Noob Question--Stacking

[CaptBeefheart]

Hello Kind Readers,

I'm taking a break from WITP-AE and just started playing this game. I am messing around with random battles against other AIs at the moment. One thing I've noted is the manual is not, shall we say, comprehensive. As I was trying to come up with ideal unit compositions I realized I don't know what the stacking limit is. At what point do you get penalties for offense or defense? I checked the manual with a CTRL-F on "stacking" and it refers to different sorts of "var" (from memory), which is Greek to me, but no actual numbers.

Thanks for the help.

Cheers,
CB

[ArmouredLion]

Hey brother... stacking limit vary between ground, air, artillery. Arty and air are 80 SP... and a single hex for ground is 150-160 (can't remember which). Stack limits mean the number of units saturating an area. If you have to many then are losing tactical advantage and a penalty is accrued. Part of the penalty is high casualties. Penalties don't become severe until 75-100% of stack limits. Although, for me, I tend to not go over stack limits more than 20-30%... unless they are conscripts or I don't care about casualties. I hate wasting valuable troops... but fodder has a purpose. On defense, I regularly go to near 100% over. Stack points is in the right corner on the hex info. The number on the chit I believe is the stack points. The right corner adds up the hex. This is a very cursory understanding and style of play. Some like smaller units. I like mostly large between 60-100 with a small amount of smaller SP units.

Hope it helps.

[CaptBeefheart]

Thanks for the quick response, ArmouredLion. Very helpful. I'm at work but will check all that out (and all other subsequent advice) at home in 10 hours or so.

One other thing was I couldn't seem to get HQs loaded on cargo ships no matter what was attached to the HQ. No problem with "formations." I'm curious if I'm doing something wrong or if there is a different way of getting HQs across the water.

Cheers,
CB

[Twotribes]

You are loading formations via the load function? Not just attaching them inside ship formations? Also aircraft and ships can not be in the Headquarters in order to load it.

[CaptBeefheart]

"You are loading formations via the load function?" -- YES. "Not just attaching them inside ship formations?" -- Haven't tried that.

I tried moving an HQ with a cargo ship in it and it wouldn't move. However, I did try loading an HQ with no aircraft or ships and wouldn't do it (it had a few rifles, staff and supply, and it looked like it was within the carrying capacity of the cargo ship).

Cheers,
CB

[Twotribes]

Supply has weight. Use the function on the headquarter unit list to see carry needed.
Just to the left of your individual items in the unit is 3 buttons the third button on the bottom forget name at moment will show weight

[AstroBlues]

How big a unit should be is a good question. For Germany I have 150 Power points for an infantry division. I am getting a sense that is too big and I plan to cut it down. What are some of the other players points for their infantry divisions? I get that some players like large divisions and some like small divisions? What size have other players found that work the most efficient?

[CaptBeefheart]

Thanks for all the replies. I figured out too much supply was keeping me from loading the HQ on the cargo ship.

I also noticed under the Rules button there seems to be some information on stacking. I should have done a screen cap.

Cheers,
CB

[CaptBeefheart]

OK, moving on to a new question: Yesterday I was unable to do airstrikes with level bombers or fighters against some stacks which were definitely in range (i.e. I'd select "airstrike" on the target hex and the "List" was empty). Other nearby stacks could be airstriked. This is a "New Dawn" battle against three AIs, by the way, if that is relevant.

So, in my mind, it could have something to do with air superiority (the opponent may have finally researched fighters or flak), but my understanding is those things don't stop air missions, they just make air missions less effective and possibly subject to losses. One Weird Thing(tm) I noticed was target units had some strange numbers on them. See the pink oval in the screenshot below. What are those percentages and do they have any effect on air missions?

Thanks again for all the help. You gentlemen are very helpful.

Cheers,
CB

[ernieschwitz]

Those numbers have nothing to do with Air missions, they are offensive (red) and defensive (blue) bonuses (probably given by an officer that the AI has). The air problem might have something to do with not having enough fuel?

[CaptBeefheart]

Thanks for the bonus explanation. That makes a lot of sense.

I could air strike the "24," "76" and "32" stacks (from memory--ones in the middle anyway), but not "114" and others nearby, so it probably wouldn't have been a fuel issue. The problem also has lasted a few turns.

Cheers,
CB

[CaptBeefheart]

OK, in case anyone is following this, I got air strikes to work later on. One thing I noticed is that weather may have something to do with it, as one hex I couldn't target had mud conditions.

Cheers,
CB

[ernieschwitz]

Yes, weather will do that. Mud hexes don't allow for air movement (in Vanilla ATG).

[CaptBeefheart]

Thanks for that. I also noticed the AI doesn't seem to do amphibious invasions. I had one AI (to the south of the above screenshot) declare war on me and it seemed to keep a good chunk of its units in one city based on submarine recon, and other coastal cities were ungarrisoned. I purposely didn't mess with that one while I was handling Das Reich and it never invaded me, despite me having a pretty open home continent.

Under what conditions is the AI a challenge in this game?

Cheers,
CB

[ernieschwitz]

Thanks for that. I also noticed the AI doesn't seem to do amphibious invasions.

The AI handles naval actions very badly. They do not make amphibious landings, and does not use carriers optimally (they can use them but won't fly sorties).

[CaptBeefheart]

Good to know. I fired up an "80% Land" random scenario and the AI is providing a better fight so far.

Cheers,
CB