August Digest #3

SurrounDead

Picked up a Charger car like Mikey the auto trader. Found it at the Longdown Raceway circuit, north of the Observatory (see map image below). Was originally sorting out an infestation south west of the raceway in an off-road discovered. On my way back I then spotted this unsearched area and decided to have a closer look. And came across the cars. 

Was not expecting but happy to grab it and a second jeep. 

Unfortunately the front of my base is now overcrowded with autos. Can't help myself with collecting them as I'll pick up any auto I happen across. May need to expand the parking base because sometimes the vehicles will respawn everywhere. A game glitch perhaps? 

Current base is a property for sale just north of Whitewood and therefore within close reach of the Valley Safe Zone with its main traders.

There's a second permanent Safe Zone in the north not far from the Observatory but it's limited in regards to traders - just the one. But it is well populated by other friendly survivors. 

The third main trader location is the shipwrecked ship far to the north-west on the river, not far from the main port. It has a number of traders but it's not like the main Valley Safe Zone. 

Of course, there are also the many single traders who have permanent trading locations scattered all throughout the valley, generally off-road and out of the way. There's Walshie's Vehicular Shop on the road south of Whitewood near the bridge in the middle of the valley, Trader Joe (eastern edge of the map), Trader Bob (south), and Wilson's Shop (north-eastern edge of the map). 

As it stands, I don't need to visit the traders any more anyway as I'm pretty much self-sufficient nowadays. Loads of stockpile stores and equipment as well as capable of creating all my own ammunition except rocket ammo. Only reason to visit is to build up my cash and credit reserves. 

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Iron Nest - Heavy Turret Simulator

Saw a WOWS YT streamer tonight (Tuesday) playing this and instantly downloaded the demo. Played the calibration mission, and I was immediately hooked. So now I have bought the game.

Playing the game. Setting is an alternate dieselpunk Iberian country. Repeated the Calibration mission then started and completed the Fire and Light mission. I enjoyed it, especially the calculations. Stopped thereafter. Next mission is Liberation of Cuidad Real. 

Figuring out the white chalk pencil. Got the red and yellow figured, as well as the compass. But the white does not generate bearing and distance like the others. 

Your living quarters downstairs has a cat (who can be customized) as your companion along with the usual creature comforts - coffee maker, kitchenette, toilet, shower, bunk bed, map of the country.

Completion of missions provide you with achievements and vouchers as well as other rewards such as a LP record. The record player is upstairs in the gun-plot room in a little alcove behind the left gun. So far, am only using the left gun. Right gun will no doubt be unlocked as the missions get harder and harder. 

The game is simple to pick up. The steps to get the gun firing is easy to master. What probably trips you up will be the calc-ing and instructions. In other words, pay close attention to the instructions. 

But it's very early days. And everything so far is basic stuff.

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Wednesday saw me jump straight into Iron Nest to resume the campaign. Next mission was Liberation. Followed it up by doing Skirmish - Chill - Uncontested Front. This one you can repeat as many times as you want. Then I finished off the session by tackling Counter Battery. 

This one was a tough one because the game introduced the counter-battery threat for the first time. After two failures - slow reactions and disorganised both time - third time proved the winner. 

Ensuring all the information gathering assets are programmed into your calcs - aircraft recces, spotter/recon reports, star shells, etc. But it was more luck on my part than actual skill if I'm being truthful. Completing it however now allows me access to two more missions (see bottom image). Iron Road looks the more difficult so will tackle that one next.

It's stated but it's also obvious: READ the instructions from High Command. Be clear on what's required. 

Don't always accept the reports from your field scouts as they can be inaccurate. Air recon is more reliable and quite important plus the flyover provides useful photo intel. Meanwhile star shells give both direction and distance that needs factoring in adjustment calcs.  

Glory to Castile!

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August Digest #2

World of Warships

A new Tier X Japanese destroyer became available through bundles. Fuyutsuki. The total sequential bundles (they increment by one crate per sequence) in order to claim the ship for 1 credit is ten sequential bundles. The eleventh bundle will cost just one credit if you haven't already scored the ship. Or fifty-five crates. Or close to fifty thousand doubloons if you want to grab the entire lot. 

