AGEOD Forums

We have discussed this in the past, please take it as an AGE-game-wide comment, i.e. a comment that potentially applies to all AGEOD games, current and future.

Wouldn't it be cool if the minesweepers could actually have a use on the map other than cannon fodder? Would't it be interesting if placing elements with the "minesweeper ability" (when implemented) could actually clear a sea region from rival mines? Obviously elements with the "minelayer ability" would place mines after playing a decision or pressing a button from the unit abilities.

Naval mines is a very interesting part of the game, in my opinion it should be more dynamic.

I don't know if they should be able to completely clear a region, as that did generally take securing the land area (e.g. the Dardanelles operations), it should be easy enough for minesweepers to have an ability that gives a -66% or -75% likelihood of damage taken from mines. I also wish there as a way mines could be changed to instead of damaging the whole stack miss most ships but catastrophically damage or completely sink a few.

Projekt Pasha wrote:I don't know if they should be able to completely clear a region, as that did generally take securing the land area (e.g. the Dardanelles operations), it should be easy enough for minesweepers to have an ability that gives a -66% or -75% likelihood of damage taken from mines.

That would be good for starters, but I think minesweepers should eventually clear an area, not only allow a stack survive. The protection percentage, actually, should have already been in the game as it is easy to implement, I guess.

Regarding the region owning, that's not a big deal I think. It would be suicidal to send the puny little minesweepers in a sea region where the nearby region is in enemy hands (i.e. high detection values!) that could mean a rival navy could come anytime soon. So in practice there is no real reason to disallow it, it will not happen unless the player is of no sane mind.

I also wish there as a way mines could be changed to instead of damaging the whole stack miss most ships but catastrophically damage or completely sink a few.

This too, indeed.

I stand corrected, actually in our PBEM I have seen the areas adjacent to the coasts of Belgium cleared of Entente mines. But I have Calais as well and the Coast of Calais has not been cleared. So the mechanism probably exists already but it has some bugs. Calais is a very important port if conquered by the CP for some alternate reality plans, so the coast in front of it has to be cleared too.

For starters, it can be used to create the menace of a British Invasion, something like Operation Sealion of the First World War. Second, it could be an awesome port for forward operations of submarines and sea raiders. Needs to be fixed.

So do minesweepers actually work? Now that Italy is in our game I've shifted over all the minesweepers in from southern France and Italy and I don't really want to waste them. Also, is there a chance to canon fodder my sweepers into the Austrian mines to eliminate them (the mines)?

I did not use minesweepers. I wish I had, that would find a realistic use for them. The mines seem to disappear when an opposite faction takes control of the region adjacent to the mines of the rival. It seems a good abstraction, albeit it still has bugs, as in Calais.

Yes, in my current game as EE the CP mines in the adjacent sea zone disappeared after I took Konigsburg. Not knowing any better I had previously sent minesweepers to the zone but to no effect.

It sure would be good if minesweepers worked -- on a historical note, minesweepers were easily capable of sweeping minefree channels for transports in a few days. They could also lay mine barrages, as they did in the North Sea and off Otranto.