Supply Essay (starting with AACW)

[GraniteStater]

This is an effort to try to help those brand-new to CW2. This is not Gospel, but might prove useful.

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OLD SUPPLY ESSAY FROM AACW:

http://www.ageod-forum.com/showthrea...hlight=waiter:

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First, read the Supply Primer so handily stickied.

Now, in a nutshell (I know the Union; the Southern mileage may vary):

Let's take a certain unit you get in southern PA in a 61 start. At first it is locked. It stays locked for about two turns. Then it unlocks. Then you click it to move it and discover that your brand new brave boys, rarin' to go, are starving to death. In Pennsylvania. In the summer.

This is because (a) no Wagon; (b) not next to, or on, a town or city, a Depot. The system knows the unit is there; the system wants to give them supplies, ammo, and so forth, but it can't, because of (a) and (b) just mentioned.

Depots, Forts, Towns of size 3+, Wagons and Transports request Supply. Towns of less than size 3 generate small amounts of Supply, but never request it. The system is a network of pipelines: NYC, Philly, Chicago, etc., generate huge amounts that are pushed along the system of RRs and Roads and Rivers not interdicted by Bad Guys (i. e., MC of 25% or more, not subject to enemy Forts blocking riverine traffic, etc.). The Supply goes to them who ask for it - them's that asks, git.

So you need to be adjacent to, or on, a source of supply, or something that requests supply. If that something is not a fixed Fort, Depot, or 3+ Town/City, it had better be a Wagon or a Transport, cuz otherwise, the waiter ain't takin' your order.

Also, it is important to keep RRs and Rivers up to 100%, Full Capacity, cuz Supply is pushed in three phases and only goes the last mile (like your cable connection at home) if the third and final phase is up to snuff. You can get by with Average, but some guys might not get that extra helping of beans at dinner, cuz the third phase never got to them that turn.

I finally drew the conclusion that if I want to go Reb hunting, I had better darn well make sure I took a Wagon with me. Fire up a 62 start as the USA and check out Burnside, sunning himself on the shore in SC. Go thru two Turns, maybe three. Then check out Burnside - he is about to go poof!, because you didn't build a Depot - Beaufort, SC, is not a 3+ Town, there is no Fort, no Depot. You can park Transports there, that do request Supply, but they will not do the trick, they're too small a capacity, it doesn't work, I know, believe me, I know. The solution to the 'overseas' Burnside problem is to build a Depot there with a Transport unit(s). Then everyone's much happier and has something to eat and something to shoot, cuz the system says, "Hey! I gotta keep that Depot in Supply!" The Shipping Box plays an essential role in this case, BTW.

It's a rough sketch and I'm sure Gray and others could iron out some details, but that's I how I think of it - seems to work.

Goin' huntin'? Take a Wagon. Goin' down Ole Man River to squash Vicksburg? Take Wagons and Transports. Goin' over the seas to land in Mobile and surprise Johnny Reb big time? Wagons and Transports.

Pushin' towards the interior from Nashville? Seize every town and Depot you see, secure your RRs, assert MC and keep the lines open, cuz you gotta keep your Wagons stocked.

Hope that helps. Have a good war and have a good breakfast.

[GraniteStater]

ADDITIONAL OBSERVATIONS

* Play with Historical Attrition ON. Then you get Replacements at Depots only. This is more realistic, IMHO, and forces invaders to retreat to a Depot point after a bloody repulse. IOW, ya gotta plan more & make darn sure of your Supplies, etc.

* Wagons/Transports help in combat - and reduce 'Weather Hits' in inclement climes.

* 'Overseas' points need Depots. Don't argue, just build 'em. Ditto for operations along rivers, especially if more than a short distance away. Yes, Virginia, you can have your behind spanked but good if you're caught in Nashville with low Supplies and wondering where the bacon and bullets went.

* The Supply overlay on the map is your friend.

* Cut off enemy lines of communication & supply, surround him with hairy brutes and then roll over Jackson when he's outta everything. Much easier proposition.

* The CSA has no seaborne Supply capability. Oh, wow, Esteemed Opponent just took Baltimore (or even better, Annapolis)? Cut him off. Yes, Baltimore will take ages to starve out, but if he came in Corps plus strength, he needs more to keep in shape. Go ahead, Marse Robert, box yourself in, here's your seat at Camden Yards, enjoy the ballgame.

