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Author Topic: Gary Grigsby's War In The East 2 WITE2  (Read 40536 times)

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Offline MrsWargamer

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Re: Gary Grigsby's War In The East 2 WITE2
« Reply #15 on: November 05, 2019, 02:49:34 PM »
Gary Grigsby's War In The East 2 WITE2


Joel Billings
06/01/16

We are currently working on WitE2, which uses the War in the West map (expanded to cover to east of the Urals). This game will use all the new features in WitW (new logistics, new air system, etc.). It will have many other elements that are different from WitE1, although the fundamental ground game will be similar to WitW. We are building the database to include everything that was in WitW and WitE. This will give us the potential of creating a future game that would cover all of Europe from 1943-45. Using the map to create other scenarios from earlier in the war would also be possible (I expect modders will eventually be able to do this if they want to, although adding new armies is a lot of work). It is even possible that eventually a 41-45 WiE would be doable, but that would be a lot of work. Going back to 1940 or 1939 as the start of a full WiE is probably more than we'll ever do, although one should never say never. We are doing this while also working on a new tactical game inspired by Gary's old Steel Panthers series, something we are working on jointly with the Matrix development group. We hope that one or both of these games will come out in 2017, although this part of the post will self-destruct within 30 days and I will deny ever saying it.

Wouldn't it be nice if Joel could at least something,  ANYTHING, anything at all about 'that other game'.

My money has already been claimed by Second Front.
Joel can release that 'other game' if he wants, but his silence has been loud enough a long time ago.
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Just killing cardboard or pixels when not building tanks eh

Offline SystemInShock

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Re: Gary Grigsby's War In The East 2 WITE2
« Reply #16 on: November 05, 2019, 03:07:35 PM »
I didn't care for WITE, so I didn't try any of the other WIT games.  Now this other game he mentions does sound interesting.  He's been talking about this for a good while.  I don't follow it or worry about it.  Someday I'll stumble on an announcement.
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Offline Asid

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Re: Gary Grigsby's War In The East 2 WITE2
« Reply #17 on: November 05, 2019, 03:26:28 PM »

Wouldn't it be nice if Joel could at least something,  ANYTHING, anything at all about 'that other game'.

My money has already been claimed by Second Front.
Joel can release that 'other game' if he wants, but his silence has been loud enough a long time ago.

One problem that devs face is the constant "is it ready yet?" etc..... This is why many do not say anything until its very close.

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Offline MrsWargamer

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Re: Gary Grigsby's War In The East 2 WITE2
« Reply #18 on: November 05, 2019, 03:35:41 PM »
Understandable. But not a whimper in 3 years is the same as "I couldn't fucking care less".

I might still be breathing when he finally releases it. He might even live that long himself.

But I've moved on a while ago. My next tactical game thrill will be Second Front, destined to look as close to being ASL as is humanly possible in my opinion.

All I ever wanted from Steel Panthers incarnation 2 aka Steel Tigers, was Steel Panthers 1 able to function in 2019 as if it wasn't the 25 year old software it actually is. They could have been selling that 10 years ago.
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Just killing cardboard or pixels when not building tanks eh

Offline SystemInShock

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Re: Gary Grigsby's War In The East 2 WITE2
« Reply #19 on: November 05, 2019, 06:43:35 PM »
This is off topic, but what is this Second Front game you speak of?
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Offline Asid

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Re: Gary Grigsby's War In The East 2 WITE2
« Reply #20 on: November 05, 2019, 07:20:28 PM »
This is off topic, but what is this Second Front game you speak of?

http://www.hexdraw.com/Word/?page_id=290

I keep meaning to start a thread....

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Offline SystemInShock

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Re: Gary Grigsby's War In The East 2 WITE2
« Reply #21 on: November 05, 2019, 07:28:16 PM »
Well, well.  That looks very interesting!
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Offline Asid

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Re: Gary Grigsby's War In The East 2 WITE2
« Reply #22 on: February 11, 2020, 06:53:04 PM »
Update
03 Feb 2020

Red Lancer
WitE2 Asst Producer

We do get it that people have found the WitW air system, which removed the abstraction of WitE, challenging. For WitE2 we are working extremely hard developing an improved command and control system for air units that allows a good balance between those who want to automate most of the air war and those who want to micromanage individual air groups and their pilots. Achieving that balance is no easy task. We are almost there, after significant time and effort, demonstrating how we listen and our commitment to providing a game that appeals to as many of you as possible.

