How to Defend in The Great War: Western Front | Guide #2 on Machine guns and supply points

[@perafilozof]

For the best defense design proposed by your fellow players and tested out by me watch this video : kzbin.info/www/bejne/nXapf5mAd7h7Z9k

[@snerfu]

I was losing every battle on recruit difficulty and just did your infantry, barbed wire, artillery thing and I finally won one.

[@perafilozof]

That is the perfect kind of feedback I love to read on my videos. Very happy to know I was able to help you. And thank you kindly for taking the time to come back and write this. As for the rest of the game, what do you think of it so far?

[@snerfu]

@@perafilozof I love it! To be honest I haven't progressed past the first few months before this win because each time I lost I restarted and tried changing up my skills,etc. to try and figure out what I was doing wrong. Your tutorial series was very timely for me and exactly what I was looking for this morning! I kind of wish that the default key bindings were similar to HOI4 with the spacebar both pausing and unpausing. Actually just one button that does both would be nice. I like to bind that to a single mouse button in other games where I can pause.

[@perafilozof]

I totally understand, as this is something that repeats with each new such game. That is what made me start making videos on my channel in the first place, 10+ years ago. Helping my fellow gamers at enjoying strategy games. Do write you request to the developers on Steam, I can see that they read all the feedback there and answer with patches and information. Thank you for sharing your progress so far with us.

[@extrarice1]

Meh they have been super useful for me. The problem is sticking them right on your trenches is bad because then your infantry get hit by arty too so using comm trenches to stick them out from your lines or just layering well seems to work wonders for me

[@perafilozof]

I see, thank you for sharing your tips and tactics extrarice ! That is very helpful! How do you like the game so far?

[@mr.imarealsuperhero4201]

My biggest concern is the overall balancing? Some resources seem pretty useless too.

[@perafilozof]

It is expected to happen at launch. But it is also not a good thing we have been forced to get used to. I wish games came out needing less patching and fixing. But it is how the game industry works right now.

[@ThyKruzader]

I think gun emplacements are great for the last stand or rear line where you know arty cant hit so they have a chance and so you have a chance for a break out or defense

[@perafilozof]

I would also like to see them used in such a way, but so far no luck. Have you managed it?

[@ThyKruzader]

@@perafilozof only in the rear when i retread to defend the final point or on the map where the objectives are separated bc you can prob arty with infantry

[@accentedreality]

​@@perafilozof I've done this several times now with great success. Having a 2 space gap between trenches and MGs on the back row works well. Enemy arty prioritizes front trenches and MGs cover the front line well

[@perafilozof]

Ah I see. Thank you for sharing!

[@perafilozof]

Right, I get the design, I can't wait to try it out in multiplayer.

[@CapitalTeeth]

Here's how I won the game: 1. Tanks are fucking GOD TIER when attacking. 2. When defending, layers of trenches are better than one single long trench line. This is because the trench behind the one in front can also fire at approaching units. 3. When outnumbered and on the defense, forget every other control point and focus on your command trench. You will win by causing as many casualties as possible. 4. Siege artillery is bad. A slight chance to destroy trenches and some units is not worth 200 supply. 5. As a rule of thumb, start barraging with artillery about 10 seconds before your men enter the enemy's trenches for best timing. 6. Only one unit in a trench can fire at a time. Do NOT stack units in a trench unless you think you will need to melee in it.

[@perafilozof]

Those are good tips my friend. Thanks a bunch for posting them for all future viewers. Have you tried any of these tactics against a human player in multiplayer?

[@CapitalTeeth]

@@perafilozof No. Because I've never touched Multiplayer. But going with my gut, tips 2 and 5 still apply.

[@perafilozof]

@@CapitalTeeth Ah too bad. The multiplayer in this game is very fun

[@nebojsag.5871]

I love how you keep saying things like "Pause the game so you have time to coordinate your infantry and your artillery, so they're working together." Because WW1 generals would have given much to have a "pause" button available to them, since proper coordination across massive distances and between huge formations is really difficult. They figured out easily enough that suppressing enemy infantry and artillery with your own heavy fire is crucial for successful infantry attacks, but timing it all correctly was a nightmare.

