Basing: what is it, really?

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johndoesecond
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Basing: what is it, really?

Post by johndoesecond »

Hi all,

I never quite understood the mechanics and the purpose of the Basing option in the order settings.

This is what is said at the p. 63 of the manual:
Basing = when checked, any subordinate base units are free to determine their own depot locations. otherwise, the basing code will be ignored and you will have to manually look after them. Unchecking this is useful when you want your whole force to move or exit. The default is on.


And then, on p. 115, there's this other mention of the Basing option:
Changing allow Basing will incur a delay because it will modify the force groups.

If I searched correctly, nowhere else in the manual is basing mentioned.

So here are my quesitons:

1. What exactly is this option for?

2. Regarding the first quotation, what does it mean for a subordinate base units to be free to determine its own depot locations? Are we talking about subordinate bases feely choosing higher echelon depot bases? Or, does the whole thing actually simply means that you (the player) would have to move the bases around manually, instead of having the HQ take care of that? And in that case, wouldn't it be equivalent to simply detaching the base as individual unit?

3. In the same quotation, regarding the wording "the basing code will be ignored and you will have to manually look after them", who are "them"? the bases? And what does looking after them mean? Just moving them, or something else?

4. Finally, from the same quotation, in what way is it "useful when you want your whole force to move or exit"? What whole force? Does that then mean that the battlegroup moves more easily, or more agile, or more quickly, when basing is unchecked? And why would that be the case? Does it count as detaching the base? Shouldn't I then "de-base" all movement orders? Altogether, what are the pros and cons?

5. About that second quotation, what does it mean that "it will modify the force groups"? What exactly is modified, and in what way?


Maybe the easiest way to explain and answer these questions would be to work through few examples.

As you can see, I have a bunch of doubts: can somebody help, please?

Thanks.
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Arjuna
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RE: Basing: what is it, really?

Post by Arjuna »

OK I'll try and help. Normally you want to leave the Basing option checked. This allows the AI to use the basing algorythms for any base within the force. These will try and find a suitable and preferably safe location for the base to deploy and operate from. This is usually well away from the enemy, on or near a road that connects to a Supply Entry Point (SEP). Eg. You order a Bde to Move to town X with Basing checked. The AI will first create a Move task at town X. Then it will create a seperate Defend task for the Bde Base unit at a depot location it determines. The rest of the Bde will move off to town X, while the Base moves off to the depot location. In this way the Bde can go in harms way while the Base deploys to safe and useful location.

Now in the above example if you were say withdrawing away from the enemy, you may not want the Base to deploy separately. So you would uncheck the Basing option. Then the AI would not create a seperate Defend task and the Base would move in formation with the rest of the Bde.

Does that help?
Dave "Arjuna" O'Connor
www.panthergames.com
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johndoesecond
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Joined: Tue Aug 03, 2010 4:53 pm

RE: Basing: what is it, really?

Post by johndoesecond »

ORIGINAL: Arjuna

OK I'll try and help. Normally you want to leave the Basing option checked. This allows the AI to use the basing algorythms for any base within the force. These will try and find a suitable and preferably safe location for the base to deploy and operate from. This is usually well away from the enemy, on or near a road that connects to a Supply Entry Point (SEP). Eg. You order a Bde to Move to town X with Basing checked. The AI will first create a Move task at town X. Then it will create a seperate Defend task for the Bde Base unit at a depot location it determines. The rest of the Bde will move off to town X, while the Base moves off to the depot location. In this way the Bde can go in harms way while the Base deploys to safe and useful location.

Now in the above example if you were say withdrawing away from the enemy, you may not want the Base to deploy separately. So you would uncheck the Basing option. Then the AI would not create a seperate Defend task and the Base would move in formation with the rest of the Bde.

Does that help?

Thank you Dave.

It's perfectly clear now.

Just one little clarification: checking or unchecking this option does not put any additional overhead on the HQ's Command Capacity, does it? In other words, it's irrelevant for the battlegroup movement behavior, right?
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simovitch
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RE: Basing: what is it, really?

Post by simovitch »

ORIGINAL: johndoesecond

Just one little clarification: checking or unchecking this option does not put any additional overhead on the HQ's Command Capacity, does it? In other words, it's irrelevant for the battlegroup movement behavior, right?
Right. And I've never noticed much orders delay at all when I check/uncheck basing while the force is on the move.
simovitch

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johndoesecond
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RE: Basing: what is it, really?

Post by johndoesecond »

Good, thanks Simovitch!

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