AACW {public beta} patch 1.16 Release Candidate 7 - November 29, 2011

[MarkCSA]

Gentlemen,

Please keep up the good work, but I still cannot move ships (as the CSA) from the UK box to anywhere.

[lodilefty]

Gentlemen,

Please keep up the good work, but I still cannot move ships (as the CSA) from the UK box to anywhere.

Nor will you, until UJ enters the war...

I put in some fixes to prevent ships from building there or other "blocked" ports, but may have missed a few. (Like CSS Florida:next patch :blink

These changes ere made for 1.16 RC6, so anything built before applying that patch will not be corrected.

[Chuske]

As a newbie is it best for me to learn the game using official 1.15 patch first or should I go right ahead and install this 1.16 beta?

Regards

Jon

[Chuske]

Also should I install 1.16 RC7 staright over 1.15 version or do I need earlier release candidates installed first? If so where do I get them as the threads have links removed?

Thanks

[lodilefty]

Also should I install 1.16 RC7 staright over 1.15 version or do I need earlier release candidates installed first? If so where do I get them as the threads have links removed?

Thanks

Each RC is all inclusive, so no need for the older ones.

I remove the older links to avoid confusion and wasted bandwidth.

[Chuske]

Each RC is all inclusive, so no need for the older ones.

I remove the older links to avoid confusion and wasted bandwidth.

Thank you. The bit that led to me being unsure on this was it saying "Effective with patch 1.16 [RC5]"

I gather these Beta patches are produced unofficially by ex-developers? If so its very good of you to keep improving this game.

[lodilefty]

Thank you. The bit that led to me being unsure on this was it saying "Effective with patch 1.16 [RC5]"

I gather these Beta patches are produced unofficially by ex-developers? If so its very good of you to keep improving this game.

You're welcome!

To be precise, these patches are produced by volunteers with minimal support (questions answered, vey low priority as they must work on new games to feed their families!!!) from the developers. The beta patch will (evetually we hope!) become official.

If we get any "game engine" fixes, it is because this also helps the "new games" like PON.

[richfed]

I am not sure that I completely understand a couple of the fixes in this new patch --

New install; new game [CSA in the '61 w/ Kentucky campaign]:

Tried to bulid artillery early on in Arkansas WITHOUT any industrialization. NADA. I thought they would build elsewhere.

The ironclad rule apparently does not affect the 3 ironclads started in July 1861, correct?

What is the glitch with Confederate coastal artillery?

Just trying to understand ... thanks.

[lodilefty]

I am not sure that I completely understand a couple of the fixes in this new patch --

New install; new game [CSA in the '61 w/ Kentucky campaign]:

Tried to bulid artillery early on in Arkansas WITHOUT any industrialization. NADA. I thought they would build elsewhere.

The ironclad rule apparently does not affect the 3 ironclads started in July 1861, correct?

What is the glitch with Confederate coastal artillery?

Just trying to understand ... thanks.

AR guns should have been built somewhere in South West (LA, TX, AR), and since AR/TX start without WSU production they should show up in New Orleans (or Baton Rouge?)...

Correct. You still get te 3 "free" ironclads

Coast Arty didn't define the build areas correctly, so the quick fix remedied that.

[Captain_Orso]

I've just finished my first game at 1.16rc7 as the Union and I'd like to share some experiences.

I played with all AI setting at normal, no special advantages for Athena other then the extra time to calculate. FOW on, Activation in the middle, no randomized generals, no naval box handling, redeployment on the 2nd check box, delayed commitment on the 2nd check box, foreign entry on the 2nd check box and historical attrition for both players.

Firstly, Athena didn't want to quit. No, really! I hadn't checked in along time what NM I needed to win, and I had been above 190 for a while when I checked and saw that I should have already won a few turns back



When the CSA went below 40 to lose I don't know, but even after seeing this, the game went on for a couple of turns until I had taken Mobile (the capital, moved just before I took Richmond in '63) and taken out Cleburne's force of about 2 division both wiped out completely with heavy losses to troops and corresponding losses and gains in NM in the same turn ending the game almost into '66.

