cmdrsam
Corporal
Posts: 51
Joined: Mon Sep 01, 2008 5:24 am

A couple of newbie questions

Sun Sep 14, 2008 8:03 pm

Good day all. Have a couple of quick questions please.

1. How do you determine the strength of the enemy? Lets say your in the map area. You move your cursor over the enemy unit. And it shows something to the effect of 22/22. I am assuming that is it's cohesion level. But lets say it gives me an actual strength level. How do I figure out that strength level to actual men?

2. Cavalry. I know they should be able to scout and go on raids. But it seems like no matter what settings I have them on, they always get caught and slaughtered. Any tips?

User avatar
Dixicrat
General
Posts: 523
Joined: Wed Aug 13, 2008 8:55 pm
Location: East Tennessee
Contact: ICQ

Sun Sep 14, 2008 9:26 pm

cmdrsam wrote:1. How do you determine the strength of the enemy? Lets say your in the map area. You move your cursor over the enemy unit. And it shows something to the effect of 22/22. I am assuming that is it's cohesion level. But lets say it gives me an actual strength level. How do I figure out that strength level to actual men?


Hi, cmdrsam!
I'm not sure that I understand your question, or what you're driving at. Could you please rephrase it?
[SIZE="3"]Regards,[/size]
Dixicrat

[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

Basic Training for AACW newcomers

cmdrsam
Corporal
Posts: 51
Joined: Mon Sep 01, 2008 5:24 am

Sun Sep 14, 2008 9:37 pm

Thanks Dixie, I will try to rephrase. Let look at this.

http://www.ageod-forum.com/showthread.php?t=10426&page=2

On the last entry at the bottom. Milroy's Command, 7th division and 12th division 7th division has 598 power, 12th has 500 power, combined it shows Milroy's Command as 1,035 power. How does one break down that to actual man power. example=1,035 power would equal 40,000 troops.

Also using the same page the previous entries that have the pop up box and it shows G. Smith's Corp in Spotsylvania shows and it show Floyd's division at 294/294 is this the current cohesion level?

User avatar
Spruce
Lieutenant Colonel
Posts: 294
Joined: Wed Jan 24, 2007 8:25 pm

Sun Sep 14, 2008 9:45 pm

the power value is explained into detail into the manual iirc. It combines strength, cohesion and other parameters.

Due to bad cohesion of depletion of brigades, a strong division can become very weak.

The difference you spotted might be due to various reasons ...

Your cavarly might have very aggressive posture rules. F.e. they fight to the last man ... mouse over the posture buttons. The "red" posture is sometimes very dangerous to use ! It might help you to win the day in deciding battles, but for single and minor units it's pretty dangerous to have them at "red".

cmdrsam
Corporal
Posts: 51
Joined: Mon Sep 01, 2008 5:24 am

Sun Sep 14, 2008 9:55 pm

Thanks Spruce but I have them on defend with runaway after 2 rds if a small unit is close by. Out right runaway if large unit is nearby. Unless I'm reading my pop up screen wrong it seems like my cav gets squashed easily.

User avatar
Dixicrat
General
Posts: 523
Joined: Wed Aug 13, 2008 8:55 pm
Location: East Tennessee
Contact: ICQ

re #3

Sun Sep 14, 2008 9:57 pm

Are you aware that different types of units have different TO&E? As just one of many possible examples, Militia units have 750 men in an element, while line infantry has 1000. Thus, as far as I know, knowing the number of men in a division is contingent upon the elements which make up that division.

The general consensus among players far more experienced than I is that a Division should consist of 11 Inf, 4 Art, 1 Cav, and 1 Sharpshooter. If you consistantly built all of your divisions exactly the same, then you would be able to "predict" the full strength. But even then, that would only be the TO&E spec, and most likely not the actual strength. The reason is that few units are manned at 100% efficiency. For example, that 750 man militia unit that I mentioned earlier might indicate that for combat purposes its at full strength... but when you open that unit's element details box, it actually reads 739/750.

Now that I've (hopefully) explained that, I'm still puzzled by why you want to know this. How do you plan to use this info?

While you're collecting your thoughts, I'll go ahead and start on the "Cav" question in another post.
[SIZE="3"]Regards,[/size]

Dixicrat



[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]



Basic Training for AACW newcomers

User avatar
squarian
Brigadier General
Posts: 485
Joined: Thu Aug 07, 2008 7:41 pm
Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Sun Sep 14, 2008 9:59 pm

I'm just as new as you are but as far as I have discovered, there is no way to "convert" enemy combat power into men until a battle, until the battle results screen shows the totals. The nominal strength of friendly units will show in the unit window if you press [shift].

As I understand it, manpower is irrelevant to the game engine itself, which only considers "elements" (i.e. battalions, batteries, squadrons, etc) and their combat values. For the battle results screen and other in-game manpower references, elements are converted on a basis on 1 element = 1000 men (I think!). This pretty consistently produces totals far too high in comparison to historical manpower levels, and at least one mod (stuggle for a vast future: SFV) adopts a ratio of 1:700 instead.

I'm not especially bothered by it - after decades playing board/paper wargames where units were assigned abstract combat values, AACW's system is second nature. If a Advanced Third Reich Germany corps is rated 3-3, why should a worry if the enemy brigade is rated 22? You get used to calculating combat values rather than manpower pretty quick.

