support level question

[WilliePete]

please help me better understand HQ units support level. The default seems to be 3 and it goes up to 9. Wouldnt you always want to keep it maxed out at 9? What is the best strategy for support levels? Thanks!

[karonagames]

The automated support system is like a series of taps (fawcets?) that can divert support units from one section of the front to another. In general terms give the HQs with the tough objectives (Leningrad, Moscow) higher support levels, and HQS with lesser objectives lower support levels.

Sometimes specialised support units like the Theodore and Thor railways guns get stuck, and will need to be moved manually. The 9 setting shouldn't ever be needed. If an army has 3 korps with 4 divisions and you want them to have a pioneer battalion each to attack Leningrad, set the army and corps HQs to 4, and set the corps HQs that have got Pioneers they don't need to "2".

If an HQ has the right mix of units you can change the setting to locked, so they keep what they have got. Do not lock OKH, Stavka or the Army group HQs, but keep them on "0" so the front line HQs get the units.

If you turn off the wrong tap in the pipe things can get clogged up.

It is a bit complicated,but if you get the pipelines lined up correctly you can save a lot of APs.

[SGHunt]

Well, you only have so much support and you will want it where you have the most critical combat. For quiet areas of the front, which develop after the mad first few months, you may want to set them up with a few guns and the odd construction battalion, and then lock the HQ's support and let them dig in. For the the key defence, like I am fighting at Stalingrad, I had the HQ support up at 5. When it was near to max in many areas, I locked it and then added some more artillery for good measure. You can never have too much of a good thing!



Similarly, when attacking in a critical area such as Leningrad or Sevastopol you will want a lot of basic artillery at the Corps HQ's, then you will want to add the heavy stuff (the BFG's I believe they are known as, [;)]) to the German infantry divisions manually.

When I started playing, I found that some of my army HQs, ones that were far from mission critical, had built up a full of array of support units by default and my panzers were left with an old tin can to play with. This then costs a lot of AP's to sort out manually.

It is another learning curve and another part of game management/balance that I love, but I am still not competent or comprehensive in how I do it.

[WilliePete]

ORIGINAL: BigAnorak

The automated support system is like a series of taps (fawcets?) that can divert support units from one section of the front to another. In general terms give the HQs with the tough objectives (Leningrad, Moscow) higher support levels, and HQS with lesser objectives lower support levels.

Sometimes specialised support units like the Theodore and Thor railways guns get stuck, and will need to be moved manually. The 9 setting shouldn't ever be needed. If an army has 3 korps with 4 divisions and you want them to have a pioneer battalion each to attack Leningrad, set the army and corps HQs to 4, and set the corps HQs that have got Pioneers they don't need to "2".

If an HQ has the right mix of units you can change the setting to locked, so they keep what they have got. Do not lock OKH, Stavka or the Army group HQs, but keep them on "0" so the front line HQs get the units.

If you turn off the wrong tap in the pipe things can get clogged up.

It is a bit complicated,but if you get the pipelines lined up correctly you can save a lot of APs.

Thanks, Big - I knew I could count on you! It's the finer points of this game that I'm having a hard time with.

[PyleDriver]

I don't trust the AI to do what I want. If locked, it does cost the ap's however you know were there at. I like to move my big guns up north to attack Leningrad, then later Moscow. The level of attached units matter when it's HQ's unlocked...Newbees let the AI handle this as Bob stated until yo get the hang of the game...

[jhdeerslayer]

I thought at first I understood this SU limit for HQ to be the number of units but I see it means the number of each TYPE of unit. So for 3, the AI would try and give you 3 Art BN's, 3 Stug units, etc. for a particular HQ. Seems to be the case and the manual implies this also. Am I correct?

[Joel Billings]

ORIGINAL: Deerslayer

I thought at first I understood this SU limit for HQ to be the number of units but I see it means the number of each TYPE of unit. So for 3, the AI would try and give you 3 Art BN's, 3 Stug units, etc. for a particular HQ. Seems to be the case and the manual implies this also. Am I correct?

yes

[tiger111]

I assume that if the HQ is locked it is still able to aid attacks with its support units. Am I correct?

PS where are the V big guns -Mortars and heavy seige guns at start of 1941?

[elmo3]

Locking the HQ should not prevent support units from participating in attack/defense.

[ComradeP]

PS where are the V big guns -Mortars and heavy seige guns at start of 1941?

VIII Corps has a Theodor unit as well as two heavy howitzer battalions, IV Corps has a Karl unit, XX corps has a heavy howitzer battalion.
The Soviet 280mm siege mortar battalions are in the Moscow and Kiev Military Districts and one with the 7th Independent Army in the Soviet-occupied part of Finland.

[balto]

ORIGINAL: Joel Billings

ORIGINAL: Deerslayer

I thought at first I understood this SU limit for HQ to be the number of units but I see it means the number of each TYPE of unit. So for 3, the AI would try and give you 3 Art BN's, 3 Stug units, etc. for a particular HQ. Seems to be the case and the manual implies this also. Am I correct?

yes

Wait, Deerslayer did you come to that conclusion based on info from this thread? I mean, I understand what Deerslayer is saying, but I did not deduce that (is that the correct word to use) from what was stated above by the honorable BigAnorak.

[CarnageINC]

ORIGINAL: ComradeP

PS where are the V big guns -Mortars and heavy seige guns at start of 1941?

VIII Corps has a Theodor unit as well as two heavy howitzer battalions, IV Corps has a Karl unit, XX corps has a heavy howitzer battalion.
The Soviet 280mm siege mortar battalions are in the Moscow and Kiev Military Districts and one with the 7th Independent Army in the Soviet-occupied part of Finland.

Thanks ComradeP for that little piece of heaven, I couldn't find or recognize them.

[jhdeerslayer]

ORIGINAL: balto

ORIGINAL: Joel Billings

ORIGINAL: Deerslayer

I thought at first I understood this SU limit for HQ to be the number of units but I see it means the number of each TYPE of unit. So for 3, the AI would try and give you 3 Art BN's, 3 Stug units, etc. for a particular HQ. Seems to be the case and the manual implies this also. Am I correct?

yes

Wait, Deerslayer did you come to that conclusion based on info from this thread? I mean, I understand what Deerslayer is saying, but I did not deduce that (is that the correct word to use) from what was stated above by the honorable BigAnorak.

The manual said so but didn't jump out at me as first. I did some experiments with auto moving Support units around and I noticed this behavior. Try it yourself but watch out as Contruction and Engineer (Pioneer for Germans) don't count for the limit Support Limit. Joel above confirmed anyway. I could be wrong but this TYPE issue is probably missed by a few people.

[elmo3]

Yes the limit is the number of each type not the total number.

[karonagames]

Humble apologies, I did not make it clear that 4 over every type of support unit would be sent. That is, probably, the weakness of the system, but I don't think it makes a massive difference. I ran 6 campaigns using the automated system before switching to manual.

More haste less speed.