FAQ
From AACWWiki
Credits
Original version compiled by Korrigan, with contributions by Philippe Sacre (Sunray), Rafiki, Tc237, Johnnycai
Game
During the resolution phase, I had set my view to a particular place on the map, but the view moved and now I can't see what I wanted to see. Is there any way to replay the resolution phase so that I can see the enemy moves?
In the current code, there isn't. You can, however enable the game to show you all enemy moves as they are visible to you, moving from one to the other as they happen.
Tips
- Use the tooltips. A lot of information is to be had by hovering your mouse over objects, icons, regions, cities, units, etc..
- Shortcut keys/hotkeys. The manual has a list of shortcut keys that are very useful.
- Use E or R to cycle through land units. T or Y for naval units
- Use Ctrl + E or R to skip units that are not moving. T or Y for naval units.
- Use ESC (Escape) to exit most windows, including returning to the Main Menu.
- Right click a tab to lock a stack, this prevents accidental merging with other stacks, Right click again to unlock.
- Ctrl + L will lock/unlock all stacks on the map in the same way.
- Message box. Use the filter buttons, just to the left of the message box, to help sort through a long list of messages.
- Click once on black messages to jump to the map location.
- Click twice on red messages to open a more detailed explanation.
- Some messages have tooltips also.
- Unit detail box. Clicking on a unit's NATO icon from the unit panel (along the bottom of the screen) will open the unit detail box.
- Promote generals. When a general is eligible for promotion you will get a message box message and a "yes" in the "is promotable"-line of his detail box.
- Select the general, Click on the middle special orders tab (tent symbol), the "promote"-button should be available (bottom left button).
- You need to move this general from any unit stack (this makes him an independent command for the moment). The promote button should now be available. Promote the general, then move him back into the unit stack.
- Unit Panel. To avoid losing entrenchment bonuses, utilize the unit panel to inspect units - don't just move them around in a region to see what is underneath, as that is how you lose the bonus.
Blockade and naval units
What are the most effective naval units for shipping, blockade, blockade running and supply?
Frigates (light, steam, and armored) can be used to pursue raider ships in the shipping box; however, they can also be used to intercept blockade runners in the blockade boxes.
Light Frigates have the highest Blockade rating, and are most effective at raising the blockade %.
Blockade runners are brigs, as they are fastest and have some transport capacity. Transports could be used, but they are slow and very susceptible to interception.
Shipping and supply each require transports. The Confederates can never get shipping and supply; they get blockade running instead.
What are the important strategies for maxing out the blockade window or manually having blockades along the coast at key enemy ports?
You are better to add some ships in the blockade box first (to get something like 25% but it can climb higher, the return on investment lowering for each % though), then to blockade the biggest confederate ports. This will add up.
Light (not Steam or Armored) Frigates and blockade ships are the most effective ship types.
Why can't I 'brown-water' blockade Richmond by placing a fleet at Hampton Roads?"
To blockade a particular port, you need to place a fleet of sufficient strength in each of the river/sea areas that the harbor connects to. Blockades "further out" don't count, even if you close off an area that ships to/from the port in question "must" pass through on their way to sea.
My Illinois river ships get built in ports bordering the great lakes, but they'll never see any use up there?
Shallow water ships built in the Great Lakes can move into the Mississippi river system through the Ohio and Erie Canal. The canal runs frome Erie, PA through the Meadville and Centre regions, and exits into Shenango Curve on the Ohio River at Franklin, PA. The canal is not functional if the regions it runs through are frozen.
What do naval engineers do; they aren't marked with any special abilities?
They speed up building and repairs of ships in the ports where they are located.
How exactly does the Monitor, once it appears through an event, reach full strength while no replacements exist?
Naval units repair costs war supplies. Replacements are for land units only.
Ground units
How do you stop cavalry raids?
Put one militia in every border city and in the cities behind the first line. If you have a chance, add a cavalry unit in the city. If raiders bypass the city, drag and drop cavalry on the raiders to pursue them, and cavalrymen have a better ability to spot sneaking units. Preferably use decent cavalry leaders, with a high strategic rating, to lead these groups. The key is to not let those raiders capture any cities, if they do, they can resupply, and that leads to even deeper raids. Also, place gunboats on rivers to prevent passage of land units.
What is the difference between reinforcements and replacements?
Replacements are what you need to flesh out depleted regiments, rule-of-thumb is to aim for having 10% of your total force available in replacements (you can see the numbers on the replacements screen, it tells you how many replacement "points" you have, and the max number you can have, so you generally want to try and keep 10% of the big number in stock). Reinforcements are the new units you'll need to increase the power and size of your armies and garrison your rear areas.
I bought a new HQ unit last turn but I can't see it on the map, is it a bug?
Units take time to build (most infantry units are raised in one turn but naval and HQ units take quite a long time to build). Unlike militia, regular units will then take two or more turns to be fully trained. Untrained units can defend themselves when attacked, but their power will be significantly reduced.
