Foreign intervention

[TheDoctorKing]

I have played this game into 1864 at least a dozen times, using both the vanilla and SVF mods. And I've never gotten foreign intervention. I've only played twice against human, though. Highest it has ever gotten is about 70. How frequently have other players had FI happen? Am I doing something wrong as the CSA/right as the USA to keep the foreigners out? Are there exploits that human players can use to make intervention more likely/less likely (other than reloading an earlier turn and hoping for a better die roll)? It is my impression that the actions you might take have such an unpredictable outcome that the most likely result of blockading/embargoing is that the FI level will not change at all.

[Gray_Lensman]

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[TheDoctorKing]

Maybe it is playing against a human being that makes the difference. I have only ever played two games of PBEM and they did not go the distance. Although I have to say it didn't look good for FI in either case.

[Mickey3D]

I played several PBEM and I only saw once the CSA player being a few points from Foreign Intervention.

Note that there is game options to lower the number of points needed for FI.

[Spharv2]

Do you have the FI level set to Normal? You can make it easier, but honestly, I think that's playing about how it should be, intervention wasn't terribly likely historically. One thing I would like to see is additional player input on things like the Trent Affair. Frankly, public opinion on that was to keep the commissioners and not issue an apology to England. Would be interesting to see that as an either/or choice for the Union. Keep them, and increase NM and VP and have the FI level increase by some amount, or release them with the opposite effect. Something for AACW2 I suppose.

[lodilefty]

<snip>
One thing I would like to see is additional player input on things like the Trent Affair. Frankly, public opinion on that was to keep the commissioners and not issue an apology to England. Would be interesting to see that as an either/or choice for the Union. Keep them, and increase NM and VP and have the FI level increase by some amount, or release them with the opposite effect. Something for AACW2 I suppose.

Perfect opportunity for the (new) Multi-Choice Events developed for RoP

I assume that the upcoming AACW patch will include MC capability in the engine.
..but the patch will require some new Front-end stuff for these to work..
Modders Unite!!!

[Pat "Stonewall" Cleburne]

I just won a PBEM with a 190-55 NM advantage in 1864 and my FI was negative... It's just hard to get it to move without a whole lot of lucky rolls.

[Chaplain Lovejoy]

Saw FI happen exactly once playing as USA vs. AI. I thought I was comfortably out of range of the trigger level. But the AI got a lucky roll on cotton embargo, and FI was on. But the very next turn I captured enough VP to win right then and there. So, FI happened, but nothing happened!

[Pat "Stonewall" Cleburne]

Update: I'm playing my 2nd PBEM game as the CSA and everything rolled my way and FI activated in March 1862! The 2nd French landing hasn't even happened yet and I'm wondering if that will mess things up. I held off an attack against the French holding force but I'm getting nervous.

[Pat "Stonewall" Cleburne]

The 2nd French expedition landed in early September 1862 but they're locked? I don't have any other FI saves to check and see if they're supposed to land locked for a while? Does anyone know if they eventually unlock or is it messed up?

[Gray_Lensman]

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[Pat "Stonewall" Cleburne]

I've only gotten FI a few times, but I know I've used them to try to take north Mexico before. Maybe they got attacked first though.

This also brings up a quandry because the Mexican forces that the USA gets aren't locked. My opponent took Laredo with them.

[Pat "Stonewall" Cleburne]

Another update. The French unlocked the turn after they landed. No problems then.

[Gray_Lensman]

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[Pat "Stonewall" Cleburne]

I'm not the host so I don't have all the files. What files would you need?

I'm referring to the 2nd landing of the French forces in Vera Cruz. The first landing (under Comte de Lorencez) stays locked unless attacked. The 2nd landing (when the army headquarters comes over) is locked for it's first turn (Early September in my game) but then unlocks for the next turn. I'm not sure when the Mexican army unlocks but my guess is 0 or 1 turns after FI fires.

[Gray_Lensman]

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[Pat "Stonewall" Cleburne]

Yeah. They will definitely be locked if FI isn't active. But I think the FI allows them to unlock somehow. I'm 99.99% certain no actions were taken that would unlock them the conventional way. Is the Mexican force supposed to be locked? I'm sure I never attacked him and his force unlocked. The Canadian army in Quebec and corps in Toronto stay locked if that helps.

BTW, it takes forever to get from Vera Cruz to North Mexico. He sent most of the Mexican army to Houston before I could get to North Mexico. None of this is a big deal, just an observation for those interested.

[Gray_Lensman]

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[elxaime]

Hmmm, I can only answer with the following quote from a post in another thread made this same day:



Maybe you could consult elxaime for some play tips?

There is luck involved of course, in terms of the cotton embargo and blockade rolls. But the CSA, in PBEM, should usually hold an early lead in both VP and NM. Each turn you have a chance to tick upwards for each lead you hold. That at least is how I understand it.

So maybe it is just the luck of the rolls, but in PBEM I have been in, by late 1862 usually there is a brink of FI.

