n00bie help needed; Supply Question

[unmerged(12056)]

HI all,

I searched all over this forum so Im sorry if this has been asked before but I cannot figure out conveys / supply.

I played as USA and had my bases in the islands needing supply and oil. I set up a convoy out of CA and my oil reserves were huge. I set it to run from CA to Midway and selected oil. It was some ratio like 0/2900. When I mouse over the convey it says transporting nothing. How do I get all the oil from CA to transport?!?!??! I figure that the 0 in the ration needs to be set but I cant figure out how.

The second part was that it said I only had 3 escorts available but when I tried to create a new shipping division there was no option for escorts. How do I create more?

I have a billion more questions and the manual pretty much sucks but Ill save those for another time. I love what I think this game could be if I could figure out how to actually play it

Thanks in advance!

 

[unmerged(15561)]

Hello.

Firstly try the updated manual that should be d/l from my sig. <if you have problems send me a pm>

To answer question about supply:

Create your convoy a - to - b. Then select the components that you wish to send. A convoy is one way only so supplies and oil from you homeland to your base of operations. Oil, rubber, coal and steel need to be sent from foreign lands to your homeland.

Next select the number of escorts and transports you wish to attach to said convoy. You will need a minimum number of transports which is governed by the route taken through the sea zones. Sometimes you will want more. To see the number of components that will be sent check the tool tip on the Manage Convoys screen if you highlight the slider it will tell what is sent in that convoy.

Escorts are optional, but needed if enemy has fleets targetting your convoys.

Your transports and escorts go up automatically every month, cant remember what the formula is for this. However, you can add more a month by building them as you would build a normal warship. The actual units are transports and destroyers. each converts to 10 points for convoy use, when they are sent to convoy duty. This is done by deploying them from the build queue and clicking the icon in the units window. The menu underneath in that same window will have the option of send to convoy duty.

I suggest you only build the most basic of destroyers for escort duty. You dont get more points worth for better models!

Hope this helps.

Ask as many question as you want. There are still some veterans about that will answer your questions!

 

[unmerged(12056)]

Thanks 2Coats!

I was worried that since HOI2 is out that these forums might be dead!

You answered my question about destroyer escorts (thanks!) but I still dont understand about the convoys. I create the convey and assign the number of transports just fine, I then go to the screen that allows me to pick which resources to send (in this case oil from California to Midway). Its the checkbox thingy that you click in to "X" it. But the ratio next to the checkbox reads something like 0/2900. After the convoy is created I mouse over it and a tool tip appears that says "Transporting Nothing". I can not figure out how to get the convoy to actually transport the oil!

I hope that was a better description of my problem.

Thanks so much for your response. I will go and read the manual from your link...its got to be better the what came with the game.

Thanks again!

 

[unmerged(15561)]

You are NOT assigning any ships to the convoy. At the top of that little window you get the total ship numbers that you have

transports 38 escorts 15

means thats that what you actually have to allocate. You need to actually allocate the ships to the convoy by using the + - buttons. The convoy [text] turns from red to blue when you have enough transports assigned.

As a rule if you [have] escorts to spare assign 1 escort for every [2] transport in the convoy.

Clearer?

I will be on for a bit longer so if you need help just post some more!

EDIT: [] have been added. Its late!

 

[unmerged(12056)]

heh well i can create the convoy just fine and allocate the transports as needed but my problem is that even though i select oil the convoy doesnt transport it

i have no trouble selecting the originating port and destination port and assigning transports the convoy runs it just doesnt transport anything

thanks again for answering my questions!

 

[unmerged(15561)]

Well what is this for all convoys you try?

I take it you own Midway? You have ticked Oil and supplies commodoties to transport?

You are clicking on the actual provinces between the 2?


Do you wait until 00:00 hrs the next day, cause thats when it actually transports.

Go to the convoy screen and see if the sea zone between CA and Midway are a lilacy color.

Can you post a screenshot?

 

[unmerged(12056)]

Ok...when I set the convoy up it looks like this...

Screen 1

When I mouse over the convoy interface I get the "shipping nothing" tool tip like this...

Screen 2

The big picture of the map from LA to Midway looks like this...

Screen 3

The convoy is all setup...it just doesnt transport the oil

 

[unmerged(3221)]

Oil and supplies are only sent on as needed basis. You can not stockpile them ahead of time. If you have no land div there, it sends nothing.

Generally you should setup only one way convoys from your mainland to islands with troops that need supplies. Since supply convoys only send as needed, they do not work well when you try to relay supplies from one island to another.

One thing that you can do to minimize convoy loss is to first set up a massive convoy of 100+ ships for even 2 divisions on a remote island. Let it run one day and check below your capital to make sure that it worked. Then go back to the convoy screen and decrease the convoys and any escorts to zero. Then forgot about that island for a month or so.

Then check the status again and assign convoys to the run for one day. Rather than a continuous daily convoy, use large one shot convoys instead. I keep the convoy with zero transports in the convoy list as a reminder to me that I have to periodically pay attention to it.

You can go to the ledger (F6) every so often and go to the division table and sort on org. Div without supply will start to lose org and perhaps strength. That's another way to check up on the status of those island garrisons.

 

[unmerged(12056)]

Oil and supplies are only sent on as needed basis.

AH HA!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks mate!

Now it becomes clear I slowed my game speed down and paused / unpaused while keeping the 'manage convoy' screen open. A unit would run out of oil and then the next day at 00:00 the supply run would be made. It was happening so fast before because I had the game speed cranked up I never saw it. For some reason there was a problem with the Midway convoy because my divisions garrisoned there were dying from lack of supply. All and all very confusing but it makes sense now.

There is sooooo much to manage in this game I am having a hard time keeping up with it all! I get very absorbed in research and then other aspects start to fall apart!

Well, I have started about 10 games so far and not gotten very far with them before Im porked and have to start over but I learn a bit more each time. Makes one feel a bit thick but the manual is rather useless IMO.

Thanks again!

 

[unmerged(6946)]

I recommend the large occasional dump, as it allows you to build up stockpiles and is a lot safer from enemy interdiction. You can even time it so that it runs when the coast is clear.