Chances are the same per sequential bundle with the ship dropping on the fifty-second drop. The sales pitch is that each crate contains three items but one is your usual "either/or" kind: "either" you score the ship "or" you receive resources instead. Of course the chance of the ship dropping is 2% which means you're more than likely to score resources unless you get "lucky". It's all stated in black and white so there's no hidden agenda apart from it being an obvious gamble. You just have to decide whether you want to spend money to improve your gambling chances.

I purchased just three sequential bundles because I still have doubloons from my compensation for a premium ship I scored last month. I paid for six crates (three sequential bundles). Did not score the ship but got some nice resources. 

And that's it for me with regards to committing further to this event. 

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Was wondering what happened to any accumulated Battle Pass points earned after claiming all the map sectors. Well, in the last area, there is a part where you spend your surplus BP points (as shown in image below). It's a set amount of economic bonuses and sigs and the occasional credits or coal.

And that's pretty much it. Mystery solved. Worth it? Not really. More grinding than the previous Event Pass. Up to you if you feel that way inclined. After seven years though I'm kind of jaded and a wee bit over this change for change sake. 

Anyway, checked out the devblog regarding Update 15.8 (September). It reports the return of the popular Festive Rewards (snowflake) event which will also run in conjunction with WG's 11th Anniversary festivities. 

A new ship is available as a reward - the Tier X Japanese super cruiser Kurama. It will cost 11,000 Festive tokens to purchase. It sits alongside several other rewards - mainly new crates - that look interesting enough. Will check them out more closely later. 

New Operations missions changes, especially with the introduction of lower-tiered mission. Primarily Tier II to IV will get a chance to play Operations. I believe WG is introducing this as a way for new players to learn the game rather than get overwhelmed or being seal clubbed by more unscrupulous players early in their WOWS "career". Also some changes to certain existing Operations mission, particularly Operation Killer Whale. 

New Dockyard event that I will likely pass on. Marlborough B is the reward. I have the original and played it a fair bit back in the day. A bit excruciating to be honest. Lots of guns but piss-poor penetration and weak armour. Poor gun angles too. No smoke. Unless they've buffed her, I don't see the point. I've not played Marlborough since its release.

TIP: With the Festive Rewards event, it's set up in two main parts. Part One requires you to play a ship. Let's say I choose the Tier V Kamikaze which I am currently assigned to upskill my Tier IX Kitakaze captain. I am required to earn 200 base XP in the Kamikaze. Let's say I achieve it in one game. I chose a Tier V ship because it's the lowest Tier that requires the least base XP earning. If I played a Supership, for example, I would need to earn 600 base XP! Go cheap therefore. 

Once I completed the first part, the next part kicks in. I now need to earn 1,000 base XP to unlock the snowflake reward. The size of a port fleet dictates how many snowflakes drop. The more ships in a port fleet, the more snowflakes drop. Pretty straightforward. For argument's sake, let's say I have over seven hundred ships. But first I have to earn the 1,000 base XP which I manage to complete in five games (because I choose to play Co-Op it will mean more games). This unlock seven snowflakes which I can now exchange on any port ship. Say I want to spend all seven tokens on my Tier X ships. At 125 tokens per Tier X ship, that's a total of 875 tokens earned. Or I could choose to spend it all on my superships which will net me a nice total of 1,400 steel (200 steel per supership).

Choose the battle mode to get your snowflakes faster. For me, it's sometimes Asymmetric. But I don't mind Co-Op because I'm not in any real rush or feeling competitive. Sometimes I will jump into Operations (depending on the specific mission though and your involvement) for a change of pace and variety. 

Like I've said many times before, I don't play Randoms (toxic), Ranked (boringly repetitive), or Brawls (not interested unless it's special exotic events like the Big Hunt or Transylvania). 

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SurrounDead

Tonight (Thursday) I happened to pass by the Tropical Resort and confirmed that there is no direct access to the roof from the riverside facade. In fact, once you reach to the top hotel floor, that's it. 

