Can anyone provide some wisdom 2 a newbie?

[blackbird]

Hi, first post here from a newcomer to the game(love it), and the forum. It's great too. It's very informative, as is the wiki. Thanks a lot to all involved! Here's my info. I've played numerous strategy games like the SSI classics, Allied Gen., Panzer Gen, etc., but am new to this game. I've read the manual, 100's of forum posts, wiki, pdf files, done the tutorial, and experimented with the Shiloh and Gettysburg scenarios. I've completed one campaign, but unfortunately, it ended way too early since I made a thrust at DC and as luck(?) would have it, captured it and the game ended BUT, I still am a little unclear on some points and hope that someone has some wisdom and can help. BTW, I am using the plain, first? version straight from the cd(1.07h?) and have been playing only the CSA(except for the tutorial, USA seems to be the only choice). I've not played a PBEM, and would love to, but feel very new to the game mechanics, and am therefore feel like I'm just too 'green' still. Lastly, my apologies for the length and resurrecting and beating any 'dead horse' topics.

Q1. First, the 'luck rate' on dice roll in the combat report, is a higher number better, or lower number as it is in seniority? Anyway, I'm not sure what the 'luck' number does.

2. I lose my corps command symbol when I board a naval unit. Is this normal? Is it a problem since I am thinking that I am losing my command structure and will have to rebuild it with that one turn -2-1-1 penalty for a new command?

3. Do locked/static militia unfreeze once they upgrade to regulars? They seem to, but maybe I am confused by a coincidental timed event.

[blackbird]

4. Do the leader attributes work on more than leader's own 18 unit divisional stack? For instance, do I need a sharpshooter in EVERY divisional stack, or will just one in the multi division, or corps stack, impede the enemy's initiative? In other words, if the most senior 1* has a SS, then would his subordinate 1* generals each need one too? (edit-I found these answers-Thanks Ruynan!)

5. When I get Anderson the artillerist, should I give him a divisional command and pack him full of 17 canon in order to get maximum benefit from the 20% bonus(or does this 'frontage' concept place a limit on the usable number, or, is this issue still unresolved as it seems to be from my reading of those artillery threads)? Is 'artillerist' a leadership ability that effects ANY accompanying canon, even under the control of other subordinate generals? What if HE(Anderson) is the subordinate, and not the most senior/highest ranking? If I leave the guns unattached to any divisional commander, and just loose in the corps formation, do they get the 20% benefit if he is the leader?(edit-I found an informative thread on 'frontage,' though I'm still unclear as to the optimal number of cannon)

6. After combat and lost cohesion, can I simply pull the troops out from under Dispirited Leaders and have them unlead, or lead by a different commander while they are recuperating? Or, by having the dispirited leader in even in the same REGION, will they recover more slowly? This might be one of those 'gamey' issues.

[blackbird]

7. Can I unload and attack on the same turn from ocean or river transports? If so, then how is that done?

8. I've been thrilled to capture supply wagons, ocean and river transports, prisoners, guns, and canon in battle, but I can't seem to capture gunboats when I overrun a city/harbour that is building them. Is it even possible to do so? Is it 'roll based'/percentage based and I've just not been able to 'roll' the right numbers? They flee before I can take them and the city/harbor even though I know that they must have been ordered that same turn, and under construction, since they were not there the previous turn. I've even tried a blockade, but they just exited the harbour and met their doom by being smashed by the blockade ships.

9. If I were to re-capture a unit that was formerly mine, would it have its original background and name, or the [capt] name and grey background?

