Forming new LCUs 165.52. (Spoiler: this is a BIG mess)

[melvi]

As far as I have seen, all stuff related to create new LCUs is driven by the following advance preference, as shown in the screenshot, if you put that one “on” you will be able to form new LCUs of any kind, if it is “off” you can only make RSV for replacement/logistic purposes.

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As I saw I have 3 company size units in Madrid belonging to same Columna/Regiment which parent unit is not going to appear till start of year 37.

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I thought that since I have that advanced preference set to on I would make a “temporally” HQ parent unit so I could move them around, and fight, as a whole instead “lonely” units.
I clicked on Madrid base hex, opened the sidebar LCU screen and clicked on the “new LCU” button. The new LCU appeared as an empty RSV unit, so far so good.

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Now let´s use the game tools to make that an HQ unit ( I thought). I clicked on the button in the screenshot till I saw the screen in the screenshot. Then I clicked on “change type”, on the column of possible units I clicked on “Change to HQ” and in the list that opened I clicked on the rectangle with the brigade size icon.

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Only thing than happened is my empty ex-RSV unit is now and empty HQ ( brigade size) unit.

I was expecting it would have been assigned an infantry HQ brigade TOE and the list of subunits that form that ( it would not matter if devices are filled or not, an emply list of devices is perfectly fine).
CONTINUE IN NEXT POST

[melvi]

So I have an empty HQ ( brigade size) unit with no TOE.

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I renamed it to “temporally brigade”, that I could do.

Ok , so if the game doesn’t fill my HQ, let´s do it manually. I searched for any infantry brigade HQ I could already have deployed and I was lucky enough to find one in Alicante.

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Then I went to my empty unit and mimicked the brigade in Alicante, of course I didn’t add the “static devices”.

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Next turn I had my newly formed inf brigade HQ unit perfectly filled with stuff and ready to roll!. Problem is that as it has no TOE ( i suppose thats the problem) , the game doesn’t recognize it as an HQ so it is not shown when I try to change my companies OOB with the “change unit OOB” button inside the “unit organization” screen The result is an useless HQ unit..

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Regards:
Melvi
PD: I have taken a look to the manual and I see nowhere info about the screen to form new LCUs and/or changing type. Maybe I have missed those pages and they are there?

[melvi]

I have no clue how developers are handling this but ill tell you MY PERSONAL opinion how this "should work".
The screen about changing type should be something like:

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Where the 2 columns to the right of the unit icons should be the size of the units to the left in NATO symbols. Dots ( 1 to 4), then I ( 1 to 3) then X ( 1 to whatever the scope of the game , or up to 6 if you want to use same UI for multiple games). I don’t mind if the unit size symbol is put on the top of the rectangle of the unit icon or by the side, that’s a nuisance.
Then once you click on the icon of the type of unit you want to create you would need to click on one of the buttons in the right side to mark the SIZE of the unit. Once both clicks are done, your ex-RSV empty unit should convert in a unit of the type and size you requested AND WITH THE CORRESPONDENT TOE ASSIGNED, it would not matter if empty of devices or not, we only need the list of devices that unit should have. And then, later on, be able to upgrade the unit following the path his TOE set. ( And of course HQ been recognized as HQs when trying to “change unit OOBs” list).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NATO_Join ... _Symbology
There should be some exceptions to this “rule”

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The HQs would not need to set a size, it is already picked up with the size of the HQ, divison HQ, corps HQ, army HQ , etc. I am supposing here there wont be infantry army and artillery army. If there is more than one kind of higher HQ than brigade they should be added to his subgroup type.
The brigade HQ should be removed from HQ type and added to as many subtypes as different brigade HQs there are.. So a brigade HQ to infantry (with fixed size and TOE of course), a brigade HQ to artillery ( with fixed size and TOE), a brigade HQ to cavalry/ AFVs.. etc.
And whenever a type is not applicable for the scope of the game an empty list of units type and/or a message something like “not applicable for the scope of the game” (I am thinking in the “change to rocket” in our list for instance).

All in all i´d say this part of the game needs badly a thorough review to say the least.
Regards:
Melvi

[RangerJoe]

You can edit the game to your liking. You can make these HQs with the CORRESPONDING TO&E that you stipulate.

[melvi]

You can edit the game to your liking. You can make these HQs with the CORRESPONDING TO&E that you stipulate.

Erhh ... i know Joe.. i suppose i could, i have not tried the modding part of the game.
What i am saying here is that i dont know how developers are handling the creation of LCUs but as it is now, the mechanism i found in the game and tried to use to create new LCUs, isn´t working. At least i think it isn´t working as intended. You can´t, at least i didn´t find how, create a working LCU unit in the game yet. I can create any "casing" of a unit. That is a container with some devices in it. But i am not able to assign it a TOE, to make it proggres as new devices appear, and make it work as a funtional LCU able to join a chain of command and stuff.
I suppose i could go to the editor and play with it to try make a full division to my liking. What i can´t do at the moment is make for instance an infantry regiment able to join this or that column/division in game. That is what i am talking about.
Regards:
Melvi

[Dali101]

The LCU developers (that's me and Piteas) did not address the creation of new LCUs in any way.
The assignment was to create a historical game.

This feature is the work of other people and we have no responsibility for it.

[RangerJoe]

What it appears that you can do is to take an existing unit and change the TO&E. You can take a company and turn it into a battalion. I might need to do that to use all of my captured artillery and armoured devices . . .