under Comrade Stalin's brilliant leadership, the Fuehrer unleashed his most ambitious plan yet. Operation Barbarossa turned the might of the Wehrmacht away from the victorious battle for France and rapidly redeployed eastward. The first elements were in the form of reconnaissance units and a few single attacks by the powerful panzerbattalions. The timing of the counterattack put the Red Army in serious jeopardy. The southern tank corps had just begun its push on Warsaw, but an investigation of the city and surrounding areas was enough to show the folly of pursuing this attack. Instead, the tank forces were slowly withdrawn through the heavily forested terrain where they linked up with infantry and artillery concentrations. The hope was that these units could make a fighting retreat back to Byalistok, using the heavy woods to their defensive advantage. This action probably saved the entire southern flank of the Baltic Front, as furious German attacks coordinated with Luftwaffe bombings decimated our troops, although the Wehrmacht paid a heavy price for their victory. This attack was coordinated with Fallschirmjäger drops to cut the railway west of Wilna.
Meanwhile, the forces that took Koenigsberg had no respite, and were immediately pressed into defense and counterattacks before they could heal. Reinforcements were rushed to the area and Soviet engineers attempt to repair the rail line. A massive local counterattack enabled Russia to destroy a sizeable German force consisting of much artillery and armored vehicles. Near Byalistok, however, a massive push crushed our remaining defenders in the forests, and if the city cannot hold then the whole left flank will be rolled up.
A few more observations:
-The lack of any air cover is probably the toughest part of playing Russia. Without fighters, it's nearly impossible to protect your forces in the field. Very soon I should be getting fighters so that will help. I just got bombers and Sturmovicks so I am looking forward to using them. Do you have plans to adjust the air unit stats? I remember from previous games that the high defenses of the fighters made it nearly impossible to bombard cities by land and sea. I plan to exploit this to the fullest when I get fighters by having combat engineers follow the frontline forces and build airfields at key locations.
-Speaking of airfields, I build them everywhere. I've got at least one by each major production city, and new ones get established after I pass a break in the rail line. This helps keep a steady flow of artillery to the front where it is needed.
-Happiness is better but still comes up, especially when cities are bombed. It's much improved from before, though.
-About 100 of the 120 immobile I-16s could not upgrade when I unlocked the mobile I-16 in mid-1941. Also, you may consider assigning these immobile units to their respective country in the Biq. Even though they still can't build the units because of the hidden reserve technology, it should allow these units to show their proper upgrade path in the civilopedia.
-As mentioned before, it would be nice if motorized rifles had some advantage, and could load into battalions. As of now they have no advantage over tank units, for the same price. I exclusively build T-34s, and now Sturmovicks.
-The BT-7A is buildable in regular cities but then upgrades to the KV-2, which is only for special cities. This leaves the BT-7A as a buildable unit indefinitely. The KV-2s are great, by the way.
-It would be cool if Russian Infantry were auto-produced, or needed in some capacity. When you think of WW2 you imagine huge infantry armies, but in the game they are not really necessary. The auto-production for artillery is excellent, by the way.
That's all for now. Great game!
Spoiler :
In Romania, after seizing Ploesti the Red Army attacked in force on Bucharest. The city was seized, giving us a key location for further attacks. The main threat were Romanian and Bulgarian air units which smash our tanks and destroy the military barracks in Bucharest constantly. From here, we made several moves. Cavalry and tank forces swiftly captured Constantia to protect our flank. Meanwhile, our troops moved into northwest Romania in three columns in an attempt to disperse the enemy air attacks and prevent a concentrated defense (see map below). Once in position, Oradea, Sibiu, and Timisoara were all taken in one thrust, which destroyed the Romanian Air Force. To exploit this attack, a tank corps consisting of three tank battalions, 3 tank brigades, and a motor rifle unit rapidly bypassed Szeged (which is in Italian hands after their war with Yugoslavia) and raced towards Budapest. On the following turn, they smashed many of Budapest's infantry brigades and motorized units, although they could not press the attack enough to take the city. Meanwhile, an ad hoc force advanced south to take Pleven and Varna and are now moving on Sofia. An artillery barrage lasting for four months was required to reduce Botosani, and Romania fell.
