Just looking for pointers

Commander - The Great War is the latest release in the popular and playable Commander series of historical strategy games. Gamers will enjoy a huge hex based campaign map that stretches from the USA in the west, Africa and Arabia to the south, Scandinavia to the north and the Urals to the east on a new engine that is more efficient and fully supports widescreen resolutions.
Commander – The Great War features a Grand Campaign covering the whole of World War I from the invasion of Belgium on August 5, 1914 to the Armistice on the 11th of November 1918 in addition to 16 different unit types including Infantry, Cavalry, Armoured Cars and Tanks, Artillery, Railroad Guns and Armoured Trains and more!

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Lecivius
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Just looking for pointers

Post by Lecivius »

I just bought this game over the weekend. I'm having a ball, and getting my keister handed to me ( which I fully expect). I am getting the feeling there is depth to this game I am not seeing. Things such as manpower impacting production, etc. Is there a link or some general pointers as to What To Do and What Not To Do?

<edit>

Story of my life. I buy it, and the next day it goes on sale [:D]
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RE: Just looking for pointers

Post by operating »

Lecivius,

Can tell from your # of posts, you have been around, "Welcome". For the moment, read some of the recent threads (public beta 1.4.1 and such), the game has changed so much recently, that even to the experienced players, they are having to spend time trying to figure it out, hence, not a lot in the way of (new) AARs for someone with your interests. Will be starting a Entente SP (balanced) 1914 soon and will try and post some of the "do's and don'ts", for at least the early part of the scenario. Lecivius, Mind you there are all kinds of strategies out there (many player's strategies are better than mine), it would be great to hear from them also.

Get your feet wet, ask questions, the staff here, as well as others have been great help, it's easier to help someone, if they help themselves.

<edit>
Make sure you have updated to 1.4.2.
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Lecivius
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RE: Just looking for pointers

Post by Lecivius »

Thanks for the welcome [:)]
&nbsp;
Ok, question group&nbsp;# the first one
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When it comes to research, is it good to increase the labs from the base 1?
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What dos this cost to upgrade?&nbsp; I can't seem to find that tidbit.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
I see the costs always in orange, even before I start to repair/modify/add stuff.&nbsp; Does this mean my&nbsp;R&D is not producing?
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Why is it a ship in port can fire on ships agacent to the port, and with such deadly accuracy?
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Is it worth increasing Industry?&nbsp; Rail Capacity?&nbsp; Ammunition?
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&nbsp;
I have more, but this is a fair start.&nbsp; And you did say "ask questions"&nbsp; [:D]
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RE: Just looking for pointers

Post by operating »

ORIGINAL: Lecivius

Thanks for the welcome [:)]

Ok, question group # the first one

When it comes to research, is it good to increase the labs from the base 1?


What dos this cost to upgrade?  I can't seem to find that tidbit.


I see the costs always in orange, even before I start to repair/modify/add stuff.  Does this mean my R&D is not producing?


Why is it a ship in port can fire on ships agacent to the port, and with such deadly accuracy?


Is it worth increasing Industry?  Rail Capacity?  Ammunition?


I have more, but this is a fair start.  And you did say "ask questions"  [:D]

Research: Depends on which side you are in command of. As CP SP 1914, keep all techs, except armor (IMO), that will help to maintain a pool of PP to do maintenance/repair, armor, takes a long-long time to develop. Sometimes, I even dump the Austrian navy tech (when it first becomes available), to buy an infantry lab. labs: each lab reduces your PP 4 points per turn, beware of being lab rich, but PP poor (that can be argued either way).


When you click on the chevron, available units that can be upgraded will highlight, hold the chevron cursor over each unit, the cost in PP will show in the highlight.
Image

Look up this thread below: It will give a brief explanation why ports are important.
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I see the costs always in orange, even before I start to repair/modify/add stuff. Does this mean my R&D is not producing?

What this means: Is you, more than likely, have produced more units, than you can afford. Keep an eye on your "Expected PP for next turn window", always try to leave PP for the next turn for repairs, upgrades or recruiting.
Is it worth increasing Industry? Rail Capacity? Ammunition?

