Quote:
Originally Posted by spillblood
When you have a short border to the enemy with only two to three territories that border on the AI's territories you can also build two to three armies and conquer the whole AI territory in a few turns. It can't react to massed attacks, so it's always easy to defeat.
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Something else I've come to realize is that the very 'bones' of the game lend themselves to lightning-fast blitz conquests. I'm not entirely sure how a person COULD defend themselves well against a competent opponent (human or AI), except by actively pushing forward to hold the initiative. It doesn't take much to humble an empire in WS. It only take a couple units to ruin someone's day.
For example, a RRAF built with eight Fighters and two Air Transports, each loaded with two AA Trucks apiece. Nothing fancy. Not that expensive, but for the jets, and you could cut those down to six. Or five, depending on your risk tolerance. But taken either way, this basic RRAF would have enough speed & reach to cross an ocean, storm a continent, and establish a serious base of operations all in the space of a single turn. Unless the area is heavily defended (which, as established, is not necessarily possible to do), those Transports will get through and - theoretically - have the capacity to seize up to ten territories on Day 1. Day FLIPPIN' ONE.
Being AA Trucks, the seizing units will be extremely dangerous to attack with anything but other ground units - who don't have nearly the responsiveness of Fighters or Bombers. The large Fighter group backing the invaders will also compel any counterattack to be heavily laden with jets itself or AA Trucks. The invader will be hard to dislodge unless you have a serious RRAF floating around in the area, or some nukes you're willing to use on 'friendly' territory. Especially if the invader builds a Factory and goes to town on new units on Day 2. Sure - you're building new units, too, but his will hit the field first, and if they overrun the territory that you were using to build those reinforcements ... the game quickly turns into a race for your rear.
Like dropping the soap at San Quentin.
I had this scenario where I was invading a large continent to the west of mine. Held by Blue / 'Player 5'. I hit with lots of jets & bombers, and in just a few turns, swept most of the turf, except for a small corner to the northwest. My RRAF had broken up a little, since I was pushing hard to seize as much territory as possible each turn. Blue had little left of consequence. The last major military target was a 3-Resource Point hovel with a Factory and one AA Emplacement. I wouldn't have the firepower to take on an AA Emplacement for another turn, but the guy was on the ropes, so big whup.
Big whup indeed.
I hit "End Turn". The AI players start flashing through their usual nonsense. I'm barely even paying attention when "Player 5" gets the green light.
Pop - four fighter units in Factory turf.
Pop - two bombers.
Pop - AA Truck
Pop Pop Pop - Tanks, Infantry, Artillery
What the !?
Blue then proceeds to sweep the northern hold, plastering my semi-scattered units with ease. The AI managed to retake six adjoining territories (including one 12-pointer with MULTIPLE cities in it; cities that it had originally built) and vape 60% of my ground forces in the process. (Blue avoided my air units, who were concentrated for an impending attack in a territory to the east of this action.) I had just about half of nothing between that area and the very southern end of the continent, where AI "Light Blue" was occupying the bulk of my attention. One more good turn like that and I was back to square one. Poof - all progress gone, sucked down the global s#!++@r in the space of five seconds.
It might have gone a little bit differently if I'd had AA tech (had failed six times trying by then at 50% prob.), and it was a very temporary victory, but still. One heck of a turnaround for a 'chump' AI with its legs in the air. On my turn, I sacrificed one jet squadron and carefully rationed the movement of my remaining ground units to retake the lost turf and then some, restabilizing the situation. Blue didn't hold the turf long enough to earn resource points, so when it's turn came back up, there wasn't much it could do. No money, no units. And by then, I had local Factories pumping out grounders and jets. It was all over.
But Blue came dang close - and at a time I had written it off as a dead duck.
The episode made me realize just how narrow a margin might exist between what the game is now, and what it could be with more dabbling. If the AI had replied more forcefully like this early on, and had done a better job of combining its jets with AA Trucks, it would have complicated my efforts considerably. And if Mr. Light Blue to the south had been a wee bit 'proactive' and sent an expeditionary force up north when I was concentrating on Blue-Blue ....