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Ok, first serious game after a whole load of learning. Started a campaign from the Italy scenario, Naples.

1- Now What Do We Have Here?
Southern Italy has very little Ore and Coal deposits, and scarce Oil fields. To top that, we start with a lack of electricity - nothing too serious, but sure does get on my nerves.
Unemployment's high and inflation low, a small and outdated army and navy and shabby research capabilities complete the picture.

2- Money, Money, Money
Now, I know my navy's gonna be practically useless: even if massed, it can't possibly imagine to stand a chance against the superior Milan navy (already tried that before: got wasted by a swarm of Otomat Teseo antiship missiles). So I decide to put it entirely in reserve and use it as a bargaing tool in striking deals with Rome, and sell off whatever is left. After that, I'm gonna shut down and scrap every single sea pier or port in place to save on maintenance.
Speaking of that, I'm also gonna scrap Palermo HQ Military base and Cagliari HQ: being on islands, it'd be hard to transport land units on the mainland via (no more existent) ships or aircraft... not counting they risk to be shot down by the Milan navy. Sardinia and Sicily are gonna keep only an airstrip each.
Electricity problems will be solved by building an additional Hydro Power Plant near the pre-existent one.

3-Putting The Plan Together
There is neither time nor money to build a technologically decent force to whip Milan's rear. Our OOB'll be integrated by light research (Kormoran air-to-ship missiles, FARP Crew, Milan-3 AT, Centauro AT, Heavy Supply Trucks) and trade for weapon designs with Rome (Skyguard Aspide Mk2, MIM-23 Hawk). To do that, Naples HQ needs to be upgraded to Large Military Base and another Large MB's building near Foggia. Then, as soon as critical research's been done, I'm gonna scrap the R&D Center to save on costs.
Since the bulk of the fighting'll take place on Rome's northern border along the Po river, I'll send strong, non-mobile units to reinforce critical areas (teams made of Garrison battalions with 155mm artillery, Hawk batteries and Milan-3 AT, and possibly a supply truck). In reserve, engineers, M113 APC's and LOTS of Light Infantry, backed up by some Palmaria self-propelled artillery, Aspides AA and Centauro AT... and maybe some tank units.
Milan navy in Genoa should be a big deterrent for capture: I think I'll crank out some Hirundo ASW helos loaded with Kormoran missiles and try to snipe Milan navy from a distance. Speaking of that, does the FARP Crew act like a 'portable helos-only airstrip' or what?
Now to build full alliance with Rome ASAP. Shouldn't be too hard

Any thoughts / suggestions?

1. The army you start out with should be enough to invade Rome and take at least half their land including the capitol before you have to stop and regroup.

2. Tax 100%, social 0%(except for 100% infrastructure), 0% research spending. Build up the stockpiles you need prior to the war, but you will want to attack in the first 2 weeks of the scenario.

For the Milan navy, just bate their ships using patrol boats and they will waste all the missiles on them. Also, make good use of your subs since they can take down ships rather well and are immune to missiles.

Keep your bases on the islands, and the ships to move the units to the mainland. Having a higher production of military units as Naples is going to be key in victory.

Also, don't scrap your piers since if I remember correctly there are a couple of oil platforms which need piers/ports to supply them.

Just build a whole lot of low strength mech infantry and swarm the enemy before they can build up. Once you take the military base near rome you should have more than enough production to overtake milan.

Speed is key.

I was thinking of going for an alliance with Rome... bleed myself dry against them's a risk, if Milan attacks at the right time it'd be able to overwhelm both of us with ease. Btw, I tired a sneak attack with submarines, but they got quickly wasted... tips, anyone?

Did you attack ships with a good ASW attack? If so, pick on something that can't attack subs...

All I can offer I'm afraid.

Milan won't be able to make it past Rome's northern defenses, it is a dumb AI. We played this in multiplayer. Me as naples and my ally as Milan attacked rome. Milan never made it more than 10 hexes south and I took all of rome and met milan on his own territory. From there it went to stalemate, until my superior production began to turn the tide. You can take halfway up rome and and not worry about Milan. Capture Roma and the military base there and build up if you need to.

The AI doesn't make good enough use of its units to be any real threat to you. You can take land and hold it while you rebuild if you need to. Meanwhile, the AI will have its units sleeping about its military bases.

If you take too long in conquering them however, they will build some impressive stacks which will be harder to take the longer you wait.

well when me and u played MP i made it a whole lot farther in Rome. then we went at it oh well.

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In war destroy everything even the livestock.

Well, you started making it further south once I started in on their rear lines after having taken 75% of rome.

Besides, I said 10 hexes which is a good distance in. I think Rome isn't more than 40-60 hexes north to south though I can't say I have actually counted it.

Ok, just finished the game. Rome stole my Unification victory by 1%.

I probably waited too long for Milan to attack me, which never did, and that did cost me big in the end as I didn't have enough time to build loyalty in conquered Padanian lands . So I declared war on them, but Milan and Rome remained in peaceful terms, which was a big plus since I had safe supply routes and FARPs.

Now, the massed assault of APC's and Light Infantry worked well enough, even if I must admit I had forgot completely about bringing up some bridging units to cross the Po river. Which forced me to go up into Northern Italy from the West only.

Tactically speaking, the Hirundo ASW with Kormoran missiles laid waste to the Milan navy: taking off from the FARPs near Genoa, and with support from two 155mm artillery batteries placed in high ground, they quickly destroyed every single surface unit they came across.
Btw, I really really need to discover how to make units call for supply when out without running on their own. Had to bring individual Chinooks back and forth to every single spearhead I worked with.

Garrisons with artillery, AA and Milan-3 AT in urban terrain make a very good work of keeping others at bay. More if Overstrength, and even more if trained in Urban combat

All in all... fun scenario. I'm gonna use the lessons learned here to start again in South America (NO damn Unification votes for me! )

One quick point.

The AI will not declare war on you unless your borders are touching.

Which is why you could have your way with rome and not worry about milan until the last minute.

... now I feel depressed. This definitely needs to be corrected in the next update.

Problem is, the AI doesnt know how to use a navy, and also doesn't know how to use transit treaties with allies.

@for Caleb367

Scusa ma tu dove l'hai trovato il gioco?

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konan

@konan:
Regalo di un'amica americana

I just played the first part of a campaign as Naples. I spent a few months building up to attack Rome, raised taxes real high, lowered social services, built some Timber, Water, and Power to ease off that trade deficit. Managed to take all of Rome before Milan attacked, and got about half of Milan before I had to stop.

My Navy was done by the end of the scenario, and my army was mostly Light Infantry, supported by a few crappy tank battalions, and lots of Palmeria SP Arty. Had to hold off on going after their three big urban areas on the northern border, because Milan likes to hole up in them with everything they got, and I couldn't afford to prolong the fighting--was broke as hell by this point, with Inflation at -53% and employment over 90%. Luckily, the re-unification vote came around, and I won, and Milan capitulated.

Now I'm playing Italy in the Europe scenario, everything went back down to manageable numbers, but my unemployment keeps climbing even when I raise social services back to respectable levels. Building craploads of industry to back off the trade deficit, damned near all my army is in the reserves, and I'm going to try being peaceful until I can get some kind of advantage over my neighbors.