STREAMING ON TWITCH TONIGHT:
@Adam514 and I will be playing @mikawagunichi and @avandoo in a live game of WW2 Path to Victory. The game will be streamed in its entirety, with live commentary from Adam and me.
Adam and I are playing Axis with no bid. Mikawagunichi and Avandoo are playing Allies.
Come hang out. Have a snack. Talk some A&A.
Time: 10 pm EST, tonight.
Place: https://www.twitch.tv/dudewithopinions
@aequitas-et-veritas Cummulatively, we play-tested the map about two dozen times over the course of the last ten days. About half these games were against humans, half against AI. We tested different strategies to ascertain their continued viability in PTV. Some observations:
Russia is a monster, but does not appear to be OP. The availability of land scramble from Leningrand/Moscow substantially nerfs the effectiveness of Italian can-openers in the North. For example, if there are three Russian planes on the airbase in Leningrad, it would only take one Russian infantry to present a meaningful blocker in the Baltic states; The Russian player would have the option to scramble 3 planes should Italy attack there.
We tested Sea Lion in view of the reduced transport costs. Sea Lion remains a viable option but is not OP. In both our Sea Lion games, Germany had a strong start but struggled in the East (while still giving Russia a fight). This is as it should be.
The jury is still out on which strategy is most effective against Russia: Make a beeline for Moscow? Or take a longer route through Russia’s oil-rich south? Or split the difference? Both strategies have been tried with varying degrees of success. Look forward to playing this out more.
In the Mediterranean: There’s too much to say about this for a single, introductory post, but it is noteworthy that Malta’s strategic significance is now accurately reflected in the game. Also, if Italy wants to have the option to press Cairo on round 2 (by stacking Alexandria) it is imperative that Germany land at least four planes in Italy (northern or southern) on Round 1 (they can reach from the English channel). Is no longer sufficient just to stack everything in Western Germany, since Alexandria and Cairo are out of range.
Japan. This is as actually one of my favorite aspects of the new game. The carrier-scramble mechanics, coupled with the positioning of islands on Sea Zone boundaries makes for some exciting cat-and-mouse games. You are likely to see Japan and the Americans sending landing forces from opposite sides of islands in order to capture and keep them. Very evocative of the battle of the Battle of Guadalcanal . I love it. As for strategy, J1Dow has been nerfed somewhat, but is still feasible based on our play-tests. I find that Japan now has a strong incentive to stick close to the coast of China, rather than plunging into it, especially on an early DOW.
Those are just my preliminary thoughts based on the play testing done so far. I’m looking forward to hearing what others think.
Hey hey guys.
Looking for a PTV game. Bit rusty. Go easy.
@farmboy The redrawing of Russia was informed by three main goals: (1) to foster a more dynamic Russian front than simply retreating and advancing two huge stacks; (2) to force Germany to choose between competing strategic objectives, rather than accessing all of them at once; (3) to more accurately reflect geographic realities.
On the first goal, Adam and I agreed from the outset that western Russia needed more territories. We used natural obstacles–namely, the repositioned Lake Ladoga and the enlarged Pripet Marshes–to give Russia more cover for counter offensives, and to give Germany more opportunities for flanking.
On the second goal, we were careful to make sure that a stack of fast German units poised to strike Moscow could not also be in range of every other strategic objective in Russia–i.e., we wanted to avoid the Bryansk/Rostov situation from G40, where Germany basically commands the entire arena from one or two territories.
Finally, on the third goal, it always bothered me personally that Moscow and Stalingrad, in G40, are the same distances from Berlin regardless of which route you take to get there. Geography dictates that If Germany goes south (i.e., under the Pripet marshes), it should take less time to get to Stalingrad and more time to get to Moscow. Conversely, if Germany goes north, it should take more time to get to Stalingrad and less time to get to Moscow. Finally, Moscow shouldn’t be closer to Stalingrad than it is to Leningrad, because in real life, Stalingrad is about half again as far from Moscow.
These considerations are now reflected in the new Russian layout. Germany can reach Stalingrad in six moves, but only it it goes south. Germany can reach Moscow in six months, but only if it goes north. In other words, Germany must choose. This was the goal.
@gamerman01 said in WW2 Path to Victory - Feedback Thread:
I do believe this will make the original board obsolete for many players. Incredible.
Wow. Thanks, Gamerman. That means alot coming from you. Appreciate the kind words.
@CaptainNapalm it is meant to be part of the game. We’ll be issuing an update when TripleA2 drops, to supplement game notes and fix typos etc.
Hey guys. Here’s a game-in-progress Adam and I are playing which showcases some of the interesting scenarios and strategies that have already emerged in PTV. Among other things, note the eastern front shenanigans (airbase in Stalingrad), dynamic pacific, and heroic defense of the western front by the Germans. I feel like the game is leaning towards the Axis, but its still close.
joe_TV_nice_game.tsvg
hey ,if there is wide consensus on a particular tech tree, I’d be happy to try to implement it for you guys as a game option
Hey, all. WW2 Path Victory version 2.0 is now available for download/update on the TripleA download maps page. Here is a list of the substantive changes:
-Corrected objectives panel with correct territory and sea zone names.
-Changed PU marker on Central America to reflect actual value.
-Added German mech to Austria.
-Added two TrueNeutral infantry to Switzerland.
-Removed British infantry from United Kingdom.
-Moved Japanese marine from Japan to Caroline Islands.
-Added victory city to Central United States.
-Fixed Americans starting income to match starting production.
-Supplemented discussion of rules in Game Notes.
-Fix connections between territories.
