This Campaign Is Crapping On Me, Need Tips

[Paheej]

So, this game is pretty awesome.  The art style is incredible and I love the sprites running around, reminds me of the old days of Red Alert 2 with the Sprites running around dispensing justice with extreme prejudiced against your foes.

 

Anyway I've decided to do the Confederate Campaign first and it took me six tries to get any condition besides Major Defeat.  I've read through the guide and even watched online videos of people playing the first mission.  It looks like this link: 

generated the best results.  Although from a cursory review of forum threads the union has seen major buffs since this video was done.

 

On my sixth try I managed to beat Arriving at Gettysburg with an Epic Victory against the Opportunistic AI (that's the easy one for you who never play besides the hardest difficulty).  A link to the victory image is here: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=727280554

 

For those of you who hate links, summary is:

Union Losses (AI): 2800

 

Confederate Objectives (Me): Oak Ridge, Oak Hill, Seminary Ridge, Herr's Ridge

Confederate Losses (Me): 3777

 

Basically I got lucky by outflanking my opponent by placing infantry brigades east of Oak Ridge, when the Union Army was able to identify my units I saw it re-positioning its artillery units, as soon as I realized this I moved all units directly into the Union army in the technical term we call "the bum rush."  Not wishing to allow my units to engage his rear or flanks the AI retired from Seminary Ridge and fled Southeast through Gettysburg proper.

 

So my questions are:

1. Should I continue my campaign with this result, or is the loss of 1,000 extra men this early on day one too untenable of a position to succeed?

 

2. On Day One, Battle Two, there is a metric asston (greater than crapload but less than a fuckton) of Union Soldiers already on the field.  I am assuming I should wait until I have artillery superiority before attempting to advance against the enemy forces onto the two victory objectives.  Is this the correct assumption?  Or should I simply wait out the entire afternoon slowly chipping away at the enemy forces with artillery fire.

 

3. When advancing against a Union fortified position . . .

A. Should this every be done from a frontal position?

B. Do I need to move up my infantry units, then run up my artillery units, then set them to canister, then charge after the enemy is reloading?

C. Do I need to do wide flanking maneuvers behind hills so the enemy cannot see my troops move, or does the AI know/predict my unit positioning?

 

4. Jesus molester union volley fire shits on confederate troops.  Do I need to fix enemies with tier one infantry and then frontal charge with tier two infantry?  Or does my charge always need to be on the flank?

 

Things I am pretty sure I know:

1. Put the artillery on hills or gaps in your line that allow them to have LoS and cover.

2. Don't charge constantly.  Try to have morale above 25% when charging and condition above 50%.  If possible try to get as close as possible to the enemy before charging.  If possible have your general around to boost that morale.

3. Set units in a safe area near the general but not on the front lines to rest.

4. Don't send units to do things are on their own.  They should have at least one battle buddy brigade.  And preferably some artillery support and brigades to watch their flanks.

5. Use the elevation tool (M).  I leave it on all the time.

6. Don't run unless you have a really good reason to do so.

7. Tier 3 units are awesome, use them at your plan's critical point.  Try to shoot the Union tier three units with shell's or canister.

 

However I will take any other advice anyone can give me.  Such as "git gud", "stop sucking", "you're terrible", etc.

 

[Gael]

Paheej,

 

Upon playing the full battle probably 30 times and starting the opening scenario about 180 times (at least it feels like it  ), here is the Southern strategy I suggest (verified it again yesterday against DETERMINED AI):

 

1) the opening battle for McPherson's's Ridge is the most important event that shapes the rest of the 3-day battle - follow Lee's orders and DO NOT set off a major offensive engagement - be very patient and do not chase after the Yankee skirmishers all over creation only to have the regular infantry and artillery show up and give your troops a bloody nose by the end of the first battle.  Take and hold the McPerson woods - be patient.  DO NOT be afraid to have your units retreat west off the top of McPherson Ridge, and then later come back over it when there is a tempting target that you can WIN against with infantry and artillery.  If you can't win the individual fight - fall back to a good defensive position and regain your strength. Confederate units designated HOLD in woods and/or hills can be very difficult for the Yanks to charge and dislodge.

 

2) Check with the LTG Hill counter every so often to look at the friendly-enemy "kills" numbers - you are doing good to keep the numbers fairly even - if they are lopsided to the opponent, you'll likely never catch up and get thrashed ... 

 

3) Play defense at first in each part of the battle until you have battered them with your troops in good cover and high ground - cannons firing shell and especially canister are wonderful if you are the one dishing it out (but not receiving it).  

 

4) Do not rush out in all-out attack or firing line unless one of your brigades is in a stand-up firefight, and then run another brigade up and fire into his flank or front - 2:1 odds are wonderful in racking up numbers of the enemy - if he precipitously retreats, then fall back into your defensive position(s) and watch for the next opportunity to pounce

 

5) conserve your artillery - do not take losses - especially early - conserve the numbers of guns and numbers of troops 

 

6) Do NOT fiercely contest the point positions on Seminary Ridge during the first battle unless the opportunity is just too good to pass up and just walk in!  The reasoning here is that you wish to get into the next phase with fairly strong infantry brigades and artillery units, and wait for Rodes' Division and Early's Division to come straight down from the North - with Rodes fronting and pushing I and XI Corps, and Early's troops coming down and swinging into the back-side of the Yankees - AIMING to surround with all the still-strong Southern units and grind down the I and XI Corps brigades into fleeing fragments that run off the map never to reappear 

 

7) The POINTS positions on Seminary Ridge are like magnets to the Yanks, who will hold to the last on them.  This is the reason 6) is a tremendous opportunity for the ANV to surround - where you have to - and knock out Yank units while racking up casualty numbers.

