It's Friday! Are you STILL off?!

[Marty Ward]

So I finally took a few turns in Strategic Command: WWI - Breakthrough in the First Balkan War campaign (begins 1912). I have the difficulty level on easy to learn. So far I am enjoying it, I must say. Even on easy the AI is making, what seems to me, intelligent moves and I am able to grasp the different phases of the game. It is similar mechanically to Commander: The Great War, and even without music is still rather immersive.

Anyone have any advice on how to get the most out of SC:WWI?

I love that game. I've played every scenario from both sides. Here is what I learned.

The game is about morale. Every loss causes a drop in your morale and certain things can boost it, like sinking a naval unit or conquering a country or taking a city.

If you are playing a campaign the best thing to remember is you can't advance everywhere until you build up your forces. For the CP I would recommend leaving the naval alone except subs. You can lose a lot of morale fast losing BB's and CA's. Subs will need tech to survive so you will need to invest.

For the Allies try to stabilize the front then build up and attack. The CP can hit you hard early but later you can wear them down by attrition on 3 fronts.

Heavy artillery and shells are key. You can take any square you want if you have them. I tend to research Inf, Art, Shells, Trench Warfare, Production, Infrastructure and the other one that build up your industry as soon as possible. I usually leave Air and Naval alone until much later in the campaign. I almost never research Intelligence, Air Ships or motorization.

Attrition is the best way to drop the enemy morale provided you can get the better of it. That is where Artillery comes in. Blow them out of their trenches and assault.

It's better to keep units in being than to build them from scratch so try not to lose them completely but replacements cost so try to make the enemy build up lot of units each turn.

Remember that Russia also pays for Serb replacements so to wear them down attack both at once if possible.

The Brits support Greece and I think Romania so you can wear them down too if you can get to their allies.

Germany suppports all the CP minors so use them wisely.

Austria can actually get quite strong if Russia can by blunted early so don't let them just sit back and only fight one country at a time. Italy, Russia, Serbia and Romania can all make Austria spend.


Send Brits to the ME and you can beat the Turks with some Russian help.

France only supports France so eventually they can get on almost equal terms with Germany in the West and cost them a lot. The Brits and French can field more artillery than Germany can so eventually they can get a big advantage and cause a lot of casualties.

As Germany you can use unrestricted warfare if have a good morale advantage. You can completely cut off GB from overseas production and it takes a while for the US to get over up to tech speed but their entry will boost Allied morale and reduce yours so if you are way ahead in morale then do it, if not then use you gut to decide.

Austri can keep Italy out of the war forever by ceding territory but it costs a lot and just seems wrong. I never give it up but it's your call.

[Grim.Reaper]

So I finally took a few turns in Strategic Command: WWI - Breakthrough in the First Balkan War campaign (begins 1912). I have the difficulty level on easy to learn. So far I am enjoying it, I must say. Even on easy the AI is making, what seems to me, intelligent moves and I am able to grasp the different phases of the game. It is similar mechanically to Commander: The Great War, and even without music is still rather immersive.

Anyone have any advice on how to get the most out of SC:WWI?

I love that game. I've played every scenario from both sides. Here is what I learned.

The game is about morale. Every loss causes a drop in your morale and certain things can boost it, like sinking a naval unit or conquering a country or taking a city.

If you are playing a campaign the best thing to remember is you can't advance everywhere until you build up your forces. For the CP I would recommend leaving the naval alone except subs. You can lose a lot of morale fast losing BB's and CA's. Subs will need tech to survive so you will need to invest.

For the Allies try to stabilize the front then build up and attack. The CP can hit you hard early but later you can wear them down by attrition on 3 fronts.

Heavy artillery and shells are key. You can take any square you want if you have them. I tend to research Inf, Art, Shells, Trench Warfare, Production, Infrastructure and the other one that build up your industry as soon as possible. I usually leave Air and Naval alone until much later in the campaign. I almost never research Intelligence, Air Ships or motorization.

Attrition is the best way to drop the enemy morale provided you can get the better of it. That is where Artillery comes in. Blow them out of their trenches and assault.

It's better to keep units in being than to build them from scratch so try not to lose them completely but replacements cost so try to make the enemy build up lot of units each turn.

Remember that Russia also pays for Serb replacements so to wear them down attack both at once if possible.

The Brits support Greece and I think Romania so you can wear them down too if you can get to their allies.

Germany suppports all the CP minors so use them wisely.

Austria can actually get quite strong if Russia can by blunted early so don't let them just sit back and only fight one country at a time. Italy, Russia, Serbia and Romania can all make Austria spend.


