Division Width

[Crack Protein]

Can somebody explain division width and how does exactly influence the game?

 

[Androbey]

Think of division width as combat frontage. If you hover over a battalion in the division designer each will have a Stat Combat Width. It ranges from 1 to 3 depending on what it is. Infantry usually is +3.
Division width is the total Combat width of all battalions in the division.
Division width is the optimal front that a division can defend and/or attack though.
Each individual square (area) has terrain that will affect combat and also limit the number of battalions that can effectively use that terrain.

see the description from the wiki:

https://hoi4.paradoxwikis.com/Terrain

 

[Had a dad]

end of day, now there is no longer 2 templates to rule the world.

 

[Corpse Fool]

Before we talk about the combat width of a division, I think we should start by talking about the width of a combat. Every combat (the subcomponent of the battle) will have a width based on the type of terrain being defended, number of flanks that have been opened by the attacker, and the tactics that were rolled by either side. Someone has already linked you the terrain page of the wiki which does contain the base+flank, so I'll offer the tactics page for completion.

It is important to note that the tactics modifiers only apply to the base of the terrain, and not flanks. So, fighting in a desert with 2 flanks would be 90+45+45=180, and adding encirclement tactics +50% on top of that isn't 270, but is 225 instead (90*1.5+45+45). I haven't bothered to go into the game and try to count what the maximum number of flanks possible is, but the smallest possible combat would be a mountain battle with no flanks, and the temporary combination of -75% width from sieze bridge+geurilla tactics, which only allows for 18.75 width.

The width of the combat is basically how big of a box you have to put your toys in. The combat width of the division, is how big those toys are. Ideally, you would want some number of your toys to be fitting perfectly into the box, leaving no empty space so that you can bring the most stats to the combat you can, while avoiding what is known as the overwidth penalty. The over width penalty happens because of some extra rules in play. The width of the combat being displayed in the game is more of a guideline than an actual rule, there are 3 scenarios where you can exceed that limit.

1. As long as there is some empty width on your side of the combat, the game will try to call reserves into the combat. The game will allow a division to fill that width, if filling that width would not put you past the limit for the over width penalty. (For example, you are using 70 out of 90 combat width, with 35w divisions. The game will try to call another one of those divisions from the reserve list, making you have 105/90 width, which is overwidth)
2. If the width of a combat shrinks, by flanks closing or tactics changing, divisions will generally be booted out of the combat into the reserve pool to shrink alongside the shrunk combat. Divisions are only booted if the over width limit would be exceeded though, so it is entirely possible to have the combat shrink and still be over width, and perhaps more interestingly even if one of the formations remaining in the combat, are contained entirely within the 'overwidth band'. (For example, you have the same 35w divisions and another 5 wide division alongside them. A combat that was 180w because of a tactic and a flank, shrinks down to 90w again. You can be left with 3 of the 35w which would already be over width, and the extra 5w, because that extra 5w might not break the limit)
3. The combat will always allow for at least one division to enter the combat, no matter how big it is compared to the combat or how much penalty it would incur. (For example, a 75w template in the previously mentioned smallest combat of 18.75w would normally break the overwidth penalty limit, but it's allowed to happen anyway).

The over width penalty itself is currently, the amount of width you're currently exceeding the allowed width, divided by the allowed width, multiplied by 1.5. The current maximum penalty is -0.33 (which is, -33%). So, for the previously used examples of using 105 width in a 90w combat, you're 15 width over the limit, which would be 15/90*1.5=0.25 (which is, a -25% penalty). That penalty applies to the attacks and defenses (meaning, soft and hard attacks, defense and breakthrough) of all of your divisions in the combat. A -25% penalty would mean you're left with 75% of your stats, and 75% of the 105 width of stats you're using, is 78.75w that you're effectively fighting width. Which means that adding that third 35w template is really only adding 8.75w worth of stats, which is not a very good deal. If you wanted to have 3 divisions in a 90w combat, you'd generally be best served by using 30w templates, because you'd perfectly fill the width, avoiding overwidth penalties and underwidth pseudopenalties. The other big part of combat width, is how it impacts targeting. Every division in a combat will (randomly) pick targets from the list of enemy divisions and then apply their attacks to. Each division has currently double their own combat width in what is known as, engagement width. Your divisions will fill their engagement width, with the combat width of the enemy divisions they pick. There is something resembling a structure to this.

