Graviteam: Fateful Strike pt2 | Campaign Play-through w/ Strategy, Historical Musings, and Tips

[@welshzecorgi7903]

What I've read is that providing smoke on a strategic scale for the entire beach landing, 5 beaches each with a 2-3 mile front, would have been a logistical impossiblity. Not to mention that the weather in Normandy was often windy, blowing away what little smoke you could provide, but keeping that smoke screen up for the hours it would take for infantry to breakthrough would require an absurd amount of smoke shells. This while every ship available was packed to the gills with trucks, ammo, tanks, rations, clothes, etc, so cargo space was incredibly precious. They did use smoke and smokescreens on D-Day, but it was used on a tactical scale and mostly used by the Navy to cover the landing craft and shore bombardment ships as they made their way to the beaches. There was another mention in the book that commented that the landing force needed landmarks on shore in order to navigate and hit the correct beaches and pre-landing bombardment targets, so even if you somehow did manage to provide enough smoke to cover the beachheads, you would cause confusion among the assaulting divisions, slowing down their progress during a time-sensitive need to get inland before enemy reinforcements arrive.

[@TheWarSimmer]

That's a great explanation, I appreciate it because it had never made sense to me. What is the name of the book you read?

[@alanshackelford6450]

Your conclusion that this is more simulation than game is brilliant.

[@Geist363]

Wonderful game, a deep simulation that also captures the horror of war. I wish it would get the popularity it deserves.

[@Tom_Quixote]

Problem being it takes a brain the size of a planet to play.

[@therandomheretek5403]

@@Tom_Quixote well more accuratly all graviteam games do a shit job at explaining how they work. Am struggling terribly with SABOW.

[@Jajalaatmaar]

Would help if the interface was explained and the developer didn't literally think "You cant save and load while learning mechanics like a weak human IRL, so you can't do it in game". While you're trying to learn the mechanics and you have to throw away campaign after campaign because you didn't know how the badly documented mechanics worked and the dev wants to punish you for trying. Kind of par for the course for an autism project like this game, but such a shame. Because it could be so much fun if you could play it without all the hassle.

[@therandomheretek5403]

@@Jajalaatmaar exactly. The game expects way too much from newbies.

[@omegacon4]

I'm sure the game is a hit for those with unlimited free time to learn to play it: namely students, unemployed workers, and retired folks.

[@MichaelCh1990]

I just recently found your channel and immediately fell in love with this format! Playing the game myself on and off and everytime i play it again, i learn something new. The way you play it, is inspiring to get back to it again! I also really like how you put in some historical background knowledge to it - it's just like watching a documentary and it immediately sucked me in! The game and your narration give a really good idea of how battles and skirmishes might have played out during that period - about the forgotten stories, the forgotten heroes. Keep up the good work! I can only imagine how time comsuming it must be to produce that kind of hour long content for one operation! Thank you for your efforts and i'm keen to see more!

[@signoguns8501]

Yea, this format is excellent. Mixing in real life history is a nice touch. Shame you're not uploading anymore @The WarSimmer as your channel is one of the best RTS channels on YT. Hope life is treating you well. Would be good to see you return one day.

[@THATWW2GUY6434]

What you said about close air support was very true! It was not the tanks they killed but the light trucks and supply. And the arty!

[@cheetengho7876]

Your videos are amazing and I can't stop watching them, please make more graviteam tactics!

[@TheWarSimmer]

Every time a graviteam DLC comes out I'll try and get one out. Really glad you enjoy it!

[@cheetengho7876]

@@TheWarSimmer Awesome man no harm doing more either hahaha Combat Mission and Steel Beast are also great!

[@Brazouck]

one of the best video I have ever seen about any video game on youtube, congrats, these are great ! hope you will continue

[@Tor_kor]

2:08:20 Virgin T-34 -can't hit point blank -crew needs to hide behind armor -will run away if things go wrong -will explode on slightest touch of flames -can't play anthem of soviet union . Does not have a radio VS 2:22:40 Chad flamethrower guy -does not need any protection, loves charging out of the trenches like a mad lad -will shrug off any tank shot -roasts enemies while playing Erica at full blast -has a bro who is totally fireproof

[@tippedduke]

I just discovered Graviteam games and was completely lost when I attempted to play them. Thanks for this content! I learned a lot about the series and watching your videos is like watching a war movie. Great stuff!

Hey man just discovered your channel looking for a playthrough of this game. keep up the great work sir and good luck growing your channel!

[@TheWarSimmer]

Thank you so much. It's comments like yours that keep me going so I appreciate it.

[@johan2174]

Did I really just watch a feature length movie on KZbin? LOL Thank you very much for putting this together, it was very instructive and entertaining. I didn't realize how cinematic this game can be until now.

[@SadenIsWatchin]

This is some of the best content on KZbin, absolutely brilliant. (Saying this before I finished the video) What I think really damned you in this campaign was you wasting those two panzer battlegroups on a badly timed counter offensive. I would've kept those units in reserve, rarely if ever using them until the Soviets got to Borki. The Soviets have plenty of tanks to waste, the Germans certainly do not and watching you order them to attack almost made me tear my hair out lol. The ending of this is so so satisfying, just seeing those tanks go up is a good change of pace ;)

[@TheWarSimmer]

Thanks man, really appreciate it. And yeah, that was a huge mistake as well. I didn't quite realize just how much armour the soviets had in this one until it was too late.

