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device stockpiling
Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2014 3:45 pm
by geofflambert
Would anyone care to discuss the reasons why you might want to stockpile certain devices? Does it increase production of that particular device? Does it prevent units from upgrading devices until the pool for the old device is exhausted?
RE: device stockpiling
Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2014 4:04 pm
by jmalter
hi Gorn, here's an example.
In China, scads of Infantry Corps will want to upgrade to the Rifle Squad 43, at the same time they want to change out the 75mm field-pieces for 105 Howitzers. Production of these guns is very low, you might want to save them for the Chinese ART Rgts. So set the Chinese 105 to stockpile=Y, and the INF corps will upgrade their other devices. In the device pools screen, filter the list to show Chinese Army Guns, to make sure you're setting the correct device.
When you've saved up the 16 howitzers needed for 1 ART rgt, turn its stockpile switch to N, & set 1 rgt to upgrade. But you'll have to turn upgrades OFF for ALL other Chinese units that might want to grab those guns!
When a device is set to stockpile, it will no longer show a + or = next to the device list.
Stockpiling does not increase production. It does prevent upgrading units from getting those devices.
RE: device stockpiling
Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2014 4:15 pm
by geofflambert
I can see that just like with air units, upgrade should be off until you give permission. I wasn't aware that you could even fiddle with that as an allied player. I'm suspecting it's real important for the Axis player. Are the production schedules fixed for the various devices, including obsolescence (dependant on sufficient resources available)? Is there a way to find that out?
I bet there's a whole thread on this already. Anyone know where?
RE: device stockpiling
Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2014 4:43 pm
by Spidery
So if you are the Japanese player, would setting the "25mm T96 AA Gun" to stockpile prevent the upgrading of the "40mm T91 AA Gun" to this while also allowing the base forces with that gun to upgrade their radar sets? The 25mm gun seems an inferior flak gun to the 40mm (at least in DaBigBabes).
RE: device stockpiling
Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2014 4:58 pm
by jmalter
hi Spidery, you are correct, the AA guns will not upgrade if the new device is set to stockpile.
One must also check the old device, often it will go out of production and its pools will zero out. When replacements are no longer available, the only choice is to allow some rear-area units to upgrade, returning the more-effective devices to the pools.
There's a setting in Preferences, 'Auto convert obsolete devices' ON/OFF. I have it set to ON in my current game, and old-model Inf squads from upgraded LCUs get returned to the pools and (probably after a time-delay) get added to the pools as the new-type squad. I don't know if this setting also affects non-squad devices. I do know that you can effectively change this pref at will in a game vs. the AI, dunno if it will change in a PBEM. Prob is, it's a global setting for all devices, unlike stockpiling which can be set for individual devices.
RE: device stockpiling
Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2014 5:00 pm
by geofflambert
ORIGINAL: Spidery
So if you are the Japanese player, would setting the "25mm T96 AA Gun" to stockpile prevent the upgrading of the "40mm T91 AA Gun" to this while also allowing the base forces with that gun to upgrade their radar sets? The 25mm gun seems an inferior flak gun to the 40mm (at least in DaBigBabes).
That's half the question. Would it also mean the 40mms would continue to be produced for replacements?
Another thing on that particular example; I think the 25mm would make a fine ground defense weapon (against LCUs), so if you could plug them into machine cannon companies that are being used in that way, that might be a plan.
RE: device stockpiling
Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2014 5:07 pm
by jmalter
ORIGINAL: geofflambert
I can see that just like with air units, upgrade should be off until you give permission. I wasn't aware that you could even fiddle with that as an allied player. I'm suspecting it's real important for the Axis player. Are the production schedules fixed for the various devices, including obsolescence (dependant on sufficient resources available)? Is there a way to find that out?
I bet there's a whole thread on this already. Anyone know where?
I agree. There's some settings for auto-upgrades and base construction that I turn off globally when I start a game. Production is fixed for nearly everything, although the IJ player has options for R&D and factory expansion. As an Allies-only player, there are many on-map airframe factories producing planes, in addition to abstracted off-map production. These on-map factories have automatic R&D and production changes, but I haven't found a way to discover what they will change to when they upgrade. There are more than a few, esp. in Oz, that I wish I had prevented from upgrading.
RE: device stockpiling
Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2014 11:42 pm
by cohimbra
As japanese player I set to stokpile my mines; I don't want they automatically loaded when I form
a new TF, I want to manage it manually.
RE: device stockpiling
Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2014 12:30 am
by PaxMondo
I stockpile devices all the time as IJ. The reason is I want to control which units I allow to upgrade which device. It all about controlling expenses as the IJ. ARM/VEH is really expensive, 6HI each, per load cost. So a device with a load cost=100 costs 600HI each. There is also a supply cost as well ....
RE: device stockpiling
Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2014 4:44 am
by Spidery
Some Japanese radar upgrades many times in 1942 and reaches its final model in 1943. For rear area base forces, if these are prevented from upgrading until the final model is available will only the HI and supply cost of a single upgrade be paid?
RE: device stockpiling
Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2014 10:38 am
by Banzan
Allied players (not sure about those JFBs) can just upgrade squads to a new squad type, but only if they got as many squads in the pool as they want to change.
