G40 Balance Mod - Feedback Thread


  • @simon33 said in G40 Balance Mod - Feedback Thread:

    I think they make gamey, unrealistic, outcomes. It’s like a deliberately created loophole, exactly why should USA be able to snipe out the garrisons? Also, they don’t make the game more dynamic IMO. They in fact make the decision to go after India as quickly as possible more clear. I also think that

    Interesting that there are a couple of people that like the rule. I just don’t quite follow. I’d probably only hate it half as much if USA couldn’t bomb the infantry to create guerillas, but even so it still feels like a retrograde step back to Risk where you couldn’t allow the last unit to leave.

    The logic of the guerrilla rule is manifold.

    First, the historical justification for the “sniping” as you call it. US involvement in mainland china war was primarily air support, and logistical assistance to native combatants. The guerrilla rule allows the US to have a role in supporting China that doesn’t involve boots on the ground.

    Second, it slows Japan’s China crush, and helps simulate the difficulty of plunging deep into and maintaining control of inland china. It also creates an in-game justification for Japan cleaving closer to the coast, which is historical.

    Third, from a gameplay perspective, it aids in balance, and presents more strategic choices to both sides.

  • '19 '17 '16

    FWIW, the air support is already modeled by the flying tiger. And wrt Japan sticking to the coast, they already have an incentive for that with the inland territories all being 1IPC.

    Anyway, it is what it is.

  • '19 '17

    China is too weak without that rule.


  • Does anyone else think that if the axis attacks on turn 1 or 2 they are much more likely to win than if they attack on turn 3 or 4? If this is a true statement and not just my imagination is there any way to balance out the game so that the axis can get an income boost IF they do wait till turn 4 to attack.

  • '19 '17

    Part of BM’s goal is to add more viable options, and in that optic the difference in effectiveness in the DOW is balanced enough that in-game decisions by your opponent are enough to skew the optimal DOW turn. As part of the BM team and having played over 100 BM games and with a vast vanilla G40 experience, I can’t affirm what DOW turn is best.


  • @Adam514 I think BM is fantastic and helps balance out the game and adds many more viable options. But I’m not talking about optimal attacks. I suppose you can look at it that way. But I’m not looking for which turn DOW is best. It just seems to me that if the axis wait till turn 3 or 4, or let’s say that the longer that axis wait to attack, especially turn 3 or 4, the more likely it is that the allies will win since they have more time to build up their fleets, and forces and take those money islands from japan.

    Does this seem true to you?

  • '19 '17

    It doesn’t seem true to me. J4 is usually bad, but not always.


  • @Adam514
    When is J4 not a poor tactical decision? Or more importantly how can you make it work if sealion does not work?

  • '19 '17

    G4 Sealion, UK DOW on Japan.

  • '19 '17 '16

    @Mursilis said in G40 Balance Mod - Feedback Thread:

    Does anyone else think that if the axis attacks on turn 1 or 2 they are much more likely to win than if they attack on turn 3 or 4? If this is a true statement and not just my imagination is there any way to balance out the game so that the axis can get an income boost IF they do wait till turn 4 to attack.

    Are you talking about in the Pacific or in Europe? If you’re talking about either, waiting until turn 4 is pretty suicidal - except in the case of UK DOW as Adam said. Even then, it may be advised to reduce USA income by attacking Guam and/or Philippines. Depends on what it unleashes in Europe too. J1 DOW is somewhat different to G1 DOW.

    @Adam514 said in G40 Balance Mod - Feedback Thread:

    China is too weak without that rule.

    Sounds like a value judgement to me.

    @Mursilis said in G40 Balance Mod - Feedback Thread:

    @Adam514 I think BM is fantastic and helps balance out the game and adds many more viable options. But I’m not talking about optimal attacks. I suppose you can look at it that way. But I’m not looking for which turn DOW is best. It just seems to me that if the axis wait till turn 3 or 4, or let’s say that the longer that axis wait to attack, especially turn 3 or 4, the more likely it is that the allies will win since they have more time to build up their fleets, and forces and take those money islands from japan.

    Does this seem true to you?

    In general you’re correct IMO. Axis have neither a starting unit or income advantage so they need to capitalise on their superior starting options. If they let these fade away, they should then go on to lose. G2/G3 don’t have huge differences in most games though. G1 & G4 are radically different. J2 is just a weaker version of J1, J3 is quite different, in part because German fleet can reach the Med.


  • Is there a plan to add some value to the few smaller islands that have no game value like the Fiji islands? Do we just keep ignoring that those exist or make them worth 1 ipc or make owning gilbert islands, fiji and johnston islands worth 3 ipc’s or 5 ipc’s to the japanese?

