Matrix Games Forums

Why is the strength of the notional unit in Rotterdam zero?

The notional unit has 1 combat factor, modified by:

+1 if it is a city hex;

+1 if the hex is in the home country of the major power that controls the hex;

+1 if it is not stacked with a land unit, but is in the ZOC of a friendly corps or army;

+ the shore bombardment modifier for each invading unit;

-1 if it cannot trace a basic supply path of any length; and

-1 if surprised (see 15.0).

The notional unit's strength starts out at one. Rotterdam is a city, +1. It is not (any longer) next to a friendly unit. No shore bombardment. It's a Netherlands notional in a Netherlands home city, so it is in supply. It is surprised, -1. So
1 + 1 - 1
should equal 1. MWIF calculates zero.

Am I wrong, or is the program? When the Dutch corps in Amsterdam was still there, MWIF calculated the notional strength as two. Killing the Amsterdam corps should have reduced the strength to one, not zero.

It's a bug...

It appears that Rotterdam is not acting like a primary supply source for the Dutch.

Courtenay, can you send in a saved game for this, please.

Yes, I can.

I was wrong when I said the strength was two with Amsterdam there. The strength was two when MWIF asked if I wanted to include the notional unit. When the Land Combat Selection form came up, the strength was down to one, but I had not realized it had changed. I only noticed the problem after Amsterdam was captured, when I actually looked at the combat odds. To get the saved game I had to go back to the autosave, and only then did I notice that the strength was wrong (one, not two) with Amsterdam still there.

Deleted - wrong thread

I don't think this is a bug. Calculation should be like this:

+1 for basic notional
+1 for city
-1 for being surprised
-1 for not being able to trace unlimited supply path (because of hex being in enemy ZOC)

= 0

So the game does it like I would have done it on the board game according to RAW.

A city is a supply source even if in a ZOC. Tracing to the hex you occupy is not a supply concept in WiF. You trace from a unit to a source. If the distance is zero, you are in supply.

A real unit in Rotterdam would be in supply, even just an air or naval unit - so a notional is in supply there.

I pretty much agree with you, except this:

"Tracing to the hex you occupy is not a supply concept in WiF."
"...even just an air or naval unit..."
- In principle, you always draw up a supply path. If you can't you are out of supply. In most cases where you draw as supply path to the same hex, it is trivial, however, because enemy ZOC does not block a supply path in a hex containing a friendly land unit. In this case the hex does not, so the enemy ZOC blocks drawing a supply path.

I just realized, however, that "the notional unit is treated like a normal unit for all purposes during combat except that they only have a ZoC into their own hex and are always face-down." (RAW 11.14)

So in this case, the notional should be counted as a land unit and prevent the blocking of supply. So I was wrong, the notional should have strength 1. But it is easy to misinterpret the rules here.

It is a bug that has been reported and is on the list of things to fix but likely not of the highest priority.

ORIGINAL: lomyrin

It is a bug that has been reported and is on the list of things to fix but likely not of the highest priority.

We appreciate you beta-testers running interference to let us know that our moans and groans are on the list.

[8D]

Remember to take into account the modifier from the invading units sea box. I don't see anyone adding that in to the calculations

Excellent point. Was the 7-2 MIL in the attack invading? Nonetheless, the notional would have been the same or higher in value, though.

No invasion. This was a paradrop aided by a corps attacking from Arnhem.