[1v1] UKF vs Wehr / All seemed fine then I lost...

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  1

  VS

  Marguerite d'Anjou

  shoegazer

  seemed fine until...

  by: shoegazer map: Kholodny Ferma Winter

  3

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Hey, this is my first post around here!

Playing this awesome game for a while ~600 hours / ~500 automatch games, mostly 1v1s as allies. I am a totally average player...=]
This replay I give you as a typical scenario of a situation I find most frustrating (keep in mind this is level 6-7 people warfare).
I succeed to have very good map controll until 15 minutes in the game but...hey who cares! He gets ahead with armor (ostwind and a couple of stugs vs my - prematurelly lost - AEC and a Cromwell. All he had to do is skip tier 2 and make some fuel caches.

Any advise on the matter of axis having so many ways to catch up would be very welcome.
The other day I was watching an Imperial Dane cast where the ally player destroyed both the flak and the med HQs but still lost to the KT call-in...!
Does relic love axis too much??

Please note that I understand most of my limitations and my mistakes. I have watched many 1v1 casts and try to implement elements of the top - players game to my style. This has led me to good opennings / early game but often tmes I struggle to turn the early lead into a win. One reason is that I am old and slow to manage many units. The question is if the other reason is that axis have too many tools and are very forgiving for the average player (I play only allies )

I'm not sure if you're asking for a replay review, but since you posted this here I assume so.

You say you know your mistakes and limitations, so I won't mention micro of units. The biggest thing I want you to take away from this game is just retaining your units. You lost squads, where he only lost 1 and it was your stolen vickers. That gave him the edge he needed to comeback from your dominante early game.

2nd part I want you to focus on is usage or resources. Occasionally floated ~400+ manpower. Just spend it unless you're saving the popcap lategame for a specific unit. Anything is better than nothing most of the time. You could've used more MGs to lockdown your territory, or a mortar pit to bleed his grens.

Next you bought an AEC premptivly. The AEC is no longer worth its cost against infantry, so use it reactivly against enemy armor if it appears. Otherwise just go for a cromwell or centaur if you're really far ahead.

Infiltration commandos are more of a shock unit rather then another fighting squad. You want to pop them out near your opponet and get a quick light gammon bomb off to wipe something. Don't just use them to pop out and cap a point. 440 manpower is way to expensive for just that.

I have other tips if you like regarding improving micro, or other general mechanics if you like. Just feel free to ask.

If you have any questions, comments or concerns do not hesitate to ask.

-ShadowLinkX37

I'm not sure if you're asking for a replay review, but since you posted this here I assume so.

Thank you for the thorow reply!
Sure I want feedback on my decisions and mistakes.

I am slow and keep losing squads left and right in the mid/late-game. I fear using the spare MP to create more squads for that reason. I could use the MP for a mortar pit but I had the land mattress in mind.
Very good point about the AEC. Most of the times it's part of my standard build order and I consider it as a way to counter HMGs. I could use that fuel to upgrade my infantry faster and still have a Cromwell out by the 15th minute (or just rush the Cromwell).
Improper use of the commandos in that game is obvious. I try to use them as a shock unit as much as my micro allows me to.

But I feel like despite all the above and since this is a 6-7 level opponent (better than me in many aspects of the game as it turned out), still I had 60-70% of the map and still he managed to have better armor out to negate my advantage. This happens way too often and seems to be a primary reason I lose games. Could you also comment on that?

These days I am trying to improve my micro by using more than just the basic-top row hotkeys. Trying to use them more often for mines, def. structures and more importantly grenades. Which are your most important micro aspects? (just list them and I will research about them).

many thx again

I am slow and keep losing squads left and right in the mid/late-game. I fear using the spare MP to create more squads for that reason.

If so, MGs and mortar pits don't really require a large micro investment. Just plant them somewhere and leave them. You can place an MG in a house, and even if you miss the retreat the MG despawns in the house so your opponet can't use it.

Very good point about the AEC. Most of the times it's part of my standard build order and I consider it as a way to counter HMGs. I could use that fuel to upgrade my infantry faster and still have a Cromwell out by the 15th minute (or just rush the Cromwell).
Improper use of the commandos in that game is obvious. I try to use them as a shock unit as much as my micro allows me to.

I recommend a mortar pit for a direct HMG counter. It is well known that brits lack a mobile indirect source, so try and avoid HMGs as much as possible or flank.

But I feel like despite all the above and since this is a 6-7 level opponent (better than me in many aspects of the game as it turned out), still I had 60-70% of the map and still he managed to have better armor out to negate my advantage. This happens way too often and seems to be a primary reason I lose games. Could you also comment on that?

The primary reason he recovered from your dominante early game was the loss of squads which allowed him to win infantry engagements later as well as the AEC investment.

These days I am trying to improve my micro by using more than just the basic-top row hotkeys. Trying to use them more often for mines, def. structures and more importantly grenades. Which are your most important micro aspects? (just list them and I will research about them).

many thx again

Looks like you are still missing a formal review, so I'll get on that

Btw I'm writing this as I go along watching it, so some comments might reflect on me not knowing what happens next

You start out by building a trench on your fuel point. On this map your fuel point is quite defensive and isolated, so your 50mp invesment might have been better spent on a more agressive placement, seeing how the opponent can't occupy british trenches in the current patch. on the munipoint og northern vp might have been better, but we'll see how you make use of it.