The new system - called Air Operational Groups (AOGs) allows the player (or the AI on their behalf) to group Air Units together and control them (or allow the AI to do so) in support of the ground war. My personal way of explaining this is that what the new system does is to group air units together across a wide area (that takes into account actual airfields with their precise size and location) into a single entity which was in WitE represented by the moveable Air Base counter. I think it is an elegant solution.

I share a screenshot that shows where we are at today. The named AOG 'boxes' show both where the AOGs are and also provide the gateway to controlling them in game. As I have said the labels are sort of like counters but as you can expect from a 2by3 game there is more to them than just that...




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Offline Asid

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Re: Gary Grigsby's War In The East 2 WITE2
« Reply #23 on: April 16, 2020, 12:44:40 AM »
Update
4/11/2020

Joel Billings

"No, we haven't talked about map drawing tools, although agree that would be nice. Not sure what that would entail, so would need to talk it over with the programmers to understand the feasibility of it.

We are making decent progress, having switched over to our new AOG (air operational groups) and implemented 95% of the Air AI assist system. We've got a few features left to add in that area, but the amount of items left to be done there has greatly diminished. Marc has been working on our interface art changes, and we're trying to get most of it done by May. We're internally targeting adding in a new batch of testers around mid-May, but there are a few things we really want to get done first before we open it up to a lot of new testers. So as with all dates, this could slip. The more we get done before we bring people in the less confusion they'll be. It won't be at full beta in May, but there are a few items we can leave to be added later that shouldn't really impact most testing. We'd still like to get the game out this year. We'll just have to see how quickly these last items go in and how well things hold up once we add in a bunch of new testers.

We really aren't in a position to show you anything for two reasons. One, since we're getting close, as long as the art hasn't been finalized, we don't want to show you things still in construction. Second, Matrix understandably wants to have a plan for rolling out info on new features. Discussions about this should start soon, so hopefully it won't be too long before you start seeing some info.

I will say that player's will have to adjust some of their tactics to account for all of the changes. I'll say more about that later, but we are going to try to add some things to the interface to help players be more aware of the impact of their actions. "

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Offline Asid

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Re: Gary Grigsby's War In The East 2 WITE2
« Reply #24 on: June 05, 2020, 01:09:40 AM »
Recruiting Beta Testers for War in the East II
03 June 2020

Hi everyone,

If you have a lot of free time and are looking for something to do, why not join our expanding beta test team for the upcoming Gary Grigsby's War in the East II? We're looking to add a large number of testers over the next week to help us put the new game and scenarios through their paces.

In addition to getting a personal look at the beta stage of the game, if you are an active and helpful tester you may qualify for a discount or even a free copy at release.

If you're interested, please complete the NDA application here:

http://www1.matrixgames.com/beta/cnda.asp?gid=605

Regards,

- Erik

Erik Rutins
Matrix Games Staff

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Offline Asid

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Re: Gary Grigsby's War In The East 2 WITE2
« Reply #25 on: December 11, 2020, 01:32:54 AM »
Showcasing WitE2 #1 - New Ground Combat & Movement Features
10 Dec 2020


In preparation for the release of War in the East 2 in the Spring, Roger (loki100) and I are going to be making posts to showcase some of the game’s new features that improve on the mechanics of both the original War in the East and War in the West.  Feel free to ask questions as we go.  As Roger has also written the Manual he has a lot of detailed background knowledge and he’ll also be posting an AAR, starting in January, so you can see the features in play there too.

In this first post we are going to look at some of the more subtle changes that we have made to ground combat and movement.  On their own they don’t seem to be big changes but collectively they have quite a significant impact on how the turns play out.  There is now a complex interplay of administrative movement, command preparation points , Assault HQs and combat delay.

