[Spoilers PB27] REM tries to get a handle on this mod

[ReallyEvilMuffin]

This game deserves an update. It is a really really close run thing. Looking back this has been a very interesting game. Taotao took a commanding early lead with a great opening, taking over most of zulu quite early cheaply, landing a lot of key wonders like the MoM and settling out the islands fast (which with the +0/2/1 to water dikes I vastly underestimated)

I had a good starting move to my 2 gold resource cap, but had early border tensions with commodore. I had a much harder fight against him needing a lot more soliders and I was very middle of the pack for a long time. I panicked when I saw east indiamen and thought that it was over for me. However he played rather peacefully, and I had a break when Nyles slammed into Elkad and I took a chance and went for it after he had moved his forces out east. I managed to secure most of the land there. Then I went on a HUGE infra push and with a free +6sci/+1gold scientist in most cities. 

We have had a good back and forth which was an obvious eventuality. In the first war I got moderately battered and dragged DZ into it. I then bailed out early... Perhaps I reaped what I sewn! Then we had a 10 turn break and unfortunately I lost turn position. He had a lot of units hidden on the east indiamen on the colonies and I had a bit of a blitz on the islands. However my core has been largely untouched. I missed a few things like Mali culture being the reason for loosing a city, and faceing battleships.

Now though the tide has turned. Burnt down that huge naval stack in port and opened up a very nice retaliation. But then DZ jumped in for vengence. Luckily my stack teleport was fortunate and prevented me loosing too much. However this isn't good in the grand scheme of things. I'm pretty sure that I won't be hit by plako or BGN, but who knows. I lack OB with BGN although I have just tried to buy them for 25gpt and free happy.

I have a clear tech lead and taotao is lacking some key techs that it is perplexing he isn't going for. artillery is the key one. Whilst in most games it has dubious use, here it is crucial. It unlocks destroyers and transports. It is odd seeing battleships escourting East indiamen, but he is kinda making it work. The main reason why it is good for me is although they still carry 4 units, with only base 4 moves it lowers his ability to fork my cities. He doesn't have easy access to 2 promos without my pentagon or vassalage/theocracy. So my transports with 5 base moves +1 for refrigeration and access to nav1 giving 7 moves are much more threatening. 

Facism is also key - I have the Mount Rushmore wonder up dropping me 50% WW in all cities (better than usual in this mod) which he doesn't have. He isn't in police state either, and has fought probably at least as much if not more in my territory over the war so even if he has jails everywhere he will be suffering like me.

So I am ahead artillery, refrigeration, facism, medicine, rocketry currently and teching faster. We are roughly 1-2 eras ahead of all the others.



But here is the issue. My MFG compared to his. With the recent razing it has narrowed, but it is still not ideal in any way shape or form. I am also half a million soliders behind (but better than the 1.5-2 million at the start of the war!)



Graphs - I feel this shows my relatively improving position relating to taotao.






So lets split this into different areas - the NE area.



I got hit hard here at the start of the war. Blasted accross the divide and then over the mali land. I got a little unlucky in some places but I was always going to struggle here. As you can see some of my decent sized cities are out of revolt now. 

BUT he made a major mistake here. 2 innocent gallleons that were in Kostromia at the start of the turn with the 5 moves were able to get into Djenne. And then insta unload... And wreak havoc.

2 workers taken and size 11 city razed without combat.



Then I retook pskov with a worker steal too. Instant 2nd ring borders back. Then onto the next city and capturing it again for free capturing a worker in the meantime. 

I could have killed the new size 1 city, but I felt this wasn't worth doing. I am starting to feel the WW and I don't want to have any more than I have to have.



note that cav to the SE of Aland has enough promos at combat one to reach mobility and will be able to hit it next turn. I am hoping he will empty that city, although now looking at it he can reach it with units from Staryata Russia. Nevermind. Managed to airlift a few units in too.



My FP city is dead however. I loaded the 2 galleons with most of the troops and bailed on it, which is sad. But it could be worse! Note that Mali are planting in the razes areas. Lots of units in Arkangel now too.



My island to the east is lightly defended, but holding out currently. 



Further to my NE there are a lot of islands. I'm gonna airlift paratroopers out to here and cause him a headache.