[@Docyang]

Fantastic! I want some more campaign footage like this format :)

[@endo9384]

A year late, but awesome video man. I love the format where you show only the highlights of the battles. Cheers!

[@man_vs_life]

Well, I have Mius Front in my Steam cart (again!). This time I'll likely go for it thanks to your vids. It has always seemed too daunting but your instructional vids and instructional elements in your gameplay are golden. Nice analysis at the end.

[@jimcastor3214]

One of the best battles I have seen. Excellent footage and comments, couldn't have been better, except maybe killing a few more enemy tanks. LOL Love your videos, keep up the great work, PLEASE. Look forward for your war videos.

[@marcodiaz7022]

Amazing campaign, it has great scenes of the brutality of war and very insightful comments about the situation and the historical situation; I'm getting back to GT after some hiatus because I found your channel, I looked some of the videos and it's really something this simulation of the eastern front. The scenes of the flammethrower and the 88 vs hordes of tanks were excellent.

[@rodzilla7310]

Hey WarSimmer! I love your Graviteam vids and I hope you can do some more! You are very fun to listen to and watch! Please keep up the good content.

[@MrBeerbant]

I watched both parts like a good war movie and learned a lot about this game. Very good job Mate.

[@ANO-.-NYM]

Always great vids, very few Graviteam vids on youtube, nice to see people still making some!

[@jamesengland6897]

Fantastic! I love your style, really helping me to get to grips with the sim

[@leelomax7043]

Only Just found your channel mate, i really love your work. I also love your debrief where you go over your possible mistakes. It was a very long campaign! I watched it all and loved it, i hope you continue to publish more vids, in what is for me the best war sim to date 🙂👍🏻

[@nguyen528]

Loved the video and am glad you post so much commentary. For the last part about concentrating AT, you also didn't use keyholes very often. In addition to having your AT dispersed, it was out in the open where it usually was a 3 v 1 fight. The second to last battle with the 88 firing at about a km range is a great example; the terrain was too open and the 88 had to engage multiples at the same time. In the last battle, in addition to having concentrated AT, there was also a very slight ridge in the field. Because the AI didn't send the tanks in a perfect line formation, most of the armor ended up coming into view 1 at a time (you had a "keyhole" that limited multiple engagements even if it wasn't the traditional defilade on two side and 1 tank width FOV). Had the field been perfectly flat and the tanks engaged the AT simultaneously, I don't think the concentration by itself would have made a difference.

[@TheWarSimmer]

Glad you enjoyed it. And yes, I'm inclined to agree with your observation. The reverse slopes seem to be where the AT was most effective overall.

[@0v3r666]

2:22:40 what a revenge, amazing to watch!

[@TheWarSimmer]

I think you're one of the only people to see that part😁. It's tough watching a video so long. Glad you saw it.

[@Krisscut]

@@TheWarSimmer actually I did too. Quality content makes you stay longer ! 👌

[@0v3r666]

The WarSimmer and I’m very glad to be one! Can’t wait for more, you’re the reason I got into graviteam Mius front and oh boy was it worth it.

[@Tabaskospecial]

Seeing that 88 finally get some at the end was so satisfying, we all know what a beast that round is, it’s so good to see this game gives the gun its fair dues.

[@svmik]

Cool video and the analysis, thanks for that! Hope more will come!

[@THATWW2GUY6434]

I found your channel by looking for a tutorial for graviteam tactics! And I am so happy I found it! I would love to tutored lolol it seems you are leaps and bounds better lol

[@SilkyShade_]

Fantastic videos! Would love to see more of this sort of video series

[@bryanjohnston9547]

Around 22:19 you I believe you were mostly correct, I think the tank in front was a Valentine, but I'm certain the one behind was a Matilda. (Also I think the transport truck was actually a Bren Carrier, lots of British Lend-Lease on the field!)

[@TheWarSimmer]

Good eye. Turns out there were a bunch of Valentines and Matildas laced throughout the operation.

[@nexus888]

You absolutely got the best videos on Graviteam. Very informative instead of purely just playing the game but explaining your reasoning and moves. I think your videos are more likely to make people pick up a copy of Mius front, etc. to try it out. I hope you keep posting more videos :) BTW, did you play black snow? Is Fateful strike better?

[@TheWarSimmer]

Thanks man, really appreciate it. I personally love Fateful Strike, but be prepared for the fight of your life if you play as the Wehrmacht. On the flip side, if you choose the Soviets, you'll have a lot of fun with all the armour. Fateful Strike is probably the better of the two, but it can be really frustrating as the Germans.

[@raiden88]

we need more Graviteam please, every week be fine : ]

[@gunnerr8476]

1:11 Even the locals can't pronounce my name properly so I don't mind lol. The reserve is actually from me. Well good job keep it up.

