game advice for CSA (post em)

[pepe4158]

Hey is this open for PvP stategies too, as I really like to hear some ideas there as most posts here seem to be about beating the lacklustered Athena lol

AS I had said before the real challenge in any game is PvP ...not beating up the poor AI

Ok the traditional wisdom here is, get good enough fighting Athena, then challenge some PvP...well I say dive in as quick as ya can lol...just be observant, you will learn much more if your goal is to learn more about the game, Jabber made some of his units do things I would have thought impossible before and I am concentrating on fiquring out the mechanisms of how he did it.

I am devising a new strategim for the south too...as playing as the south seems the tougher challenge. Jabber is showing me its not impossible though as I had thought, but an understatement I think that playing as the south is more challenging. I think you will know if you are truely good by playing at least an intermediate player, as the south, and winning.

[pepe4158]

Say need some serious PvP advice lol ...why I bumbed the thread

Can anyone tell me, in a PvP game, the odds of winning that first turn attack from Harpers to Winchesters?....I thought on normal its pretty much a given????but OMG in my first PvP game I LOST that battle leure:

So wondering if thats the case (its only even odds), wait for Magruder and insure my victory? there?

[Coregonas]

Say need some serious PvP advice lol ...why I bumbed the thread

Can anyone tell me, in a PvP game, the odds of winning that first turn attack from Harpers to Winchesters?....I thought on normal its pretty much a given????but OMG in my first PvP game I LOST that battle leure:

So wondering if thats the case (its only even odds), wait for Magruder and insure my victory? there?

I ve never played this early assault on PBEM, as around 50% times you can lose... And free an extra USA militia!

Some day I will do.

If you wait for Magruder, an USA Elite brigade & a cavalry regiment can be defending it... not sure exactly about timing however...

[pepe4158]

Just wondering Cor...on normal settings, the win is MUCH higher then 50% ...Are you sure that odds correct is what Im asking, Ive rerolled that assault a million times and the lowest I possibly think is 80% but duno, well was thinking PvP is emulated by a normal setting game ...right?
On hard setting its a really bad idea/

[GrudgeBringer]

Well on Hard setting agianst AI, I attacked Harpers first move 4 times in a row (as CSA and reloaded a NEW game each time because I thought it was a mistake as I had ALWAYS won it np on normal).

Took a whoopin and ran off and pouted for awhile!!

[pepe4158]

Yeah just wondering if PvP equals normal settings?

[Skibear]

Sometimes there is mud in the first turn which makes it pretty much impossible to take. However you can just advance and cut the railroad to slow him down a bit.
Otherwise in fair weather you are likely to win around 4 out of 5 times or thereabouts. Always a risk of failure, and quite rightly so, if the attack fails then as Gunny Highway said "Improvise, adapt and overcome". Its not the end of the world.

[Jabberwock]

Don't listen to him! Charge through the mud! Not taking Harpers Ferry is the first sign of the immenent Apocalypse!

Apologies, Skibear.

[Skibear]

Oh yeah, cancel my last. What he said ^^

[pepe4158]

immenent Apocalypse! .

Ill remember that well certainly not the end I thought but untill recently I was a whopping 0 for 5 in PvP in that initial battle, n couldnt help wondering WTF?

Is this bug-wear or what, but seems to be just my bad luck.

[cgreeson]

Hi guys,
I'm looking for some general CSA strategy advice. The info posted here is fairly old and I'm sure there have been multiple patches since then. Is the advice, particularly from mlp071 in post #7, still relevant in the game's current incarnation.

If you have any other suggestions on threads for CSA strategies I'd appreciate that as well.

[Major Tom]

Hello, cgreeson, and welcome to the forum.

I would strongly urge you not to place too much faith in a single post regarding strategy. Read a lot of posts and start to look for areas where there's a consensus of opinion. And read the Wiki - lots of good strategy info there.

Regarding Post #7, there's some good advice there and some not so good. First of all, he's clearly writing from the perspective of playing against the AI and beating it quickly. Against the AI, with the default difficulty settings, what he's describing is possible, but not against a human opponent.

