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Army Management for new players


jo005597

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On 9/7/2017 at 8:07 AM, Jamesk2 said:

1. If there was nothing changed, the range of engagement for infantry brigades are the same no matter what weapon they use.

 

 

On 11/2/2017 at 12:08 PM, guidon101 said:

Whoa? Is that true? Sounds like a game-changer.

I just finished an MG Union campaign, and I definitely noticed differences in firing ranges with different infantry weapons (or at least many cases where one infantry brigade can fire at another infantry brigade that can't return fire out of range).

Anyone else confirm this?

 

On 11/2/2017 at 12:13 PM, Hjalfnar_Feuerwolf said:

I have no idea what Jamesk2 is talking about. I had the same experience as you, guidon.

 

On 11/2/2017 at 12:19 PM, The Soldier said:

Infantry brigades have had the same firing range since UGCW first got released on Steam.  You should pretty clearly be able to notice that a Farmer with 200 range has half the range of a Fayetteville with 400, but it's not in-game.  Range appears to be standardized around 300 for most infantry brigades.

The Range stat now just tells how accurate the weapon will be at the edge of the range.  The higher, the better it will be at that kind of engagement.

Also note that hills have a minor effect on firing range - large ones even moreso.

 

On 11/2/2017 at 5:28 PM, guidon101 said:

 

Wow, that really blows my mind. After all this time, I never noticed (the AI seemed to always bring better or equal guns, so I assumed that's why our weapon ranges always seemed similar). I had to test it just for sanity's sake, and I can confirm:

Ran a quick simple test with 1 fresh brigade with Re-bored Farmers (220 range) vs. Fayettevilles (400 range) at the opening of Richmond as Union.

1) you can see their visual range indicators are the same

2) When actively shooting at enemy units, they can shoot from the same max distance. The Fayettevilles couldn't shoot farther than the Re-bored Farmers, when their range should be almost double.

So, Artillery, Skirmisher, and Cavalry brigades all change their max firing ranges depending on weapon, but infantry does not? Is there anything else I missed?

Any other non-intuitive but significant game-changing mechanic out there? I guess that topic might deserve its own thread.

 

Though this might be a tad necromantic,

I thought I might point out that the manual at the top of page 17 states:

Infantry

Infantry brigades are the backbone of your army. They are equipped with rifle muskets and bayonets and are suitable for attacking or defending and punish any kind of enemy. Their weapon plays big role to their effectiveness. Infantry weapons have all the same fire arc range in the battlefield, simulating the fact that infantry formed lines and fired synchronized volleys under the command of their officers. Infantry brigades have the unique ability to generate skirmishers on the battlefield that fight independently.

edit>  also at the top of page 30 states:

Infantry weapons

There are two main weapon types used by infantry, the older technology muskets and the rifles. The muskets have slow reload rate and are very inaccurate. Due to being heavier and usually longer, they are better for melee than shooting. Rifles on the other hand are much more accurate and reload faster. Although the various infantry weapons have different ranges in data, their fire arc is having the same size, simulating the fact that infantry fought on lines and executed organized volleys under the guidance of their officers. The most common and reliable infantry weapons according to their price are considered the “Springfield M1855” and “Pattern 1861 Enfield” rifles.

I'm pointing this out for other newbies like myself that could be mislead by threads emphasizing pluses and minuses for firearm ranges for infantry brigades. It pays to read the manual.

I am curious if anyone has seen if this affects the brigade spawned skirmishers. (not a deliberately designed skirmisher brigade). I would hope that the spawned skirmishers would have the range benefit and not be limited to the brigade (nominally equal) range?

Edited by Gray_Lensman
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The Manual was written in the infancy of the game. It was decided it was not worth updating as the game evolved. Any information in there is suspect. 

I can guarantee you that is a true statement. 

An infantry unit can spawn a skirmisher upon command, that skirmisher unit has the exact same weapon/range/firepower  of the infantry brigade that produced it. The skirmisher unit moves like a skirmisher rather than an infantry unit, but its weapon is unchanged. 