[@comradeboris2335]

Hey I know tutorials aren't your specialty but could you make a video on the more obscure elements of gtmf? Like for example demning, what the different orders do, what order modifiers do, how to use smoke effectively and how to make units fire smoke at positions etc

[@Grayghost04]

57:20 A glorious moment for Soviet tankmen, though overall Second Battle of Kharkov was a disaster for Soviets. Well, they will get their revenge in 5 month :) And you are right, there are not much primary historical sources for the battle, especially for Soviet units that were encircled and destroyed along with their operational documents. Most prisoners couldn't survive the war and even a few survivors who broke out the pocket were quickly reassigned to other units, making hard for them to leave records. Even for Germans, it is difficult to find an English book about small-scale engagements in the battle. The only relevant source that I could find was a divisional history and even that was mostly focused on Stalingrad. For a book, I would recommend Kharkov 1942: Anatomy of a Military Disaster by famous David Glantz. I know the writer doesn't know as well about Wehrmacht as he knows about Red Army, and he is particularly harsh about the operational failures of Soviets during that year. Still, it's a good book to read and contains some official records from front line armies. The focus of the book is operational-level, though.

[@TheWarSimmer]

I'll try to pick up a used copy. Just started Glantz's book on Kursk, and he's a real authority on the subject. Thanks for the suggestion.

[@THATWW2GUY6434]

Also can you show after battle reports so we can see what kind of damage has been done to our or their tanks?

[@TheWarSimmer]

I'll try to get them more in the future. Was concerned about the length of the vid so tried to cut back when possible.

[@hello2morrowInc]

Well done, and quite entertaining and educational. Now I have to try myself...

[@zachnar0125]

Your point about stacking counters has killed me in every game! There are ways to make it possible and run clean. I hope this will change in this game as well as spread to others.

[@bjornspook2345]

legendary 2 part series, hope to see more.

[@samsonstone764]

17:10 Best thing to do in that situation would have been to directly advance each of your Tank-BGs onto the two points in the enemy square you want to attack (not both on the same point as this might block movements) This way you would have had the ability to deploy the tanks properly in dep. phase and would have had the chance of both of them participating in the battle. So it’s actually possible to move 2 squares with the advance order if you manage to initiate an attack on a adjacent square. Also because I sometimes see you reposition on-map artillery spotters (mortars,field guns,etc.) for marginal discrepancies in your LOS: I always set my mortars or whatever I have off the AI-fire control at the beginning of the battle and then do a mark for on-map fire as far out in the LOS of my spotter as possible. This way you can adjust it at a later point quite some hundred meters outwards of your LOS and just lose some accuracy on your sector (that’s why you want it to be at 100% beforehand, gives you a greater buffer) This is great for pumping down on defilades/enfilades and into forests, on-map arty is really a flexible gift of the game. This way your spotters are way safer and you’re really able to shoot down range well behind your LOS, just sacrificing some accuracy but that’s not the name of the game for indirect fire weapons.

[@TheWarSimmer]

Nice pointers. I'm still having a tough time with the indirect order system, but it seems like a good move by gravi. The only complaint I have against it is that tanks will sometimes spawn in forests etc- places they would never go irl under any circumstances. As far as the on-map arty, are you saying that you place a spot at the very beginning of the engagement and wait for it to hit 100%, then move it later as required for a boost in accuracy at similar locations later? That's interesting. Do you know what happens if you move the spot to a point way outside that original mark and try to move it back out? Do you keep the same accuracy boost even after moving it once?

[@samsonstone764]

The WarSimmer Not an accuracy boost in that sense, but rather that you are able to move the pointer to a position where it otherwise would just stay at 0%. So say you have your spotter and can see up the ridge of a hill but not the back of the hill and know there are enemies on said back of the hill: You place the on-map cursor for your mortars on the ridge, while having your mortars, field guns, whatever off the AI-fire control so they don’t open up prematurely. Now when the original cursor reaches 100%, instead of right clicking the *designate target for on-map artillery fire* ability of your battery commander, wich would reset the 100%, you just left click it again and draw a new cursor on the back of the hill you want to aim at. Accuracy will drop to say 40-60-80% (depending on how far away of your original cursor you are now) but it’s much better than having your spotter move to a all new position, re-lay wires and all that stuff. (You’re able to shoot behind your original sector as long as you are close enough to it with your new one. Might be well over 2/3/400 meters you have to play around with) Just works for on-map artillery. For off map artillery if you want to shoot at a point outside LOS and without pre-battle reference point, you still have to wait the usual 6-15 minutes with long zeroing time included.

[@TheWarSimmer]

Saw your response but it's not showing up anymore. Had no idea you could do that. Will be sure to use it in the future, seems like a life-saver. EDIT: Nevermind, went to the spam filter for some reason but I put it back in. This was excellently explained and I can't wait to try it.

[@banryu79]

Absolutely gorgeous video and work done to produce it! And I'm saying this as a random guy who knows nothing of this game, but still I'm finding plenty of entertainment to watch it. Actually, I'm watching you entire playlist, and also caught myself spending some hours on the graviteam forum after watching your tutorial video even if I have no intentions to get the game. They are just so good.