His recommendation to quickly build up in Virginia and assualt Washington can definitely work. The AI tends to leave Washington weakly defended in 1861, and focus too strongly on Harper's Ferry area. If you move quickly, you can take Alexandria before the Union has a chance to move. From there, you can quickly build a force that can assult across the Potomac River to Washington with pretty good odds. Using this strategy I took Washington and got a National Moral victory in early September 1861. In another game, I didn't take the city and had to retreat, but the assault was worth it because I destroyed many elements of Union units without losing any of my own, and was then able to exploit that after regrouping.

So, yeah, you can do that. But now that I've done it, I have my own house rule -- no 1861 CSA assault on Washington. It's really no fun to beat the AI that early and with so little effort.

So, keep in mind that a lot of the comments in Post #7 are coming from the perspective of someone who beat up the Union AI really badly by doing something that really shouldn't work historically.

In a normal game, the CSA will not be going on the offensive across all theatres. You'll have to play an aggressively defensive game. And you will not have unlimited resources as claimed in that post. You definitely will not be able to afford massive industrialization. If you read a bit more of the forum you'll learn that most players do little or no industrialization unless they want to target supply production to specific front line states.

The one piece of easy advice is to build several squadrons of brigs early in the game and send them to the Blockade boxes. These will generate money and war supplies. Try to build one or two every turn you are able to in the first part of 1861, with a goal of having a dozen or so squadrons by the end of the year. That's not so hard, as you start with several free ones.

[77NY]

Hi guys,
I'm looking for some general CSA strategy advice. The info posted here is fairly old and I'm sure there have been multiple patches since then. Is the advice, particularly from mlp071 in post #7, still relevant in the game's current incarnation.

If you have any other suggestions on threads for CSA strategies I'd appreciate that as well.

Hi cgreeson and welcome. I am new here myself and have found that Major Tom always provides terrific insights. You might check out some of his posts analyzing the "under the hood" aspects of the game after you've played for a bit. The game is very nuanced. I agree completely with MT's suggestion that you not try to rely on one quick read to find answers.

One source many people are currently using for strategy insights is the AAR forum on the Soundoff vs Banks PBEM game that I believe is still going on. Two very experienced and lively players sharing their observations -- good stuff.

And don't overlook the obvious: make sure you are up on your ACW military history. The developers here take great pains to balance historical simulation with gameplay. I've found that a good foundation in what actually happened -- and when -- will start you off on the right foot.

My best advice is play through a campaign or two against the AI -- keep playing even if you make big blunders based on not understanding game mechanics (you will!) It's the best way I can think of to get a feel for the game and be able to develop strategies. Enjoy.

[cgreeson]

Major Tom and 77NY,
Thanks for the advice. Interestingly, the one thing that I didn't really pick up in the post I was referencing was the quick strike on DC. I'm not interested in winning the war quickly. I'm interested in keeping the north out of Dixie, making a few forays north, and winning the game by Lincoln not winning the election. At least I think that's possible if northern morale is down in late 64.....

I was really referring more to the advice on general troop strengths in different areas, garrisons in different vulnerable areas, and the supply wagon advice. One of my big concerns about playing as the CSA is that losing any territory in any game drives me crazy. It's probably unavoidable when playing the Confederates, and rightfully so, but I just know it will be a struggle for me mentally to keep going. I would have made a terrible CSA president because as soon as we lost New Orleans and realized we couldn't get it back I would have had a nervous breakdown.

The primary game I've played for the last couple of years is a little global WW2 recreation that I'm sure many of you know well. I was paralyzed at the start and the game sat on my hard drive while I read the forum day after day. That's kind of the point I'm at now with AACW. Finally I came across a straightforward guide that provided solid unit build advice and smart political moves to make when playing as Germany. Once I had an idea of how to start I quickly got into it and had about 18 months of fun.

[Big Ideas]

My general advice is to pay attention to the ledger screens. The war can be just as easily lost on these screens as losing battles or the odd region. (Historically though the CSA did contest regions it should have given up and played itself into the Federal hands by doing so.) My first couple of games I had runaway inflation which just hurt more and more but couldn't hardly buy anything without printing money and using 8% bonds. In my middle games inflation has still been high at 20-25%. My latest game has had only one print run in Aug 61 to help buy the 2xHQ and some ships. My aim is to keep the NM as high as possible and a minimum of 106 and the cities that have the conscript locations need to be kept above 86% loyalty to produce two CPs per turn for as long as possible. Fortunately for CSA Nashville and Memphis aren't CP sites in TN.

