Rookie question Upgrading units

[Bitzcore]

The search option shows too many hits so i'd like to get an answer here. I wonder when it is the best time to upgrade units and to bring the units back to maximum strength. At the end of each scenario?

[goose_2]

Upgrading is a complicated question, so hard to cover in a quick post.

Do not take your units to maximum strength except between scenarios, as you can give them regular replacements for free and overstrength is something you want to be very judicious with as it bleeds you of much needed prestige.

[Bitzcore]

Sorry My englisch is not too good. Doesmthat mean i Seouls weit with re-fills until the next scenario?

[RVallant]

Sorry My englisch is not too good. Doesmthat mean i Seouls weit with re-fills until the next scenario?

It depends.

1. If you have enough units on the battlefield and you can win, then it is better to retreat the weak units and replace them for free in next scenario.

2. If you NEED that unit to keep fighting (like in bigger scenarios) then it is better to replace them in the field.

However... You need to decide if it is better to use 'green' or 'elite' replacements - both are valid, but elite is extremely expensive out on the field. In an ideal world, you don't take any damage at all(!)

Hope that helps.

[Bitzcore]

Thanks. I don't know why but my Units won't be automatically refilled at the next scenario.

[goose_2]

Thanks. I don't know why but my Units won't be automatically refilled at the next scenario.

No units will not be refilled at the end of the scenario, it leaves it up to you to replace for free but lose some experience or to pay a little for elite replacements.

It is a fun little strategic concept for this game, to help you take ownership of your units experience and prestige balance.

[robman]

A couple of additional tips:

(1) Experience "matters" in intervals of 100. If adding green replacements will not drop a unit's experience below the next step down, then the immediate cost in effectiveness of adding green replacements is zero. In other words, the consequences of a mid-scenario drop from 300 to 299 is more significant than a drop from 399 to 301.

(2) Experience is more critical for some types of units than for others, and some units gain experience more quickly than others. Artillery units, for example, gain experience quickly, and their survival rarely hinges on experience, so I often will give these units green replacements mid-scenario. Infantry units and fighters need every star of experience to survive, so I am much more likely to either give these experienced replacements mid-scenario, or withdraw them from the fighting altogether. Other units are sort of "in between."

[Bitzcore]

Sorry My englisch is not too good. Doesmthat mean i Seouls weit with re-fills until the next scenario?

It depends.

1. If you have enough units on the battlefield and you can win, then it is better to retreat the weak units and replace them for free in next scenario.
.

It seems i don't get free replacements. What am i Doing wrong?

[robman]

It seems i don't get free replacements. What am i Doing wrong?

There are no free replacements mid-scenario. Green and experienced replacements both cost prestige, but experienced replacements cost more--often, a great deal more. During the deployment phase, by contrast, green replacements ARE free and experienced replacements are considerably less expensive than during the scenario. It is generally a good idea to add experienced replacements during the deployment phase, but not always: keep in mind the "100" rule. It might not be worthwhile to spend a great deal of prestige to reinforce a badly damaged, expensive, and relatively green unit, if the reinforced full-strength unit would still be well below 100 experience points.

[Razz1]

In between scenario, click the replacement icon.

Prestige used is zero.

Now click on a unit and use the elite icon. It cost prestige.

During the game it always cost prestige.

Best time to upgrade is in between scenarios.

[robman]

It is also important to understand the difference between reinforcing and upgrading a unit.

Reinforcement brings a unit back up to full strength, fuel, and ammo, without changing its type. Elite reinforcements cost more, but cause no loss in experience; regular (or "green") reinforcements cost less but do cause a loss in experience. Reinforcements of both types cost prestige during a scenario. During the deployment phase, regular reinforcements are free and elite reinforcements cost less than during a scenario.

Upgrades change a unit from one type to another in its class. Thus, for example, a Panzer IV can be upgraded to another kind of tank, either some other variant within the Panzer IV family or some other type like a Tiger or Panther. "In-family" upgrades cost less than "out of family" upgrades. When a unit is upgraded, it keeps its previous heroes and level of experience.

Here's the important part: Upgrades cost the same amount during scenarios as they do between scenarios. There is NO cost difference. The difference is time and opportunity: In order to qualify for an in-scenario upgrade, a unit must be in a hex capable of supporting the purchase of new units. In addition, you cannot upgrade and reinforce a unit in the same turn: if you wish to do both, it takes two turns, not counting travel to the hex.

That's why, as Razz1 points out, it is usually best to upgrade between scenarios. But it is not always best. If you realize, for example, that you really, really need an engineering unit, you can upgrade an already fielded infantry unit for no more prestige than it would have cost before deployment. Or, if a critically important new type of unit becomes available mid-scenario (as the Tiger I does in Tatsinskaya), then it may be worth taking the time to upgrade. But as a general rule, it is best to wait until the beginning of the next scenario.