Trying new things - paradrops, amphibious, city bombing - can't execute
Posted: Sat Mar 09, 2013 5:45 pm
I'm guessing the reasons are not related, but am toying with some new-to-me things to see what the limits are, and failing to get them to execute.
Some of it I think might be UI being different than how I read the manual (and the forum) info on the matters in question - others might be rules I haven't been able to find out about.
I'd appreciate any help and suggestions.
Background for all the issues: Soviet side, 1941, first December turn. Weather is snow but no thick ice anywhere.
1) Amphibious. This looks it could either be UI misunderstanding on my part or some rule I haven't found mentioned.
Background: I have a port (Oraniambaum) on a body of water with plenty of capacity (Baltic - 7000 shipping available) and there are German units right next to it. I have three infantry units starting the turn on the port hex. I select the amphibious transport mode with the tool bar, left-click on the port hex to select the units. The port does not have a working railroad connection as that was cut off some distance back.
What happens: A small number of nearby coastal hexes show up in color - some green and some yellow (not sure what the different colors mean - red would be bad per the manual but other colors aren't discussed.) As I move the cursor toward any of them, nothing happens - no string of numbers. When I right click on any of the hexes (green or yellow) it just changes the selection to that coastal hex - no landing occurs.
If I switch to naval transport mode, the strings of numbers show up and I suspect I could use this mode as expected.
My guess: Either there is some time-restriction on when the Soviets can do amphibious landings, maybe there is a requirement for the originating port to have a connection to the supply grid, or the UI is looking for me to do something other than left click units and right click destinations. (Still no idea what the yellow and green hexes mean)
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2) Airborne drops
Background: 2 Airborne regiments start the turn in the same hex as a VVS airbase with two U-2(transp) units. Hex is light woods on a working rail line. Both U-2(transport) units have 19 planes available and decent experience and good morale.
What happens: In movement mode, left click on the hex with the airbase/paratroopers. Use the selection bar so only one paratrooper is selected. Select air transport mode via the tool bar. Shift-left click on a nearby hex, then close window. Non-feasible area greyed out. Shift-left-click on a feasible spot - town with railroad in light woods. Select the transports and hit launch. A window comes up saying "Not a valid a air-transport selection" (sic) and nothing happens. The target hex doesn't seem to matter - tried a clear hex in German territory and a clear hex right next to the airbase with no change.
Doing the same thing with a nearby airbase/paratroop pair worked as expected. This airbase had an IL-2 unit.
My guess: I'm guessing the U-2(transp) units might not be good for airdrop operations? But if so, there's nothing I can find about types of transports not able to do airdrops. Not even a field name in the CSV export from the editor that implies it. So I'm at a loss to explain.
Side comment: UI for this seems unnecessarily complex, to the new player.
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3) City Bombing
Background: Airbase is full of IL-4s (radius 773) with decent experience and morale (54 exp, 71 morale, for example). Leader (Golovanov) has excellent credentials for a Soviet at this stage - Morale 7, Air 7, Admin 4, Initiative 5 - and is in a HQ 3 hexes away. Airbase is in the Crimea, south of the South Soviet zone.
Go to City Attack using toolbar. Select a red hex target 34 hexes away in the South Soviet zone. "Bomber Aircraft Unavailable or out of range". In fact, none of the target hexes shown in red can be attacked, regardless of distance or what weather zone.
My guess: snow?
Some of it I think might be UI being different than how I read the manual (and the forum) info on the matters in question - others might be rules I haven't been able to find out about.
I'd appreciate any help and suggestions.
Background for all the issues: Soviet side, 1941, first December turn. Weather is snow but no thick ice anywhere.
1) Amphibious. This looks it could either be UI misunderstanding on my part or some rule I haven't found mentioned.
Background: I have a port (Oraniambaum) on a body of water with plenty of capacity (Baltic - 7000 shipping available) and there are German units right next to it. I have three infantry units starting the turn on the port hex. I select the amphibious transport mode with the tool bar, left-click on the port hex to select the units. The port does not have a working railroad connection as that was cut off some distance back.
What happens: A small number of nearby coastal hexes show up in color - some green and some yellow (not sure what the different colors mean - red would be bad per the manual but other colors aren't discussed.) As I move the cursor toward any of them, nothing happens - no string of numbers. When I right click on any of the hexes (green or yellow) it just changes the selection to that coastal hex - no landing occurs.
If I switch to naval transport mode, the strings of numbers show up and I suspect I could use this mode as expected.
My guess: Either there is some time-restriction on when the Soviets can do amphibious landings, maybe there is a requirement for the originating port to have a connection to the supply grid, or the UI is looking for me to do something other than left click units and right click destinations. (Still no idea what the yellow and green hexes mean)
*************
2) Airborne drops
Background: 2 Airborne regiments start the turn in the same hex as a VVS airbase with two U-2(transp) units. Hex is light woods on a working rail line. Both U-2(transport) units have 19 planes available and decent experience and good morale.
What happens: In movement mode, left click on the hex with the airbase/paratroopers. Use the selection bar so only one paratrooper is selected. Select air transport mode via the tool bar. Shift-left click on a nearby hex, then close window. Non-feasible area greyed out. Shift-left-click on a feasible spot - town with railroad in light woods. Select the transports and hit launch. A window comes up saying "Not a valid a air-transport selection" (sic) and nothing happens. The target hex doesn't seem to matter - tried a clear hex in German territory and a clear hex right next to the airbase with no change.
Doing the same thing with a nearby airbase/paratroop pair worked as expected. This airbase had an IL-2 unit.
My guess: I'm guessing the U-2(transp) units might not be good for airdrop operations? But if so, there's nothing I can find about types of transports not able to do airdrops. Not even a field name in the CSV export from the editor that implies it. So I'm at a loss to explain.
Side comment: UI for this seems unnecessarily complex, to the new player.
*************
3) City Bombing
Background: Airbase is full of IL-4s (radius 773) with decent experience and morale (54 exp, 71 morale, for example). Leader (Golovanov) has excellent credentials for a Soviet at this stage - Morale 7, Air 7, Admin 4, Initiative 5 - and is in a HQ 3 hexes away. Airbase is in the Crimea, south of the South Soviet zone.
Go to City Attack using toolbar. Select a red hex target 34 hexes away in the South Soviet zone. "Bomber Aircraft Unavailable or out of range". In fact, none of the target hexes shown in red can be attacked, regardless of distance or what weather zone.
My guess: snow?