M10BOB: You are indeed correct. It isn't an "error" in the sense it is quite deliberate. A detailed explanation is
found under RHS documentation.
Because RHS is a simulation more than it is a game, and because Mifune and I believe that logistics and
economics is the foundation that defines what is possible in military terms, we sought to facilitate the movement
of supplies, resources, fuel and oil, and yes, also units, between bodies of land where local conditions and
infrastructure permitted that. A crude form of what we have done is part of stock design - and always has been.
Two adjacent ports of Level 3 or above will permit the flow of a limited amount of supply (etc) between them
without player intervention (e.g. loading them on ships). In fact, RHS exploits that feature by occasionally
exaggerating a port from Level 2 to 3 - just to insure an important historical flow actually is not zero.
What we did was create "ferries" - and also very rarely - tunnels - between bodies of land. [The first "under
ocean railway tunnel" between Kyushu and Honshu is completed early in WWII - Spring 1942 if memory serves. Whenever
it completes, it appears as a primary railroad in that season in RHS.] There are several different types of ferries,
and these are indicated in map art by symbols - usually the letter F in various colors. The color code is on
the map art too. Of course, that only works if you use RHS map art. And only the no hex art is fully developed.
There are several kinds of ferries:
Low Capacity Ferries are modeled by trails in pwhexe.dat terms
High Capacity Ferries (as between Shikoku and Honshu) are modeled by secondary roads
Railroad Ferries are modeled by Secondary Railroads which connect Primary Railroads in adjacent hexes
{mainly to cross the Yangtze in the thousand miles lacking any bridges, and connecting Japanese islands).
There is also the very special case of Adam's Bridge between India and Ceylon. This is the name for
a peculiar geographic feature that is almost a natural land bridge - very long - between the island and
the sub-continent. Along that foundation a railroad (and for much of the way, a road) were built. But
there IS a gap - a point where the trains had to embark on a ferry (passengers and cargo remain on the train)
and there is NO road at all. This is modeled by a secondary railroad for one hex connecting primary railroad
hexes. There is also a trail for two hexes (on the Southern end) connecting to secondary road on the Northern
end and primary roads on Ceylon. As well, shallow draft vessels may cross Adam's Bridge at one point - the
place where a real RR bridge span permits such a passage via a channel. The biggest ships must go around
Ceylon, but small and medium ships may pass right through the bridge!
"Ferries" usually model vessels of various kinds too small to model and too much trouble to force players to manage.
They only exist in areas where there are both marine assets and significant traffic to the extent that NOT to
permit movement (in particular logistic movement) is more "wrong" than to permit it. Normally a land unit wanting
to cross on a low capacity ferry needs several days to do so. I rationalize that to mean they have to gather enough
assets and plan the crossing. Also, often, we turn such a passage into something like a river crossing: where
we use a river hex-side it means that a crossing will force a shock attack. A different and invisible consideration
is that a crossing of this sort is ALWAYS defined as a strait - either narrow or wide. That makes the chance of
detection and engagement by naval units go up.
Because our PRIMARY intent is to have the economy work right - and since combat is only rarely involved -
the general intent is achieved by these practices. On the rare occasion units elect to move - or are forced to
move - across such hex-sides - there can be effects quite different from stock AE or WITP. Generally, I like them.
Bali is a key to invading Java for example. Taking it provides a port and a forward airfield. But it also means one
can "walk" across the strait (via two different routes) from the small island to the big island. This is in my
view better than pretending there is no land threat to Java from an enemy force on Bali. But one must rationalize
how they make the crossing? Do they use rubber rafts? Do they seize native small craft (present in great numbers)
and organize them? Do they use actual ferries? Does it matter? Generally, each possible connection is carefully
analyzed and modeled in a form most appropriate to conditions. The most common case is NO connection at all. This
happens when there is no local traffic or vessels to facilitate it.
Note that the idea of a "ferry" being a real road or railroad has always been part of WITP and AE. Hong Kong Island
is NOT connected to the mainland - yet it has an actual road and rail connection in the game. The ferry system is
fully developed. We simply applied the same principle to other places as we deemed them to be appropriate. And
note that RHS is an open project - we permit any specific decision to be challenged. We review every one. And we
regularly make changes because of such challenges. Either accepting them as offered, or modifying them, or presenting
the suggestion one way in some scenarios and a different way in other scenarios. The REASON there are multiple
scenarios in RHS is to offer choices to players.
Finally, note that I do NOT recommend solitaire play. AI is misnamed - it is not really either AI or "intelligent."
But to the extent that RHS facilitates it - as Joe Wilkerson pointed out one MUST have an AI scenario for test reasons -
we have ONE scenario which has none of the features of RHS that only humans can understand. That is RHSAIO
(RHS AI Oriented) Scenario 122. There are no railroad units (which are supposed to move along railroads),
no inland waterways (AI does not grasp a waterway not connected to the ocean), or other things the confuse AI.
Further, as in stock, BECAUSE RHS uses wholly unmodified stock AI "scripts" - AI ONLY works for AI as Japan.
It never works well as the Allies.
ORIGINAL: m10bob
Possible errata on map?
In scenario 122 I am playing the AI game for the millionth time, (lol) and after taking Roi namur, the Japanese were able to run by foot to Kwajelein!
Next turn I was able to give pursuing units orders to march there, and the orders took.
Is this possible IRL?