You have to get a handle on your game, before you "even think" about buying rail. If you manage your PP (not over spend), you should be able to buy Austrian ammo fairly early in the scenario. Germany, starts off with a 9 count artillery rounds per turn, which should get you by for quite a while, use your PP to stabilize your fronts, for the time being.

Any more questions?[8|]
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RE: Just looking for pointers

Post by kirk23 »

ORIGINAL: Lecivius


Why is it a ship in port can fire on ships agacent to the port, and with such deadly accuracy?
why ports are important.

Why ports are important: The main reason your port hex has a very strong defense,is to discourage any enemy ships who attempt to attack,the defense strength is a combination off,not only the ship that is in the hex,but it also includes your shore batteries,Destroyer torpedo protection,mine fields etc.[;)]
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RE: Just looking for pointers

Post by Lecivius »

I get why the defense is high, but if you try to 'blockade' you will also get smoked.&nbsp; Very annoying [:'(]
&nbsp;
I try to keep my PP pool above 20 after I&nbsp; 'buy' things, but that darned icon in the research window stays orange.&nbsp; I'll go a turn w/o buying anything & see what changes.&nbsp; At least I can save a turn before & after & watch the changes [;)]
&nbsp;
Thanks guys!
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RE: Just looking for pointers

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You must realize that a lab costs 45 PP (in this case), additional labs progressively cost more, 50, 55, ect.. In the upper left production window there is only 35 PP in the bank (not enough to buy a lab), however to the right of 35 are the "expected PP for next turn" in "green" +37. For a total of 72 PP next turn (if you do not spend any PP now), do the math for what you will need next turn to buy a lab and or another protracted expenses. Mind you, if you buy an infantry unit now, it will cost 20 PP plus 4 PP for the upkeep of unit, which would come out before the next turn, there are a lot of variables as to why next turn's PP might not be what you expect. So try to leave a little PP cushion to protect your intentions.

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RE: Just looking for pointers

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Ok, to use this example, considering I do nothing else, next turn I should have 72 PP's.&nbsp; This will enable me to buy an additional lab for 45 PP (and that is the orange I was talking about).&nbsp; My PP costs per turn will go up&nbsp;4 pp (which I believe I can see in the Production screen).&nbsp; And then, all things remaining the same, on the next turn I would be looking at an increase of just 33 PP's.&nbsp; My next lab purchase would cost 50pp's.
&nbsp;
So, understanding that concept,&nbsp;is increasing lab count in a field of study worth the additional pp's cost?&nbsp; It's probably a relative question, but it never hurts to ask [;)]
&nbsp;
I'm reading through http://lparchive.org/Commander-The-Great-War/&nbsp; , good general info here.&nbsp; I'm trying to grasp the background mechanics.
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RE: Just looking for pointers

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ORIGINAL: Lecivius

I get why the defense is high, but if you try to 'blockade' you will also get smoked.  Very annoying [:'(]

This is 1914 not Napoleonic wars with Nelson and Ships of the Line!After the advent off the torpedo,the close blockade is a thing of the past,both the British & German admiralty knew this to be true,hence the reason Britain used the distant blockade,that is the best thing for Germany too,stay away from attacking near port hexes & green dot areas,you will regret it fact.[;)]

If you still want to attack in your enemies green dot area,use your SUBMARINES, they are a stealth weapon and don't take the same losses as surface ships.[:)]
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RE: Just looking for pointers

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ORIGINAL: Lecivius

Ok, to use this example, considering I do nothing else, next turn I should have 72 PP's.  This will enable me to buy an additional lab for 45 PP (and that is the orange I was talking about).  My PP costs per turn will go up 4 pp (which I believe I can see in the Production screen).  And then, all things remaining the same, on the next turn I would be looking at an increase of just 33 PP's.  My next lab purchase would cost 50pp's.

So, understanding that concept, is increasing lab count in a field of study worth the additional pp's cost?  It's probably a relative question, but it never hurts to ask [;)]

I'm reading through http://lparchive.org/Commander-The-Great-War/  , good general info here.  I'm trying to grasp the background mechanics.