[@perafilozof]

Yeah, I play almost without it, but it is much, much harder that way. Lucky I like the challenge.

[@drak1559]

To be fair i dont imagine that Haig or any of the other generals would have personally micro-managed every order they gave like we have to in strategy games, theres no chain of command like there is in real life. General orders would be much more vague, more along the lines of, this and this company will advance onto this general postion with this and this support, rather than having to select each company to attack/move to a very specific location. It would be the nco's job to coordinate their squad, company, regiment etc. to make sure they arent just standing out in no mans land getting shot at. Strategy games dont have that because 1. programming good AI to be able to do that is very very hard and thus most likely just make it very frustrating for the player and 2. it would mean that the battles would basically just be a slightly more complicated auto-resolve.

[@perafilozof]

Yeah, I totally get your point. It would take the control so much from the hands of the player it wouldn't be fun at all. Thank you very much for that great comment, I see you gave it a lot of thought. Have you played anything similar to what you have described?

[@drak1559]

@@perafilozof I've hear of command ops 2 using a chain of command system but i havent personally tried it yet, does sound very interesting though and it has a pretty positive perception, but again I understand why most strtagey games opt for a more traditional direct command approach where time controls are almost required, especially for larger scale battles

[@perafilozof]

Ah, nice, I should look into that

[@alechennings4774]

I played as the Allies on veteran difficulty and I ended the war by December 1916 with 999 national will and one hex away from German Military Capital. This game is weirdly easy once you know how to play it

[@perafilozof]

Hi Alec and thank you for sharing. That is quite the accomplishment! Congratulations. Care to share some of what you have learned as best tips?

[@alechennings4774]

@@perafilozof yeah I don’t exactly know how it all holds up but my advice is to lightly guard the front(strategic big map) Build up in a couple key areas near 2 star hexs and then snake as deep into the enemy territory encircling enemy hex’s when you can. The biggest goal is to drive as deep into enemy territory as possible so that they have to spread their forces extremely thin. Ignore 3-5 star hexes, surround them instead makes life so much easier than playing the same battles again and again. To win tactically you need all offensive armies to consist of some elite divisions. When attacking deploy 4-6 standard companies in front of 2-4 elite companies. The standard inf is the cannon fodder for the Elite units (with an already deployed force of 12ish elite troops in reserve hiding in your trenches) send the first wave of the mixed forces to capture and hold just the first couple of trenches attack small zones with small concentration of forces. The first wave needs to secure a foot hold in the trenches and slowly poor in the reserve elite troops until you capture the first point. Replenish your attack force with reinforcements and then push directly to the HQ (the first point you attack should be the closest one to enemy HQ) once you take the Enemy HQ it’s super easy to attack the other trench lines from the rear as their MGs will be useless. Use arty and planes don’t worry about tanks they are way to expensive to research and you get them to late in the game. Almost all research points should be focused on logistics. Troops win battles but Logistics win wars. Every time you take a hex deeper into enemy territory build a lot least a lv.2 supply depot on that point. You will be attacking from that hex shortly so you can snake as deep into enemy territory as possible Also siege arty is absolutely useless do not use it. Get bombers early so you can get rid of mg nests super easily and allow for heavy arty to soften up companies. Do not kill companies or else they will get replaced and another fully healed inf company takes their trench position. Only damage them so that when the inf try and take the trench it will be super quick. That was a long ramble but I appreciate it if you read this.

[@perafilozof]

@@alechennings4774 Oh wow, I love this advise and all the tips. It does match what I have been trying to do in my own campaign. I didn't however invest so heavily in the logistic tech tree but I see your point. I do use a very similar tactic for attacking and the bomber tip is excellent as well as the one about not totally destroying enemy units. I will have to incorporate these tips into my next guide!