Some of the things I noted:

-I always have 3 double squadrons of transports (4 elements) with each of the Atlantic and Gulf blockades, cycling them through when their supply is out. I had noticed that even though there was no reported navel combat that they at times also used up their ammo supply. Since the last time I looked ammo cannot be transferred from ship to ship at sea I wonder what was causing the ammo supply to be used up at times. It may have been a glitch, because after it happened a few turns in a row, I replaced those transport with another set and never noticed it again, which didn't mean that it didn't happen, as I am in the habit of only checking the normal supply.

-Keeping the first line infantry replacement pool above 0 was a real task, especially after '63 when I had about 45 full division in the field. At that time after selling bonds and raising the one-time graduated tax (never causing inflation) I could almost only then with this huge windfall of resources, put new divisions into the field. In between I was almost always using all of the about 100 conscript companies per turn into the replacement pool, which most of the time still dropped to 0. I didn't really notice that these infantry replacements were missing from the divisions in the field, but I didn't actually look for them their as that would have really taken a lot of time to check all the division in motion every turn, which was most of them much of the time.

-I didn't have all that much on river navel units, only the 2 river iron clads on the Mississippi that arrive through events and 9 Monitors (the actual Monitor included) which did very little after '63 after Richmond and Norfolk had been taken. There were also about a dozen units of gunboats each in the east and west and about a dozen river transports altogether. After '63 when the line infantry pool was perpetually going to 0 it took forever to keep these fit when I sent them back to port and they were constantly taking hits from 'exhaustion or wear and tear' especially if they were in the water more than 2 turns in a row, which often occurred when I was using them; I'm a bastard with the navy when I need them to block somebody crossing a river.

-Speaking of which, I had a force of about 3 division trapped on the peninsula between the White River and the Mississippi just at the confluent of the White, Mississippi and Arkansas. It was muddy swamp and took 25 days to walk in so I transported Kearney's army command with 3 division in with my river transport pool. 2 other corp were outside in the 2 regions to the north waiting for this force to try to escape and the river regions were blocked by the navy. We sat in there for a number of turns with just small skirmishes taking place until I finally caught this force in one battle and reduced them to about brigade size. What remained was then commanded by Stand Watie who did sneak them out and had me skittering after them until I guess they were so worn out they couldn't run anymore, probably also being down to no rations at all. I suppose that taking a terrain terrain into consideration in which you practically cannot maneuver and a force trying not to be found and not get into battle that it is plausible that even in the confinements of a single region shared for several turns that very little combat might take place.

-After the fall of Richmond it seamed that the south rarely attempted to stand in the way of the blue tide rolling their way. The few times they did resist, with a couple of exceptions, was mostly to hole-up in a city with a few brigades until I besieged them out. I don't think that the south was worse off financially in this in compared to other games I've played, although Athena my have be getting kicked in the butt by historical attrition just as hard as I was. But I didn't get around to taking New Orleans until the end of '63 . In fact I didn't touch any of the other coastal ports until then either with the North Caroline forts being the first. So although I had 5 blockade fleets in each of the blockade boxes from about the end of '61 on (which is normal for all of my games), I also brown-water blockaded Richmond from about the beginning of '62 until her fall about a year and a half later. I actually B-W blockaded both Richmond and Norfolk. But the trade going through New Orleans the entire time was certainly more advantageous for the south than had I not blockaded Richmond and taken NO instead. So from that standpoint they should have been dong better financially than most of the games that I've played, but I'm also not used to having historical attrition on.

-On my first nearing of Richmond, unready as I was, but spurned on by the new papers Athena masterfully maneuvered so as to keep be guessing where she was strong or weak or what here intentions were. Okay, I may be a little slow and not too clever in figuring out what she was up to, but she had me trying to be very cautious; only moving is large stacks supporting each other in neighboring regions. I mostly did the same while invading further to the south, so maybe the loses around Richmond took so much out of her that she didn't have the strength to put up a real fight. In hind sight, she probably didn't because if she had, she'd have had about 15 divisions dropping on what ever she put in my way just about anywhere she might have put up a fight.