[blackbird]

10. Here's something that would REALLY help us who are new to the game. The reinforcements buying screen is a bit daunting, even though we can get most of the idea behind how it works. Here's what we(at least I) can't understand. The newcomer to the game doesn't know the statistics/abilities of the units he's buying and must guess, or buy and examine the resultant units later, and then replay the turn/game if those purchases are optimal for the strategy employed. Is there a spreadsheet or chart somewhere that shows all of the values for each unit for sale? The data provided shows only the purchase price in WS, conscripts, and money, not combat abilities

11. Can foreign generals be a part of the chain of command and assigned to my armies? Can they lead CSA troops? If so, is there a CP penalty for the foreign commander? Likewise, is there a CP penalty for CSA commanders leading foreign troops? Can I promote them, or alternatively, could I steal, er...I mean 'borrow' their HQs for my own generals? If I have the maximum number of divisions(30 as CSA), and I get FI, do I lose the FI divisional status of the new FI divisions, or do I get them as a bonus on top of the ones(30) that I already have? Can a CSA general be the brigade leader of a foreign brigade(ie. Dorset Brigade)?...can ANY general? The tooltip blackbox that hovers over it doesn't seem to allow for the addition of a general.

12. Do medical units increase the speed at which recently ordered/purchased, and currently forming/building, units form?(I know that they do for battle damaged ones) In other words, do they have any effect on slowly forming units such as signal, med., engineers, and HQs? My guess is that they do increase the cohesion, but not the numerical strength(IE. 750/1000 men) building rate.

13. I keep buying replacement 'chits' that end up disappearing to augment some brigade that is forming somewhere. Oftentimes, this unit is far from where I desperately need the firepower and many times the brigade is even locked and therefore unavailable to me(at least for the immediate future). Since I am playing as the CSA, sometimes I don't have/can't afford the rail capacity to move the growing brigade to the front in time anyway. Am I better off investing the money, WS, and conscripts in REINFORCEMENTS, rather than replacements, that I can at least have a chance of appearing where and when I need them?(perhaps it's just one of those judgements calls, in which case, I'd appreciate your opinion rather than the 'right' answer)

[blackbird]

14. For PBEM, does each player need the same version/patch/update?

15. Is it stupid to do a prisoner exchange if you've been highly successful and your opponent has not? It seems to me that it penalises the successful commander in a 1/3 to 1/3 exchange. Would not a 1 to 1 exchange be more 'fair?' What is the rationale behind the 1/3 1/3 exchange, is that the way that it went historically?

16. What if I were to build a division with incomplete brigades and use all 18 division slots. What happens when the game engine tries to fill the empty brigade slot(s), but I don't have room in the division for it? Will it 'overstrength' the division with 19(+) units, will the game try to give the element to another brigade, will the replacements simply stay in my replacement 'chit' drawer, is it even safe, or will the game crash? Should I leave expansion room in the division just in case if I build divisions using these early, still incomplete, brigades?

17. For the purpose of supply, can I leave my supply wagons safe inside the city structure while my fighting units are outside in the trenches and in combat? Will the troops be penalised and considered 'out of supply' even though they are in the same region?

[Jim-NC]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

My what a lot of questions.

The newest (most advanced) version of game is the 1.15 version. This is the legacy patch, and there are a lot of uprades (vs. 1.07).

Some answers to your questions:
10. You can look at the units you already have in the game to get a feel of it. There are some charts located around here, Look for Dixicrat's Artillery guide for example.

13. There is a formula for the ability for a unit to get replacements (don't ask me). The gist is, passive stance is the best, being in a city is the best, and not moving. The units that best meet these criteria get 1st dibs on replacements (you can not control this aspect, other than by making units meet the criteria better).

14. IIRC yes, they must use the same patch level (otherwise I believe it won't allow you to load).

16. The extra regiments never show up. The 18 is a hard number. So, you must decide if it is worth it to have weaker divisions at the start to allow them to add regiments later on.

17. Generally leave your supply units with the field troops (in the same stack). If they are in the city by themselves, and your army retreats, they can be captured if the enemy takes the city. Also, they trade supply for hits during attrition (very important in winter).

[gchristie]

3. Do locked/static militia unfreeze once they upgrade to regulars? They seem to, but maybe I am confused by a coincidental timed event.