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16 minutes ago, Andre Bolkonsky said:

The Manual was written in the infancy of the game. It was decided it was not worth updating as the game evolved. Any information in there is suspect. 

I can guarantee you that is a true statement. 

An infantry unit can spawn a skirmisher upon command, that skirmisher unit has the exact same weapon/range/firepower  of the infantry brigade that produced it. The skirmisher unit moves like a skirmisher rather than an infantry unit, but its weapon is unchanged. 

I can accept that the manual was not updated constantly. Most game manuals tend to be dated, but from what I'm observing while playing, it does still seem to hold true about the Infantry brigades having the same arc and range no matter the weapon. Am I observing this correctly? And if so, when a skirmisher is spawned off, does it have the longer range associated with (of course) the same brigade infantry weapon, but not being used in volley mode?

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On 4/24/2018 at 10:25 PM, Gray_Lensman said:

I can accept that the manual was not updated constantly. Most game manuals tend to be dated, but from what I'm observing while playing, it does still seem to hold true about the Infantry brigades having the same arc and range no matter the weapon. Am I observing this correctly? And if so, when a skirmisher is spawned off, does it have the longer range associated with (of course) the same brigade infantry weapon, but not being used in volley mode?

Yes, each regiment has the exact same firirng arc. 

Watch the bullets fly and you'll see which weapons greatly exceed the arc. 

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On 9/1/2017 at 11:59 AM, IronClad said:

As a very new player (only 3 hours played) these tips are greatly appreciated, thank you.

This is my first post on the forum, and I guess it's also my introduction. I can already see it's a great community with some extremely helpful players - I look forward to learning and maybe making some friends.

Hi,

Newbie too. Been playing UG about 6 weeks. Not playing as often as I would like ! But that’s life. So far playing the historical battles or a few quick games. Usually as CSA. I’m a seasoned war gamer, but it does take a while to get used to the mechanics of UG. Each battle I seem to learn something new. Will start a campaign when I feel can do myself justice !

The community is great. Lots of help and advice available.

Regards

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  • 3 months later...

Pleasure to make your acquaintance Gentlemen.

I've been playing Ultimate General for about a year now. I initially played the Confederate & then Union campaigns on the medium difficulty and have recently started up a new Union campaign on the hard difficulty (not Legendary) with some self imposed rules. It's a fantastic game & I really hope the developers are working on some kind on sequel (a Napoleonic version seems logical). These self imposed rules are: 

- When picking initial traits Reconnaissance must be prioritized and when assigning career points in game they must first max out Recon, then Medicine - Logistics - Training and Politics - Economy last. This means that money and reinforcements will be at a premium for much of the game. The exception to this rule is Army Organization which I plan for at the start of each new Grand Battle cycle. In my first games I pretty much ignored Reconnaissance until there was nothing left to spend my money on. I now make notes on the enemy army composition and keep track of this as the battle progresses so that I can predict when to hold back & when to go for the throat once I know roughly where all the enemy corps are located or whether any reinforcements are expected to appear. It also makes the game a little more difficult without setting it to Legendary. 

I've been reading through this forum for the past couple of days on & off to see if there are any tips or tricks I've missed. I've picked up some valuable knowledge, such as all rifles having the same basic arc. I though I would weigh in with a few ideas of my own that new players might find useful. 

I'm very much a 'Camp' general. Spending a lot of time husbanding my army, striving for optimum efficiency. However this is tempered by a romantic side that values historical feasibility, so I try to avoid a historical organisations that exploit flaws in the AI design (not that they have any glaring deficiencies). In my first game as the Confederates I focused on numbers over experience. On my second as the Union I focused on trying to get as many Infantry Brigades to 3 stars as possible. In this new Union campaign I'm happy with a regular army made up mostly of two star units. Any experience I gain above two stars allows me to bring in cheap recruits to the level just before my units will drop down to one star, then I top off with veterans. I tend to spend reputation points on as many modern rifles as I can obtain. My Infantry units, after the first few battles are ideally between 1500 & 2000. 3 star veterans would be ideal, but they are expensive to maintain in terms of veteran replacements. 

