Conflict of Nations: WWIII can be a bit of a daunting game for new players. There's a lot of depth, a lot to do, and not a lot of time to learn. The game itself doesn't offer a ton in the ways of tutorials, and while the forums can and do help with that, I just wanted to take a moment to share 10 tips that have carried me through a lot of maps. These are simple, blunt, and effective tips, and while they might not work for everyone, it's a good framework to build your own strategy off of. I may update this with more tips as I go, but for now, sit back, relax, and enjoy:
1. Invading on day 1 is a terrible, terrible idea. I've been playing this game for months now, and I can say that every single time I've invaded an active player on Day 1, I've lost. More often than not, I even have more cities than my opponent and still lose! Your army is simply too weak on Day 1 to be very effective in combating an active player, so don't do it alone. Joint invasions are another matter entirely.
2. Manage your resources. It is very easy to deplete your resources early in the game. This is especially true of 5 city nations, which only have one city per resource. Bonus resource provinces can help alleviate this struggle, but those provinces can only be upgraded so much. Always be aware of how many resources you produce, and how much you consume. If you have occupied cities producing a valuable asset, be sure to annex them as soon as is convenient, if not as soon as possible.
3. National Guard is a last resort. National Guard is a severely weaker version of motorized infantry. While it is not unwise to use them in defensive scenarios, such as defending an island or combat outpost, they still eat up valuable production space, and require too much maintenance to be useful. Even at maximum level, Motorized Infantry is still vastly superior, and is only slightly more expensive. At later levels, M.I. can also attack at a small distance. It isn't much, but it can still serve as a good entrenchment strategy.
4. Strike Fighters and Air Superiority Fighters are NOT the same thing! I can't tell you how many times I've seen even veteran players use AS Fighters as a ground bombardment unit. It isn't effective, and it will destroy your fighter! Different aircraft serve different purposes, and the AS Fighter is designed to shoot down other planes/helis. Strike Fighters are far better suited to attack ground units, and should be used as such: they lack effective anti-air armament.*
*Drone Bombing is effective against ground units as well, due to their easy to produce nature, but they cannot defend themselves. From anything. Keep this in mind.
5. The Corvette is not the only naval unit you need. I'll admit it, I have a soft spot for Corvettes. They are fast, cheap(ish), and early in the research tree. However, they have a very specific purpose, and it is not to bombard ground units. To be perfectly honest, no naval unit is perfectly equipped to do damage against ground units, but I digress. Corvettes suffer in the open seas, and are also very weak against most other naval units, save for submarines. Therefore, Corvettes should really only be used as a defensive unit, and you should experiment with different kinds of naval units to see what works best for you.
6. Get Tank Destroyers before getting actual tanks. This might sound a little counter-intuitive, but getting a good defensive edge against armor units is crucial to securing your dominance. Tanks are deadly, but Tank Destroyers are even deadlier. Augment this with infantry, and it will take far more than just a couple of tanks to break your line. Tank Destroyers cost about the same as Main Battle Tanks (though just a little bit cheaper), but carry an excellent defensive bonus against tanks. They are weak against infantry, so I would recommend providing a Recon Vehicle along with infantry for maximum effectiveness.
7. Beware the insurgencies. Too often have I seen massive powerhouse countries falling to the insurgents. They are easy to prevent, and while not overly powerful, they can be an absolute nuisance later in the game. If morale is less than 35, keep at least 1 infantry unit in the province: an insurgency may be in the works.
8. There's no shame in asking for help. If you have allies, make the most of them. Need help with an aggressive neighbor? Ask an ally. Want to take on your rival coalition? Communicate and plan. Teamwork is almost crucial in this game: I've yet to see anyone win solo. If you have good, active allies, so long as you keep them in the loop, you'll do just fine. You need only ask. That's what teammates are for: you're all in this together!
9. The larger your borders, the harder it is to play defensive. Unlike Bytro's Call of War: 1942 and Supremacy: 1914 games, Conflict of Nations: WWIII doesn't let you produce units anywhere you like. All unit production is limited strictly to cities, and the larger your country, the more cities you have. That being said, bigger countries have bigger borders, and bigger borders are harder to secure. You can't just call up an army out of thin air to defend your over-extended flanks. Always be mindful of your massive borders when preparing for an invasion! Russia almost never lasts long in this game due to the sheer size of the country: if one side falls, the rest will follow.
And finally,
10. Loss is normal. There's no point in getting salty about a defeat. In every failure, there is a lesson, and if you learn that lesson, next time you will get closer and closer to victory. The human element is what makes this game unpredictable: no two matches are going to function exactly the same. There will be some parallels, sure, but not identical matches. If you lose, move on. Join another game, or take a break, and try again. It is perfectly possible to win, but everyone loses a match once in a while. That's fine. What isn't fine is degrading your fellow players just because you weren't victorious: this game is not going to hand you victory on a silver platter, so don't expect it. You really do have to try.