Spoiler :
Just as these glorious victories had been achieved by the Soviet people under Comrade Stalin's brilliant leadership, the Fuehrer unleashed his most ambitious plan yet. Operation Barbarossa turned the might of the Wehrmacht away from the victorious battle for France and rapidly redeployed eastward. The first elements were in the form of reconnaissance units and a few single attacks by the powerful panzerbattalions. The timing of the counterattack put the Red Army in serious jeopardy. The southern tank corps had just begun its push on Warsaw, but an investigation of the city and surrounding areas was enough to show the folly of pursuing this attack. Instead, the tank forces were slowly withdrawn through the heavily forested terrain where they linked up with infantry and artillery concentrations. The hope was that these units could make a fighting retreat back to Byalistok, using the heavy woods to their defensive advantage. This action probably saved the entire southern flank of the Baltic Front, as furious German attacks coordinated with Luftwaffe bombings decimated our troops, although the Wehrmacht paid a heavy price for their victory. This attack was coordinated with Fallschirmjäger drops to cut the railway west of Wilna.
Meanwhile, the forces that took Koenigsberg had no respite, and were immediately pressed into defense and counterattacks before they could heal. Reinforcements were rushed to the area and Soviet engineers attempt to repair the rail line. A massive local counterattack enabled Russia to destroy a sizeable German force consisting of much artillery and armored vehicles. Near Byalistok, however, a massive push crushed our remaining defenders in the forests, and if the city cannot hold then the whole left flank will be rolled up.
Spoiler :
A few more observations:
-The lack of any air cover is probably the toughest part of playing Russia. Without fighters, it's nearly impossible to protect your forces in the field. Very soon I should be getting fighters so that will help. I just got bombers and Sturmovicks so I am looking forward to using them. Do you have plans to adjust the air unit stats? I remember from previous games that the high defenses of the fighters made it nearly impossible to bombard cities by land and sea. I plan to exploit this to the fullest when I get fighters by having combat engineers follow the frontline forces and build airfields at key locations.
-Speaking of airfields, I build them everywhere. I've got at least one by each major production city, and new ones get established after I pass a break in the rail line. This helps keep a steady flow of artillery to the front where it is needed.
-Happiness is better but still comes up, especially when cities are bombed. It's much improved from before, though.
-About 100 of the 120 immobile I-16s could not upgrade when I unlocked the mobile I-16 in mid-1941. Also, you may consider assigning these immobile units to their respective country in the Biq. Even though they still can't build the units because of the hidden reserve technology, it should allow these units to show their proper upgrade path in the civilopedia.
-As mentioned before, it would be nice if motorized rifles had some advantage, and could load into battalions. As of now they have no advantage over tank units, for the same price. I exclusively build T-34s, and now Sturmovicks.
-The BT-7A is buildable in regular cities but then upgrades to the KV-2, which is only for special cities. This leaves the BT-7A as a buildable unit indefinitely. The KV-2s are great, by the way.
-It would be cool if Russian Infantry were auto-produced, or needed in some capacity. When you think of WW2 you imagine huge infantry armies, but in the game they are not really necessary. The auto-production for artillery is excellent, by the way.
That's all for now. Great game!
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In early 1940, my troops were still advancing in three main areas. These are the Finnish Front, the Baltic Front, and the Romanian Front. The main fight has been in Romania. My troops have slogged it out for each square, being bombarded by the Romanian Air Force and later by the Hungarians and some Luftwaffe sorties. My troops crawled along the mountain road, forcing the Romanian infantry onto the low ground by the sea. This left them dispersed and vulnerable to selective artillery attacks. Two cavalry divisions conducted a reconnaissance in force on Golati. Aided by our intelligence staff (investigate city), the Russian forces were able to form an ad hoc combat grouping formed mainly from artillery, infantry, and some small tank companies. An aggressive assault won Golati, and a subsequent drive north by an elite BT-7 company supported by artillery and two infantry divisions took Jassy. Meanwhile, reinforcements from all over the southern half of the USSR are pouring directly down this single broken road so that we can concentrate our attacks. As our opponents say, Nicht kleckern, sondern klotzen.