* Wagons and Transports? At least for the Union, build them. More than a few, too - yer gonna need 'em.

[GraniteStater]

Bump - seems like a good idea for general Supply Qs. It's a start.

And here's the list of the AACW Supply Reminders that were displayed on-screen:

Supply Rule: Each unit can carry an innate stock in food & water (also known as General Supply or simply Supply) and Ammo. Most units will use General Supply each turn and Ammo in battles.

Supply Rule: A valid supply source during the supply distribution phase is a one of these three structures types: City (any level), Depot, or Fort.

Supply Rule: A valid location to stockpile General Supply during the Supply Distribution Phase is a City (level 3+), Depot, Fort or a Supply Wagon. Towns (level 1-2 'city') never request General Supply.

Supply Rule: General Supply is only generated by structures which is then distributed to others structures or nearby units.

Supply Rule: Having enough rail points and river points in the Transport Pool helps greatly when it comes to distributing supply, but only if there is a controlled network in the area where the supply moves though.

Supply Rule: The Supply Distribution Phase is split into three Distributions Segments. Each segment allows the spread of the supply from sources to nearby stocks. Rail and River points will help this distribution.

Supply Rule: When a supply point is given to a supply stock which is also a source during one Distribution Segment, it can be pushed forward further in Distributions Segments #2 and #3.

Supply Rule: Ideally, you will want to establish Supply Depots (supply lanes) so that your supply points can spread smoothly and intelligently without bottlenecks and gaps.

Supply Rule: Beware of not having major gaps between two parts of your supply network. Supply can't move farther than five regions during a given Distribution Segment (Each Supply Phase has three such Segments). It is advisable to create Depots every three to five regions.

Supply Rule: Supply Wagons have the unique ability to attract supply in the Supply Distribution Phase several regions away from any supply stockpile (only structures can stockpile).

Supply Rule: Supply Wagons can't establish a supply lane themselves. This means that a chain of wagons won't be able to transmit supply at the end of the chain. For that you need a chain of structures (Depots generally).

Supply Rule: Supply Wagons never give back their stock to structures. This means that you can manually move your depleted wagons to your rear area stockpiles, have them replenish, and then move them back to the front (by train ideally).

Supply Rule: When the Supply Distribution Phase is done, military units will seek to be replenished from structures or Supply Wagons. They can be replenished even if adjacent to such points of supply.

[GraniteStater]

Here are pertinent selections from the manual. These are from my text copy and are unedited.

Town: A town is a small city (Level 1 to 3). It is too small to
be able to forward Supply during the Supply Distribution phase
unless a Depot has been built in the town.


Depot: It can be built at a cost of two Supply Wagons or by two
transports ships if a harbor or anchorage is in the region. They can
also be destroyed. Depots are able to stockpile and pass on Supply
during the Supply Distribution phase. A good network of Depots is
critical to move Supply from your rear areas to the front. presence
of a depot inside a city is indicated by tents and cannon balls.


Important Note: This is not only true for the Union, which produces massive
amounts of Supplies far from the front, but also for the Confederates to a lesser
extent. Evaluate the potential bottlenecks in your Supply network by checking
which rear-area cities stockpile too much Supply that should be available at the
front line (the Supply Filter will help you with that). Create a ‘grid’ of Depots to
alleviate the problem, and watch out for towns (Level 1 to 3 cities) which can’t
push Supplies forward unless they contain a Depot.

Pre-War Fort: These brick structures were built before war
broke out and are rather obsolete....They interfere with enemy
movement and also provide some Supply.

Ports: ports provide Supply unless blockaded.

supply sources

The basic amounts generated are as follows:

Structure General Supply/Level Ammunition/Level
City 6 0
Depot 4 1
Harbor 3 1
Fort or Stockade 2 0
Indian village 1 0

supply dIsTrIbuTIon & depoTs

each structure and Unit in the game will “pull” a certain amount of Supply each
turn. This occurs during the Hosting phase. Supply sources will strive to distribute
their Supply surplus to nearby structures and Units that need it. This will trigger a
chain reaction, with Supply being forwarded from one structure to another until it
reaches the farthest Units/structures. This process is automated and conducted in
three consecutive “push” steps taking many parameters into account.
The amount of Supply that can transit through a structure is roughly proportional
to its production Capacity (see above) and the distance covered by your abstracted
Supply columns during each step can range from one to five regions depending on:

•
Terrain
•
Weather
•
enemy presence
•
Rail Transport
•
River Transport
•
Sea Transport
you can directly check on the map how much General Supply/Ammunition is
stockpiled and where by using the Supply Filter (see chapter).

