Morale and Land Combat Units

[Lowpe]

I think everyone has seen poor morale effects on land combat units in combat. The lower the morale the more likely they surrender, rather than retreat. Poor morale also impacts the adjusted assault value.

Fair Enough.

But how about these:

Does poor morale impact engineers ability ability to build?

Does poor morale impact a HQ ability to pass a check?

Does poor morale impact Aviation Support ability to repair/service planes?

Does poor morale impact a units ability to train experience? Gain prep? Take reinforcements?

Does poor morale impact AA gunners firing at planes? CD guns firing? The effectiveness of radar?

Many thanks for any insights!

[BBfanboy]

Engineers - yup! I had some engineers with morale in the low teens and no building progress was recorded. I let them rest until the morale was above thirty and tried them, they made some slow progress. Rested them some more - morale at 50, decent progress. I also checked the disruption/disablement at each of these times and they were comparable at each of the times I checked - meaning they were not responsible for the differences in progress on construction.

Air Support - yup! I did not realize the Aden Base Force could suffer from fatigue and left a lot of arriving British air units there to train. A couple of months later I noticed that the first few air units in the stack had a full complement of aircraft in operation but as you went down the stack the number of unserviceable aircraft went up. Some units had no serviceable aircraft. So I looked at the base force and found that the troops were fatigued in the high 90s and morale was, of course, in the toilet. So I rested it and morale came back faster than fatigue decrease. I put the unit back on duty when morale was over 30 (IIRC fatigue was still around 85) and some aircraft got repaired. More rest, morale over 50, and aircraft repair again improved a lot. Fatigue was around 65.
I solved the problem by shipping out most of the aircraft to train in India.

Don't know for sure about the rest, but if morale affects troops ability to fight, it should also affect other activities.

[witpqs]

I think it was Michael who made changes for morale (and probably other transient stats) to affect things like building functions. Just try to build or repair a base after a nasty naval bombardment comes in - the support units take forever to recover (compared to combat units) and get little done in the meantime.

[Insano]

Similar to BB I have also observed engineers working more slowly with lower morale.

Also recovering disabled devices slower.

Also shedding disruption slower as witpqs alluded to.

I'm not sure on this one - I think lower morale units move slower as well. This could just be a side effect of them accumulating and retaining fatigue faster than high morale units so indirect relation there.

[GetAssista]

Did some quick testing with morale 30 vs 99 for a bunch of units for your non-combat questions. Combat is a lot harder to test

ORIGINAL: Lowpe
Does poor morale impact engineers ability ability to build?
No, it does not
Does poor morale impact a HQ ability to pass a check?

Does poor morale impact Aviation Support ability to repair/service planes?
No, it does not
Does poor morale impact a units ability to train experience? Gain prep? Take reinforcements?
No, it does not for xp train. I did not get conclusive results for prep for my 5-turn sets, 99 moral seemed to get slightly more bonus points (additional to +1 guaranteed each turn) compared to 30, and I c.b.a. to run a lot of turns to get statistically significant results for such insignificant a matter
Does poor morale impact AA gunners firing at planes? CD guns firing? The effectiveness of radar?

Also, No, it does not for movement speed and fatigue/disruption recovery

[Lokasenna]

ORIGINAL: GetAssista

Did some quick testing with morale 30 vs 99 for a bunch of units for your non-combat questions. Combat is a lot harder to test

ORIGINAL: Lowpe
Does poor morale impact engineers ability ability to build?
No, it does not
Does poor morale impact a HQ ability to pass a check?

Does poor morale impact Aviation Support ability to repair/service planes?
No, it does not
Does poor morale impact a units ability to train experience? Gain prep? Take reinforcements?
No, it does not for xp train. I did not get conclusive results for prep for my 5-turn sets, 99 moral seemed to get slightly more bonus points (additional to +1 guaranteed each turn) compared to 30, and I c.b.a. to run a lot of turns to get statistically significant results for such insignificant a matter
Does poor morale impact AA gunners firing at planes? CD guns firing? The effectiveness of radar?

Also, No, it does not for movement speed and fatigue/disruption recovery

Actually...

There is definitely a morale component to movement, but it is minor. There is a potential penalty to the distance moved in a turn if a unit fails a morale check.

[GetAssista]

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna
Actually...

There is definitely a morale component to movement, but it is minor. There is a potential penalty to the distance moved in a turn if a unit fails a morale check.

My tests were brief in this regard: two dozens of assorted LCUs marched down hard road for one turn with morale 30. All of them except armor made 30 miles, which is the maximum. I did not see LCUs making less, so whatever this check it might fire up quite rarely

Edit: redid some tests for different terrains and presense/absence of roads. Still zero effect of morale on how many miles were covered

[Lowpe]

Conflicting results....hm.

I think I will pay much closer attention to this, especially in Malaria zones.

[Lokasenna]

ORIGINAL: GetAssista

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna
Actually...

There is definitely a morale component to movement, but it is minor. There is a potential penalty to the distance moved in a turn if a unit fails a morale check.

