PvP Observations - Much Fun!

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PeTeTe809
Corporal
Posts: 4
Joined: Oct 07 2017
Human: Yes

PvP Observations - Much Fun!

Post by PeTeTe809 »

Seems like multiplayer in this game is one of those 'parts' that people don't do a whole lot of, the reasons for that is another topic. The topic for this one is what I've found out.

I'm part of a small community of avid videogamers who are a fan of grand strategy games particularly those involving nation building of some sort, like Europa Universalis and Hearts of Iron. At least when it comes to that sort of game we like to foster some conflict between the players, we don't intend to get overtly competitive but we leave cooperation for other types of games, like ArmA, Men of War or Wargame. Supreme Ruler was a nice addition to our repertoire of common games we play and as all we do we decided to do a bit of PvP.

We've agreed to play every Saturday, Afternoon EU time and Midday US time, and setup a small scenario for ourselves. As a prelude to that we have been doing some test runs and the gathered observations are pretty interesting.

Image
Korean DMZ 1950

A player will smell the air of bad intentions wafting their way and prepare accordingly, buy an arsenal beyond what their country should have and use it against you. Taking your time building your country up before arming and modernizing the military into the model army you wish will leave you vulnerable.

Fronts must be guarded with a credible force in numbers, quality, positioning and defenses. Choke points will only shift the battlefield to another dimension in most cases, sometimes a new battle zone will become the front. Combat is deadly, the attrition rate of quality units when pitted against similar units is high, your model army will quickly be reduced to an armed rabble. New units will often be completed too late to replace the old ones or be of practical use in the war, continuously purchasing new units from foreign nations will deplete your treasury in a matter of months.

From these observations a few lessons have been extracted.

Your starting force with which you was confident and able to handle most AI's simply does not cut it. Warfare is attritional, cheap and durable units with the most punching power will be your frontline, this means infantry in trenches backed up by artillery. If you can built more sturdy defenses the better. Your good units should be kept behind, not in reserve but ready to make the tactical moves and knowing when to use it.

There is a certain counter game to the combat, high end submarines will annihalate most boats, but will die to patrol aircraft which in turn fall prey to fighters but who can be hurt by ships with anti aircraft weapons, said ship however will die to high end subs. There are many chains of counters like this, some longer than others that aren't used properly when playing against AI.

All this has made me wonder how much more of these sort of things have you guys encountered in your PvP forays? Please share your thoughts.
golden.pole
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Posts: 104
Joined: Jun 15 2010
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Re: PvP Observations - Much Fun!

Post by golden.pole »

Did you guys set up any long-term MP game yet? I'd be interested in playing.
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Cdiplayer
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Posts: 430
Joined: Aug 21 2012
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Re: PvP Observations - Much Fun!

Post by Cdiplayer »

I think the most significant PvP engagement I've had like this was with a friend of mine in a long term (30+ year) long Shattered World game. I was Michigan and my friend was Ohio. We built our militaries up to absurd levels, and heavily fortified our borders. In 2030 war broke out and after intense fighting I quickly seized the city of Toledo thanks to my superior air force. My friend had focused more on building a strong bombing force, i had focused on a strong fighter force. I quickly established air superiority and then used bombers of my own to punch through his lines. After about 6 weeks I broke out of Toledo and began flooding into Ohio proper. At this point my friend mobilized his massive reserves of militia, foot infantry, and MANPADs and gradually halted my offensive outside of Cleveland and Columbus. Over the next 5 years, despite round the clock bombing, and round the clock offensives, I was not able to penetrate further. His massive horde of crappy infantry held against the onslaught of my professional army, and began taking higher and higher casualties. After a further 4 years both of our nations were nearing bankruptcy and so we were forced to agree to a ceasefire.

This ceasefire held for a mere 2 years before Ohio declared war on me and began a massive foot infantry offensive that resulted in extremely high casualties for Ohio, but also a breakthrough. The Ohioans managed to fight their way north to Toledo over the next 5 and a half years at which point I once again unleashed the full might of my air force to defend Toledo at all costs. I held Toledo for 2 years before the losses became so high that I was forced to withdraw from my entire defensive line along the Michigan Ohio border. I left behind a token force which Ohio smashed through very rapidly, and within another year they were pushing north east towards Detroit. I defended Detroit and the surrounding areas with cheap artillery and militia units in addition to the garrisons.

After about 8 months Detroit fell, and at this point I unleashed the rest of my armed forces in a last ditch offensive south east towards Toledo, with the aim of cutting off Ohio's army inside my territory. My friend was caught totally by surprise, and 90% of his army was caught in the "Detroit Pocket". In only about 4 weeks I was able to retake Toledo, and most of southern Michigan. I then slowly choked the Ohioan army to death while I rapidly advanced into Ohio, reaching within one hex of Cleveland and Columbus in 2 months. Over the next year I totally destroyed Ohio's army in the Detroit Pocket, and then spent one more year slogging through Ohio, as my friend, even though he knew he was beaten, insisted on fighting for every village, every farm, and every house.

This is the longest PvP engagement I've been a part of, and it devastated both our economies. By the end I think that any of my AI neighbors could have declared war on me and ground me into the pavement simply by virtue of their superior economies.
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