U-Boot War - How to

[Templer]

Do you send your subs one by one single stack or do you use bigger fleets?

[HerrDan]

Do you send your subs one by one single stack or do you use bigger fleets?

I usually send many subs to the atlantic box and they wreck havoc in Great Britain, I send them as a big fleet with evade combat order, to help avoiding the enemy's patrols.

[DrPostman]

I usually send many subs to the atlantic box and they wreck havoc in Great Britain, I send them as a big fleet with evade combat order, to help avoiding the enemy's patrols.

You sure you didn't mean to write "individually"? I sent them as a fleet once
and watched every single CE sub get destroyed. Took 3/4 of a year to get
a few back. From then on I send them in individually with evade until they
get there.

For the WE the subs are good for blockade duty and for scouting.

[Templer]

You sure you didn't mean to write "individually"? I sent them as a fleet once
and watched every single CE sub get destroyed. Took 3/4 of a year to get
a few back. From then on I send them in individually with evade until they
get there.

For the WE the subs are good for blockade duty and for scouting.

Individually! Of course!

[HerrDan]

You sure you didn't mean to write "individually"? I sent them as a fleet once
and watched every single CE sub get destroyed. Took 3/4 of a year to get
a few back. From then on I send them in individually with evade until they
get there.

For the WE the subs are good for blockade duty and for scouting.

They got intercepted once in one of my games, but it was when I sent them along with the ship that starts merged with them, I usually send only the submarines to the atlantic box and watch as the british get desperate and the americans angry haha...the Kaiser doesn't fear the americans

[HerrDan]

(at least while they're not so close to join the Entente , then I have to get my subs back home...).

[HerrDan]

(at least until the french and the british are broken, then I don't really care about Mr. Wilson!:niark

[Kensai]

I almost always move individually units (submarine units are usually made of 4 elements) as with all units that I want to move with low possibility of being discovered. Their hide value is higher in very small groups. You cannot be stealthy in an armada.

[Reiryc]

I almost always move individually units (submarine units are usually made of 4 elements) as with all units that I want to move with low possibility of being discovered. Their hide value is higher in very small groups. You cannot be stealthy in an armada.

I just put them in a single stack... only 1 time have they been attacked and that was when I sent the subs out with the ship they start with.

[HerrDan]

I almost always move individually units (submarine units are usually made of 4 elements) as with all units that I want to move with low possibility of being discovered. Their hide value is higher in very small groups. You cannot be stealthy in an armada.

I put all the subarimes in one stack and send it to the atrlantic box, only sometimes do I bother to send them individually.

[Reiryc]

I put all the subarimes in one stack and send it to the atrlantic box, only sometimes do I bother to send them individually.

Do you bother to build submarines? I used to build them but don't anymore.

Also, do you bother with the mediterranean box? I don't bother with that either. I guess I should, but again, lazy gamer. Granted it's against the AI so I can afford to be lazy

[HerrDan]

Do you bother to build submarines? I used to build them but don't anymore.

Also, do you bother with the mediterranean box? I don't bother with that either. I guess I should, but again, lazy gamer. Granted it's against the AI so I can afford to be lazy

I don't usually build them, but use my initial ones to raid the W.E. Most of my resources go to artillery, so submarines are a low priority.

[DrPostman]

They do have an effect on WE NM if you keep sinking ships in the shipping
box. When they get below a set number of ships there (I can't recall how
many right now) then the UK starts suffering and morale drops a lot due to
goods being cut short. I always make sure I have subs in the shipping box.

[Jim-NC]

Personally, I don't build any more subs, as I don't see the point. I can't really tell if they are better than what I start with (I did do it once, but didn't see a noticeable difference). I send them individually, as they can go on different turns, and thus I will have continuous coverage of the box. If you send them all the same turn, they must return to port at approximately the same time. If you send them 2 turns apart, they can cycle through, keeping some subs in the box.

[caranorn]

They do have an effect on WE NM if you keep sinking ships in the shipping
box. When they get below a set number of ships there (I can't recall how
many right now) then the UK starts suffering and morale drops a lot due to
goods being cut short. I always make sure I have subs in the shipping box.

Uh oh. Now I know why the ai run Great Britain had such problems with loyalty. I'm pretty sure their Atlantic Transports were no longer in the shipping box (and no reason for it since my raiders were few)...

Pocus please take a look at that in the save game I sent you. The ai might be withdrawing those ships (it was not seriously blockading the CP either iirc)...