All-in-all, she had me talked into being cautious right from the start. When I got her into a large battle I almost always overwhelmed her with masses of troops which were always well supplied. I may have turned my game into mostly logistics all by myself, but maybe historical attrition also played a role in that too. I don't feel really qualified to judge that.

I'm off the the bunk for PSD -- Pillow Surveillance Duty

[lodilefty]

I've just finished my first game at 1.16rc7 as the Union and I'd like to share some experiences.

Which patch version? Did you start and end with same version?
Which Campaign?

I played with all AI setting at normal, no special advantages for Athena other then the extra time to calculate. FOW on, Activation in the middle, no randomized generals, no naval box handling, redeployment on the 2nd check box, delayed commitment on the 2nd check box, foreign entry on the 2nd check box and historical attrition for both players.

Hehe, try giving a FOW advantage and set difficulty higher.
I already lost to her once in my mod (in development )

Firstly, Athena didn't want to quit. No, really! I hadn't checked in along time what NM I needed to win, and I had been above 190 for a while when I checked and saw that I should have already won a few turns back



When the CSA went below 40 to lose I don't know, but even after seeing this, the game went on for a couple of turns until I had taken Mobile (the capital, moved just before I took Richmond in '63) and taken out Cleburne's force of about 2 division both wiped out completely with heavy losses to troops and corresponding losses and gains in NM in the same turn ending the game almost into '66.

This is bothersome. NM Victory is supposed to be "Sudden Death".
But if you started before 116 RC7, some of the scenario settings were incomplete.

Some of the things I noted:

-I always have 3 double squadrons of transports (4 elements) with each of the Atlantic and Gulf blockades, cycling them through when their supply is out. I had noticed that even though there was no reported navel combat that they at times also used up their ammo supply. Since the last time I looked ammo cannot be transferred from ship to ship at sea I wonder what was causing the ammo supply to be used up at times. It may have been a glitch, because after it happened a few turns in a row, I replaced those transport with another set and never noticed it again, which didn't mean that it didn't happen, as I am in the habit of only checking the normal supply.

Dunno. But, in past versions, I know that some naval battles are almost silent, so if you turn away during hosting, you may not even know there was a battle...

-Keeping the first line infantry replacement pool above 0 was a real task, especially after '63 when I had about 45 full division in the field. At that time after selling bonds and raising the one-time graduated tax (never causing inflation) I could almost only then with this huge windfall of resources, put new divisions into the field. In between I was almost always using all of the about 100 conscript companies per turn into the replacement pool, which most of the time still dropped to 0. I didn't really notice that these infantry replacements were missing from the divisions in the field, but I didn't actually look for them their as that would have really taken a lot of time to check all the division in motion every turn, which was most of them much of the time.

Kinda Historical. It was tough for both sides to keep units filled up.
Remember, ther is a % chance that a Replacemnt chit will be consumed by units regaining strength, not just replacing missing elements.
You usually get a message when a missing element is replaced.

-I didn't have all that much on river navel units, only the 2 river iron clads on the Mississippi that arrive through events and 9 Monitors (the actual Monitor included) which did very little after '63 after Richmond and Norfolk had been taken. There were also about a dozen units of gunboats each in the east and west and about a dozen river transports altogether. After '63 when the line infantry pool was perpetually going to 0 it took forever to keep these fit when I sent them back to port and they were constantly taking hits from 'exhaustion or wear and tear' especially if they were in the water more than 2 turns in a row, which often occurred when I was using them; I'm a bastard with the navy when I need them to block somebody crossing a river.

-Speaking of which, I had a force of about 3 division trapped on the peninsula between the White River and the Mississippi just at the confluent of the White, Mississippi and Arkansas. It was muddy swamp and took 25 days to walk in so I transported Kearney's army command with 3 division in with my river transport pool. 2 other corp were outside in the 2 regions to the north waiting for this force to try to escape and the river regions were blocked by the navy. We sat in there for a number of turns with just small skirmishes taking place until I finally caught this force in one battle and reduced them to about brigade size. What remained was then commanded by Stand Watie who did sneak them out and had me skittering after them until I guess they were so worn out they couldn't run anymore, probably also being down to no rations at all. I suppose that taking a terrain terrain into consideration in which you practically cannot maneuver and a force trying not to be found and not get into battle that it is plausible that even in the confinements of a single region shared for several turns that very little combat might take place.