I posed the question online and one of the solutions offered by reddit was to be "creative" and use modular stairs to reach the roof. There was also information that some have already tried it and discovered there was nothing up there anyway. Furthermore it was also reported that the developer(s) are not planning to do anything to change that situation any time in either the near or distant future. So, those responses pretty much closed that adventure down apart from wanting to try the "creative" approach just for a lark.

But now that I have a Barrett rifle I can now make use of the military laptops looted to hunt down Coyote forces and take them out. Which also means exploring Redacted areas more closely as well as the Underground Rail networks for other desired items like a rocket launcher. Answers on reddit claim it's locatable but is very rare. After all, why have rockets as loot if not the launcher? Just have to be persistent as well as patient, I guess. 

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So I went back to the Tropical resort today (Sunday) with the express purpose of reaching the roof. I had prefabricated a quantity of modular stairs and half stairs. After a short delay, I was able to reach the roof from the top hotel floor.

Found an abandoned high tier crate still attached to its chute. But it was inactive meaning I could not open it. Like the good camper I am, I removed the stairs on my way back down so not to leave any trace of my being there. 

Now for that elusive rocket launcher....!

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Frederick II of Prussia

Currently slow-reading The Army of Frederick the Great by Christopher Duffy (2nd edition, The Emperor's Press, Chicago, IL, 1996).

Several times I've noted certain traits by this well-regarded "Great Captain" of history leave me underwhelmed or turned off. Such as his inability to admit he was wrong at times even when facts state otherwise. But then the fog of war does that often when evaluating great leaders.

The author and historian Duffy covers Frederick's entire war career from the First Silesian War 1740-42 through to the War of Bavarian Succession 1778-9. Which is a good thing because it reveals Frederick's development as a commander. 

I know of his fame as the developer of the Oblique Order of Attack which he displayed most gloriously at the Battle of Leuthen (1757) when it all seemed to come together perfectly. Yet there is more to why he is considered one of the "Great Captains" of military history, and why it is justified. 

His bias towards other non-Prussians was both a revelation but also unsurprising. A unified Germany as we know it nowadays back in the eighteenth century was not a concept. And it would never grow into the movement it became in the nineteenth century. 

Frederick's antipathy towards Saxony (and vice versa) seems surprising given that both countries shared a common language and yet be so opposed to one anther. But the Austrians also spoke German and yet were also long-time enemies of Prussia.  

To me it seems the groundwork for Frederick's system of war was laid by his predecessor, his father, Frederick William I, who built and presented his son with a well-disciplined and well-officered army that was the fourth largest on the European continent behind Austria, Russian, and France. Frederick William I also initiated the cantonment system whereby every Prussian region could field a trained reserve when needed. And quite often Frederick II was grateful for this ready reserve and his father's foresight.

Alongside the generous subsidy and reinforcement supplied by Great Britain when it eventually allied itself with Prussia, Frederick was able to instigate his various wars for so long despite the large losses. Certainly the armies of 1741 differed considerably to those from 1763 in terms of quality. 

I'm just over halfway through the book. Enjoying the read so far. 

It has certainly continued to pique my interest in the period that has endured for a very long time. 

I like the period for many reasons of which the colourful uniforms, the linear combat, the developing cavalry and artillery teeth arms, and growing improvements in musketry are just some of the positives. You could also say the "gentleman" style of warfare has an appeal too enticing to ignore. Something deliciously ironic watching "civilised" men in their perfumed wigs and walking sticks advancing on one another with murder in their eyes. Yet still behaving civilly once it's over. :) 

It certainly doesn't have that grandeur or the epic feels of the great battles of the Napoleonic era like Austerlitz, Borodino, or Leipzig though. Same colour and same expansive involvements but there is a distinct and different vibe between the two periods as far as I am concerned. 

I guess that's partly explains why I finally ended up buying Master of Command although I enjoyed playing the demo game and wanted to explore it further in greater depth aside from playing the Prussians. Maybe it will also somehow inspire me to complete my tabletop paper armies in this period, and help diminish my growing bucket list

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August Digest #1

World Of Warships

Surprise today (Monday). Received seven Supercrates as part of my seventh year playing this game. From the supercrates, I scored useful resources but sadly no ship. Not complaining though as I wasn't expecting this bonus at all. 