My tests were brief in this regard: two dozens of assorted LCUs marched down hard road for one turn with morale 30. All of them except armor made 30 miles, which is the maximum. I did not see LCUs making less, so whatever this check it might fire up quite rarely

I've noticed variance in movement rates in off-road situations. Setting multiple infantry units to move from one rough hex to another and they could end up as many as 4-5 miles apart. I wasn't watching closely enough to know what the morale situation was, but I know that movement is not guaranteed to be the maximum amount.

[HansBolter]

This would be very hard to gauge and test because fatigue is also having an impact.

When I see my LCUs making less than the prescribed distance over any given terrain I usually attribute it to fatigue and sure enough I can find a relatively high fatigue in any unit like this that I check.

Never thought to take a close look at the morale levels.

[GetAssista]

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna
I've noticed variance in movement rates in off-road situations. Setting multiple infantry units to move from one rough hex to another and they could end up as many as 4-5 miles apart. I wasn't watching closely enough to know what the morale situation was, but I know that movement is not guaranteed to be the maximum amount.

I'm certain it is other factors not morale. I redid some tests for different terrains and presense/absence of roads. Still zero effect of morale on how many miles were covered

[Lokasenna]

ORIGINAL: GetAssista

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna
I've noticed variance in movement rates in off-road situations. Setting multiple infantry units to move from one rough hex to another and they could end up as many as 4-5 miles apart. I wasn't watching closely enough to know what the morale situation was, but I know that movement is not guaranteed to be the maximum amount.

I'm certain it is other factors not morale. I redid some tests for different terrains and presense/absence of roads. Still zero effect of morale on how many miles were covered

It couldn't have been anything but morale. No combat (for a very long time, so no high fatigue), same unit type, same hex, same orders ("order all to march").

In addition, we have this that Alfred posted almost a decade ago, so admittedly it might be legacy code.
tm.asp?m=1801492


Fatigue can also be a factor.

[rustysi]

When I see my LCUs making less than the prescribed distance over any given terrain I usually attribute it to fatigue and sure enough I can find a relatively high fatigue in any unit like this that I check.

This has been my experience as well.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: GetAssista

Did some quick testing with morale 30 vs 99 for a bunch of units for your non-combat questions. Combat is a lot harder to test

ORIGINAL: Lowpe
Does poor morale impact engineers ability ability to build?
No, it does not
Does poor morale impact a HQ ability to pass a check?

Does poor morale impact Aviation Support ability to repair/service planes?
No, it does not
Does poor morale impact a units ability to train experience? Gain prep? Take reinforcements?
No, it does not for xp train. I did not get conclusive results for prep for my 5-turn sets, 99 moral seemed to get slightly more bonus points (additional to +1 guaranteed each turn) compared to 30, and I c.b.a. to run a lot of turns to get statistically significant results for such insignificant a matter
Does poor morale impact AA gunners firing at planes? CD guns firing? The effectiveness of radar?

Also, No, it does not for movement speed and fatigue/disruption recovery

30 is a bit of a threshold from what I have seen. Try it with morale set at 9 or 10. Also, you say you got positive results but do not quantify it. From what I have seen 30 morale allows some functionality but not as much as morale over 50 and less than morale over 80. Is it possible for your test to have more data points and to record the actual amount of progress achieved at each?

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: GetAssista

Did some quick testing with morale 30 vs 99 for a bunch of units for your non-combat questions. Combat is a lot harder to test

ORIGINAL: Lowpe
Does poor morale impact engineers ability ability to build?
No, it does not
Does poor morale impact a HQ ability to pass a check?

Does poor morale impact Aviation Support ability to repair/service planes?
No, it does not
Does poor morale impact a units ability to train experience? Gain prep? Take reinforcements?
No, it does not for xp train. I did not get conclusive results for prep for my 5-turn sets, 99 moral seemed to get slightly more bonus points (additional to +1 guaranteed each turn) compared to 30, and I c.b.a. to run a lot of turns to get statistically significant results for such insignificant a matter
Does poor morale impact AA gunners firing at planes? CD guns firing? The effectiveness of radar?

Also, No, it does not for movement speed and fatigue/disruption recovery

I do not agree with your answers, as already mentioned in my own post.

[GetAssista]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy
30 is a bit of a threshold from what I have seen. Try it with morale set at 9 or 10. Also, you say you got positive results but do not quantify it. From what I have seen 30 morale allows some functionality but not as much as morale over 50 and less than morale over 80. Is it possible for your test to have more data points and to record the actual amount of progress achieved at each?

20 LCUs with 350 engineers working on forts 2 and port 4(6). Changed morale in the editor to either 99/30/5 for all and run several turns. Skipped 1st turn as it occured to me it might have some checks omitted like with airgroups. Yet, building proceeded almost identically for all morales. There were some +-1% discrepancies due to probably weather, but nothing regular. Morale 5 was often able to achieve maximum building speed (same as morale 99). This is enough quantification for me to close the case. In other hex, marching speed remained exactly the same for LCUs with different morale.

