Yellow and Red Rectangles

[Bud Backer]

Unit attributes (rested, tired, etc) sometimes will have a coloured rectangle around their status. I haven't followed this closely but I believe one can have

Tired

Tired (with a yellow rectangle)

Some may have a red rectangle surrounding the status

I assume that these are not just visual embellishments but have some actual meaning. I didn't see anything in the manual about this, can someone give me some info?

[Baneman]

A red rectangle around the morale state means you cannot give them orders - they're Panicked/Routing.

Edited January 7, 2015 by Baneman

[Bud Backer]

Ok, thanks. Any idea what the yellow one around the fatigue level might indicate? Someone in an AAR vid said that once there is a rectangle the status is going to remain for the rest of that battle (tired will not recover to a less disadvantaged state). I wondered if that's true. If not, is it just for emphasis?

[Baneman]

Tired ( ie. fatigue state ) can always recover.

 

Morale states can end up more or less fixed ( eg. may recover, but over timescales not available in your scenario ).

 

I think the yellow is just for emphasis ( but that's a best guess, never really paid much attention to it if it's not red )

- thinking about it more - it could well indicate that it is now fixed - I've had low motivation units go from OK to Panic in one turn just from suppressive fire, then recover all the way back to OK in the next turn when no fire was coming in. But Rattled guys with a yellow border stay Rattled.

 

Hopefully someone more knowledgeable will be along soon.

Edited January 7, 2015 by Baneman

[speedyglides]

Even not know for sure, I thought that yellow "rectangle" means delay or any kind of negative bonus to obey orders in a proper and timely manner.

[womble]

I think it's just for emphasis. The yellow rectangle might be there to warn that the element isn't as capable as it once was; Tired troops cannot kick on to Fast, and Exhausted troops (red rectangle emphasis) can't move slower than Slow or Normal. I used to think that the yellow rectangle on morale meant the unit was "Brittle", i.e. more likely to react badly to incoming fire even when the morale state had rallied to better than "Shaken", but the rectangle appears on Rattled, without the unit having been Broken, and Rattled troops aren't as skittish as troops that have rallied from Broken; you wouldn't get anywhere in some scenarios if "Rattled" troops were automatically "Brittle".

I work on the basis that the rectangles are just emphasis, and haven't been surprised yet by the troops' performance.

[Migo441]

The visualization below describes the morale transitions as I understand them.  This isn't official, but just from observations/testing.

The Red states correspond to the red borders in the UI.  They are temporary but prevent any orders when present.   

The Yellow states correspond to the yellow borders in the UI. 

 

So the proposition is that once you're Shaken, you'll only ever be Shaken or Rattled.  Once you're Broken, you'll only ever be Panicked or Broken.

[Bud Backer]

Thanks, guys. I appreciate the input!

[A Canadian Cat]

@Migo441's graph is plenty good enough to get an idea of how things work. However it is not quite perfect. Your guys can go from OK, Cautions or Nervious directly to Shaken or Panic and back to their previous status (but more likely to a lower one, especially after Panic).

[Baneman]

@Migo441's graph is plenty good enough to get an idea of how things work. However it is not quite perfect. Your guys can go from OK, Cautions or Nervious directly to Shaken or Panic and back to their previous status (but more likely to a lower one, especially after Panic).

Perhaps it's "having taken a casualty" which stops the "going back" ability ?

In my example in post#4, they hadn't taken a casualty ( it was a 2 man scout team ).

Note also that we now have a little light to show Brittle ( have been Panicked or Shaken ).

[womble]

Perhaps it's "having taken a casualty" which stops the "going back" ability ?

In my example in post#4, they hadn't taken a casualty ( it was a 2 man scout team ).

I don't think so. I'm pretty sure that, in long scenarios, I've had Shaken troops that have taken pretty heavy casualties rally to OK before the end. Usually tank crews huddled in a house somewhere near my jumping off point...

Note also that we now have a little light to show Brittle ( have been Panicked or Shaken ).

I'd forgotten about that; only just upped to v3. A needed indicator.

[Bud Backer]

Brittle troops go much easier from normal to panicked,I assume?

[womble]

Brittle troops go much easier from normal to panicked,I assume?

Yeah. Like instantly, as soon as they get incoming. Or before. Sometimes their own gunfire seems to spook 'em... :-/

[Migo441]

Yep, I recently had a brittle guy re-break because there was some gunplay ~ 50m behind him, i.e., just from the sounds of a nearby firefight.

So you can see the advantages of trying to keep your own troops from becoming Shaken/Broken (because it's still readily feasible to rally back to OK) and really pouring it on enemy units when the opportunity presents itself; getting an enemy unit to Shaken just once is a more dramatic lasting result than getting them to Nervous 3-4 different times.  

[Bud Backer]

Very neat, thanks again guys!

[Melchior]

Units can recover from a Rattled state too, I think they're more likely to do so if they're well led and near HQs. Anything more than that and they're just for garrison duty.  

[Baneman]

... Anything more than that and they're just for garrison duty.  

 

Yep.

 

In my army Broken guys have a 50-50 chance of sitting on a VL in the rear, or finding the next enemy via recon-by-death.

[AttorneyAtWar]

Units can recover from a Rattled state too, I think they're more likely to do so if they're well led and near HQs. Anything more than that and they're just for garrison duty.  

 

Not always though, in certain cases "rattled" is permanent.

Edited January 8, 2015 by Raptorx7

[Melchior]

I assume the abstraction is "inspiring speech."  

Edited January 8, 2015 by CaptHawkeye

[cool breeze]

"Inspiring Speech-er" is the main job duty of my HQ units, 'specially as the Italians.  Keep em back to stand around next to the broken guys to get em back in the game.

[BLSTK]

I assume there is a lot of hand gesturing during these "moments of inspiration"?

 

Especially among the Italians.

 

And perhaps even a threatening tone from some of the Sicilians.

 

A little known fact has the latter being rationed cotton balls prior to "inspiring" their troops.

Edited January 9, 2015 by BLSTK

[womble]

A little known fact has the latter being rationed cotton balls prior to "inspiring" their troops.

Not baseball bats?

[BLSTK]

Not baseball bats?

 

 

"I'd like you to meet my little friend".

Edited January 9, 2015 by BLSTK

[Artofwar]

[Bud Backer]

ROFLMAO!!