Tactical combat & morale

[Badan]

Hello!

First of all I would like to thank the developers for creating this masterpiece! And I´m glad there still are companies like Matrix distributing these fine pieces of software to us!
I´ve been playing UV/WitP for years and now I have (luckily) found this game!

So, both thumbs up!

I´m most impressed by the tactical combat system! As somebody else already said it is a game within the game...

But, i have a question concerning the morale calculations:

In most battle situations I (and I´m pretty sure everybody else does this too!) form a main battle line with brigades arranged in a way to give maximum division integrity bonus. Additionally I like to form a backup battle line behind the main line to be able to quickly push fresh troops forward when needed. Now, the question is does this kind of setup give morale bonuses to my troops? And how is battleline integrity modeled?
I have studied the manual a couple of times but I´m still not quite sure how this is calculated?

Badan

[moose1999]

Well, there's at least an offensive bonus in that the morale damage you inflict on an enemy unit is greater if the enemy unit comes under fire from units that are all part of the same military group (i.e. if two brigades from the same division fire at the same enemy unit the morale damage the enemy unit suffers will be bigger than if your units had been from seperate divisions).
I think the bonus only applies on division level but I'm not sure.
As for the other morale mechanics you mention, I don't think these are in, but I might be wrong.
Would be cool if cohesion bonuses were implemented, but it would give the human player un unfair advantage as it is now, as the computer is not very good at maintaining battlelines.
By the way, your units will get a morale boost for being adjacent to brigades with the 'Heroes' attribute and for routing enemy brigades, but that's on a slightly different note.

[Badan]

Hi!

Thanks for your answer!
Yes, it would be cool if cohesion was modeled...Maybe someday...

And another quick question:
How do you all manage to get the reinforcement level to 10000+/turn in 1862? I´m playing my first serious standard campaign game, its may 1862 and my reinforcement level is 2500+/turn...
I´m clearly doing something wrong...Maybe I´m spending too much on other developments...

Badan

[GShock]

Badan, the replacements come according to the number of camps you have divided per number of bdes calling for replacements. Produce more camps to have more replacements or disband units you don't need so:
a) the manpower goes to replenish other bdes in the same container
b) the camps won't disburse to units you don't need.

This is obviously a mistake for CSA because its troops are always needed.

Make sure to correctly set the container supply priority according to the forage the region offers (it helps saving lots of resources you may use to buy new troops or camps, in this case).

[moose1999]

Another point - camps deliver reinforcements proportionally to the manpower level in the city they're in.
So a camp in New York will produce a lot more reinforcements than a camp in New Orleans - this gives the union an advantage, of course, as they have many more heavy population centers than the south.
But don't think you can just spam your biggest cities with camps - every spring each camp has a chance to reduce the manpower in the city they're in, so placing 15 camps in New York could potentially strangle that city's manpower the following spring.
This game likes to make you think about your decisions, which I happen to like a lot...

[Gil R.]

ORIGINAL: briny_norman

Another point - camps deliver reinforcements proportionally to the manpower level in the city they're in.
So a camp in New York will produce a lot more reinforcements than a camp in New Orleans - this gives the union an advantage, of course, as they have many more heavy population centers than the south.
But don't think you can just spam your biggest cities with camps - every spring each camp has a chance to reduce the manpower in the city they're in, so placing 15 camps in New York could potentially strangle that city's manpower the following spring.
This game likes to make you think about your decisions, which I happen to like a lot...

I'd add that since you need 2 Men to create a new infantry brigade, if you put lots of camps in low-population cities there is a good chance you won't be able to raise new brigades there for a full year. So you do need to think through these decisions carefully.

[Ingtar]

Thank you.  I think you just helped me see what I was doing wrong.

[Badan]

Hi!

Thanks for all those answers!

I did not know that camps produce reinforcements relative to the manpower level in the province...
I assumed that the reinforcement level is fixed at 500/camp?

Good to know!

I played a couple of turns today, following the advice, and my reinforcement level starts to climb:)
Now I can start planning some small counter-offensives...
Thanks!

Badan

[Gil R.]

It used to be fixed, but we changed that in a patch. Definitely look over the patch documentation, since there might be other changes that you don't know about.

[Ingtar]

If someone has the time, changing the in-game text might be a big help for those, like me, that are giving this title a second chance.

[Gil R.]

ORIGINAL: Ingtar

If someone has the time, changing the in-game text might be a big help for those, like me, that are giving this title a second chance.

What do you mean by "in-game text"? Does a tool-tip for camps have obsolete info?

[Ingtar]

The tip simply says provides reinforcements for brigades.  Adding "based upon population in city" should fit and clarify.

[Gil R.]

That's a good idea. I've made a note of it, so when we come out with our next patch (sometime this summer, I hope) we'll probably make that change.