I have several line replacements, just sitting there, but my depleted units are not filling up. Why?
A unit needs to be in either a depot, harbor, or a level 2 city (not besieged) in order to draw replacements. Note also that partisans and irregulars can regain hits for free if a region is very loyal.
I read in the manual that total the command points provided by leaders in a stack is limited to a maximum of 16, but what is a stack?
A stack is units grouped together. Separate units in the same region are each individual stacks. For instance, if you have an army and two corps in a region, that would be three stacks. Basically, stacks are the tabs you see when you select a unit in a region.
Do medics provide their bonus if kept at Army HQs or do they have to be in the same region attached to a corps?
A leader with the special medical capacity gives +15% to the cohesion recovery rate to all other elements of the stack he's in. A medical unit in the same stack as an army HQ only affects units in that HQ stack, not the entire army.
I've seen that an army HQ stack (HQ + combat units) never initiates combat, does that mean I cannot use it to attack even when set to offensive posture?
Yes, the army stack never initiates combat by itself. In a combat, either it is attacked, or other friendly force calls it for support. This is done so that a lone HQ is not caught in a bad situation, such as being attacked by a superior force.
How exactly does artillery add up in a siege roll?
30 points of artillery give you +1 (or -1 if defending).
What are the penalties for the stacks attacked when they are caught travelling on trains?
For now there are no penalties, because the game is functioning at the operational level, where you can move up to 50000 men in trains, which means you would not just ambush a train but dozens spread over a day in this case. But the main reason is that the rule indicates that you can only use train if you have at least 25% military control in the region. So it means the enemy is not yet completely in control of it and you still have room to unload and deploy before being engaged.
The partisan units I purchased have disappeared as soon as I moved them. Is this a bug?
No, you retain them longer than 'free' partisan units but you still have a chance at the end of each year to see them melting away. Partisans are citizens that have banded together to liberate their hometown. Once their mission is accomplished they often disband as there is nothing keeping them in the field anymore.
Do I need an engineer to repair railroads? And how long does it take?
No you don't need an engineer, but goes faster if an engineer is there to help. Place any combat unit on an area that has a destroyed rail icon and then go to special orders and order 'repair'. It takes 10 days to repair RR (+ 3 war supplies). Engineers will speed up the repair process to 5 days however.
I have 3 separate line infantry regiments in a division. Can I create a brigade with these regiments?
You can only combine militia regiments in pairs, creating a sort of mini-brigade with lousy power, but it's an exception (unless you replace the elements a brigade had lost in battle). Otherwise, you can't add regiments to existing brigades, only leaders.
Leaders
I have a lot of 1 star generals with blank heads, what does this mean?
The blank generals are simply those whose artwork is not done yet. This should be remedied through a patch soon.
Can you explain why a general will not activate?
The chance of activation is related to the general's strategic rating. Anything under 3 means you're going to spend a lot of time waiting for him to activate so you can use him offensively (he can still move while inactive, but 35% slower, is unable to assume an offensive posture voluntarily and fights with a penalty). This is to simulate the inability of the early Union generals to actually finish off the battles they started or got suckered into.
I got an event saying McClellan has been appointed commander of the Army of the Potomac, but he isn't. What gives?
This is an event that describes what happened historically and can best be viewed as a "flavour" event. You the player have full control of who gets to command what and in which way, with the rules about seniority and suchlike still being in effect.
Can leaders die?
Yes, but it happens quite rarely. 3 and 4 stars leaders are immune.
Are training officers able to change militia into conscripts?
No, training officers train conscripts to regulars, but the change from militia to conscript is only done by the event engine. You don't have a hand on militia change; it's random, and the event engine picks all militia units on the board and applies a small chance of conversion to them (5-10%).
Can generals improve their stats by winning battles? Can I take a 3-1-1 and turn him into a 3-2-2 with a series of victories?
Yes, they gain experience in battle (which also leads to better seniority), even if they don't fire a shot.
A general with a recruiting officer trait can recruit new conscripts on a regular basis inside a level 5+ city. Does he recruit twice as much in a level 10 city than he does in a level 5 city?
No, the recruiting rate is not affected by the city size above 5.
Does a general with a recruiting officer trait in an appropriate city will result in new brigades appearing without the loss of conscript points?
No but he will give you a bonus to your national manpower of 3-6 conscript companies per turn.
Chain of command
I'm grouping brigades into bigger units but I still suffer under very large penalties in battle. It this working as designed?
The command chain is probably the most important part of this game to learn. If you don't read anything else in the manual, or play any of the other tutorials, make sure you look over the command parts, because if you don't understand it, the game will probably seem pretty frustrating.
I read in the manual that an army's reserve units (directly attached to the army) provide additional advantages and punch in the region the army is located in. What sort of advantages? What exactly is the punch?
The sentence is a bit misleading. The army stack is more reactive and will be faster to join a corps in the same or in an adjacent region by marching to the sound of guns, but there is no special bonus.
What sort of combat bonuses do corps fighting together receive in combat?
