Absolutely stupid

[Christiane]

First of all, even the lowest enlisted soldiers and sailors have brains.

Second of all, how hard is it to push one button to issue a patrol or strike order? It's literally one button.

And you need to give specific orders, because convoy raiding is different from patrol, which is in turn different from strike and convoy escort. Hell, even different doctrines impact how those orders are executed.

Just ordering a bunch of ships to a sea zone doesn't even tell the AI what you have in mind. Imagine this dialogue in real life.

"Admiral Lutjens, I'm ordering the Bismark to sail into the English Channel."

"Excellent, sir. What are our orders while we are out there?"

"Just sail out there and do your best. Just do whatever."

"But, are we meant to engage the British fleet? Raid convoys? Escort German convoys heading back to the Fatherland with tungsten from Argentina? Escort an invasion?"

"Like I said, just trust your own judgement."

"But how aggressive should we be? Should we engage everything? Flee at the first sign of capital ships? Something in between? And should we return for repair when our paint is scratched? Or wait until the screws are blown off?"

"You're not a private with no brain, which is a thing we apparently have in the navy for some obscure reason. You're an admiral. You figure it out."

"Okay, sir."

View attachment 604884

"What have you done! You incompetent buffoon! The Reich is finished! We are going to lose the war! I should have you shot, Admiral Lutjens!"

"But why?"

"You were supposed to escort the 24 panzer divisions we sent on Operation Sea Lion to invade Britain! They are all dead now because Britain sortied a single battlecruiser and sank the entire invasion! Where were you and your Bismark?"

"You didn't give me any any orders, so I decided to raid some convoys. We sunk some, too. That's 100,000 fuel from the US that won't arrive. Oh, and we returned to port, because Seaman Gustav was feeling a bit ill, and I figured that counted as 1% strength damage to the ship. He also wanted his mommy."

That can be wonderful if we can give detailled order. The programm don't allow that as far as i know. Nothings work like "journal de bord" from sailor of WW2. I can't say to attack a fleet only if i see it. and i see it only if i patrol. And if i patrol i can't attack. Somethings wrong there.

 

[Christiane]

It does. The problem is that you're not giving the order. This game doesn't have AI automation like HOI3 does: If you're a player, you have to control everything short of the execution of the missions that you give.

To do that i must see what happend. Where it's show in the game? Do you see the smoke of a ship? Can you seek it if it's a friend or an ennemy? You have only patrol or wait someone who will see ennemy. If the ennemy is not see he can took your ship without effort....It's not true life! You give order to control sea area. The commandant should take all tools to do it. I don't have control for that in the game. I can only give general order. The commandant of any fleet should no than it have to preserve is ship because if the ship is not there the ennemy can go everywhere in the world and it's not what the country want. The power come from sea all the time because you can attack any place from sea. If you build a fleet (and that cost a lot) you do it to control the traffic. If the capitain of a ship don't undestand that he is not at his place.

 

[Christiane]

I don't understand how a single division can isolate 8 divisions. If i play UK i can't send more than 2 division against the 24 of italian.....Strange. It's like the problem with HOI3 where the soldier in foot can go faster than a car....Amazing...And so disturbing.

 

[kronos8]

Your divisions are cut off from supply because you don't control any ports, so there is no way for supplies to reach your troops. It looks like you ordered your divisions to go somewhere else, and therefore leave the port undefended, so the AI could take it. But now the AI isn't defending the port either, so all you need to do is just send one of your divisions into the port to claim it back, and make sure not to move it away again, and you will get supply for your divisions.

If you're the UK and at war with Italy, you can send as many divisions as you want against the Italians, you just need to assign them to a front. Unless you're talking about sending volunteers and being limited by a volunteer cap, but that has nothing to do with the situation in your screenshot.

 

[Bunnytob]

To do that i must see what happend. Where it's show in the game? Do you see the smoke of a ship? Can you seek it if it's a friend or an ennemy? You have only patrol or wait someone who will see ennemy. If the ennemy is not see he can took your ship without effort....It's not true life! You give order to control sea area. The commandant should take all tools to do it. I don't have control for that in the game. I can only give general order. The commandant of any fleet should no than it have to preserve is ship because if the ship is not there the ennemy can go everywhere in the world and it's not what the country want. The power come from sea all the time because you can attack any place from sea. If you build a fleet (and that cost a lot) you do it to control the traffic. If the capitain of a ship don't undestand that he is not at his place.

Okay now I'm genuinely lost as to what you're trying to say.