Currently (Antietam) I have 3 corps each of four divisions. Each Infantry Division has four Brigades, mostly with Springfield M1855s but with two Divs with Harpers Ferry's and one with Enfields. Each Infantry Division has one 12 gun 6pdr Battery for close support which seem to do an adequate job (I'll replace with Napoleons when I get a chance). Each Corps has one 10pdr Rifled Division, supplemented by as many 20pdr Parrotts as I can afford. For ease of supply & control I like to group my heavy/long range artillery together into independent divisions. The fourth Division of a corps will usually be a mix of excess artillery, skirmishers & cavalry.

INFANTRY & SKIRMISHER TACTICS

In open country I tend to advance the Brigades of my Divisions in a line abreast formation so that maximum firepower can be brought to bare on enemy Brigades & flank them where practical. In thick woods it is often better to advance two brigades deep so that if the first becomes engaged in a melee the follow up brigade can pour in support fire & hopefully tip the balance in my favour. 

When attacking an enemy army it is obviously advantageous, especially if they are in fortified positions behind fences etc... This may just be my perception, but firing on these positions from the flanks appears to break the enemy extremely quickly, while they are not able to bring most of their rifles to bear on you. At 2nd Bull Run I completely ignored the right flank & swung all initially available troops in a sweeping left hook, rolling up their lines before later reinforcements arrived on my right flank to assist in mopping up the remaining troops. I normally hate fighting in deep woods, but I approached this battle in a very patient & methodical manner with clear phases. It's easy to get sucked into pursuing routing enemy brigades & becoming overextended. Try to remain disciplined & bide your time until you have enough troops to overwhelm an enemy formation. They don't stay routed for long! (another good feature of the game). 

Brigade detached Skirmishers are really useful for all kinds of tasks. Firstly for increasing your Brigades spotting ranges, searching out enemy ambushes, moving around enemy flanks, plugging gaps in your line, drawing enemy artillery fire away from your Brigades, delaying enemy Infantry who will often stop to fire. In several battles this can make a huge difference. Push your detached skirmishers well ahead of your lines and fight a leapfrogging fire & move withdrawal back to friendly lines. The skirmishers will sustain some casualties, especially in open ground, but if you can constantly force enemy brigades to break their march to halt/aim/fire then their arrival at your main force can be fatally delayed. 

I've not really mastered the use of dedicated skirmisher units. I do include them in my army and they have been useful at certain points in battles, outflanking enemy units or plugging gaps in the line, but they require constant micromanagement and are fragile in comparison to the larger Infantry Brigades. Their inclusion is often dependent on the number of enemy Sharps carbines I capture. I've never really got to grips with 'Dragoons' who require even closer supervision. I'm sure I'm missing out and plan to learn to better utilize these two troops types in my current campaign.

CAVALRY TACTICS

I use the cavalry mostly for scouting, capturing vulnerable enemy supplies and distracting the enemy, especially their guns. As even melee cavalry are very vulnerable when charging guns if there is enemy Infantry nearby or another bun battery, if you are not willing to risk heavy casualties you can instead move into a threatening position, thereby forcing the enemy artillery to turn to engage. At this point I ride away to a safe distance. Once the enemy artillery has rotated back to fire on my main force I ride back in and force them to turn again. By this method I can prevent them firing on my forces at a critical period of the battle without sustaining casualties. I will charge guns when they are isolated of retreating, but you have to be really careful as cavalry can be wiped out very quickly. 

I actually think the developers did a great job with cavalry in UG. They can be frustrating to use at times, but had they been made much more powerful I think the AI would have been pretty helpless to resist a wily player who would take out the enemy batteries with surgeon like precision before engaging with their main army. If you learn to use cavalry properly they can help give you an edge, but they are definitely just part of a combined arms setup & not king of the battlefield!