[@thedavyjones7177]

I just picked up this game today. I don’t think there’s a tutorial which I initially thought was annoying. Jumped straight into the campaign and while they do have tooltips, watching the AI and figuring out good strategy on my own has been immersive and rewarding. At first it was frustrating but now I’m stomping even though I’m just playing on medium(soldier) the only thing I don’t quite understand yet is how to deal with the pillboxes in Verdun I’ve tried a lot

[@perafilozof]

Hi, thank you for sharing your experience with the game. I am happy to hear your trial and error ended with you learning the ropes and advancing in your campaign. What would you say is the hardest thing for you, besides Verdun, which no no one should even bother with :)

[@thedavyjones7177]

@@perafilozof honestly lack of supply in offensives I can win if I have enough to properly Bombard with artillery. so I’ve been researching mostly in the logistics tree to boost global supply and gold reserves and conversion ratios

[@perafilozof]

@@thedavyjones7177 That is a good idea. And I support that as well. Get lots of support points and it makes every offensive much easier.

[@samsiegel4052]

You probably know by now but there is a tutorial ! However it’s usefulness is questionable but it does teach some basic stuff

[@thedavyjones7177]

@@samsiegel4052 I did figure that out eventually lol

[@nathanweitzman9531]

Nice video! Just want to point out that the base trench costs the same as the comm trench, while extending a tile further. Can save a little supply and have a firing position if you put those in place of the double comms. Also, the MG's have significantly more range than the company rifles, so embedding them deeper into the trench system keeps them away from the grenades while still being potentially effective.

[@nathanweitzman9531]

I can't tell for sure, but I think a MG placed on your third line behind 'y' might even still cover the barbed wire on the first line

[@perafilozof]

Hi and thank you kindly for those suggestions. This is exactly why receiving many such comments and tipa I have created a new guide with specific tips on how to set up defenses with machine gun and mortar emplacements. You can see it here and tell me what you think: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nXapf5mAd7h7Z9k

[@BobaFattttttt]

I found heavy arty to be useful in defense when an army is charging just blow em to shreds as light arty doesn’t really blow em up very well

[@perafilozof]

That is true, heavy art does way more damage to infantry units, but still, other infantry units do the most and fastest damage to enemy infantry units, which is why having a lot of trenches near by and each filled with infantry does the most damage to enemy attack waves. Thank you for the comment and sharing your experience with us Boba Fat! Cool nick. And BTW how do you like the game so far?

[@kallas1558]

It took some learning, but now that I'm there, I think my biggest issue with this game is that the AI can't wield the tools at its disposal effectively. Defending is incredibly easy with rifle and basic trench alone provided good layouts, while static weapons support from the second line on the occasion supplies are available- ideally concrete reinforced, after bombers come out, but infantry reserves take priority. The AI, on the offensive, likes to throw wave after wave into the grinder, often with inadequate artillery suppression if your trenches are properly spaced (traditionally leave an empty row.) Its flame troopers and grenadiers often rush into melee instead of standing outside the trench to use their tools. Their tanks are a very odd factor, it uses them wildly differently battle to battle. At the least their bombers tend to be used effectively, though they still may throw missions out with no eligible targets.

[@kallas1558]

As a sidenote, I also find its generally a bad idea to stack 2 infantry units in a trench unless its been upgraded, or is a backline reserve connection. You can always filter more troops in to fight in melee once the shells stop raining.

[@perafilozof]

Hi, as I have been playing more today, I have noticed that if you take out enemies artilery they will keep attacking headlong straight into your lines even if they have a forest available to hid in next to your objective. It deepens on what the AI has available and if you take out a key factor or they run out the AI has a problem to fight on.

[@perafilozof]

You are correct, I have been working on my tactics and indeed, having two infantry units in the same trench at the front means taking a lot of damage from enemy artillery. Once unit, per trench with empty trenches to move to at the front line is very good for you.

[@kallas1558]

@@perafilozof As a more pointed thing to machineguns, while not the most potent on their own, I believe their real advantage is that they don't take popcap. It makes for an affordable way to skeleton crew a flank, allowing you to consolidate more troops for a push, in larger (2-3k supply) battles.

[@perafilozof]

@@kallas1558 While I do agree not taking a unit slot is great, they are also limited in the fact they are stationary, have a limited arc of fire, and can't win against more than 2 units if rushed.

