transports

[GetSome]

I was considering how for example Japan might attack midway or US attacking north africa, in real world they sailed in transports and boarded assault crafts off the coast of the target, would it be possible for this feature to be introduce, i.e. right click on transport and select "unload troops". Transport icon change to amphibious icon and normal rules apply.

[GetSome]

I should clarify that I am referring to WW2 games/mods running the WW1 engine.

[Glabro]

Very good point. I assume amphibious transports can make use of the "loops" from the USA at least in SoE?

[xwormwood]

Maybe a different sprite set would do the trick.

While at high sea the standard transport icon (or a slightly modified one to recongnize the difference between regular transports), while next to enemy shores it could change into the already known amphib icon?

After all, you can't simply decide to grant a standard troop transport amphib vessels.

Either they are on board or they are not.

[Glabro]

Noo, I want my Schrödinger's landing craft!

[GetSome]

i suggest this as it difficult to across the ocean in landing craft, so you get the advantage of transport speed and then right click and select unload of the coast and it icon changes to landing craft.

[Ludi1867]

Hi Vespa, etc

I have previously suggested something along these lines in the SOE improvement thread, for much the same reason that Vespa has provided – long range amphib operations did take place during the war, and long range amphibious operations are prohibitively difficult in SC using current methods.

I think Vespa is starting to make reasonable suggestions, but there is some work to be done to address the issue of how this problem could be addressed reasonably simply, and within the SC framework.

I don’t think that simply converting any transport to amphibious mode in any coastal square is necessarily an appropriate mechanism. First, this does not address the concern that this makes transports too flexible. Second, it is not clear if there would be any delay (is there a one turn delay or can the amphib immediately assault?

I would suggest there are a couple of options that can be proposed, and then the SC game designers and others can weigh in on feasibility of any new options within SC mechanics.

Option 1 – High Speed Amphibious Capability Unit. Propose that a NEW class of transport be introduced into SC that has the characteristics of both a transport at sea and an amphibious unit. A player would need to decide when embarking a land unit whether to pay additional MPP to use a high speed amphibious unit, or to pay the ‘normal’ transport cost for embarking a land unit into a transport. The advantage of a high speed amphibious unit is that it would proceed at normal transport speed until in a coastal square adjacent to where it intended to assault. At that point it can make a one time decision (you have to move as an amphibious unit from that point on) to convert to normal amphibious assault mode. If the unit ended its transport movement in the coastal square it can move up to one square using amphibious movement to assault in the same turn. The supply penalty of using this mode (as opposed to embarking in a normal amphibious mode from ashore) is that it will assault at supply level 8 (and supply level will start to drop at one per turn until the unit either assaults or goes back ashore in a friendly square).

Option 2 – No change to existing rules, but a ‘normal’ transport unit can pay half the normal amphibious embarkation cost to convert to amphibious assault mode when within two squares of a friendly port and in calm water (does not necessarily have to be coastal). The value of this option is that it does not require the introduction of a new unit. The disadvantage is that it requires a friendly port somewhere close to the destination. Normal supply rules would apply – transports would not normally use supply while at sea (unless attacked), but amphibious assault units lose supply at one point a turn once embarked.

Neither option is perfect, but both options are far superior to the current conventions in SC, which severely restrict the use of amphibious operations. I am also sure there are other possibilities!

[crispy131313]

I think once you research Amphibious warfare to a high level they move pretty darn quick across the map.

[lettowvorbeck]

I've always thought the Call to Arms scenario should begin with the UK Amphibious research level 1 or 2 (at least one and the single research chit) to represent their advantage in shipping over the CP.

[SeaMonkey]

I like the idea of conversion, transport to amphib, there just needs to be some limitations. Transports as they are used now would be fine, perhaps let them reside one turn in the tile they originate in. Then, when arriving at the debarkation tile the exercise of turning them into an amphib occurs on the next turn and the amphib can travel one tile to the assault beach and attack as it occurs presently.

In this scenario, the amphib tech would only upgrade the attack and defense level for the amphib unit and not enhance its range.

This exercise would need to be tested as deployment configurations are somewhat limited and the intercept ability of the enemy would present a higher risk with the one turn delay near the enemy beaches.