[@TheWarSimmer]

thank you my man

[@jonshive5482]

Regarding smoke on Normandy beaches I saw one film clip with what appeared to be a smoke round (dunno which beach) . The wind was blowing so hard--east to west IIRC--the smoke was a thin trail with precious little veiling effect. Maybe that's why it was hardly used, if at all. As for pinpoint accuracy of Stukas how come the Miracle of Dunkirk was pulled off? Sure the boats and ships were usually moving but some were large targets, yet even against these most bombs missed. The RAF might've had something to do with it but it's doubtful that once on its dive the bomber was distracted by fighters. Just my two centavos, no authority here. Great videos, keep up the great work.

[@BrorealeK]

It was the AA, plus moving targets, plus the RAF, plus the poor coordination of the Luftwaffe. Early on, when the Dunkirk beachhead was most vulnerable, the Luftwaffe dropped the ball and didn't strike that hard at the troop ships. But even when they started to attack in force, dive bombing is basically begging your plane to get shot down. AA is most dangerous when you're flying straight at it, plus stukas are easy, slow targets. That means Luftwaffe pilots had to juke ground fire while lining up their bombing runs. It disrupts your accuracy. Russian KVs, though, don't normally shoot back.

[@jonshive5482]

@@BrorealeK Torpedo bombers are also slow and flying directly at the AA yet somehow obsolete swordfish fatally damaged Bismarck and put half of Italy's capital ships out of action for six months at Taranto. The British carrier Illustrious along with the cruiser Southampton were hit and sunk by Stukas near Malta. ln numerous other engagements in the Pacific and Mediterranean both dive-and torpedo bombers "basically begging to get shot down" sank plenty of ships while flying through plenty of flack.

[@ggtt2547]

Love all your detailed videos and strategies about that awesome game. Best channel about those games hands down. Wish he'd make more videos more often. I have a question. Where do i find that nice screen @4:16 to see guns and armor penetration charts??? Can't find it. Or is it custom made for the video and i'm just being silly?

[@TheWarSimmer]

I'll be making more soon. And, you can find those charts in the encyclopedia- there is a link to it on the main menu.

[@zachnar0125]

20:38 Is the enemy able to see those tanks if they are moved? Like from dust clouds or engine noise etc?

[@mihoraboteg9034]

I like your historical tips they are really interesting

[@TheWarSimmer]

Glad you enjoy em

[@bobsters34]

Love your vids hope you make more

[@edwardsantos5719]

I love your videos. You are clear concise and explain your strategy and add tips. Awesome campaign play through and pseudo tutorial as well. Keep it up. What hardware are you running.Specs please. Looks so professional. GT should be paying you to post these videos. I had downloaded it a year ago and deleted it after a few hours of playing. It's back on PC because of you.

[@bomschhofmann1644]

I have one question : historically, Germans used molotovs, bundle - grenades and espacilly a lot of mines, in the (as far as i can tell) game the only thing the German infantry uses are grenades against tanks. They also lack anti - tank rifles, which could be damaging to t-34 and KV1 tracks or overall good against weaker tanks. So Is there somthing like mines or mine-fields aswell as antitank rifles and close quater anti tanks weapons (perhabs even panzerfists from 44 on) in the game?

[@bogaty72]

Enjoying this playthrough so far. I'm playing the same campaign right now. Had an excellent session as the Germans and managed to knock out a KV-1 with a 5cm PaK and a second when it tried to overrun my pioneer platoon. Stukas knocked out 2 T-34s and I don't know how many T-60s and 76mm arty pieces. My initial arty stonks were perfect and absolutely nailed their infantry formations. The AI offered a ceasefire 35 minutes in but I wanted to grind it out. There was almost no fire at the 45 minute mark and I am sure I routed the Soviets. Then the damned game froze up on me and I had to re-fight the battle. Didn't go nearly as well the 2nd time. BTW, Do you have a link to any of the mods? Most of the links in Steam and GT forums are dead.

[@TheWarSimmer]

I would be so mad if that happened to me. Way to stick it out. As far as the NATO counters, I think you can just pick it in the settings. It has been a while, but I think you can pick between nato, and even the historical counters between the germans and soviets.

[@bogaty72]

Yup. Checked the options screen and found how to change the symbols. Thanks.

[@warci]

I read/heard somewhere they did fire a bunch of smoke from battleships during D-day, but that the landing vessels took to long to reach the coast so all the smoke had dissipated.

[@pickle4474]

This looks amazing but so complex. I worry I just wouldn't have the time to learn it.

[@doltBmB]

I can't believe that guy took a shot to the face and then git up and murdered the tank later on.

[@danerogers177]

excellent work very nice presentation of this game

[@signoguns8501]

The Sherman thing was a myth, no more likely to brew up than any other tank. It was just something that the tank crews believed but was not backed up by the data.

[@marvinduchatinier3389]

I'm in about turn 9 or so and the soviets where on the doorsteps of Borki pretty early and even took it once. Recaptured it on night time and had some cat and mouse games there aswell. My troops are badly beaten but still holding out strong and manage to hold of their tanks with mainly just infantry in guerilla tactics. I hope to keep it up until the end. This game is just too brutally epic

[@TheWarSimmer]

Think you're gonna be able to pull out the victory?