[@illumin4t152]

the problem with the machine guns yes you are right to a point, but just try it once, to place them in the second roiw of trenches and not connect the first line to the second. the machine guns get really effectiv like that, the enemie has to come out of the first line again and that is a slow animation. a lot of firing in this time periot. besides never really a good idea to connect all your trenches, yah meele is not the most effektiv way to fight but better then to get shoot at while moving, force them out of the trenches again

[@perafilozof]

Yeah, thank you Illumin4t ! I already got similar comments mentioning this tactic, and I must admit that it does sound doable, I mean, I mentioned the same thing during the video, with my comment of setting them up deeper in the line of trenches, just don't know how effective they are as that reduces their range and enemies go into my first line of trenches. But another person commented not to connect 1st with 2nd line of trenches, so that does sound like a working system.

[@illumin4t152]

@@perafilozof just had some defences combining your ideas with second row machine guns. works well. just 2 or 3 are not a huge investment. but i have to be fair, i dont have to deal with bombers yet. maybe a bomber would change that a bit. besides one heavy and 2 light arti is also an idea. the heavy arty does dmg more in health and moral, they go down to around 70% moral when you get a goot hit on an elite. worth it.

[@perafilozof]

@@illumin4t152 I see, that you for the feedback. Yeah, I played with the 1916 start so I had more tech available in my battles. Haven't played with the starting tech to say how the balance is there. Keep me posted on what you find works best.

[@nagelfischer]

​@@illumin4t152 bombers can be fearly easly countered but if you dont have fighters they just destory all of your mgs and mortars

[@perafilozof]

Yeah this disparity can happen especially if you attack some place that isn't a stronghold but had enemy tanks in that region during that turn.

[@jessiegunther1079]

interesting. But considering how machine guns changed warfare and affected WW!, its kinda ironic how ineffective they are in the game. Maybe they should add MG infantry you can put in trenches. And I greatly appreciate you admit you not proud of shelling your own, as I care greatly for my men in RTS games. And I can relate much to you using the conscripts, as I found in many RTS games, using the cheapest infantry can often prove vital in keeping up the pressure on attacks or reinforcing a defensive position

[@perafilozof]

Thank you for the comment and feedback Jessie! From what other players have posted and I tested out there is use of MGs and Mortars but limited when placed at the second and third rows of trenches. I will post a video explaining the tactic. Indeed, I also try to keep as many units alive but in this game... it is impossible, and it really shows you the horror of the Great War.

[@jessiegunther1079]

@@perafilozof Of course, but caring for your men is good for morale, instead of seeing them as expandable, My experience, do you know the old flash games warfare 1917 and 1944? in the game, units move on their own from ththerir ground to the enemy side, stopping only for trenches/cover unless occupied or told to ignore it Here, the standard infantry, the riflemen, are the cheapest unit with the fastest deployment cooldown and that came in very handy to keep the pressure up on maps with no cover, or to reinforce a trench/cover, that is badly hit. The RTS game series company of heroes was similar to me. The standard infantry come with a anti vehicle ability, so they don't need to pick up a weapon that would lower their effectiveness aginst other infantry, staying versatile. As such, I mostly used core infantry to reinforce defensive positions, given their are cheap and can be adapted to any situation, using the spealized infantry for support. IN any case, I am eager how you see tanks and what infantry units you recomenmt. I saw Germany as An AA truck/tank as unique unit

[@perafilozof]

@@jessiegunther1079 no, I am not familiar with that game. But I am with company of heroes . That one is not the best comparison as they had to have multitasking infantry units to keep the number of units on the screen low.

[@nagelfischer]

I think the stationary mg should be better and the ones we have now should be a unit that should have like a deploy time and maybe only work in trenches. Also you should be able to reinforce mgs

[@perafilozof]

That would require quite a big rewrite, so I don't think the developers will go that far. But some changes are necessary I agree.

[@adrißer]

Great Vid, but you should try to make 3 "eras" early war, mid war late war. As all the require different tactics as technology increases. For exanple melee buffing with a tank becomes a valid strategy. For 60 supply you get a match long support unit. (As long as you can keep your tank alive)

[@perafilozof]

Thank you for the feedback and suggestion, that is a great idea. I will add it to my list.

