Idea regarding experience and replacements

[PKH]

To reduce the effect of new recruits lowering the average xp of a unit, normal xp gain could get a boost based on the difference between the new average xp and the max xp the unit has had in it's lifetime. This would simulate surviving veterans teaching the recruits how to stay alive, and bring the unit back to it's old xp faster.

[wallas]

I am not sure there is anything wrong with experience since all sides use the same mechanics.

My opinion anyways

[PKH]

My impression is that it's very hard to get a high experience unit in the campaigns due to the experience constantly getting watered down by new recruits. I think a mechanic along the lines I described above would help that while having a realistic basis.

[Bonners]

The thing is for the recruits to gain experience they need time and training on quiet parts of the front. I think the training and promoting experienced NCO cards reflect this. In my game against Olivier, the German formations on quieter parts of the front have been busy spending their cards on training new recruits. Consequently when Olivier comes to hit those units they have a hard time as I have a couple of infantry divisions with experience in the 70s.

You now compare that to new recruits being thrown into battle with units desperately trying to fight off the main assaults and new recruits are just thrown into the meat grinder with little time for training, hence the fact that these units gradually lose their experienced core. If they do manage to stave off attacks then the experience will go up.

[PKH]

My point is that when an experienced unit has it's experience lowered by replacements coming in, it would make sense that these units regain lost experience quicker than a unit full of recurits (edit: would gain new experience), due to the surviving veterans being able to teach the new replacements.

[LiquidSky]

I am not sure what units you can point at in October that you could say should have a high level of experience, based on the veterans training the recruits. In fact, I could argue that the German army lost significant experience during the campaign, especially amongst the lower officers.

And it is the quality of the non-com's and lower officers that should probably determine the experience of a unit. Not the guys with the rifles.

[PKH]

I'm not thinking of any particular unit, but a general mechanism where a unit which has attained a level of experience and then suffered losses, would still have some experienced soldiers and officers that new recruits could learn from, and that would mean the recruits would improve faster than in a unit full of inexperience people.


It doesn't matter much to me since I don't plan on playing the big campaigns, but I thought this would be an interesting mechanic. If I had realized people were going to be so resentful, I wouldn't have bothered sharing it.

[LiquidSky]

I notice that in game terms, you start with an Axis army in the 30's for experience (except the panzers, which are in the 40's). By the mid game, you have maxed out your training level at 40. All you units, including the Axis minors will end up at 40. Some of my attack units, like the panzer divisions would be higher. Playing cards can make a couple of them even higher, although I rarely did that.

As well, the number of replacement points you get is very, very small. Which means that those numbers don't drop very much. And if they happen to drop below 40, in few turns they will climb back up again.

[PKH]

I got the impression from reading an AAR that units xp were constantly lowered by replacements, so thats what led me to think about this. If that's not a problem, I guess there's no nothing to worry about.

[LiquidSky]

I used to think that units didn't gain any exp from combat, probably because the only time I look at units closely is when I have them on priority, gaining replacements. When I ran some tests, I discovered that you can gain a point a turn (if below 40 for axis, and 30 for Russian). And in combat, you could also gain a point if you kill/retreat an enemy.

[Vic]

The DC system uses some abstractions. The game element that simulates the build up of experience of formations is the Corps level staff officers experience. The troops in the frontline units might die and get replaced, but the experience level of the staff troops should keep increasing (unless the HQ ends up in the frontline of course).

I agree some improvements could be made. And its something i am considering on the longer term.

Best,
Vic