Note: Isolated Units – such as Units under siege – will begin to suffer from
starvation when their General Supply reserves are depleted.

Note: Controlling rivers and (to a lesser extent) railroads are strategically
important, as they allow you to transport great quantities of Supply and men
compared to overland Supply paths using roads.

Depots are very useful in optimizing your Supply lines. you can build them in critical
locations such as Supply bottlenecks or remote areas lacking other structures.
These will then act as transit points in order to bridge gaps in your Supply lines,
extend the reach of your Supply network and increase Supply throughput. A Depot
will attract and then push forward more Supplies than Level 1-14 cities. When the
Supply Filter is active, your Depots will pulsate on the map to help you see their
locations.

**********

I believe you may deduce the following point: Small Towns don't do very much. They can't push Supply, nor accumulate it to any marked degree.

Also, Towns (apparently including Size 3 places in CW2) are often 'connected' by a Road only - so that's strike two.

If you are the Union, Wagon up, pal, you're gonna need 'em - Big Time. Spend the resources, cheapskates, AFAIK, there's no bonuses or VPs for Money in the Bank.

The CSA can work on interior lines and needs to build some Depots as situations may require, but its needs for extending Supply are not as pronounced as the Union's unless the CSA gets Real Ambitious.

Forget small Towns without Depots - they are highly unreliable.

[Gray Fox]

Spot on GS!

Let's say that you have 20 Divisions in your army. A Division uses about 40 General Supply per turn and about that much Ammunition in a battle. So you need to produce 800 GS per turn and probably much less Ammo than that to sustain a general offensive. If you cursor over some of your larger cities, you'll quickly see that you produce in total more GS/Ammo than you could ever use. One single port that is a size ten city/harbor and has a size one depot produces 124 GS/34 Ammo per turn. If loyalty is 100%, then they produce 50% more and I believe that Rich areas do even better. Great! So now you just have to let the game move your supply around for you.

The Wiki states that the game uses a simulated supply wagon to do this. These units move from point A to point B the way a normal supply unit would move. If excess rail/river points are available, then they move on to point C and even point D in the same turn. So you could take an actual supply unit and move it normally from A to a distance of 15 days travel to see how far your supplies would move without assistance. The dev's said that it's a little more than 15 days, but this is just a "guestimate". If point B is more than 15 days travel away, then supply only moves from A to B when rail/river assets are available (also A has to be connected to B by a rail or river). This supply line would never work without them. So keep depots within one turns movement of each other and supply will always roll.

[GraniteStater]

Yup, particularly for the Union.

Want to be clever and sever VA's RR lines in the Lynchburg or Lexington areas from WVa? Bring Wagons or don't bother. Even just securing southern WVa - bring Wagons, you're gonna wanna build a Depot or two. And how about a Wagon for moving around?

A lower Mississippi campaign from upstream - TPs for Depot building and fleet support. Etc., etc., etc.

The Union must advance and cannot rely on those huge Southern cities (right) and captured Depots - often, the situation requires advances in unanticipated directions. Plus, any real cleverness and unorthodox approaches take you to hinterlands.

Our good friend, ArmChairGeneral, says he thinks one Wagon per Div - eh, maybe. I usually have two Wagons with a Corps, three if a-building Depots, more as I see fit. Wagons are good for Combat & anti-Attrit, too.

You can't have too many Wagons and TPs as the Union.

Plus, check out New Mexico - don't build a Depot in Santa Fe and at a certain point, it's Hit City in the Messages. I build one at the ringed Fort in East Mora, too. The only place to build more Wagons out there is CA, afaics, so establishing a viable connection from the coast to New Mexico could be a campaign in itself.

CSA requirements are different, per remarks above.

