Politics - No brainer choice?

[I'm gaming]

Politics: +2.5% income / +2.5% recruit
Economy: -2.5% buying price / +2.5% selling price
Medicince: +2% restore
Training: -2.5% training price


+2.5% income of Politics is similar with Economy and beats Training.
+2.5% recruit beats Medicine.

Is Politics a no brainer choice? Also, I don't know exact effects of Economy as they are too little(-2.5% discount for 10 dollor gun? How will it be affected?), and it seems that no one will choose Training before Poltics and Economy.

[RomePong]

Actually, your best weapon source is dead enemy, not shop or government. And your worst money black hole is veteran.
Politics is super important, but Training and Economy has quite simillar importance, imo.

[Timur]

Actually Medicine is far better that it seems. 20% restore means:

- 20% tap to the manpower pool
- 20% costs for veteran replacements
- 20% less weapons that have to be replaced

I personally prefer Politics and Medicine before Economy and Training, because they help with both manpower and finances.

[Knight]

I chose business and training, worked great

[I'm gaming]

Originally posted by Timur:

Actually Medicine is far better that it seems. 20% restore means:

- 20% tap to the manpower pool
- 20% costs for veteran replacements
- 20% less weapons that have to be replaced

I personally prefer Politics and Medicine before Economy and Training, because they help with both manpower and finances.

Oh I didn't think about that.

[Andre Bolkonsky]

First step: you must have four points in recon. That force bar at the top of the screen is helpful.

After that: Cash is universally helpful.

For new players not working on a particular role playing scenario - Politics and Organization should be a players first priority. Ratchet them both up until you cap politics somewhere around Malvern Hill and ORG should be at whatever level you can keep your OOB under control.

Plus, 2,500 man infantry brigades at Malvern Hill are a beautiful thing.

When that is done, you can debate on the order of Medicine / Economy / Training. They are all important to crafting an elite veteran army for the endgame.

[Kristoph42]

This is one the the coolest aspects of this game. You get to build up your career points. All the them are important. Personally, I don't use RECON anymore. Once you have played all the battles a bunch of times, you know who, what, when, where. Although, the grey force bar was awkward until I got used to it.

[BigJKU316]

Originally posted by Kristoph42:

This is one the the coolest aspects of this game. You get to build up your career points. All the them are important. Personally, I don't use RECON anymore. Once you have played all the battles a bunch of times, you know who, what, when, where. Although, the grey force bar was awkward until I got used to it.

I agree it could be but it's a bit awkwardly implemented. Army organization is so important early on in not being in an artificially bad situation in some battle that you almost need a playthrough just to know where not to screw it up.

Outside of recon it all just kind of tweaks the economic circumstances in your favor in one form or another.

I like the theory, but wish there were more unique bonuses for army and corps level officers.

[Kristoph42]

Originally posted by BigJKU316:

Army organization is so important early on in not being in an artificially bad situation in some battle that you almost need a playthrough just to know where not to screw it up.

Gaines Mill, got to have those 20 brigades as the Union. The very first playthrough, I only had 15 Brigades and they were weak. I lost Gaines Mill, even with those reinforcements. I restarted that campaign and made sure I had a 6 for Army Org. That was back in March and I still have nightmares about it . . .LOL. Funny how you remember both your mistakes and your best actions.

[Wright29]

Of there were no limit at ten to career points, there would be a tipping point where medicine would be better than Politics bc your army's experience is going up. However, there is a limit at ten and the tipping point happens right about when you can max out Politics.
So max out Politics, then medicine before doing anything with econ training or logistics.

[BigJKU316]

Originally posted by Kristoph42:

Originally posted by BigJKU316:

Army organization is so important early on in not being in an artificially bad situation in some battle that you almost need a playthrough just to know where not to screw it up.

Gaines Mill, got to have those 20 brigades as the Union. The very first playthrough, I only had 15 Brigades and they were weak. I lost Gaines Mill, even with those reinforcements. I restarted that campaign and made sure I had a 6 for Army Org. That was back in March and I still have nightmares about it . . .LOL. Funny how you remember both your mistakes and your best actions.

I wish they would just eliminate army organization and have it basically be a function of experience for the army and corps commanders as it is when they are at brigade level.

[Timur]

Originally posted by Andre Bolkonsky:

First step: you must have four points in recon. That force bar at the top of the screen is helpful.

After that: Cash is universally helpful.

