Asking to use Political points when assigning leaders

[JamesM]

I am creating carrier task forces manually including not auto selecting a Commander. However, once I form the task force and go to assign the leader I want to use I am asked to spend political points to change the existing leader (had to spend 58 pp to change from the selected leader to Bull Halsey in my current game).

[michaelm75au]

It does cost to change leaders.

One option could have been to allow a first time change of TF leader on creation of TF, but I believe that there too many ways to get around that from memory. Time to counter all the possibilities at the time was not warranted as more important things needed to be fixed, or worked on.

[JamesM]

ORIGINAL: michaelm

It does cost to change leaders.

One option could have been to allow a first time change of TF leader on creation of TF, but I believe that there too many ways to get around that from memory. Time to counter all the possibilities at the time was not warranted as more important things needed to be fixed, or worked on.

That would be a good idea to "a first time change of TF leader on creation of TF", because if you are playing as the allies, latter in the war when you are creating a lot of task forces you will run out of pp and as a result you may have sub standard commanders. You do have to disband task forces on a regular basis to allow for repairs to the various ships.

[USSAmerica]

ORIGINAL: jamesm

ORIGINAL: michaelm

It does cost to change leaders.

One option could have been to allow a first time change of TF leader on creation of TF, but I believe that there too many ways to get around that from memory. Time to counter all the possibilities at the time was not warranted as more important things needed to be fixed, or worked on.

That would be a good idea to "a first time change of TF leader on creation of TF", because if you are playing as the allies, latter in the war when you are creating a lot of task forces you will run out of pp and as a result you may have sub standard commanders. You do have to disband task forces on a regular basis to allow for repairs to the various ships.

Ah, but there's the solution!

You do not have to disband a TF to allow the ships to repair. You can transfer them to a port, from the Add/Remove ships panel, leaving as few as 1 ship in the TF to "preserve" it, and also keep the leader assigned to it. Then, when you are ready to go out and fight some more, don't create a new TF. Transfer ships into the existing TF, with the good leader already assigned and go to war! [:)]

[Crackaces]

I thought the most senior person becomes the TF leader by default unless otherwise specified .. so I have to keep a TF artifically intact in order to keep my competent commanders? That rewards "Hidden Knowledge" ....

[USSAmerica]

ORIGINAL: Crackaces

I thought the most senior person becomes the TF leader by default unless otherwise specified .. so I have to keep a TF artifically intact in order to keep my competent commanders? That rewards "Hidden Knowledge" ....

From what I've seen, when forming a new TF the most senior ship captain becomes the TF leader by default. If you spend PP's to assign a different one, they remain in command of that TF until it is disbanded, destroyed in combat, or they are manually replaced.

[Crackaces]

ORIGINAL: USS America

ORIGINAL: Crackaces

I thought the most senior person becomes the TF leader by default unless otherwise specified .. so I have to keep a TF artifically intact in order to keep my competent commanders? That rewards "Hidden Knowledge" ....

From what I've seen, when forming a new TF the most senior ship captain becomes the TF leader by default. If you spend PP's to assign a different one, they remain in command of that TF until it is disbanded, destroyed in combat, or they are manually replaced.

).

It might be more straightforward to have an attribute "TF commander" that gets assigned when spending PP's for this purpose .. so If I spend 200 PP's to make somebody a CVTF commander .. and I create a CVTF with this guy .. he by default gets command ... a virtual promotion so to speak .. that would be more striaght forward than keeping around a TF artifically ... but until then . this is very very good advice as I have been spending PP's on ASW TF's ..

[alimentary]

ORIGINAL: USS America

ORIGINAL: Crackaces

I thought the most senior person becomes the TF leader by default unless otherwise specified .. so I have to keep a TF artifically intact in order to keep my competent commanders? That rewards "Hidden Knowledge" ....

From what I've seen, when forming a new TF the most senior ship captain becomes the TF leader by default. If you spend PP's to assign a different one, they remain in command of that TF until it is disbanded, destroyed in combat, or they are manually replaced.

It's not the most senior person. It's the captain of the flagship.

The flagship is generally the largest ship. In trying to playtest this, I see that there are some difficult to identify tie-breaker conditions when the two ships are tied for biggest. It's not always the same ship.

[jmalter]

ORIGINAL: USS America
You do not have to disband a TF to allow the ships to repair. You can transfer them to a port, from the Add/Remove ships panel, leaving as few as 1 ship in the TF to "preserve" it, and also keep the leader assigned to it. Then, when you are ready to go out and fight some more, don't create a new TF. Transfer ships into the existing TF, with the good leader already assigned and go to war! [:)]

this is a good method, but beware of a problem:
the game will auto-change the TF type if it can. for example, say your CVTF consists of 2 CV, 2 CA, & 6 DD - and all of them have some minimal damage. you get back to port, you'll want to clear that damage, refuel, re-arm & get back to sea ASAP.

but if you detach both CVs from the TF, the TF will become a SurfTF (w/ a CV-style leader) & you won't be able to xfer your CVs back into it after they repair. looks to me like you have to leave a CV in the TF while 1 repairs, then xfer the repaired CV back in before removing the 2nd CV for its turn at the repair facilities.

so there's a price to be paid for keeping that TF commander - it'll take longer to complete your turn-around in port. not all TF types suffer from this prob, but be wary!