[pgr]

supply dIsTrIbuTIon & depoTs

each structure and Unit in the game will “pull” a certain amount of Supply each
turn. This occurs during the Hosting phase. Supply sources will strive to distribute
their Supply surplus to nearby structures and Units that need it. This will trigger a
chain reaction, with Supply being forwarded from one structure to another until it
reaches the farthest Units/structures. This process is automated and conducted in
three consecutive “push” steps taking many parameters into account.
The amount of Supply that can transit through a structure is roughly proportional
to its production Capacity (see above) and the distance covered by your abstracted
Supply columns during each step can range from one to five regions

Just a point Granite, you are incorrect in stating that only wagons pull supplies. I put in bold the appropriate section from your manual quote. All units pull supply and send a signal into the system. A body of troops without a wagon will be pulling supplies. The problem is the push. Only depots and cities over level 5 push forward.

Of course, the word "pull" misleads a bit. In reality the "pull" is a unit signaling it needs stuff. The stuff only moves if it is pushed, and only depots and +5 cities can do it (and perhaps harbors, but don't quote me on that).

Supply wagons simply act as extra storage. Un-wagoned units will receive supplies if a depot can push them to the unit. The real problem is that units only have 30 days of supply capacity, so in practice having the wagons is vital as you say.

[GraniteStater]

That's the manual, I don't think I really brought it up. CW2 is two Regions (in manual, I think), not just adjacent, afaics.

Yes, there is a general pull by units, but the larger the force gets, the better its connection to Depot needs to be, etc. When you want to move away from bases/Depots, bring Wagons. If you have HistAttrit on as the Union, well...

if you want to operate 1500 Pwr Corps as the Union, you need surety of supply.

I've built at least 17 Wagons in the PbeM so far.

[ArmChairGeneral]

Supply wagons simply act as extra storage. Un-wagoned units will receive supplies if a depot can push them to the unit. The real problem is that units only have 30 days of supply capacity, so in practice having the wagons is vital as you say.

Supply wagons do not need a depot to receive supply, they act like straws or magnets, sucking supply from available structures within a notional wagon's distance away. They can "pull" in supplies from any nearby stockpile. This does not preclude direct depot-to-wagon transfer of supply when in range. But wagons can draw supplies from a Stockade, for example, until they are gone.

The structure(s) they take from, however, will not get those supplies replenished (over what they produce themselves) unless there is a depot that can push more supplies to it. The amount the structure can receive from the depot in one turn is limited by the characteristics of the receiving structure. It is possible that you could have a wagon drawing supplies from a town that is itself in range of a depot, but not large enough to receive enough supply from the depot each turn to feed the wagon's (max) 80/turn draw.

[ArmChairGeneral]

The nice thing about wagons operating around depots is that the depot can provide the wagon's max throughput, 80 per turn, which is enough to supply roughly two divisions just enough food to eat each turn. For defensive purposes, as long as the stack is planning on staying near the depot, 1 wagon feeds two divisions.

If you are going off the grid, this is no where near enough. 1 wagon carries enough food for two division-turns. One division also carries enough food for two turns in its own packs, but the minute they have to start eating out of them (i.e. the wagon is empty) combat penalties kick in; you will know they are in effect when the green supply bar on the map icon is less than 100%. A division with a wagon could theoretically go ~4 turns before it begins to take serious starvation hits (when all supplies are consumed) but only two turns before it begins to suffer combat penalties.

Don't forget about attrition. Wagon supply gets traded for attrition, so if you are on walkabout you have fewer turns of supply than it shows, worse in bad weather and terrain. Once the wagon is empty, you take attrition hits. (Cover is tactically important: if you are in a region with a friendly structure you don't take attrition hits so don't burn excess supplies).

If you have corps formations to supply, you effectively need to build or capture a chain of depots along your path as you go or you will not be able to feed everyone. As long as I felt like I could maintain this kind of infrastructure I would be happy with one wagons per two divisions.

Maintaining this kind of infrastructure on offense requires building or capturing forward depots while securing a rail/river/sea link back to the rest of your depot network. The good news is that depots provide a host of non-supply tactical benefits like increased replacement and cohesion recovery rates, so are worth building in contested areas anyway. At the cost of a supply wagon the benefits are worth it, but appropriately expensive. You will need to figure out how many/where you need to build these depots and earmark the appropriate supply units for their construction.