Back in Romania, Stavka has authorized the release of 6 tank brigades from Kiev. Both Kiev and Minsk had been kept as marshaling areas with many infantry divisions, some artillery, and the pre-placed tank brigades which have been in reserve since the initial conquests of 1939. With the release of the tanks, a massive push was aimed at the oil fields of Ploesti. It was a risky operation: the Germans have completed their mobilization wonder and therefore can instantly heal any unit that is not destroyed in one turn. After a desperate two-month assault, the Red Army has occupied all the oil fields. Large numbers of Hungarian and Romanian forces are pouring in, but defensive pockets have been set up consisting of infantry and artillery to crush their attacks.
Tony, you are always breaking through, where you shouldn´t break through so soon!
I wanted a passable connection from Romania to Russia, to have always some action between the Axis and Russia, even when the AI doesn´t do the upgrades to units that can pass the blocking terrain between Russia and the Axis. In all AI testgames the Russian AI only came close to Ploesti, but was never able to catch the oilfields. The static axis defense-units on the road to Ploesti will be masively enlarged - and than you can try that manouvre again. May be I also place some invisble volcanoes in the borderterrain with a high eruption chance, working like minefields.There went alot of work into the performance of the Finns, even into their fortifications. There was somewhat an equivalent of the Winter War for you at the Finnish border - and that´s fine.
Normally this front will become all but "rather quiet" in June 1941, but without oil it can happen that Germany will stay quiet here in the future.
That´s a very clever tactics!
Also, I'm sure you know that landmark terrain prevents healing, but the AI does not seem to realize this. They will fortify wounded units on LM terrain and not heal, which is nice for us.
That´s why I used the LM-Terrain as "filling terrain" and not for the "road-terrain". Here this problem would be even worse.
I´m glad to read this.
I had different "army-units" with different loading-flags in former beta versions of SOE, so foot-infantry could upgrade to motorized infantry by combining with an army-unit, but this didn´t work as well as I hoped. The Motorized Rifle troops were army-units for normal infantry in the last betatest-version of SOE. Here the last word isn´t spoken yet.
Yes, the T-34 with its powerful stats is a problem in the balancing of SOE. May be I set the early T-34 to be available only by autoproduction.
The lack of air cover does hurt Russia a lot. Besides the limited amount of bombers available, the inability to have defensive air cover really leaves the troops open to being bombed. Even if the I-16s couldn't rebase to support an offensive, it would be nice if they could cover at least their city radius. But I understand why you made the Red Air Force this way and it does work well. I just can't wait until late 1941 when I can really turn up the heat.
As you said, it´s a concept to slow down an early Russian warmonger, and I´m glad, that this working somewhat well.
At first I didn't understand how this worked exactly. This is because I was under the impression that Ploesti was isolated from Germany and I didn't see any "Air Trade Wonder". But then I saw that Ploesti connects directly by road, and is a necessary strategic resource for building many things. This has been one of the hardest features of the microzones. Although they are an excellent solution that has allowed you to limit building options, it can be difficult to know where to build what. I am starting to learn more but it just requires the player to become more familiar with the game to play well. SOE is not forgiving to the casual player!
Yes, the concept of the microzones can be very tricky - and Ploesti is one of the most trickiest of them. As it was in history: Without the Romanian oil, Germany has a very hard stand in performing any future offensive warfare. On the other side your Russian raid to Ploesti in 1940 -far across the borders of Besserarabia- showed, that the Romanian oil must be much more difficult to reach in 1940.
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It seems the defense for the immobile Barbarossa units must be risen, too.
Congrats to the very successful Soviet marshall!
That´s a very interesting reading!
It seems, SOE has found a very good concept to integrate great historical military operations into the gameplay of Civ 3. It´s pleasing, that the German AI still had enough power to start such a reaction at the correct time in the correct direction (even when the preplaced historical Barbarossa units were destroyed some turns earlier).Meanwhile, the forces that took Koenigsberg had no respite, and were immediately pressed into defense and counterattacks before they could heal. Reinforcements were rushed to the area and Soviet engineers attempt to repair the rail line. A massive local counterattack enabled Russia to destroy a sizeable German force consisting of much artillery and armored vehicles. Near Byalistok, however, a massive push crushed our remaining defenders in the forests, and if the city cannot hold then the whole left flank will be rolled up.
Spoiler :
... how will the story continue? Tony, you are also a master in telling stories.