[Pat "Stonewall" Cleburne]

I'm just trying to make sense of how these units work once they appear. I've run across a possible rare game crash issue involving the specific French HQ that appears in Vera Cruz referred to above. It contains an intrinsic Artllery unit which were removed (a couple of patches back) from the normal HQ units during the game, but this one was accidentally missed. These forces are in a separate and not so obvious event file.

Hmm. I just checked and the French HQ doesn't have intrinsic artillery in my game.

[ATTACH]11680[/ATTACH] Is this all you need?

[Gray_Lensman]

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[Tobi]

got FI in turn 47th.

but there seems to be some bugs?

if i want to form a new army with one of my CSA Generals i tells me that it will cost 4-5 Moral points and like 400 Victory points because one of the french generals has a higher seniority...
if i then try to form a new army with that Frence General it isn't possibel.
(probatly because he is no CSA General.... )

that kind of means you cannot form new armies after Fi anymore without paying alot of Victory points and moral points (or you need to have CSA Generals with senority of 1)


also it got 2 msgs that France declared war... and never one that GB declared war...


also if you hit the max of 30 CSA division you cannot form new divisions with your foreign troops anymore... if you have 29 CSA division you can form as much as you want....


and i have a questione... if you reach -100 Fi... will anything happen?
because i my other game i just have very bad luck and already reached around -40

[Gray_Lensman]

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[Pat "Stonewall" Cleburne]

got FI in turn 47th.

but there seems to be some bugs?

if i want to form a new army with one of my CSA Generals i tells me that it will cost 4-5 Moral points and like 400 Victory points because one of the french generals has a higher seniority...
if i then try to form a new army with that Frence General it isn't possibel.
(probatly because he is no CSA General.... )

that kind of means you cannot form new armies after Fi anymore without paying alot of Victory points and moral points (or you need to have CSA Generals with senority of 1)


also it got 2 msgs that France declared war... and never one that GB declared war...


also if you hit the max of 30 CSA division you cannot form new divisions with your foreign troops anymore... if you have 29 CSA division you can form as much as you want....


and i have a questione... if you reach -100 Fi... will anything happen?
because i my other game i just have very bad luck and already reached around -40

This is pretty much true. The 2 France declarations happened for me as well as the French Generals complaining. The seniority problem goes away for the most part after the 2nd French landing though. That's when the French army HQ shows up and the independent 3 star commander leaves.

[Tobi]

Please post the save game files. If they are too large, you can go thru and delete all the *.rpl files in the subfolders. They're not needed for troubleshooting.

i'm not host.
are the CSA trn files enough?

here is one to show several of my points
Polk, the French General with higher senority, and a army hq are in Paducah
i also have 30 divison on the field
as you can see the French general cannot form an army neither a division.
if Polk tries to form a army i tells me that the French general has higher senority and i would lose moral and victory points.
if hindmann in Polk corps disbands his division then the French General can form a division (and after that Hindmann again too)

the one with the events i have to search

also another thing i noticed in WIA and AACW is that if you drag units on a ship (like the canons next to new york on the english fleet), then on the sea in the same area and then back on the town where the units are
then they will be immitedly on board of the ships

This is pretty much true. The 2 France declarations happened for me as well as the French Generals complaining. The seniority problem goes away for the most part after the 2nd French landing though. That's when the French army HQ shows up and the independent 3 star commander leaves.

i think one of the 2 stars French Generals get auto promoted later
(or i did promote him... have to check old saves) thats where the problem might start for you again
(and thats where i did start for me)...

edit: just checked turn 48 i got: evt_nam_BazainePromoted1863
i asume that event did promote the French 2 star general Bazaine...

[Gray_Lensman]

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[Tobi]

so here a the files.

should be everything you need

turn 53 looks now a bit different since i just had host files till turn 51 and just did resolve the last 2 turns myself..

Polk, the French General with higher senority, and a army hq are in Paducah
i also have 30 divison on the field
as you can see the French general cannot form an army neither a division.
if Polk tries to form a army i tells me that the French general has higher senority and i would lose moral and victory points.
if hindmann in Polk corps disbands his division then the French General can form a division (and after that Hindmann again too)

is still true

also another thing i noticed in WIA and AACW is that if you drag units on a ship (like the canons next to new york on the english fleet), then on the sea in the same area and then back on the town where the units are
then they will be immitedly on board of the ships

no cannons in that field.. but a whole army stack now...
but aslo works with that stack and the Frech fleet (english fleet is already full)
i aslo did do that with the fleet onboard of the english fleet a turn ealier

also it got 2 msgs that France declared war... and never one that GB declared war...

in CSA turn 47


----

btw

and i have a questione... if you reach -100 Fi... will anything happen?
because i my other game i just have very bad luck and already reached around -40

noone answered that yet

[enf91]

noone answered that yet

I've never seen this (IDK if anyone has), but I'd assume FI becomes impossible, i.e. the game stops keeping track of FI points.

[Gray_Lensman]

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[Tobi]

thnx