Roads & Movement

One of the first things you may have noticed with the new map is that each hex now has a road value.  Including roads has allowed two changes to be made in the rules.  The first is more obvious.  Moving through hexes that have poor terrain (like heavy woods and swamps) or weather (mud and snow) but do have a road is cheaper than those that have no roads at all.  The second change is a little more complex.  It is called rear area administrative movement – any unit that moves along roads in hexes that were friendly at the start of the turn and have no interdiction will pay a reduced movement cost.  This will save from 1MP per hex if the road is poor up to 3MP per hex if the road is good.  This represents movement in a convoy rather than in a tactical formation.  In essence moving a turn later means that units can move further.  In reality the impact of adding roads is somewhat counter intuitive  as it focuses movement into manoeuvre corridors as this screenshot shows.  The soviet player is choosing not to defend in the bottom right corner as the terrain is so unsuitable.  Showing roads as a more visible dark red can be toggled on/off.



Command Preparation Points

We all know that before major offensives or when preparing a deliberate defensive operation the more time that you have to prepare pays dividends.  This preparation time is now factored into the game and we call it Command Preparation Points (CPPs).  CPPs are gained by units that have remaining strategic movement points at the end of the turn.  However those units in a friendly hex that haven’t moved or fought at all will gain the biggest improvement.  The more CPPs you have the better the effects. CPPs increase attacking CV, reduce fatigue due to movement and in defence improve the chances of calling in artillery support.  However as units move and fight they lose the CPPs  they have gained.  Going hell for leather is no longer necessarily the best policy.  A more considered advance, with units moving in echelon and taking advantage of the administrative movement rules, may be a more sustainable approach; even before logistics are factored in.  CPPs are such a game changer in successful operations that we thought an extract from the manual would be of benefit to prove the point:



Assault HQs

Another new feature replicates the focus of the Staff on the operations of specific Armies and Fronts.  Players can now designate a number of the high-level HQs as Assault HQs.  This increases the command point capacity of the HQ so more units can be attached with no penalties.  Subordinate HQs and Units also gain a number of bonuses from Assault HQ status: these include gaining Combat Preparation Points faster, an increased chance to pass support checks and extra artillery ammunition for soviet artillery before 1944.  There is however a catch.  Units under an Assault HQ can only build to level 1 fortifications.

Combat Delay

Combat Delay was first introduced in WitW.  It represents the time consumed in a turn by combat within a hex and which doesn’t immediately impact on those units who did not take place in the attack itself, and therefore saved MPs.  Depending on the amount of combat in a hex an extra charge of up to 9 MPs can be charged on a unit that is leaving the hex.  This prevents the tactic of using infantry units to clear a hole in the line and then charging through with motorized units who have a full allocation of MPs.  The screenshot shows not only the black star that indicates a combat delay but also the new symbols that remind players that movement is generating fatigue (teardrop) and losing CPPs (crossed swords)



Together these four new elements pose the player with a whole new range of challenges, options and trade-offs.  How you focus your staff effort and push your units will impact their ability to fight.

In our next post we are going to have a look at the new realistic weather system and the variation that it offers.


RedLancer
WitE2 Asst Producer

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Offline Asid

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Re: Gary Grigsby's War In The East 2 WITE2
« Reply #26 on: January 06, 2021, 03:12:40 AM »
Showcasing WitE2 #2 - Weather
17 Dec 2020


In this second showcasing of War in the East 2 we are going to focus on the weather system.  We’ll describe it in three elements – how weather is generated in game, the impact on air operations and finally the impact on ground operations.

WitE2 has a highly complex and dynamic weather model that generates realistic weather in an ever-changing manner.  Few games will see identical weather patterns adding a new dimension to your wargaming experience.

The playable area of WitE2 is part of a much bigger map that stretches from the Atlantic to the Urals.  Within this large area are eight different climate zones that define the accustomed prevailing weather characteristics within that area across the normal cycle of the seasons.  These can be seen on the weather screen.



To add yet more variation the weather in the climate zones can be further modified by the passage of weather fronts that move across the map.  There are five different weather fronts that reproduce the Earth’s customary meteorological behaviour: entering the map and influencing the weather across hexes in a characteristic fashion.  The screenshot above shows a Low Pressure Maritime Arctic Front over southern Sweden.