[@marvinduchatinier3389]

@@TheWarSimmer i hope so but unfortunatly i dont think i am able.as victory points are now 36 to 42 against my favour. I am positioning the 293(?) Infantry division (who are still in good shape) for a counter attack on the right flank hoping to recapture some strategic points. But they will have to deal with an entranched infantry and (damaged) tank batallion so i have to be really carefull. I hope the auxillary force that are still on their way can turn some cards around. Got this game for 2 weeks now and is holding my life hostage haha

[@TheWarSimmer]

@@marvinduchatinier3389 I know the feeling lol. This is by far the toughest campaign imo. I didn't even come close. It will be tough to go offensive, so good luck and fare better than I did!

[@marvinduchatinier3389]

@@TheWarSimmer thanks man! Yeah i dont have high hopes of a succesfull offensive but you know what they say: Sometimes a good defence is a good offence haha. I will let you know how my operation will unfold 👍

[@robertgolden1534]

Thanks for recording these. I don't know much about the different tanks and equipment, so it's nice to hear why they were made. Have you ever played Decisive Campaigns: Barbarossa?

[@TheWarSimmer]

Yes sir. Absolute gem of a game, and the role playing qualities make it better than WITE imo. Too bad they aren't making a sequel anytime soon.

[@gunnerr8476]

35:17 They do have bundle grenade(anti tank grenade) here. Basically 6 grenades tied together. Look for 6xM24 written on the loadout. Not the best type to destroy tanks, might need a lucky hit. And I do question the AI ability to throw, they always missed and sometimes overthrow the grenade, and I think one of your soldier got killed by a friendly bundle grenade there..

[@TheWarSimmer]

Yeah, I was surprised how many squads had the bundle grenades in this operation, but had no luck with them. It seems they have a sort of "sticky" quality to them. In part one, a soldier threw one and it stuck onto the barrel. It seems they always stick wherever they initially hit.

[@rawnukles]

This is an old video but just in case you haven't found out yet. At the 20 min mark when you "marched" your tank counter attack and then were unable to place them on the battle map... If you had "advanced" instead of "marched" by left clicking twice instead of once on the strategy map, you would have been free to place them as you wish before the battle.

[@TheWarSimmer]

Thanks for the tip!

[@weemissile]

"Looks like our machinegunners are doing well though." *An HMG team gets instantly annihilated* good timing lol

[@TheWarSimmer]

It's the moments like this ya know?

[@spiraling6980]

Hi WarSimmer! The new DLC called Pivot Point just dropped and m getting back into the game. After watching many of your vids I thought Id check in on you. Noticed you havent been around for a while. Hope all is well! Just let your fans know you are ok - ok!

[@TheWarSimmer]

Really appreciate the check-in brother. All good over here. Been playing a lot of ck3 and flight sims lately, but I'll have to jump back into Gravi now that the new DLC is out. Is it any good?

[@Rasmorak]

I haven't completed this video yet but I would love to see you do a video on offensive engagements from start to finish. In the previous you spent pretty much the whole time on the delay, planning to counterattack in this video, and I was hoping to see you develop a full counterattack from deployment to the end of battle.

[@TheWarSimmer]

hmmmm what do you mean specifically?

[@Rasmorak]

@@TheWarSimmer In the context of a campaign mission, I'm curious to see your deployment thoughts, followed by your actual planning of maneuvers and thought process in your attack, see if you slow play or attack right out of the gate. Obviously it's all situational, but I keep finding myself in campaign battles where it's just a blob of my units vs a blob of their units; I feel like I missing something on the deployment and initial orders phase. Mostly playing Tunisia 1943 myself. I'm coming from literal years of typical RTS games where I can issue hundreds of complex orders to individual units as much as I want and whenever I want, and so learning to plan those orders out in advance and remain mostly hands off during the actual battle itself has been challenging. I watched your combat tactics video and learned a lot of information there I was able to put to use. However I would quite enjoy and learn from a start to finish, deployment to statistics "offensive-minded" video if you had the time and energy to do that

[@TheWarSimmer]

@@Rasmorak Awesome bud, glad the vid was able to help some. As far as the adjustment from a regular RTS, it's pretty big, but imo it's a lot easier than a traditional rts when you get the hang of it. I'm going to do a video on small scale tactics, followed by chain of command and comms, and then an overview of the operational map. As soon as the next DLC comes out, I'll do a playthrough and try to include everything you mentioned above.

[@TheWarSimmer]

By the way, I made some huge mistakes in this campaign that I go over at the end of the vid. The key to being successful in the game is more about the setup rather than the battles themselves. Placement and movement of units on the operational map, making sure the chain of command is set up correctly with wire links for setting up devastating artillery (this is key), and proper setting up of your forces in the deployment stage of the tactical battles. For instance, the biggest mistake I made in this operation both involved macro decisions and had little to do with the battles themselves. 1) I intentionally fell back on the operational map to tighten up my line (mistake) thinking I could counter-attack later and 2) I didn't concentrate my AT firepower.