Labs are definitely worth the cost, but I would not buy labs at the risk of loosing my armies. At different turns of the game, you will get "free labs", you just have to pay for the lab upkeep, or cash in the lab for another purpose.

If you have the PPs in the bank, the "orange" color, will now be "white", that color coding , also holds true for buying units and logistics (management stuff).
That was a good link for May of last year 2013 (needs to be updated).

How many turns have you progressed into a scenario?
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RE: Just looking for pointers

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ORIGINAL: operating


How many turns have you progressed into a scenario?

Played 3 games, always starting the entire war & stopping in Winter of '14. I like wargames, but I like figuring out what makes them 'tick', too. I played a turn last night, never touched the PP, labs still stayed orange. How long before production catches up to maintenance?
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RE: Just looking for pointers

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You must realize that a lab costs 45 PP (in this case), additional labs progressively cost more, 50, 55, ect.. In the upper left production window there is only 35 PP in the bank (not enough to buy a lab), however to the right of 35 are the "expected PP for next turn" in "green" +37. For a total of 72 PP next turn (if you do not spend any PP now), do the math for what you will need next turn to buy a lab and or another protracted expenses. Mind you, if you buy an infantry unit now, it will cost 20 PP plus 4 PP for the upkeep of unit, which would come out before the next turn, there are a lot of variables as to why next turn's PP might not be what you expect. So try to leave a little PP cushion to protect your intentions.




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< Message edited by operating -- 3/4/2014 7:31:02 PM >


Just for the hell of it (demo turn #1): Did you let that 72 PP ride to the next turn (#2) and, your Lab still stayed "orange"? On turn 2, lab cost 45 PP, should have been "white". Try a demo (restart) of that scenario CP SP 1914, just to make sure, without buying anything. It's not a part of my strategy to go this way, it's only to see if you are doing the right thing, and to give you an example of how it can be done.

<edit>

I just played 2 turns, without moving anything, it worked perfectly.

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RE: Just looking for pointers

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Sounds like a plan, I'll be back later with results[;)]
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RE: Just looking for pointers

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OK, up to speed. Thanks [;)] Last question (for a bit) How do I exchange positions with adjacent armies? I read that you click on one, then CNTRL right click the other. I get nothing. I'm trying various combinations, but no luck so far. What am I doing wrong?
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RE: Just looking for pointers

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ORIGINAL: Lecivius

OK, up to speed. Thanks [;)] Last question (for a bit) How do I exchange positions with adjacent armies? I read that you click on one, then CNTRL right click the other. I get nothing. I'm trying various combinations, but no luck so far. What am I doing wrong?
You might be missing doing the drag.

<edit>

I went back to check if what I wrote was right, This is how it is done:

1. left click unit (picture will show on the information bar). "don't hold key down"

2.Then press Ctrl key down, and hold.

3. Then put curser on unit to be moved (switching arrows appear), then drag (either) one unit over to the other.

After you have done it a couple of times, it becomes second nature to do (that's why I had to think about how it was done). If you or anybody else has a problem, I'd be more than glad to help out.

<edit>

A simpler way of switching: Hit and hold Ctrl, then put curser over units to be moved, then drag in either direction.



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RE: Just looking for pointers

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An easy way to determine what units have not moved (especially Russian small garrisons), click disband button (X), then scroll across map, units that have not moved will have a white highlight.


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RE: Just looking for pointers

Post by operating »

Armored cars have a greater "Line Of Sight", than most other ground units, except for cavalry (which also have a 4 hex LOS).


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RE: Just looking for pointers

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I see you really have got the hang of posting images on the forum now.[:D]
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RE: Just looking for pointers

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Yeah, he's making my life a lot easier [;)]
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RE: Just looking for pointers

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Don't waste MP (manpower reserves) repairing small garrisons, unless absolutely need repair (under attack or front line position). Using up your reserves, brings down your NM (national morale), which leads to future problems with efficiency of new units. Whenever possible rotate a full strength unit for a lesser, use these units to maintain behind the frontline trenches and to support those troops from a breakthrough.

<edit>

Check your "combat prognosis" against enemy small garrisons, for best results, try not take any loses doing so. It's good way to nibble away at enemy MP and NM.


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