Planned AG/AOG transfers to airbases - confusing

[MarkShot]

Okay the drag and drop UI is nicely done and intuitive.

But beyond a few trivial cases, keeping in your head what is going where and what is going to be open gets quite confusing. The advantage of a single base target and immediate was much easier to work with in WITW.

Now, I know that you can use the AI to do this with the 4 movement options and FHQ. But the manual warns, not to mix methods (AI & manual). So, I know better what's important to move forwards to me, whether they are getting tanks, whether the rail will be ready, etc... In a fast moving dash, I can be more aggressive than the AI.

Actually, I think the move should just be done on the screen (despite pending, the users gets a message as is now and perhaps the airbase is colored to denote a pending transfer). But on screen it happens immediately. So, the player can construct his/her air move without an exercise in visualization.

Thanks.

[Zovs]

Don't understand what your getting at.

Once you select an air unit to move to another base, the method I use is very easy. Hold down the shift key and click on the new base you want to move the unit to. Doing this sets the unit to move after the air planning phase to be moved in the logistic phase. If you want to move the unit immediately just right click and select that option.

Step 1, select the units (they turn gold):



Step 2, shift and then left click on the new airbase to move them to:



Step 3, they are now ready to move to the new airbase, by default it will be done after you execute the air planning phase:



Step 4, if you want to override that and move them now, right click on the AOG and select that option:



Easy peasy

[MarkShot]

I understand how the mechanics work, and they are clear enough.

The confusion comes in when stepping up to a limited number of bases. As it is planned for the next logistics phase versus when things are immediate; it is quite clear when an airbase is available if starting with the forward bases immediately. But with the delayed move, you need to remember which bases will be empty. It begins to get a bit much to keep in your head. You should be able to move the AGs like in a WEGO system, but it will happen later.

[Sammy5IsAlive]

So the way I do it is

1. select the AOG (or open up an airfield to select individual air groups).

2. I use the hold CTRL + draw a box method to choose the destination airfield(s)

3. Go to the side bar and the display for the AOG, click 'transfer' and then click 'planned transfer'. The game gives you a pop up asking you to confirm if you want to execute the planned transfer. Confirm this and the groups usually move immediately, accumulating air miles. Sometimes if there is insufficient supply they will not move, in that situation I think using immediate transfer will force the move as in Zov's example

4. If necessary I might right click the destination airfield and select the 'resupply airbase' option to get its supply up immediately.

You can do this in both air planning and movement phase.

So I tend to have very few (if any) moves left 'planned' for the logisitics phase. I'll only tend to do it that way if there are very significant supply issues (so as above if the planned transfer doesn't happen immediately I won't force it and will leave it to happen when the supply system allows it) or if I want an AOG/AG to remain where it is and fly in the Soviet airphase before then moving in the logistics phase.

I've no idea if the above method is optimal but I've never run into the problems you describe of losing track of where stuff is going.

[Zovs]

Nice detailed post Sammy5IsAlive! Thanks for the draw method and its details.

[MarkShot]

Doing it prior to the air phase is certainly easiest, as there is nothing that will get in your way (unless you are expecting to use captured bases). Thus, no need to play musical chairs.

My problem is that I was racing ahead with my armor and capturing an airbase or two every turn. Then, resupplying them with air freight at the end of the turn. In general despite drop tanks and their range, I was trying to keep them (transport) forward so that the armor could remain in range.

This is what has led to me doing airbase moves last after the combat phase. (By this point though, quite a few AGs have exhausted their miles and must wait.)

In the past, I have moved too slowly and ham stringed my armor by waiting for tracks to get repaired. I am trying to see how fast I can keep moving, by resupply via air and having rear guard infantry resupplied by long truck hauls (which I know is not optimal), but just a few holding the lines of communication open.