Unit supply line?

[Dida]

I hope some form of unit supply line will be implemented in Civ5 to make combat more realistic. In Panzer General, an unit has a finite amount of fuel, ammo, etc and must be replenished when depleted. If an unit is next to an enemy unit or is too far ahead of the rest, it cannot resupply and must retreat.

 

[imperiex1]

Great idea, but it needs to be implemented so that there is little micromanagement involved. When you first build a unit in a city, here is how it can go:

• You give the unit a one-time supply of food and fuel(fuel only comes in late game). This will be a one-time expense, and will not cost x food/turn.
• Once the unit runs out of supplies, it will become progressively weaker until you move it back within your borders. You can then give the unit food each turn, with the food production being deducted from the nearest city.
• You can also create a "supply" unit(present in different forms on land, sea, and air) to take stocks of food and fuel from your empire to selected soldiers. These will have little combat strength and should be guarded.
  
  Supply Unit
  
  3 Land/2 Sea/4 Air
  1 Land/Sea/Air
  300 land/500 sea/100 air*
  
• "Supply Depots" can be created on your borders to hold food, so it is easier for your supply unit to get food. There will be a bar above the supply depot showing how much food is stored. Food for the supply depot is automatically deducted from the nearest city, but it will take fewer turns for the supply unit to reach the soldiers.

*Soldiers require 3 food instead of the usual 2.

 

[migkillertwo]

Having to position your troops and taking account of terrain, adjacent units, and potential flanking manuevers is difficult enough. Having to take logistics and supply lines into account when planning military maneuvers will just complicate things.

I understand your desire to have wars based more on movement than physical strength; it was a serious flaw in Civilization's combat system until now, but this has already been satisfied by the incorporation of terrain, flanking, and adjacent unit bonuses.

Even though we dont have supply lines, movement will be far FAR more important in Civ V than Civ IV

You can still have your Blitzkrieg.

 

[Xzylvador]

^ Seconded.
IMO, the whole "supply line" already exists, it's called military maintanance and I believe it already keeps things like unit distance from home country into account.
Civ is not and should not ever be a tactical military game like panzer general; too much military micromanagement will lessen the whole empire-building thing Civ has going for it.
--I do like the 1upt and the tactical options it offers instead of having stack of doom; but supply lines and such would be going too far.

 

[Ahriman]

Civ is not a wargame, civ is not a wargame, civ is not a wargame.....

 

[BobDole]

Civ is not a wargame, civ is not a wargame, civ is not a wargame.....

Yeah, there's already enough people complaining about the game focusing too much on combat (I don't think it is, but the perception is there).

And besides, there's already going to be enough planning and strategy when going to war in Civ V. I don't want to have to spend 1/2 hour making war plans so that my musketeers don't run out of bullets right away. This wouldn't make the game any more fun in the least bit for most Civ fans.

 

[moscaverde]

Flancking is already too much.

 

[Dida]

For those of you complaining that unit supply would make the game too complex, I don't think any of you have played panzer general, and thus you have no idea how simple and masterfully unit supply is implemented in that game.

Each unit has a specific capacity for supplies, when it runs out, you just click on "resupply" and it will cost you some money. If you have no money or the unit is surrounded by enemies it can't resupply. I don't see how a system like this can be too complicated or will require 1/2 hour of planning before a war.

 

[Dida]

duplicate

 

[Grit]

Supply lines would be cool IMHO but it would need to be simple like how in the Charlameign mod only the supply train could heal. In this case this unit (or its equvilant) could have infinite supplies and could resupply units. kind of like the APC unit in Advance Wars sans troop transport.

 

[Mercade]

I hope some form of unit supply line will be implemented in Civ5 to make combat more realistic. In Panzer General, an unit has a finite amount of fuel, ammo, etc and must be replenished when depleted. If an unit is next to an enemy unit or is too far ahead of the rest, it cannot resupply and must retreat.

As such I'm not a fan of this. There's enough micro management already. Supply lines (except for some specific mod) are implicit in things like maintenance. The new combat seems interesting enough with 1upt, flanking, new bombardment, without having to consider if you've got enough shells with you.

For those of you complaining that unit supply would make the game too complex, I don't think any of you have played panzer general, and thus you have no idea how simple and masterfully unit supply is implemented in that game.

Each unit has a specific capacity for supplies, when it runs out, you just click on "resupply" and it will cost you some money. If you have no money or the unit is surrounded by enemies it can't resupply. I don't see how a system like this can be too complicated or will require 1/2 hour of planning before a war.

True, that wouldn't be too complex, but if it's just a matter of clicking an extra button to pay some money to resupply your unit, then I'm all in favour of automatic this as part of the unit maintenance.

 

[imperiex1]

Yeah, there's already enough people complaining about the game focusing too much on combat (I don't think it is, but the perception is there).

And besides, there's already going to be enough planning and strategy when going to war in Civ V. I don't want to have to spend 1/2 hour making war plans so that my musketeers don't run out of bullets right away. This wouldn't make the game any more fun in the least bit for most Civ fans.

Civ could take into account a supply line, but it should be cleanly and simply put in to the game. Yo u want it to be subtle, not a big sign saying

I AM A SUPPLY LINE AND I WILL MAKE YOUR GAME A LOT HARDER TO WIN!!!

I have seen in the previous Civ games have added concepts such as Maintainence that don'e exactly stare you in the face. A supply line could be implemented easily, like:

1. Right click on a supply depot. A small HUD will appear, showing the amount of food in the depot.
2. There will be two buttons on the HUD, one to restock(from the nearest city) and one to supply. Click on the supply button, then click on a unit(or several.)
3. They will get as much food as your technology can handle.
4. You will not be bogged down by the supply lines!

So here is my amended idea for supply lines. It will only involve a network of supply depots, not a million units to micromanage.

 

[dra]

In Civ4 you pay more for units outside your boarders. Additionaly, you heal slower on enemy territory. That also signifies difficulty in getting replacements into unit. As the game is based on turns symbolizing years of time, I think it is realistic enough this way.

 

[Ahriman]

Right click on a supply depot. A small HUD will appear, showing the amount of food in the depot.
There will be two buttons on the HUD, one to restock(from the nearest city) and one to supply. Click on the supply button, then click on a unit(or several.)

It will only involve a network of supply depots

Managing a network of supply depots sounds like boring makework, not fun.

 

[Samus_au]

As such I'm not a fan of this. There's enough micro management already. Supply lines (except for some specific mod) are implicit in things like maintenance...

+1. Things like this would make a good mod but for the regular game they just add a lot of micro that most players wont see the fun in.