Finished the Battle Pass event last week. Now I am wondering what the surplus Battle Points will yield, if anything. The old Event Pass surplus rewards once you finished the event were the same: a crate of blue economic bonuses and a quantity of signals. But with this Battle Pass event, once all the rewards are earned, what is there to spend your surplus Battle Pass points?

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Master of Command

Purchased the full game last week. Haven't played it since purchase however. For now I will continue playing the demo in order to master the remaining two commander levels - brigadier and marshal - for their own sake, and no other reason apart from mastering the game itself. Once accomplished only then will I move on to the full game.

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SurrounDead

Use the pick to clear rubbish. A trick I picked from a comment on one of Jingles' playthrough vidz the other day. 

The other day (weekend) I went to the Longdown Valley Resort in search of the abandoned loot crate which I had missed when I took out the zombie boss and loads of zombies. After searching the first two levels fruitlessly at first, I eventually discovered a way up to the upper floors via a rope ladder from a crashed helo. Upon searching the upper floors was I able to then locate the abandoned high tier crate.  

Did not go to the roof as I couldn't find a direct way up after discovering the high tier crate. But I didn't really searched hard enough and so I'm believing there is a way up to the roof. It only makes sense given that the roof top is quite often one of the last refuges for those fleeing the zombie infestation. 

Went down to the basement though firstly. Nothing much there apart from large washing machines and a couple of rooms and the elevators. Perhaps I needed to use the elevators which I ignored initially? 

From the resort, and beyond the bridge (near Whitewood) at the road juncture near the local cop shop a military supply truck will spawn randomly in the same spot. That's when you encounter a bandit team looting it. And this group will be more than the usual four-man team you occasionally come across. More like seven or eight-man.

Make sure to identify the bandit boss first as he has the laptop plus keycards. Kill him, then drop the others. The Lechie sniper rifle comes in handy for this task which is handy as the bandits react real quick once attacked. 

Am still keen to locate the 50-cal Barret rifle however because I know how seriously damaging that weapon can be. Plus I want to detonate one of the unexploded bombs but from a safe distance. 

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Went back to the resort yesterday (Monday). Was unable to find a way to the roof of the resort. Elevator was inoperative. No way from this front entry side (that I'm looking at in the above image) but maybe there is a way up from the opposite side (riverside) that I haven't located yet. From my viewpoint below I could see what appears to a rooftop structure (penthouse maybe?). Spotted the railing in parts looked broken. So, something happened up there. Definitely a mission.

Mr Whippy Ice Cream truck vendor had no Barrett for sale unfortunately when I chanced upon him not far from Bucky's Gun Shop. 

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Picked up a Barrett rifle today (Tuesday) not by design but by accident. It happened while ridding Grain Valley town of a bourgeoning zombie infestation. The rifle was part of the infestation loot that included several other named and legendary weapons. 

Tested it out once back in my base by visiting Whitewood township and testing it out on zombies. Took down a zombie boss with just two 50-cal rounds! Whoo-ee! Now to find that bomb to detonate...but from a safe distance of course. 

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July Digest #8

 Master of Command

Tried once more to complete a campaign in Colonel mode. Got a few breaks to begin with (firstly chose the Hannover theatre which gave me a steady supply of reinforcements every time I visited a local town). And I was able to upgrade specific units fairly quickly. 

Then faced off against the enemy HQ army which had more infantry and artillery than I (5 and 4 versus 5 and 2). But I was compensated by having greater cavalry than my opponent (my 4 to his 2). 

But first I took on a few encampment enemy armies (with slightly higher numbers) to sort my tactics out. The first image is of the final battle but then next one down is of the preceding battle against an encampment army.

My final army consisted of four brigades - one of artillery, one of cavalry, and two mixed infantry (one fusilier and grenadiers and one infantry including a British Foot auxiliary). Made sure my artillery batteries had gabions to provide some cover as I deployed them in the open for the final battle. 