I´m very happy to see the German AI loading tanks in the armies in your screenshot. Did the German AI attack your armies with the AI armies?Yes, I have a complete list with the adjusted aircraft stats as long as the SOE betatest files are available for download - but I didn´t have the time to fix them yet.
Thank you for reporting that bug!
This is not intended. I will have a look into that problem and the upgrading path in the civilopedia.This is another error. Thank you very much for reporting it!
This is a problem of many Civ 3 WWII scenarios. The autoproduction of infantry must be handled with care cause of the MUA (Maximum Units Allowed). In early SOE testgames this limit was reached very soon. This was the reason why I had to change the complete regimental setting of SOE (with all correct names of the regiments) to a (mostly) divisional setting. In the former settings there were about 3 times more infantry units on the map than there are now.
Tony, thank you very much for your interesting and very helpful reports!
AnthonyBoscia
Emperor
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The Axis attack struck in force during the summer of 1941. The first blow fell in Poland. While the advance forces of the Red Army were defending the counter-attack in East Prussia, a surprise thrust of panzer troops took Grodna. This cut off the remaining Russian units near Byalistok and they were utterly crushed. Only the newly arriving Sturmovicks and Migs protected the forces in Koenigsberg from also being overrun. The panzer attack was preceded by three major airborne landings, first of 4 units, then 9, then 22 more. The lack of crude oil must have made the fallschirmjaeger troops the best build option for some time as they came in large numbers. The army also consisted of many preplaced infantry, autoproduced artillery, and tanks. Vilna became the new frontline and massive German forces pressed the attack and wiped out two more Soviet tank battalions. Only by using every artillery tube and sturmovick was the tide held back. Meanwhile, non-wheeled units such as the nebelwerfers and mountain infantry poured across the Barbarossa border to cut off Brest.
In the Balkans, the attack came at a critical time. Previously, the Red Army had decided to push forward to Budapest despite the risk of exposed flanks. The first attack on Budapest did great damage but was not large enough to take the city. On that turn, the Germans moved a tank battalion in and crushed one Russian tank battalion and one tank brigade. On the following turn, we once again decided to hit Budapest instead of withdrawing. Upon capturing the city, we could see a huge panzer force advancing rapidly through northern Hungary. A delay of even one turn would have resulted in the entire Russian offensive being crushed by these superior forces. At the same time, the Italian Army waged a massive attack across the forests of Yugoslavia. their initial attack surprised and destroyed two Russian tank battalions. Had this attack and the German attack both struck simultaneously, the whole Balkan Front would have been defeated.
Instead, the Panzer III tanks near Budapest were caught on the defensive. This timing coincided with the Russian Winter Offensive wonder. Large numbers of artillery and aircraft were rushed to the front, where they destroyed the advancing forces. Scratch teams of infantry, artillery, and the very useful cavalry blunted the Italian attack. The Winter Offensive wonder allowed our tired troops to be fully healed, and also allowed not only artillery but infantry units from all over the Soviet Union to be rushed to defend all key areas. New bombers flew forward to swoop down on enemy troops in the open.
Through the winter and spring of 1942, the Soviet counteroffensive began in full force. With the best of their mobile forces bested, the Germans could not stop a massive thrust up through Axis territory. Krakow was seized, followed by Lvov and Lodz. The decision was made to bypass Warsaw due to its strong defenders. Meanwhile, bombers and artillery ground out against the enormous infantry and artillery units near Vilna. The large number of these troops meant the Red Army could not hope to win in a frontal attack. The German attack here was intent on bypassing Vilna and heading to Vitebsk. Instead, Marshal Zhukov implemented a plan where the Baltic Front would concentrate its tank and mechanized forces in East Prussia. When ready, they struck the poorly defended city of Danzig. Then they turned south, seizing Chojnice even as the Hungarian Front moved north and captured Poznan. The encirclement completed just as the Wonder went obsolete. Trapped in the Polish Pocket was the bulk of the Wehrmacht's offensive strength.
While the tired tank armies slowly pressed westward, the pocket was slowly reduced and the forces inside dwindled. Meanwhile, new but more conservative attacks were made to expand the front closer to Berlin. Stettin, Breslau, and Dresden were captured. By the end of 1942, Warsaw fell and all the troops inside the pocket surrendered. This was the same army that only a year before had marched through France seemingly invincible.