 

[DystopianAlphaOmega]

Honestly, it seems like there are some considerable language barrier issues that are making it difficult for us to give you advice that you can understand and for you to ask questions that we can fully understand and appreciate the context of. I would recommend you consider trying out the Francophone HOI IV forum (assuming your mother tongue is French) - even if they have less players and can't answer your exact question, they should, at the very least, be able to point you in the direction of some helpful guides and/or tutorials that could hopefully get you started on the basics.

 

[Eisscrat]

Slowly i believe he is a troll.

Nobody can be so unable to understand basic gamemechanics.

 

[kardwill]

On that screenshot, the only order for the 16 ships squadron you have selected is the anchor, meaning that you gave them the order to go to one place and do absolutely nothing. It's the order you use when you want to get a fleet to another base port as a preparation for another mission, or when you don't want them to get shredded by the big scary enemy fleet.
Note that the game will default to this order if you remove every mission zone from this fleet ("I don't have anywher to work --> I will do nothing"), which is frustrating when you have to give order again to each squadron. So try to give the ships their new combat zone before you remove the old one.

So, on the screenshot, you have 6 fleets, each commanded by an admiral. You selected the first one, "home command", that has 12 squadron (which is too many. That's the reason you have a red 12/10 under the admiral's portrait. In this fleet, you selected the Nore Squadron, that looks like a heavy patrol or raiding force (a heavy cruiser and 15 escort ships)

Fleets are ships that work together in the same combat zone. You must tell each fleet the sea zones they operate in, and every squadron in the fleet will operate in that zone, but each squadron needs an order (the button bar above the admirals portraits)
Orders are :
- train : The squadron will go out to sea near their port, and train to get some naval experience
- patrol : the squadron will patrol the sea zone, looking for trouble. If they meet enemy ships, they will either engage, or try to keep their distance, and they will call strike squadrons for help. If several squadrons in the same fleet have patrol orders, they'll try to cover as much ground as possible, enabling you to efficiently control more mission zones. For patrol missions, you want small forces of light, quick ships with good detection : Their role is to find the enemy, and then avoid getting killed until reinforcement is here.
- Strike : the squadron will stay in the port they are assigned to to save fuel. If a combat happens in their mission zone (a patrol finding an enemy ship, a convoy attack...), they will immediately leave port at full speed and join the fight. For this mission, you want a big battlefleet with powerfull capital ships and a big enough screen toprotect them.
- Commerce raid : the squadron will patrol the zone and attack any enemy convoy they find, but avoid combat against escorts or patrols. Good mission for small "packs" of submarines or heavy escort ships.
- Convoy defense : the squadron will protect as many convoys as they can in the fleet's zone, and kill raiders that would try to attack them.
- invasion support : the squadron will escort the transport ships of a naval invasion, and capital ships will then support them with shore bombardment using their heavy guns.
- Anchor : Go to the designated sea zone or port, and avoid combat.

So, in your Home fleet, you could choose 1 or more sea zones as a mission area, then select missions for each squadron (by selecting the squadron, and then clicking on the order) : For example, put small squadrons on patrol and convoy defense orders, sub squadrons on convoy raiding, and that big 144 ship squadron as a strike unit that will only leave port when another squadron needs some help

Note : I think England is a pretty difficult nation to play as a beginner, because they have so many fleets that you simply don't know what to do with them.

 

[Christiane]

On that screenshot, the only order for the 16 ships squadron you have selected is the anchor, meaning that you gave them the order to go to one place and do absolutely nothing. It's the order you use when you want to get a fleet to another base port as a preparation for another mission, or when you don't want them to get shredded by the big scary enemy fleet.
Note that the game will default to this order if you remove every mission zone from this fleet ("I don't have anywher to work --> I will do nothing"), which is frustrating when you have to give order again to each squadron. So try to give the ships their new combat zone before you remove the old one.

So, on the screenshot, you have 6 fleets, each commanded by an admiral. You selected the first one, "home command", that has 12 squadron (which is too many. That's the reason you have a red 12/10 under the admiral's portrait. In this fleet, you selected the Nore Squadron, that looks like a heavy patrol or raiding force (a heavy cruiser and 15 escort ships)