They are able to support each other. If two corps are in a region, they can march to the sound of guns much more easily than two independent forces.
Military control and loyalty
I'm curious as to the mechanics of region control. A single cavalry brigade promptly took control of a province. What gives?
Military control (unlike loyalty) switches rather easily. Also, if a battle is fought in the region, the winner will see a large shift in control %. If you move e.g. 3-4 cavalry units into a region and rout the militia, chances are that control will shift a lot, possibly completely. If you move into a region with no battle, then the more units you have, the faster it will shift (each element is using its police value).
Does the presence of military units in a region affect political control at all, or is it just driven by victory points, national morale, and battlefield success elsewhere?
If you have troops stationed in a region, sum up the police value of all elements; if you roll a percentage dice below this value, loyalty will shift 1% in your favor. On the domestic policies screen, you can apply a policy which will bind the loyalty of all regions in the state between 2 values.
What is the % combat modifier when inactive leaders happen to be in an aggressive stance in enemy controlled territory?
Whatever your stance, you get a combat penalty equals to the lack of military control in the region, maxxed at 35%. Said differently, if you are inactive and fight in a region with 65% or less military control, you are at -35% (this is the same penalty for 'lack of CP', so this does not double if you are already at -35% if badly commanded).
Supply
Why are the regions under enemy control shown as green (= in supply) on the map with the supply filter?
Supply can pass in a region, except if a military unit is there, as long as the enemy's military control is below 75%.
Do supply wagons take damage when units draw supply from them?
No. When a supply wagon is completely or partially depleted, you can send it back to the rear for replenishment (it's faster by rail).
Where do supplies come from to replenish the Atlantic blockade and shipping boxes? I'm getting messages that I'm out of supply yet I have maximum shipping transportation points.
Supply transport is only applicable to ground units. Ships don't resupply automatically in the boxes (but they have a good staying power, something like 12-16 turns of autonomy). You have to cycle your ships in and out of ports by bringing them back to a friendly port from time to time. Think of it as supply, plus repairs needed to keep the ships in shape. Note that there are game options that allow you to have ships in the boxes not use supply and lose cohesion if left alone, at the price of reduced efficiency.
How do you get a depot to level up? one that I built in April 1861 is still only a level one, and its now February of 1862.
This is a feature which is on hold for now (and for some time). Depots are always level 1.
What do the two numbers signify when looking at supply for cities (example: 128/278)?
Economy
I've been investing heavily in railroads this winter. However, I can't seem to notice any changes in the railroad capacity. Is there something else that needs to be done to put the railroads bought into use?
You will often loose railway capacity due to train accidents (random events) in the winter months, something your investments should cover as well as the 3% / turn wear and tear. Generally, you should see your new railroad points on the turn following the one you build them. Remember that as long as you have a unit in transit using rail, the game deducts that rail cost from your total available rail pool. The same goes for river transport.
Is there an upper limit to how much railroad capacity one can have?
No, you can improve and increase your capacity as high as you want.
Are gains from economic funding in production permanent or temporary ? It seems I lose the pop-up screen after stopping my investments a few turns later, indeed.
Investment improvements are displayed in the text message area for each turn. Each new factory gets its own line in the text field. As long as you have a factory in a state and the next turn's projected income is still in the black, then there is a chance improvements can occur in that state's cities. The number of factories simply increases the odds for each city in that state to get a positive die roll. The factory graphic in the ledger itself is not permanent, it's simply an indicator of that turn's expenditures, the improvements themselves are not displayed in the ledger and are permanent.
According to the manual, the game allows for the building of new railroads. Is this feature working? Are they any limits as to where you can build these new railroads?
This is a feature which is on hold for now, sorry. There is a chance it will be added in a patch. In any case, you won't be able to build where you want, there will be restrictions.
- As part of the RR Accuracy MOD, I am exploring ways to enable the placing of railroads that were built after the war started. This seemingly will involve the editing of the saved game (.hst) file in order to properly set the changed TransportLvl settings, which will be necessary if you wish to accomplish this in mid-game, and by necessity is what adding railroads is almost exclusively about ("building" them in mid-game). I'll post more later after I complete the 1861 at-start railroads for the actual game files. - Gray_Lensman
Events
Through emancipation (playing as the Union) I should get 150 VP, 5 NM, and I should lower the chance of foreign intervention. Why should I decide not to emancipate?
You can't declare it before late 1862 and only if your national morale is high enough (>80). Side effects: you lose loyalty in the border states, as happened historically.
Does anyone actually know how the Kentucky secedes?
A few 'bugs' in the Kentucky events from the original version have been fixed. Here are the general guidelines now:
- Kentucky may secede and join the CSA by itself in Sept 61, through a scripted event with a low probability (10%) and if the CSA morale is higher than the USA's.
- Whenever a militia unit situated in KY is attacked by the other side, KY joins the defending side (no deadline, automatic).
- Whenever CSA captures Bowling Greene, or Union captures Lexington, KY joins the other side.
When KY joins one side, it is definite.