Next level now is General mode. Should be interesting. 

Stats for this campaign/battle

Points of note: This campaign was fought against the French in Hannover. Of the various units opposing mine, I found the Irish Grenadiers and the Diesbach Fusiliers to be consistently very good units. Had to stack the attacking units in my favour (usually cavalry supported by infantry or double cavalry assaults) to even have a chance against either unit.

The enemy Hussars need to be shattered to fully defeat them. Otherwise they will employ hit-and-run attacks continually against your men which can be annoying and wears your unit down pretty fast. So shatter them good.

Using the quartermaster items (like tobacco and coffee) initially helps until you get better quality items like sword bayonet hangers, quality saddles, gaiters/knee-high boots, greatcoats, blanket rolls, and so on. This improvement in items improves the fighting quality of your troops. 

Artillery benefit from gabions and chevau-de-frise which provide cover and offers some degree of protection so when they appear for purchase, grab them.

Horse for cavalry. Light cavalry benefit from Steppe/Polish horse because they are both swift and tireless. Holsteins and one other (name eludes me) are steady and reliable and suitable for dragoons while cuirassiers ride the dark black horses (Friesans?) because they're solid but slow. Of course, specific saddles and blades accompany these different cavalry branches and aid in improving the fighting quality of affected units. The higher quality the blade the better in a melee (naturally).

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July Digest #7

WOWS

Saw another YT WOWS streamer talking about the latest WG offering - Battle Pass. Streamer said it was basically a con designed to get more game play for pitiful rewards. Which is how I first saw it. Even though I've since participated, I still believe it's a waste of time. More grinding for less rewards is his summary of it. 

Return of a favourite WOWS streamer. He's recovering from cancer. What I like about him is his skill plus the fact he explains play at top tier level. Like tonight I saw him in the latest Pan-American Tier X battleship Sete de Setembro, the same tier but a next step up from Libertad. I enjoyed his video because he took time to examine those playing with him and discussing their behaviour in-game. Easy to dismiss your fellow teammates especially they appear to be playing badly. The streamer examined their motivation and background and clarified why they appeared to be playing badly. I like that from someone skilled enough to take the time and make the effort. 

He brought up a valid point about new players jumping straight into top tier PvP game with ships gifted to them but with little to no practical in-game experience to justify playing such gifts. Like the Izumo player who was a veteran of just three games who chose to sail away from the fight from the start! Or the Montana player who learned all his skill in lower tiers and suddenly made the jump to top tier yet performed ineffectively by hanging back when his build implied he could take the fight to the enemy. 

Noticed the WOWS wiki has now been updated to bring it in line with WG's current outlook publicly. Which is about time given it's never been given a makeover since I joined back in 2019 apart from occasional updates if at all.

Continuing to play real badly in Le Terrible. No idea why I am terrible in this ship. Its 8 km detection range certainly doesn't help. Not having smoke or hydro also is a bummer. Its gun boost is meant to assist but it's short-timed and doesn't impact that well. I tend to die pretty early on whenever I try to push in as I get focus fired upon by everyone on the enemy side. I've played quite a few terrible ships but I have to confess this is the worst ship I play. I suck at it big time. 

I am planning to switch the commander whose skill level I am upgrading to another ship, either another DD or maybe a cruiser.

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Accumulated Battle Pass points do carry over. Should have a little accumulation by Thursday. 

The Italian subs are now available for upgrading if you have the Free XP and credits to do so. I do, but I saving my Free XP for my first Research Bureau double grind which I still am reluctant to attempt for some reason. Will wait for Christmas and hope Santa drops a few sub crates then. 

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Continued my commander upskilling today. Fortunately I did enough to collect the daily coal loot crates and thus avoid playing Le Terrible. Leaning towards playing either Siroco or La Galissoniere. Or I could restore the commander to his assigned ship - Jean Bart - and run him in Asymmetrics or Operations. 

EDIT: Ended up going with De Grasse. Same Tier V ship as Siroco so cheaper in terms of economic bonuses spent. Will still play Le Terrible but only occasionally and with its original alloted 6-pt commander.