I think you experienced a timing coincidence. Some units are locked for a period of time, some not. Hold the cursor over them and it will tell you whether the unit is static for a period of time and the number of days until it unlocks, or whether it is "permanently" static. I use quotes because static units unlock once they are attacked, assuming they survive the attack.

7. Can I unload and attack on the same turn from ocean or river transports? If so, then how is that done?

Yes, if the leader is active that turn you set their rules of engagement to assault or offensive just as you would with any other attack then drag the stack to the region you want to attack. It takes a little while for them to disembark and form up for the attack, usually a few days from my experience. The region must be adjacent to the river/ocean region your transports are in. It is a good idea to have a leader with a higher strategic rating leading the assault as troops sitting in transports loose cohesion pretty rapidly.


8. I've been thrilled to capture supply wagons, ocean and river transports, prisoners, guns, and canon in battle, but I can't seem to capture gunboats when I overrun a city/harbour that is building them.

I've never been able to capture ships when taking a city/harbor. They always slip into the adjacent river/ocean region.


15. Is it stupid to do a prisoner exchange if you've been highly successful and your opponent has not? It seems to me that it penalises the successful commander in a 1/3 to 1/3 exchange. Would not a 1 to 1 exchange be more 'fair?' What is the rationale behind the 1/3 1/3 exchange, is that the way that it went historically?

Depends on how "highly successful" you are. Prisoner exchange gives you modest NM or VP increases. If neither are an issue, nope. From the manual: "If both sides asked for such an exchange, they release 1/3rd of the prisoners of war (POW’s) they hold in their camps and get a small VP or NM bonus. Please note that the number of POW’s gradually declines due to poor detention conditions (unless new POW’s are captured of course)."

There is always a rationale behind the designers' decisions, it isn't always readily apparent to us lesser mortals

[Jim-NC]

More answers:

7. In higher versions yes. You unload your stack, then drag it to a new location (it will attempt to move from the ship to the final land destination).

8. There is a factor for the ships (the more complete they are, the better the chance to set sail as you are moving into the city).

9. IIRC, they go back to your color and name (they lose the capt status).

6. A bit gamey, but yes. The problem is that leaderless stacks suffer penalties (in movement and combat). If you remove all units from a division (except the general), then when you want to reform, you need to respend the cost. Also, the new division (without the dispirited commander) also costs to form.

1. Yout want a higher luck number (that means you are luckier).

[blackbird]

'My what a lot of questions.'
--Ha!, yeah, I've been saving them up while playing and waiting for my forum account to be activated so I can post. Thanks for all of the answers. With the advice, I'm getting to understand the intricacies of this game. I should have it understood by uhhh, right about the time AGEOD ACWII comes out and I start all over again

...and now for question #297(ok, maybe I'm as dense as pewter)
I know how to target an enemy unit with the drag and drop function and that will allow my unit to intercept/follow the enemy. But, if the enemy is in MY region, I can't figure out how to intercept/follow him.(drag and drop just moves my unit around within the region, but does NOT target the enemy) Obviously, I can put my posture on offensive, but if he evades me and moves to another region without combating me, my unit doesn't have the advantage of following and he escapes. Any suggestions?

[arsan]

'
...and now for question #297(ok, maybe I'm as dense as pewter)
I know how to target an enemy unit with the drag and drop function and that will allow my unit to intercept/follow the enemy. But, if the enemy is in MY region, I can't figure out how to intercept/follow him. Obviously, I can put my posture on offensive, but if he evades me and moves to another region without combating me, my unit doesn't follow and he escapes. Any suggestions?