-Fixed Siberia factory bug to ensure destruction upon capture.
-Fixed guerrilla spawning in Honan.
Please note that downloading the updated map will not affect playability of your existing saves.
Hey, all. WW2 Path Victory version 2.0 is now available for download/update on the TripleA download maps page. Here is a list of the substantive changes:
-Corrected objectives panel with correct territory and sea zone names.
-Changed PU marker on Central America to reflect actual value.
-Added German mech to Austria.
-Added two TrueNeutral infantry to Switzerland.
-Removed British infantry from United Kingdom.
-Moved Japanese marine from Japan to Caroline Islands.
-Added victory city to Central United States.
-Fixed Americans starting income to match starting production.
-Supplemented discussion of rules in Game Notes.
-Fix connections between territories.
-Fixed Siberia factory bug to ensure destruction upon capture.
-Fixed guerrilla spawning in Honan.
Please note that downloading the updated map will not affect playability of your existing saves.
Hey fellow Nerd Herders. We’re happy to announce the release of WW2 Path to Victory v 3.0, available for download now on TripleA. The substantive changes were made based on the results of further playtesting and community feedback:
Sea Zone 6 is redrawn to fully encompass Korea (see image below);
Japan’s “Honolulu, Sydney, Calcutta” National Objective now requires direct Japanese ownership to get the +5 PUs, rather than just Axis ownership;
Tsugaru Strait now permits passage of submarines, regardless of ownership (like Gibraltar).
That is all.
Also, if you ever want to chat with Adam and me directly about Path to Victory, or enjoy live chat during games, please come and join our PTV discord server at: https://discord.gg/kSbeKFa. Adam and I are there most days and eager to hear from you.
Enjoy!
Hey fellow Nerd Herders. We’re happy to announce the release of WW2 Path to Victory v 3.0, available for download now on TripleA. The substantive changes were made based on the results of further playtesting and community feedback:
Sea Zone 6 is redrawn to fully encompass Korea (see image below);
Japan’s “Honolulu, Sydney, Calcutta” National Objective now requires direct Japanese ownership to get the +5 PUs, rather than just Axis ownership;
Tsugaru Strait now permits passage of submarines, regardless of ownership (like Gibraltar).
That is all.
Also, if you ever want to chat with Adam and me directly about Path to Victory, or enjoy live chat during games, please come and join our PTV discord server at: https://discord.gg/kSbeKFa. Adam and I are there most days and eager to hear from you.
Enjoy!
hey Loki. we’re still trying to get the Mod updated to include the 14 cost bombers on Github. Its been a bit of a slog tbh. But there has been some discussion about updating the tech component of BM and PTV, and we welcome such proposals.
@trulpen will add to the next update!
Hey folks! Version 4.0 of Path to Victory is ready for download on TripleA (delete your existing copy of the map and reinstall. The map is backwards compatible with older saved games).
The substantive changes:
Carriers reduced to 1 defense. May no longer scramble to empty sea zones (must be a defending surface warship present - player enforced)
New global victory conditions for Axis. In addition to the existing theater specific victory conditions, Axis can now also win by taking and holding for one round 13 victory cities, globally.
A U.S. marine has been added to Hawaii.
Enjoy!
@simon33 the version numbers have changed in the YAML every time we’ve issue a major update.
You can use the “update” option (rather than manually deleting and reinstalling the map) by simply clicking “DOWNLOAD MAPS,” then “GOOD QUALITY” and then selecting “UPDATES” and it will give you the opportunity to download the most recent version.
@trulpen excellent post. Thanks for your kind words regarding the map.
As for “Lendlease Incentives” vs. “Auto-Mongolia Incentive,” we had considerable negative pushback on BM regarding the more complex structuring the lendlease NO, and its interaction with Japanese/Russian relations. That was one of the reasons we opted to simplify it, while giving Mongolia additional infantry in order to make the incentives stronger.
I do think there has been an increase in DOWs between Russia and Japan in PTV, but i would not characterize it as now the “standard” move. I would estimate that in maybe 50% of the games, there is war between Russia and Japan by the end of round six. To avoid it, Japan has to keep units back, and that is precisely the point.
If further play-testing reveals that it is much higher than 50% or that has become the “standard” move (clearly, the ahistorical move should not be the “standard” move), we will make further changes.
Great feedback.
@wizmark haha very nice. wonder how that happened.
Also, click “View” and “Change Map Font and Color.” I put my font at size 18. Your eyes will thank you!
@trulpen hey, hey trulpen. Interesting perspective. I’d love to plumb your thoughts on this further in a live chat, especially on what you mean by “weird effects.” But I’ll respond to general point, here: based on playtesting and feedback from the community, a consesus emerged that Japan’s positional advantage in PTV needed some nerfing. This was, in part, due to the new carrier scramble mechanics, and the redrawing of islands on sea zone intersections. Primarily, what we wanted to avoid was a situation where Japan could strike out at all strategically significant objectives from one tile on the board. . . and with a seaport, FIC/seazone 37 was such a spot.
The splitting of SZ 38 achieves several objectives: (1) it forces Japan to make a choice between projecting threat on the central Pacific, and hitting India by sea; (2) it allows the Allies to take and hold one of the Dutch East Indies islands by way of a blocker (Sumatra); and (3) it enhances Malaya’s inherent strategic value.
Of course, the revised map requires further playtesting, but my early experience with it has been promising. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this. Hit me up on discord.
@CaptainNapalm “limited to 3 maximum planes” per scrambling sea zone? Hmmm. not bad. Talking it over with Adam.
Also, thanks for the kind words.