1. Your divisions will pick, first from the list of enemy divisions that would fit into their engagement width, and will continue to pick divisions from that list as long as they have room available and there are no targets that would exceed the engagement width. For example, we have a 40w template that has 80 engagement width. If there were 10, 15w templates to pick from, our division would pick 5 of them for a total of 75w that they target, because that is all they can fit before exceeding their engagement width.
2. If there are enemy divisions that would not fit into the engagement width of the division currently picking targets, those are ignored provided there is a list of targets they can pick from. For example, if there is a 20w template picking targets, it has 40 engagement width. If the targets are a variety of 40w and a 45w, it will ignore the 45w and pick from the 40w.
3. If there are no targets that would fit into its engagement width, it will randomly pick one of the targets outside of its engagement width. For example, an 18w template facing against the same 40's and 45 as the previous example. Since none of the targets would fit into the engagement width of 36, it will randomly pick not just from the 40w, but it may also pick the 45w.

A consequence of the above rules is that you can use a super-wide template like 75w (the current maximum in vanilla), and shield it with a bunch of low-width divisions like 10w, and prevent the 75w from being targeting by a wide variety of common division sizes.

The last part to really talk about now, is how one might get a division template to be a particular size, which is pretty straight forward. Every battalion (not support companies) in the game has an associated combat width stat, just add all of those together and you'll get the width of the division template. The width of battalions will be either 1 (line/towed AA/AT), 2 (everything that isn't one of the others), or 3 (most forms of artillery), but there is a special doctrine tech that will reduce the width of specifically infantry from 2 down to 1.6.

There are other factors that might affect division design, but this is getting wordy enough so I tried my best to stick with the things that only relate to combat width directly. If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask.

 

[Cavalry]

Also division width can be a free resource. If you are much stronger than enemy, then you will be attacker and need to save width to utilize more attack troops, use better quality troop per width. If you are weaker, you will be outnumberred and have un used width, so you can have more cheap infantry and line artilllery to fill.

 

[Joshua Happytree]

Every division in a combat will (randomly) pick targets from the list of enemy divisions and then apply their attacks to

Excellent and very insightful post. I'm sure you know the system inside out yet I'd make a little correction about random attacks for the benefit of TS.

35% of attacks of all divisions in combat are dealt to lowest org enemy division. 35% is default before country / div modifiers. To put it plainly divisions devote 35% of all their damage to take out the weakest enemy division out of the fight. https://hoi4.paradoxwikis.com/Land_battle#Targeting.5B1.5D

 

[Cavalry]

35% of attacks of all divisions in combat are dealt to lowest org enemy division. 35% is default before country / div modifiers. To put it plainly divisions devote 35% of all their damage to take out the weakest enemy division out of the fight. https://hoi4.paradoxwikis.com/Land_battle#Targeting.5B1.5D

That is target selection and another matter. To use target selection one will need high width. Let's say the division has 20w then they will target a basket of 20x2 =40w of enemy divisions. A 45W tank divisions is great to concentrated fire and kick out enemy divisions one by one. But this cost high xp in early game that need for doctrines. And smaller width have more firepower per width tanks to support fire. So it is not a must. Another thing to troll enemy is if you know they use 10w, then you can use 11w to denied them the ability to target select your divisions, a 10w only select 1 11w division, not 2.

Now the crucial part. In my opinion we will need to fill as much as troops in combat as possible, at least for attack and forget. Not just fill the combat width but over that as well.

Avoid the 42w for attacker because you don't fill combat with or over, that need for trigger many good tactics like Encirclement.

 

[Crack Protein]

Thank you all guys, you were very helpful!

 

[Crack Protein]

@Corpse Fool

Dude, I'm impressed with your knowledge of the game and tactics. The amount of detail is insane . Thanks a lot for help, I will try to apply your advices now, we will see how it goes