How to effectively use routine convoy?

[Hoplosternum]

I always used to have trouble with these but I am not sure if some of the later patches have helped? Maybe I should retry them?

The only way I have made them work is to make sure that they have a destination and there is only one routine convoy for each destination.

If I break the first of these rules the convoys sail to the most exposed base if they sail at all

If I break the second the convoys begin to behave as fully computer controlled routine convoys, i.e. they stop sailing where I want them to and immeadiately set sail for my most exposed outpost.... They only continue the shuttle runs to where I want them to go if it's just one for each forward base.

They are OK for automating the Truk to Rabaul & Truk to Shortlands fuel runs. But that is about it IME.

[frizt]

Well folks. I appriciated for the feedbacks! It looks like to me that I am not the only one in problem with routine convoy. Here is something I have noticed lately. If you click on the "Human Control" tag, you actually has a third option. First, change the convoy mode to Computer Controlled and then set a destination for the convoy. And the "Computer Controlled" mode will be switched to your destination. In this mode, the convoy will always supply the base you have choosen, and work itself till every ship has high System Damage. Well, this is the only way I know to use routine convoy reliabely. If you keep them just on computer controlled mode, they will most times only make you pull out your hair and then bange your head against the closests wall......
Here is my suggestion, why does Matrixgames not improve the AI to do a better job? Auto-supply bases whichever need supply. If ship damage is above 15, then let the entire convoy sit in port for repair and then send them out again on duty. It is not hard to program at all. At the same time the player should keep couple of convoy on Human control just for in case....would'nt it work much better?

[demonterico]

I have to disagree with the earlier remark about building barges faster than the allies can destroy them. I'm doing #17 and we've reached the middle of June 42. I divided my barges into two TFs of 12 to 15 barges each. One in the Solomons and one on the north coast of N.G. The TF in the Solomons has taken some losses but is doing okay. However, the TF in NG has been destroyed by submarines and by air attack out of PM. Right now I have one new barge in the pool. Perhaps the problem is I was too aggressive in NG and should have waited until PM was taken before expanding along the north coast. That at least would have lessoned the effect of air attacks. Probably wouldn't have much effect on the subs though, and I would say the majority of my losses are from subs. Just not enough DDs to cover everywhere. I'm also wondering does barge production increase as the game progresses?

[Mr.Frag]

Just an FYI:

There is a finite limit of barges, they are not unlimited according to the database.

Another side note: Continuous Supply vs Routine Convoy are different in nature, seems there are a lot of mixing up of these two entirely different missions in this thread.

CS is very useful, RC is completely useless against even the AI due to the silly rules it operates under.

One thing to watch with lots of CS running, keep your eye on them, they tend to get confused now and then and run backwards or empty, requiring manual intervention to correct.

[Nasrullah]

The Routine Convoys behave far more reliably than the CS convoys. Trouble with the Routines is that they will sit around
home port until triggered by a needy base. The Continuous
Supply, however, if not based at Noumea, Truk, or Brisbane,
can behave very erratically. See attached.
The manual is wrong in at least one respect: more than one
Routine Convoy may be in transit concurrently to the same base.

[Christof]

Hi all,

RC doesn't work for me either. Silly, because it should not be too difficult to program a routine doing this. As far as I remember RC worked quite fine in "Pacific War".

I hope this is addressed until WITP comes around, otherwise we'll just get flooded by stupid handling of logistics...

Cheers,
Christof

[denisonh]

All this illustrates that it is too important to let the computer run your logisitics.

As the saying goes "Amatuers study tactics, professionals study logistics"