For new players not working on a particular role playing scenario - Politics and Organization should be a players first priority. Ratchet them both up until you cap politics somewhere around Malvern Hill and ORG should be at whatever level you can keep your OOB under control.

Plus, 2,500 man infantry brigades at Malvern Hill are a beautiful thing.

When that is done, you can debate on the order of Medicine / Economy / Training. They are all important to crafting an elite veteran army for the endgame.

Recon probably kinda depends on how good you know the battles. I'm relatively new, so I still kinda take it right from the start.

Organisation is kinda bound to the progress of the carreer. Look up, what you can take into the next big battle and skill it accordingly, but don't just push it to 10 without reason (you might not even need to push it to 10 at all, actually).

Politics is the normal go to at the beginning. Medicine doesn't do much, when you don't have many casualties to replace in the first place. After you got that to 10, you might already push Medicine, though.

After Medicine it is pretty much depended on how you play. Are buying a lot of weapons and expand your army or are trying to get as many elite units as possible.

[EDOCGenKip]

For my latest Major General Union playthrough, I dumped into politics as much as possible, barring the odd points for army org to make sure I could have the requisite number of brigades for the major battles.

After filling out politics, I then worked on economics, since if I even if I take casualties and get them replaced via medicine, I still need my army to grow; in order to grow, it requires many more guns. Furthermore, to match the increasing pace of opposing tech, I have to be able to get my own better guns for cheaper, otherwise I won't be able to replace my 1842s fast enough

I'm about to start a Major General Confed playthrough, which could very well change the economics vs medicine equation, since I know that the rebs capture waaaaaaay more equipment than the Union does. Knowing that I'll be capturing more, it could be that I'll just have more money for more men and/or larger reserve

[Wright29]

Originally posted by EDOCGenKip:

For my latest Major General Union playthrough, I dumped into politics as much as possible, barring the odd points for army org to make sure I could have the requisite number of brigades for the major battles.

After filling out politics, I then worked on economics, since if I even if I take casualties and get them replaced via medicine, I still need my army to grow; in order to grow, it requires many more guns. Furthermore, to match the increasing pace of opposing tech, I have to be able to get my own better guns for cheaper, otherwise I won't be able to replace my 1842s fast enough

I'm about to start a Major General Confed playthrough, which could very well change the economics vs medicine equation, since I know that the rebs capture waaaaaaay more equipment than the Union does. Knowing that I'll be capturing more, it could be that I'll just have more money for more men and/or larger reserve

The capture rate is the same. Fredericksburg and Antietam provide ample casualties for capture.

The Union gets the same deal with Stones River-Chancellorsville-Gettysburg-Chickamauga, where it can inflict very high casualties. It's just later in the campaign and a bit harder to inflilct those casualties.

[Andre Bolkonsky]

Originally posted by Kristoph42:

Originally posted by BigJKU316:

Army organization is so important early on in not being in an artificially bad situation in some battle that you almost need a playthrough just to know where not to screw it up.

Gaines Mill, got to have those 20 brigades as the Union. The very first playthrough, I only had 15 Brigades and they were weak. I lost Gaines Mill, even with those reinforcements. I restarted that campaign and made sure I had a 6 for Army Org. That was back in March and I still have nightmares about it . . .LOL. Funny how you remember both your mistakes and your best actions.

Agreed. You always remember your greatest moment (A 2,500 man Divisional Brigade carrying Spencer Rifles hiding in the Devil's Den below Little Round Top breaking entire divisions) and your most foolish (No shortage of foolish maneuvers in my repitoire).

[Andre Bolkonsky]

Originally posted by EDOCGenKip:

For my latest Major General Union playthrough, I dumped into politics as much as possible, barring the odd points for army org to make sure I could have the requisite number of brigades for the major battles.

After filling out politics, I then worked on economics, since if I even if I take casualties and get them replaced via medicine, I still need my army to grow; in order to grow, it requires many more guns. Furthermore, to match the increasing pace of opposing tech, I have to be able to get my own better guns for cheaper, otherwise I won't be able to replace my 1842s fast enough

I'm about to start a Major General Confed playthrough, which could very well change the economics vs medicine equation, since I know that the rebs capture waaaaaaay more equipment than the Union does. Knowing that I'll be capturing more, it could be that I'll just have more money for more men and/or larger reserve

The Sinews of War are unlimited amounts of gold.

Always good to remember this simple fact: more gold, more officers, more vets, more weapons.