Fleets are ships that work together in the same combat zone. You must tell each fleet the sea zones they operate in, and every squadron in the fleet will operate in that zone, but each squadron needs an order (the button bar above the admirals portraits)
Orders are :
- train : The squadron will go out to sea near their port, and train to get some naval experience
- patrol : the squadron will patrol the sea zone, looking for trouble. If they meet enemy ships, they will either engage, or try to keep their distance, and they will call strike squadrons for help. If several squadrons in the same fleet have patrol orders, they'll try to cover as much ground as possible, enabling you to efficiently control more mission zones. For patrol missions, you want small forces of light, quick ships with good detection : Their role is to find the enemy, and then avoid getting killed until reinforcement is here.
- Strike : the squadron will stay in the port they are assigned to to save fuel. If a combat happens in their mission zone (a patrol finding an enemy ship, a convoy attack...), they will immediately leave port at full speed and join the fight. For this mission, you want a big battlefleet with powerfull capital ships and a big enough screen toprotect them.
- Commerce raid : the squadron will patrol the zone and attack any enemy convoy they find, but avoid combat against escorts or patrols. Good mission for small "packs" of submarines or heavy escort ships.
- Convoy defense : the squadron will protect as many convoys as they can in the fleet's zone, and kill raiders that would try to attack them.
- invasion support : the squadron will escort the transport ships of a naval invasion, and capital ships will then support them with shore bombardment using their heavy guns.
- Anchor : Go to the designated sea zone or port, and avoid combat.

So, in your Home fleet, you could choose 1 or more sea zones as a mission area, then select missions for each squadron (by selecting the squadron, and then clicking on the order) : For example, put small squadrons on patrol and convoy defense orders, sub squadrons on convoy raiding, and that big 144 ship squadron as a strike unit that will only leave port when another squadron needs some help

Note : I think England is a pretty difficult nation to play as a beginner, because they have so many fleets that you simply don't know what to do with them.

Very helpful! I will try. Admit it's not simple and i don't see the commerce raid button. (Maybe it's me.) Still thinking we must be able to better manage that. I want a perfect game and HOI4 is not far from perfection....

 

[Christiane]

Okay now I'm genuinely lost as to what you're trying to say.

Sorry about that. My point is when a country build a fleet itMs not to make somethings nice. It's for control the sea area. It's a little bit hard to do it in HOI4 because see looks like impossible to control in the programm. In reality it is. By example in WW2 UK control de mediterranean and not too much italian ship can pass over this sea just because UK fllet have Radar but not Italian fleet. Make supply in a storm it's available only for UK.

 

[Christiane]

Your divisions are cut off from supply because you don't control any ports, so there is no way for supplies to reach your troops. It looks like you ordered your divisions to go somewhere else, and therefore leave the port undefended, so the AI could take it. But now the AI isn't defending the port either, so all you need to do is just send one of your divisions into the port to claim it back, and make sure not to move it away again, and you will get supply for your divisions.

If you're the UK and at war with Italy, you can send as many divisions as you want against the Italians, you just need to assign them to a front. Unless you're talking about sending volunteers and being limited by a volunteer cap, but that has nothing to do with the situation in your screenshot.

Ok! But why the left the port and the frontier without a gard? Because at the beginning the italian hold all port and they are 8 against 1 in ethiopia. And the italian navy should avoid any transport from UK....Oh it's true. The Italian Amiral come sick when they see the sea....

 

[Christiane]

On that screenshot, the only order for the 16 ships squadron you have selected is the anchor, meaning that you gave them the order to go to one place and do absolutely nothing. It's the order you use when you want to get a fleet to another base port as a preparation for another mission, or when you don't want them to get shredded by the big scary enemy fleet.
Note that the game will default to this order if you remove every mission zone from this fleet ("I don't have anywher to work --> I will do nothing"), which is frustrating when you have to give order again to each squadron. So try to give the ships their new combat zone before you remove the old one.

So, on the screenshot, you have 6 fleets, each commanded by an admiral. You selected the first one, "home command", that has 12 squadron (which is too many. That's the reason you have a red 12/10 under the admiral's portrait. In this fleet, you selected the Nore Squadron, that looks like a heavy patrol or raiding force (a heavy cruiser and 15 escort ships)