[Altaris]

Uh oh. Now I know why the ai run Great Britain had such problems with loyalty. I'm pretty sure their Atlantic Transports were no longer in the shipping box (and no reason for it since my raiders were few)...

Pocus please take a look at that in the save game I sent you. The ai might be withdrawing those ships (it was not seriously blockading the CP either iirc)...

This is quite possible. I'll look at what the AI is doing with the transports, if they aren't keeping any in the Atlantic Shipping Box that will cause problems for British loyalty.

[Wallensteinwojtek]

OK, single units, with EVADE order, but what posture?

[Kensai]

They got intercepted once in one of my games, but it was when I sent them along with the ship that starts merged with them, I usually send only the submarines to the atlantic box and watch as the british get desperate and the americans angry haha...the Kaiser doesn't fear the americans

Exactly! The trick is to separate them from the supporting auxiliary ship!

As CP you definitely need to play low with your naval units, at least in the beginning. I personally separate most of my roaming-raiding ships into single units. This increases their Hide value to 4 or even 5, making them highly undetectable. Always do check the stacks and compare them with the enemy's Sea Detection values, if you have the information, obviously.

[DrPostman]

OK, single units, with EVADE order, but what posture?

Blue defend, Green retreat if available.

[Lazytiger]

Blue defend, Green retreat if available.

For hunting in the box, or travel only? I mean, do they avoid warships and still sink merchants with these settings?

[Jim-NC]

Hello and welcome to the forums Lazytiger.

I use it for travel only. In the box, posture doesn't matter (combat is abstracted), so I keep them green/green to preserve cohesion in the box.

[DrPostman]

Hello and welcome to the forums Lazytiger.

I use it for travel only. In the box, posture doesn't matter (combat is abstracted), so I keep them green/green to preserve cohesion in the box.

Same here

[le Anders]

Useful tips here. I've never made heads and tails of the shipping/raiding aspects of AGEOD-games.

What's the use of the ship that starts with the U-boot fleet?

[Kensai]

That ship could be used as a raider, I think. Other than that, nothing in particular, I guess it is simply for chrome, to think of it as the command ship on the surface.

In all boxes the effects are abstracted. If you are sailing to a box, you can even set the posture to passive (which automatically avoids all combat in transit and conserves cohesion). I don't think ROE even plays a serious role in naval battles, I never noticed a more or less aggressive engagement just because of my ROE setting. But this because they usually happen and end in just one round.

Currently both the Entente merchants in the shipping boxes as well the blockading with important units seems to be broken for the AI. Their unlocked traders move away in the first turn of the game and they never send enough ships to blockade the Central Powers.

[DrPostman]

Useful tips here. I've never made heads and tails of the shipping/raiding aspects of AGEOD-games.

What's the use of the ship that starts with the U-boot fleet?

Are you speaking of the U-Boat support ship? I usually keep it
with my main fleet.

[Bismarck1940]

How do players blockade the CP? With surface ships in the blockade box (like CW2)? Which ones are most effective? Do you keep the Grand Fleet there?

[Merlin]

I tend to tailor my blockade forces. Heavy warships (cruisers on up) and a few screening vessels work best for me, then I send the remaining lighter warships to the shipping box.

[Bismarck1940]

I tend to tailor my blockade forces. Heavy warships (cruisers on up) and a few screening vessels work best for me, then I send the remaining lighter warships to the shipping box.

At least the CP AI reacts to this by sending the entire High Seas Fleet to the Bloackde Box, defeating the RN in detail. At least I've seen that on 3 plays.

What happens if the RN is sitting in middle of the North Sea with instuctions to intercept? Can the High Seas Fleet simply go around it through adjacent sea areas?

The naval war is a mystery to me.

[Merlin]

The intercept command works best with light forces in your stack, or even better when using nothing but light forces to hunt those pesky raiders in the Atlantic and Pacific at large. I don't strip every light unit from the fleet, just 2-5 on average, and generally from the fleets going to the blockade box only. Send your Channel fleet to the shipping box if the CP regularly sends their fleets there as well.

[DrPostman]

I put all the best Brit ships in the Blockade box and await the inevitable
clash. In that case I usually win. After that I rotate them out for supply
and use my subs as relief. They can blockade too. Other than scouting
that's what they are best at.

Also, be sure your best defense commander is senior and that there is
no command penalty. Remove a few ships to get rid of that penalty.