Newbie Questions

[Garuda]

Newbie questions – Me (CSA) vs AI (Union)

1. I though that if a locked unit was attacked then it would become unlocked and I’d be able to issue a move order to it. However, I have two instances of units being completely annihilated after several turns of repeated battle that remained locked and I could not move them to save them. ZOC had no impact on them as in both cases the AI units withdrew before returning to attack again. Am I missing something or is this a bug?

2. A large Union army ploughed straight through two defended regions to threaten Manassas. This army was easily cut off and isolated by my troops and the Army of the Potomac moved to the same region as the isolated US army to engage it. However, the stacks sat there for four consecutive turns and no battle took place. Next, on the fifth turn the US stack simply left by ploughing through the surrounding regions with no battle. - Surely, my forces should have engaged and surely ZOC should have prevented the US army from escaping? Any explanations please?

3. Any tips on how to increase my income of war materials? I have money, I have conscripts but severe lack of war materials prevents me from raising enough new brigades. I have been investing in industry but it seems a bit hit and miss.

4. I had three or four units ‘disband’ in the spring of 1862 (the same turn as I received a bunch of new generals). The units were in supply and healthy. Is this disbanding event driven or did I miss something?

5. Could somebody explain the benefit of forming divisions please? I note various advice saying that a division can hold 18 elements. However, I have stacks of just four elements with no combat penalties suddenly accrue penalties (typically 15% to 20%) just because I turned the stack into a division without adding any more brigades.

6. I had a stack of four ironclads under Admiral Buchanan just disappear. Buchanan turned up in an inland city in Virginia –the ironclads just vanished. They were subjected to a heavy pounding by the Union guns of Fort Monroe and suffered several hits and I ordered them to port but next turn they were not to be found. There was no message in the log to say they had been sunk or annihilated or anything like that. Anybody else seen this?

7. I enacted the cotton embargo and expected to gain points towards Foreign Intervention. Instead I lost all of the points I currently had – FI reset to zero. What happened?

8. General advice on how to marshal my CSA forces and especially on managing supply chains would be most welcome.


I have lots more questions to ask but the answers to the above will suffice for now if some kind soul would please oblige.

Thanks in advance.

[blackbird]

1. Some units are fixed but 'will unlock if attacked.' Some(static IIRC) seem to be locked in a region and will not leave for any reason.

2. That has happened to me numerous times and is frustrating. The AI must get a large amount of bonus that the player does not get when travelling through enemy ZOC because whenever I go through enemy territory, my force switches to offensive(in order to gain military control) and battle ensues. In any event, check two things:
-see if the force that you wanted to use to attack the invaders is an army. An army command will not try to initiate combat itself.
-of course, check your ROE(rules of engagement buttons-ie offensive, defensive, passive posture)

3. Ships in the shipping box will bring in money and war supplies. Investing in industry is good, but the benefits come in slowly, unpredictably, and the break even payoff will be later in the game.

4. Yes, it is normal and event driven. Some units disband at the beginning of each year.

5. It has been discussed at length in other threads, the wiki, the tutorial and is too much for me to type.

6. The ships must have gotten destroyed by shore guns that round.

7. You are not guaranteed an increase in FI. The text under the option explains that there is a chance that the British(and French) will react negatively.

8. It has been discussed at length in other threads, the wiki, the tutorial and is too much for me to type.

[Garuda]

An army command will not try to initiate combat itself.

Thanks for the reply.

This piece in particular helps explain one of the most perplexing of my questions. Both stacks were armies, which presumably means that neither stack will attempt to engage the other regardless of being given offensive orders. I guess I needed to add another (non army) stack with an offensive posture to kick start the action? Or maybe even just detatch a brigade from the army and set it to offensive stance? Should this then work?

[arsan]

Thanks for the reply.

This piece in particular helps explain one of the most perplexing of my questions. Both stacks were armies, which presumably means that neither stack will attempt to engage the other regardless of being given offensive orders. I guess I needed to add another (non army) stack with an offensive posture to kick start the action? Or maybe even just detatch a brigade from the army and set it to offensive stance? Should this then work?

Hi
The rule blackbird explains only applies if there are other corps in the same region. A lone Army stack should definitely start combat.
Maybe the enemy was inside Manassas town and you didn't order an assault?
Cheers

[Jim-NC]

Newbie questions – Me (CSA) vs AI (Union)


3. Any tips on how to increase my income of war materials? I have money, I have conscripts but severe lack of war materials prevents me from raising enough new brigades. I have been investing in industry but it seems a bit hit and miss.

5. Could somebody explain the benefit of forming divisions please? I note various advice saying that a division can hold 18 elements. However, I have stacks of just four elements with no combat penalties suddenly accrue penalties (typically 15% to 20%) just because I turned the stack into a division without adding any more brigades.

6. I had a stack of four ironclads under Admiral Buchanan just disappear. Buchanan turned up in an inland city in Virginia –the ironclads just vanished. They were subjected to a heavy pounding by the Union guns of Fort Monroe and suffered several hits and I ordered them to port but next turn they were not to be found. There was no message in the log to say they had been sunk or annihilated or anything like that. Anybody else seen this?


