some newbie questions

[oho_slith]

Hi all, here are some questions after playing some hours a Normandy-battalion-level scenario - and enjoying it more and more. These I can't answer out of the manual / in-Game help:
1. What exactly do the supply-numbers mean in the hexes when i have klicke on the supply-button. Are these percentages?
2. I didn't move most artillery-units for some turns because they were red. They got supply, but they seem to gain readiness much slower than infantry units - what's the historical reason for that? How can I avoid it?
3. Is it useful to make a probe attack in the beginning of the turn with minimum losses and some air/artillery support and at the end a full attack again?
4. What's the effect of (Divisional in my case) HQs? Do they have an effect on supply, movement or morale - i.e. when a unit is further away it has less supply, or movement points?

[Curtis Lemay]

ORIGINAL: oho

Hi all, here are some questions after playing some hours a Normandy-battalion-level scenario - and enjoying it more and more. These I can't answer out of the manual / in-Game help:
1. What exactly do the supply-numbers mean in the hexes when i have klicke on the supply-button. Are these percentages?

That's the supply level in each hex. It affects how much supply recovery a unit in that hex receives (modified by various factors). Note that on a supply point, or along a rail line connected to a supply point, it will be the same as the Force Supply Level. Further from those locations, it decreases (there are four levels) - how much depends on terrain and the supply radius.

2. I didn't move most artillery-units for some turns because they were red. They got supply, but they seem to gain readiness much slower than infantry units - what's the historical reason for that? How can I avoid it?

Not sure what you're seeing here. All units recover readiness at the same rate. However, readiness cannot exceed the supply level (except it never drops below 33). So units with very low supply may stay at 33 readiness for a while.

3. Is it useful to make a probe attack in the beginning of the turn with minimum losses and some air/artillery support and at the end a full attack again?

Depends. If there was an easy answer anyone could be Rommel. How clever you can be depends upon how skillfull/lucky you are at round management - and even that depends upon things beyond your control, like the Force Proficiency Level.

4. What's the effect of (Divisional in my case) HQs? Do they have an effect on supply, movement or morale - i.e. when a unit is further away it has less supply, or movement points?

Units adjacent to cooperative HQs (size is irrelevant) get 1.5 x as much supply recovery, all else being equal. HQs with command squads in them will halve the formation proficiency of their formation if all those squads are lost (and until at least one is replaced) - that increases the odds of the formation going into reorganization under heavy combat. If there are no command squads in them, there is no such effect. Some HQs may have MP squads in them - they help reduce traffic congestion penalties in their hex. See the unit report to check the HQ composition.

[oho_slith]

thanks a lot.
Some more questions:
Are Minefields (positve effects of fortification and movement in a hex should only for be for one side because they "know" where the mines are) moddeled in a way or can a scenario designer make that? Can I lay minefields to slow down the enemy?
How do you conduct rear guard action, slowing down an enemy attack?

[Curtis Lemay]

ORIGINAL: oho

thanks a lot.
Some more questions:
Are Minefields (positve effects of fortification and movement in a hex should only for be for one side because they "know" where the mines are) moddeled in a way or can a scenario designer make that? Can I lay minefields to slow down the enemy?
How do you conduct rear guard action, slowing down an enemy attack?

Minefields are not explicitly modeled. In an abstract way, however, hex conversion costs could be thought of as modeling mines, or at least the expectation of mines, among other factors. They obviously slow down the attackers.

A retreat usually requires expending a few expendable units. Of course, it depends on the circumstances. If you have very mobile armored units, and the enemy only has foot infantry, your delayers may be able to function as rear guards without being expended, etc.

[oho_slith]

thx again!!
What do you mean by hex conversion costs? Costs to enter the hex?
Can it be moddeled that they are higher for one side than for the other for the same hex?

[Curtis Lemay]

ORIGINAL: oho

thx again!!
What do you mean by hex conversion costs? Costs to enter the hex?
Can it be moddeled that they are higher for one side than for the other for the same hex?

When you move into a hex that was owned by the enemy at the start of the turn (or subsequently converted by him, during the turn) there is a "conversion cost" added to the friendly unit's cost for entering the hex. It's equal to 10% of the unit's starting movement allowance (but that can be lowered somewhat by high unit recon values). If an enemy unit, on the other hand, moves through that same hex instead, since it is friendly owned by it, will not incur that cost. You can easily see this for yourself as you move your units through friendly and enemy territory.

See 11.9.3 (enemy controlled terrain) in the manual.

[oho_slith]

I see. Can this be edited by the scenario designer for a certain hex in a certain scenario - if yes - is that used by the designers frequently for moddeling minefields?

[Curtis Lemay]

ORIGINAL: oho

I see. Can this be edited by the scenario designer for a certain hex in a certain scenario - if yes - is that used by the designers frequently for moddeling minefields?

No. Designers can somewhat control how much recon their units have, however. And some designers have experimented with using contaminated hexes as representing minefields.

[oho_slith]

too bad, they have gas but no minefields[:(].. Still a great game.[:)]

[golden delicious]

ORIGINAL: oho

too bad, they have gas but no minefields[:(].. Still a great game.[:)]

A number of suggestions have been made to simulate minefields. For example, mines could have high anti-personnel/anti-tank strengths but no defence strengths, and be "fixed", so if the unit containing them moves, they are lost. If there are no combat units supporting the mine unit, it's worthless because it will just Retreat Before Combat. But if there is infantry in the hex with the mines, then they can be quite deadly.

[a white rabbit]

ORIGINAL: golden delicious

ORIGINAL: oho

too bad, they have gas but no minefields[:(].. Still a great game.[:)]

A number of suggestions have been made to simulate minefields. For example, mines could have high anti-personnel/anti-tank strengths but no defence strengths, and be "fixed", so if the unit containing them moves, they are lost. If there are no combat units supporting the mine unit, it's worthless because it will just Retreat Before Combat. But if there is infantry in the hex with the mines, then they can be quite deadly.

..seems reasonable..

..no-one's shooting at you, taking out a mine field is a matter of simple mechanics, advance, detect, remove..

..but if some bugger's firing live ammo, mmmm, a lot more difficult...