    Just wondering.

  • '19 '17

    Most are included in NOs.

  • '19 '17 '16

    Wow. That’s true. Only the French islands of Madagascar and New Hebrides don’t have NOs I think. Oh and Greenland, Ceylon, Hainan and Formosa. Far out.


  • in a perfect world, historically significant islands would sit at the intersection of SZs so that they would have added in-game strategic importance, without the need for NOs or arbitrary PU values–i.e., if an island were at the intersection of two or more seasons, an airbase there would give you air-range that you couldn’t get from a carrier. Alas, redrawing the map is somewhat outside the purview of Balance Mod.

  • '19 '17 '16

    @Mursilis said in G40 Balance Mod - Feedback Thread:

    Is there a plan to add some value to the few smaller islands that have no game value like the Fiji islands? Do we just keep ignoring that those exist or make them worth 1 ipc or make owning gilbert islands, fiji and johnston islands worth 3 ipc’s or 5 ipc’s to the japanese?

    Just wondering.

    Additionally, I can’t see why what you’re proposing actually adds value?

    I’ve realised a few other things about balanced mod only recently. The allied move where they see Japan coming and move their stack from India to West India, then retake India to prevent units from being produced there, that is a new move in Balanced Mod. In vanilla, you wouldn’t do this because Japan would get the plunder money. This tended to promote a stand and fight vs evacuate. I guess Moscow is similar. Now the question is: which is better? I’m not completely sure to be honest.

    Another thing is why shouldn’t you get the Major complex back when you liberate your capital? And should North Italy be different? Losing the major complex seems to be a side effect of the fix for game wrecking caused by major complexes on opposition territories, and not a desirable one.


  • @simon33 said in G40 Balance Mod - Feedback Thread:

    Another thing is why shouldn’t you get the Major complex back when you liberate your capital? And should North Italy be different? Losing the major complex seems to be a side effect of the fix for game wrecking caused by major complexes on opposition territories, and not a desirable one.

    I think it just represents your infrastructure and manufacturing capabilities being seriously messed up by the bad guys (or by yourself upon retreat from your capital. . . scorched earth style). That stuff obviously wouldn’t just magically re-materialize upon reentry by the good guys. It requires an investment in rebuilding, represented by paying the PUs for a Major factory upgrade. Seems reasonable to me.

  • '19 '17 '16

    Interesting theory. But not for Rome or Sydney!

  • '22 '21 '20 '19 '18 '17 '16 '15 '14 '13 Customizer

    Why not give the country capital a minor factory once liberated then on next turn upgrade it to a major or pay 10 icps to upgrade to a Major ?

    I don’t know what happens to a captured factory in this Mod but the enemy should never get a free factory on capture unless it goes to a minor but then either can never upgrade or need to wait at least 1 a turn to upgrade with a cost for this game play if need be. Its like the London Factory. Ger captures it and now how fast are the Germans going to get supplies and minerals to London to build a minor let alone a major.
    It should go to a minor on Capital Capture and cannot be upgrade period for any enemy in a game. If you liberate the Capital with enemy controlling the minor factory it is destroyed and now you need to build a factory.
    And any Minor Factory captured is destroyed.


  • @SS-GEN said in G40 Balance Mod - Feedback Thread:

    Why not give the country capital a minor factory once liberated then on next turn upgrade it to a major or pay 10 icps to upgrade to a Major ?

    I don’t know what happens to a captured factory in this Mod but the enemy should never get a free factory on capture unless it goes to a minor but then either can never upgrade or need to wait at least 1 a turn to upgrade with a cost for this game play if need be. Its like the London Factory. Ger captures it and now how fast are the Germans going to get supplies and minerals to London to build a minor let alone a major.
    It should go to a minor on Capital Capture and cannot be upgrade period for any enemy in a game. If you liberate the Capital with enemy controlling the minor factory it is destroyed and now you need to build a factory.
    And any Minor Factory captured is destroyed.

    The factories are handled in Balance Mod the exact same way they are handled in Vanilla. This isn’t really an area where the need for a change is so obvious that it would justify fundamentally altering a game mechanic that everyone understands and seems fine with.

    Also, i strongly recommend trying Balance Mod.


  • Naw. When I started playing AA about 9 years ago I only played 39 games over the years. When I saw G40 game and played once was enough for me that I’m not taking 5 steps backwards in AA and besides I don’t agree with a bunch of stuff that happens in G40.

    Just me. I only post suggestions. Its to give you guys more ideas for other games if looking for a tweak here or there. Plus when I suggest something it has been play tested and played in my games.

    Good Luck.

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