Supplies in combat/movement?

[50shadesofgreen]

We know that units consume supply every day. You can view any change in that rate by clicking on the stats for the individual brigades. I'm curious as to whether movement or more likely combat increases that usage?

I think I recall that combat increased supply use in previous versions of the game, yet i don't see evidence of that in HOI3.

 

[roverS3]

As I understand it, every day the Supply system sends out the maximum required daily supply for each unit from the capital or main supply port (overseas territory). This is the amount each unit needs to fight at maximum effectiveness. Then, all of these supplies travel to the units in the field. Whatever supplies are unable to reach the unit they were meant to reach, and those that prove superfluous to requirements (once the unit in question has a 30-day reserve) get returned to the source. This is why you will see a 'returned to stockpile' number when you hover over the supplies or fuel stockpile with your mouse. Moving units at their regular marching speed uses a little bit more supplies & fuel than not moving, but fighting and strategic redeployment use up significantly more.
During peace-time you will see high 'returned to stockpile' numbers, but during wartime or large-scale redeployments that number will go down significantly. (though there is a delay depending on how far your units are from the capital). Bear in mind that there is also a cost to moving supplies around, so even if no supplies are used (impossible, but bear with me), the amount 'returned to stockpile' will still be smaller than the amount sent into the network.

 

[50shadesofgreen]

Moving units at their regular marching speed uses a little bit more supplies & fuel than not moving, but fighting and strategic redeployment use up significantly more.

How much more supply is used while moving or fighting and how is this visible? I have viewed the brigade screen for identical mot units, one in combat and one stationary. Over several days they are both showing a supply demand of 0.63. So no additional cost for fighting or moving!

 

[roverS3]

How much more supply is used while moving or fighting and how is this visible? I have viewed the brigade screen for identical mot units, one in combat and one stationary. Over several days they are both showing a supply demand of 0.63. So no additional cost for fighting or moving!

This isn't visible on the unit level because supply requirements are always given as the maximum requirement (i.e. combat), but you will definitely see a reduction in the amount of supplies that are returned to the stockpile when you move significant amounts of units. I haven't done a statistical analysis to figure out exactly how much less a unit consumes when it isn't moving vs when it is moving vs during strategic redeployment, vs during combat.

 

[50shadesofgreen]

I like your idea of using the "returned to stockpile" as a measuring tool. I am not convinced that it is not totally skewed by the supply produced in cities with IC.

I just did another test, this time with Norway. Deleted all convoys and naval, leaving just two divisions. One being in Narvik a huge 41 nodes from Oslo supply dump. Each of it's 3 brigades shows a requirement of 0.15 supply making a total of 0.45. Turn off supply production to avoid any extra confusion.

Supply screen shows daily supply requirement of 0.45 at Narvik.

If supply drops well below the 30 days needed then the supply requirement shown rises to double. - Well actually either 0.91 or 0.92 as the game rounds up in annoying ways. The supply tax per province is 0.05.

Now if 0.60 supply arrives (from Ballangen). Then 0.05 is eaten by supply tax. 0.45 is consumed by the unit. The Local supply in Narvik raises by the remaining 0.10. This is repeatable and seems to show that the Supply Consumption on the brigade screen is the resting supply need. I think?

 

[roverS3]

Interesting. Cities with IC do produce supplies, so I think you are right to say this skews the returned to stockpile metric, but not to the point it is unusable as a guideline, imo.

From your experiment it does look like the indicated supply consumption is the resting need. I guess I was mistaken.

The question now is how much more supplies a unit consumes when in combat. To simplify calculations, a small country with only IC in the capital would be ideal. How about Luxemburg? The tricky bit here will probably be for the numbers not to be muddled by the presence of allied units in Luxemburg...

 

[50shadesofgreen]

.....not mistaken. It's either pareidolia or apophenia. The wanting to see patterns in things that may not actually exist.

We've been tricked into believing functions are in the game, which actually are not even there. I will try your excellent Luxembourg example tomorrow, by when I expect my excess whisky consumption will have worn off a little.

 

[50shadesofgreen]

Luxembourg has no combat units in the 1936 start, so I defaulted to Germany. Mobilised fully first then declared on France.

The div in Karlsruhe gets supply from Mannheim, so again I can view what exactly goes into Karlsruhe by seeing what is waiting in Mannheim. Set the unit to attack the Maginot Line.

Total resting supply is 2.13. Once attacking, the daily supply total in Karlruhe plus the incoming from Mannheim, minus the supply tax of 0.04 is dropping by 2.13. Day in, day out. (As the unit suffers casualties the supply needed drops - less troops, so this needs to be watched).

I seems like combat also makes no difference to supply intake for land units.