Fleets are ships that work together in the same combat zone. You must tell each fleet the sea zones they operate in, and every squadron in the fleet will operate in that zone, but each squadron needs an order (the button bar above the admirals portraits)
Orders are :
- train : The squadron will go out to sea near their port, and train to get some naval experience
- patrol : the squadron will patrol the sea zone, looking for trouble. If they meet enemy ships, they will either engage, or try to keep their distance, and they will call strike squadrons for help. If several squadrons in the same fleet have patrol orders, they'll try to cover as much ground as possible, enabling you to efficiently control more mission zones. For patrol missions, you want small forces of light, quick ships with good detection : Their role is to find the enemy, and then avoid getting killed until reinforcement is here.
- Strike : the squadron will stay in the port they are assigned to to save fuel. If a combat happens in their mission zone (a patrol finding an enemy ship, a convoy attack...), they will immediately leave port at full speed and join the fight. For this mission, you want a big battlefleet with powerfull capital ships and a big enough screen toprotect them.
- Commerce raid : the squadron will patrol the zone and attack any enemy convoy they find, but avoid combat against escorts or patrols. Good mission for small "packs" of submarines or heavy escort ships.
- Convoy defense : the squadron will protect as many convoys as they can in the fleet's zone, and kill raiders that would try to attack them.
- invasion support : the squadron will escort the transport ships of a naval invasion, and capital ships will then support them with shore bombardment using their heavy guns.
- Anchor : Go to the designated sea zone or port, and avoid combat.

So, in your Home fleet, you could choose 1 or more sea zones as a mission area, then select missions for each squadron (by selecting the squadron, and then clicking on the order) : For example, put small squadrons on patrol and convoy defense orders, sub squadrons on convoy raiding, and that big 144 ship squadron as a strike unit that will only leave port when another squadron needs some help

Note : I think England is a pretty difficult nation to play as a beginner, because they have so many fleets that you simply don't know what to do with them.

Very Helpful. I gone try after work. Do you know if HOI will have a rebuild ship option like it had in HOI1?

 

[blue_yonder]

 

[Secret Master]

That can be wonderful if we can give detailled order. The programm don't allow that as far as i know.

You can give detailed orders like I outline in that bit of dialogue. There is literally a mission for escorting invasions! You could literally go into the game right now, put Bismark in a fleet, and order it to escort an invasion in the English Channel. I didn't even pick Lutjens at random. He's in the freaking game as an admiral Germany can appoint!

There is also a mission for convoy raiding. That is a literal order you can give in a sea region. Or even multiple regions.

There is a mission for convoy escort. That is a literal order you can give in one or more sea regions.

There is also a system for telling the ships at what threshold of damage they should return to port for repair. You can even tell the fleet to either return to port as a group, or split off damaged ships by themselves.

There's even a task for composition editor that will let you tell the fleet to keep X number of ships on hand, drawing from the reserve fleet if necessary, while sailing around and performing missions.

 

[Christiane]

View attachment 605090

Not relevant or useful. Microsoft pictures.

 

[Christiane]

You can give detailed orders like I outline in that bit of dialogue. There is literally a mission for escorting invasions! You could literally go into the game right now, put Bismark in a fleet, and order it to escort an invasion in the English Channel. I didn't even pick Lutjens at random. He's in the freaking game as an admiral Germany can appoint!

There is also a mission for convoy raiding. That is a literal order you can give in a sea region. Or even multiple regions.

There is a mission for convoy escort. That is a literal order you can give in one or more sea regions.

There is also a system for telling the ships at what threshold of damage they should return to port for repair. You can even tell the fleet to either return to port as a group, or split off damaged ships by themselves.

There's even a task for composition editor that will let you tell the fleet to keep X number of ships on hand, drawing from the reserve fleet if necessary, while sailing around and performing missions.

I try it now. I'm not in the moment where it will useful but for the moment that work. I can't succesfully order a squadron to go on order of another fleet but maybe it's just because the programm don't register this order properly. I must click so much time to fix a production and sometimes the time don't advance...My computer i think even if it's a brand new one.

 

[Christiane]

I don't understand why the programm don't count the 13 division (8 from O'connor and the 5 in british somalia) and give me "no division for this plan...."

 

[Christiane]

I tried to assign the fleet in mediterranee for around 2 hour and i have only beep of error. What i did wrong? I still thinking it's a great game with so much compexity. But really not easy to handle.

 

[SchwarzKatze]

View attachment 605471

I don't understand why the programm don't count the 13 division (8 from O'connor and the 5 in british somalia) and give me "no division for this plan...."

You didn't assign them to the order

View attachment 605472

I tried to assign the fleet in mediterranee for around 2 hour and i have only beep of error. What i did wrong? I still thinking it's a great game with so much compexity. But really not easy to handle.

You set them to drill

 

[Alphaviki]

View attachment 605471

I don't understand why the programm don't count the 13 division (8 from O'connor and the 5 in british somalia) and give me "no division for this plan...."

You have to pick the units you want to use and left lock them on the order. Then they should be assigned. Also don’t forget to stop drilling and let your troops regain supplies and organisation (the two bars next to the unit on the left) before attacking/declaring war. Otherwise they will be pretty helpless!