Build depots as cheaply as possible, using transports or flatboats in regions with harbors. Forts (which you can build essentially for free in regions without a structure via the Outpost card) act as jackass-depots that can accept a large amount of supplies from depots in range while providing better combat, detection and ZOC effects and inferior (but still positive) Cohesion and Replacement rates bonuses compared to Depots. Forts (AKA Stockades, Redobuts, Pre-War Forts, etc.) are also able to stockpile large amounts of supply. Forts cannot "push" supplies to other structures, but can provide more than enough supply throughput when connected to the supply network to feed a division or two.

Denying depots and forts to the enemy is extremely important. Outright capture and/or destruction, Partisan Raiding or pre-emptively blowing up ones that might fall into the hands of the enemy (I'm looking at you Rolla!) are the available options for depot/fort denial. Depots are the most important tactical structure in the game, forts second place.

[GraniteStater]

You will need to figure out how many/where you need to build these depots and earmark the appropriate supply units for their construction.

For the Union: 'How many' is A LOT. If you haven't built at least a dozen Wagons or their cousins, all of which have become Depots, by spring 63, you're not really trying to invade the South. Beyond the 'freebies' at the start - just for Depots. Louisville, Lexington, and Munfordville all need one - don't go with a 'close enough to the store' approach, 'cuz then the Partisans show up, even with an anti-Partisan Posture (O/*) for Depot guards, or the tracks get torn (Roads are a constricted conduit) and your campaign grinds to a halt while you rebuild, retreat, etc. Just for Depots. Never mind 2 & 3 per Corps, plus maybe a few for that odd Division or two on special duty (you don't always want to send a Corps). And TPs for the Navy, amphib landing bases, etc. And Depots for Replacements when you don't want to abandon a good spot.

It's a lot - a lot. A helluva lot - everywhere.

[solcrates]

so its not good to build depots in every city that gives you that option?

[Ol' Choctaw]

so its not good to build depots in every city that gives you that option?

Every region, not just cities should give you the option to build a depot there.

I think you must be talking about cities that allow you to build wagons and other things there. Or is it just the cards?

Anyway, you should have a reason for a depot. That is to stockpile supply and feed it to your front line troops.

Supply can be pulled over 5 regions maximum but weather has a strong effect on how far it will travel. If the region or area is prone to bad weather you may want them every other region.

Your wagons will draw supplies from two regions away. Don’t get the idea that it is farther, though you may get lucky on drawing from the region you are in.

If you think this needs more detail, placement has a lot to do with which side you are playing.

[solcrates]

I new and only played the south so far. I though I could build only in certain cites. I thought I pulled the city structure up and didn't have a depot nor the option. Thanks for the help.

[Ol' Choctaw]

I new and only played the south so far. I though I could build only in certain cites. I thought I pulled the city structure up and didn't have a depot nor the option. Thanks for the help.

You need to have a supply wagon typically in a region to build a depot. If you select the unit and the third tab, the one with the hammer on it, it will give you the option to build a depot in one of the pictures.

You don’t need to open the city tab. I don’t know what you were looking at. Just be careful that you are not destroying things you have.

[solcrates]

I was looking at the structures the cites have mouse click ctrl button I think

[ArmChairGeneral]

Ctrl-click just gives you an inventory of what is already there. To build structures in cities you either have to expend units to build depots or forts or industrialize (on the Interior tab of the ledger) to build Arsenals, Armories, etc. At some point you may get a card or two that will build a depot where you want it for much less than the cost of a wagon, so use wisely.

[ArmChairGeneral]

GraniteStater:

Don't forget about capturing enemy wagons. Infrastructure-at-swordpoint if you use them to build depots!

[RebelYell]

GraniteStater:

Don't forget about capturing enemy wagons. Infrastructure-at-swordpoint if you use them to build depots!

But use your own wagons, if you use the enemy wagons or canons to build they go back to his force pool.

[ArmChairGeneral]

RebelYell, good tip!

[pgr]

So at the risk of much criticism for bumping an old post, a question to you supply gurus.

Imagine a "costal province," lets say Tapahannock, that only has a road and no harbor. You are Union and you build a depot there. The Rebs hold all surrounding land connections. Will the depot receive supply from the wider supply network, either by river or by the sea transport, or does it need to have a harbor to receive said support?

To quote a relevant manual section "The USA also has the option to transport Supply by sea to coastal areas and ports.
The transport capacity depends on the number of transport ships allocated to the
“World Shipping” box and is displayed on the Transport Assets Panel at the top of
the map.
Example: Union shipping allows long distance Supply transport, for example
from New York to New Orleans. The process is automated and will strive to
augment the Supply of needy ports and coastal Depots by transporting any
excess Supply in the Northern harbors to where it is needed."

