How to disable automatic elimination of unescorted transports?

[Jason Green-Lowe]

As part of my project to adapt BBR to TripleA, I am trying to give transports a modest defensive ability. Specifically, each pair of 2 transports should get to roll one die on defense that hits on a 1, instead of being automatically eliminated.

I can be a little flexible with exactly what kind of defense the transports get, but I can't allow them to be automatically eliminated before rolling dice.

I have checked the unitAttachment for "transport" and I see nothing in it that would cause it to automatically die:

<attachment name="unitAttachment" attachTo="transport" javaClass="games.strategy.triplea.attachments.UnitAttachment" type="unitType">
      <option name="movement" value="2"/>
      <option name="isSea" value="true"/>
      <option name="transportCapacity" value="5"/>
      <option name="attack" value="0"/>
      <option name="defense" value="0"/>
    </attachment>

I have set the "Unescorted Transport Dies" property to "false."

<property name="Unescorted Transport Dies" value="false" editable="false">
   <boolean/>
</property>

I have disabled the code in the submarine unitAttachment that gives submarines an automatic guaranteed AA hit against transports.

I have created a new unit type, transEscort, that appears on the map after each combat move in the same sea zone as any threatened transports in order to prevent the transports from being 'unsecorted.' The unit type does in fact appear on the map.

    <attachment name="unitAttachment" attachTo="transEscort" javaClass="games.strategy.triplea.attachments.UnitAttachment" type="unitType">
      <option name="movement" value="0"/>
      <option name="attack" value="0"/>
      <option name="defense" value="1"/>
      <option name="isSea" value="true"/>
      <option name="isSuicideOnHit" value="true"/>
    </attachment>   

Despite all these efforts, when I send a destroyer against a group of transports, the transports are automatically eliminated without a roll and the transEscort does not get a chance to participate in combat.

What else do I need to do? Is the elimination of transports hardcoded into the game? Will it fix the problem if I rename the unit to sea_transport or something like that? Why isn't my transEscort unit cancelling the automatic elimination?

[wc_sumpton]

@jason-green-lowe

Have you tried setting "isFristStrike" or using "isSuicideOnDefense". There is also a way of self-buffing:

<attachment name="supportAttachmentTransportPositiveBuff" attachTo="transport" javaClass="UnitSupportAttachment" type="unitType">
	<option name="faction" value="allied"/>
	<option name="unitType" value="transport"/>
	<option name="side" value="defence"/>
	<option name="dice" value="strength"/>
	<option name="bonus" value="1"/>
	<option name="number" value="2"/> <!-- can buff 2 units -->
	<option name="bonusType" value="Positive" count="2"/> <!-- buff can be stacked 2 times -->
	<option name="players" value="$All-Players$"/>
	<option name="impArtTech" value="false"/>
</attachment>

<attachment name="supportAttachmentTransportNegativeBuff" attachTo="transport" javaClass="UnitSupportAttachment" type="unitType">
	<option name="faction" value="allied"/>
	<option name="unitType" value="transport"/>
	<option name="side" value="defence"/>
	<option name="dice" value="strength"/>
	<option name="bonus" value="-1"/>
	<option name="number" value="1"/> <!-- negative buff is on self-applied -->
	<option name="bonusType" value="Negative"/> <!-- no count so buff will not stack -->
	<option name="players" value="$All-Players$"/>
	<option name="impArtTech" value="false"/>
</attachment>

The positive buff will raise the transport to 0/1/1 the negative buff will lower it back to 0/0/1. When 2 transport are together the positive buff can be applied to 2 units and stack twice so they will both be 0/2/1, the negative buff can't stack and only effects 1 unit, so both units will be 0/1/1. I know this is not what you want, but it's a idea.

Cheers...

[RogerCooper]

This is simple. Here is a combat transport from ww2_revised

   <attachment name="unitAttachment" attachTo="transport" javaClass="games.strategy.triplea.attachments.UnitAttachment" type="unitType">
      <option name="movement" value="2"/>
      <option name="isSea" value="true"/>
      <option name="transportCapacity" value="5"/>
      <option name="attack" value="0"/>
      <option name="defense" value="1"/>
    </attachment>
 

If that gives them too much defensive capability, set dice to d12 (and double all the other units combat factors)

<diceSides value="12"/>

Take a look at the xml object browser

[Jason Green-Lowe]

@rogercooper @wc_sumpton I appreciate the suggestions, but I don't think that the playerbase for the BBR map is going to want to use 12-sided dice for all units. They might tolerate it if it's just the transport that rolls a d12. Is there a way to use different dice for different units? I think I've seen that in, e.g., Command Decision and Total World War.

I tried entirely disabling the suicide mode on the transEscort, and I changed the name of "transport" to "sea_transport," but the game is still automatically destroying the transports before combat begins.

I also tried putting the purchase phase in between combat move and battle, so that there would be more time for the engine to notice that the transports are defended by transEscorts, but that did not do anything either.

Is there really no way at all to shut off the automatic transport destruction other than giving the transports themselves a defense value? This is sad and frustrating. I don't understand why there is an "unescorted transport dies" property if setting it to "false" doesn't do anything.

[RogerCooper]

@jason-green-lowe If a transport has 0 defense and unescorted it will die if there are unlimited combat rounds, as will any other force 0 defense units. What is the outcome you want if unescorted transports are attacked?

You may want to limit the number of rounds combat to give the transport a chance.

[wc_sumpton]

@Jason-Green-Lowe

From my understanding "Unescorted Transport Dies" no longer does anything and has been deprecated. Try:

<property name="Transport Casualties Restricted" value="false" editable="true">
      <boolean/>
</property>

Leave 'editable' equal to true so that you can change it using "Map Properties" on the main screen.

Cheers...