Straits of Gibraltar and Mobilization

[havoc1371]

Is there are reason that only Britain can transit the Straits of Gibraltar until they declare war? France has a navy in the Med and Atlantic, yet it can't go back an forth and must wait for Britain to declare war or go around Africa. And why is it impossible to do in WW I for the Germans, but not in the World at War and War in Europe games?

Mobilization: Any way they could fix the algorithm for mobilization that doesn't place an HQ next to an enemy unit?

[BillRunacre]

Countries cannot pass their units through neutral territory, which is why the French cannot sail past the straits until the British have entered the war.

Re the HQ mobilization, can you give me a specific example where this is happening? It might not be possible to prevent but I may be able to reduce the chance of it happening.

[mdsmall]

I understand the game mechanics, but it seems a bit odd that when Britain is neutral is would prevent ships from passing by the Straits of Gibraltar which were an international shipping lane. That should apply to Central Powers units too. The issue could be resolved by writing a loop for both sides to use to pass both ways through the Straits while the UK has not yet mobilized, but which disappears once the UK enters the war. This situation only applies for the first four or five turns of the game but it can be a bit annoying for the French and might offer some interesting possibilities for the Central Powers (e.g. perhaps the Goeben could try to escape into the Atlantic by passing through the Straits if Germany is not at war with the UK).