I hope this was helpful to anybody, and have a nice day!
1. Invading on day 1 is a terrible, terrible idea. I've been playing this game for months now, and I can say that every single time I've invaded an active player on Day 1, I've lost. More often than not, I even have more cities than my opponent and still lose! Your army is simply too weak on Day 1 to be very effective in combating an active player, so don't do it alone. Joint invasions are another matter entirely.
2. Manage your resources. It is very easy to deplete your resources early in the game. This is especially true of 5 city nations, which only have one city per resource. Bonus resource provinces can help alleviate this struggle, but those provinces can only be upgraded so much. Always be aware of how many resources you produce, and how much you consume. If you have occupied cities producing a valuable asset, be sure to annex them as soon as is convenient, if not as soon as possible.
3. National Guard is a last resort. National Guard is a severely weaker version of motorized infantry. While it is not unwise to use them in defensive scenarios, such as defending an island or combat outpost, they still eat up valuable production space, and require too much maintenance to be useful. Even at maximum level, Motorized Infantry is still vastly superior, and is only slightly more expensive. At later levels, M.I. can also attack at a small distance. It isn't much, but it can still serve as a good entrenchment strategy.
4. Strike Fighters and Air Superiority Fighters are NOT the same thing! I can't tell you how many times I've seen even veteran players use AS Fighters as a ground bombardment unit. It isn't effective, and it will destroy your fighter! Different aircraft serve different purposes, and the AS Fighter is designed to shoot down other planes/helis. Strike Fighters are far better suited to attack ground units, and should be used as such: they lack effective anti-air armament.*
*Drone Bombing is effective against ground units as well, due to their easy to produce nature, but they cannot defend themselves. From anything. Keep this in mind.
5. The Corvette is not the only naval unit you need. I'll admit it, I have a soft spot for Corvettes. They are fast, cheap(ish), and early in the research tree. However, they have a very specific purpose, and it is not to bombard ground units. To be perfectly honest, no naval unit is perfectly equipped to do damage against ground units, but I digress. Corvettes suffer in the open seas, and are also very weak against most other naval units, save for submarines. Therefore, Corvettes should really only be used as a defensive unit, and you should experiment with different kinds of naval units to see what works best for you.
6. Get Tank Destroyers before getting actual tanks. This might sound a little counter-intuitive, but getting a good defensive edge against armor units is crucial to securing your dominance. Tanks are deadly, but Tank Destroyers are even deadlier. Augment this with infantry, and it will take far more than just a couple of tanks to break your line. Tank Destroyers cost about the same as Main Battle Tanks (though just a little bit cheaper), but carry an excellent defensive bonus against tanks. They are weak against infantry, so I would recommend providing a Recon Vehicle along with infantry for maximum effectiveness.
7. Beware the insurgencies. Too often have I seen massive powerhouse countries falling to the insurgents. They are easy to prevent, and while not overly powerful, they can be an absolute nuisance later in the game. If morale is less than 35, keep at least 1 infantry unit in the province: an insurgency may be in the works.
8. There's no shame in asking for help. If you have allies, make the most of them. Need help with an aggressive neighbor? Ask an ally. Want to take on your rival coalition? Communicate and plan. Teamwork is almost crucial in this game: I've yet to see anyone win solo. If you have good, active allies, so long as you keep them in the loop, you'll do just fine. You need only ask. That's what teammates are for: you're all in this together!
9. The larger your borders, the harder it is to play defensive. Unlike Bytro's Call of War: 1942 and Supremacy: 1914 games, Conflict of Nations: WWIII doesn't let you produce units anywhere you like. All unit production is limited strictly to cities, and the larger your country, the more cities you have. That being said, bigger countries have bigger borders, and bigger borders are harder to secure. You can't just call up an army out of thin air to defend your over-extended flanks. Always be mindful of your massive borders when preparing for an invasion! Russia almost never lasts long in this game due to the sheer size of the country: if one side falls, the rest will follow.
And finally,
10. Loss is normal. There's no point in getting salty about a defeat. In every failure, there is a lesson, and if you learn that lesson, next time you will get closer and closer to victory. The human element is what makes this game unpredictable: no two matches are going to function exactly the same. There will be some parallels, sure, but not identical matches. If you lose, move on. Join another game, or take a break, and try again. It is perfectly possible to win, but everyone loses a match once in a while. That's fine. What isn't fine is degrading your fellow players just because you weren't victorious: this game is not going to hand you victory on a silver platter, so don't expect it. You really do have to try.
I hope this was helpful to anybody, and have a nice day!