Regarding cavalry - you know about the "evade combat" special order button, right? For raids, I have had good results using that button together with the "defend" combat posture order and the "retire after one turn" (right-most) sub-order.

One question which continues to elude me, however - say I want a cav bde to carry out a delaying role - pretty typical role for the period: think Buford's men at Gettysburg. What's the best setting to carry that out? I have experimented with defend/retire one round and defend/retire three rounds, but have yet to determine which works best.

cmdrsam
Corporal
Posts: 51
Joined: Mon Sep 01, 2008 5:24 am

Sun Sep 14, 2008 10:07 pm

Dixicrat wrote:Are you aware that different types of units have different TO&E? As just one of many possible examples, Militia units have 750 men in an element, while line infantry has 1000. Thus, as far as I know, knowing the number of men in a division is contingent upon the elements which make up that division.

The general consensus among players far more experienced than I is that a Division should consist of 11 Inf, 4 Art, 1 Cav, and 1 Sharpshooter. If you consistantly built all of your divisions exactly the same, then you would be able to "predict" the full strength. But even then, that would only be the TO&E spec, and most likely not the actual strength. The reason is that few units are manned at 100% efficiency. For example, that 750 man militia unit that I mentioned earlier might indicate that for combat purposes its at full strength... but when you open that unit's element details box, it actually reads 739/750.

Now that I've (hopefully) explained that, I'm still puzzled by why you want to know this. How do you plan to use this info?



Thought they had different TOE's but was unsure. I think I am just not reading the pop up box right. Making this way harder than I should. :bonk:

squarian wrote:I'm just as new as you are but as far as I have discovered, there is no way to "convert" enemy combat power into men until a battle, until the battle results screen shows the totals. The nominal strength of friendly units will show in the unit window if you press [shift].

As I understand it, manpower is irrelevant to the game engine itself, which only considers "elements" (i.e. battalions, batteries, squadrons, etc) and their combat values. For the battle results screen and other in-game manpower references, elements are converted on a basis on 1 element = 1000 men (I think!). This pretty consistently produces totals far too high in comparison to historical manpower levels, and at least one mod (stuggle for a vast future: SFV) adopts a ratio of 1:700 instead.

I'm not especially bothered by it - after decades playing board/paper wargames where units were assigned abstract combat values, AACW's system is second nature. If a Advanced Third Reich Germany corps is rated 3-3, why should a worry if the enemy brigade is rated 22? You get used to calculating combat values rather than manpower pretty quick.

Regarding cavalry - you know about the "evade combat" special order button, right? For raids, I have had good results using that button together with the "defend" combat posture order and the "retire after one turn" (right-most) sub-order.

One question which continues to elude me, however - say I want a cav bde to carry out a delaying role - pretty typical role for the period: think Buford's men at Gettysburg. What's the best setting to carry that out? I have experimented with defend/retire one round and defend/retire three rounds, but have yet to determine which works best.


Think I have figured out what I am doing. I have them set at defend and runaway. Perhaps I should keep those setting along with evade enemy button.

User avatar
Dixicrat
General
Posts: 523
Joined: Wed Aug 13, 2008 8:55 pm
Location: East Tennessee
Contact: ICQ

Cav

Sun Sep 14, 2008 10:25 pm

As squarian says, the "evade combat" button is an excellent choice for scouting and screening, with Cav. Coupled with the high evasion of Cav (do you know about patrol and evasion...?) You should be able to avoid most problems.

My wife came up with a tactic that just drove me nuts for awhile. She called it "horse pouncing", and though that sounds kinda girly, its a fairly adequate description. Using "evade" in the method described by squarian, she sends single cav units here and there just decimating my railroads... taunting me, daring me to do something about it. When I go after her with a small force, following the damn things into the south, then supply becomes an issue for me... at which point, she starts intiating deliberately "losing" battles (her Cav unit retreats after engagement). Sure, I whup up on her Cav, a bit... but meanwhile, she's made me use up my ammo. And so she just keeps picking and picking at me with tiny sharp jabs until I'm out of ammo. Then? She has a strong Cav unit with Horse Artillery waiting in reserve, and I am handed my hat. What ever survives the initial artillery engagement at range 5 is chased down by the cav. "Screaming flee-ers", as she calls them, are utterly routed.
[SIZE="3"]Regards,[/size]

Dixicrat



[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]



Basic Training for AACW newcomers

cmdrsam
Corporal
Posts: 51
Joined: Mon Sep 01, 2008 5:24 am

Sun Sep 14, 2008 10:31 pm

Thats almost what I wanted to do with them as well. I just dont want them getting caught and forced into a fight. Thanks Dixie and the rest for your help. Sorry if I confused ya.

User avatar
Dixicrat
General
Posts: 523
Joined: Wed Aug 13, 2008 8:55 pm
Location: East Tennessee
Contact: ICQ

One more thing...

Sun Sep 14, 2008 10:45 pm

One more thing, commander! ;) You might want to check out my "What's not in the manual" thread because near the end, there are several links to some great resources that have been created by the "famous" folks of this forum.

Divide and Conquer! :thumbsup:
[SIZE="3"]Regards,[/size]

Dixicrat



[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]



Basic Training for AACW newcomers

Return to “AGEod's American Civil War”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 27 guests