The North 

I had much less luck here loosing most of the cities in the first couple of turns. we have been facing off from afar for a while. He just moved his naval stack in. I almost went for hitting it and the person that does with the battleship barrage ability will have advantage. However that spot was well chosen - getting defensive bonus, threatening 3 different cities and in range of 2 cities worth of intercepting fighters. I managed to shoot 2 down for no loss but not damage the units there. Getting good results with my pentagon promos. 


As you can see I stacked the cities. He isn't getting through easily. Also note the western city. I don't think there are units in range but it is hard to know without air units. I think he will probably turn around next turn, as any further he will be without fighter support and I have a couple more naval units able to affect the outcome. If that is the case I think I need to switch units to down south (although a lot of this stuff is now obsolete. Without carriers these approaches are not the greatest however.





To be continued.

[ReallyEvilMuffin]

The SW

Here is where I have had most of my success in the last few turns. It was 2 turns ago I took the hail mary shot as trying to raze all the ships in port with vastly superior air power and a couple of units spare and since then I have been pressing the advantage.

So after that raze, last turn I razed the city ruins seen on the dye below and one just above. Here is where I got a bit weary though. He had used all his defending units to clear out the soliders I had offloaded. So that redlined inf which was the only unit in the transport got a free raze. I then pushed through the battleship he had protecting Gronviks port and killed the one solider (?) left defending it. I decided to keep this because of what was below. Size 26 monstrosity! Worth trying to hold the above city.



And I managed to take it! And clear out those land units too. I don't think anything is in range for next turn. I managed to drop back a transport full of unused units and 2 transports with damaged units. Perhaps he thought the soliders were too damaged to do much?



The 3 full carriers are 100% the reason why I was able to deal so much damage. He was rather light on defensive fighters here which was painful, just the machine guns defending. The good thing is that they were able to launch missions at full range and then double back. They will be able to cover all my south next turn and are safe from attack I believe.



The South 

This now links nicely with the SW. Here I am most concerned. He is spooked about his naval vulnerability stacking a lot of those cities. However if he were to group up all those forces he could attempt to charge me and see what happens. Loosing Novogorod would be game over for me loosing my SoL and pentagon, and where I can put the most hammers into things.

He has been able to re purpose a lot of the units that were defending from my DZ land stack. But rather than focusing here he has been sending some stuff around to the other front through DZ.

See how many units there are there ) O.o



I have a decent amount of units there, but he can direct hit my flat city of Ykatrinburg with enough railroads. I am also cautious with the amount of workers floating around up there now. I have enough to stop whatever he can throw at it this turn. I'm also a little cautious as I spied a GG and a GM/Gsci sitting in the far southwest of my vision. That GG can easily give out a commando unit, which I need to be vigilant of. No leaving 1 unit only in any important city! I doubled up the cap/novo because of that spying. I am pretty well set up to defend against commandos this side, he would need to railroad my cows to get access to me. I am very grateful he has nothing on those hills, as just a road there would make defending here so much more challenging.

Note in my city the 2 17xp paratroopers with access to commando, and tanks coming down from my commando pump. It's certainly tasty.



I'm holding a reaction force here, with all my collateral. Can ride the rails 9 tiles to either front city, and give collateral and reenforce. Mostly older units but a bit stretched now. Had to send a lot of inf to the DZ front after a tank suicide attack.



DZ front

The fresh fight. I have a massive amount of units here, and the cossacks are great at defending vs his cav thankfully. Did get eaten a bit by the tanks though. No obvious immediate threat however lots of potential given that he has access to BGN (forgot to look to see if my deal was accepted when just going in to pause.





I'm light here, these cities have got a few airports here being grown to smaller sizes. Plan was to airdrop units from them, now they might need to big up our defences too! Little bit out there.

[Old Harry]

Nice update, thanks, but I still don't think I can get my head around how big your theatre of war is...

[ReallyEvilMuffin]

Nice update, thanks, but I still don't think I can get my head around how big your theatre of war is...

I had some city shots I was gonna put up. I'll do a couple of far zoomed views circled with where I am referring to the different theatres. It probably is hard for lurkers to keep on top of where things are with how slow things are going.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Rowain]

REM Thanks for all the work you out into the reporting and grats for your great play

I hope you can overcome your family problems.