The example doesn't really clarify because NY and NO both are depots in ports of course.

1) So if I land on any coastal region and build a depot, even if there isn't a port, will my depot receive supply from the wider network?

2)Troops marching along the coast, lets be generous and say they have a supply wagon, and are not in a port, will they receive supply from sea transport?

3)Troops marching down a navigable river, within 5 regions of a depot in a port but not in a port themselves, will they receive supply on the riverbank?

In my play experience, the answer to all three of the above has been no. Of course, I could just be playing wrong!

(oh and the content of this thread would be nice for the wiki)

[ArmChairGeneral]

2) As far as I can tell, no, but if there is an actual transport ship with available supply in an adjacent coastal or river region they are supposed to be able to draw supply from it as if it were a normal adjacent supply stock (if I remember correctly from the manual). I have not actually been able to get this to happen, but as the CSA have had limited chances to try it, so I may just not have done it right or missed it in the tooltips in the few times it has come up. (Like maybe I needed to have a wagon and I didn't for example.)

[pgr]

So in that case 3) is probably "no" as well.

Of course I'm most interested in the answer to no 1, depots on coasts without ports... (but I guess if you mostly play CSA, so I'm guessing sea supply doesn't really concern you much.

[Captain_Orso]

So at the risk of much criticism for bumping an old post, a question to you supply gurus.

It's like rewarming leftovers, sometimes they're even better

Imagine a "costal province," lets say Tapahannock, that only has a road and no harbor. You are Union and you build a depot there. The Rebs hold all surrounding land connections. Will the depot receive supply from the wider supply network, either by river or by the sea transport, or does it need to have a harbor to receive said support?

You're asking the wrong question. The question should be, with all land regions around Tapahannock in enemy hand, can Tapahannock still receive supplies?

The answer is "yes". Supply will be moved through any region traversable, including river regions.

To quote a relevant manual section "The USA also has the option to transport Supply by sea to coastal areas and ports.
The transport capacity depends on the number of transport ships allocated to the
“World Shipping” box and is displayed on the Transport Assets Panel at the top of
the map.
Example: Union shipping allows long distance Supply transport, for example
from New York to New Orleans. The process is automated and will strive to
augment the Supply of needy ports and coastal Depots by transporting any
excess Supply in the Northern harbors to where it is needed."

The example doesn't really clarify because NY and NO both are depots in ports of course.

Naval Supply Transportation is from 1 Coastal Harbor to another Coastal Harbor only.

1) So if I land on any coastal region and build a depot, even if there isn't a port, will my depot receive supply from the wider network?

Wrong question again. If you ask, can Naval Supply be moved to a region without a Coastal Harbor, the answer is "no". But supply being move during the normal supply movement phases CAN reach a unit in a coastal region, if they... well, can. In other words, only if within normal supply range.

Also, if your invasion force has a supply unit, they will pull supplies from the transports from which they just debarked.

2)Troops marching along the coast, lets be generous and say they have a supply wagon, and are not in a port, will they receive supply from sea transport?

No, same answer as above.

3)Troops marching down a navigable river, within 5 regions of a depot in a port but not in a port themselves, will they receive supply on the riverbank?

They can, but it depends on a lot of factors from weather to terrain.

In my play experience, the answer to all three of the above has been no. Of course, I could just be playing wrong!

(oh and the content of this thread would be nice for the wiki)

[minipol]

In my last game I had to park transports next to a region I invaded to supply the troops there. And it worked (hoorah )

[pgr]

You're asking the wrong question. The question should be, with all land regions around Tapahannock in enemy hand, can Tapahannock still receive supplies?

The answer is "yes". Supply will be moved through any region traversable, including river regions.

Wrong question again. If you ask, can Naval Supply be moved to a region without a Coastal Harbor, the answer is "no". But supply being move during the normal supply movement phases CAN reach a unit in a coastal region, if they... well, can. In other words, only if within normal supply range.

(along a river)
They can, but it depends on a lot of factors from weather to terrain.

So you are saying any depot next to a river within a 5 connected river links will successfully push supplies forward and land them Tapahannock's depot, even though there is no harbor at the receiving end? I guess I was under the impression that supplies being pushed along by river transport had to "enter" the river via a port and "exit" the river via a port.

