Age of Rifles FAQ #2 
 
	This list is a more or less random selection of questions asked 
and answered via email, CIS and the comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.strategic  
newsgroup. In some cases the writing is a bit unprofessional, but it
should get the job done. I have been known to answer my mail late at
night <G>.
      
>>This is a DOS only game.  I have had no problems playing it under   
WIN95 by simply booting to DOS.<<  
      
	You can also play from a desktop shortcut. Just be sure to set 
the shortcut properties to "full screen", "close on exit", and disable the  
screen saver. Rifles was actually developed under Win95 and runs  
quite well from the desktop. Rebooting to DOS isn't necessary. In fact,  
unless your real mode DOS drivers and memory management are very  
well tuned the game will probably run more smoothly from the Win95  
desktop than under any version of DOS.  
      
>>One simple question re line of sight... I assume like most wargames   
it's a "you see, they see" setting, in other words if I can't see them they  
can't see me.<<  
      
	This is usually true, but there are exceptions. Small units can 
be hidden, observing for other units (although in this time period there 
is no battlefield indirect fire) or occasionally popping into view to 
spring an ambush. Also, the field of view of a unit varies with its 
altitude and movement status. Unmoved units can see further than 
units which have moved. And units at higher elevations can see 
further than units at lower elevations. Now, if one of these units 
actually _fires_ on you, your unit can immediately see it and, orders 
allowing, will return reaction fire even if it could not otherwise shoot.  
So while there are potential asymmetries in fields of view, if one side 
takes a shot the other side can immediately react.  
      
>>Is there a quick check to see if a unit [can still fire]?<<  
      
	Run your mouse cursor over the unit in question and look 
down at the unit panel. There is a row of icons just to the left of the 
reaction orders button. A light indicates the overall capability of the 
unit. If a "not" symbol (circle with diagonal slash) appears on the light 
your unit has no remaining movement allowance. If your unit has 
ammo a bullet will appear next to the light. And finally, if the unit can 
still fire, a small crosshair appears next to the bullet.  
      
>>...is there another quick check to see who and where a unit's   
command is...<< 
      
	There are a number of ways to get this info. If you look in the  
microview you will see that some of the units in it are blinking. All of  
these are assigned to the current command. You can also turn on the  
map icon formation indicators by pressing the "y" key on your  
keyboard. Non miniatures style unit map icons have command   
symbols on them. You can also use the next and previous unit buttons  
to cycle through all units of the current command. Finally, you can  
click on the command details button which will bring up a display of  
the command.  
      
>>Can artillery do indirect fire?<<  
      
	No, but you can usually find a rise somewhere that will allow 
you to fire over the heads of your troops. Except for mortars in siege  
situations (which Rifles wasn't really designed to handle) indirect fire  
was a pretty rare thing in the 1840-1905 time frame.  
      
>>Is there a stacking limit? Can you stack [units] from different  
[commands]? Is there a disadvantage (easier to be shot at?)?<<  
      
	You can put only two units in a hex. They can be from 
different commands, but you generally can't move such stacks around 
except as separate units. There are two possible disadvantages: 1) With 
two units in the hex, they share the available frontage. This can lead to  
inefficiencies since stacking two large units in the same hex can result  
in many weapons being unable to fire. 2) All fire is resolved as an area  
effect in the target hex, so the more troops in the hex, the more troops  
are exposed to any particular fire effect.  
      
>>If you [order] melee for an entire command, will only the units   
adjacent to the target hex participate in the attack?<<  
      
	Yes.  
      
>>First, while the manual states that units resting in disordered  
formation will recover from fatigue more quickly, I don't recall any  
hints on how to recover from deteriorated morale.<<  
      
	Once you've lost morale, it is difficult to recover. There are 
only two ways:  
      
1) Your unit can witness something unpleasant happening to the bad  
guys. That's right, there is an immediate morale bonus for any friendly  
unit that sees the bad guys rout or otherwise fail in a big way. The  
morale bonus is even greater if they actually participate in the event.  
On the other hand, you don't want your units to see friendlies rout  
away...  
      
2) There is a slight increase to morale each turn if the unit is more  
than 10 points below the national default. The increase is random from  
1 to (1+(unit vitality/10)). (An eligible unit with a vitality of 70 would  
gain between 1 and 8 morale points.) So the better the vitality of your  
units, the better their morale.  
      
