Back to basics

[PussEKatt]

I am a newbie to Advanced tactics gold and am struggling to understand the basics.There are pages and pages of ( for example )on supply and having different HQs in the chain BUT I cant find one page that steps you through actually making a subordinate HQ.
I cant find anything on how to construct/make a factory.
There is a LOT of writing about moving your subordinate HQs as you advance/retreat BUT no-where is there a guide on how to actually move those subordinate HQs
etc etc etc.I am getting a lot of helpfull advice from emieschwitz but I think having 0ne thread where a newbie can go to learn how to get going in this game would be very helpful.
So,here ( hopefully) is that thread.
Experianced players please feel free to to post answers to any of the above and anything else that a newbie MUST know to get going in this game.
Thank you

[Ormand]

Well, Ernieschwitz gave you a description how to create a subordinate HQ. Quite simple, in that that you can set the HQ for any unit via that button or the hotkey "H". Or when you create a unit you get the chance to select the HQ for the unit. Thus, you can build an HQ network, which you can view using the "Statistics" button to the far left and then selecting the "OOB" button. This will show you full order of battle. I think you can have HQs with a depth of 3 or 4.

Generally, you can then set the production of cities and factories to be sent to an HQ via the "set HQ for production" button in the orders panel. This will send production to that city, which you can then disperse as you like. Note, however, that you can have some issues if the HQ is not on an airfield and the city is producing aircraft. They will go to the HQ, but the HQs movement will be limited to getting to an airfield within the movement range of the HQ. If the production center is producing a ship, the ship will go to the HQ if it is a port. If not, a new unit is created in the hex (or maybe it might be sent to an existing one in the hex).

As for factories, they are just like all other infrastructure items, like fortifications, airbases, etc., are built by engineers. First, select your engineer and then select the "Click to Build/Repair a Location" button (the red boxed one in the image below)

Engineer.png (268.04 KiB) Viewed 606 times

This opens the build window below, which will give you options to select on the left. With one option selected, in a panel on the right will be the costs in Engineering Points (EP), Political Points (PP), Supplies, and other resources, like raw, oil, etc, depending on whether the scenario requires them.

Build.png (306.31 KiB) Viewed 606 times

If you can build it, that is you can meet the costs, the "Build" button will be active. Click this, and the factory (or whatever else you are trying to build) will be put in the hex, and your "resources" will be updated. Note that engineers accumulate points each turn, so you might need to wait until the unit has enough EP (you can also add engineers to increase the max EP in the unit)

[PussEKatt]

Hi and thanks for your quick and helpfull post.
I am really suprised that more people have not posted (how To,s )in this thread.If the experts could take the time to think back to when they were newbies,they would realise how "really " hard it is to get any basic information to get started in this game.I know there are utube tutorials but I couldent find any that showed how to actually build an HQ,only how to transfer units and keep in supply etc.I am also finding the manual quite confusing.When I was trying to build a HQ I saw 3 icons with the word HQ on them but I could not build an HQ using any of them.I ended up using the "build unit"button( the one with the green cross on it.Not only that but I find that watching a utube tutorial takes 10 minutes to explain what could be said in 30 seconds or written down in a couple of minutes and,you spend a lot of your time watching some guy moving the cursor round and round in circles,also if the info is written down ( as above ) I copy and past it into a document and can look it up anytime ( unlike a utube tutorial ) So thank you very much for this.Could you please tell me how to do any of the following.
I know that units dig in ( entrenchment ) increases with each turn but if you want to go to a location and dig in streight away,is there a way to do this ?
Also how do I change the players ( regimes ) in a random game ? I find it very confusing trying to play as the Chinese or Dragon empire etc as the names of their cities/towns mean nothing to me.