For example a Polar Continental Front will change a hex that would have been Clear to Cold in November to February but will leave the weather as clear at any other time of the year.  If the hex would have had Rain in the period November to February this will change to Snow. In the same period, if the hex would have had Snowfall, a Polar Continental Front will replace this with Blizzard conditions.

The weather screen shows the movement of these fronts across the map.  The weather changes before the Soviet phase (in other words the German turn uses the same weather as the preceding Soviet turn).  This reflects the Soviet Union’s (and its Allies) better weather forecasting capability.  You are able to see a prediction of the following turn’s weather but true to form it is not wholly accurate.



As the five types of front move across the eight zones they create a range of six different air conditions: Clear, Rain (representing light rains - summer rains, no more than 2-3 days a week), Heavy Rain, Cold (light snow, clear sky most of the time), Snowfall (more regular snowfall with more cloud cover) & Blizzards (snow storms and very low temperatures).  These air conditions are tracked by turn in each individual hex; allowing the impact on the ground to be calculated.  Rain will lead to mud, cold will result in freezing, whilst clear will dry the ground.  There are six ground conditions: Clear, Light Mud, Heavy Mud, Light Snow, Snow and Heavy Snow that result from the air weather.  The actual hex conditions are tracked by the water and snow value of the hex which you can see those values in hex popup.

The weather screen allows you to see a summary of either the air or ground weather across the map.  The composite image below compares screenshots of air on the left with ground on the right.



The map art also changes with the weather as this created picture shows.



Of course, all the effort that has gone into creating this system is to make the game a more enjoyable and realistic experience.  The air and ground weather impacts combat and movement for air and ground units.  You can see the precise weather in a hex via the mouse popup.



The air weather in a hex sets a percentage of cloud cover.  This not only can reduce the effectiveness of an airstrike (particularly ground support) but also lead to higher operational losses.  Cloud cover also has an effect across an entire air mission’s flight path. When we look in more detail at air operations you will see that you can set your air units not to fly in worsening conditions.

Ground weather has more of an impact but only on each individual hex and you will find that adjacent hexes will often not share the same conditions.  Essentially mud and snow make movement more difficult and costly.  Frozen rivers and lakes are easier to cross.  Now that we have road values set in every individual hex we have been able to factor them into the equation too.  Hexes with roads are less effected by the ground conditions.  Together with admin movement (which we looked at in the last post) and the impact of weather costs, you get a much more sophisticated grid of costs for moving through hexes depending on terrain, roads, weather and admin or tactical movement. Moving a motorized unit into a good road swamp hex in heavy mud via admin movement will only cost 3 MPs, while if it was a bad road hex it would cost 13 MPs. Moving tactically would cost the unit 6 MPs in good roads or 14 MPs in bad roads. This shows in bad terrain and heavy mud, admin movement doesn’t gain you much.  However, with a good road, things can be very different.  Here a unit in heavy mud conditions will pay only 1MP to move one hex.



So planning with roads in mind is a good idea.  You can also see an overview of the road system via the Weather screen.



Finally there are a few special rules that are worth mentioning and which we can elaborate on if you want to ask questions.  Firstly, although blizzard may not be guaranteed in December 1941 up until the end of March 42 the Axis player will pay double the normal weather movement costs and rail is affected by the amount of snow and blizzard.  Additionally there are increased attrition rules to reflect the impact of extreme cold, weapon malfunctions and frostbite.  The winter of 1943/44 was un-seasonally mild so during that time the weather model is more clement with snow and blizzard.  Both Lake Ladoga and the Sea of Azov have special supply rules for when they are frozen and this happens irrespective of the wider dynamic weather system.

Next time we’ll look more at logistics.

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Offline Asid

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Re: Gary Grigsby's War In The East 2 WITE2
« Reply #27 on: January 12, 2021, 01:49:12 AM »
Showcasing WitE2 #3 - Logistics
08 Jan 2021


In this glimpse at the forthcoming War in the East 2 we are going to look at logistics. Arguably WitE2 has the most complex and realistic logistic model in any wargame depicting large scale ground combat.  This post will only skim over the basics so feel free to ask if you want to know more.

