csa campaign question

[scarface]

Hello, I am new to this game and have question about the difficulty of playing as the csa. Is the csa full campaign going to be too overwhelming for a new playing like me that will make a ton of mistakes. Also for the people that have played the csa full campaign, I am wondering what is the best case scenario that you can possibly get as the confederates? Has anyone been ever to push back the union forces to new york or at least take washington late in the war like 1863 or 1864 or is it basically defend and hold on as long as possible? Thanks in advance and sorry if this is the wrong forum to be posting in.

[Prussian Prince]

Playing a full campaign helped me learn all the small things in the game. You will make mistakes but I would play it anyway. Just my way of learning.

Stewart

[whitewolf1981]

The short answer: Being overwhelmed depends on the AI difficulty level and level of aggression. As the CSA, something will not work right at any given time: you will not have available soldiers (=conscription points). Or you will have enough soldiers, but not money. Or you will have enough money, but not as many war supplies as you'd want. It's not frustrating, but rather realistic and a nice challenge.

The long answer: My advice would be for you to select in "options" the 2nd AI difficulty level (not the easiest, but quite easy) and the lowest level of aggression.

On these settings I just finished my first ACW game ever yesterday (as the CSA), by taking Missouri, Kentucky, Cincinnati, persuading the British to land near New York City and then taking Washington DC all of this leading to a collapse of Northern morale in the spring of 1864

But make sure you understand:
1. the supply rules = what to do when a force is out of supplies.
2. Army structure = how to build divisions, armies, army corps = how to make those red percentage points to go away so that your troops can fight at full efficiency

Once you learn these two things, you can really enjoy the game and push the difficulty level up. I know I learned them the way I haven't learned things since college

[Brochgale]

Start CSA on easy settings and as you learn - take a few bloody noses and butt kickings in the process - but you will learn game and then when you are comfortable with what you have learned - crank up the diificulty settings.

I am fighting as CSA on hard settings, it is 1865 and the longest game I have played against the AI now with Feds seiging Richmond and Freidricksburg but I am beseiging St.Lious, Cincinaiti and Cairo. No foreign intervention possible as I have that disabled totally. It is 50:50 as to whose morale breaks first - I love it?

[Mangudai]

I played a full CSA campaign on 1.07c with default AI.

St. Louis, Cincinnati, Washington, and Baltimore were captured in 1862. However there was still a ways to go before triggering a NM victory.

In 1863 I captured Chicago, Detroit, most of IN and OH. Plus almost all DE, NJ, and Philadelphia.

The AI surrendered in Sept. 1863 when I finally took New York, City.


I think the AI has improved since 1.07c. In that version the AI fought like Joe Johnston... always pulling back and letting territory go without much of a fight.