 

8) Aim to go into the 2nd day with most of your infantry and artillery units still strong - play defense with your artillery backed up by infantry.  Use a strong or all-out counter-attack when the Yanks are beaten back in their attacks  

 

9) Use the defensive-offensive strategy to best advantage when playing as the Army of Northern Virginia    -- all-out attack is fun when winning or trying out a game early on, but can quickly turn into disastrous defeat that one can seldom recover from - you start off out-numbered and it will take a lot of self-discipline to make up for this deficit, but it can be done

 

10) the 400 Heth skirmishers are interesting in that if at the beginning you send them off after the northern group of Devin's vedettes they can end up near or preferably ON the 750 point location - the AI goes nuts and will send skirmishers or Cutler or Iron Brigade after them - play cat-and-mouse AND OUT OF RANGE and they might send 2-4 units after them - then skedaddle up thru the woods and back to your own lines.  ---- I have tried a number of times to send them on the southern route to the Seminary's 2500 points and then play cat and mouse, but I usually end up suddenly losing 75-90% of them if I don't have very-careful timing and pull them out of there before the skirmishers, vedettes, and I Corps turn them into mush. 

 

Great game - have fun and success!   

 

                   --Gael

[Gael]

Paheej,

 

A couple more thoughts:

 

1) Attacking artillery units - attempt to go after an isolated artillery unit with a brigade - march toward it - when almost within rifled musket range, RUN your brigade halfway to the artillery unit, HALT, and fire - this should knock the stuffing out of the artillery unit if it is out in the open - RUN halfway once more, HALT, and fire - this should decimate that unit while suffering acceptable casualties. 

 

2) If you see a brigade fleeing directly past the front of one of your brigades - CHARGE if at all possible, as the fleeing brigade is not capable of defending itself, and this racks up bigger numbers of casualties for the enemy side.

 

                      --Gael

[Jamesk2]

Hi Landsmen, I'm posting a guide to play the first campaign as Confederates. Make sure to check it out.

[knorki]

I played the first time the campaign with the Union. I thought i did very well, but the result was kind of shocking

 

The first two battles i got "Epic Victory", then a few "Minor Victory" and just one "Draw" and no defeat. 

 

Can someone post their result? I'm just curious how the game evaluate the outcome. Are the decisions between the battle scenarios maybe a factor? Because i choose everytime defensive options.

[ariete]

first, couldn't be than rebel!

i plaied aggresive, trying to capture the most strategic points i could.

in the complex, always major victories.

 

 

i'll try with the union ...

Edited October 16, 2016 by ariete

[Gael]

Ariete,

 

I am finding that the final casualty count is MUCH MORE IMPORTANT than the terrain point scores.

 

Whip the opposition and surround/eliminate - or push the opposing forces off the playing field to rack up big scores of them.  I won a Decisive Victory this week as the ANV racking up ~46,000 AoP casualties while suffering ~16,000.  The terrain points will accumulate more and more quickly as the AoP is destroyed.  It doesn't seem to matter WHEN (during a present scenario, or the following scenario) the point positions are captured

 

During game start - opening scenario - one thing can help if one is the Army of Northern Virginia - Heth's & Pender's Divisions - is to put everyone back up the hill into the woods and DO NOT attack.  One game opening scene I ended with ~350 casualties and the Yanks had about 550.  (I always target Calef's battery first and reduce it to 15 troops which knocks it out of action for the rest of the game.  Otherwise it can really rack up the casualties against Heth's units.)  With the ANV at full strength, wait during the 2nd scenario for Rodes' and Early's Divisions to attack from the North and THEN have Heth and Pender attack from the West.  This will allow the ANV to start attacks at 2:1 advantage and allow some flank attacks to occur. 

 

As the Yanks desperately hold the point positions, swing the arms of the ANV around the Yanks around these ridge-points to surround them.  They will disintegrate in a short time.  Then push with all you can to gain Cemetery Hill points.  After this in all scenarios, the ANV does NOT have to attack but first play defense with good terrain and all your batteries, and knock the Yanks silly.  Once a good portion have run away in confusion, then move forward and push them back.

 

I realize many playing ANV want to attack Big and Little Round Tops, but they only chew up troops with little or no reward.  Defend and THEN attack other portions of the battlefield when you have the Yanks back on their heels and fleeing.

 

Ariete, I realize you are playing the Army of the Potomac, so you will have to use the above as a bit of insight and adapt to your army.  As the Yanks - play defense and knock the ANV units backward, and then go onto the offensive, taking all those batteries with you.

 

If you spy a single opposing battery, I always run an infantry brigade toward it, and hit it twice with musket fire to pretty much knock it out of the game.  After the first shock of massed infantry fire, the shattered battery will take time to recover and reorganize which gives the attacking brigade time to reload and fire to crush it.

 

Good luck!

 

                --Gael

 

 

by the way, by winning greatly as the ANV, one does not have to go to Washington right away with all those forts with the huge guns.  One will then be poised to threaten DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia (big manufacturing center and port), or New York.  The capture of any of these on the coast will cut the rail and barge supply lines to DC and the AoP, and likely cause the capital to be abandoned ...