[@Rasmorak]

@@TheWarSimmer Interesting. I played one of the shorter (4 turn) Tunisia campaigns this morning and did pretty well. I took a lot of what you explained to heart, and deployed my units in more effective positions and stances. I also emphasized maintaining control of key objectives, such as higher VP control points (am I correct in assuming on a tactical map with multiple control points the number refers to the amount of points generated?) and thus fought more effectively. I also made a point to not let my armor engage from 800m or so, and only if they had a bigger gun (Panzer IV vs. Stuart in this case). I slow-played a lot more than I usually do with considerably more success.

[@andremesot5144]

Is there Panthers & Tigers too ? Is there elits units like SS & Russian guards please ?

[@stamiejoker]

Hey Warsimmer, just wanted to drop another comment of thanks and commendation on this epic AAR - really enjoyed watching it and even as an experienced Graviteam player I learnt a lot. Great example of the folly of spreading out AT too thin too (which is a mistake most Wargamers make initially myself included!). Just curious if you are still actively playing Mius Front, and if you are still planning on making future content? I think the game has never played better now, with the new mechanics like retreating. I know the last year has been a distracting rollercoaster with real life often getting in the way of hobbies. Wishing you all the best.

[@TheWarSimmer]

Appreciate it. Really means a lot to read stuff like this so long after the vid. This is a tough operation, but I absolutely made tons of mistakes that amplified the difficulty😁. I actually just finished the typhoon dlc and wish I recorded the action. It might be my favorite dlc and there were a ton of cinematic moments. Maybe in the future I'll put some more up. If you haven't played it yet, get that dlc.

[@stamiejoker]

@@TheWarSimmer Great to hear you are still enjoying the game! I myself am just back into it big time after getting distracted by other things over the past year, and enjoying it more than ever. Even slightly out of date, your tutorials and videos are still a great resource for beginners and veterans needing a refresh alike, so thanks again for all the work done for the community. I've had one embarrassingly bad attempt at Typhoon Rising as the Soviets, although to be fair I didn't quite realise that I should eventually be fighting a tactical withdrawal, but yes its great especially being outnumbered in the fog - very atmospheric! Since then I played though most of Edge of Storm, again as the Soviets, and did much better and really enjoyed fighting in the beautiful autumn landscape. Now, after those punishing 1941 retreats as the Russians I decided to go on the offensive and so I'm playing Fateful Strike from the Soviet side (which was why I rewatched your playthrough recently.) Feels good to be on the attack and have so much firepower at my disposal! (although I'm yet to bump into the dreaded 88s).

[@nix538]

12:36 rip that guy

[@Tyr1001]

@2:43:10 T-60's just casually shrugging off 5cm or even 8.8cm APHE, I feel like you got robbed. I've not played much of this game yet, but I don't think I've ever had luck as bad as yours lol. I'm sure I'll get mine sooner or later, though

[@mcsmash4905]

I think one can get a general idea of how obnoxious it was for the commander of early war t34 by playing steel fury kharkov which i think runs on the same engine as grav. tactics

[@Leader1623]

Are you ever coming back with more campaigns?

[@TheWarSimmer]

Most likely in the future

[@ДушманКакдела]

Where'd you go :^(

[@JonTTu111]

Well, Molotow Cocktails can disable WWII tanks, when you throw them on the engine. I see no reason why flamethrower couldn't disable tank engines too. Also, the Shermans weren't that prone to ammo detonations, because the ammo storage was on the floor and later models had ammo sitting in a water. Sherman was pretty darn good & safe tank at the time, because it had large hatches and a lot of space. Germans used to shoot at enemy armor until it caught fire, so probably that is why people think that Russian and American tanks are prone to caught fire. (Panthers had a extremely bad quality sealing on their engines, because Allies bombed the factories that made the seals. Panther was prone to spontaneous combustion, because fuel/oil leaks in the engine compartment.)

[@TheWarSimmer]

Nice information. Had never heard much of any of that before, thanks.

[@JonTTu111]

@@TheWarSimmer But I think that the reason why Valentines explode with 88 is because they have small crew compartment in them. WWII vehicles used armor piercing shells with small HE filler in them, so the shell would detonate in tanks and cause additional damage and create a lot more shrapnel in the tank. 88 Had AP shells with something like 100-150g of TNT in them. It doesn't sound like much, but it was basically a hand grenade inside the tank. So I'd imagine that a lot of shrapnel would hit the ammo in the tank. I don't know if the game simulates them, but I see no reason why it wouldn't. Because in the game Russians have SH-350 HE-FRAG with timed fuse (You can see shells detonate in the air sometimes) They were used to kill infantry in trenches or behind cover (Like behind a AT gun.)

[@TheWarSimmer]

@@JonTTu111 Love hearing this stuff from knowledgeable people in the comments. I've been studying ww2 for years and there is always more we can learn. I would assume that it's modeled in the game as well- they're pretty good about those small details.

[@jonshive5482]

Right. The Sherman has a bad rep but it wasn't that bad as a medium tank. It was faster and easier to maintain than German tanks . Its biggest drawback was its relatively low-velocity 3-inch gun and lack of "sabot" ammo so wasn't as effective against armor (10 cm max penetration at point-blank range). But mount the Brit 17-pounder on it and hey, presto, it's a tank-killing Firefly. BTW British tanks would also brew up, or as Rommel put it, get "shot down" (?) in the desert or anywhere else. The Sherman probably wasn't any more vulnerable than comparable tanks of its era.

