Secrets of fast transport...what are they?

[Mike_B20]

I've been having all sorts of problems with fast transports.

Half the time they teleport twice their normal move to their destination hex only to be smashed by airstrikes.

Sometimes they return all but empty.
Once it took me 4 trips to pick up a unit of engineers they should have been able to pick up in one turn, judging by the load values of the passenger and capacity of the taskforce.

Another time, the fast transports had 'ghosts' aboard on their way to pick up a unit. The transports were shown as having zero loaded in their loaded/capacity values but the 'ghosts' were on every ship. The 'ghosts' had the same name as the unit they had been ordeded to pick up.
When this taskforce was intercepted and a destroyer sunk, 5000 odd troops disappeared at the destination hex.

I'm finding fast transports something of a gamble...either they work fine or a complete waste of time and very frustrating...as is air transport.

C'mon Matrix, debug the transport mess...give us a patch.

[Snigbert]

I've never had any problems with them, but I never use them to pick troops up at another base.

[Mike_B20]

It is in picking units up I've encountered problems.

I just sent 4 fast transport taskforces to pick up 4 AA units at PM which was about to fall.
Each of the taskforces had a capacity of 400, seemingly more than adequate to pick up the units, which had a load cost of about 300-350 each.
However, when the taskforces returned, each had picked up only 90 load value, fragments of the units each had been assigned to pick up.
When PM fell, all the AA units were destroyed, including the fragments the destroyers were carrying.
What are the rules regarding when the parent unit is loaded, it seems to be random?

Also, why can't a fast transport en route be redirected, eg when a unit retreats, I'd like to redirect the fast transport to the new unit location...they did have radios didn't they?
For that matter, why can't a surface taskforce become a fast transport taskforce when away from a port?

[Fred98]

The size of the port affects the speed of loading.

If it takes 10 hours to load a unit and there is only 6 hours of darkness, they will only pick up 6/10s of the unit.

They have to get in and out under cover of darkness.

[Mike_B20]

Joe, those four fast transport taskforces were sitting at the destination hex , Port Moresby, in broad daylight, the turn after I created them in Cairns.

When I checked their status, they showed as idle but 90 loaded.
I thought they would continue loading and return but apparently they spent that turn returning without loading the troops as instructed. They had the whole day.

In retrospect, I should have restarted the loading process but If I have to do that then it proves something is wrong.
Why did they revert to idle status after completing part of the load order?
Also, I was afraid to touch the darn things having had nothing but bad luck messing with fast transport orders mid mission.

[denisonh]

My fast transport TFs that linger and get pasted are delivering supplies.

I have learned that if you are fast transporting supplies to a base with a functional airfield and fighters on CAP (no matter how few), fast transport TFs will not "get in, get out" unless they get the orders when they are within max range.

I have learned to have the fast transport TF follow another TF to a jump off point, then give them the orders to go to their destination.

I lost a fair number of DDs this way in several PBEM games before figuring this one out.

[Mike_B20]

Denisonh, how do you give orders to a fast transport TF when out of port?
When I have tried to do this, everything in the orders column is blanked out.

[denisonh]

It doesn't work for picking up troops, but is good for delivering supplies/troops.

If you set the TF to do not retire and follow a TF, when you get to your jump off point, set to retirement and then set the destination.

I have also found for maneuvering fast transport TFs when I have to adjust their timing to miss enemy surface TFs, it is better to change their mission to surface combat until you are ready to "send them in". Fast transport TFs will take off and go home even if set to do not retire when given a destination hex as opposed to a follow TF order.(maybe it is just me)

[rich91a]

On the last point, be careful when delaying fast transports by setting them to patrol / do not retire and surface combat as the mission.

You may be doing the above to delay the fast transport by 1 day so that they miss an enemy bombardment tf about to hit the destination port.

If you set the fast trans to surface combat / patrol and they are within max speed range of the base about to receive the bombardment, they will scoot off and intercept the bombardment tf!

Not ideal if they are full of troops / supplies / hopelessly outclassed by the bombardment tf.

[mogami]

Hi, I am certain a bug exists with TF's assigned "Fast" missions.

Bombardment, Fast Transport. Sometimes they move to the target hex, fail to execute their mission and are sitting ducks the next turn. This is not what is intended. I've also heard about the ghost units in PBEM games. Please save the game files to send to matrix to be examined. The bug cannot be fixed without save files to work from. We might as well try to track down this critter in UV so it never occurs in WITP.

