Problems ... couple of questions

[WriterJWA]

Hi! I'm having a few minor problems in the game as a Union player that doesn't seem to be addressed by the manual and I was hoping the Team here could help me out if possible.

1. On a couple of occasional I've has leaders with initiative not be able to advance into regions with other leaders with initiative. Example: From Washington I'm able to move FJ Porter, Hooker, Burnside, and Franklin, but can't move Heintzelman, Wool, or Ord, and every single leader is showing a red arrow. This has happened in one case or another across the map. Why does this occur and how can I prevent it?

2. I've spread out my transports (75-100 points per with cruisers or gunboat escort) across the eastern seaboard and have, on occasion, have had Burnside activated with waves under the arrow, but still can't conduct an amphibious landing. I've seen the AI do Union amphibious landing on turn 2. What am I doing wrong?

3. If I put a Corps at Fort Monroe, what do I need to do to get these troops activated more often? I'd like to use this troops in concert with a drive south to help negate the CSA interior lines.

I've gone through the video tutorial on initiative, but are there any other tricks or tried-and-true methods to ensure a least a respectable level of initiative (despite rough Union leadership)?

Thanks for any help you can provide.
J[&:]

[Joel Billings]

1) Given the added costs of moving into enemy territory and/or across rivers and/or in bad weather, you may not be able to make the move with a poor leader.

2) You not only need transport capacity in all areas moved through, you need amphib capacity in the final sea zone. This takes many more transports as each transport has less amphib capacity than general capacity.

3) Have an army commander in the area and make sure you have a depot there (at least 1 - although depots here will likely be raided).

All you can do to improve initiative chances, IIRC, is choose the best commanders for army command (and best admin leaders for theater command) and put multiple depots in the area.

[WriterJWA]

Awesome!  I played for a few hours last night and got the amphib situation worked out and have seen a bit more success in initiative. 

Thanks, Joel!  Looking forward to seeing what you guys at 2by3 put out next! 

[WriterJWA]

Quick follow-on question:

When combat is being resolved, what do the two vertical bars (one blue, one gray) represent, and what does the horizontal bar represent?

[Joel Billings]

IIRC, the vertical bars reflect the combat values of each side, while the horizontal bar is a figurative tug of war showing who is winning the battle as it is being resolved.

[WriterJWA]

Awesome, thanks! 

I hate to blow you up with another question, but I noticed something strange yesterday.  I has a number of leaders with initiative across the map and in each case, when I selected a corps to move, or just just a cavalry division, into an enemy owned region, the regions would light up as if they were eligible for moving into, but I would get no green arrow allowing me to move into the region.  I could move into friendly-held regions, however.  Again, the enemy-held regions were lit up as if I could move into them.  Some of the regions, in fact, I had raided or scouted with cavalry in previous turns that I was suddenly unable to move it to.  This was not in the winter period, either.

In the same turn (which I have not yet completed), I tried moving forces with initiative from the region east of New Orleans into New Orleans proper, which on the map is connected by land, but wasn't given the option to move in that direction.  Do I need to move amphibiously into New Orleans?

Thanks again for your help!

[Joel Billings]

It's been too long since I've played (and when I switched computers recently I didn't reinstall WBTS) so I can't help you, but hopefully someone else can.

[SteveD64]

I've been playing recently (I just bought the game) and ran into some of the same problems re:movement that WriterJWA was having- units with initiative were not able to enter areas despite having enough movement points.  I solved the problem this way- I saved the game and reloaded it.  Every single time I did this the units were able to enter the area.  It's happened at least a half dozen times now.  It's kind of a pain, but it's a work around.

[Chuske]

ORIGINAL: CLEVELAND

I've been playing recently (I just bought the game) and ran into some of the same problems re:movement that WriterJWA was having- units with initiative were not able to enter areas despite having enough movement points.  I solved the problem this way- I saved the game and reloaded it.  Every single time I did this the units were able to enter the area.  It's happened at least a half dozen times now.  It's kind of a pain, but it's a work around.

Interesting not come across this apart from once my cavalry wouldn't move into Vicksburg but an infantry unit with less remaining MPs would. Seems the game is largely error free but there are a few minor bugs that creep in such as this that are generally rare or possible to work round.

Make sure you have to most recent patch.

[SteveD64]

Yep, I'm all patched up.

Aside from the movement annoyance- it's been a great game.