Try to get your promotable leaders in battles they can help to win and get their two-stars. I give them a division to command to give them the best chance of promotion. I send Hardee to NO to train up the garrison that sits there. Don't give Gus Smith, Ed Johnson divs because they auto-promote in Jan/Feb 62. (patch 1.12) some other leaders like Longstreet and Jackson in patch 1.13b auto-promote as well so it's up to you. I Don't promote Longstreet or Hood to 3 stars. Forrest and Stuart make excellent corps commanders.

BI

[cptcav]

I am playing my first pbem campaign, so I am by no means an expert. And, I suppose that this advise is pretty basic and would apply to either side (although, I am currently playing as the CSA).

One of the things that I do (being a former armor and military intelligence officer) is to keep track on a spreadsheet the battles fought. I log the date, the leaders present, the number of men, horses, and canon, as well as the losses inflicted. I find that this helps me to determine how many troops I have to deploy into an department to counter my opponent. In addition, it helps me identify which enemy forces I can easily take on with a counter-punch.

In the first year of the war, I have lost Missouri and northwest Arkansas, to include Fort Smith. But, after being able to identify how large a force that I am dealing with, I have been able to recapture Fort Smith and am looking to go back over to the offensive.

However, in the West, I have been much more successful in fighting a superior enemy force due to my intel on him. While most of Kentucky has been lost, the Yankee has not been able to fully secure it. I have been able to stop Grant from taking Nashville and did successful strikes at other Yankee forces by being able to bring a larger force against them. I had lost Forts Donelson and Henry only to re-capture them a couple of turns later. This has been possible because I have been tracking the Yankee's force levels. While the Yankee can almost take anything he wants through concentration of force, he is finding that he has difficulty hanging on to it.

In addition, my opponent has focused his army in the Virginia area. And, by paying attention to his size, I have, so far, been able to ensure that I have sufficient forces opposing him. Although, the lack of production is going to be my downfall here. He outnumbers me probably two-to-one here.

Again, this is basic, but keeping intel makes a big difference (for me anyway).

Regards,
CptCav

[Banks6060]

Again, this is basic, but keeping intel makes a big difference (for me anyway).

Regards,
CptCav

Agreed whole heartedly my friend. The After Battle reports are vital to your intelligence gathering efforts. Once you know exactly what an enemy force consists of during a battle...it's much easier to make decisions later on in regards to reacting to that particular enemy command.

[Gray_Lensman]

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[Colonel Dreux]

This may not be the right place to ask this question, but in the latest patch, when may the CSA begin to organize Corps. In the original game, i.e., no patch, you could begin to organize Corps after the AoNV was activated. What month in the latest patch does it happen or after what event?

The reason I ask is because it seems more difficult to play the CSA in the East in the summer of 1861 and effects early game strategy for the CSA, imo.

[Gray_Lensman]

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[rick6840]

I learned how to play this game, both the North and the South, by going about it slowly and deliberately. I started out with the AI at the dumb level and after I experimented and learned more about the game I increased the level of difficulty. The short version of what I have learned is to use the Union Navy to hit the Confederacy on it's coastline, and the actual Civil War strategy of strangling and cutting the Confederacy into parts to defeat them. For the Confederacy, it is a defensive fight in the East, make them come to you, build forts, and watch the Union take tremendous casualties trying to assault you. In the West, it is a combination of defense and attacks of opportunity to keep the North from breaking out and driving down the Mississippi, and into the deep south. Take your time, start at the dumb AI level, there is a reason it takes years to become a leader in the real Army, experience counts for a whole lot!

[Colonel Dreux]

Welcome to the AACW forums, Colonel Dreux, we hope you enjoy your stay.



This is actually a little early, but we didn't want to affect the 1862 Campaign Scenarios which start on that same date.

Thanks for the welcome and thanks for the hat tip. You have a neat forum here. Lots of Civil War buffs and what not. I should have known to look in the game folder for changes. I haven't made it to 1862 yet cause I've not been happy with my early game decisions. I'm figuring the game out still. Although by chance I annihilated McDowell's Army once, but that was before I realized there were patches to the game and now there is no organizing Corps from the beginning.

Thanks again!