Also there was a byproduct of the testing, and boy will this rattle some feathers [:D]
I did not see any effect of fatigue/disruption on marching speed. Set fatigue 99 for some in the editor. At start this turned into 99/0 fatugue disruption, which then became ~84/45 and ~73/35 on subsequent turns. Couple dozen infantry IDs started marching on turn 2 and covered exactly the same distance no matter fatigue or road/crosscountry route. It was my belief that fatugue should impact marching speed yet the test does not show it. Will do some more tinkering later, preconceived beliefs are hard to let go of [:)]

ORIGINAL: witpqs
I do not agree with your answers, as already mentioned in my own post.

Care to share were the tests might've gone wrong? I'm really interested in as rigorous testing as possible. As long as it is not too labor intensive ofc.

[Yaab]

From an October, 2014 test:

Marching experiment - one turn, main road:

British BF from Tavoy
Exp 40
Morale 10
Disruption 6
Fatigue 27
Miles covered : 24 (there was Jap air attack on the hex, the Tenasserim Batallion was attacked but not the BF)

6th Chinese Corps from Tuyun
Exp 30
Morale 30
Disruption 15
Fatigue 48
Miles covered: 30 (same as stated in the manual)

[GetAssista]

ORIGINAL: Yaab
Marching experiment - one turn, main road:
...

Sorry, it obviously hardly qualifies as good experiment. Lots of parameters so you can't isolate one. plus enemy involvement, e.g. firing of AA guns

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: GetAssista

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy
30 is a bit of a threshold from what I have seen. Try it with morale set at 9 or 10. Also, you say you got positive results but do not quantify it. From what I have seen 30 morale allows some functionality but not as much as morale over 50 and less than morale over 80. Is it possible for your test to have more data points and to record the actual amount of progress achieved at each?

20 LCUs with 350 engineers working on forts 2 and port 4(6). Changed morale in the editor to either 99/30/5 for all and run several turns. Skipped 1st turn as it occured to me it might have some checks omitted like with airgroups. Yet, building proceeded almost identically for all morales. There were some +-1% discrepancies due to probably weather, but nothing regular. Morale 5 was often able to achieve maximum building speed (same as morale 99). This is enough quantification for me to close the case. In other hex, marching speed remained exactly the same for LCUs with different morale.

Also there was a byproduct of the testing, and boy will this rattle some feathers [:D]
I did not see any effect of fatigue/disruption on marching speed. Set fatigue 99 for some in the editor. At start this turned into 99/0 fatugue disruption, which then became ~84/45 and ~73/35 on subsequent turns. Couple dozen infantry IDs started marching on turn 2 and covered exactly the same distance no matter fatigue or road/crosscountry route. It was my belief that fatugue should impact marching speed yet the test does not show it. Will do some more tinkering later, preconceived beliefs are hard to let go of [:)]

ORIGINAL: witpqs
I do not agree with your answers, as already mentioned in my own post.

Care to share were the tests might've gone wrong? I'm really interested in as rigorous testing as possible. As long as it is not too labor intensive ofc.

No tests, experience coupled with Michael's comments on what he changed. Those related mostly to disruption but I think fatigue was involved, and morale is known to affect recovery of both of those AFAIK.

[Lokasenna]

ORIGINAL: GetAssista

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy
30 is a bit of a threshold from what I have seen. Try it with morale set at 9 or 10. Also, you say you got positive results but do not quantify it. From what I have seen 30 morale allows some functionality but not as much as morale over 50 and less than morale over 80. Is it possible for your test to have more data points and to record the actual amount of progress achieved at each?

20 LCUs with 350 engineers working on forts 2 and port 4(6). Changed morale in the editor to either 99/30/5 for all and run several turns. Skipped 1st turn as it occured to me it might have some checks omitted like with airgroups. Yet, building proceeded almost identically for all morales. There were some +-1% discrepancies due to probably weather, but nothing regular. Morale 5 was often able to achieve maximum building speed (same as morale 99). This is enough quantification for me to close the case. In other hex, marching speed remained exactly the same for LCUs with different morale.

Also there was a byproduct of the testing, and boy will this rattle some feathers [:D]
I did not see any effect of fatigue/disruption on marching speed. Set fatigue 99 for some in the editor. At start this turned into 99/0 fatugue disruption, which then became ~84/45 and ~73/35 on subsequent turns. Couple dozen infantry IDs started marching on turn 2 and covered exactly the same distance no matter fatigue or road/crosscountry route. It was my belief that fatugue should impact marching speed yet the test does not show it. Will do some more tinkering later, preconceived beliefs are hard to let go of [:)]

ORIGINAL: witpqs
I do not agree with your answers, as already mentioned in my own post.

Care to share were the tests might've gone wrong? I'm really interested in as rigorous testing as possible. As long as it is not too labor intensive ofc.

AFAIK, weather (aside from winter conditions) does not impact building.