[@JonTTu111]

@@jonshive5482 Well The crews liked the 3 inch gun more, because it could lob HE rounds into trenches and behind cover more easily. Infantry was the main target for tanks. Tank vs tank combat was kinda rare in normandy, but US had a 76mm gun that had enough penetration to fight Panthers frontally.

[@ddorricott]

Bit late to the barbie here, but what resolution are you playing on?

[@jimcastor3214]

Shermans burned gasoline instead of diesel, that's why they called the Sherman a Ronson lighter. (cigarette lighter) One hit and they went up in flames.

[@Bubblesofbliss1904]

Do you play with 30 FPS locked? If so, why? Great videos by the way! I hope you continue to create these kind of videos!

[@edmundcowan9131]

Not true Soviet tanks had radios in 42 or 43 until then down to company commander.

[@comradeboris2335]

when and where can i entrench my units in operation star? i have never figured out where i can do this

[@TheWarSimmer]

It's been a long time since I've played Op star but came across this post by Andrey: Select troops on deploy phase. Move it on green squares. Press entrench button (right-bottom). I'm assuming the troops have to be stationary for a turn as well.

[@comradeboris2335]

@@TheWarSimmer yeah i was experimenting a bit and if your mission was ambush you could for some reason not entrench. it only works in defence apparently

[@THATWW2GUY6434]

WOW lovin it!!! btw not trying to be a butt however those valentines had some matlidas mixed in ! ;0

[@TheWarSimmer]

Yep you're right. I think it was about 50% matildas.

[@Paradoxian-Windows-11-10]

Amazing game, never played it.

[@kevlarburrito6693]

"Fish-hook shape with good interior lines..." someone watched Gettysbuuuuurrrrggg lol

[@TheWarSimmer]

Seen it at least ten times. May have taken a bit from Longstreet I admit;-)

[@kevlarburrito6693]

@@TheWarSimmer ever been there? Even with 150 years of foliage growth and several million visitors parading through you can definitely see what a nightmare of an order he was given. Gettysburg is a text-book example of what happens when politics is allowed to govern military operations.

[@TheWarSimmer]

@@kevlarburrito6693 No but I plan to soon. Some of the rangers out there really know their stuff. Was listening to this guy the other day: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pKHMeKuBfsybqrs

[@kevlarburrito6693]

@@TheWarSimmer oh yeah definitely. If you're married, there's an inn in town I highly recommend called The Gaslight Inn, rooms are really nice and affordable.

[@TheWarSimmer]

@@kevlarburrito6693 Thanks for the tip. My wife wants to go as well, we'll take the kids and check out that Inn.

[@clivedean2845]

It was a common myth that shermans were more liable to burn or explode, believed by both sides. Studies by the British armed forces showed this to be untrue. In fact crew survival from knocked out sherman tanks was quite high.

[@TheWarSimmer]

Interesting. What do you believe perpetrated the myth?

[@clivedean2845]

@@TheWarSimmerUnfortunately the British tankers believed the myth themselves. I guess the experience of seeing tanks hit and brew up from 88 hits on a few occasions was enough to convince them and noone had the evidence or statistics to show otherwise. Your own experiences, especially if they are dramatic, often override any amount of facts. Loving seeing this again. I enjoy the game and I'm not bad at it but I wish I had the expertise to put footage together like you do!!

[@clivedean2845]

I have taken out tanks with flamethrowers in the game. In fact I watched one heroic member of the Wermacht kill two in the space of 20mins. In both cases he landed fire on the rear engine compartment and eventually the tanks ground to a halt and were abandoned in flames

[@TheWarSimmer]

@@clivedean2845 I never knew it was possible to flame them

[@pedrobranco3226]

Is there a way to use captured equipment? I remember you capturing two T-34s last video.

[@TheWarSimmer]

Could be wrong, but I don't think you can capture vehicles and use them. You can only "capture" them in the statistics. The T-34s were already part of the platoon at the beginning, I think

[@pedrobranco3226]

@@TheWarSimmer That's a shame, since the enemy use captured Pz. IIIs against you I thought you could have your engineers repair the repairable tanks and get them rolling again.

[@uncletimo6059]

also, looks like tanks on the move are way too effective in seeing, targetting, and then successfully hitting a hidden/entrenched AT guns edit: am no experten, but there is no way a soviet tank without binoculars, and even buttoned up because of regulations, would be able to spot, target and take out an AT gun at 1km range.

[@Angry-Lynx]

Absolutly, bias in this game is hilarious sometimes. T34 almost always hit entrenched at guns at 1km, its ridiculous, while german 88 is less effective than pak40 was irl. Too bad.because this sim had great.potential if not for devs arrogance

[@michaelwalters3359]

​@@Angry-Lynx if that bias existed I'm hoping it's changed now....

[@Tom_Quixote]

Seems the gun shield of that 88 doesn't protect against explosion fragments from the front? Several gunners were taken out by shells hitting well in front of the gun...

[@TheWarSimmer]

Seems like it. I believe that, unlike the armour/vehicles in Gravi, infantry is a bit abstracted from what you see visually in the game itself.