As an example, turn on stockpile for the US 42 infantry squads, wait till you got enough to upgrade 1/3 of a division. Split the division you want to upgrade into /A, /B, /C subunits and switch to upgrade "on". Turn stockpile off, and watch them upgrade to the new squads without spending them. Once you upgraded all units you want, you can start replenishing units.
RE: device stockpiling
Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2014 2:37 pm
by crsutton
ORIGINAL: Banzan
Allied players (not sure about those JFBs) can just upgrade squads to a new squad type, but only if they got as many squads in the pool as they want to change.
As an example, turn on stockpile for the US 42 infantry squads, wait till you got enough to upgrade 1/3 of a division. Split the division you want to upgrade into /A, /B, /C subunits and switch to upgrade "on". Turn stockpile off, and watch them upgrade to the new squads without spending them. Once you upgraded all units you want, you can start replenishing units.
Yes but squads work differently from devices in that with devices you lose the exact number from the pool for the device upgraded. This is not the case with squads which will upgrade (if you have enough in the pool) but not require any squads from the pool to do so. From the Allies side, I found that you rarely have to worry about stockpiling American devices but it is a must with all Commonwealth forces and the Chinese. The replacement rate of devices for these forces is pretty pitiful and it is a pain not to be able to recombine divisions because of mismatched devices.
RE: device stockpiling
Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2014 3:19 pm
by jmalter
Aargh, I inadvertently let a USMC /B unit upgrade early, it took ages to accrue enough devices to get the /A & /C parts to upgrade, so that the div could re-combine. Major mistake on my part.
RE: device stockpiling
Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2014 5:30 pm
by cohimbra
ORIGINAL: PaxMondo
I stockpile devices all the time as IJ. The reason is I want to control which units I allow to upgrade which device. It all about controlling expenses as the IJ. ARM/VEH is really expensive, 6HI each, per load cost. So a device with a load cost=100 costs 600HI each. There is also a supply cost as well ....
Nice idea. I'll try it...if it don't make me crazy...
RE: device stockpiling
Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2014 9:22 pm
by geofflambert
ORIGINAL: cohimbra
ORIGINAL: PaxMondo
I stockpile devices all the time as IJ. The reason is I want to control which units I allow to upgrade which device. It all about controlling expenses as the IJ. ARM/VEH is really expensive, 6HI each, per load cost. So a device with a load cost=100 costs 600HI each. There is also a supply cost as well ....
Nice idea. I'll try it...if it don't make me crazy...
Please. You're playing WitP-AE. Any questions of your sanity have gone by the boards a long time ago. [:'(]
RE: device stockpiling
Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2014 9:30 pm
by Numdydar
90% of this kind of stuff I ignore as Japan. Simply because it really will not effect the end game. So as the Allies, it makes even less sense to me. Even a '41/'42 CW or US ID is much better than one or even two Japanese IDs, regardless of the devices in the units.
But if you think this enhances the game for you and will have an impact, then I'm gald you can do this in the game. But definately not something I would bother with [:)]
RE: device stockpiling
Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2014 1:01 am
by PaxMondo
I play for the logistics. All that combat is just filler. [;)]
RE: device stockpiling
Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2014 9:28 am
by ny59giants
For an Allied player there are some that I do as you cannot recombine a division if one part (A, B, or C) does a device and the other two don't.
40mm Bofors 42 - just about every non-USA and non-Chinese units wants them.
Bren AAMG, Lewis AAMG, Vickers AAMG - It happened to me again with an broken down Indian division. [:(]
Garrison & Garrison 43 - this one is easy to overlook. But, if a static unit is forced to retreat, you don't want it to take in this device and take up permanent roots in some clear terrain hex that you have no use for.[:-]
25 Pounder Gun - Again, all your CW troops all want it vs the 18 Pounder they start with.
3" Mortar 43 - Another device for all your CW troops.
3.7" Jungle Gun - more CW device.
The CW type troops are the ones that you need to focus on as Allies as they are short on many devices to go to all the troops that need them. You need to ration them to the important troops...mainly divisions.
RE: device stockpiling
Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2014 12:02 pm
by Numdydar
I have never had any problem combining units into divisions to date. Have I just been lucky? I am using the betas if that makes any difference.
RE: device stockpiling
Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2014 12:53 pm
by crsutton
ORIGINAL: ny59giants
For an Allied player there are some that I do as you cannot recombine a division if one part (A, B, or C) does a device and the other two don't.
40mm Bofors 42 - just about every non-USA and non-Chinese units wants them.
Bren AAMG, Lewis AAMG, Vickers AAMG - It happened to me again with an broken down Indian division. [:(]
Garrison & Garrison 43 - this one is easy to overlook. But, if a static unit is forced to retreat, you don't want it to take in this device and take up permanent roots in some clear terrain hex that you have no use for.[:-]
25 Pounder Gun - Again, all your CW troops all want it vs the 18 Pounder they start with.
3" Mortar 43 - Another device for all your CW troops.
3.7" Jungle Gun - more CW device.
The CW type troops are the ones that you need to focus on as Allies as they are short on many devices to go to all the troops that need them. You need to ration them to the important troops...mainly divisions.
Six pounder and 17 pounder AT gun, valentine tanks, Grant and Lee tanks, Indian and British combat engineers-it never stops. Upgrading any commonwealth unit takes planning. You really have to pay attention to the devices.