Send Brits to the ME and you can beat the Turks with some Russian help.

France only supports France so eventually they can get on almost equal terms with Germany in the West and cost them a lot. The Brits and French can field more artillery than Germany can so eventually they can get a big advantage and cause a lot of casualties.

As Germany you can use unrestricted warfare if have a good morale advantage. You can completely cut off GB from overseas production and it takes a while for the US to get over up to tech speed but their entry will boost Allied morale and reduce yours so if you are way ahead in morale then do it, if not then use you gut to decide.

Austri can keep Italy out of the war forever by ceding territory but it costs a lot and just seems wrong. I never give it up but it's your call.

One thing I remember from the demos was the game turns by the AI seemed to take very long...is that still the case?

[Sir Slash]

I played the demo and the turn times weren't too bad. I can echo undermining enemy morale by killing their fleets. Russia at the start sometimes will send theirs out into the Baltic and as Germany sinks the main Russian units you can see the morale hits they take. Also if England can cut Germany's supply line to Sweden with subs or naval units, Germany will suffer big time in Production Points.

[Gusington]

Thanks for the above Marty, very helpful. Right now I am playing the smaller Balkan War campaign so the AI turns are not taking too long at all.

This week the temperature here is supposed to drop below zero and there are a couple of snowstorms on the way...so I am thinking of properly restarting COH2 as well.

[Bison]

Ended up playing a few hours of Distant Worlds this evening.  Started a pre-warp human civilization and have really been enjoying the relaxing nature of the game.  It's been a long while since I last played, so I'm pretty rusty.  Just and waiting for my colonization tech to be researched so I can expand and ramp up my economy.  Money is a major issue right now to building a fleet capable of cancelling my pirate protection contracts.

[Toonces]

I reverted to a save in Skyrim right before I chose the vampire questline in Dawnguard.  From what I can tell, the two questlines are essentially the same after the very first part.  I did the part where you fill the chalice and the whole vampire thing was just getting old already.  I really am more of a vampire hunter than vampire lover.  Now, if vampires could stand for Good and Right then I might be more interested, but I'm just not into the whole evil thing.  That's hard for me to role play, no matter how hard I try.

So, I finished the cup quest and then reverted to a prior save and took it back up as part of Dawnguard.  It's been a year since I played the quests so it should still be pretty boss.

Once I finish that I'm going to solve the Skyrim Civil War as an Imperial this time, then finish the main quest and then, finally, get on with Dragonborn DLC that I bought like a year ago!

[JudgeDredd]

I've been playing some Saints Row IV - much the same as the previous version, but still enjoyable jump in and kill crap. Kind of set in some sort of "Matrix" world with aliens...so I'm not sure I like the setting as much as the previous one with different gangs - but still good old fashioned shoot em up fun

[undercovergeek]

I stayed up til 3 to get some arma III mp action on over at sim hq - loved it

Now - not feeling so good, mmmmmmmust sleep, but first kill the libyans in rome II

[Martok]

I've been playing some Distant Worlds: Shadows, BOTF, and a little Crusader Kings 2. 

[Sir Slash]

I've been in a life or death struggle with the Averni as the Suebi in Rome 2(they started it). But after some big fights, I've managed to turn the tide against them and now closing in on their last city. I want to see if they'll ask for peace or go quietly into the history books.

[Gusington]

Once I get COH2 out of my system I am [finally] going to start a Rome II Radious mod campaign as the Iceni.

As far as Skyrim, I didn't enjoy the Dragonborn DLC that much...I just didn't like the island setting as much as the base game and the areas of Dawnguard DLC. "Finished" the game a couple of months ago after about 150 hours put in, which is nothing compared to some of the other guys around here.

[Sir Slash]

I started an Iceni campaign and found it to be a bit boring. All the Briton factions have the same units and after polishing-off the enemies to the west, nothing happens. Nobody likes me well enough to trade and nobody hates me enough to declare war on me. So after the plague hits one of my cities, I begin to build a proper conquering army and my scouts show me everybody in Britain already has 20 unit armies and building more. I haven't even gotten to 10 yet.  :-[  So nothing to do but recruit the same type troops and watch the world go by while I wait. The Suebi are in it up to their Naked Warrior butts right from the start. More my style.

[Bison]

Well my fledgling human empire just got crushed by rampaging pirate hordes.  Note to self: I need to build multiple fleets.

[Gusington]

Way to dash my Iceni-dreams...

[Sir Slash]

Maybe you can do better than me Gus. The Iceni need some Druid Death-Dealing units or Dragons or at least some Skyrim-like castles. ;)