Making Divisions (Beginner Questions)

[gRaider2001]

Hello All,

I am new to this game and have a question about making divisions. I read on the forum that a good division composition is the following(which varies):

1x leader
10-11x line infantry
3x 6/12lb artillery
1x 10lb artillery
1-2 cavalry
1x sharpshooter

When I am making this divisions am I suppose to select a general and press the "enable divisional command" button then select all of the above mention units and click "combine" special order button. Or am I suppose to just add them to a stack? The reason I am asking is because when I try to combine them I can not get all those units combined with my divisional leader. I read in the manual that a division cannot have more than 18 elements. When I try to combine them, the combine button get greyed out before I hit the 18 element limit.

I hope my question is clear. Thanks everybody for the help:-)

[Cardinal Ape]

Hello, and welcome to the forums.

Good division composition is quite a big topic.. So, first and foremost, have you reached October of 1861? Division formation does not become available until then.

[Durk]

Yep, this is the drill. Your count may not be quite 18 elements. Do you get the combine button to light up earlier?

[gRaider2001]

Hello, and welcome to the forums.

Good division composition is quite a big topic.. So, first and foremost, have you reached October of 1861? Division formation does not become available until then.

Hello Cardinal Ape, and thank you for the welcome:-) Yes, I have made it to October 1861.

[gRaider2001]

Yep, this is the drill. Your count may not be quite 18 elements. Do you get the combine button to light up earlier?

Hello Durk, yes I did get the combine button to light up earlier. I just watched a Let's Play video where a person show how to combine units. I am going to go in game and try again. I might have miscounted before. I will report back:-)

[gRaider2001]

Ok, I figured it out. My intial count was off. I was not counting the general as a unit and I don't think I fully understood the concept of creating divisions until I saw the Youtube video. Thank you all for the help.

[ArmChairGeneral]

Just for reference there is also a limit to how many of one type of element a division can have (15) so if you have an all-cavalry division or an all artillery division, they won't combine if you try to put another of that type into them even though they still have space for a couple of elements of something different.

[Captain_Orso]

Nnnnnnno, that's not quite right. You may have 15 units maximum in a division. That's 1 leader and any 14 other units. That can be 14 cavalry regiments, or 14 militia regiments, or any mix if units you wish, withing the 1 leader and 14 units limit. So you cannot build a division with 1 leader, 14 cavalry regiments and 3 horse artillery to round it out, because that would be 18 units.

[ArmChairGeneral]

I see. I was pretty sure the number was 15 not 14, but I don't have the game in front of me. The difference between using elements and units for the cap is subtle. In the cav example, if you have 14 single element cav units, then you cannot add any new units to the division. If instead you had a brigade (unit) with 4 cav and then filled out the rest of the div with single element units, then it could get to the division max of 17 elements while still having less than or equal to 14 (or 15) total units. (For clarity I am ignoring the leader so there are a max of 17 elements in a division)

Since artillery do not come in units larger than one element, capping the number of units is the same as capping the number of elements, so an artillery div is either 15 elements plus a leader or 14 elements plus a leader depending on the correct number.

[LCcmdr]

Hello All,

I am new to this game and have a question about making divisions. I read on the forum that a good division composition is the following(which varies):

1x leader
10-11x line infantry
3x 6/12lb artillery
1x 10lb artillery
1-2 cavalry
1x sharpshooter

When I am making this divisions am I suppose to select a general and press the "enable divisional command" button then select all of the above mention units and click "combine" special order button. Or am I suppose to just add them to a stack? The reason I am asking is because when I try to combine them I can not get all those units combined with my divisional leader. I read in the manual that a division cannot have more than 18 elements. When I try to combine them, the combine button get greyed out before I hit the 18 element limit.

I hope my question is clear. Thanks everybody for the help:-)

Welcome, to a newcomer--from a Dec'15 newcomer!

On the nato pic of a general, make sure the envelope is white, not yellow. If the white envelope is showing, then you should be able to "enable division command" for that 1 star general. Be sure to save your 2 stars for corps, and 3 stars for armies. I find that I have some difficulty in making corps. It's most likely the yellow envelope, signaling that the general is inactive. When inactive, generals do not perform well at any task, other than sitting about.

As to what's in division, I've played around with that and can say mostly, that quality, "regular" troops typically perform better than militia, conscripts and/or volunteers. However, when cohesion and sharpshooter symbols occur on select units, always grab those and disperse to each division, since the leading general--once loaded with those troops--will cause all the units in the "stack" to be influenced.

Likewise, cavalry and arty don't perform as well (as single units in stack) as those loaded into a division (since the division is (a) commanded and (b) fighting as a single composite). That means that single units are facing typically larger fire power unless fighting a stack similar to theirs. (I'm not sure this is clear; but divisions are better than loose stacks and corps are better than divisions).

Enjoy!

[hanny1]

Dont frget the grey out units still count towards the total, you juts have to wait for them tomuster in.

[LCcmdr]

@gRaider2001....which side are you playing?

[Gray Fox]

I see. I was pretty sure the number was 15 not 14, but I don't have the game in front of me. The difference between using elements and units for the cap is subtle. In the cav example, if you have 14 single element cav units, then you cannot add any new units to the division. If instead you had a brigade (unit) with 4 cav and then filled out the rest of the div with single element units, then it could get to the division max of 17 elements while still having less than or equal to 14 (or 15) total units. (For clarity I am ignoring the leader so there are a max of 17 elements in a division)

Since artillery do not come in units larger than one element, capping the number of units is the same as capping the number of elements, so an artillery div is either 15 elements plus a leader or 14 elements plus a leader depending on the correct number.

http://www.ageod-forum.com/showthread.php?41565-One-possible-Union-army

As you can see from the artillery Division in my post, its a leader and a max of 15 single elements.

[Rod Smart]

The general counts as a unit.
Keep a couple of one and two unit brigades around in your muster zones. If you combine a couple of brigades and end up with 17 elements, use that light infantry unit to fill out the division.



Since its worth bringing up again and again, as its one of the most important parts of the game, my division makeup is as follows:
When operating alone as a division, such as fort busting or Missouri:
- General (plus another average 3-1-1 general in the stack to give me 4 command points)
- one sharpshooter
- one marine
- one elite
- two cavalry
- one or two six pounders that come with the brigades
- one 10 pounder
- one 12 pounder
- fill out the rest with infantry

When operating in a larger stack as part of a corps:
- same as above, but with no artillery (other than 6 pounders you're forced to take). Have a division of 20 pounders in the stack.



Change as needed:
Militia divisions are useful for garrison duty.
Fast cavalry divisions are useful for raiding and preventing raids.
Half strength divisions are perfectly fine for the Far West.