Sorry-But A Noobie Question

[Southerner]

I've searched and read the FAQ for a couple of days now but I can't find an answer. Played the tutorials and '61 senario several times.

I'm now playing CSA against AI. Full Campaign. Early '61 time peroid.

I can't see why I have generals and troops in several locations (not to mention ships of various classes) but can not merge them, form divisions or corps with them. I can't get them to move to any other location.

Yet other generals and forces I can move and form stacks with after waiting a couple of turns after they appear.

I guess what I'm asking is what is the rational (if any) for the game doing this? Why have leaders and units appear on the field at all if you can't do anything with them?

This is really confusing to someone still on the learning curve for this potentially great game. I keep thinking that maybe I'm overlooking something that I have failed to do and that is the reason I can't work with the troops, and that is why the Yanks are moving on Manassas, and all I can do is watch, while Beaureguard sits oblivious with the Army in Richmond...

[tonedog]

im guessin the reason is that the units are locked which tends to happen from time to time, especially at the start of the war. hover the mouse over the units in question and it should tell u

[Southerner]

Thanks Tonedog. I suspected they were locked as you said. And yes the pop up box does tell when some units are garrison units and can not be moved..but not all units and leaders are in this category. With some the pop up tells me they are activated/active but still I can not move them or form divisions ect.ect.

Is that what the little "LOCK" symbol inside each unit's box means?..not the one in the unit's tab that appears when you decide to activate the prevent merging option by right clicking ...but a lock symbol inside the actual unit's box inside the unit panel.


No matter,I will figure it out as I go along....But my question is still: why do these units appear on the field before they are ready to be operational?

There just has to be a valid reason for this I would think...other than just to torture me that is...

[Coffee Sergeant]

Thanks Tonedog. I suspected they were locked as you said. And yes the pop up box does tell when some units are garrison units and can not be moved..but not all units and leaders are in this category. With some the pop up tells me they are activated/active but still I can not move them or form divisions ect.ect.

Is that what the little "LOCK" symbol inside each unit's box means?..not the one in the unit's tab that appears when you decide to activate the prevent merging option by right clicking ...but a lock symbol inside the actual unit's box inside the unit panel.

Yup. Some units become "unlocked" further down the road Others never become unlocked unless they are attacked. Mouse over the unit icon and the tooltip (the box that pops up next to the unit) should tell you whats up. Though there are some exceptions like Lee will appear in Richmond in early 1862 but he will be locked for a random number of turns (a check is made every turn to see if he unlocks), but the tooltip doesn't say anything about this, only that he is locked.

No matter,I will figure it out as I go along....But my question is still: why do these units appear on the field before they are ready to be operational?

There just has to be a valid reason for this I would think...other than just to torture me that is...

Most of the time, to act as a purely defensive force to guard against the possibility of invasion in important points, yet not give the player the ability to move them to use on the offense.

[Southerner]

OK..got it..thanks!!!

[Coregonas]

Just got a result the other day.


A little corps was standing in Winchester and was assaulted by the USA troops.

In the corps it was the Winchester militia (locked).

I did put it into the corps only for trying to liberate it and save it for another better use than being assaulted. Usually I prefer to get them out of the city to try to save some of them.

I won the battle and the USA went back to HF.

BUT my militia still was unlocked.

Seems all those garrisons dont unlock if attacked... They unlock if attacked AND also if they retreat (either winning or losing)

[Southerner]

I found the reason I couldn't get some generals to move...I had mistskenly placed a locked unit in thier command and it kept him from leaving the region.

Chalk it up to inexperience...there is a lot to learn here.

[Coregonas]

Just got a result the other day.


A little corps was standing in Winchester and was assaulted by the USA troops.

In the corps it was the Winchester militia (locked).

I did put it into the corps only for trying to liberate it and save it for another better use than being assaulted. Usually I prefer to get them out of the city to try to save some of them.

I won the battle and the USA went back to HF.

BUT my militia still was unlocked.

Seems all those garrisons dont unlock if attacked... They unlock if attacked AND also if they retreat (either winning or losing)

well following this quote, I ve brigaded Winchester militia (all brigade remained locked) but ...after a while, it got eventually upgraded to line infantry, and was unlocked, so I can relieve it from garrison duty!

[MarkCSA]

I found the reason I couldn't get some generals to move...I had mistskenly placed a locked unit in thier command and it kept him from leaving the region.

Chalk it up to inexperience...there is a lot to learn here.

I did that myself too, it's bit hard to figure out from the start which units are locked and which aren't. Trial and error and soon your brave troops will repel the yankee invader!

[MarkCSA]

well following this quote, I ve brigaded Winchester militia (all brigade remained locked) but ...after a while, it got eventually upgraded to line infantry, and was unlocked, so I can relieve it from garrison duty!

I do the exact same thing, all upgraded militia that is no longer locked is railroaded to the nearest Training Officer 'training centre' and added to fresh divisions (accumilating some XP while waiting for the division to be finished/needed at the front)!