I will post a thread in the UV private forum and pass on the save game files. (they don't need passwords)

Mogami99@aol.com

[Fred98]

For Fast Transport to work, I consulted the manual ( I hear the sounds of people fainting).


You must set them to Retirement Allowed. Or else they will remain idle at their destination.

[mogami]

Originally posted by Joe 98
For Fast Transport to work, I consulted the manual ( I hear the sounds of people fainting).


You must set them to Retirement Allowed. Or else they will remain idle at their destination.

Hi, Retirement allowed is the default setting when you make a FT TF. If you change a surface combat TF to FT that should change as well. Retirement is what tells the TF to go in at night and leave before sunrise. The TF should move to where it can get in and out in one night before running in. If you make the target close enough the TF should be almost back if not back in port the next turn. Sometimes even when set correctly "fast" TF's will move to the target hex. and then not unload, bombard or pickup (depending on the mission) and be caught during the air phase. This is not correct. It is a bug.

[Mike_B20]

Joe, they were set to retiremnt allowed.

There are a number of bugs in transport at the moment.
I can't understand how they are still there after a year of playing...am I the only one experiencing these problems?

In my current game I have had four major bugs affecting gameplay...three to do with air transport and one with fast transport resulting in 3 full infantry brigades disappearing and half an aircraft engineer unit.
I've given up restoring the game to pre-bug turns to save any disappearing troops and am wearing the losses.
It's just a royal pain in the butt.

I've submitted all relevant saves to Matrix for debugging.
Hopefully this stuff is all sorted pre WITP as I fear WITP will sink if not built on solid foundations.

[Fred98]

I have never had a problem with Fast Transport.

It is one of the few things that go right for me.

Remember that the number of troops that can be carried by fast Transport is very few.

And they will and up at their home port. If they are set at Retirement Allowed are not at their home port they will return to their home port. So where are they now? Why would they remain in one place for a whole year?

And I have never had a problem with any other type of transport.

As a beginner, I found loading and unloading ships much slower than I imagined but there are good reasons for that.

[Fred98]

As for Engineer units:

Heavy equipment will not be transported by aircraft

Heavy equipment will not be transported by Fast Transport (because there is no time to load it before sunrise).

And that applies to every other unit too.

And of course you are playing version 2.3 of the game.

If a unit is numbered 654 and "half disappeares" as you put it, the other half will actually be named 1/654 or 2/654. Check in the List All Ground Units screen.

[Mike_B20]

Joe, half the engineer unit disappeared from the game.
They were not on any ship nor any screen.
They were no more on this plane.
They had gone to engineer heaven.

Also, fast transports WILL load heavy equipment..I just did it....20 bulldozers lifted from Basa Poya and transported to Luganville.
Moving the fast transport to the hex you want to pick up from and loading there seems to work a whole lot better han the 'pick up' command, if one has that luxury. However there are many times this cannot be done..eg picking up troops from Lae Lae after losing PM.

Joe, run a few fast transport missions where you pick up units...you might notice a few problems then.

[dwesolick]

I've also noticed something strange about Fast Transport TFs. I wonder if anyone else has done this. When I desire to move a unit, say engineers, from say Noumea to Lunga (or wherever):
I start with a Fast TF load capacity of usually around 2000 +-
Engineers usually around 1200 +-

When I click "load troops" and select the unit, it will usually load less than 1200 automatically, say 300. If I leave it at that, I found (thru painful experience) that the TF won't always (usually DOESN'T actually) load the full remaing points (900) and will merrily set off for Lunga (or wherever) with a partial load.

HOWEVER, I discovered that if you (after initially selecting load troops) cancel the load troops, then reselect load troops and select the unit again, it will load more (say, another 300+-).
You then repeat the process until the unit is fully loaded (1200) on the TF. The TF will then carry the full load to its destination when you end the orders phase.
I don't know why the Fast TFs don't just automatically load the selected 1200....must be a bug?

edit: Almost forgot to mention that when you've done this (load, cancel, load) you should un-dock the TF and make sure its destination is still the one you desire. I found, thru agonizing experience, that the TF will sometimes lose its memory, or whatever, and simply unload the troops in the same port during the action phase.