-After the fall of Richmond it seamed that the south rarely attempted to stand in the way of the blue tide rolling their way. The few times they did resist, with a couple of exceptions, was mostly to hole-up in a city with a few brigades until I besieged them out. I don't think that the south was worse off financially in this in compared to other games I've played, although Athena my have be getting kicked in the butt by historical attrition just as hard as I was. But I didn't get around to taking New Orleans until the end of '63 . In fact I didn't touch any of the other coastal ports until then either with the North Caroline forts being the first. So although I had 5 blockade fleets in each of the blockade boxes from about the end of '61 on (which is normal for all of my games), I also brown-water blockaded Richmond from about the beginning of '62 until her fall about a year and a half later. I actually B-W blockaded both Richmond and Norfolk. But the trade going through New Orleans the entire time was certainly more advantageous for the south than had I not blockaded Richmond and taken NO instead. So from that standpoint they should have been dong better financially than most of the games that I've played, but I'm also not used to having historical attrition on.

The recent incarnations of Athena get very defensive when being stomped. Kinda realistic, as she tries to hang on

-On my first nearing of Richmond, unready as I was, but spurned on by the new papers Athena masterfully maneuvered so as to keep be guessing where she was strong or weak or what here intentions were. Okay, I may be a little slow and not too clever in figuring out what she was up to, but she had me trying to be very cautious; only moving is large stacks supporting each other in neighboring regions. I mostly did the same while invading further to the south, so maybe the loses around Richmond took so much out of her that she didn't have the strength to put up a real fight. In hind sight, she probably didn't because if she had, she'd have had about 15 divisions dropping on what ever she put in my way just about anywhere she might have put up a fight.

All-in-all, she had me talked into being cautious right from the start. When I got her into a large battle I almost always overwhelmed her with masses of troops which were always well supplied. I may have turned my game into mostly logistics all by myself, but maybe historical attrition also played a role in that too. I don't feel really qualified to judge that.

I'm off the the bunk for PSD -- Pillow Surveillance Duty

Nice report, Good info.
I'll dig into the NM Victory thingie once you've nswered my questions

[Captain_Orso]

*huh?* what? I'm awake

Which patch version? Did you start and end with same version?
Which Campaign?

Patch version, patch version ... Mom!!? .......
Okay, I've got it now. 1.16rc7 came out on 29-Nov and the game was started on 27-Nov, so it was started on 1.16rc6 with the Various_Events quick fix.
The game was the '61 April Campaign w/ Kentucky*. This is actually the game that I started and couldn't get to continue because of backing up a turn and changing something on the CSA side so that Athena wouldn't touch it again; man she's a bitc... picky, she real picky . I copied it into a new directory, renamed it and backed up to before the turn where Athena refused to play.

Hehe, try giving a FOW advantage and set difficulty higher.
I already lost to her once in my mod (in development)

Hey, man, gimme a break. This was the first campaign I've played through in over a year . I'll give her a bigger bucket of whoop-ass to use on me next time .

This is bothersome. NM Victory is supposed to be "Sudden Death".
But if you started before 116 RC7, some of the scenario settings were incomplete.

That may be it then.

Dunno. But, in past versions, I know that some naval battles are almost silent, so if you turn away during hosting, you may not even know there was a battle...

I don't think that would be it. I'm usually pretty glued to the screen to see if I see anything and I usually go through the message log line for line. If I get a chance I'll try to find the turns where that happened and post them.

Kinda Historical. It was tough for both sides to keep units filled up.
Remember, ther is a % chance that a Replacemnt chit will be consumed by units regaining strength, not just replacing missing elements.
You usually get a message when a missing element is replaced.

Yeah, I'm not really used to these kinds of attrition losses, unless I'm forgetting to supply like an entire division and letting it starve .