With our production boost over, the Red Army must now engage in more cautious attacks to keep our strength. There are two possible options: first, an assault on Berlin with everything we have. The second is to attack through Czechoslovakia and Austria, destroying the German ability to fight and cutting into the heart of Germany.
A few more game comments:
-The tank battalions cannot cross the Barbarossa border, even after 1941. It's not a big deal, it just slows their movement.
-The Soviet mobilization required the Soviet resource, but the resource does not appear until Late 1941, which is when the Mobilization Wonder goes obsolete. So I could not build this wonder. It was fine, though, as I could build the trans-Siberian wonder and the winter offensive.
The AI army behavior was similar to other mods with armies. That is, the Ai will load the units into the armies whenever possible. They will seek to attack the player's armies with air bombardment, and will directly attack them with units of equal strength. Thus, both the Panzerabteilung units and the new Panzer battalions attacked my tank battalions even at full strength. I think your process works very well in this aspect.
Yes, I saw this when playing as Germany. Perhaps much tougher defenses would slow the Russians down. But it is very hard to stop the human player if he is willing to throw everything at it. I thought immobile German Barbarossa units defended well. They also are usually benefitting from Fall Gelb and other wonders that give instant healing, It is essential that the attacking player wipe out these units in one turn with a concentrated attack.
I am interested to see what else you try here. Did you try motorized units with the foot unit flag, as opposed to the tactical missile flag for tank units? I could also see where palettes would be an issue.
I think the production is fine, and certainly it makes the AI Red Army a tougher opponent. Perhaps a 2 defense, or an increase in defense for the motorized rifle troops to 3.
I understand these difficulties very well. Though I think that the infantry divisions work well in the game, and perhaps limited autoproduction of these units would give the desired effect without having too many units on the map. The German AI, once deprived of crude oil, is now producing Wurfrahmen units as their primary offensive units and man are they nasty.
We must always push the limits and find the enemy's most carefully concealed weak spots!
More news to come from the victorious Red Army. Not one step back!
Spoiler :
In the Balkans, the attack came at a critical time. Previously, the Red Army had decided to push forward to Budapest despite the risk of exposed flanks. The first attack on Budapest did great damage but was not large enough to take the city. On that turn, the Germans moved a tank battalion in and crushed one Russian tank battalion and one tank brigade. On the following turn, we once again decided to hit Budapest instead of withdrawing. Upon capturing the city, we could see a huge panzer force advancing rapidly through northern Hungary. A delay of even one turn would have resulted in the entire Russian offensive being crushed by these superior forces. At the same time, the Italian Army waged a massive attack across the forests of Yugoslavia. their initial attack surprised and destroyed two Russian tank battalions. Had this attack and the German attack both struck simultaneously, the whole Balkan Front would have been defeated.
Instead, the Panzer III tanks near Budapest were caught on the defensive. This timing coincided with the Russian Winter Offensive wonder. Large numbers of artillery and aircraft were rushed to the front, where they destroyed the advancing forces. Scratch teams of infantry, artillery, and the very useful cavalry blunted the Italian attack. The Winter Offensive wonder allowed our tired troops to be fully healed, and also allowed not only artillery but infantry units from all over the Soviet Union to be rushed to defend all key areas. New bombers flew forward to swoop down on enemy troops in the open.
Through the winter and spring of 1942, the Soviet counteroffensive began in full force. With the best of their mobile forces bested, the Germans could not stop a massive thrust up through Axis territory. Krakow was seized, followed by Lvov and Lodz. The decision was made to bypass Warsaw due to its strong defenders. Meanwhile, bombers and artillery ground out against the enormous infantry and artillery units near Vilna. The large number of these troops meant the Red Army could not hope to win in a frontal attack. The German attack here was intent on bypassing Vilna and heading to Vitebsk. Instead, Marshal Zhukov implemented a plan where the Baltic Front would concentrate its tank and mechanized forces in East Prussia. When ready, they struck the poorly defended city of Danzig. Then they turned south, seizing Chojnice even as the Hungarian Front moved north and captured Poznan. The encirclement completed just as the Wonder went obsolete. Trapped in the Polish Pocket was the bulk of the Wehrmacht's offensive strength.