You can't for what i know
I guess its a drag and drop interface limitation.
Cheers

PD: Update to 1.15 ASAP!!! you are missing nearly two years of game development with lots of patching, bug hunting, tweaking, added features and tons of improvements.... and all for free
In fact, a good number of things you may learn while playing 1.07 won't be valid in 1.15, so why bother learning the tricks of that old and obsolete version??
And to play PBEM you have to use the same version of your rival... i don't think nobody uses 1.07 since a couple of years ago

[Gray_Lensman]

deleted

[Jim-NC]

'My what a lot of questions.'
--Ha!, yeah, I've been saving them up while playing and waiting for my forum account to be activated so I can post. Thanks for all of the answers. With the advice, I'm getting to understand the intricacies of this game. I should have it understood by uhhh, right about the time AGEOD ACWII comes out and I start all over again

...and now for question #297(ok, maybe I'm as dense as pewter)
I know how to target an enemy unit with the drag and drop function and that will allow my unit to intercept/follow the enemy. But, if the enemy is in MY region, I can't figure out how to intercept/follow him.(drag and drop just moves my unit around within the region, but does NOT target the enemy) Obviously, I can put my posture on offensive, but if he evades me and moves to another region without combating me, my unit doesn't have the advantage of following and he escapes. Any suggestions?

You can't. What you can do, is place your unit in offensive posture, and move your unit to the region you think he will move to (if the enemy moves there, then you can re-engage). It's hit or miss at best this way.

[blackbird]

'PD: Update to 1.15 ASAP!!! l... i don't think nobody uses 1.07 since a couple of years ago '
'RR fixes there have also been hundreds if not thousands of fixes'
------Great points and I promise to comply as soon as possible. But, since I'm on a notebook PC tethered to a mobile phone for my internet connection, and the files are 100s of MB, it may be some time before I can do so

Q #932
When I merge two militia, does each unit get the home state bonus of the dominant element, even if the sub-dominant one is from another state? Is this a good strategy to move militia from nearby states up to the front line fighting to link up with 'home guard' units for the bonus? When a militia unit is used in this manner and 're-branded under another state,' or is destroyed in battle, does another slot open up in the force pool in its home state to allow its replacement?

From the manual:
'Militia units fighting in their State gain a small morale boost.'

[Cromagnonman]

4. The breadth of the effect depends upon the attribute. Some affect the unit only, i.e. the card on the bottom of the screen; this may be a regiment, a brigade, or a division. Other affect the entire stack, which includes all elements grouped under one overall commander (such as independent forces or Corps, anything with a tab). Others affect only troops under their command, so only in the unit or stack that they command (no points for being present but outranked).

5. An Artillerist benefits all artillery in his stack, not just those under his command. Therefore, he can be in a stack, command no troops, and still improve all the artillery in that stack.

17. Supply wagons supposedly also improve the ranged capabilities of elements in their stack, to the tune of 10%. I haven't checked battle logs to see if this actually occurs, but that's what's supposed to happen. So that's another reason to keep them outside with your men. They are actually safer in the stack than alone in the city.

932. You may only merge militia from the same state, so the question is moot. Also, as militia upgrade to regulars, they no longer appear as militia in your forcepool and you can create more.

[arsan]

Hi!
For the leaders ability effects (all the stack, only if the leader is in command, just teh unit/division...) check this list
http://www.leqg.org/doc/aacw/listability.php5

The appliance column will tell you to what teh effects applies.
Cheers

[blackbird]

'932. You may only merge militia from the same state, so the question is moot. Also, as militia upgrade to regulars, they no longer appear as militia in your forcepool and you can create more.'

Ok thanks, I didn't realise that militia from different states can't combine now. They can in v1.07. In fact, I've merged militia with other things including naval guns to make crazy, mini brigades. Anyhow, I have just upgraded to v1.15, so I imagine that can't be done now either.
'For the leaders ability effects ..check this list
http://www.leqg.org/doc/aacw/listability.php5'

Brilliant, thanks for the helpful list Arsan!

[tagwyn]

Good luck and be grateful you found this wonderful game. Play PBEM as soon as you can. I think you can find someone to oppose you. t

[enf91]

Let me give you some forum advice. Instead of retyping whatever it is you want to quote, just click the "quote" button in the message. Then you can edit exactly what you want quoted.

It looks like this.