I think each chit is supposed to have 20 companies. I think replacements are just taken from one until it is empty, but replacing a full regiment costs an entire 'chit'. I don't think I actually heard whether the chit must be full, or 20 check-marks are just crossed off the next chits or what. Back then while trying to inquire about this and how I could tell exactly how many companies are in the pool I caught a lot of flack from the-grey-one-whose-name-shall-not-be-mentioned and just left it

The recent incarnations of Athena get very defensive when being stomped. Kinda realistic, as she tries to hang on

I kind of had the impression that there really wasn't anything sensible for her to do. Way-back-when I'd have expected her so suddenly send a corp up to Wheeling or Pittsburgh out of desperation.

Before I had eastern Kentucky garrisoned well, she did actually send somebody up to Cincinnati for a try at that, but didn't manage to pry out the garrison there, although she did give them a mighty whack.

I'd have wished that she'd have backed off then and pulled back to plan her next lunge, but she stayed put until I pulled enough troops and leaders together to drag her out biting and scratching. What was left of her force then got trapped in Clarksburg and destroyed.

I know she's operating with FOW too, and maybe my seeing what kind of force I'm putting together to driver her off makes me think she should be a bit more cautious or at least prudent when she's confronted with superior numbers.

It reminds me of what Foote said, that the north fought with one hand tied behind their back, because every time Athena makes her deep lunge I always manage to pull enough troops together to drive her out without breaking up my front. I may not be able to still push forward on the main battlefield, but I rarely have to completely pull out to chase a deep lunge.

Nice report, Good info.
I'll dig into the NM Victory thingie once you've answered my questions

Okie-dokie

[richfed]

AR guns should have been built somewhere in South West (LA, TX, AR), and since AR/TX start without WSU production they should show up in New Orleans (or Baton Rouge?)...

That's what I thought, but they didn't. They showed up nowhere and remained in the reinforcement pool. I am sorry, no save - too far along in the game [occurred last weekend, and I unfortunately just got around to posting about it], but you might want to check this function. Has anybody else experienced this?

[lodilefty]

That's what I thought, but they didn't. They showed up nowhere and remained in the reinforcement pool. I am sorry, no save - too far along in the game [occurred last weekend, and I unfortunately just got around to posting about it], but you might want to check this function. Has anybody else experienced this?

I just tested this with my "Pre-beta" RC8 engine, and it's WAD with that engine.

I ordered up 1 Arty each in MO, AR, TX, LA and all 4 showed up in New Orleans.

I hate being a pain, but I'll only get time to release RC8 later this week, after we get RoP's newest release ready for public...

Please be patient...
(Yes, RC8 should be save-game compatible with RC7, so you could start the Tournement without it...)

[Captain_Orso]

That's what I thought, but they didn't. They showed up nowhere and remained in the reinforcement pool. I am sorry, no save - too far along in the game [occurred last weekend, and I unfortunately just got around to posting about it], but you might want to check this function. Has anybody else experienced this?

Hi Richfield, I started up a quick game (1.16rc7) as CSA of 61-Apr w/Ky and built a 10lb-er that showed up in New Orleans . I also built 2 brigades in Missouri that landed in Jefferson and upon their arrival were immediately squashed by Lyon leure: .

Is your game a fresh installation, or did you update a previous one? I always install from the original 1.05 setup file and name the directory to represent the patch level I will put on top of it (eg: AGEod's 'American Civil War 1.16rc7').

[SIZE="1"]*sniffle* my poor brigades [/size] I'm going to go drink some hot chocolate now

[richfed]

It was a fresh install ... Sounds like it should have worked. OK - I'll try again ..

Thanks, guys.

[Captain_Orso]

Now that I've had some sleep I've also remembered a couple of things I've noted in this patch, but were also present in that last, maybe 2 patches.

Supply trains and captured artillery are getting replacements. I'm not complaining, eau contraire *, My belief has always been that there is little or no difference between this captured equipment and my own equipment in the field. It makes no difference where a supply wagon is built and the CSA did not suddenly design new cannons so totally different than what had been built in the US all the years before the war, that non-identical replacements couldn't be added to captured equipment to bring it up to the standard TO&E.

*it's not water - the French will please forgive me

[Meagher]

As the CSA I have FE score of 100, but there is no notice of Foreign Entry, nor can I access any foreign units.