Spoiler :
While the tired tank armies slowly pressed westward, the pocket was slowly reduced and the forces inside dwindled. Meanwhile, new but more conservative attacks were made to expand the front closer to Berlin. Stettin, Breslau, and Dresden were captured. By the end of 1942, Warsaw fell and all the troops inside the pocket surrendered. This was the same army that only a year before had marched through France seemingly invincible.
With our production boost over, the Red Army must now engage in more cautious attacks to keep our strength. There are two possible options: first, an assault on Berlin with everything we have. The second is to attack through Czechoslovakia and Austria, destroying the German ability to fight and cutting into the heart of Germany.
A few more game comments:
-The tank battalions cannot cross the Barbarossa border, even after 1941. It's not a big deal, it just slows their movement.
-The Soviet mobilization required the Soviet resource, but the resource does not appear until Late 1941, which is when the Mobilization Wonder goes obsolete. So I could not build this wonder. It was fine, though, as I could build the trans-Siberian wonder and the winter offensive.
The AI army behavior was similar to other mods with armies. That is, the Ai will load the units into the armies whenever possible. They will seek to attack the player's armies with air bombardment, and will directly attack them with units of equal strength. Thus, both the Panzerabteilung units and the new Panzer battalions attacked my tank battalions even at full strength. I think your process works very well in this aspect.
Yes, I saw this when playing as Germany. Perhaps much tougher defenses would slow the Russians down. But it is very hard to stop the human player if he is willing to throw everything at it. I thought immobile German Barbarossa units defended well. They also are usually benefitting from Fall Gelb and other wonders that give instant healing, It is essential that the attacking player wipe out these units in one turn with a concentrated attack.
I had different "army-units" with different loading-flags in former beta versions of SOE, so foot-infantry could upgrade to motorized infantry by combining with an army-unit, but this didn´t work as well as I hoped. The Motorized Rifle troops were army-units for normal infantry in the last betatest-version of SOE. Here the last word isn´t spoken yet.
I am interested to see what else you try here. Did you try motorized units with the foot unit flag, as opposed to the tactical missile flag for tank units? I could also see where palettes would be an issue.
I think the production is fine, and certainly it makes the AI Red Army a tougher opponent. Perhaps a 2 defense, or an increase in defense for the motorized rifle troops to 3.
I understand these difficulties very well.
Though I think that the infantry divisions work well in the game, and perhaps limited autoproduction of these units would give the desired effect without having too many units on the map. The German AI, once deprived of crude oil, is now producing Wurfrahmen units as their primary offensive units and man are they nasty.Tony, you are always breaking through, where you shouldn´t break through so soon!
We must always push the limits and find the enemy's most carefully concealed weak spots!
More news to come from the victorious Red Army. Not one step back!
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MakaoM, welcome at CFC!
![[party]](/images/smilies/partytime.gif "Party [party]")
The "National Financial Centre" is a Small Wonder and therefore needs a wondersplash - and that splash in this version of SOE is missing. Thank you for reporting that error.
For a short fix, so that you can continue your game, a wondersplash with the name Nat_Fin_Center must be added to the folder art\Wonder Splash inside the SOE folder.
The two most easiest ways are: Copy the wondersplash "wall street" to the SOE\art\Wonder Splash-folder and rename that file to Nat_Fin_Center
or (if you can´t find that splash):
Copy one of the wondersplashes inside the SOE\art\wondersplash-folder (for example the "nosplash"-splash) and rename it to Nat_Fin_Center .
With this methode it should be assured, that you have the correct graphics in the correct format (320x320, pcx-file, 256 colours) inside your wondersplash folder.
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Tony, before responding to your great last post: Unfortunately I can´t see the screenshots in both your spoiler-postings.
Edited: These -now visible- screenshots, combined with your comments, are completely outstanding! And they meet the spirit of SOE very well
Edited: These -now visible- screenshots, combined with your comments, are completely outstanding! And they meet the spirit of SOE very well
I have a new one for you. My game crashes on the date Oct.1946 and I am researching Air 46/III. I am playing Yugoslavia. It crashes to the desktop without warning. It doesn't crash right away, it loads the turn for a bit then a windows message appears saying that it crashed. I believe it might have to do with a AI turn since it crashes a bit after I end that turn.
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Unfortunately without more information, I can´t help here at once. Can you please post a save-file with the last turn before that crash occurs?