[@SAarumDoK]

That's why you couldn't engage those British tanks properly. They were not Valentines LT, but Maltildas HT. Great video BTW. Only remark, the bullet drop sfx is clunky.

[@azurepurgatorian8306]

Here you are again.

[@ewaldseiland8558]

This game looks absolutely fascinating, but knowing how to play it requires half a lifetime apparently

[@TheWarSimmer]

It's really not as bad as one would think. The main thing is adopting a different mindset than what you would for most games. Once you get past the UI, it can become a lot more simple than most games.

[@ewaldseiland8558]

@@TheWarSimmer Thanks for the comment, I might give it a try!

[@jacquesfrancois4275]

I dont know if its my imagination but the AT guns and 88's feel finnicky about firing in this game Haha i made that comment before seeing 2:33:00

[@comradeboris2335]

and btw that was not a valentine but a matilda. close guess tho

[@ThisOLmaan]

was watching the battel while making slender man outta polymer clay lol was a good fight

[@edmundcowan9131]

You can tell who made the game.

[@Joshtow167]

More then half them engagement s are between those soldiers and God man. I hear all the time how the U.S. kicked Germany's ass. I'm just shake my head. The cream of the crop went to Russia. The battles there made the ones in the west look like child's play. I love my country n all I just know millions died on the eastern front. Oh and Soviet storm is an awesome documentary to listen to while playing this and hearts of iron 5. Nice vid

[@imaginaryllamas8185]

Thanks for doing these videos, I've been playing Graviteam for a while and it's really helpful to see you explain your tactics. Not sure if you had realised this by the end, but the indirect order system does not mean that your units and the enemy units move simultaneously on the operational map - it's still a matter of all your units moving first, and then the enemy moving. To clarify the rules of the indirect order system, you can move units one square only using the 'advance' order and they will (usually) not be in the arrived state if they are directly attacked. So yes, you are never completely safe unless you do nothing, but the 'advance' order is safe more often than not. The 'march' order is never safe. The default is 'march' when you move a unit to friendly/neutral territory, but you can right-click again to change to 'advance'.

[@TheWarSimmer]

Towards the end of the vid while reviewing the mistakes made in the operation I pasted what I believe to be the rules. Seems to be in line with your explanation. The only thing that still isn't clear with me: if you use the "advance" option while starting next to an enemy, but the move ends more than one square away from an enemy, does that mean the unit won't attack, or will it attack the enemy it is next to before moving? Do you happen to know? I ask because if it's safe, it seems this would be a good way to cautiously withdraw troops from the front line.

[@imaginaryllamas8185]

@@TheWarSimmer From my experience, the unit only attacks if the enemy is blocking the way to the 'advance' order. You do have to be careful with your unit placement though - I've been caught out before by a unit moving into a space first, and the next unit deciding to advance diagonally around it by attacking the enemy, which was not what I wanted! As much as I like the risk element of the indirect orders system, it does make moving your own units around each other or into each other's spaces much more unpredictable as you don't know which one will be moved first.

[@TheWarSimmer]

Got it. And yeah, I like the indirect system as well, but hate how it will do things like place tanks in the middle of the woods or infantry in minefields.

[@dogukan127]

gosh that 2:22:00 flamethrower moment

[@TheWarSimmer]

Give that guy a medal.

[@M4rcom44]

Excellent quality I want to give you money for this content

[@Tor_kor]

59:57 I think it is not due to bad luck, but because of the cheating AI. I have replayed same battles over and over, each time with troops deployed on different locations and it seems that AI is always aware of where you initially deploy your troops (AI always deploys troops after the player). I think It tends to avoid strongest concentration of your force.

[@MrEslender]

nice battle videos! Not played this game...yet?... But seems to me playing germans is hard mode and russians easy mode??

[@TheWarSimmer]

It depends a lot on the campaign you are playing tbh, they vary greatly.

[@schmolywar]

I remember now what partly put me off this game; The 88s not being historically dangerous at all in comparison to what they faced.

[@Joshtow167]

Been attempting to play this sim. Man its definately not starcraft 2 or gates of hell osfront. had to learn to let my army do what it do.

[@GoodGames.]

1:38:00

[@signoguns8501]

Anyone know what happened to this guy? She he is not making videos any more. His mius front series is the best ive seen on youtube. Hope hes ok, where ever he is. Would be good to see a comeback.

[@doltBmB]

You should have gotten those troops out of the forest!

[@TheWarSimmer]

Many mistakes were made!

[@doltBmB]

@@TheWarSimmer One thing I think I see is a tendency to move or not move at inopportune times. Failing to pull back troops from bad spots like that, telling troops that really should have kept their heads down to charge, moving static guns from seemingly good spots and having them be caught out while moving. You do seem to try to correct later on with less micromanagement at least. Great video overall. I really got invested in the events, and the history lessons fall on a dry spot!

[@MsBloodyFox]

First A little too early 360p

[@TheWarSimmer]

My man!

[@edmundcowan9131]

Russians are too strong need to factor in intangibles Leadership communication logistics maintenance. These work key in. 41 42 and even

[@MrDidz]

It's dumb. I love watching other people play this game but I absolutely hate playing it myself. It's just far too complicated.