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Supply Issues

Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2011 8:10 pm
by DooberGuy
Does anyone have any hints as to how I can get supplies to my troops in the Indian territories? I have built 2 level 2 depots and connected them by railroad to Saint Louis, but my guys are slowly dying. Any help would be much appreciated. Oh, and force levels are 6 brigades, so I don't think it's because I'm using too many guys.

Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2011 8:21 pm
by James D Burns
Get David E Twiggs mated up with your starting Cavalry unit. His hothead ability guarantees that the cavalry won’t retreat in the first 2 rounds which means he'll win most fights.

I use him from a base of operations to strike out one or two regions and then move him back to base. Any regions I need to control I send an expeditionary brigade (has 2 small battalions in it) in behind him to use to take control.

Those units don't need to move back to the depot as they don’t seem to lose any supply or attrition when alone in a region.

If the Indians get a large stack together, I use the two infantry units that start in Texas and St Louis along with Thomas S. Jesup and the artillery unit and they crush most opposition if they are fresh when going into battle.

Using this method I managed to crush most of the Cherokee’s and Dakota’s within a year and a half. And had most regions under 100% US control up to about mid Colorado.

Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2011 8:25 pm
by DooberGuy
Yeah, actually that has me confused as well. I have a number of infantry units up in the Dakotas that are having no problem staying supplied, but my infantry in north texas all died while sitting on top of a depot. This doesn't seem to make any sense at all.

Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2011 8:33 pm
by James D Burns
Make sure your main depots are on the coast or along a navigable river. You don’t have a lot of rail early on and I suspect a lot of it gets used hauling trade goods before it’s made available for supply (just a hunch I have no idea how it all works). I seem to stockpile plenty of supply at depots along rivers or the coast.

But it may be that you’ve simply got too many units out west. Supply production is pretty low at game start, I’d be careful about building entire divisions without first getting a few level 3 depots up and running out west somewhere. Once the stating units draw their missing elements, some stacks used as much as 16-20 or so supplies a turn. That’s a lot of supply for a region as sparse as the US west in 1850.

Jim

Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2011 9:41 pm
by Aragos
IMHO, the best way is build a rail from St Louis to Ft Leavenworth, and a depot and pre-ind fort at Leavenworth.

Put all the troops you have in western outposts in the outposts. It reduces attrition.

Keep the big inf regts in St Louis, or when the fort/depot is running, in Leavenworth.

Look at building a depot in central Texas (Brazos) as well to supply troops in Texas. Be careful about putting too many troops in one area, as it will cost you big in supply and attrition.

Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2011 4:02 pm
by Pocus
DooberGuy wrote:Yeah, actually that has me confused as well. I have a number of infantry units up in the Dakotas that are having no problem staying supplied, but my infantry in north texas all died while sitting on top of a depot. This doesn't seem to make any sense at all.


Very important for you to know:
If in a colonial region, if you have equal or less than 3 elements time number of structures you own, they will be fed for free. Beyond this level, normal supply usage apply.

Example: a depot plus trade post will supply for free 6 elements. If 7 elements or more (counting leaders!), then normal supply rule kick in.

Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2011 8:26 pm
by Husky
Pocus wrote:Very important for you to know:
If in a colonial region, if you have equal or less than 3 elements time number of structures you own, they will be fed for free. Beyond this level, normal supply usage apply.

Example: a depot plus trade post will supply for free 6 elements. If 7 elements or more (counting leaders!), then normal supply rule kick in.

Yes its really very important to know :D
Its explained a lot of my problems with understanding how Pon supply system is working :)
Pocus can you also confirm that small size unit can forage and stay full supplied in friendly region far away from supply structures?

Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2011 9:50 pm
by DooberGuy
Okay, thanks for the help everybody. I didn't realize sticking units inside the structures helped, and I had no idea that leaders draw supply. Once I got that down everything fell into place.

Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2011 2:25 am
by hgilmer
I'm still trying to figure out how to get supply from Japan to Korea in the Russo-Japanese War.

Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2011 5:04 pm
by Pocus
Shuttle supply wagons?

Yes foraging can work, if you don't have many units and the region is not a desert (of sand or snow)