VP+5 Basic designs [AAPA campaign)

[vorpal+5 (OP)]

Hi,

Very basic designs, if you please. I'm totally rusty and I'm at last starting a big campaign.

This is a rather basic, low tech infantry regiment. I don't have any hope of it being very useful, but my campaign is very roleplay oriented. My main question is that I have added 4 regimental HQ, to be sure it can suffer losses while remaining operational, is it a good move? Also the HQ is a static, because I lacked instant research points 

[Droll]

So it being roleplay heavy dampens all advice but I'll say my piece - A size 5k combat formation although on the large size is perfectly acceptable because it is a convenient size to build a transport for. It also makes sense since this is your first formation and you haven't gotten around to making an actual HQ hierarchy yet.

To this effect it also makes sense that you have supply trucks baked into the formation.
If I were you I would create maybe another formation called "Logistics Regiment" and move the trucks there. Supply units based on vehicles need not be in the same formation as the units that are drawing supply from it in order to work.
Other than that you could maybe add more CAP infantry (machine gunners). Currently in 1.12 AA is not necessary since the NPRs will not use CAS fighters but if you add them in for RP they will act as AT with half penetration. Also consider making an artillery formation that is at least the same HQ size as the infantry so that you can set it as support easily.

As far as HQs go you are probably fine for a frontline combat formation and 4 is probably a good number given your tech. At high armor tech you can probably reduce that number to 2-3. When you develop an HQ hierarchy you will probably find that you only need spare HQs on the actual combat formations and the HQs at the back can deal with not having spares.

Edit: I just realized you were just asking about the HQ and not everything else lol

[vorpal+5 (OP)]

Perfect set of advices, very well appreciated!

[Barkhorn]

Static units are not a good idea for any formation that could be put in the front line attack field position.  They can't get a mobility bonus, and lose their fortification bonus.

[xenoscepter]

 - IIRC Static Units cannot be set to attack, whether or not it's that the setting to it fails or they simply fail to attack when set to it is unknown to me. That being said, having more than 1 HQ is always going to be a tossup; with more HQs you're less likely to be gimped by combat losses, but they eat up tonnage that could also be placed into preventing said losses in the first place. Or so the logic goes. I typically have about 1-2 HQs for a formation that has sub-ordinates, while I will also have an additional HQ that, while insufficient for the sub-ordinate formations is still sufficient for the formation it's in:

For Example:

 - So, images aren't working... I'll place it in an attachment. This is one of my RCTs, or Regimental Combat Teams. They are quite expensive, but also are very elite and should not be considered as a "rank and file" force. The idea is to have a the offensive element either attack or defend as the situation calls for, while the defensive unit holds the line. Each has a Fire Support element that supports them. The Defensive Formation is set to Frontline Defense, while the Offensive Formation is set to Front Line Attack or Front Line Defense; the Fire Support Elements are set to the Support Position while the HQ Formation is set to the Rear Position.

 - These elite 10,000 Ton formations serve as my shock troops and expeditionary forces, reinforcing my more commonplace units and helping them hold or breakthrough as needed. Or being used to wholesale destroy small frontier settlements or outposts. They were made to be used with this Assault Ship here: http://aurora2.pentarch.org/index.php?topic=11929.msg141201#msg141201

[Droll]

- IIRC Static Units cannot be set to attack, whether or not it's that the setting to it fails or they simply fail to attack when set to it is unknown to me.

This is somewhat false - Static units can be set to formation attack but they have several problems that other units do not:
A - Statics cannot create and take advantage of the breakthrough mechanic
B - They have no evasion and when anything is on attack their fortification doesn't matter

[the obelisk]

Also the HQ is a static, because I lacked instant research points 

Do people normally spend instant research points on ground units and ship components, rather than spending it all on tech and just SM-ing the designs in after?

[DFNewb]

Also the HQ is a static, because I lacked instant research points 

Do people normally spend instant research points on ground units and ship components, rather than spending it all on tech and just SM-ing the designs in after?

I either ONLY use them for units and components or I play a conventional start.

[vorpal+5 (OP)]

So the whole formation can't entrench because the HQ is static? 

[Droll]

So the whole formation can't entrench because the HQ is static? 

No the formation can entrench as long as it is not set to frontline attack (FA)

Edit: Infact, one of the advantages of statics is that they have the same massive fortification that infantry has, making them very good on defence.

[vorpal+5 (OP)]

But if I make the regiment attacks, what happens? It loses its fortification permanently whereas another attack would just lose it while it attacks?

