Matrix Games Forums

Okay, finally starting to look beyond battles etc and looking at the things that make battles happen.
I am seriously looking at trying to maximise my shipping and the Cargo TFs that are needed to give bases the supplies they need. Fuel supplies are another concern.
However, two questions before any others.
1. Can anyone confirm that the supplies needed line when you open a bases screen are per month? I think I saw this about a year or so ago but I cannot find any concrete evidence that this is so. I may have missed the part of the manual that states this. If so, "mea culpa" but can anyone either quote the relevant manual section or lacking that, confirm that supplies needed are /are not monthly figures?
2. Key question. The speed of TF is given as e.g. 5/4 or 4/3 or 3/3 . Does this mean that the TF moves 9 hexes and 7 hexes and 6 hexes respectively per full 1 day turn. I can understand they may slow down at night hence the 4 per day 12 hour pulse and then a 3 hex night pulse. Is this correct? I am in the middle of constructing an Excel spreadsheet that shows me when and where TFs have to go to keep the supply levels up but across the Pacific, a difference of a hex or two per full day turn does make an impact. i.e. San Francisco to Pearl Harbor is about 56 hexes. So a 3/3 takes 9+ days while a 5/4 takes only 6+ days. That does have an impact on times.
Any suggestions will be gratefully appreciated.

1. Yes, it is a monthly estimate, on average, and with the exception that it only covers normal operations.
Every device « created » from the supply on hand will be directly deduced from the supply stockpile, so it supply will evaporate faster if your LCU (or planes) are set to Replacements and/or Upgrades Yes.
Also, every time a unit is involved in a combat, a portion of the supply is used, randomly (or maybe depending on the intensity of the combat). Constant combat operations will use more supply. Rule of thumb I use is 1500 supply per month per division-equivalent, outside of combat, and as much as that every three days for constant combat operations of an average intensity (i.e. non-atoll).

2. It is full speed and cruise speed.

I Don't know what is going on these days but why has the usual reply function forcing me to a go to password system where i cannot reply to a simple post/

Your session might have expired ? Happens quite often for me, as I leave pages open in my browser.

Thanks for the reply. I had a rough idea of how much each division took but with some of the smaller bases, I can keep them supplied with a weekly top up by LCM, rather than dedicate an LST or larger to that small task.

Okay
having had a look at the screens again I now have another question.
As answered, the two speeds shown are full speed and cruise speed. But each TF has three speed settings, full, cruise and mission.
What is mission speed and how do I find it?

Basically, there are only two speeds for task forces, maximum and cruise. Abbreviated as m/c. A task force using mission speed will crank up to maximum (full) speed if a situation calls for it. Like a night bombardment or transport run. Otherwise, it"s the same as cruise speed. So, it"s not really a third speed per se. It"s more like a flexible version of cruise speed depending on circumstances.

Thank you. this is the first time I have had an intelligent reply to what mission speed means. No offence to other posters but this does make sense to me.
So, if I can offer a possible scenario. A Bombardment TF is ordered to bombard an enemy base. they will proceed at 5/4 which means a 10 hex speed per day, unless they are outside that range due to night/day requirements.
And TPT requirements are the same. But what defines the need for TPT TF to go faster? Will my TPT TFs go at 6/5 speed i.e, 6 speed (12 hexes/day) or 5 speed (10 hexe/day) and what determines this? And when does the program decide this?
Sorry. not being difficult but this has always confused me.

LGKMAS wrote: Mon Dec 19, 2022 9:48 am Thank you. this is the first time I have had an intelligent reply to what mission speed means. No offence to other posters but this does make sense to me.
So, if I can offer a possible scenario. A Bombardment TF is ordered to bombard an enemy base. they will proceed at 5/4 which means a 10 hex speed per day, unless they are outside that range due to night/day requirements.
And TPT requirements are the same. But what defines the need for TPT TF to go faster? Will my TPT TFs go at 6/5 speed i.e, 6 speed (12 hexes/day) or 5 speed (10 hexe/day) and what determines this? And when does the program decide this?
Sorry. not being difficult but this has always confused me.

I think you may stay confused if you try to figure out the exact distance moved
especially over a long distance.

The speed of naval movement in this game is complex.
https://www.matrixgames.com/forums/view ... 7#p3182657

The various move speeds are not always exact and depend on
the player settings as well as some hard coded speeds set by the designers.

