Transport AI command not work with Solo HQ

[Lothos]

If you have an nothing but HQs and no other units and issue a transport command it will not be executed. The AI will only transport an HQ if their is at least one other land unit to transport with it.

This has caused, for example, a solo South Africa HQ to get always stuck in South Africa unless I put it near another unit and then it will be transported.

[Hubert Cater]

This is correct, and default planning behaviour as all plans will consider HQs, Anti-Air -> Anti-Tank units, as secondary add on units and will only be assigned after other core units have been added and make up the core of the plan.

For the most part this is ideal as it ensures that these units have plans they should be associated with, and not taken away from a more important plan/purpose, but yes in some cases if you have a single HQ somewhere and just want to move it somewhere else this is just something you'll have to try and find a way to work around.

[Lothos]

This is correct, and default planning behaviour as all plans will consider HQs, Anti-Air -> Anti-Tank units, as secondary add on units and will only be assigned after other core units have been added and make up the core of the plan.

For the most part this is ideal as it ensures that these units have plans they should be associated with, and not taken away from a more important plan/purpose, but yes in some cases if you have a single HQ somewhere and just want to move it somewhere else this is just something you'll have to try and find a way to work around.

Make sense

BUT, I have seen simulations now where all of the UK HQs have sat in England and not moved to France with the other units and because they were the last units left they never moved at all. So what happened was we had about 6 UK HQs in the UK and 1 in France with a massive UK army.

Also, I have never seen a Garrison unit ever get on a transport. I have seen Anti-Air and HQs though.

Some sort of field to specific the UNIT type to transport as an override would be helpful just like it was done for FLEET AI commands.

[Hubert Cater]

If you use a TRANSPORT MINOR plan then no HQs will be added, just throwing that out there in case that applies to some of what you have seen.

[Lothos]

If you use a TRANSPORT MINOR plan then no HQs will be added, just throwing that out there in case that applies to some of what you have seen.

I know you mentioned this before that a transport plan (even if the main transport.txt file) will not load an HQ by itself to be moved but if you look at the attached saved game you will see why I am asking for something. This is a problem that happens VERY often.

Look in the area of Ethiopia and you will see multiple HQs that are stuck. The transport command took all the other troops that were used out of the area but the HQs got stuck and now wont transport out.

[Hubert Cater]

Try using a longer build up plan length, and multiple transport plans to multiple locations that would essentially bring the units to the desired local target area.

This is only because only one HQ will be added by default per transport plan, and with the longer build up length you can ensure that all the HQs will be loaded before the transport plans complete, e.g. once the core units have unloaded and if an HQ has yet to load up onto a transport, it is possible the plan will be cancelled at that point and the HQ will not load at all.

[Lothos]

Try using a longer build up plan length, and multiple transport plans to multiple locations that would essentially bring the units to the desired local target area.

This is only because only one HQ will be added by default per transport plan, and with the longer build up length you can ensure that all the HQs will be loaded before the transport plans complete, e.g. once the core units have unloaded and if an HQ has yet to load up onto a transport, it is possible the plan will be cancelled at that point and the HQ will not load at all.

But even then that wont always solve the problem.

For example the AI, by default, if a transport gets attack and has 5 strength or less will go to the nearest friendly port. At that point the unit gets stuck their (hence why I created all these Lost Unit scripts to retrieve these). The problem is what if the only transport to get his was the HQ. It then runs to a far secluded port and then sits their. No amount of build length will ever pick it up and move it.

I understand amphib being the way it is but a Transport command should transport HQs even if nothing else is available. That is why we have the transport minor.

The problem I described I have seen happen several times with HQs being stuck in strange places to be lost for the rest of the game despite having a LOST UNITS transport command being executed.

[Hubert Cater]

I see the concerns, however if we allow solo HQs to solve that issue, it does potentially open up other issues elsewhere, e.g. stealing of HQs from plans where we would rather have that HQ apply to an OFFENSIVE plan or similar. Essentially this is why we have the current transport logic and generally plan logic for now as HQs are only added to plans with size from core units.

We could get around that with additional flags to ensure things go exactly as we would like, but that would not be at the top of my work list at the moment unfortunately.

I can add it to the list, just can't promise if or when it might get worked into the game.

[Lothos]

I see the concerns, however if we allow solo HQs to solve that issue, it does potentially open up other issues elsewhere, e.g. stealing of HQs from plans where we would rather have that HQ apply to an OFFENSIVE plan or similar. Essentially this is why we have the current transport logic and generally plan logic for now as HQs are only added to plans with size from core units.

We could get around that with additional flags to ensure things go exactly as we would like, but that would not be at the top of my work list at the moment unfortunately.

I can add it to the list, just can't promise if or when it might get worked into the game.

The fact you will consider it is fantastic

Thank you

FYI, if you look at the current version of the mod you will see a bunch of transport scripts called "LOST UNITS" in the name. It was the best I could come up with to solve the issue I been describing.

I think the assumption was made that transporting of troops would almost always come from the home country (which makes sense to a degree). But that logic has issues when (in the saved game case) a front has ceased to be a fight and the units need to move out to a new area where the conflict exists.