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ORIGINAL: Schanilec

Thanks Torplexed. Now I can consentrate on consulidating my forward bases. Date is 1 January 1942. BTW keep the flow of supplies (resources and oil) coming to Australia and New Zealand?

Fuel probably more than oil, but definitely YES. Especially if you plan to have any thirsty US carrier or surface groups operating in the area in the near future. They can drain local stocks dry pretty quick.

Good luck.

Excellent. One more question. what is the difference between the missions transport and cargo? I use cargo for support vessels AV, AS, AR, ARD, etc. But is there a real difference between the two missions when using merchant vessels?
 
Thanks,

Cargo is civilian, Transport under military control.
Thus transports have a better chance to press on in case of enemy threat, while cargo will - or at least should - withdraw or abort mission.
Note: this is based on original WitP, but I suspect that has not changed.

ORIGINAL: Rainer

Cargo is civilian, Transport under military control.
Thus transports have a better chance to press on in case of enemy threat, while cargo will - or at least should - withdraw or abort mission.
Note: this is based on original WitP, but I suspect that has not changed.

THANKS! I also wondered about this one ....

Thanks Rainer.
That makes sense. I noticed last night while forming and expermenting with convoy formation is that AP types alone will not use cargo missions.

ORIGINAL: Rainer

Cargo is civilian, Transport under military control.
Thus transports have a better chance to press on in case of enemy threat, while cargo will - or at least should - withdraw or abort mission.
Note: this is based on original WitP, but I suspect that has not changed.

Interesting take. I did not know this.

I've been playing under the impression that Cargo was really there for resources and oil hauling, just to administratively allow the player to see each kind of role for moving TFs, and since the Allies don't need to haul either, I never use Cargo for anything. All Transport for supplies and air groups. Either Tanker or Transport for fuel.

Without divulging code or algorithms, if a dev could confirm the above quote I think a lot of Allied players would change their TF formation habits.

Page 77 of the PDF manuals says only: "Cargo. These TFs are meant to carry supplies and resources. Maximum of 100 ships per TF." Nothing about TF behavior under threat. Doing a find search also shows the manual making a distinction between capital-C Cargo and small-c cargo, with the latter being interchangable with supplies, LCU devices, and sometimes liquid cargo.

Any dev clarification welcome.

AP types alone will not use cargo missions.

True enough [;)]

While forming a Cargo TF the (x)APs in that port won't even show up (the Navy apparently doesn't like their gems being handled by civilians).

Any dev clarification welcome.

Indeed.
As far as I know there is a new function (which didn't exist in WitP) where Task Forces try to avoid enemy threats by re-routing, and resuming after enemy threat diminishes. If the "abort mission" for Cargo TFs is still in existence I do not know.

Michael, Joe, Don et al - your call [;)]