As the outlaw says in the above post this is approximate because….

(a) the reconciliation between the two different measuring standards may see
the distance traveled in a single phase go up or down.

(b) whether auto refueling occurs.

(c) an auto change in travel route occurs. This is influenced by the task force threat settings.

(d) if set to Mission Speed, whether any tactical considerations come into play.

This makes it difficult for a player to determine exactly how far a task force
will move during any individual movement phase.

6.2.3 in the new manual:
All ships are given a movement allowance of at least 1 hex, even when out of fuel or badly damaged.
This has been done for play-ability purposes to avoid the need to tow ships to port.

Over time, a TF will move the right number of hexes for it’s speed, but some pulses it will move 1 hex more than others
(e.g. a TF with a speed of 10 will move 4 hexes 1 out of every 3 turns). This speed applies to both 12 hour movement
pulses. So on the turns that the TF has a speed of 3, it will move 3 in both the day and night phases (6 total for the day),
while on turns it moves a speed of 4, it will move 4 in both the day and night phases (8 total for the day).

This way the task force speed is averaged over a distance and a task force can make adjustments to the distance.
Those automatic adjustments can be influenced by the player speed and threat settings.

In addition, there are “operations points”. Things like refueling from bunkers which burn
operations points and impact movement.

One example is that it is a best practice when a player is moving a damaged ship to manually change the speed
from “mission speed” to “cruise speed” so it has a reduced chance of doing something unexpected.

Note that as Platoonist said...“Mission speed” is not really a speed setting but a “trigger setting”.
It tells the task force to change it’s speed as required to meet tactical conditions.

Typically “mission speed” is cruise speed with the factors Described in section 6.2.3….
….but some pulses it will move 1 hex more than others. or 1 Hex less than others.

Mission speed was designed for the several “special missions” available in the game.

True..that a good example of this is the night bombardment special mission. A task force set to “bombardment” orders
and also set to “mission speed” will move toward the target at cruise speed until it reaches a decision point
Where it will re-evaluate it’s position relative to the target. Also if it is night….which is a factor.

All bombardment TFs stand off from the bombardment target until night then make a full speed run in to bombard.

What is that decision point? Typically it is the full speed range of the Task force to target but may not always be
depending on how the player sets up the approach and other factors outside his control.

The stand off point is normally calculated based on the full speed range of the task force to reach the target
in one movement phase…. However, if way points are used and the last way point is closer to the target
then the calculated stand off point, the game will use the last way point as the stand off point.

This can allow players to control the stand off in a number of ways.
1. If you want the stand off closer to the target (for any reason) you can use a way point close to the target.

2. If you want the bombardment TF to be fully fueled and have all it's op points, you can set a way point
just beyond full speed stand off point and let the TF refuel (either itself or from a replenishment TF).

3. If you want the bombardment TF to delay bombardment for a day or so, use a way point with linger option.

Side note…. some bombardment parameters were modified by patch...tweaks done in 2010.
These were added to the latest build.

Michaelm:
fb.asp?m=2491232

All of the above can add up and be a problem because the task force wants to make a run in at night and
might stop in the ocean to wait for the night phase to make the run in. This can make it vulnerable
to enemy air attack during the day air phases.

When the night phase arrives and the task is set to “mission speed’ it will automatically change it’s speed
to full speed and sprint to the target to bombard. Unless…. it hits something like a detected enemy sub in
The movement path and that may well stop the sprint. This has happened in the game to players.
Or...it has hit a point where it needs to automatically refuel some ships in the task force.
That loses operation points which slows movement.

But….if it does not hit or do something unexpected (like refueling) it will run in at full speed and bombard the target.
Then the task force will change it’s mission to “surface combat” and will also change it’s speed back to “mission speed”
which is cruise speed for the run off the target toward home port if it is set to “retirement”.
If it is set to “remain on station” it will remain in the target hex.

Note…..if the player changes the task force speed to “full speed” before the sprint in the task force will not change
it’s speed to “mission speed” after the bombardment….that allows the task force to move much further away from
the target when it runs out.

I have described my method of conducting night bombardment in this post:
https://www.matrixgames.com/forums/view ... 3#p3863253

Just a few examples of how complex this game is.

That is a reason why I think every player needs multiple game installs so he can practice special missions
and movement in a controlled environment.

But….keep in mind that war is a dynamic environment which constantly changes.