WitE2 tracks individual people, vehicles, aircraft and weapons across the battlefield as well as the different elements of logistic supply.  The difference in WitE2 is that there is much less abstraction than ever before.  The system is a development of that seen in WitW but it has been significantly improved with a number extra tweaks to give the player more control.  Let’s explore…

Production

At the top of the logistics tree is the production system where mines and oilfields produce resources that are converted by factories into the means to wage war.  These are the vehicles and aircraft to equip the forces and the ammunition, fuel and supplies required to support them.  The factories are located in their historic locations and produce against historic rates.  The output of production accumulates in pools for onward distribution. The game has a number of screens where you can follow production.







The Supply Grid

The WitE2 supply grid links the pools to forward depots by train and ship.  The final link from the forward depots to units is by truck or horse.  The movement of that supply is tracked as freight.  Freight represents the capability to move the different elements through the system.  When freight is received it is converted into the required elements.
The big difference in WitE2 from WitE is the fidelity in the movement of freight through the supply grid.  Freight is tracked by individual ton to specific locations.

Railways

The vast majority of freight is initially moved by rail.  WitE2 has a new feature: some of the rail lines having single track whilst others are double (shown as a thicker candy stripe).  Double rail can handle more freight without congestion.  The capacity of the rail system is provided by railyards.  When there is increasing congestion – showed by the lines changing colour from green, through yellow and orange to red then more railyard resource is required to move a similar level of freight.  The movement of units along rail lines adds to this congestion.  This therefore limits the amount that can be moved in a turn along any given rail line.  The rail network is no longer a source of almost limitless supply.
 


Depots

Freight moving through the supply grid is stored at depots.  The capacity of the depot depends on the size of the railyard and/or port co-located in the hex.  Depots receive, store and distribute freight to units.  Depots can be seen on the map as triangular symbols.  The number in the triangle is the supply priority whilst the bars on top show received in the last turn (green), on hand (blue), sent out (red) and capacity (black).



Resupplying Units

Units look to get freight from nearby depots.  The majority of freight is moved to the unit from the depot by truck.  The further a unit is from a depot and the greater its need, the more trucks are required to service this final supply loop. Depots have an allocation of trucks to do this but if there are not enough then units will use their own trucks to help out.  In doing so this can reduce the mobility of the unit in the following turn (in addition to any penalties incurred by having insufficient supplies or fuel).  You can see which units are drawing supply from the depots with the freight shipment view.  Red Lines are depot to unit, white are depot to depot by rail and blue are depot to depot by ship.



You can also see detail at the unit level.



Managing Logistics

So now we have explained the basic building blocks of the system we can now look at how players need to master logistics to benefit their operations.  Although the game handles most of the logistical detail the player can affect logistics in WitE2 using a number of tools.  Much like we have tried to demonstrate in our very first showcase here too there are a number of trade offs to be made and decisions are not binary.

- Rail Repair.  As hexes change ownership the rail lines become damaged.  The player has control of a number of manual rail repair units which allow control of rail repair.  Choosing which rail lines to repair first is an important choice during an advance.  Opening new depots close to the front line is important to ensure units remain sufficiently supplied.
 
- Depot Creation/Disbandment.  The player can create new depots to handle freight.  Choosing the best locations is a key skill and needs to planned with your rail repair strategy.  Conversely holding locations that are most suitable for depots can help delay advances by impacting your enemy’s logistics.  You can build depots by clicking on the build depot triangle on the top bar.



- Supply Priority.  The player can set relative priorities for depots and units to help distribute freight in support of operations.  It is extremely unlikely that there will be sufficient freight to meet the demands of all units.  Choices will have to be made between who should be prioritised to receive what is available.  There are 5 levels of priority and the screenshot below shows the ability to highlight the unit supply priority with bright green borders showing the highest and red the lowest priority.



- Unit Placement.  Where units are located relative to depots, the surrounding terrain and the number and type of units present are very important as freight in forward depots is finite.  This means that large formations cannot be supplied in areas with poor infrastructure that limits the number of depots that can be created and their relative size.  Also if the terrain for truck resupply is a challenge this will be costly too – trucks benefit from the new roads.  Working alongside the rules for gaining Command Preparation Points the setting up of an offensive is now much more than just ensuring units are within a set distance of a working rail line.
 
