Naming units

[CaptCarnage]

I am currently going through the campaign and it occured to me that it would be very nice for each unit to carry the name of its 'commander'. It gets you more involved, I am convinced of that.

Suppose you start Poland with Kampfgruppe Peiper, Muller, Ott, etc. - you take these guys along during the campaign, and it will be a bummer if Peiper is destroyed, but you see Muller gaining experience etc.

I had this idea because I was having a bit of a hard time telling some of my tank units apart - which is the new one, which one I already have since Poland? etc.

Anyone else feels like this?

[Xerkis]

Along these lines, yes.

I always organize my units and then name them accordingly. Nothing overly fancy – just group “A”, “B”, etc. So then the names I use are A-1st Tank, A-2nd Tank, B-1st Tank, etc.

Like you say, I find it very helpful in organizing my attacks and it adds a lot to the realism and connection to the units as they go from one engagement to the next.

[El_Condoro]

Just in case (not trying to offend anyone by stating the obvious but...): Alt-N to rename a unit.

[Xerkis]

Just in case (not trying to offend anyone by stating the obvious but...): Alt-N to rename a unit.

Thanks El_Condoro,
I wanted to mention that but got side track by real life for a moment and hit post before I did.

[El_Condoro]

That real life thing - perhaps the devs can do something about that in a patch. Cheers

[flakfernrohr]

You can give permanent names to units with the Equipment Editor. First click on "add unit" from the unit you wish to duplicate, scroll to the bottom of the unit list to see your addition and click on this unit. Then change the name accordingly. Click on "commit unit", then remove the "bonus" feature or the "non purchase" feature with the "traits" features of the Equipment Editor if the original unit had them. Then click on "save" directly to the equipment folder in the Data File. You must remember to scroll down to the newly created unit for the rename, otherwise your original unit will get the change.

If you do not remove the "bonus" or "non purchase" traits, the unit could pop up in a default bonus unit given to you during or prior to beginning a new scenario or campaign. If you do not remove the "non purchase" trait you will have to wait for the game to give the unit to you during game play. Otherwise you can "purchase" it with your prestige points at any time. Additionally by making these two changes (should they be present in the duplicated unit), you make the appropriately named unit unique and one of a kind which is probably your goal.

Be sure to check the available time table date of the unit you created, otherwise it will not show up in the equipment to purchase list until that date in the game. I made an Opel Maultier unit by re-coloring the graphics of the Polish Halftrack truck. This little Polish truck looks almost identical to the Opel trucks in the game and you only need to paint the Polish flag on the door. I used a German SdKFZ 250 as my base unit for the sound and removed all the ammunition, defensive and fighting capabilities. Lowered the cost factor accordingly from a halftrack to a truck and...... Voila, I have a German Maultier.

You can check all of your units to see if they have "bonus" or "non purchase" codes by opening up the equipment file with notebook and scrolling through them.

I have made a number of historical units this way and made some German and Russian Penal Regiments. The Russians Penal Units in particular were used as cannon fodder and fought ruthlessly. You can raise the aggressiveness in these units at the same time you make the names. I also made a Sonderkommando unit like Otto Skorzeny commanded which was a bunch of experienced daredevils that did all sorts of special operations for Hitler.