[@morrogin5986]

thoughtsd on heavy vs light arty in the defence? light seems to be best for attack due to the larger AOE, but (personaly) I dont like its damage output when used on attacking infanty. whats have you guys found?

[@perafilozof]

Hi, from my own experience you can definitely suppress more enemies with light art, and even in defense you can prevent more enemies from firing at your units and also suppress several enemy artillery batteries at the same time with one of yours. Heavy is OK for taking out tanks which stop, but you still want bombers for that role. So my stand is more light than heavy art in defense, unless you research the upgraded air burst shells for heavy art. Those are really strong but cost a lot of supply points.

[@nathanweitzman9531]

I find a mix is good. Lots of heavy, 4-8 units to weaken or eliminate companies, and 2-3 light for local suppression and eliminating mg/motor nests.

[@ChadwickMann]

I noticed that you’re using light arty on charging units. From my experience light arty doesn’t actually do any damage to units, or at least one’s in skirmish (I haven’t checked how it effects line infantry. It seems only heavy arty truly does damage to units

[@perafilozof]

Hi Stranger Man and thank you for sharing your observation. To my knowledge light art does do a bit of damage to infantry, but it also damages their morale. Indeed heavy art is much better at direct damage, but again it doesn't do much compared to infantry rifles for example.

[@S0n0fCh4d]

Bunker machine gunners are worth it, they just tank the damage and cause a moral debuff on the enemy if close enough the downside is they cost 60 supply

[@perafilozof]

Sure, if they aren't blown up at long range at least some use can be gained from them. Thank you for the good comment Tyler! How are you enjoying the game so far?

[@S0n0fCh4d]

@@perafilozof I've been enjoying it quite a bit, those bunkers also help with casualties since the ai loves to target them during the waves, it allows the infantry to wipe them out given proper spacing, been killing 25k with four to three hundred losses without artillery or observation balloon using this method early game.

[@perafilozof]

Oh wow, that sounds like great victories all around for you. Well done!

[@S0n0fCh4d]

@@perafilozof Thanks, it definitely took trial and error.

[@perafilozof]

I can imagine. You should really share your experience with new players on Steam by writing a guide.

[@AgingSquid]

And people wonder why this war lasted 4 years. Because it wasn’t as simple as you think.

[@perafilozof]

Good point AgingSquid ! How do you like the game so far? BTW I have another more in-depth video on this subject: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nXapf5mAd7h7Z9k

[@Bluewah96]

how do ya deal with tanks?

[@perafilozof]

Hi, I have made a full guide on that in my latest video kzbin.info/www/bejne/naObXpV3qNhrisk

[@MannyS9000]

Why light artillery for defense just curious on your opinion

[@perafilozof]

Because you don't want to spend a lot of points, and it is cheaper than heavy artillery to setup and also cheaper per artillery volley to fire. Losing it to enemy units or bombers is also fewer points lost.

[@scottruch76]

@@perafilozof the light artys suppression strike for defense doesn't really do any damage to the infantry, which in order to have crowd control that's what you need. The heavy arty will thin the herd. Idk what light arty does maybe just supresses the enemy infantry so they have to charge the trench idk

[@perafilozof]

Honestly I have seen plenty of units take both morale and unit health damage as artillery from light variants fell on them. I mean I could be mistaken that it was mixed with small arms fire, but I definitely see my own units take lots of damage from enemy artillery.

[@anitaibele7743]

​@@scottruch76 exactly my experience. Light artillery does little damage and is more useful for attacking to suppress fire in enemy trenches. Heavy artillery is deadlier and therefore more usefull in defense

[@scottruch76]

@@anitaibele7743 the airburst is terrifyingly effective I understand why it was balanced the way it was

[@ZergYinYang]

So few notes. The AI stacks multiple heavy art on your machine gun nests. Often 3-4 volleys kill them. At 9 supply thats 27-36 supply. The nest is 30 supply. So its actually pretty close

[@perafilozof]

I am quite sure just 2 is enough. And 1 if it was also bombed from the plane.

[@kallas1558]

​@@perafilozof I can comfortably say machineguns are pretty resilient against artillery- Bombers and grenades are the real killers.