- Use of HQs and Rail Repair Units.  Co-locating some HQs with depots can boost their capacity whilst a co-located Rail Repair Units that has not moved in the turn will attract freight but at a cost to other depots.  Using an HQ too means that the capacity of the depot is boosted to process freight and prioritise that depot (even more than its notional priority).  So in an advance there is a real trade off in balancing the use of a rail repair units in their two functions.  The choice for the player is between having a depot operating with significant capacity against repairing rail behind the advancing forces. A tension that is felt in the number of trucks required to deliver the final loop against the freight they need to carry.   This tension applies just as much to German blitzkrieg tactics in 1941/42 or Soviet deep battle in 1944/45.  In the screenshot you can see the effect this co-location in the depot at the end of the yellow rail line in Jablonowo: handling significantly more freight.



- Facility Repair.  The repair by construction battalions of railyards, ports, factories and rail (an automatic process) can improve logistics.

- Air Resupply.  Limited supply can be flown if sufficient freight and aircraft are available.  The resupply GUI has been completely re-designed to make it much easier to use- it is often as simple as just clicking on a target hex and the mission will be executed. To help with this, airbases are marked so you can easily see them and, usually, you are better off targeting these locations as more freight will be safely received that way.




Finally, if all of this talk of logistics has filled you with horror rather than anticipation the game includes AI support to help you manage depots…we’ll cover this in more detail in a later showcase when we look at AI functionality in more detail.

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Re: Gary Grigsby's War In The East 2 WITE2
« Reply #28 on: January 15, 2021, 01:30:40 AM »
Defending the Rodina - A Soviet WiTE2 AAR
14 Jan 2021


By loki100

This series of game reports is designed to give you some idea how WiTE2 plays and an insight into some of the new game mechanics.

It is played vs the Axis AI and is currently in early 1945 (you've already seen one screen shot from that phase of the game).  The layout of the updates will follow a fairly standard pattern of setting the scene in the actual game and then a discussion of a particular game mechanism.

There will be other AARs, including at least one MP tussle, so with this one we are going to move fairly quickly. The goal is to give you an overview of how the game comes together rather a detailed turn by turn report.

Setting up the Game

For those of you used to the WiTx series, at first glance the game set up screen is familiar.



There are 2 completely new controls though and note that, for these, both sides will play by the same rules depending on the options chosen.

The 'Automate AI Air Assist' will be discussed below as its a major topic.

The other new option concerns the concept of Theatre Boxes.  If you have played WiTW then you will know that game had an 'Eastern Front' box that gave the Axis player some control over the flow of formations to and from the east. Well WiTE2 has the complete Axis and Soviet war commitment including Soviet forces in the Far East, the Axis war with the allies in North Africa (and later in Europe). 

The war between the Soviet Northern Front and the Finnish and German armies is handled in a Theatre box as is the partisan war.

If you tick that box, you have substantial control over the allocation of forces.

Over-commit and you gain bonus victory points (again a topic for later) and can delay the Allied advance, potentially stopping or slowing their invasion of Europe. Under-commit and the reverse happens, you lose VP and maybe see the Allies in Italy in very early 1943.

For this game, I have left the Theatres out of my control. The only thing I can do is to voluntarily send additional formations to one or other of the theatres.  I can't return these to the map so need to be very sure I'll never need them again.

Before going on, the AI is far better in WiTE2 than in any of the earlier games. It will shift strategic direction as well as make better operational choices. At the start, I strongly suggest do not give it any bonuses till you understand the main game mechanisms. After a while set the Soviet AI to at least 110 (if you are playing the Axis) and the Axis AI to at least 120. As ever, in a game with the AI you can adjust these but at those levels the AI gains substantial benefits that will ensure a much better game.

Even experienced testers are struggling against the Soviet AI at 110 morale, above that it is a fearsome opponent and you quite simply can't afford to make any mistakes or sub-optimal moves.


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Re: Gary Grigsby's War In The East 2 WITE2
« Reply #29 on: January 15, 2021, 01:33:28 AM »
Defending the Rodina - A Soviet WiTE2 AAR Pt.2
14 Jan 2021


By loki100


3 August 1941

This update is based on the on-map situation at the end of turn 7.

