question for Volcano Man

Bacillus98 · (This post was last modified: 06-29-2009, 01:32 PM by Bacillus98.)

Hello. I was wondering if you were considering giving the Moscow 41 series alternate versions of stock scenarios? I have been playing with them on Stalingrad 42 and very much enjoy the feel/chrome. I can't seem to find the alternate version on your website, so I'm assuming its not completed or you feel the stock campaign and scenarios of M41 are fine the way they are. Also, I noticed in the S42 game in the Bolshoy scenario Penal battalians are morale C and most of the tanks are morale D? I'm curious on why that is the case since it was reversed i believe in the stock scenario. I thought most T34 were at a morale C, unless you changed in for balancing purposes.

Volcano Man · 06-29-2009, 04:05 PM,

Hello Bacillus,

M41 is on the list to do; I have started on it but it takes a lot of time and I have been distracted with other work lately.

In regards to the Penal units in S42, that sounds like a mistake on my part. I will lower the Penal unit quality accordingly for the next update.

Bacillus98 · 06-30-2009, 02:24 AM,

Thanks for the info. Do you know if it's a design decision to make most of the soviet tanks D quality?

Volcano Man · 06-30-2009, 07:37 AM,

Yes it is. You will have to read the notes document that comes with the _Alt on the reason why.

Dog Soldier · (This post was last modified: 06-30-2009, 08:05 AM by Dog Soldier.)

I am guessing, but I think VM chose the D morale in S42 for the Russian armor to illustrate their lack of tactical expertise at that time against German armor and AT defenses. The problem after Kharkov 42 was a manpower one on the southern front. The Russians were in constant crisis mode trying to fill in gaps as the Germans poured east in Operation Blue. Coordination between the artillery, infantry and armor formations was poor at best. Communications were constantly disrupted by German air power in front of the advancing panzer columns. I have read many books which used eye witness accounts of the Russians in the south during the summer of 42.
The piecemeal Russian attacks on the "islands" of the 16th PD, 3rd MID and 60th MID as they thrust past Stalingrad to the north to reach the Volga give us a clue about this situation. While furious and bravely executed, they were all stopped cold with large losses to the Russian units involved. Draconian measures were in effect that summer in the Russian army in the south. Morale was poor as the common soldier thought the war was lost.

I wonder if VM would consider raising the morale of the Russian armored units in a separate OOB for the period starting with the counter offensive. It seemed they performed much better then. (EDIT) Actually there are three additional OOBs to the standard alt OOB:
42 Early
42 Nov
42 Dec

In the mean time, use the T-34's in mass against German infantry. The German infantry do not have much AT capability. A hundred T-34s can shock the heck out of a German infantry company out in the open on the steppe. The German player usually has to break down into companies to cover his flanks. Threaten them and see what happens.

Dog Soldier

Volcano Man · (This post was last modified: 06-30-2009, 08:42 AM by Volcano Man.)

Well, the problem is, there is absolutely no way for the Germans to make a stand as they historically did on the East Front (companies vs. battalions) if the soviets are rated C and B *with the quality of the ratings that the _Alt db provides Soviet armor and artillery*. If someone wants C armor then use the Guards.

Now what I can consider doing is changing the German quality (down) in the period of the counter offensive (the period that DS is describing). What I have done in all the _Alts is enact a German decline in morale *after* Stalingrad occured (ie. the gratuitous A quality for all German Pz Divisions is instead B after this point, and so on). It makes sense though to do this decline *during* Stalingrad. Anyway, the point is, I am completely against the quality rating arms race; the more intelligent choice is to adjust the uber German quality downwards. I will look into that for the later counter attack period.

Al · (This post was last modified: 06-30-2009, 08:47 AM by Al.)

Quote:...In the mean time, use the T-34's in mass against German infantry. The German infantry do not have much AT capability. A hundred T-34s can shock the heck out of a German infantry company out in the open on the steppe...

Good advice. Early on I tried using T-34's against German armor & found them ineffective to say the least. However, concentrated Soviet armor against German infantry is effective.

Volcano Man · 06-30-2009, 12:34 PM,

I think I will downgrade the German armor quality in the next update starting with the Nov and Dec OOB (the soviet offensive). In the early German offensive scenarios the German quality level remains the same. Anyway, this downgrade in quality is the same in consistency with the other post Stalingrad _Alt campaigns, only that it is not considered to have occurred during the campaign and not after it.

Liquid_Sky · 07-02-2009, 11:17 AM,

Something I have noticed about the Russians, is that because of their numbers, you can usually force the Germans to spread out into their company sizes, and then when you hit them, they suffer much greater fatigue loss then your battalions. And a really good way to do that is to assualt, using larger numbers. Those A quality germans can go to B and C rather quickly under assualts. I have even seen them broken under enough pressure. And it will take them a day at least to recover the fatigue.

Dog Soldier · 07-02-2009, 03:24 PM,

Liquid_Sky is correct. If you can catch a German company or if the German company decides to make a stand, an assault by a full rgt or more Russians will damage the units very bad. Overwhelming numbers is the key.

Downgrading the German armor will make them more brittle. It will also reduce their mobility, if that is your aim Ed.

Dog Soldier