ARTILLERY TACTICS

Artillery & Infantry are the key to my tactics. I like to keep the guns as near to the front as possible to take advantage of shell (exploding shrapnel) shot & canister. To save ammo I try to avoid long range fire as much as possible unless it's to take out troublesome enemy batteries (using the 10 & 20pdr Rifles). It's important to plan ahead where you want your guns to be at various stages of the battle. Inching them forwards 10 or so yards at a time can help keep them in range without limbering up to the horses & making them start the reloading process from scratch. I make liberal use of the hold fire button for all units to maximize their effect (wait until you can see the whites of their eyes) but especially so for the artillery. Blasting away with solid shot at long range is wasteful of ammo when it's only inflicting a few casualties at a time. If ammo is abundant then I let rip, but generally I try to stay in control & fire in volleys. This can be especially effective when firing in defense. Five or six guns hitting one unit at once can easily cause it to route, often giving your infantry a chance o shoot them in the back as they flee. The enemy Brigades will often be larger & more numerous and keen to charge your lines. Your artillery can be the difference between a bloody melee & standing firm. 

I'm sure there's a ton of other comments I could add, but I've waffled enough for now!

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Just played Iuka using a new green 4 Brigade Division of Springfield M1842 armed Infantry, 2x 20pdr & 3x 10pdr Parrotts and one 350 man unit of Sharps long-range sharpshooter rifles (there's a lot of different types of Sharps!). I held back my infantry while my long-range artillery took out the Confederates two 12pdr batteries & the Sharps picked off the enemy skirmishers from a safe range. The final assault was a bit messy, but I managed to take the objective just in time. The infantry showed their inexperience & took 2-300 losses each, but they've now seen the Elephant. The Sharps were really useful in this battle but I wonder how they will fare in grand battles when I don't have the time to micromanage them. If they were to blunder into a volley from an enemy infantry Brigade, take a few shells from an enemy battery or get caught in the open by enemy melee Cav it's a lot of money to lose for every man/rifle lost! I'm keen to continue to experiment with these elite skirmisher units as it adds a little more interest to each battle, but I'm still not completely convinced about the usefulness in relation to their cost.

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I leaned from my first campaign that to win you need to become proficient in Barracks.

I feel confident on the battlefield. But I used  my first campaign to learn all I could about how the Barracks works.

It is now paying dividends. 

The battle may be won on the field. But the victory is won in the Barracks.

I spend a long time in Barracks fine tuning my Corps for each battle I am about to fight.

The different battles do require the Corps to be tweaked. I learned this I in  my first campaign.

Now into my second. The Union are suffering heavy casualties. 

Try also to take prisoners. This can result in an extra 1000 recruits. Very handy !

I have not been playing UG that long. But  my knowledge of how to work when in the Barracks is responsible for most of my victory’s.

In to my second 2nd campaign I remain undefeated. Inflicting high casualties on the enemy. This keeps their numbers down for future battles. Playing as the CSA this needs to be achieved. If not their numbers will be your downfall.

I keep saying it. UG is superb.

Although a ‘newbie’. I’m happy to offer any help to others. Perhaps to other ‘newbies’ I may have advice that the more experienced players no longer think of.

 

 

 

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On 8/31/2017 at 2:30 PM, jo005597 said:

There's been some excellent advice for new players posted but much of it centered around the actual game play and fighting each battle. I have some tips to share when it comes to building your army and maintaining it in the camp.

In the heat of battle there's a lot going on - especially in those huge maps that come later in the conflict. Knowing who is who, where they are, what skills they have is vital, but nothing disrupts a game like constantly pushing pause to inspect a unit. This is were the features made available in the camp really come to your aid - use them and you will have an edge in battle.

