Getting things to DO AS THEY'RE TOLD!

[PyongYang]

One thing that's always bugged the hell out of me with SRCW..... is when you select units, click them on a target, they go towards it.... then change there mind and go somewhere else for no apparent reason.

This is driving me mad. There's clearly something I'm not doing which I should be. For example, I'm now playing as Israel, and I'm TRYING to get a load of merchant marines to sail across to a friendly base in Haiti, so I can attack Dominican Republic from there. The merchants get 3 quarters of the way across the Atlantic, then change their minds and turn back. I have to keep re clicking them, and even when they're just off the coast of their target landing, they still keep trying to go back home. I've tried switching off initiatives in the minister control, but it's still happening! Can someone tell me why?

[Aragos]

Pathing. Merchants don't like to go to an occupied port. The AI is able to do it, but I have rarely pulled it off with human controlled forces. Best to seize with Paratroopers or use an Amphib to land troops. Once you have a port (and an opening to the sea) the merchants will get there just fine.

[Balthagor]

correct.

[PyongYang]

I thought so.... I left the AI control to get on with it, and it landed a decent force there for me.

[Niko465]

They will repack after they landed so watch the arrival and order them to unload at the port again.They will get out of the land hex and unlaod. If they repack immediatly again, select all your wanted merchant marine and lock them from minister. Ordering to your units to Embark at a internal land hex force them to land and head over there, preventing repacking.

[BigWolf]

I would like to know why the AI insists on taking control of my units when I have them locked out (initiative is none, unit is locked from minister control)

Its really really doing my head in
Even worse, its determined to make my forces go back to Australia, even though I have them fighting in Korea...

Edit: Just to note, this is Naval forces that this is happening to (destroyers and frigates)
I have a small feeling this is due to supplies (running out of firetime/ammo) but its attempted to head all the way to Australia instead of a sea port that I have control of about 10 hexes away

[GIJoe597]

If SRCW works like SR2020, naval units will head back to the last port they were "docked" in. To get them to use your newly captured port, order them to repair in it. The sets it as the current default location they head to when they need to resupply.

[Niko465]

I had a problem with Communist greece playing as the Soviet Union. Returning from Africa, they all unlaod at one of the random island in Greece. I had to scrap their piers manually to stop this. I used to have 600 units stucked there, trying to come back in Moscow.

[Balthagor]

I had a problem with Communist greece playing as the Soviet Union. Returning from Africa, they all unlaod at one of the random island in Greece. I had to scrap their piers manually to stop this. I used to have 600 units stucked there, trying to come back in Moscow.

Some of this should be improved with Update 3.

[Aragos]

yep, I haven't seen the Greek Island of Doom in this patch at all. For me, it was UK units.

[BigWolf]

Just to add 2 things

1st, Merchant marines are a complete PITA

I've switched off any form of control to my military (unit + minister init set to none and minister control locked out)
Yet, trying to get land forces to reinforce one of my 'new' islands is near impossible, the moment they land they start moving back again to an allied base
The island is question is completely clear of hostiles, there should be no reason for the AI to send them back

Now, sure I could go back to the manual method of loading troops into transports and moving them that way, but I thought this merchant marine feature was supposed to make troop movement easier


The 2nd thing (maybe needing a new thread)
Where the hell are the naval escorts for AI merchants?
Seriously, they are sent in one by one into my navy destroyers with no backup and get slaughtered as a result

Would it be possible for there to be a check condition added to merchants?
Something along the lines of...
They only attempt to go into enemy land if they have combat ships within 2 hexes of the landing zone
Sure they will still get their asses handed to them, but not as often
And have the recheck every X amount of ticks incase control is lost while land troops are en route
Or better yet, have actual escorts if possible