I guess I'm curious about the path finding of the supplies. For the final push to the receiving unit supplies could path along a road in on region, down a railroad in the next, into the river for the next, and back on to land for the final delivery? (assuming perfect weather etc?)

As an aside, stockades function as forts for the purposes blocking supply transmission along rivers, right?

[Captain_Orso]

So you are saying any depot next to a river within a 5 connected river links will successfully push supplies forward and land them Tapahannock's depot, even though there is no harbor at the receiving end? I guess I was under the impression that supplies being pushed along by river transport had to "enter" the river via a port and "exit" the river via a port.

Yes. It's like a glass with a bunch of drinking straws in it. Somebody can pinch off a number of them, but if he doesn't pinch them all off, you are going to be drinking. Aside from Naval Supply, each Supply Distribution Phase (there are three in each turn) will use every modus of transport available and applicable to get supply from a source to the target calling for it. Naval Supply occurs once each turn after normal supply distribution.

I guess I'm curious about the path finding of the supplies. For the final push to the receiving unit supplies could path along a road in on region, down a railroad in the next, into the river for the next, and back on to land for the final delivery? (assuming perfect weather etc?)

Yes, exactly.

As an aside, stockades function as forts for the purposes blocking supply transmission along rivers, right?

Yes, I believe so, but I've never tested it. I believe that the manual and Wiki descriptions are a bit errant in that they say, "a Fort" adjacent to a river region. I believe that what is actually meant is artillery that can bombard. Since an artillery battery in a fort, stockade or redoubt (unless stacked with an inactive leader) will always bombard, that should block supply from being transported through the covered river region. It would make no sense if the fort itself blocked supply, even if there were no artillery inside it, or even it being abandoned.

That does not mean that the supply might not skirt around a blocked river region, but of course the linear distance able to be traveled thus will be greatly reduced.

[pgr]

So I'm looking around the game data files trying to see the basis for the supply system, but I'm only getting bits and pieces. What files govern how much and how far supplies can move over a given distance? The terrain files have movement time for various classes (heavy troops, light etc.) seemingly expressed in days. There is a "supply line" with an integer value, but I'm not quite sure what that represents. I'm assuming 1 unit of supply uses 1 unit of rail or river transport when it goes over rails or water respectively, but I'm still a bit unclear on how it knows how large the transport pools need to be to have full transport capacity or how far a depot's range is in given conditions.

[Jim-NC]

There was a thread that covered this a long time ago (AACW days).

I don't remember all the details, but the gist was that supplies move in 3 waves. Your rail road network/riverine network determines how many times supply can move using those networks (a bit dense I know). Hover over your railroad icon, and it will say 1 of 4 things. If you have "limited", supplies only move during 1 of the 3 waves using railroad. If you have "average", supplies move during 2 of those waves using railroad, and if you have "maximum", supplies move all 3 waves. If you have "none", then it doesn't move using the railroads.

Eave wave can move upto 5 spaces by rail/river (river can be blocked by forts and I think ships). Then at the end of the line (so to speak), the engine moves the supplies by invisible supply carts to the units. IIRC, the invisible supply carts are treated as "wheeled" movement type. So, they move like a supply wagon on the map. IIRC, they "move" upto 15 days away from the supply source, and if your unit is within that radius, it can "request" supplies from the supply source. The supply source will try to fulfill the request (depending on priorities), and keep your units in supply.

The amount of rail/riverine needed increases as the number of supplies on the map increases. I believe it is all or nothing in regards to the rail/riverine (everything that can move, will move if it can).

I don't have the game open at this second, but an example of railroad movement of supplies would be something like: supplies in Wilmington will move to Goldsboro depot during wave 1, then to Garyburg depot during wave 2, and then to Petersburg depot during wave 3. I believe that if the depots are close enough, then you don't have to use railroad points during the phases, and thus supplies can move around/through a broken rail area (if the weather is good).

I don't think supplies mix movement types, but will move during the wave in 1 type (either river or rail or "wagon"), but that supplies could use all 3 methods during different waves of the same turn.

The above is a paraphrasing of the discussion back in the day, and reflects my limited understanding of supply, it is not the end all, be all on supplies. Also, this was not in the data files, nor anywhere else easily accessible to players.