[@perafilozof]

@@kallas1558 I think they tweaked something in the last patch. They do take less damage now from artillery as I play.

[@cjbaker2982]

So, I know balancing is coming and I have read into the “AI cheating” I have mixed feelings on it. It definitely feels like it cheats, an example is attacking a small enemy force, and they have extensive trenches, MGs, troops and the thing that gets me thinking is them having 2 balloons, if they are limited to the same amount of supply then 2 balloons would be 300 points, how do they have enough to build trenches guns and man troops at the same time with a 3 stack defense corp. that’s what I don’t understand. And then when I’m on the defense, they have the same MGs, trench lines (although not as extensive) multiple arty emplacements, 2-3 balloons and enough supply to make 3 massive infantry pushes and still have enough arty to concentrate and destroy my guns and keep my entire line suppressed. So, my take away is either they have a bonus to combat supply or reduced equipment costs, they cheat or their efficiency is flawless. What are your opinions on this?

[@perafilozof]

Hi, from what I have seen, the AI 1. Uses very cheap infantry 2. Recycles supply points from damaged units perfectly 3. And is simply inhumanely effective at managing the supply points it has. I don't think it has any "cheats" on beyond perfect memory of your locations after it sees them and perfect math.

[@陳仲程]

agree with the useless MG nest, i think the only reason you use them is when you got too much supply to use lol

[@perafilozof]

Hi, thank you for the comment and feedback. I have used other players comments and managed to find a use from them just in a different location on the battlefield. You can learn how to build the best defense in this guide: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nXapf5mAd7h7Z9k

[@陳仲程]

ahh,cool man, gotta check it out

[@rzu1474]

Really hope they do something so that it actually makes sense to put mg's down Make them cheaper then it needs to destroy them would already be something Or. Make artillery way less accurate.

[@perafilozof]

Hi RZU 147 and thank you for the comment and sharing your thoughts on this. So far the only viable tactic is keeping them at the second and third rows of trenches as support rather than front line defenses. I will post a video detailing this tactic.

[@perafilozof]

Please do share your own experience and thoughts on defense, and what you think is currently unbalanced. Also, do you feel like the AI cheats?

[@scottruch76]

The AI is overly efficient at managing it's resources. What I do is i keep my first and second lines close enough to support each other but not so close they both get suppressed by artillery. So while the first line is getting suppressed the second line is still supporting the first line

[@eduardklima5698]

In one battle I had blizzard weather (1914/1915) conditions and AI could launch arty strike on my infantry in no man´s land just outside of my forward trenches if they got into arty fire arc. My lines got hit by Arty only when enemy infantry was spoting. Also fun part of this battle was that I could hide 2 infantry units in forrest next to border of map and AI spawn point (while otuside of arty fire arc). My arty got fire arc there and it was massacre (8-9k kills from that spot).

[@perafilozof]

Hi, it depends on who many units and supply points they are starting their attack. Like, in my battle they used only three regular , cheap infantry units, meaning their supply points let them call in dozens or even hundreds of reinforcements. I don't think enough players appreciate the scale of the game.

[@perafilozof]

Exactly, very good point Scott. They don't really use expensive units, so they can attack many times in large waves.

[@perafilozof]

Wow, quite the good use of forests Eduard! Well done, I am going to steal that tactic from you! Thank you very much for sharing.

[@Heylanda-fb9xb]

Petroglyph should really implement some kind of "suppression" system for infantry when they're running toward a machine gun or increase it's damage. Killing or suppressing infantry group en masse is their entire purpose and the machine gun is historically the weapon that cost the most casualty during the defense. Not the infantry. The concept of pinpoint accurate artillery strike is also ridiculous during the early stage of the campaign. Artillery guns have a hard time coordinating with each other because the shockwave cause from firing it could easily damage the telephone wire and flying a pigeon while artillery shell is airborne is out of the question. Changing it from being an ability you gain from the beginning to something you need to research from the engineer or trench research tree could easily make the machine gun much more effective while being historically accurate at the same time.