- about 4 mins in you walk your Infantry section straight into the same mg that has just routed your engineers. This makes it easy pickings for the grens. At the same time you seem to have made an outrageously deep push with your vickers in what I can only assume have been a mistake that you overlooked. not only loosing a vickers within the first five minutes, but also handing it over to the germans can be pretty much gg for even seasoned players, as this can often trigger a downward spiral.

I don't know if you are consistently using attack move, but if not then this is something you may want to start practicing

- you might be slightly overfloating your own level of micro. It seems that you try to spread out your troops a lot to maximise capping. This can be good, but only if you are able to keep up with it. Many times you have soldiers standing idle and sometimes not even with in the capping circle. I'm not telling you to blob, but you might consider making more consolidated pushes with your units and focus on a few strategic areas at the time. "Strike with a fist, not with an open hand"

- at the ten minute mark, at the time you loose your AEC, you almost manage to wipe a gren squad with your engineers. But just at the time when there is only one wounded model left, the engineers shift target to the full squad. When in an engagement try to pick your target by pressing right click, then immediately follwed by the "stop" order. This will make your unit focus on that squad until they are out of sight at which point they will stay put pick another target. This is a good way to go for the most vulnerable squad.

- 10:40 ah so you used the trench for spawning commandos That is a decent idea, but I would still have put it further forward. As soon as their gammonbomb misses the grenadiers you decide to split rather than jumping into the trench. the trench give some amazing bonus to recieved accuracy and damagereduction, so you would most likely have managed to push away the soft cover grens if you did this.

almost 13 mins you loose a very wounded IS with pyrotechnics. Until you improve I would suggest that you stick to medkits, as that is generally much more value for money and a safe investment you will always need. upgrading for a fifth man will also give you more time to react to danger before being wiped so this would also be highly recommended. I'm not sure that you have wiped a single enemy squad at this point, but either way you have certainly fallen behind although it might still be hard to feel it.

- 18 mins. your AT gun was far ahead, unsupported and left to fend for itself. I understand that you might have been looking for the stug, but AT guns should never be ahead of the rest of your line and should always be supported.

- You are correct that you managed to harrass his fuel, but he also managed to capture yours on a few occations and unlike you he did not invest in a medium veichle which cost you 120 (60 for teching and 60 for building).

- Your opponent however is completely wrong that vickers are useless! It is arguably the best non-doctrinal mg in terms of raw damage.

It is a bit hard to pinpoint exactly what went wrong, but if I were to give some overall pointers it would be:

- focus more on core infantry (you built 3 vickers and a commando squad which is too much on this map if you don't have the infantry to back it up).

- get healing on all IS and tech to five men so you can keep large and healthy squads that are less likely to get wiped.

- Always keep your team weapons safe and supported, especially your AT guns! loosing a team weapon which falls in the hans of your opponent is double the pain.

Hope this will help a bit and if you are looking for anything else more specific, feel free to ask

I am amazed and in awe from this in-depth analysis and detail in your formal review. Thank you for the time and effort for putting this together. Your points are all spot-on and will definitely be considered and (hopefully) I will improve.

You start out by building a trench on your fuel point.

I will think more of where and when to build trenches from now on.

I don't know if you are consistently using attack move, but if not then this is something you may want to start practicing

Yes I do use it all the time and also que it a lot. But then I keep forgeting who is going where

It seems that you try to spread out your troops a lot to maximise capping.

Oh! I certainly like the way of the pro-players and always try to implement it (poorly for now).

As soon as their gammonbomb misses the grenadiers you decide to split rather than jumping into the trench

Yes but wouldn't it be easy then for the grens to move to the side of the trench where my commandos would not fire back?

get healing on all IS and tech to five men

Yes, 5 men squads gets priority over armor. Getting the tank earlier by a couple of minutes doesn't seem to worth it.

Always keep your team weapons safe and supported

This is a major weakness I have. I keep losing HMGs and ATs all the time. I guess I have to be more defensive with those until I am confident enough to advance with them.

Thanks again. Neither you nor ShadowLink gave a direct answer to my main conceirn that axis is easier than allies but you made me realise it should not be my primary focus

You're very velcome

Yes but wouldn't it be easy then for the grens to move to the side of the trench where my commandos would not fire back?

Only mgs and raketenwerfers are limited by such a firing arc. Infantry can shoot in every direction when firing out of a trench. Your only concern in this case should be if you see them preparing for a rifle grenade.

Thanks again. Neither you nor ShadowLink gave a direct answer to my main conceirn that axis is easier than allies but you made me realise it should not be my primary focus

The short answer to this question would be no. Each faction performs differently, but you cannot say that germans are consistently better. If anything the argument could be made that in the current version Ostheer has been getting the short end of the stick, whilst OKW, Soviets and Brits have some aspects where they overperform