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It´s great that the Axis AI -even with the loss of the crude oil- is still a tough opponent against Russia. Most of the current WW2 scenarios, that are not especially restricted to the conflict between Germany and Russia, here have bigger problems. And I´m glad that the new SOE-concept of performing great military operations was working well.
The new SOE-concept of microzones and the many different combination of available resources inside these microzones make many different units the "best choice" for the AI when the AI decides what units to build next. Fallschirmäger are a good choice to build by the AI in normal cities when crude oil is missing. The same later with "Wurfrahmen units".
The performance of the AI is amazing - and I think for the performance of an AI of the Civ-series astonishing.
Mostly in Civ 3 (and in Civ 4 and Civ 5) we don´t hear reports like this one about the work of the AI. On the other side, here many "new" work and thinking was invested in the "programmed" map of SOE and the combination of microzones, victory points and boosts by great military operations.This is also one of the great military operations introduced by SOE to Civ 3, that was working very well. If Germany would have had crude oil, the -in this case available- early Pz III and Pz IV tanks, Heinkel-bombers and Stukas would have carried the German Barbarossa offensive deep into Russia and than Germany would have been pushed out of some parts of Russia by the counteroffensive.
"Marshal Zhukov" in your game operated very well
and I´m happy, that this scenario offers many different strategic and tactical options to the player.Another one of these interesting options. I´m on edge what will happen here.
I will have a look into these units. Thank you for reporting this.
This is a massive error and responsible why you were not able to upgrade many of your aircraft at the start of the Barbarossa offensive. This wonder has still old settings. The settings will be changed for the next verion of the SOE-Betatest-Biq, mainly allowing the upgrade of the Soviet planes that can´t rebase to planes that are allowed to rebase. Thank you very much for reporting that error!
This is great! Thank you evry much for the answer.
May be I add some air defence to the sleeping Barbarossa units and in every case some more obstacles on the way of the Red Army to Ploesti.
I experimented with three different types of armies. The AI didn´t handle that as well as I wanted it and there was also a mess when using transport ships. The astonishing observation was, that I had no big palette issues, when using Wyrm´s SdKf´s and others as armies and not as normal units so these units still had their normal unit palettes.
I will reflect about that.
We must always push the limits and find the enemy's most carefully concealed weak spots!
Oh you are producing suspense as in a detective novel!
I hope we will get some news about the great new deeds of Marshal Zhukov and others in your game. Thank you very much for your wonderful reports! 
I started a game as Sweden because I didn't feel like dealing with the stress of managing a huge war. Then on the 2nd turn the UK demands gold and I, of course, decline. They then promptly declared war on me. So I guess I'll be working with the Axis then. I ran into a problem though. A few turns into the game I finished my Swedish Guardsman Factory and got this error.
Spoiler :
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@MakaoM, thank you for the save-file. I will have a look into your game: May be I can find that issue. As I depart in my holydays today, it can last some time, until I can answer if I could find anything here.
@Aleenik, thank you for reporting that error. There are some missing wondersplashes in the current early SOE Betatest-Version.
The easiest way to fix that problem so you can continue your game is as following:
1. Enter the folder Art\Wonder Splash in the SOE files.
2. Copy one of the wondersplashes in that folder (p.e.: GrummanAvenger) and rename the copy of that splash to the name that is shown in your screenshot (Swedish_Guardsman_Factory).
Now the game, when restarted, should find that splash and you can continue the game.
As a minor power in SOE you are always in danger. When playing Sweden, your biggest threat is your own navy at sea.
I will have a look into your game: May be I can find that issue. As I depart in my holydays today, it can last some time, until I can answer if I could find anything here.@Aleenik, thank you for reporting that error.
There are some missing wondersplashes in the current early SOE Betatest-Version.The easiest way to fix that problem so you can continue your game is as following:
1. Enter the folder Art\Wonder Splash in the SOE files.
2. Copy one of the wondersplashes in that folder (p.e.: GrummanAvenger) and rename the copy of that splash to the name that is shown in your screenshot (Swedish_Guardsman_Factory).
Now the game, when restarted, should find that splash and you can continue the game.
As a minor power in SOE you are always in danger. When playing Sweden, your biggest threat is your own navy at sea.
. I just found what the problem was..wasn't really all that difficult after all... my duhhh... 
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