Background

By the 29 June 1941 [1], the Germans were over the Daugava and outside Riga. AGC had taken Minsk, crossed the Berezina and was 50 miles from Vitebsk. AGS had had faced stiffer resistance [2] but have taken Lvov and was within 20 miles of Rovno.

By the 5 July, AGN had secured Riga and was half way from Daugavipils to Pskov. AGC was over the Dnepr at Orsha as the bypassed Soviet Western Front was slowly destroyed in the Bialystok pocket.  AGS made slower progress but had captured Tarnopol. To the south, the German 11 Army and Rumanian forces had almost reached Kishinev.

By 12 July, AGN had reached Pskov and was pressing the Soviet 8 Army back in Estonia. AGC was at the outskirts of Smolensk and 50 miles from Gomel. AGS was making slower progress due to substantial Soviet resistance.

By 19 July,AGN had taken Pskov and was moving towards the Luga defensive line. AGC had captured Smolensk and the Soviet defenders had abandoned Vitebsk to escape encirclement. Stavka was allocating most of the immediately available formations to defend Vyazma and build up the Leningrad defences. AGS was making slow gains but 11 Army was over the Dnestr as Southern Front fell apart under pressure [3].

By 26 July, AGN had reached the Luga line but was facing strong resistance [4].  Fortunately AGC's advance slowed after the Smolensk battles as it resupplied but Gomel fell. AGS finally took Vinnitsa and Zhitomir as SW Front weakened. A major Soviet counter-attack pushed the Romanians back from Odessa.

Start of August

Leningrad Front had been substantially reinforced and briefly stalled AGN on the Luga line.  NW Front was abandoning Estonia and defending Staraya Russa. From there to Velikie Luki the front was wide open [5]




If you are used to WiTE1 most of that will be clear but there are 5 map features worth noting.  1 – is Finland (off map and axis controlled) while 2 is Soviet controlled but also off map (and will become Finnish controlled when they capture the Isthmus). 3 are examples of dual and single track rail lines.  Single track rails can only carry 40% of the freight as a dual track. 4 is a hex with an 'average' road (most the Soviet Union has poor roads but there are some good roads). In clear weather this is only marginally important but once it starts to rain you will really notice the difference. 5 are the fixed on-map airbases.

AGC has slowed due to supply problems and the need for the infantry to reach the front. Also a major Soviet build up has stalled them for a while.



AGS has stated to make quicker gains as SW and S Fronts weaken after 6 weeks of fighting. In the north, the Germans are only 20 miles from Kiev, in the south Odessa is surrounded.



Not that Odessa will fall easily. A new concept in WiTE2 is the 'city fort' that allows over-stacking in urban hexes. This is especially useful in ports but can also turn urban centres in near impregnable fortresses. So Odessa is defended by 5 divisions (56,000 men).

Both sides have committed air assets to try and control the sea lanes but that is going to demand a significant effort by the axis to capture.



And to put all this in context, here are the losses so far:



The OOB screen shows the forces of both sides in three key aeas. On-map is fairly obvious.  In addition to the theatres that represent real locations, both sides have an abstract strategic reserve. This is used to rebuild units, train fresh formations or to hold forces that you see as your ultimate reserve. At this stage, the Soviets lack the equipment to properly equip and reinforce most of the units in the reserve. The final column shows the total strength of both sides in all the possible locations.




[1] Unlike in WiTE1, the first turn is a full week

[2] The special Turn 1 rules are different in the Ukraine to reflect that SW Front was better prepared. Forget all about 'Lvov' pockets - you can do something like that but it is not the best use of your assets

[3] Units that are weak on ToE and/or low morale/experience can collapse badly. The result, for the Soviets, is a fresh formation can often hold up the Axis for a week or so and then will fall apart under sustained pressure. Pockets are not the only way to destroy the Red Army in 1941/2.

[4] The terrain here is very different to the WiTE1 map, the few decent roads become a focus for both sides.

[5] The terrain effects are very different, it is safe not to defend a sector with poor roads and heavy woods as any movement there is slow and resupply very tricky.

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