Affondatore is available soon as part of the Salvage event. Seen a couple of YT WOWS streamer previewing the ship. But if you don't want to fork out when the Salvage event comes around, you can wait until Update 15.9 (October) when it will be released as a Tech tree line ship. It's a supership so the price may be steep for some.

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Thursday saw me play for the Daily coal crates and all the Battle Pass points on offer. Bought a Festival package (AUD3) to dip in the Wishing Wharf. The new Salvage event kicked off today but did not examine it closely dismissing it out of hand as you do when burned often enough by WG and its fake claims. 

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Friday saw me take a closer look at the Salvage event. Initially dismissed it as a waste of time believing WG was up to their usual sneaky ways of extorting money from its playerbase. Well, was I wrong (not unusual for me, i.e. quick to condemn on hearsay) because upon closer examination I soon realised I could obtain this supership by exchanging a quantity of coal and credits (image below).

Exchanged a total of 250,000 coal and 100,000,000 credits and scored Affondatore. I could have waited till its release later on this year. But I had spare coal and credit sitting there accumulating. Weak justification is I only have twenty-six ships to go before reaching my terminal goal. Plus I would have had to spend valuable Free XP to gain the ship. Rather spend coal now instead of Free XP. 

Played Affondatore to obtain the daily coal loot crates. Yeah, it does okay at long range most times. Certainly destroys ships with less than half health or even two-thirds healthy with one salvo from its sixteen guns. 

I like the exhaust smoke (which masks you from enemy ships) and SAP ammo (instead of HP). Unfortunately I'm a sap at using SAP which supposedly makes this ship so OP according to those in the know. D'oh!

Slow to move when stationary. Air defence is okay. Bow and stern turrets fire independently of one another. Eight forward and eight stern guns give good coverage. Slow enough reload but manageable. 

How did this fortuitous circumstance arise?

Initially I was checking out the Personal challenges, part of the Salvage event. I was wondering why it was now exclusive for in the past Personal Challenges was open to most or all Battle Modes. But here in this event only participation in Random, Operations, and Ranked counted. In exchange for scoring 500 BASE XP (increments in difficulty each time you reach the target), you scored 1 Salvage token plus coal. And you need 100 such tokens to earn the ship. Or at least 100 games which is an effen hard grind if taking this arduous route to the reward!!

This then led me to examine more closely the Salvage event and that's when I made my happy discovery. Certainly enjoyed the short and different grind from per usual upon playing this vessel. 

Glad too not be grinding in Personal Challenges for Salvage tokens. Grateful to have had the necessary resources for exchange. A good Friday. Now on to Master of Command and the final battle. 

NOTE: This Update also sees the return of the Star Trek event from last year (?). For some, you can now complete the Collection. But for others, like myself, who've already finished the Collection, the tiles will compensate you 15,000 credits. Given I've spent 100 million credits for Affondatore, this credit collection helps...a little.

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Sunday grind was brief and straightforward. Waiting for the New Jersey which is supposed to happen in Update 15.7 (August). Scuttlebutt assures it is New Jersey which will please a lot of USians but meh for the rest of the world. 

EDIT: Further scuttlebutt is that modern ships are being introduced into the game. It's already happening with several post-WW2 ships already in the game (Affondatore, Karl XIV Johan, Vanguard to name just a few). 

Some time back, they introduced a battle mode where ships featured missiles. Expect that to return (modified of course) as the game moves into the Cold War era where Soviet vessel did make a greater impact than they did during the earlier wars like WW1 and WW2. Maybe then the devs will tone down their obvious Soviet bias.

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Master of Command

Played the Thuringia campaign today (Tuesday). Slowly getting the hang of the controls.

Securing the campaign objectives is easy enough. Once done, then it's time to face the enemy HQ which will outnumber your forces and contain all three teeth arms. So having artillery is a handy assist but not necessarily critical. I do like that this game teaches you how to support one another as when launching a cavalry assault you should always have infantry/artillery backing up. And vice versa. 

It pays to upgrade your units as quickly as possible to max their potential. 

