Supply in Middle East?

[bk6583]

I'm finally starting to get the hang of this excellent game but one aspect is baffling me. I'm playing the 1914 camapiagn as the Entente. How do I keep Brit units supplied, particularly when I try to drive along the Med coast from Egypt? Even though I control the territories and have a rail line open, if I move just a few regions along the coast to try to get to those Turkish held coastal cities, I get an out of supply flag. I need some advice here - otherwise what good are those Brit units for?

[calvinus]

This is particularly though, because the supply line along the desert terrain is shorter!
You have to move towards the supply cities (large towns) as fast as possible before the Turks arrive in the South. If unsuccessful, plan an invasion by sea (I see AI doing so sometimes).

[bk6583]

Meaning that since land supply won't really work sea supply is the work around fix?

[calvinus]

Meaning that since land supply won't really work sea supply is the work around fix?

Sea supply works on beach-heads, so you should land some forces. Otherwise you can build by land a chain of HQs, provided you have 2+ HQs, of course!

[Random]

Meaning that since land supply won't really work sea supply is the work around fix?

You know that the railroad from Suez to Gaza is not active until 1916? This really cramps British offensives into Palestine unless you come through Aqaba or even Aden. (See page 153 of the Big Manual)

For some reason I have never managed to conduct an amphibious landing in Haifa, the cursed red text in the message box says movement not allowed or the units just stay put in Suez and never go to sea. Don't know why, probably related to the Turkish sea control in the adjacent sea zone that no amount of sea control sorties by the combined Anglo-Franch fleets can apperantly defeat.

[calvinus]

These are the same problems suffered by the Britons during WW1, historically perfect. Lawrence? Aqaba?

[pk205]

These are the same problems suffered by the Britons during WW1, historically perfect. Lawrence? Aqaba?

Correct, but the AI doesn't know that and tends to lose too many stacks through isolation, with disastrous consequences to its morale. For me, this "getting isolated on its own" is the AI's biggest "idiocy". If you can find a way to make it avoid isolation, or at least make it priority nr. 1 to return to a supplied state once it's isolated, you'll go a very long way to making this game even better.

[calvinus]

In my games I see instead AI rolling back her detachments when she spots them out of supply or isolated in Sinai.

[bk6583]

In my games I see instead AI rolling back her detachments when she spots them out of supply or isolated in Sinai.

Well that's interesting. In every single game I've played as the Entente, the Turks in the Middle East constantly wipe themselves out through isolation. I have NEVER seen them move back to supplied areas - they sit there and die or sit there out of supply. In addition, I commented in a different post that there also seems to be a problem with sea zones not changing control when you've moved a fleet in them (uncontested) set on a control mission.

[calvinus]

I have NEVER seen them move back to supplied areas - they sit there and die or sit there out of supply.

Incredible, I see exactly the opposite (1.08K, but also with previous versions).

In addition, I commented in a different post that there also seems to be a problem with sea zones not changing control when you've moved a fleet in them (uncontested) set on a control mission.

If you perform a Control mission in a open sea zone (and you win any battle, if occurring), you change the control of the open sea and all neighboring coastal sea area (till next Interphase). It works on my games (again 1.08K, but also with previous versions).

[Moff Jerjerrod]

Does the discovery of "Trucks" technology help extend supply range into deserts?