Formation and Units Characteristics Charts

Matrix Games Forums

Forums Register Login Photo Gallery Member List Search Calendars FAQ

My Profile Inbox Address Book My Subscription My Forums Log Out

Formation and Units Characteristics Charts

View related threads: (in this forum | in all forums)

Logged in as: Guest

Users viewing this topic: none

Printable Version

All Forums >> [New Releases from Matrix Games] >> The Operational Art of War IV >> Formation and Units Characteristics Charts

Page: [1]

Message

<< Older Topic Newer Topic >>

Formation and Units Characteristics Charts - 10/21/2020 11:37:11 AM

sithlord_shag

Posts: 48
Joined: 7/25/2020
Status: offline

Good evening, I would preface my remarks in relation to the charts that were in the old TOAW I and II manuals. I cant remember if ACOW's manual had one but is there one on existence that encompasses all eras?

Post #: 1

RE: Formation and Units Characteristics Charts - 10/21/2020 11:57:49 AM

golden delicious

Posts: 5575
Joined: 9/5/2000
From: London, Surrey, United Kingdom
Status: offline

You mean the one with suggested values for proficiency and supply levels for various armies in various eras? It certainly wasn't in the COW manual, I remember it from the Volume I manual only (I never bought II or WOTY)

I don't think there's an "official" version of this in the newer releases, but I would suggest anyway that these figures should be taken with a pinch of salt, and one would want to design for effect: try a given value, test the scenario, then adjust it up or down based on how things feel. Don't feel shy of having very low proficiency figures- no-one's going to be offended. From memory the official tables had everyone on quite respectable proficiencies (60+), but a low proficiency is a great way of getting a unit's strength to be very highly dependant on good supply and readiness. The difference between 60% and 80% proficiency really isn't much.

_____________________________

"What did you read at university?"
"War Studies"
"War? Huh. What is it good for?"
"Absolutely nothing."

(in reply to sithlord_shag)

Post #: 2

RE: Formation and Units Characteristics Charts - 10/21/2020 12:07:11 PM

sithlord_shag

Posts: 48
Joined: 7/25/2020
Status: offline

Thanks GD, I actually found my ACOW manual after I posted and yeah there was no table in the ACOW manual. If memory serves me correctly the one that probably bears the most was the force stockpile and form supply dist proficiency? What are your thoughts on that?

(in reply to golden delicious)

Post #: 3

RE: Formation and Units Characteristics Charts - 10/21/2020 1:30:55 PM

Zovs

Posts: 6668
Joined: 2/23/2009
From: United States
Status: offline

I still have a scan of that page from TOAW I. I use it as a base line and adjust from there in my scenarios.

_____________________________

Beta Tester for:
Flashpoint Campaigns: Sudden Storm
War in the East 1 & 2
WarPlan & WarPlan Pacific
Valor & Victory
DG CWIE 2
SPWW2 & SPMBT scenario creator

(in reply to sithlord_shag)

Post #: 4

RE: Formation and Units Characteristics Charts - 10/21/2020 3:50:50 PM

golden delicious

Posts: 5575
Joined: 9/5/2000
From: London, Surrey, United Kingdom
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: sithlord_shag

Thanks GD, I actually found my ACOW manual after I posted and yeah there was no table in the ACOW manual. If memory serves me correctly the one that probably bears the most was the force stockpile and form supply dist proficiency? What are your thoughts on that?

There's a lot of variables with supply: the force supply level, the % rating of any given supply point, the formation supply %, the supply radius and the availability of HQs.

As an example, from memory, the table had diabolical force and formation supply for the Soviets, but if you also have a low supply radius, a poor supply net and a large map so that units aren't near their HQs, then units aren't going to get any supply at all. That's fine if you're covering, let's say, the 2nd Battle of Kharkov and you just need the Soviets to gradually collapse as they exhaust their initial supplies, but if you're modelling a longer campaign there needs to be some scope for units to rest and recover. Otherwise there is no incentive for the Soviet player to take battered units out of the line: everyone will just stay on low supply and hope for the best.

I'm sorry there's not really an easy answer here. One thing I would say is that there is no point in having every formation have a low supply efficiency: if you have force supply 25 and every formation supply setting is 80, that is functionally the same as force supply 20 and formation supply of 100. As such I would tend to set the formation which should have the highest supply efficiency and set that as your baseline of 100 and scale everyone else from there.

_____________________________

"What did you read at university?"
"War Studies"
"War? Huh. What is it good for?"
"Absolutely nothing."

(in reply to sithlord_shag)

Post #: 5

RE: Formation and Units Characteristics Charts - 10/22/2020 6:08:37 AM

cathar1244

Posts: 1003
Joined: 9/5/2009
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: sithlord_shag

Good evening, I would preface my remarks in relation to the charts that were in the old TOAW I and II manuals. I cant remember if ACOW's manual had one but is there one on existence that encompasses all eras?

Attached from the older manuals.

Cheers