Matrix Games Forums

Scen 001

Seems 25 engineer devices is enough to build forts from 0 to 1 in a base in one turn. Base development level has no bearing on forts' construction time. Forts 1 appear in one turn in Chengchow (level 1 airfield) as well as in San Francisco (port 9, arifield 10). Only after reaching forts 1 the construction slows down and reflects base's development level.

In a non-base hex, a Chinese corps with 27 engineer devices takes about three days to construct forts from 0 to 1.

Basically, if you defend in a base and enemy drops your forts from i.e. forts 3 to 0, you can rebuild forts from 0 to 1 in the same turn, but you cannot hope to build more than forts 1 during the whole defence. It would have to be a very long siege, with long pauses that let defenders construct forts 2.

It may appear that way at first glance but there are a number of things that prevent this from happening as described.

Any unit can dig a hole large enough to keep his head down in a day. Fort level 1.

There's is no guarantee a attack will reduce forts, let alone from 3 - 0.

The more engineer's there are the faster fort levels are built.

Although the fort level may only increase by one each turn, the work to construct the forts is accumulative. See here were one level has been built in one turn but the shear number of engineers have progressed the construction to the next level by 211%. This means level 2 fort is automatic next turn. It says 211% but it's somewhat misleading as its based on the construction rate of the level 1 fort. It takes twice as longer and more supply to construct a level 2 so halve this figure.
Being attacked in any way can slows the construction speed.

Finally and crucially, if you keep the base damaged no forts can be built, all the effort goes into the repair of the base.

OK, but here I am at a loss in China.

From 0 to 1 forts, 25 engineers is enough, no matter the base size. However, Chengchow (airfield 1, 8000 supply storage) needs around 80 engineer devices to achieve 20% fort completion towards fort 2 in a single day. Now, if I build up Chengchow to airfield 2, I can store 17,000 supplies, thus I can put more LCUs in the base for defense, but my fort construction time should go up together with development level of the base.

In theory, I am best served by airfield 0 base (5000 supplies) and a huge number of engineers in a base for fastest fort reconstruction during sieges. This means my small construction regiments are my Wunderwaffe in China.

It comes down to "What do I need this base for?" If the aim is to be a speed bump or fortress, build forts first. If it is somewhere you can establish an air base or port and risk of enemy land invasion is low, build the base first and the forts later.
If you need to improve the flow of supply to more remote regions (e.g. up the middle of Australia in 1942), build the bases to help with that. You don't have the supplies to build large forts there anyway.
If you expect your base to be bombed or bombarded incessantly, build forts to help reduce the damage and only expand the base when it is relatively secure.

Guadalcanal is a case in point - the US Marines took the half-finished airbase quickly and dug/cleared some hasty fortifications first. But the Japanese were flying bombers in to attack transports and supply ships so they wanted to get the airfield operational ASAP. The Japanese had very few fighting troops on the island at this stage anyway so the airstrip was finished but there was very little in the way of air services to help operate the aircraft. A few fighters flew from the strip to intercept Japanese bombers and the Marines went back to fortifying their positions before the IJA arrived in force.
Then Japan mounted naval bombardments on the airfield and land assaults. The US had to improve both forts and airfield services so they could hide the precious fighters and refuel/rearm/repair them under cover. Many a marine groused about filling shell holes and extending taxiways into the jungle. Eventually enough aircraft and air support arrived to go on the offensive against Japanese forces and the airfield as a whole was expanded. Army troops had arrived too, so the perimeter was expanded and well fortified.
Once the IJN was ground down by the USN and air operations, the US went on the offensive and pushed the remaining (starving) Japanese soldiers off the island. No more forts were needed but the air base was improved some more to support the advance up the Solomon Islands. So the pattern is: assess current objectives/priorities and build to suit.

Yaab wrote: Thu Oct 01, 2026 3:14 pm OK, but here I am at a loss in China.

From 0 to 1 forts, 25 engineers is enough, no matter the base size. However, Chengchow (airfield 1, 8000 supply storage) needs around 80 engineer devices to achieve 20% fort completion towards fort 2 in a single day. Now, if I build up Chengchow to airfield 2, I can store 17,000 supplies, thus I can put more LCUs in the base for defense, but my fort construction time should go up together with development level of the base.

In theory, I am best served by airfield 0 base (5000 supplies) and a huge number of engineers in a base for fastest fort reconstruction during sieges. This means my small construction regiments are my Wunderwaffe in China.

The rate of fort construction does slow down as the size of the base increases. The manual implies its based on the SPS (Standard Potential size). I'm not so sure this is correct, I think it's the current size (AF+port) and I'll investigate.

The other thing is it appears only engineers can construct forts at bases?

From what you've said about the number of engineers I'm assuming your at the start of a full scenario. I've just run a test and the fort expand form 1-2 in four days with no outside interference. Seems a long time perhaps for for many engineer but there's two crucial factors.

1 Approx half of those 80 are disabled. Editing so none are disabled results in it taking 3 days. Still may long maybe but....
2 During the first turn the base is very short on supply resulting in only 3% progress. The succeeding turns they is no supply shortage. Editing yet further with adequate supply throughout now takes 2 day.

Jesus, you are right. I forgot game's engineer value displayed on the base screen includes disabled engineer squads. So yeah, 40 active eng devices instead of 80 eng devices.

So it may make sense to keep some bases small, add construction regts to a base, maybe accept some spoilage over airfield 1's 5000 supply capacity, and have a base where you can resconstuct forts ASAP during sieges.

BBfanboy wrote: Fri Oct 02, 2026 1:13 pm It comes down to "What do I need this base for?" If the aim is to be a speed bump or fortress, build forts first. If it is somewhere you can establish an air base or port and risk of enemy land invasion is low, build the base first and the forts later.

But that's the problem in China. Bases start small but Chinese units are big. Airfield 0 base can hold 5000 supplies, airfield 1 base can hold 8000 supplies. If you move many units into base airfield 0 you will quickly hit 5000 supply limit and supply spoilage will kick in. Augmenting some frontline bases to airfield 2 (17,000 supply capacity) lets you cram a great number of units for its defense. But now fort construction takes longer and Chinese corps are the least-endowed units in engineer devices among Allied big LCUs ( just 27 eng devices).

I find that the best opening step in China is to set all the units to 'no replacements'. Taking replacements uses supply and then you have to feed the new troops even when they are disabled. New troops also dilute away any experience gains. If the unit has more than 10 disabled squads it does not need more added. Chinese troops also seem to train terribly slowly - I think because of poor leader skills. If Japan wants to take all of China it can do it.

Best defences I have seen put as many Chinese troops in mountain and wooded rough terrain as possible and have a few beat up units wander into the IJA rear to recapture bases and sit on rail lines. Once the IJA comes back to a recaptured base, the Chinese should evacuate early and let partisans damage the base. And if the base has industry, each time it changes hands the HI and LI will suffer damage.

Chinese units that can be bought out should be sent up the Burma road to India where they can fill out TOE, train up experience and greatly improve morale. Give them a good leader and they can be good at combat.

All this doesn't help with the quandary of what to build in China. I think at first you have to rely on the terrain to protect your troops and forget about most of the bases. The AVG should fly in and out of the Chungking plain and retreat to Burma/India when too many IJA fighters show up.