>>...how about coming clean on the effects of the various AI levels?    
While this is purely a subjective impression and may be pure BS, it  
does seem to me that computer controlled units do more damage in  
equivalent situations at the higher difficulty levels.<<  
      
	Unlike TANKS, Rifles does "enhance" (to use a euphemism)  
programmed opponent unit performance. (At levels 1 and 2, the  
programmed opponents are actually penalized.) There isn't just one  
effect. It's 1% increase here, 2% there - that kind of thing. Enough to  
have an effect, but subtle enough that it doesn't confer a crushing  
advantage even at higher levels. In the near term, the effect is  
negligible. The main effect is increased overall "staying power" at the   
highest levels of play.  
      
>>I can set my infantry to react at range 5. Why is this even an option   
if the range of their weapons is only three?<<  
      
	The feedback prompts showing the ranges you select are 
based upon the max theoretical range of the weapons assigned to the 
unit. If for some reason your unit can't actually direct significant fire to 
this full range (at the current time) it is possible you might see a 
greater range than your unit's current effective range.  
      
	Think of the ranges given in the feedback prompt as max 
ranges, but keep in mind that for any number of reasons your unit 
might not actually be able to fire to that range at any particular time. 
On the other hand, if through some change of circumstance your unit 
becomes able to fire at its max range, it will react at that range.  
      
>>I have cavalry with extra movement left over after their turn. I want   
them to fire at range 2 while remaining in place.  Do they have to be  
dismounted to hold them in place, but yet allow them to react with fire  
of their own?<<  
      
	It all depends upon the mission you have in mind for the 
cavalry.   
      
	If you want them to react by charging the bad guys (generally 
the case except for ACW cavalry) leave them mounted. Typically, you 
might place the mounted cav in attack column next to an artillery 
battery or open flank and give them a fairly short leash (1 hex) just to 
keep the bad guys honest.   
      
	If you want your cav to react by fire, dismount them. Believe 
me, you don't want mounted troops initiating fire combat. Remember 
that one very likely result of  your reaction fire is returned fire from 
the bad guys, who probably aren't carrying carbines. And there your 
troops are, sitting a few feet in the air, looking a bit like targets on a 
modern military small arms range...  So I've disallowed the option to 
set your cav to automatically commit seppuku by fire.  
      
	If you don't believe me you can see what I'm talking about by 
ordering a mounted cav unit to fire on a nearby bad guy during your 
turn. One picture is worth a thousand words <G>.  
      
>>It appears to me that allowing cavalry to have a reaction range  
makes them vulnerable to leaving any kind of cover or advantageous  
ground.<<  
      
	You could say that <G>. Try to limit the range at which 
mounted cav will react if there is a significant chance that they might 
draw effective fire during their reaction.  
      
>>Is the number of reactions you can make contingent on the amount  
of movement left over on your turn? Or do you get only one reaction as  
long as you have at least one movement point remaining?<<  
      
	Reaction fire (using the long range rules) eats up 1/4 turn 
worth of fire (and movement points). So your units could reaction fire 
up to four times (remaining movement allowance allowing) - more 
than that if the bad guys get close enough to start triggering "frantic 
fire". So a typical engagement sequence for a horde of angry fuzzy 
wuzzies charging an unmoved British square with free fire orders  
would be:  
      
1) Move to 800 yards <POP> <Ouch!>  
2) Close to 600 yards <POP> <Ouch!>  
3) Close to 400 yards <POP> <Ouch!>  
4) Close to 200 yards <POP> <Ouch!>  
<Are we still charging?>  
5) Close to melee <Brits fire frantically, POP> <Ouch!> <Is anyone  
left to jump on the bayonets?>  
      
	If you are using the short range rules, individual reaction fire 
shots are 1/2 turn worth of fire. So individual shots are more powerful 
and will eat up movement allowances more rapidly.  
      
>>What is the alternate mouse interface?<<  
      
	Within the game, pull down the "Play" menu and select 
"General Play Options". Now click on the mouse control option 
button. This will enable the "alternate" mouse interface. Just left click 
to order movement, or right click to fire (on an enemy unit) or select 
another friendly unit. There is always a prompt at the bottom of the 
screen telling you exactly what each mouse button will do.  
      
>>How large are the largest scenarios in terms of number of units and   
size of map?<<  
      
	The largest map is 50x50 hexes, at 100,200, or 400 yards per 
hex. The greatest number of units is 300 per side.  
      
>>Do units run out of ammo? What happens when they do?<<  
      
	Yep.   
      
	Things get complicated.   
      
