My generals are running amuck

[Heldenkaiser]

Confederate higher commanders seem to have a mind of their own. Last turn J.E. Johnston attacked DC right across the river from Alexandria without orders. This turn Beauregard, ordered to attack DC from Alexandria via Montgomery MD (to avoid the river crossing penalty) instead ran off into Caroll MD with a course set for York PA.

I tend to double- and triplecheck my orders so I am virtually certain I ordered neither of those movements. I can't restore the old turn because this is a PBEM but I am certainly vexed. With generals running amuck strategy becomes a great deal more unpredictable than even I prefer.

[arsan]

Maybe the AI is activated and moving your forces?? 0r you rival giving you a "help" with your moves

I have never played PBEM so i'm not sure if that you or your rival have the Ai activated can mess aroudn the moves when the turn is processed. Is he hosting?
Are you both playing with the same game version??

[gchristie]

Very strange. On one of my computers I noticed that when I selected the stack by clicking on its "file folder" tab at the bottom of the screen, sometimes the mouse would click through the tab onto the region behind that tab. And if I wasn't careful, the stack would go to that region next turn?!

I think it had something to do with the frame rate of my video card. But it sounds like you are being extra careful and if you are checking and you don't see their route showing up on the map...it sounds like a different problem.

[Heldenkaiser]

I'll keep watching. Thank god it's only a maneuver so it doesn't really matter.

[Redeemer]

Make sure the host has AI off. I have seen weird things happen in PBEM with it enabled.

[Heldenkaiser]

Well, it hasn't happened again last turn, which is good ...

I have a theory that might explain it. This happened around Washington DC where there is a very high density of stacks, especially on the Union side. (For some reason the latest version displays all stacks in a region separately, plastering the map with stack icons. It looks scary!)

Suppose I had inadvertently targetted an enemy stack rather than the region I wanted to attack. Then if the stack in the region retreated, my attacking army would follow ... into Washington, or to York, PA, wherever the other chaps went.

[Mickey3D]

(For some reason the latest version displays all stacks in a region separately, plastering the map with stack icons. It looks scary!)

There should be an option allowing you to keep stack icons separated or stacked at the end of a turn.

[arsan]

There should be an option allowing you to keep stack icons separated or stacked at the end of a turn.

Indeed!
On the first options tab, click on "regroup armies" and they will graphically show as only one stack per region. (of course it's only a visual help. Stacks won't be merged!)
Cheers

[Heldenkaiser]

Yeah. I thought there should have been a game options. Thanks!

[gchristie]

I have a theory that might explain it...Suppose I had inadvertently targetted an enemy stack rather than the region I wanted to attack. Then if the stack in the region retreated, my attacking army would follow ... into Washington, or to York, PA, wherever the other chaps went.

Yep, that'll do it. I find this especially hard with river units given the tight space allowed for dropping a stack in a river section that contains enemy ships.

[Heldenkaiser]

Well, the rather funny outcome of the affair was this ... next turn, I had Beauregard come back from Carroll MD and attack Washington right away (since he was on the far side of the Potomac anyway). He whipped Scott decisively, without taking the city however. The turn after that I reinforced him with Johnston from Alexandria, and guess what? The war ended in November 1861 with Union morale dropping to 32 after the fall of their capital. I wasn't aware this was even possible, that early in the game.

This was a PBEM, though I admit against an even more inexperienced opponent than myself.

[gchristie]

Congrats.

Sounds like your generals were crazy as foxes! I hope I avoid the same fate as your opponent did in my current PBEM . Right now my worthy foe is parked in Alexandria plotting my demise.