Lee replaces Beauregard

[lightbrave]

Just out of curiosity, what should I do with Beauregard after Lee is ready to take command. Also, I played a game earlier this week where I lasted until May of 1865, I was in control of the whole south still and casualties where about 70000 on my side and 160000 on the union side. I thought I was gonna win but in Feb of 1865, Union forces just plowed through Virginia. My armies were destroyed by just sheer numbers on the enemy side. I don't think you can win the way the UI plays because it waited until 1865 to really hit me hard. Anybody else try this strat? Also, none of my generals ever died. Do I have the wrong settings on or something. Any input would be greatly appreciated thanks

[veji1]

Several issues here :
- Best ways to use Beauregard and/or Johnson once Lee activates is to send one of them to the Mississippi area (Memphis/Corinth) because if the Union moves in, you can't cover a front as wide as the whole Tennessee/Kentucky if the Union attacks so You want an army of Mississippi protecting the space between the Mississippi and the Cumberland/Tennessee rivers + some irregulars or so to cover the west side of the river. That way the army of Tennessee can focus on waging war in Kentucky/central Tennesse.
- Other uses for those two are to send one to lead the army of the west in Missourri/IT/Arkansas or if the Union is active new Orleans in Louisiana.

Regarding the flow of the game, unfortunately you have to cheat because the AI tends to be either too timid or too foolish, and not well organised. Se my thread on bad force organisation. Basically what I would advocate is that you play with the AI aggressiveness setting : play at the lieutenant level minimum, give the AI activation and detection bonus and manually switch between aggressive AI and normal AI every 6 Months, (I don't know if it is needed, but I restart the game when I do so to be sure the AI changes its behaviour), so that the AI can be aggressive in the summer and not suicidal in bad weather.

Last point, if you want the game against the AI to be fun, you need to avoid certain "death traps" where the AI just commits mass suicide. Sadly the AI never quite seems to be able to deal with the whole "major river crossing penalty when attacking" for example, which often can lead to its forces being wiped out or close to when they attack accross a major river. So to give the AI a chance, never stand behind a major river, only minor ones : key examples are the Columbus/Paducah position in western kentucky : if you stay ther the AI is stuck it either impales itself on you from Charleston or just doesn't move. Fall back to Humboldt to give the AI a chance to set foot. Same in Virginia with Fredericksburg, the AI just annihilates itself there because many troops fail to cross back so you end up wiping out 25000 guys in one go if it attacks there. so you either have to stand accross the river besides Manassas, or further back near Richmond.

Basically there are a few cheats/tricks you have to use to get the AI moving early enought, otherwise it either commits suicide on you line or just waits and waits for better odds (sort of a side effect of the detection bonus : the AI sees your line well enough and decides that it shouldn't attack it, therefor does nothing).

Good luck.

[Rod Smart]

I send him to the south to take charge of the "firefighter division" that I have in the heartland to respond to amphibious landings. Because historically, the Johnstons were in charge of the armies in the west, and Beauregard was in charge of various theaters, like the coastal Carolinas or the department of Mississippi.

There's no reason not to put him in charge of an army in 1862, but personally I like having my generals where they actually were.



If you want to go hard after Fort Monroe or Fort Pickens, use Beauregard. Those places are too far out of the way to use corps, and they require multiple divisions and/or siege artillery.

[Gray Fox]

Lightbrave, did you move your capital from Richmond to Atlanta? If you do this, the Union can only move through VA until they run out of supplies. The Union was historically successful with the Western Campaign because the Mississippi, Tennessee and Cumberland rivers provided excellent supply lines. In VA, if the Union moves away from a railhead or a port, then there aren't enough mules on the planet to supply their army. Use your cavalry to keep Union MC below 25% in captured regions and slowly they will run out of steam. Also, I admire your patient strategy, but to prevent this from happening, at least by 1862 you should pound Washington D.C. into dog food. Good luck!