Blockade question about increasing size

[Geohff]

Hi all,

When I increase my Blockade Fleets to 10 ships I can add a single Steam Frigate and a single Frigate to a normal 8 ship fleet. However I run out of single Frigates quickly, I can build single Steam Frigates but the option to build Frigates or Brigs only lets me build 2 Frigates or Brigs at once. Any way around this? I need to be able to increase avalibility of single Frigates or Brigs or is there another way to make more 10 ship Blockades? P.S. you cannot add either a 2 ship Steam Frigate, Frigate or Brig to a 8 ship Blockade to make it 10 ships.

[Geohff]

Can a game designer answer this pretty please? If not possable can it be considered in a future patch?

[Ace]

I am not a game designer, but it puzzles me why would you want to have 10 ships in a single unit.

It makes no difference for blockade purposes if the stack is made of 10 units with 1 element, or out of 1 unit with 10 elements.

You can build more than 2 brigs and frigates at the same time. Just purchase more units (repeat drag&drop until you are happy with the number of units).

[Jim-NC]

His question is "Can I build 1 element ships", and the answer is not to my knowledge. You could mod the game to have some of them available, but the default condition for purchased ship units is with all elements. Only the units that start the game are underpowered that way (missing elements).

You can allow your ships to take damage, and lose 1 element in battle (that is not the most cost effective way I admit).

[Ol' Choctaw]

Also in this game, unlike ACW, ship elements will gain their replacements if they are in port and on passive mode. But they do take normal build times. Not bad for brigs and transports but a heck of a wait for frigates and such.

[Geohff]

Ok im anal, but when a area needs 12 elements to blockade I like to have 1 Blockade chit with 10 elements and one Frigate or Brig (with 2 elements), so I have only 2 chits... well three because I always throw in one Transport also. When the area needs 8 to blockade I use 1 8 ship Blockade chit and one Transport. It just feels right to have the Fleets smaller than 9 to 13 chits in one area. Ok no biggie but it is just a preference

[marquo]

There are references to Blockade Runners; does this exist as a separate unit?

[Geohff]

Runners are CSA units.

[marquo]

When are the runners available?

[Jim-NC]

Blockade runners are any you put into the blockade boxes (most people use the brigs you start with, and build some more). They bring money or WSU back to the CSA ports.

[Ol' Choctaw]

I think brigs are the only ones that work.

This is because they have that small supply ability.

They are available to build from about turn 2 or 3 to build.