1. You have the ability to customize the name of a unit. I keep the default name but append the range of the equipped weapon. So a unit equipped with a basic Springfield led by Devin, would be named "Devin 250". A unit led by Gordon with weapon ranged at 320 would be "Gordan 320". In battle I can see at a glance the range of each unit and position them for maximum effect.

2. As a unit grows in experience we get to upgrade their attributes. The second level of skill upgrades has two key options effecting firearms. Increased fire rate (reduced accuracy), or increased accuracy (reduced fire rate). I tend to give the accuracy bonus to those units with long range weapons, and the fast fire rate to those with shorter range weapons. I then denote this in the units name by adding an "A" or an "F" to the units name - so "Devin 250" becomes "Devin 250F", and "Gordon 320" becomes "Gordon 320A"

3. When structuring your divisions you want a good blend of units - I try and aim for 2 fast firing units, and 2 long range units, plus one artillery. The long range units hold the line, and the fast firing units hit the flanks.

4. When limited numbers of men are available it's not always about fewer maxed out brigades. 4 Brigades with 1000 men each is often better than 2 brigades of 2000 as you have more maneuver options on the field and the ability to combine into a larger brigade during battle if required.

5. Cavalry - always have a few cavalry - I try and keep an even number of melee and mounted infantry on hand. The mounted infantry are fantastic to rush to a weak point for quick reinforcement, or exploitation of a routing enemy brigade.

6. Corps - always purchase an extra corp slot! When a corp is maxed out, you can no longer restructure it by dragging brigades around. Keeping a 'spare' corp that is not fully occupied allows you to constantly restructure and rebalance the corps you actually take to the field. If you're about to engage in a defensive fight you probably don't want the cavalry - move them to the spare corp and drag in artillery in their place. If you're attacking you may want less slow moving artillery so move them to the spare corp and bring in the cavalry. I'm constantly restructuring my corp for each battle. When you're faced with one of the small skirmish fights you'll often be limited to 10 brigades. Pick the 10 you know you want and move all the others to the spare corp, this way you are guaranteed to get the units you want on the field, when you want them.

7. Stamina and Efficiency compared to Morale and Efficiency - the first upgrade for a unit. I try and balance this upgrade out so my 2nd corp has the highest stamina possible, while the primary corp has the highest morale. That first corp is gonna be fighting longer, and they need the morale. The 2nd corp is often coming in half way through a fight with a ton of ground to cover before they become useful. You want those boys running! Higher stamina units can run for longer - so keep that in mind when applying upgrades. If you have a blend of cannon - give those light 6lb and 12lb howitzers to the 2nd corp - they move quicker. Keep the heavy 10lb, 12lb, 24lb for the primary corp - they need the devastating fire they produce and are less likely to be moving much in the opening minutes of battle.

8. Leaders - it's easy to lose sight of your leaders and click through the camp quickly after replenishing men. This is a mistake. Take a look at the efficiency rating of a unit. You may have started with a 1000 strong brigade, and boosted it to 2500 men, and failed to notice the efficiency dropped into the red, because the major leading it just isn't up to the task of leading a brigade that big. Reassign leaders. It's always worth keeping an unused major or captain in the barracks for this. If you have a 2 star general leading a unit and feel he may be better placed elsewhere, assign the spare captain or major, to move the general to the barracks, you can now assign him to the unit you want him for. This works well with that spare corp I mentioned earlier. You can populate that with units you don't need in the upcoming fight and low quality leaders, keeping your battle units well led. This is invaluable when you're running low on money and can't afford a new general - buy a captain, and transfer the general from a unit you're not taking into battle.

I hope you found this useful. Remember the battle is won on the field - but good decisions made in camp can make all the difference to the quality of the units on the field.

Ultimate General - Civil War, is without doubt my favorite game. I hope the developers go on to make a Napoleonic version - the Peninsula Campaign would be awesome! Good luck Generals and thanks for reading!

 

I’m a newbie. But agree with everything you have said 👍

Cheers 🍺

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