[Ormand]

I can understand where you're coming from. The game is a bit old and has been modified a bit. Also, it is EXTREMELY general. In that essentially all data in the game can be modified in the editor. Looking through the manuals (the one with ATG and Advanced Tactics WW2), the tutorial, which you found, gets you started, and there is a lot of trial and error. And yes, youtube tutorials can take time. But they are useful. I actually spent a fair amount of time looking a youtube videos with Warplan when it came out. Reading the manual is just as slow, and while many of these explanations can be helpful, there are so many things people will ask that even when they get written, you would have to scroll through many of them to get to what you want.

At any rate:

"Digging in" is always "automatic". In that you don't do anything for your unit to entrench. Even in cities, forests, fortresses, etc. Each terrain has a maximum entrenchment value and an "instant" entrenchment value. And the value depends on the type of subformation in the terrain. As an example, for Phoenix Game, and ANewDawn, plains have a max entrenchment of 100 and an "instant" value of 25 (it is called AutoEntr) for infantry. For artillery, these are 100 and 0, respectively. This means that infantry get an entrenchment value of 25 when the move into the hex, and it then increases to a maximum of 100 for each turn it sits still. If it moves or attacks, the entrenchment goes down to the AutoEntr value. For cities, i.e., urban, these are 200 and 100, respectively, for infantry. So, infantry is entrenched by 100 when it moves into an urban hex. Soft mobile and artillery also get some entrenchment. Many other subformation types don't get an entrenchment bonus.

The way entrenchment works is that it gets added to the hit points during combat for a defender.

All these values can be modified in the editor, and will likely be different from sceanrio to scenario. You can find these stats by looking at the hex via the info window found at the upper right. Click on the "?" mark next to the Landscape Type for the hex. Then, click on the "Entrench Stats" button.

Landscape.png (199.6 KiB) Viewed 579 times

And as you can see, you can also get access to all the other stats.

EntrenchStats.png (1.51 MiB) Viewed 579 times

[Ormand]

For regimes. If you are playing Phoenix Game you can also select the regimes that will be created in the random game by clicking on "Regime Settings". Here you get to select peoples, regime name and even the flag for regimes that will be created.

Once the game is created, you can select the regime from the start screen where it shows you the Opponents. Here it shows which ones are Human controlled and which ones are AI controlled.

Start.png (1.26 MiB) Viewed 577 times

To change the Human and AI controlled regimes, click in the list box where it says Human or AI. This will cycle through some options. Some of which are to make the AI harder (AI+ AI++) or easier (AI-). Keep clicking until you get the regimes set as you want. During a turn, the game will cycle through each regime, and will stop for each Human regime to allow the Human player to play. This is also how you would do PBEM (and you can also set passwords to protect your turn as well as a cheat check).

For all this stuff, nothing beats trial and error and clicking around

[PussEKatt]

Hi and thanks for the reply,I have been trollibg all over and have gained a lot of information about this game but what I find lacking is the absloute basic controls.Most games tell you how to do the basics so you can start playing streight away and then learn more by selecting things on the screen.
As there seems to be 2 ways to making an HQ,Using the HQ button ( on the left side of the screen) and the creat new unit button ( the one with the green crosss ) What are the advantages and disadvantages of using these 2 methods ?

[ernieschwitz]

I think you've misunderstood me. There is no way to make an HQ by using the buttons on the left. Those buttons, that I outlined, solely focus on production. You are able to send production to a different HQ, by using those, but not make any HQs or Units.

[Ormand]

Ernieschwitz is correct. The only way to make a new HQ is to use the "Create New Unit" button (or "N" shortcut key)

[PussEKatt]

Thank you for that but Why is it better to use the New button compared to the button with the green cross ? also,talking about HQs.When you start a random Phoenix game ( at the top of the screen ) every town is assigned to the Supreme HQ,so why do you need to assign different HQs to every town ?

[Ormand]

I think you mean the "N"-key? I wrote the "New Unit" button, which is the same as the button with the little unit icon and a green + sign (add). If you hover the mouse over this button it says "Make New Unit [N]". If you mean the "N" key that is a short cut, which can be better on the wrist since you don't have to keep moving the mouse.

