Amphibious operations

[havoc1371]

What is the logic behind units landing amphibiously being able to move from the landing hex, attack, then move again? Makes them really powerful. All the other SC games, you can land and move one hex, attack, and that's it. If you land in a hex and attack immediately, you don't get to move the one hex. The South can't defend their ports even if they place one infantry on the coast next to a city with a fort in it, because the enemy units land next to them, move past the defending infantry and attack the fort, moves out of the way for the next landing unit, then the next lands, attacks the fort, destroying it (even at level 2), then moves into the city. I'm thinking the landing units are a little too mobile on the initial landing.

[BiteNibbleChomp]

Historically the Union conducted a ton of landings, at just about all of them, the fort or small CS garrison was quickly defeated (we're usually talking less than 2000 men) and the target in question was swiftly occupied. I think Galveston was the only one eventually retaken by the CS, and that was only after a few months' delay.
Owing to the rather limited communications and mobility of forces during this era, a rapid response to a landing wasn't possible. If the garrison in the targeted city was too small, there would be a battle (usually near) the target city, which would last for a few hours, then the defenders retreated. A few hours isn't enough time to telegraph Richmond, put a brigade on a train (which might mean marching them across a third of a state to get to the nearest railroad), ship them down, have them unload, and join the defence. Yes, some of this was true in WW2 as well, but in WW2 the defenders had the option of calling in air support, and the beaches were probably defended too - in the ACW an army would land 10 km away (usually undetected) and just march overland - within the space of the same hex on the map, but very different in practical terms.
So how to represent this in game? Initially I tried keeping the WW2 rule of 1 AP in place, but what usually happens there is that the Marine lands, kills the fort, and then its move ends. Next turn, the CS rails in some good unit to defend the town, few turns later the invasion fails, as there's not enough amphibs (or land units) to really do a D-day landing. If you can land additional units, you might get the town, but some places (Mobile being an obvious example) that's just not possible given the first unit is ending its turn where it was, and therefore another unit can't be landed in that same hex. ACW also doesn't have the option of just blasting the defender with tac air and landing in an empty city, that Marine has to be the one to kill its target.
TLDR, 2 AP is necessary to replicate the historical landings (and notably, historical success) the Union had with landings.

I will note that in 1.03 it is now possible to disband forts, so if you want to prioritise the defence of a certain place by putting a Division there, you can do so.

- BNC

[Duedman]

This is a very good and reasonable explanation (which I would have liked sooner, since I was also complaining about this )