Newbie Question: What is the best way to manage replacements?

[hajbrad971]

I cannot work out how the replacement system works. My game Options are set to automatic replacements - but there is no evidence of replacements being auto purchased in the Replacement section of the production menu. Equally if I manually purchase replacements -- the costs are deducted from my resources but, while the number bought displays on the replacements screen, all values are set to zero in the next 15 day turn and there is rarely a message about units receiving replacements. What is the best way to manage replacements?

[Kensai]

If you do it manually make sure you have at least one replacement chit for 10 hits on the unit class in question. If the unit class is red with exclamation marks, it means there is an urgency there. That said, not all replacements arrive instantly so there is of no use to overdo it with replacements in a single class. I personally rarely buy more than 10 in a row, even if the class has more than 100 hits. Of course if I can afford them, I sometimes do this.

My personal advice is not to overdo it with very expensive chits (heavy artillery, battleships) etc and focus on the units that take most of the everyday punch (infantry, cavalry, supply carts, airplanes).

[GlobalExplorer]

How can I buy replacements for Marine infantry? Some things are a bit weird but at the same time I have been running the game with auto replacements for 20 turns without any problem, it is a great feature.

[Merlin]

I believe Marines draw from the line pool. I don't like using the auto-replacements because there are times when having that pool fill to max can break your bank and you have other priorities.

[GlobalExplorer]

I found it pretty easy, had 1500 WS at one point (with Russia!), so I could let auto-replacement run
Some units (especially Marines) seemed to not get replacements when I thought they would, but that only added to realism.
Ordered some elite replacements manually and had to wait some turns, eventually they got full strength.
Recovery of losses is too fast anyway in all AGE games, afaik.
I would say is the feature is a success, it will be a godsend to many new players but also old one's.

[Jim-NC]

I cannot work out how the replacement system works. My game Options are set to automatic replacements - but there is no evidence of replacements being auto purchased in the Replacement section of the production menu. Equally if I manually purchase replacements -- the costs are deducted from my resources but, while the number bought displays on the replacements screen, all values are set to zero in the next 15 day turn and there is rarely a message about units receiving replacements. What is the best way to manage replacements?

There is only a message if a unit gets a completely new element. If you have only units with red elements (but not missing elements), you won't see any messages as they get replacements, but they will take on replacements, and slowly (or quickly) lose the red, and get back their normal color. As the other posters talk about, there is a number that is above the icon for each type (line infantry, light artillery, militia, etc.). That number is the number of hits you need to replace for all the units with red (it does not show the number of hits you need for missing elements). As a rule of thumb, you can use 1 replacement for every 10 in the number, but that is not the exact number of replacements needed (it works very well, so I still use it, as do a lot of others).

An example:
You see that I have taken 14 line infantry hits, as well as 13 militia hits that need replacements. Lets focus on the Militia for a moment. I have purchased 2 militia replacements (that why it shows 0(+2) under the militia icon). Using the rule of thumb of 10 to 1, I need 1.3 militia replacements, and I have purchased 2. So I should be OK (all hits replaced). However, there is % chance for each hit replaced that the game engine will consume one of my replacements, so I could start the next turn with 0, 1, or 2 replacements in the pool (due to bad or good luck). Also note that each turn some units will take damage (due to movements, or attrition from bad terrain), and thus even with enough replacements, some types will show numbers above their icon every turn. This doesn't mean that they aren't getting replacements, it's just that other units are taking damage.

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[BBBD316]

Yeah this is one element of the game I have so far left to the auto system.

But I think I understand that example.

[Wallensteinwojtek]

For me it would be better if upper value will be in same digit as lower, so in case of infantry: 1,4 is needed and I already have 13, so far from being depleted.

[H Gilmer3]

I'm not a big fan of the auto replacement feature for a big reason. It seems to buy replacements for some formations that don't even need it. Pretty sure I had 200+ for some formations that never even saw battle. Stop buying them at some point, will ya?