A couple of questions about Leaders, etc.

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Just a few quick questions about leaders, etc.

1. Do leaders skills improve? I know they can acquire traits which are beneficial, but playing as Great Britain, will experience improve my generals three primary skills? Will they go from three stars to four or more?

2. What is the effect of capturing flags or sinking ships? Do the units get more experience or it just for unit "glory"? I have a unit that captured three French flags in one battle, but still has 0 "stars" for experience.

3. Which has a greater effect on battle outcome: leader skills, unit experience, or buffs that increase attack/defense values? I'm trying to decide if it's worth it to invest in ideas that give me a 20% attack bonus or a similar defense bonus?

4. Basically, Great Britain's army sucks. What is the most efficient way to improve a unit or leader?

Thanks for the advice.

 

[Thanik]

1. Skill leaders not, but traits yes as you said.
Anyway for me good traits are sometimes far more important than leaders skill, so playing both SP/MP i often change commander in main army from Napoleon to Ney (imagine this in real history^^) , due to good / poor traits gained.


2. I think main reason is flavor.


3. In my opinion there is no simple answer, becouse it depends on situation you got (idea, which type of units you use, leader traits, your enemy), and all things have impact in battle. Similar in HoI 3 there is a lot of factors to win the battle/war , and player usually want to achive them all, becouse enemy can have these same bonus modifiers too.
But my throughts:
a) Experience give you army only boost to defence, not to attack. An experience is important in naval warfare, due to no naval tactics there...
b) Frontage penalty give your army penalty to only attack, not defence.
c) I'm not sure that which modifiers to attack / defence are just added, or multipled, but:
- main army leader skill/traits affect all army he command (so all flanks), not sure about fights with march of the sound of guns - many armies...
- leader skill affect all troops he command, but some traits sometimes affect one type of troops, sometimes all
- flank leader skill/ trait affect only one flank,
- ieach dea affect usually only one type of troops,
- tactics / battle events / terrain affect sometimes all, sometimes one type ,and sometimes many type of troops .
- lack of supply , have supply wagon affect all troops in army
- leaders traits are cumulative -> you can have even -30% reduced brigades frontage , when main and flank leader have superior_tactition trait. And up to -60% when you choose proper ideas as France
- leaders gain random (not sure in 100%) traits during each fight so:
* change often leaders, or fight with many corps to get (look at point 1) better chance proper trait, even with worse leader skill
* when leader got some precious traits you should fight with him as many battles, and sieges( sieges are good xp, due you fight with 1-2 militia garrison, and garrison will rise again in few weeks, when enemy recapture)
d) From my experience attack boost is far better powerfull than defence, but again not sure this is always truth


4. I usually at early game years I pick guard+arty route with guard tactic, and guard initiative boost with the best generals and fight everywhere to gain some traits, and expierience.
Then I want more manpower :
1) so conquest Africa, Sicily, Denmark, Oldenburg, Meklenburg, Piemont (or even Sweden, Prussia if they are beaten by Russia. If you blockade sea near Copenhagen french army will not arrive there) -> with small guard army you avoid 5% attriction losses, and still destroy enemy forces in any 1 : 1 battle.
2) disband all garrisons and all army in Britain Isles,If I manage you blockade all France, Holland, Spain so nobody will arrive there

Then I usually harass enemy forces in 3:1 battles , but you can wait until you get all ideas which boost infantry (usually 1812-1815), and then disband guards and start bulding inf + arty + cav. Main problem is usually lack of supply, so securing early base of operation with depots inside is so important.


I'm not a genius, but this tactic work in most of games, but other players can have better(or just other), idea how to get proper army with GB.