[@perafilozof]

Hi, welcome to my channel and thank you for the comment. I do agree with that completely as this balance has surprised me quite a lot. I tried to play it in a historical way only to realize that doesn't work. Btw I made a follow up video using other players tips and feedback on how you can actually get some use out of gun emplacements: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nXapf5mAd7h7Z9k

[@nikelaos5792]

Maybe someday developer would realese patch with stronger sationary weapons?

[@perafilozof]

They have already patched the AI day 1. So they are quite fast with that. I hope the AI patch already helps with this issue as well, as the patch notes imply. I am personally impressed with the speed of their response to community criticism.

[@nikelaos5792]

@@perafilozof I hope so, from what I saw this game need still some work.

[@perafilozof]

@@nikelaos5792 balancing. Which is expected.

[@xthisiszane2100]

You shouldnt connect all your trenches

[@perafilozof]

That is something I learned and others commented. You are correct. Some gaps on strategic locations are a good way to prevent the enemy from exploiting a breach.

[@madjack7777]

Sigh... you dont use machine guns in the first line. Build them in the second line. Also, do not connect the first line, make those single trenches. Place the second line two positions lower. Put the machine guns there. Also use communication lines to optimize fields of fire for the machine gun. I win battles where I pay 80 gold and the opposing team pays over 2000. Note, tanks and bombers do change the game. If you know how to counter them machine guns can be used again. If not, do not use em at all. Tanks will destroy positions with one shot. To clarify, my second line is always connected from both flank map edges. Use barbwire only on the first line and in front of the first line.

[@perafilozof]

Hi, thank you kindly for the feedback and tips. This is exactly what other players also suggested and I used to make a guide on to showcase the best defense setup here kzbin.info/www/bejne/nXapf5mAd7h7Z9k

[@learningthroughpain.7215]

I protest to validity of this experiment but I don't have enough money to but the game so.... you are right ?

[@perafilozof]

Hi, thx for the comment. I don't have a problem with that.

[@accentedreality]

Disconnect your front front line trenches, have 2nd line 2 rows behind. Thank me later 😋

[@perafilozof]

Ah! I see, I get it streight away, prevents enemies from moving from my 1st line into the 2nd under cover of the trench network! Very smart. But this will impact manning the first line again after defending?

[@kallas1558]

​@@perafilozof It will of course impact retaking the trench, but theres always tradeoffs. I like to give important positions a comms trench off to some basic or blockhouse positions in the back as a way to ferry reserves in without having to storm your own line.

[@perafilozof]

Right, good point there. Thank you for sharing!

[@mazzars1772]

Machine guns work better in depth than on your first line of trenches.

[@perafilozof]

Hi, indeed, that is the same comment I made during this video, that they might work better from the back line covering the first, but you have to also disconnect the first line from the second so the attacking infantry gets targeted when moving against your second line outside the trench. But the enemy AI will also target them when in the second line so not a perfect solution. And bombers hit them too back there.

[@moostafa8149]

Everyone thinks they are Rambo but in reality, they are crewman #3. Thanks for the tips, S!

[@perafilozof]

Thank you for the comment and praise! Glad to know I could help. What do you think of the game so far?

[@jimzo1985]

german tanks are fast and indestructible for some reason ... the computer gets infinite artillery somehow and their soldiers kill allied tanks with rifles .

[@perafilozof]

I can relate to the rifles vs tanks comment. I had that experience in the beta and it was shocking to say the least. As for artillery supply points being infinity, the developers say that is not the case. But I do agree it sure feels like it considering the constant pounding we get from it. How are you other impressions from the game?

[@scottruch76]

K bullets my friend. K bullets

[@perafilozof]

Yeah, but it isn't explicitly explained in the game

[@scottruch76]

@@perafilozof true

[@warhead_beast7661]

well sadly i get attacked by 9 companies with only 400 supplies XD

[@perafilozof]

Ouch! Yeah, you have to reinforce that section for the next battle but even if you do lose that region the next battle should be in your favor as the enemy will be sorounded.

[@frankargenti]

bro you should ask for a refund .... teaching us how not to play

[@perafilozof]

Hello FrankArgenti and thank you for the feedback. I have received many comments and tested some new ideas of my own, and made this video about the best defense design here> kzbin.info/www/bejne/nXapf5mAd7h7Z9k