	Each unit tracks ammo in terms of "ammo points. An "ammo 
point" is the amount of ammo required to fire every weapon in the unit 
for 20 minutes. This is analogous to the modern military term "unit of 
fire". In many cases (almost always for infantry) some weapons don't 
fire, or don't fire for the full 20 minutes. The number of weapons 
firing depends upon things like formation (line, supported line, attack  
column, etc.), whether skirmishers are deployed, how much frontage  
is  available (you may be sharing frontage with another unit in the  
same hex), and whether the fire is ordered or automatic (based upon  
your specification of what the unit should do if the bad guys take some  
action nearby).  
      
	If you deploy skirmishers from a typical formation 
(appropriately sized for the scale) only a small percentage of your 
weapons will be able to fire, so the unit will probably never run low on 
ammo. On the other hand, if you have enough available frontage to put 
every man on line, skirmishers "in",  your infantry units can easily run 
out of ammo in a single turn of fire. You can check to see how many 
weapons will fire by examining the full unit report.  
      
	In some cases (artillery units with two gun types) two separate 
ammo levels are maintained.  
      
	Even when units run out of ammo it's assumed that _some_  
ammo is still available for "frantic fire" (shots at the bad guys as you 
spot the whites of  their eyes), but other than that the unit 1)can't fire 
(even automatically) and 2) takes a small morale penalty.  
      
	Fortunately, you don't need to remember all this stuff. But it 
_is_  happening "under the hood".  
      
>>How are they resupplied?<<  
      
	It depends. Naval units can never be resupplied. Fortunately, 
ships and gunboats tend to carry quite a bit of ammo around. And for 
some reason, the bad guys generally tend to avoid them as much as 
possible.  
      
	Artillery units also tend to carry a lot of ammo, although 
lucky shots can detonate caissons.  
      
	All non naval units that can trace a traditional line of hexes 
free of enemy units (and not adjacent, unless occupied by friendlies) to 
a friendly supply point have a chance of being resupplied. The 
resupply chance is based upon a supply rating maintained for each 
formation. This chance for resupply declines with: distance from the 
supply point, terrain density in the unit's hex, proximity to enemy 
units, fire, and poor visibility (either due to precipitation or time of 
day). The chance increases if the units are: in command control, at rest 
(not recently moved), near or on a road, or in any kind of defensive 
position. Essentially, anything that could conceivably affect resupply 
probably does so. 

	There are also two special cases: 1) Units that are within 7 
hexes of a friendly supply point, were not unsupplied the previous 
turn, did not move or fire the previous turn, and are not adjacent to an 
enemy unit automatically receive supply. 2) Any unit in or adjacent to 
a friendly supply point is automatically supplied. 
      
>>I took the 13th Prussian Division & checked on each individual   
unit.  The last line stated "unit is unsupplied".  Went to the  
"Command Details" for the division and found "Supply level is  
excellent".<<  
      
	The _command_ supply level is excellent, meaning that units 
of the command have an excellent chance to be resupplied on any 
given turn. But other factors (see above) have a strong impact on the 
resupply chance.  
      
>>Throughout the scenario I found that most of my units were listed   
as "unsupplied" but this did not seem to materially hamper  
performance.<<  
      
	On this scale resupply affects only ammo levels. It sounds as 
though enough supply was intermittently getting through to your units 
to maintain your ammo levels.  
      
>>I also found the Prussian artillery units panicked out of the game  
without receiving fire.<<  
      
	Or perhaps not... <G>  
      
	Artillery units usually don't run out of ammo. But if they do 
they tend to pull up stakes and head for a supply source. Guns were 
particularly valuable in the 19th century, and they tended to skeedadle 
if they couldn't get ammo resupply.  
      
>>What about Command and Control? What happens to isolated   
units? <<  
      
	Command radius from command leaders is 5 hexes, 3 for sub 
leaders. This radius can be modified (in the obvious direction) by time 
of day, movement status, weather, terrain density, etc. Outside of this 
radius, there is a increasing chance (100% beyond 4x radius) that units 
will be isolated. Isolation has a strong impact on resupply, 
replacements (by straggler reintegration) and movement allowance for 
your units. In good weather and open terrain you can spread out a  bit. 
At night, moving, in the woods, in the rain, well...  

Here's a table of the actual raw radii and chances to be in command control.

cdr		sub cdr			base
radius		radius			chance
0...5		0...3			100%
6...10		4...6			75%
11...15		7...9			50%
16...20		10...12			25%
      
	Isolated units _can_ move, but they won't go anywhere fast.  
      
	Finally, if a formation is really beaten up, you may find that it  
"reorganizes", making it completely unavailable for as long as it takes  
to regain control. This is particularly likely to happen if you lose a lot  
of leaders in a hurry.  
      
Norm Koger 2.0  
September 11th, 1996