Alright, so what did I do wrong?

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Hancock the Superb
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Alright, so what did I do wrong?

Post by Hancock the Superb »

Okay. So I attempted to play Historical (HITS and Couriers) today. Tragic failure. It was a division versus division sandbox defensive battle. I had Rodes' Division, and was going up against Robinson's Division.

My orders are to defend the Bliss farm. I realize that this is quite a stupid place to hold (it is very low), so I back up to Cemetary Ridge, forming this position:
The attachment Slide1_2012-04-01.JPG is no longer available
Unsure of the direction of enemy approach, I sent Ramseur's Brigade off to the south with orders to probe, and filled in a line between Cemetary Hill and the copse on the ridge. (It took a damn hard time to get everyone into position, but eventually I got it.)

As I'm putting the last of my troops into position, I recieve word that the enemy has been sighted. I ride back to Cemetary Hill to see enemy troops pouring one road over into Bliss farm. As they have already started to take position, I decide to create a battle plan rather than try to hit them on the move. I decide on the one below:
The attachment Slide2_2012-04-01.JPG is no longer available
The entire plan should be a one-two punch. Ramseur and Doles will attack the enemy from the high ground on flank and front (respectively). Once they engage, Daniel and O'Neal will move out; Daniel plugging any holes between the lead brigades and O'Neal swinging down on the Gettysburg flank.

I send the attack orders to Ramseur, wait a bit for him to begin moving, then send the orders to Doles. Both brigades head in nicely. I then move in closer to the action to coordinate the supporting attack. I had ordered Daniel to move to the left flank of Doles in preparation, but somehow, he moved to the right flank. O'Neal marched out towards the creek to his front. I then ordered Daniel to just attack right behind Doles, instead of filling the gap (thinking the AI commander can will find the gap in my lines and plug it), and give orders to O'Neal to attack. Unfortunately, O'Neal missed the idea that he was supposed to outflank the line, and marched right back towards Daniel before he attacked.

By this point in time, I looked at my commander score, and my jaw dropped. I was 700 points negative. I checked kill ratio: I was taking over 2 times as many casualties as I had given. However, my supporting brigades just engaging, so I expected them to sweep the disorganized Union line to the front. They didn't. In fact, they send me to -1500 points within 10 minutes.

Disgusted, I end the battle, having no idea why my troops performed so badly when I had a plan that should have swept the two enemy brigades to kingdom come. (Four brigades versus two? I ought to win, that is why I picked the oob!)

So, what did I do wrong? Do I need to take a more active role in the fight by coordinating the attack better (I thought it was pretty coordinated) or coordinating the supports? Do I need to ride along the line taking personal command of regiments and moving them? The whole thing really doesn't make sense, especially when I can operate a division in a more difficult fight via couriers (but unlimited camera) and win decively.

Maybe I should shoot the brigade commanders and find some replacements.
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Last edited by Hancock the Superb on Mon Apr 02, 2012 4:27 am, edited 1 time in total.
Hancock the Superb
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cliometrician
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Re: Alright, so what did I do wrong?

Post by cliometrician »

I just shoot the brigade commanders....or send them off to the Texas frontier. :) I liked the maps and battle plan. Were you playing on the "Normal" setting, or one more advanced for the AI?
"I may have fought on the side that was wrong, but I fought on the right side." John S. Mosby
Hancock the Superb
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Re: Alright, so what did I do wrong?

Post by Hancock the Superb »

Just Historical settings (which is Normal + HITS and Couriers).
Hancock the Superb
RDBoles
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Re: Alright, so what did I do wrong?

Post by RDBoles »

In historical play does the AI take into consideration the ineptitude of some your commanders? Sounds like your brigade commanders are real people with real faults. Try the same scenario with better rated brigade commanders.
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con20or
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Re: Alright, so what did I do wrong?

Post by con20or »

not sure - but nice post. maybe the enemy had a defensive bonus? behind a wall etc? since 1.4 the Ai seem to take the opportunity to put men behind string positinos wherever possible, maybe they did that and your trroops were out in the open.
Blaugrana
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Re: Alright, so what did I do wrong?

Post by Blaugrana »

Sounds like you did everything right, but then stuff happened !

This is what I like about HITS & Couriers. The best laid plans can go astray and you are at the mercy of unforeseen events, misunderstood orders etc. Also, as you can only see what you can see, you may never know why exactly what happened. All of this seems to me to be what real generals must have experienced at the time.

You mention some of the things that went wrong in your AAR: Daniel going to the wrong side of Doles, O'Neal not 'getting' the intention of your order etc. It is very difficult, particularly during a battle, to write clear, exact orders. I assume that real orders included such things as 'attack the enemy on their flank, if opportunity arises' which we can't mimic.

Anyway, thanks for the great report and map! What did you use to add the units and arrows, btw?

PS Have their been any consequences of your unilateral decision to ignore your orders and defend somewhere else entirely? ;)
Last edited by Blaugrana on Mon Apr 02, 2012 12:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Marching Thru Georgia
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Re: Alright, so what did I do wrong?

Post by Marching Thru Georgia »

Hancock the Superb wrote:
So, what did I do wrong? Do I need to take a more active role in the fight by coordinating the attack better (I thought it was pretty coordinated) or coordinating the supports? Do I need to ride along the line taking personal command of regiments and moving them?
Don't take it too hard, the AI is just a better general than you. :) It's humiliating to be out generaled by a wafer of silicon, isn't it? I've been there many, many times.

As division commander your role is to coordinate, not micro-manage the troops. Your brigade commanders will do that far better than you. The mistake that I see, was a complicated plan, (double envelopment), executed too far too quickly. The hardest thing to develop in division command is timing. I would have held my ground until the enemy showed his intentions. What was his plan? Was he going to attack on a flank or up the middle? Once he telegraphs his plan, then develop a strategy to counteract it. You only get one chance. After you put a brigade in motion, it carries a lot of momentum. It is extremely difficult to change it's course. You have to be as certain as you can be that it's movement cannot be easily counteracted by the enemy.

Equally important is to know your brigade commanders. What is their temperament? They really do behave like humans. If they are aggressive by nature, then you have to use a hold at all costs stance to keep them in place. Telling such a person to defend is really giving them their head. They will take the initiative and take the fight to the enemy. For a timid commander the opposite conditions apply.

Hang in there. Fighting from horseback has a steep learning curve and the AI is a harsh teacher. You have to unlearn a lot of bad habits that are picked up playing via the Goodyear blimp with radio communications and a TC button.
Last edited by Marching Thru Georgia on Mon Apr 02, 2012 8:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I can make this march and I will make Georgia howl.
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