[Citizen X]

Since I have installed rc7 (up from rc4) I have not captured a single piece of equipment outside the infamous fort-hopping. No wagon, no artillery. This is true for two ungoing PBEM games and every testing game I started myself. In particular the Cairo/Manassas Gambit is currently pretty much pointless (I learned that very much painfully). This is to inform any player in the tournament.
Possible that this is a sideeffect of raising capture probability for Rodman/Columbiad?

Also, although I don't know how this could be possible, I experience an increased rate of CSA generals being inactive. Especially Beauregard seems to be very reluctant to enter combat.

[Confederate]

Since I have installed rc7 (up from rc4) I have not captured a single piece of equipment outside the infamous fort-hopping. No wagon, no artillery. This is true for two ungoing PBEM games and every testing game I started myself. In particular the Cairo/Manassas Gambit is currently pretty much pointless (I learned that very much painfully). This is to inform any player in the tournament.
Possible that this is a sideeffect of raising capture probability for Rodman/Columbiad?

Also, although I don't know how this could be possible, I experience an increased rate of CSA generals being inactive. Especially Beauregard seems to be very reluctant to enter combat.

Me neither.

Except for I could never capture artillery in 1.14 either

[lodilefty]

Me neither.

Except for I could never capture artillery in 1.14 either

I've captured arty in my pre-beta release, so it works.
Fairly low probability though.....

[Citizen X]

I've captured arty in my pre-beta release, so it works.
Fairly low probability though.....

I was able to capture those artillery in Cairo most of the time and now... zippo. That's why I wondered. The militia gets slaughtered and then the engie and the artillery escapes. Formerly it came to a second battle most of the time and the engie got killed and the cannons captured.
That's why I wondered.

[lodilefty]

I was able to capture those artillery in Cairo most of the time and now... zippo. That's why I wondered. The militia gets slaughtered and then the engie and the artillery escapes. Formerly it came to a second battle most of the time and the engie got killed and the cannons captured.
That's why I wondered.

hehe, I suspect that in the past, it was actually bugged (ignoring defined Capture %)

[Citizen X]

hehe, I suspect that in the past, it was actually bugged (ignoring defined Capture %)

Thanks for having that clarified.

I guess I have suffered in the name of science and progress then.

[Citizen X]

I have a brigg locked in Habana (Cuba ^^) in a current RC7 game.

[lodilefty]

I have a brigg locked in Habana (Cuba ^^) in a current RC7 game.

Maybe you could be a bit less cryptic.

Which scenario?
Which side?
Did you buy a brig and it appeared there?

Help me help you....

[Citizen X]

Maybe you could be a bit less cryptic.

Which scenario?
Which side?
Did you buy a brig and it appeared there?

Help me help you....

I merely wanted to report that it had happened. It is the 1861 w/o Kentucky scenario. I play as CSA in a PBEM game. I got a brig for free by event and it appeared in Habana. It can't leave the harbour.

[lodilefty]

I merely wanted to report that it had happened. It is the 1861 w/o Kentucky scenario. I play as CSA in a PBEM game. I got a brig for free by event and it appeared in Habana. It can't leave the harbour.

OK, found the event.

Fix in next version to prevent ships arriving in locked ports,
but the fix won't help already deployed ships....

[deguerra]

Hi lodi,

Observations with regards to generals:

-pretty sure Union general R. Mitchell (arrives in Jan '62 without portrait) is the same as Robert B. Mitchell (arrives in Oct '62 with portrait).

-pretty sure Union general R. Johnson (arrives inJan '62) has wrong description in the overlay - making him out as Andrew Johnson, 17th President of the US who did serve as a Union general, but is not in game.

-pretty sure (excuse all these pretty sure's, but I can never be certain I'm right I guess) Union general P. Marston (arrives in Jan '62) refers to Gilman Marston and should thus have the initial G.

I'm sure there are more little errors that don't really matter. Is there any point in me delving deeper and finding them? If you tell me what files I need to edit to change the names of generals and the overlay text, I could even do it myself, but is it worthwhile?

[BigDuke66]

Any player who's interested in historical correctness will appreciate your notes, I do.