how not to break a blockade

[ndrose]

Don't know if this is a bug or some weird rule....

Spain declares war on Portugal. Prussia (played by me) gets control. (That was unexpected.) Spain and Prussia are not at war.

Partly for the fun of petty harassment, and partly to avoid the PP loss if Spain blockades the fleet and scuttles it when Lisbon falls (good reason to set up the fleet in Oporto, now that I think of it), Prussia uses its naval phase to move the fleet out of Lisbon and blockade a small Spanish fleet at San Sebastian.

In the Spanish naval phase, the Spanish heavies show up, and it looks like they're going to attack the Portuguese blockading fleet. (Uh oh.)

Next thing I know, the entire Spanish fleet is blockaded in San Sebastian. No combat has taken place, no losses on either side. They're all just sitting in the port, blockaded by the Portuguese.

I don't think that's what the AI intended, and my understanding is that it shouldn't be possible--a move into the port initiates a combat, or so I thought.

I forgot to save the file, but it wouldn't be hard to duplicate.


Nathan Rose

[MarshallEllis]

Nathan:
 
I think you're right. The AI is probably trying to attack the Portugese since it would see this as a good chance to perhaps get an easy PP. It may be having problems trying to relieve the bloackade. I'll see if I can dup this...
 

[ndrose]

Somewhat similar occurrence. This is in 1.01b, playing as France:

Britain pulls its fleets off blockade and into the North Sea, not sure why.

OK, so France sails a corps into the Irish Sea, out of interception range.

First thing is, the game lets me put the fleet in the port of Liverpool, which I don't think it's supposed to do unless I control the port or there are enemy ships to attack or blockade. (I did that just to see if it would let me, instead of leaving the fleet at sea to be slaughtered by the Royal Navy, which is phasing last.)

Second thing is, the British Navy does try to attack it (or maybe it's trying to blockade it). In either case, the British ships end up in the port, with the French fleet blockading. (And presumably, if I detach a garrison, they will have to evacuate, giving me the automatic wind gauge in the ensuing battle, and probably scuttling what's left of them.)

[ndrose]

Here's the savefile for the above. It's France's naval phase; embark Ney's corps on the fleet at Brest, and sail it into Liverpool. (On the way, you can capture the British transport fleet, which is sitting by itself in the Bay of Biscay.)

Then the Brits will re-establish the blockade everywhere--only in Liverpool they end up blockaded.

[ndrose]

Finally, this is more of an AI issue, so maybe it should be saved for later, but as long as you're looking at this scenario, I've replayed it a couple of times, including not taking the opportunity to invade England, in order to see what the AI was up to with the fleet in the North Sea.

It appears that what happens is this: Russia DOWs Sweden, and Britain gets control. It then takes one of the Swedish corps with the Swedish fleet into the North Sea, perhaps to land at Hanover--which is a reasonable action, though pulling the rest of the fleet off blockade is not. Maybe the AI is thinking it's a good idea to protect the Swedish fleet from attack at sea (only see below for the sequel).

However, even when it's not distracted by a French invasion, in the next turn Britain resumes the blockade and DOESN'T LAND the Swedish corps, which starves.

I know the AI is capable of making landings--I've seen them done right--but sometimes it just seems to forget.

Then, having moved the Brit. fleet back onto blockade, it leaves the Swedish fleet unprotected at sea doing nothing, where the Russian fleet attacks it. The time I played this all the way through, the Russians were driven off two months in a row, but kept coming back, and the Swedes were left in the North Sea to suffer the attrition, until they finally lost, and were blockaded by the Russians at Yarmouth.

Now, maybe the AI figures the Russians will eventually get Sweden and its fleet, so why not let the two fleets wear each other down? (Though in fact Russia always eventually lets the Swedish war lapse.) But if that's the strategy, why protect the Swedish fleet initially? Maybe to ensure a successful landing in Hanover? But it doesn't bother landing... It's a circle of contradictions....