Thanks in advance.

3. There are 3 ways to increase WS. You can capture them on the battlefield (each 1,000 rifles captured = 1 WS). You can industrialize (dicey at best - you have a % chance of gaining either supply/ammo/WS or all each turn). The more industrialization, the better the chance. And the city where you just built that WS factory can be captured by the enemy. You can build brigs as blockade runners (best course). The brigs have the advantages of being predictable, and non capturable (they can be sunk).

5. Divisions - lots of brigades, low CP (command points) penalty. A division uses 4 CPs no matter how many units are inside. So you cut down on the penalty for large forces.

6. You most likely missed the line stating "Ft. Monroe bombarded fleet 1, inflicting xx hits, and being hit y times by return fire", or "fleet 1 bombarded Ft. Monroe, inflicting y hits and being hit xx times by return fire". That is you only warning about your ships being damaged. It has been stated elsewhere that a land battery can inflict 50 hits, so for example, 4 ships with 12 hit points could be sunk with 1 bombardment. You should also have heard the sound of gunfire during the bombardment, with a small bombardment icon where the ships were. You may also hear the sound of shot bouncing off the inronclads sides (instead of or at the same time a the gunfire sound).

[Garuda]

5. Divisions - lots of brigades, low CP (command points) penalty. A division uses 4 CPs no matter how many units are inside. So you cut down on the penalty for large forces.

So the leader of an individual stack might not necessarily benefit by forming his stack into a division, but if I then pop that division into a corps the corps commander will benefit greatly?

[Mickey3D]

So the leader of an individual stack might not necessarily benefit by forming his stack into a division, but if I then pop that division into a corps the corps commander will benefit greatly?

If the units formed into a division are worth less than 4 CP (command points) penalty will be higher with the division : a division will count for 4 CP whatever you put inside it and a lone leader provides 2 CP.

When you put the divison into the corps, the corps commander will provide enough CP to avoid the penalty (except if too much divisions).

Note that you can form a division and then add an officier in the stack. The division commander and this added leader will provide enough CP to avoid penalty.

[blackbird]

Thanks for the reply.This piece in particular helps explain one of the most perplexing of my questions. Both stacks were armies, which presumably means that neither stack will attempt to engage the other regardless of being given offensive orders. I guess I needed to add another (non army) stack with an offensive posture to kick start the action? Or maybe even just detatch a brigade from the army and set it to offensive stance? Should this then work?

Yes(that has been my experience), but it does carry the risk that the lone offensive unit will bear the brunt of the offensive without the help, or with help that comes too late(maybe it will get sacrificed), of the other forces in the region.

[Garuda]

If the units formed into a division are worth less than 4 CP (command points) penalty will be higher with the division : a division will count for 4 CP whatever you put inside it and a lone leader provides 2 CP.

When you put the divison into the corps, the corps commander will provide enough CP to avoid the penalty (except if too much divisions).

Note that you can form a division and then add an officier in the stack. The division commander and this added leader will provide enough CP to avoid penalty.

Thanks. I was afraid of adding more elements thinking the penalties will worsten but knowing this now I shall revisit my divisions and load them up to maximise their fire power.

I also noted last night during play that something else is contributing to the penalties after forming a division. A little line in the tool tip informs me that the new division will suffer from penalties until the administrative cost is paid. I assume from this that the penalties are not all down to CP cost and so will (at least partially) disappear in the next round after forming the division when a cost in money or supplies is taken from my stock piles? I 'll be able to check this next time I form a division and check the penalties from the time of formation to the ensuing turn.

[Mickey3D]

A little line in the tool tip informs me that the new division will suffer from penalties until the administrative cost is paid.

The turn the division is created, it will not fully benefit from the leader statistics.

Besides you have to use resources (money and war supply) to create a division (don't remember how much but if you move the cursor of your mouse on the create button it should be mentioned). If you don't have them when the turn is resolved you should get this kind of message, the division suffering penalty until next turn when you'll have enough resource.

[blackbird]

The turn the division is created, it will not fully benefit from the leader statistics.

Besides you have to use resources (money and war supply) to create a division (don't remember how much but if you move the cursor of your mouse on the create button it should be mentioned). If you don't have them when the turn is resolved you should get this kind of message, the division suffering penalty until next turn when you'll have enough resource.

Also, keep in mind that a corps will not receive the bonus from the army leader on the turn that it is created. So, try to anticipate when you will need the force structure built and in place and ready to fight.

[sbr]

When can the Union start to create divisions in the most recent version?

EDIT - nevermind. I spent a week looking for this info then the next thread I open has it right there.

[arsan]

When can the Union start to create divisions in the most recent version?

EDIT - nevermind. I spent a week looking for this info then the next thread I open has it right there.

You just need to take a look at the ACW updates.rtf file installed on your AACW folder. There you will find all the patch changes