Subject: My review of the Third Reich Computer Demo program A review of the Third Reich "demo computer game" by Mark Levy: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is a review of the demo game found on AOL and elsewhere this past May and June of Avalon Hill's computer game version of their classic World War II board game "The Rise and the Decline of the Third Reich". This game is due out sometime in Autumn of this year (1996). What I liked about it right away is how well it kept track of supply issues, and whether or not air/boat counters were already used during the "season" in question. These are items that made the board game somewhat cumbersome to play. I am in favor of having the computer keep track of things like BRP limits, SRs, etc. I found a number of things with the demo version that could have used some better user-friendly features, like an "undo" feature. Sometimes I was half way through an invasion via beach assault, or a army move that didn't make sense, and wasn't able to undo the effort completely (i.e. - the program considered the army or fleet done with its movement, even if it really wasn't). One feature that would be nice to have is a way to set up a game in the middle of a scenario. In other words, place men on the board from a (board) game already in play, or at least written down. This would be a fun tool to analyze situations from past games I have been involved in (sort of like using a strong chess program to tell you what you did wrong, by setting up the board in the middle of a game). But I was most concerned with the bugs, such as the one that locks up the program during attrition combat, when the computer attacker asks a defender to vacate a hex where there is no escape from, which has locked the program up on me twice now. Another concern is that the Italian fleets have never attempted an interception, when it was obvious they should have tried (it is fun to invade Italian beaches without a few army counters lost). I haven't seen an air interception yet either, but that might have been due to the fact that for every turn I have played with the demo game, most air counters were already committed/used by the time an interception might have been possible. The AI seemed weak for some unorthodox moves. The first time I tried the demo, and was able to get it to finish to completion, I scored a Allied Tactical victory by knocking Italy out with a beach invasion right below Rome with British armor, which exploited and then used a BRP Initiatives flip-flop in favor of the allies to easily take out Rome with the help of the French airforce strongly located on Corsica. This was done while Germany was on Paris's doorsteps in the spring-summer of 1940. So, I decided to launch one of my favorite tricks (which I call my Hugo A Gogo manuever) the most recent time I played. Being agressive I set up my Russian pieces to go after Turkey right on the first turn (Fall 1939), even as I was doing the usual standard setup for taking out Eastern Europe. For the British/French Fall 1939 setup, I made it obvious in the Med Sea area that Italy was a definite target, by setting up much stronger there. The demo game must have had some programming in it to worry about these aggressive setups, because after Germany took out Poland in the first turn of the game in Fall 1939, it left Eastern Europe almost vacant (just 12 units, with 3 more in Finland), moving many extra forces to western and southern Germany. I could not believe this, because as is the case in the board game as well, Russia was no longer bound to the treaty that had Hitler and Stalin divvy up Poland, due to a Third Reich game rule about a 20 unit East Front garrison until Germany declares war on Russia. For those who don't know, this rule prevents Russia from declaring war on Germany anytime before (I believe) 1942 in the board game, unless the 20-unit garrison is no longer in place. This rule allows Germany knock off France and most minors before Russia can be involved. At least 99% of the time... A three-front war was about to commence! Russia took out Eastern Europe in its Fall 1939 turn, and I passed on the chance to go after Turkey (a much bigger fish was about to fry). I decided to have the French and British leave Italy alone for the Fall 1939 turn (it didn't look like I would do that by the way I set up), and instead had Britain declare war on Yugoslovia! This Hugo A Gogo tactic is something I tried a few days before while testing the demo game, and was surprised to learn how easy one could use it to set up a massive force right on Italy's unprotected eastern border (near Trieste and Venice). The program has Yugoslovia protect and surround Belgrade (the right move from a Nazi/Italian attack), leaving its beach and Zagreb wide open for invasion and explotation. It is obvious to any human player that if Britain is declaring war on Yugoslovia, that beach must be defended. Only a beach assault is possible... So, I invade and ignore Belgrade (I am go-going to Italy), and suddenly I have a ton of Brits ready on Italy's unsecured eastern border (with German forces just north of us), and I decide to end my allied attacks, and I build just