You can change the appearance of your commanders - hair, face, clothes, etc. The same applies to units including uniform facings and flags. If that's your thing, go for it.

Campaign objectives are really side shows between the real purpose which are the battles. 

Terrain plays no part other than visual eye candy during battles. Terrain does not impede, hinder or penalise movement. Which is both ridiculous and bizarre.

Viewpoint is omniscient so sneaking about is not a thing in this game. But that's to be expected. 

I would like to see what the full game offers.

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Today (Wednesday) I jumped into the demo game to run another campaign. Still liking the game. But wondering if the full game increases the maximum number of units per brigade. Demo only allows four units per brigade. You can have as many brigades as you want though it will cost you. 

Campaign terrains are seeded which implies lots of different terrains available. Currently playing a Russian campaign where I am opposed by Russians everywhere!

Earlier I finished the Pommeranian campaign and I squeaked home in the final face-off with the enemy HQ in the Battle of Tornow. For a while there I thought I would lose it as I was outnumbered. And I lost a few good men too as the score progress shows (units/commanders with white flags signify lost/routed/killed). Won it with four units and my first brigade commander Moritz Anhalt-Dessau leading. Two lifeguard infantry units, a grenadier and a canton volunteer unit. 

Prior to the final show-down I had been slowly building up my force's strength and potency. Made sure they were kitted out correctly in terms of weaponry and essential equipment - ammo pouches, footwear, gaiters, bayonets, etc. Realised the "extras" like tobacco, crosses, bibles, doctrines, haversacks, ramrods, etc., are fine when starting out. But they're not essential as you upgrade your units into their specialisations. But if you do want them because they do add bonuses, you can always buy more inventory space in the particular unit's profile (bottom left in image above). Default when you start is three inventory spaces per unit.  

Presently begun another campaign after the victory at Tornow. However it's at the next skill level up which is Colonel-grade. Been playing the demo at Major level (beginner) since I started. Each increase in playing level is meant to be more difficult than the previous one. There are two higher-up levels past Colonel as well as one for complete customisation. 

Always keep your victuals well stocked. As they say, an army marches on its stomach. And everywhere you go on the map you expend food. 

Match the horseflesh to the cavalry type. Not too hard to figure out. 

Don't know if it only applies to this demo game, but the enemy will always attack you. So barriers like stakes or cheval-de-frise or having an entrenching tool seem irrelevant or a waste of time. But it might be different in the game proper. 

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So I logged into the Demo game today (Thursday) to play out the current campaign. Trouble is I forgot to increase my troops while traipsing the countryside completing the side missions. And now because the timer's run out, I'm about to face the full force of the enemy main army (part of whom is shown below prior to battle commencement).

For this final confrontation I will be facing four enemy brigades comprising nine infantry, one cavalry, and three artillery units. 

I have three artillery, three infantry, and two cavalry units in two full brigades. Not sure how I am going to deal with this apart from placing my cavalry on the flanks and concentrate my artillery against where the enemy will advance. 

Earlier I had been taking on the enemy smaller forces wherever and whenever I could in order to boost my loot tally. Below shows my last victory before the final battle.

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Friday. Played the final battle. Unfortunately for my Prussians, I lost. 

And I lost twice. Because I started a new campaign in a new theatre of operations and new foe. But once again, I failed to get enough manpower in time to be able to face off against the enemy HQ army who moved real fast to contact me.

Playing at the Colonel level at the moment. Major level is basic and fairly easy but designed to get you familiar with the game system in terms of mastering logistical management and time. 

As stated previously, there are several levels and one custom level. 

Came close to winning in my latest defeat, and seemed to be doing great, but my guys got exhausted - plus the enemy simply had too many fresh units to throw into the fight - and eventually broke of their own accord which quickly spread to the rest of the army. Only unbroken unit by the end was my supply wagon! Lol.  

The more I play, the more I am likely to buy the game.

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Yeah, struggling to complete the campaign mode at Colonel level. Get to the final battle but I either don't have enough manpower or my tactics suck. But I will persevere because if I suck at Colonel, how will I fare at Brigadier or Marshal level? 

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