[xenoscepter]

 - So after unsuccessfully trying to attach files, I went ahead and created a Google Drive link to them. There are four databases within the .7z archive, and another .7z archive containing the versions needed to open them... assuming you can't just open an old DB in a new version, of course. These DBs contain most if not all of my dickering around when it comes to ground forces in C#. Including some Pre-TN Ground Forces. In particular, under the v 1.11.0 database, in a file called "The Sidonian Game", there is a massive Space Station with a large garrison force dedicated to it. This force remains un-tested, however, so use it at your own peril. Hell, ALL of these are untested.

  At any rate, cheers!

Linky Linky===> https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bBhmVu3ydJbZCd0ScwPWCE3Ey_93TmmM/view?usp=sharing

[Droll]

But if I make the regiment attacks, what happens? It loses its fortification permanently whereas another attack would just lose it while it attacks?

When you set a regiment to frontline attack all of the elements in that formation will immediately reset their fortification level to 1 (no fortification), this is why when changing the field position to attack the game will give you a prompt to confirm. A unit on the attack will not fortify.

Once you set the regiment back to defense or any other field position that is not frontline attack, the elements in the regiment will begin refortifying and regain their fortification. For infantry and statics they will self-fortify until fortification lvl 3 and if you have construction vehicles they will fortify up to 6.

[Garfunkel]

Make 2 different HQs and 2 layers of formations to begin with. It's what I'm doing in my 1890-campaign to maintain my sanity with 10 nations.

The basic building block is the battalion and each battalion is built to do one thing out of three:
1. Attack
2. Defence
3. Support

These also match with the positions (FA, -, SP) Aurora allows for ground combat.

Attack (Cavalry) battalion has LVH HQ and a whole bunch of LVHs armed with CAP and LAV.
Defence (Infantry) battalion has STA HQ and a whole bunch of INF armed with PW & CAP & LB plus some STA with MAV.
Support (Artillery) battalion has STA HQ and loads of STA with MB.

Then I make a Regiment that's only a big STA HQ - but eventually, I will put HB or LrB on it as well so it can fire from Rear position.

Now the Regiment will have 4 battalions under its command: 1x Attack, 1x Defence, 2x Support. Once I have HB in the Regiment itself, I'll take the second Support battalion away.

This way each regiment is a self-contained fighting unit and you can just add more regiments as needed for an invasion. Attack battalions are on Frontline Attack, Defence battalions are on Frontline Defence, Support battalions are on Support and the Regiment itself is on Rear. This way all units maximize their usefulness vis-a-vis fortifications, breakthroughs, evasion, and supporting bombardment fire.

Once your empire grows, you could switch from battalions to regiments as your basic building block to avoid micromanagement hell.

[Droll]

Make 2 different HQs and 2 layers of formations to begin with. It's what I'm doing in my 1890-campaign to maintain my sanity with 10 nations.

The basic building block is the battalion and each battalion is built to do one thing out of three:
1. Attack
2. Defence
3. Support

These also match with the positions (FA, -, SP) Aurora allows for ground combat.

Attack (Cavalry) battalion has LVH HQ and a whole bunch of LVHs armed with CAP and LAV.
Defence (Infantry) battalion has STA HQ and a whole bunch of INF armed with PW & CAP & LB plus some STA with MAV.
Support (Artillery) battalion has STA HQ and loads of STA with MB.

Then I make a Regiment that's only a big STA HQ - but eventually, I will put HB or LrB on it as well so it can fire from Rear position.

Now the Regiment will have 4 battalions under its command: 1x Attack, 1x Defence, 2x Support. Once I have HB in the Regiment itself, I'll take the second Support battalion away.

This way each regiment is a self-contained fighting unit and you can just add more regiments as needed for an invasion. Attack battalions are on Frontline Attack, Defence battalions are on Frontline Defence, Support battalions are on Support and the Regiment itself is on Rear. This way all units maximize their usefulness vis-a-vis fortifications, breakthroughs, evasion, and supporting bombardment fire.

Once your empire grows, you could switch from battalions to regiments as your basic building block to avoid micromanagement hell.

On the other hand you can be like me and willfully go insane and build a full command hierarchy down to company level. Commander bonus are supposed (eventually not right now IIRC) to stack and propagate down the hierarchy so I've decided to practice big OOBs.
Or you can go beyond insane and into lunacy by modelling your hierarchy down to individual squads being led by sergeants.

For reference my OOB generalized looks something like this:
Division
   4 - 6 brigades
      3 regiments per brigade
         3 battalions per regiment
            4 companies + 3000 tons of auxiliary formations (I do have some "double" sized companies though)

This is one of the reason why I have supported and made suggestions on the suggestion board in order to allow for the creation of OOB templates in order to make it so that I only have to form a division type once, then I could just train it. As it stands it can take hours to set up a deep hierarchy.