Reserve Activations

A complete overhaul and re-development of Gary Grigsby's War in the East, with a focus on improvements to historical accuracy, realism, user interface and AI.

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jasonbroomer
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Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2022 5:55 am

Reserve Activations

Post by jasonbroomer »

The Soviets seem to quite regularly get activations when defending, occasionally I set the Axis on reserve and I can’t recall them being activated, though I can’t be sure that they had the MPs to intervene - this is 41/42.

More recently, I tried an activation on attack, about 4 divisions which were fully qualifying according to the manual. They also had good leaders with high imitative, yet none were activated.

Anyone else had trouble to get Germans to use reserves?
AlbertN
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Location: Italy

Re: Reserve Activations

Post by AlbertN »

I can use reserves as Axis no problem.

The point is that reserve activation has an amount of variables - among them certainly MP remaining at the end of the turn... and I believe proximity of enemy forces.

So first of all the density of Axis troops do not allow many to be kept beind in reserve.
And in '41 if they're advancing desperately they rarely have enough MP left to warrant a reserve activation.
exalted
Posts: 151
Joined: Thu Feb 03, 2022 11:07 am

Re: Reserve Activations

Post by exalted »

It's quite random unless you have a lot of units preferably small units on reserve. You can have more success with brigades / regiments than divisions but they rarely carry the punch you need to make the activation actually matter.

Also being in the same command is important, your unlikely to help someone in another AG, quiet unlikely someone in another army and so on.

Have had quite a bit of success with pzDiv on reserve behind the main line, which I guess is pretty historic :) If I have extra MP i frequently put them on reserve when behind the line if they have decent TOE and don't need a refit, generally any activation is a hold when you add 20+CV of pzDiv.

Best results probably accomplished with a good pzCorps with good leader where a few infantry/motorized divisions hold the line while one or two pzDivisions are on reserve behind them.

Also later in the war it can be useful to have a strong infantry division in reserve behind a line of weaker ones, you might not be able to stop the offensive but any time that strong inf. div. activates you get a hold that you shouldn't have and which the opponenet/AI didn't calculate for. Which also does cost you a lot less resources than a deliberate attack with the same division would have.
Wheat
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Joined: Fri Jun 17, 2011 12:40 pm

Re: Reserve Activations

Post by Wheat »

Jasonbroomer, I agree with you and find that in 41, I get tired of setting divisions WITH ADEQUATE MP into reserve status, only to see them never activate WHEN ATTACKING. I think it should be looked at. I am not saying they should always or even usually attack, just that it might be too infrequent.
jasonbroomer
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Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2022 5:55 am

Re: Reserve Activations

Post by jasonbroomer »

To be fair, I've just done an attack when a division (out of two set on reserve) was activated. It just that they seem much less likely than Soviet who manage to activate divisions willy nilly on the defence despite poor leaders
Light4bettor
Posts: 163
Joined: Fri Jan 03, 2020 1:45 am

Re: Reserve Activations

Post by Light4bettor »

I was hoping that Reserve attack activations would occur if the odds were in danger of favoring the defense. In other words, just when you need that extra boost to win. But, while I don't seem to have a problem with the frequency (I'd say 20-30 percent of the time it triggers an (R) on a small sample) of the attack activations (with proper leaders in place) - they don't seem to distinguish situations when they activate- i.e., they activate when I would of easily won anyway. Yeah, I left some units on Reserve in general, just to see the frequency of activation and maybe under what circumstances it would activate. (So like a said above, my answer looks like 1 in 3.5 or 1 in 5 - on a really small non-scientific sample). I also did have one on first try too.

So because it seems random when it activates, it ends up wasting CPP/fatigue/ war material on attacks I don't need help on - leads me just to want to use it on defense.
I guess there could be other reasons one might want those activations on offense- but I'm not sure.
Light4bettor
Posts: 163
Joined: Fri Jan 03, 2020 1:45 am

Re: Reserve Activations

Post by Light4bettor »

jasonbroomer wrote: Thu Jun 30, 2022 12:02 pm To be fair, I've just done an attack when a division (out of two set on reserve) was activated. It just that they seem much less likely than Soviet who manage to activate divisions willy nilly on the defence despite poor leaders
This example is outside of the first turn in the Ukraine against the Soviet AI right? I read- as you may have, (and most have experienced) that the Soviet AI's defensive reserve activations are boosted on the first turn in the Ukraine/Lvov area- to simulate Dubno/Brody tank battles and the generally higher Soviet preparedness on that front. AFAIK, the boost is removed after that first turn. Are you speaking about H2H games in general?
exalted
Posts: 151
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Re: Reserve Activations

Post by exalted »

Light4bettor wrote: Sun Jul 03, 2022 3:33 am
jasonbroomer wrote: Thu Jun 30, 2022 12:02 pm To be fair, I've just done an attack when a division (out of two set on reserve) was activated. It just that they seem much less likely than Soviet who manage to activate divisions willy nilly on the defence despite poor leaders
This example is outside of the first turn in the Ukraine against the Soviet AI right? I read- as you may have, (and most have experienced) that the Soviet AI's defensive reserve activations are boosted on the first turn in the Ukraine/Lvov area- to simulate Dubno/Brody tank battles and the generally higher Soviet preparedness on that front. AFAIK, the boost is removed after that first turn. Are you speaking about H2H games in general?
Pretty sure that against the AI they are boosted at all times at least on 110% and higher.

Have had four attacks in a row face the same guard corps activating which I guess isn't just unlikely but pretty much in the realm of fantasy with soviet commanders :)
ShaggyHiK
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Joined: Sun Oct 10, 2021 12:38 pm

Re: Reserve Activations

Post by ShaggyHiK »

The activation of reserves usually occurs when the odds of both sides are equal and approximately 50-50. The chance in such a situation of reinforcements from the enemy and your reserves is higher. So when you're looking to minimize effort, grab territory with maximum advance. You create conditions when enemy reinforcements are more likely to enter the battle.

However, to calculate the offensive, taking into account reserve units, it is rather stupid. Because it's a coincidence.

And in general, this happens quite often, the more parts in stock, the higher the chance that someone will come. The USSR has more purely physically divisions. Hence the effect is that in every battle, but in fact the Germans approach the reserves in battle more often due to the best commanders.

If you look at the USSR, there are 10 divisions in reserve, of which 1 enters the battle, and the Germans 2 and 1 will enter.
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