[Dan Nichols]

ORIGINAL: jmalter

ORIGINAL: USS America
You do not have to disband a TF to allow the ships to repair. You can transfer them to a port, from the Add/Remove ships panel, leaving as few as 1 ship in the TF to "preserve" it, and also keep the leader assigned to it. Then, when you are ready to go out and fight some more, don't create a new TF. Transfer ships into the existing TF, with the good leader already assigned and go to war! [:)]

this is a good method, but beware of a problem:
the game will auto-change the TF type if it can. for example, say your CVTF consists of 2 CV, 2 CA, & 6 DD - and all of them have some minimal damage. you get back to port, you'll want to clear that damage, refuel, re-arm & get back to sea ASAP.

but if you detach both CVs from the TF, the TF will become a SurfTF (w/ a CV-style leader) & you won't be able to xfer your CVs back into it after they repair. looks to me like you have to leave a CV in the TF while 1 repairs, then xfer the repaired CV back in before removing the 2nd CV for its turn at the repair facilities.

so there's a price to be paid for keeping that TF commander - it'll take longer to complete your turn-around in port. not all TF types suffer from this prob, but be wary!

You can transfer them back. Change the TF type to Escort, which allows any ship to be attached. Then move the CVs back into the TF and if necessary, change the TF type back to Air Combat.

[jmalter]

ORIGINAL: Dan Nichols
You can transfer them back. Change the TF type to Escort, which allows any ship to be attached. Then move the CVs back into the TF and if necessary, change the TF type back to Air Combat.

thanks, Dan! i really appreciate this tip, i'm glad you posted it.

[Charbroiled]

Personally, I never quite understood the need to spend pp's in order to change leaders of any type of unit.

[Crackaces]

ORIGINAL: Charbroiled

Personally, I never quite understood the need to spend pp's in order to change leaders of any type of unit.

My impression is that "politcal will" is expended when you fire and replace somebody and thus you have to do it judiciously I guess ... but to fire lockwood cost as much as activating a regement ..[:'(] Probably the activation of units and pace of play is one system and overhauling leadership is another system but ..alas ..it is what we have ..

[HansBolter]

ORIGINAL: USS America

ORIGINAL: jamesm

ORIGINAL: michaelm

It does cost to change leaders.

One option could have been to allow a first time change of TF leader on creation of TF, but I believe that there too many ways to get around that from memory. Time to counter all the possibilities at the time was not warranted as more important things needed to be fixed, or worked on.

That would be a good idea to "a first time change of TF leader on creation of TF", because if you are playing as the allies, latter in the war when you are creating a lot of task forces you will run out of pp and as a result you may have sub standard commanders. You do have to disband task forces on a regular basis to allow for repairs to the various ships.

Ah, but there's the solution!

You do not have to disband a TF to allow the ships to repair. You can transfer them to a port, from the Add/Remove ships panel, leaving as few as 1 ship in the TF to "preserve" it, and also keep the leader assigned to it. Then, when you are ready to go out and fight some more, don't create a new TF. Transfer ships into the existing TF, with the good leader already assigned and go to war! [:)]

Except this doesn't work for CV TFs if you transfer out the CV. The TF type is automatically changed to Surface Combat and then the CV can't be tranferred back in. [:(] Otherwise it's a perfectly viably tactic that I use constantly.


If you let the game engine choose a commander when you create the TF at least sometimes it might choose a decent one and relieve you of the cost of assigning one yourself. I always let it choose one rather than not so I might get lucky enough to save some PPs.

[HansBolter]

ack!! double post. sorry

[Justus2]

ORIGINAL: HansBolter

Except this doesn't work for CV TFs if you transfer out the CV. The TF type is automatically changed to Surface Combat and then the CV can't be tranferred back in. [:(] Otherwise it's a perfectly viably tactic that I use constantly.


If you let the game engine choose a commander when you create the TF at least sometimes it might choose a decent one and relieve you of the cost of assigning one yourself. I always let it choose one rather than not so I might get lucky enough to save some PPs.

I have made this work by changing the 'remnant' TF over to an Escort mission, which will then allow you to add a CV back in, and it will revert back to Air Combat mission (keeping the TF Cdr).

[Chris21wen]

ORIGINAL: jmalter

ORIGINAL: USS America
You do not have to disband a TF to allow the ships to repair. You can transfer them to a port, from the Add/Remove ships panel, leaving as few as 1 ship in the TF to "preserve" it, and also keep the leader assigned to it. Then, when you are ready to go out and fight some more, don't create a new TF. Transfer ships into the existing TF, with the good leader already assigned and go to war! [:)]

this is a good method, but beware of a problem:
the game will auto-change the TF type if it can. for example, say your CVTF consists of 2 CV, 2 CA, & 6 DD - and all of them have some minimal damage. you get back to port, you'll want to clear that damage, refuel, re-arm & get back to sea ASAP.

but if you detach both CVs from the TF, the TF will become a SurfTF (w/ a CV-style leader) & you won't be able to xfer your CVs back into it after they repair. looks to me like you have to leave a CV in the TF while 1 repairs, then xfer the repaired CV back in before removing the 2nd CV for its turn at the repair facilities.

so there's a price to be paid for keeping that TF commander - it'll take longer to complete your turn-around in port. not all TF types suffer from this prob, but be wary!

Easy to get round. Change the TF to escort, put a CV in it and you will automatically get a CV TF. Beaten to it.