AGEOD Forums

One of the things that was changed and then re-changed a lot in AACW was the way that ships and forts react to each other. Forts were either too strong, or too weak, or naval gunfire could 'nuke' a fort if you had them go back and forth a few times, that sort of thing. I was thinking, that with the release of CW2, we might add in a new feature to settle things once and for all.

Basically, I think you should be able to 'run' a fort with fairly light casualties if you are moving with the river, while getting pounded by the guns if you move against it. The thinking is something like this: say a gunboat can do 10 knots, and the river flows at 5. Moving downstream, your effective speed is 15 knots, compared to only 5 knots when fighting the current. I don't know what the actual numbers are, but that's the idea anyway. This explains why they could run past Vicksburg with few losses, while trying to steam up from the south would get your boats hammered. While we're at it, you could probably also justify river movement being faster 'with' the river than against it.

I like this, although it might be hard to code. Also, boats should get more fatigue from going up river. Evade combat and retreat should be easier going down river (since you can float past an enemy at night relatively soundlessly).

Sounds nice but we already have a limit with units dealing a max of 50 hits. I think Ace said something about a maximum number of hits.
To have your idea work, one would have to increase the number of hits a unit can do before you could model the fact that the ships
were moving a lot slower because they are going upstream.

Maps & Mapmakers of the Civil War (1999) has it that Foote & Grant wanted to face upstream at Forts H&D so any damaged vessels could just float downstream out of range. Just reading it last night.

GraniteStater wrote:Maps & Mapmakers of the Civil War (1999) has it that Foote & Grant wanted to face upstream at Forts H&D so any damaged vessels could just float downstream out of range. Just reading it last night.

Yes, that is what I meant by retreat should be easier (or more likely) going down river.

tripax wrote:Yes, that is what I meant by retreat should be easier (or more likely) going down river.

No, I am afraid that you missed the point. At Forts Henry and Donelson, Foote and Grant preferred to sail upstream, not downstream. Their reasoning was that damaged ships would drift downstream back to safety.