Disease?

[Queeg]

BOA does a wonderful job of modeling attrition from movement and lack of supply. Once inside a city, however, particularly one with a Depot, an army of virtually any size can safely hole up for the winter.

One feature of Forge of Freedom that I especially like is that armies during fall and winter months are at risk for disease, which can spread within an army. Thus, a large army sitting together in one spot is especially vulnerable, particularly during the winter. This feature encourages the realistic dispersion of forces into winter quarters instead of leaving them in perpetual uber-stacks in forward positions. Which, in turn, makes winter warfare doubly difficult. Which, in turn, makes the overall pace of the game more realistic.

Any chance of AACW having a similar feature?

[PhilThib]

We plan to have this scripted via the random events

[mcf]

but wouldn't disease be a problem in the summer months when it was hot? Or whilst conducting a siege....

just a thought

[mcf]

if you've got to the level of modelling disease why not do dissertion as well.... It's going to be a problem to keep all those conscript armies motivated all of the time.

I'm not sure its something that I'd have to see in the game but its another factor in war, right?

What about units switching sides? (although you've probably mentioned that one somewhere else and I haven't picked up on it).

These must be things that you've previously called the chrome features.

[miller41]

I would like to see Disease and attrition modeled as well, but I hope that they are not as brutal as in FOF. In all the AAR's I have read and in my own playing time disease hes made massing troops to advance a nightmare Players have been hit multiple times with losses in the 10's of thousands. I understand you shouldn't stack alot of troops in one spot (I sure don't anymore) but if you take precautions (like putting troops in winter quarters) you would think the effects would be lesened to a certain degree.
This is one of those realism vrs playability things I guess.

[beowulf]

but wouldn't disease be a problem in the summer months when it was hot? Or whilst conducting a siege....

just a thought

Disease was a problem whenever you gathered a large amount of men in one place. Add cold and damp weather to that and you have an even greater problem, because to keep warm people come in closer contact, and personal hygiene is a much more difficult (or I should say uncompelling) task in winter conditions.

[Elmo]

Here is an interesting site on Civil War medicine and disease:

http://www.civilwarhome.com/civilwarmedicineintro.htm