enough to cause a BRP Initiatives flip-flop in favor of the Allies for the Winter 1939 turn. With SRs and builds positioning a horde of Russians in Eastern Europe, with SRs preparing Britain for a second (1940) Med Sea invasion, this time the target being the east coast beach of Italy near Rome. So my attacks for the Winter 1939 turn begin. Russia declares war on Germany, and gets to go with the Allies at the start of this turn. France declares war on Italy (mostly to save on BRP for rebuilds that will be needed by the British, since they are doing most of the work), and the fun begins. I use mostly attritions and passes for Russia and France, since they are running low on BRPs, but I use the offense option for Britain on the Italian front. I overrun Poland and the Prussian forces, and because Berlin is so weakly guarded, I have one Russian armor division right on eastern border. It will be hard for Germany to push Russia out, thanks to all the 1-replacement units Germany had surround Berlin, which will cause the German some stacking problems later during their attacks (they can't SR out because Russia has forces next to almost all of them). It is a very successful Eastern assault, and the Western front stays stationary and well defended for the Allies turn. Meanwhile, the Italians are in deep doo-doo. Air units are being wiped out or used up during counter-air attacks. Armies are just walking right in from Hugo and taking over Trieste and Venice, and the armor from the Hugo invasion joins this turn's Italian invasion armor to make a serious bridgehead/exploitation area two hexes away from Rome. The allies end their attacks, and build/build/build, using SRs to again position them well for the Spring 1940 turn. Due to the fact that all three allies are now in the war against Germany, the BRPs they have at the beginning of their next turn are enough to avoid a flip-flop of the Initiative back to the favor of the Axis. It might be another bug, because I am not sure whether Russia used to be allowed to have its turn at the same time as Britain/France in the Winter 1939 turn, according to what I remember of the board game. But hey, I wasn't about to complain, having Russia go twice in a row (end of the Fall 1939 season, start of the Winter 1940 season). Furthermore, the Axis computer player should have used the Yugo armies to harass my forces that were in Hugo as a staging ground, instead of giving me free reign once it was obvious I wasn't interested in attacking Belgrade. But I digress. What happened in the Axis turn in the Winter of 1939 was proof the AI doesn't working well, at least for Germany. Italy couldn't do much to my British forces except attrition, and that didn't do much damage. The computer later sent German forces down to help protect parts of Italy, but not around Rome where it should. This left Rome wide open to an armor explotation attack in Spring 1940. Meanwhile, the German army rolled through Denmark, Luxemborg, Belgium, and the Netherlands, as if it was no big deal that Warsaw was about to fall (it was surrounded), and Berlin had Russian troops on its eastern border, as well as an exposed northern border (which you could not SR or build into due to the proximity of Russian troops). Yeah, they were able to conquer those countries they usually do, but they were not defending the capital very well in the Winter of 1939. So the Spring of 1940 comes, the allies get to go first, and all 3 take offensive options (the British & French in the Western & Med fronts, the Russians just in the Western front). I also have airforce galore ready to (a) counterair the Germany air machine, (b) help make Berlin a 2-1 attack from Russia and its new airbases right on the western Polish borders with Germany, and (c) to counterair the Italians as my British armor there goes for a 2-1 attack into the mountains next to Rome, then a 1-1 explotation attack into Rome. Every attack was successful enough to topple Berlin and Rome, as well as set up armor to slow up Germany forces on the eastern French borders, as well as Russia taking Warsaw and blocking some Germany advances with an armor on the western side of occupied Berlin. Italy lost a few counters in some other attacks by the British & French, and Luxemborg is back in the hands of the French as well. Not much rebuilding and SRs are necessary (most of my the forces are still there, even my 1-1 to Rome didn't lose anything, and other loses were not severe). Italy really can't retake due to the massive hits and armies in the south out of supply, but Germany can probably get a 1-2 or a 1-1 shot at Berlin, I figure. However, in their Spring 1940 turn, both axis powers wander aimlessly, and no attacks are attempted, and their pieces start disappearing off the board, and the war is over. I have just achieved a decisive allied victory! Being a programmer, I hope they are still working on the source for the production version. Not everyone is going to be pleased with the AI the demo version of the game has. However, it might be a good game to have with human players, with the computer keeping control of the things we humans sometimes disagree about.... marklevy@ny.frontiercomm.net