Completely new to the game

[Roger NeilsonUK]

and very overwhelmed by the stuff to look at. Is there a simple way of cycling through units or places to see what has to be done and where things are? At present I'm doing it via the map and its a pain.

Roger

[Bodders]

The 'r' and 'e' key cycle through units that can be moved (non fixed). The 't' and 'y' key do the same for fleets. Using 'ctrl' with either will include those forces that are moving as well. Pressing the 's' key on any force will take it out of this rotation permanently (I believe ctrl-s releases all these 'sentries' back in to the rotation).

Each turn, I use 'r' through all forces, then 't' through fleets then go to the journal and make changes there then 'end turn' - voila!

[Roger NeilsonUK]

Thanks, I shall give that a go.

Roger

[Bodders]

Ok, if you're the Union at the start of the April campaign you might think these keys aren't working (I did). Actually, all your units start off fixed so you can't move any.

[Hobbes]

I would try one of the small scenarios first to get an idea of some the game mechanics, especially the Army/Corp/Division make up.

Chris

[Grotius]

Welcome, Roger; you may recall that we were recently chatting over on the Matrix WITP board. Anyway, I agree with all that's been said here. I would just add that I didn't really understand this game until I played the full April 1861 scenario; the shorter scenarios are a good introduction, but the game really shines in the long campaign. Everything impacts everything else, and you don't really see this fully in the short scenarios.

Enjoy! This is a great game, IMHO.

[arsan]

Hi
In case you still don´t know it, clicking on each line on the mesagge panel will send you to the area or unit its is talking about and, if the text its red, will open a window with details.
Looking at these messages is the first thing i do everyturn. It gives you a good view of what is happening and where and usually is a good start point to begin giving orders.
After that i use the cycle keys to make sure i´m not forgetting to order any unit that is far from the action.
Just my 2 cents!

Cheers!!

[Roger NeilsonUK]

Ok, I can now figure out moving and ordering land and sea units. I think I'm naturally hampered by my lack as a 'foreigner' or the geography of the detailed areas.... how do i get my commanders to go and start to form divisions? Is there a similar way of cycling though commanders?

Roger

[Rafiki]

Commanders work as any other land/naval unit, i.e. they're included in the regular ERTY-cycling

[Grotius]

As for creating divisions, you can't create any in the first few weeks of the April 1861 scenario, and I'm not sure you can create any in the short scenarios either. Eventually the Union can create a total of 48 divisions and the CSA can create 24. Creating divisions, corps and armies are especially important in this game. It takes a little getting used to, but the system makes a lot of sense once you've played with it a bit.

As for geography, take heart; even a Yankee like me is unfamiliar with many of the areas modeled in the game. After you've run a few dozen turns, you'll start to recognize province names (which are often the names of counties). Also, it can help to put on the "state view" filter before you run the turn, and maybe to zoom out a bit, to help orient you as you watch the turn execute.

I had the same feeling of disorientation when I played WITP for the first time, but after a while, I immediately recognized an area when the replay zoomed to it. I have made similar progress in AACW.

[Caltone]

Good point. As a native Southerner and life long Civil War buff, I too feel lost in the game in areas outside of where I have lived or traveled. I see that changing the more I play.

It was exactly the same with WitP, another theater where I've always had an interest.

Hang in there Roger, this game is worth it! Make sure you do the tutorials.

[bloodybucket]

A couple things that threw me at first...well, actually for awhile until some benevolent posters here cured my ignorance of the obvious and helped me see the light.

Look at the Action buttons very carefully when dealing with the chain of command. Some of them only become clickable when certain conditions are met, and it is easy to blow past them...took me a long time to figure out that creating a division took an eligible leader, the money and supplies available to pay for the privilege, AND using that little join action button when you have a leader and an eligible unit or units BOTH selected by CTRL clicking. I think to be eligible the leader has to be active and unlocked, the unit(s) have to be unlocked, and you have to recite the second verse of "Dixie's Land" while you do all this (OK, I made that up. Any period song will do).

Another item that threw me was Railroad repair. Perhaps it's my slanted view of the world and obeying orders that the Marine Corps has given me, but I was a little surprised to find out that if you order a unit to perform the Repair Railroad action, and it fails to accomplish the mission, next turn the unit will assume that the failure to perform said mission has earned it the right to take two weeks of rest and relaxation unless you click the action button again.

Roger, I'm not the brightest crayon in the box, but with the help of the kind folks at the forums here and at Matrix, I'm getting more comfortable with AACW. There is a lot going on in the game, there was (and is, I'm sure) a lot of info that somehow slipped by me at first, but the game is more than worth the learning curve.

[Massattack]

While I use the ERTY keys to cycle through units each turn, sometimes it is useful to open the ROSTER page and use the filter keys on the left to pick out a particular unit. Clicking on it will then take you to its icon on the map.

Regards

[PBBoeye]

Another item that threw me was Railroad repair. Perhaps it's my slanted view of the world and obeying orders that the Marine Corps has given me, but I was a little surprised to find out that if you order a unit to perform the Repair Railroad action, and it fails to accomplish the mission, next turn the unit will assume that the failure to perform said mission has earned it the right to take two weeks of rest and relaxation unless you click the action button again.

Hmmmm.. Seems that needs a-fixin'.