Random games start with all your cities having an HQ assigned to them. Most often, it will be the Supreme HQ (SHQ). But, if there are cities that are too far away from the SHQ, the game will create some new HQs in order to have production able to be delivered to an HQ. In this case, the cities closest to this new HQ will have production assigned to it. That is production will be delivered to that HQ.

You can also do this yourself if you want. Say you have an HQ with forces on one part of the map and you want production to go to that HQ to be delivered to forces subordinate to it. That can work. But, production will not be dispersed to units not in its chain of command. It is up to you to see if it works better for you.

[ernieschwitz]

...
Random games start with all your cities having an HQ assigned to them. Most often, it will be the Supreme HQ (SHQ). But, if there are cities that are too far away from the SHQ, the game will create some new HQs in order to have production able to be delivered to an HQ. In this case, the cities closest to this new HQ will have production assigned to it. That is production will be delivered to that HQ.
...

The game won't create the new HQs, you will have to create those manually.

[PussEKatt]

Hi,What I meant was that there apparently 2 different ways to make an HQ.One you can use the button ( left hand side with a building and HQ printed on it.The other way is to select the button with the green cross.What are the advantages/disadvantages to using either of these methods ?
Second question I am 3 turns in to a Phoenix random game.Only one city has a HQ attached ( the others are all Supreme HQs ) I made light tanks in this city on my second turn but I have not recieved them ? what is happening ? how do recieve my produce ?
As I am a newbie I am trying to keep things as simple as I can,to start with.

[PussEKatt]

There are a couple of other things I dont understand.The production has only 4 slots,so if you have to make transport ( trains/trucks ) and you have to make supply and political points,that only leaves 1 slot for making front line units ?!Should I be making supply in one city,political points in another and units in all the other cities ? and will these cities all have to have transport attached ?
When I place an engineer on a oil/raw hex to upgrade it,do I have to do anything else to upgrade that hex ?
Where are the saved games stored,so that I can deleat old saves ?

[ernieschwitz]

Hi,What I meant was that there apparently 2 different ways to make an HQ.One you can use the button ( left hand side with a building and HQ printed on it.The other way is to select the button with the green cross.What are the advantages/disadvantages to using either of these methods ?
...

There is ONLY one way. The button with the green cross. So there is no disadvantages to using it, since there is none other. The short-cut key N will take you to the same menu.

[ernieschwitz]

...
Second question I am 3 turns in to a Phoenix random game.Only one city has a HQ attached ( the others are all Supreme HQs ) I made light tanks in this city on my second turn but I have not recieved them ? what is happening ? how do recieve my produce ?
...

There could be a host of problems. For a complete analysis, you'd have to send it to me by email. The saved game that is. Do you know where to find it, once you've saved it?

[ernieschwitz]

There are a couple of other things I dont understand.The production has only 4 slots,so if you have to make transport ( trains/trucks ) and you have to make supply and political points,that only leaves 1 slot for making front line units ?!Should I be making supply in one city,political points in another and units in all the other cities ? and will these cities all have to have transport attached ?

Yes, there are limitations as to how many production slots there are. This is part of the game. You need to balance between what you think is a good mixture to produce. Sometimes that will force tough decisions, like making supplies only 1 place, PPs another etc. Transport is nice, but is not needed to get items from their production locations to the HQ they are to be delivered to.

[ernieschwitz]

When I place an engineer on a oil/raw hex to upgrade it,do I have to do anything else to upgrade that hex ?

Yes, you have to actively choose the Button with a build icon (a crane if i recall) and then choose what to build. That goes for upgrading too. You may not always have everything you need to be able to upgrade, if so, the button will be non-selectable.

[ernieschwitz]

...
Where are the saved games stored,so that I can deleat old saves ?

The saves are stored in a subfolder to the main install folder called savedgames. There is a folder called autosaves too and that will contain saves that are automatically saved, if you have that setting turned on.